Did more research into local fishes. The local clowns are fine, basically any angel or tang isn't. Which is a shame, they're so lovely to see in the tide pools. Such temptation!
I collected a bit of a cleanup crew, and added it once I had amonia and nitrites at 0 for a week. Started small, 6-7 small snails (topshells, according to my book) a couple of limpets, and a chiton. The snails are amazing with brown algae, as it turns out!
Also realized that the zoanthids that coat the rocks aren't so easy to just take. and a hammer and a chisel is illegal. However, we solved that problem by finding a few that were encrusting oysters, which we do have a permit for. Nothing beats fresh oyster straight from the sea, and once the oyster is eaten, my permit does allow soft corals.
These zoas seem hardy as hell, based on where they live. You even see them over the water line at low tide, and in small pools that regularly have water evaporated out of them, kids walking on them, and trapped fish peeing.
I've attached a couple of photos of the tide pools and of the little frag on the oyster shell. Didn't want to add too much, but now it's been a few days, and my water seems stable, with good polyp extension.
My next order of business will be to add a few more snails, ever so slowly, and maybe try to make a mission to Sodwana up the coast, where I might be lucky enough to bag a cleaner shrimp. It's ever so slightly warmer up there, so you get all kinds of cool things. I just need to find a place to collect that isn't a protected area.
I think I'll also eventually add a few of our locally common Dwarf Cushion starfish, they're not available in the general reef trade, but local guys have great success with them as part of the clean up crew. Pretty little things, only get about an inch in diameter.
I collected a bit of a cleanup crew, and added it once I had amonia and nitrites at 0 for a week. Started small, 6-7 small snails (topshells, according to my book) a couple of limpets, and a chiton. The snails are amazing with brown algae, as it turns out!
Also realized that the zoanthids that coat the rocks aren't so easy to just take. and a hammer and a chisel is illegal. However, we solved that problem by finding a few that were encrusting oysters, which we do have a permit for. Nothing beats fresh oyster straight from the sea, and once the oyster is eaten, my permit does allow soft corals.
These zoas seem hardy as hell, based on where they live. You even see them over the water line at low tide, and in small pools that regularly have water evaporated out of them, kids walking on them, and trapped fish peeing.
I've attached a couple of photos of the tide pools and of the little frag on the oyster shell. Didn't want to add too much, but now it's been a few days, and my water seems stable, with good polyp extension.
My next order of business will be to add a few more snails, ever so slowly, and maybe try to make a mission to Sodwana up the coast, where I might be lucky enough to bag a cleaner shrimp. It's ever so slightly warmer up there, so you get all kinds of cool things. I just need to find a place to collect that isn't a protected area.
I think I'll also eventually add a few of our locally common Dwarf Cushion starfish, they're not available in the general reef trade, but local guys have great success with them as part of the clean up crew. Pretty little things, only get about an inch in diameter.
