My Harliquin's have bred.

[KevinJ]

But the sad thing is I have no way to raise the larvae. So they are destined to become fish food. I have a fuge that would be ideal but my pipefish would probably have a feast. Not to mention the Pair of Maroon clowns, oh and my 6 line. But, perhaps in the future I can come up with something. Here is a pic I managed last night female in the foreground with eggs.

KevinJ

 

[Wonton Soup]

That's very cool that your harlequins bred. However, I'm a little confused. Do you have a pipefish, pair of maroon clown fish, and a 6 line in your refugium? Because if so, that is not even close to a refugium. You shouldn't have any fish in such a place. Thus creating a refuge for other life which is typically eaten by fish.

 

[KevinJ]

Well it is sort of. It produces plenty of pods and the like, but these were guys that couldn't cope in my main display. Funny that the Harlequins are fine in the main display, but a pipe fish just cannot compete. Same with the 6 Line and Maroons. You have to look pretty hard to even know there is anything in it. Its a 40 breeder multiple kinds of macro algae that gets harvested weekly to feed the tangs. The tank fills with macro so fast. I give it away. It also gets fed with phytoplankton to help the pod population. It is also the only place I can keep sponges alive. I also have a 30 gallon acrylic that houses my mantis that is also a fudge tons of chaeto to cut the light for the mantis. Since it doesn't eat pods it also serves. I guess I look at a refugium differently then others. I see so many that have a piece of live rock and a fist size ball of chaeto. What does it do to raise pods and reduce nitrates and phosphates? I don't run gfo or biopellets. It is done naturally and for me anyway with good success.

KevinJ

 

[Calappidae]

Here's a thread I made not too long ago:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2421399

I never had success raising the larvae, but am still trying (they actually spawned again last night!.. but I didn't bother to catch any as I'm still not well prepared.)

Very healthy and pretty looking pair!
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I have a calico crab and a mantis shrimp living together in my fuge.. one thing people forget about fuges is that it's ment to substain life creating an additional ecosystem helping to balance out another one in the main tank (Such as an algea and plant ecosystem below to eat nitrates while above just has corals which don't particularly clean water, the above one however houses life such as fish to maintain nitrates to feed the plants below)

Since pipefish are in the fuge, the copepods would be living in the main display.. and then larvae would end up in the fuge for the pipefish to eat. Same concept but reversed which really doesn't matter.

My calico crab keeps the fuge's sandbed shifted and healthy. The mantis was not only a hitchhiker.. but I just like em and threw him in there with little concern after seeing his peaceful behavior in a 10g... not a single problem with them. (Neogonodactylus Wennerae)

It's an endless cycle.. coral and fish waste raise nutrients like nitrates and phosphates.. and the rock/plants in the fuge feed off it keeping it in balance from harming the fish and coral. The reason why we do this in seperate tanks rather than just throw both corals and plants in the main and call it a day is because the water is flowing down there guarenteeing the plants aren't just cleaning a two inch square space of water..

On the thought of maroon clownfish mixing with those fish.. that's something you might want to read up on..

 

[KevinJ]

Joe, I did read that thread. Lol. Thankyou for the comment on my Harleys. As you are well aware keeping them in starfish can be an expensive prospect. And being landlocked in Wyoming makes it more difficult. When petco gets their salt water shipment in I am first inline to buy just about all the starfish they get. Thankfully they get them every week. Sometimes I feel guilty. My display was overrun with Asterina's. Not anymore <eg>. I keep several cc stars in my predator tank for in case... What I find amazing and it is contrary to what you have said about eating just the tube feet my eat a good majority of the starfish innards also. Not a thing seems to go to waste in my system. If a fish dies in the tank there is nothing left of it the next day. Now that being said I take a pretty naturalistic approach to my reef keeping. I wont throw something out just because someone says it is undesireable. I figure it all has a purpose. Maybe always doesn't fit my design but I am not the original designer. That does not mean my Mantis is going in my display tank...lol but I will find a home somewhere in my system or make an addition it just adds volume.

KevinJ

 

[Calappidae]

Lol yeah, I'd never tell somebody to throw a mantis in their reef! I had one let a damsel sleep in his burrow.. my n. wennerae let some emerald crabs live with him while being able to hand feed so I did the biggest mistake a reefer could make.. trusted a general killing machine with one of my prized crabs.. and not once have I regretted it yet! For about 6 months actually!

My other little o. scyllarus killed my live rock dry in her tank..
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The only part filling to the shrimp is the tubefeet, however they will rip it to sheds inorder to get to the tubefeet. It may look like it's all getting eaten but that's not the case. Otherwise frozen starfish would be much more commonly fed (the tubefeet melt after thawing)

 

[KevinJ]

Ah that explains it then. They are pretty secretive little buggers, except when they are hunting.

KevinJ