critter count so far!

[redwarrior77]

Well, for once I'm pretty speechless! It's going to take me a while to figure out where all the rock should go, but for now I have it pretty much just piled up with so many plastic bags floating above. So far, I've seen two little unidentified fish that seem very eager to find a way out of their baggies. I also have 1 peppermint shrimp, 1 lobster of some kind that seems a little wary wondering if there's butter around, 1 of those redish orange crabs, 1 unidentified crab that looks like he's ready to fight, 2 anemonies, a big coco worm or some other tube worm...ok...I'm running out of room here to remember them all.

Incidentally, my birthday was yesterday and this is about the best birthday present I think I've EVER gotten...too cool! Well, time to add some more tank water to the first batch of baggies!

 

[redwarrior77]

Indeed there will...here is the first of many to come:

Unknown red crab...you can't tell from the picture, but this guy is HUGE! I'm not sure how he'll like living in a nano-reef, but if he gets claustrophobic, maybe that's an excuse to upgrade?

This is the first HALF of the bags I got from Richard acclimating. I went for the more sensitive guys first since I'm probably going to be more tired for the second batch...I am going to be one sleepy, but happy girl at work tomorrow...and I bet I'll be pretty popular as well!

More pics will be coming and I promise to bring my good camera to work tomorrow!

 

[divemonster]

Happy birthday! :celeb3:

A POPULAR network engineer....there's probably a joke in there somewhere about nerds and computers but we'll just move right along

the crab is a decorator crab but i don't know what kind. mine has put tunicates and sponges and coralline algae on it carapace. one of my instructors named it "Rambo" It was pulling up clumps of green algae and stuffing it into its "mouth" which was rather comical.

hmm...the two little fish are probably a goby and a blenny...unless you got 2 gobies or 2 blennies

the lobster is probably a slipper lobster, and they are lot of fun to watch. They are good sand stirrers since they like to bury themselves in the sand during the day.

 

[redwarrior77]

Well, so far the fish are out. (I was only able to keep them in the bags an hour and a half...they kept trying to find ways out and seemed much happier after I let them into the tank. They seem very curious and are enjoying exploring their new home. Both appear to be of the same type, just one small and one bigger. They are both very long and thin with small mouths and are rock-colored with dots.

It's hard work getting all these little guys ready to go into their new home at once! Definitely fun, but hard work! The decorator crab seems particularly irritated with me right now. Every time I add new tank water to his bag, he throws up a claw in defiance of his captivity. The sea cucumbers seem less upset about being kept in bondage. The flame scallop is just hiding and muttering to itself "find a happy place, find a happy place!" LOL

I'm not sure how each of these creatures will do in a tank like mine, so I'll be watching them carefully to make sure they are happy and don't need a bigger home to roam. We don't want any in-tank rebellions!

Back to the bags...more pics in progress!

 

[redwarrior77]

More Pictures, even if they are pretty carpy with my blackberry camera!

I think this is a cocoworm. It has a beautiful fan and will have to find a place of honor in the tank for sure!

A very nice flame scallop that Richard sent...I really hope I can keep him happy!

Somebody really should tell this guy that this attitude of his is not going to get him out of his bag any sooner! I think I'm already getting attached to this little fellow's personality...he reminds me a lot of my 4-year-old! :lol:

 

[redwarrior77]

Yet more pictures! (Hey, what I'm missing in quality, I'm making up for in quantity!)

These are both pictures of the last batch of bags floating and acclimating. You might be able to see that in the one on the right, there are 2 anemonies, I believe one is a flower anemonie and the other is a condy.

Another shot of the last of the bags. I think the colorful one on the left is all various types of sponges.

Oh, and Mr. Attitude did get freed from his prison of plastic and promptly ran screaming like a little girl into the rockwork where he is giving me dirty looks as I type!

 

[redwarrior77]

When I let the hermits loose it was like letting a bunch of teenagers out of school for the summer...they immediately starting runny rowdy around the tank. I think everyone is doing pretty well so far, except I am worried about Mr. Lobster. He still hasn't moved from the spot he started in...hopefully he's just taking it all in...

 

[divemonster]

well ok, who needs pics with those colorful descriptions of your tank inhabitants?!

glad you posted them though. i got so jealous I had to drive up to my shop to look at my tank (wanted to top off and check water chemistry)

 

[divemonster]

the lobster will be slow to start (mine were). aren't the hermit crabs hilarious?? I laughed when I saw them scurrying around searching for new shellestate

 

[redwarrior77]

I love my hermits. It's funny how my coworker and I both have tanks about the same size, but our tanks are so completely different. He only does snails and has a couple of rics and a fish with the normal live rock. His tank is always clean and cool looking.

