Hello, Geezer coming back to this forum. Paul B

[Paul B]

Those "parsley" caterpillars" started to turn into butterflies.

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

Very Nice.
I hardly ever see a monarch anymore.

 

[Paul B]

I never see them and I found two big patches of Milk weed which is what they need to lay their eggs on

 

[Paul B]

Good Morning. This morning about 6:00 the sun wasn't quite up but the sky was awesome

 

[Paul B]

Another beautiful morning for a beach walk.

 

[Paul B]

 

[Paul B]

This morning at almost sunrise I went down to the beach armed with a bucket to collect amphipods. I knew it would be a very low tide.
But nothing. Not one amphipod where there should have been millions. This is scary because after the amphipods are gone, whose next?

I did see many invasive Japanese shore crabs and tiny eels but thats it.

I did swirl algae and barnacle covered rocks in my bucket of seawater just for the bacteria and hopefully baby amphipods.
I will take this water/mud and strain it in a rotifer filter to at least get some bacteria. Later, if I get time, I will put it under a microscope tosee if I got anything.

 

[griss]

Paul, I assume the amphipods are there year round or just in the summer months? You've probably mentioned this before but, I can't recall if you have.

 

[Paul B]

They are here all year and I used to collect them under the ice.

I'm pretty sure these guys are spawning.

 

[Paul B]

OOOOhhhhh NNooo. I have way to many fish. Soon they will have to take turns putting their heads in the water.

I can't help it, if I see an interesting fish that I hardly, if ever see, I need it.

OMG. I have hair algae but no hair on my head. All my fish look great and want to spawn, but I can't use any more fish.

My corals don't look as good, I think they are jealous of all the fish and don't want to stand up in their full glory. I need a bigger tank so I need a bigger house but I'm to old to get one.

I am going on my beach walk now so I hope I don't find a baby swordfish or horseshoe crab because I know I will put them in my tank.

 

[Subsea]

I remember my first tank as I entered Texas Maritime Academy in Galveston. It was a Galveston Bay biotheme with crushed up oyster shells from the chicken feed store. Because salt water vendors did not exist and neither did the internet so us reefers did what was best in our judgement. So I used crushed up oyster shells over a standard undergravel filter with an air bubbles. I remember having a baby flounder that hid in the substrate until a baby calico crab found it while I was watching. I learned first hand that bad things can happen fast.

PS: Check out the new fish room.

 

[Paul B]

My first tanks were the bottom of wine barrels. Besides fish I kept frogs, newts, salamanders and turtles. I also had tortoises.

 

[Subsea]

My first tanks were the bottom of wine barrels. Besides fish I kept frogs, newts, salamanders and turtles. I also had tortoises.

Paul,
Only good Italians have wine barrels at home!

 

[Paul B]

Only good Italians make wine.

 

[Paul B]

These guys also "may" be spawning, but I can't find their nest. Or maybe they are just trying to see who has the best stripe..

These guys are also pretty old as one of them is from my last house and I have lived here for 6 years so one may be 10 or 12.



When they are young, the look like this as this is the same fish

 

[Paul B]

I'm going to try to list my fish, mostly for my benefit but I don't know what many of them are.

2 Fireclowns
3 Red Waspfish
7, 9 or 10 clown gobies, different colors. Green, Black, blue, yellow and gray
2 six line wrasses
2 Possum Wrasses.
1 some kind of red fish, maybe a cardinal, I have no idea and don't remember buying it
1 Hippo Tang
1 Other tang, it will come to me. Tamini, or something like that.
1 Chalk Bass
2 Bangai Cardinals
2 Sunburst Anthius
3 Neon Gobies
3 Hectors gobies
1 Black something
1 Filefish
2 Blue stripe pipefish
2 Watchman Gobies
2 Mandarins
1 Red Scooter Dragonette
1 Perchlet
2-3- or 4 small bleenies
2 Possum Wrasses
1 Long Nose Hawkfish
1 Ruby Red dragonette

So about 50 fish. I'm sure I missed one of two.

 

[Timfish]

Impressive list!

Can you list how long you've had them?

 

[Paul B]

Probably not except for a few, but I can guess. I know the fireclowns are about 34 and one Possum Wrasse is between 8 and 10.
I think the Perchlet is also 8 or 10. Most of the rest of them are about 5 as I got them when I moved here. I know the Sunburst Anthius are about 5. One 6 line may be 7 and the male mandarin is about 4 or 5. The rest of them are either gobies, bleenies or pipefish and they don't generally live past about 5 or 6 years so they are that or less. I think the Hippo Tang is only about 5.

 

[Paul B]

 

[Paul B]

Right now I am using my DIY diatom filter to clean out the gravel over my reverse Undergravel filter and blow out detritus in rock. The fish are loving it.