My tank is like a block party where everyone comes out, even the less desirables of the neighborhood. It's rowdy and sometimes messy and there have been known to be fights, but it is certainly active! Come to think of it, this kind of describes the difference in our personalities!

 

[OgreMkV]

Beautiful. more pictures... please

 

[redwarrior77]

More pictures! In my daze leaving the house this morning, I left the good camera, so these are more carpy blackberry-camera pics...tomorrow I should be rested enough to remember it. I was here until 1am floating baggies!

My rock anemone looking all sweet and innocent. "See, I wouldn't hurt a clown, would I? I'm so pretty!"

Side shot of tank with sponges just hanging out. The yellow one has already earned the name "Spongebob Yellow Ball."

Full Tank Shot. I've decided that cocoworm's most dangerous natural predator must be a camera lense. Mine already knows to retract defensively whenever a camera is near!:lol:

 

[redwarrior77]

Well, I suppose an updated critter count is called for.

1 Keyhole Limpet - Mr. Limpet who has been with me from the first and seems a little confused at all the newcomers, but is having fun cleaning the new rock

A Wild bunch of Blueleg hermit crabs - Both new and original, all fun

Snails - Some nassarius, some cerith...some of the new snails still aren't moving much...worried about those guys!

1 Peppermint Shrimp - Doing well
1 Flame Scallop - Ditto
1 Giant Feather Duster - The Star of the Tank so far and doing great!
1 Stone Flower Anemone - So pretty and hanging in there
2 Sea Cucumbers - very still today, both crawled under a rock and haven't moved since
Various crabs
1 Gorgonian - Very pale
4 sponges - hanging in there
1 Serpent Star - seems happy behind the rocks
2 fish - peeking out of the rocks here and there, seem to be doing good


And then, the 2 casualties today...let us take a moment to remember them. :hmm2:

Red the Slipper Lobster
Condy the Condylactus Anemone (turns out she probably was ok after all, but I removed her from the tank thinking she had passed to the great beyond. )

Happily, ammonia is hovering around 0.5ppm and everything that is still there seems to be doing well. I expect that it will take some time for the other critters to get used to their new home, but the starfish is already exploring just as I typed this!

 

[OgreMkV]

Really cool.

 

[divemonster]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13000306#post13000306 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by redwarrior77
Condy the Condylactus Anemone (turns out she probably was ok after all, but I removed her from the tank thinking she had passed to the great beyond.

i thought you said it was smelly. When mine died it smelled badly, and it was falling apart

 

[redwarrior77]

I thought it was...in any case, I'm sure it is now. In any case, I doubt I could have kept it long term, so it's probably for the best. It was losing pieces of its tenticles, smelled bad, and was kind of shrivelled up. I'm really hoping the rock flower pulls through...I'm completely in love with her. (Anemones just seem girly to me, where as crabs are definitely guys. LOL!)

 

[liverock]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13002114#post13002114 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by redwarrior77
I thought it was...in any case, I'm sure it is now. In any case, I doubt I could have kept it long term, so it's probably for the best. It was losing pieces of its tenticles, smelled bad, and was kind of shrivelled up. I'm really hoping the rock flower pulls through...I'm completely in love with her. (Anemones just seem girly to me, where as crabs are definitely guys. LOL!)

Best to be pro-active..rather than re-active...when it comes to water quality...

BTW...off to the Keys...be back sunday

sea ya
Richard TBS:rollface: :rollface: :rollface:

 

[redwarrior77]

Another day, another water change! My ammonia was right at 1.0ppm, so I did a 2g water change. I'm pretty much just planning on doing at least 1 2g change a day until things stabilize and doing 2 if it gets worse. Considering my tank probably only actually holds 12g, with equipment and rock and such taking up some of the 14g, 4g would be 1/3 of my water.

In the meantime, I have sad news. Spongebob Round Ball started getting slimy and had to be removed for the good of his tankmates. He was a good spongeball and will be remembered fondly for his quirky sense of humor and peaceful nature.

Other than that, everybody seems happy in the tank today.

 

[divemonster]

may Spongebob Round Ball RIP

soooo...how about a pic or two?

 

[redwarrior77]

Wouldn't you know it, I forgot my real camera at home again today? Work has been nuts (as usual) and I've been rushing around. I'll take a few blackberry camera shots and you can rap my knuckles with a ruler if I forget again tomorrow.