For a while now I've been trying to decide on my last fish additions for this tank, I wanted something small, peaceful and reef safe, oh and would swim out in the open most of the time. That couldn't be hard, could it? In actual fact finding something that fits all those criteria was surprisingly difficult. I researched loads and visited more than a few shops checking out what was on offer. It soon became clear to me that there wasn't actually that much choice really, the small fish category is not well represented at any of my LFS or indeed any of my not-so-local fish shops either.
In the end after much wavering, I decided to take a bit of a risk and try a small group of Red Spot Cardinalfish. These fish have a bit of an iffy reputation in captivity, there are a fair few reports of them vanishing/dying for no apparent reason at all. If the feedback were all negative then I wouldn't have considered them at all but along with the bad there are also reports of success and some even having them breeding. I hope my experience of them will be the latter. At the LFS I asked for five individuals (I've heard that odd numbers work better than even, I have no idea where that recommendation originated) but in the end I came away with six fish. The very nice salesman added an extra to my bag for free, who was I to say no to that? They were introduced to the tank late on Saturday afternoon and I must say that they've really brought it to life, they are always out in the open and haven't hidden away once. Even the wrasses have more confidence now and are out and about a lot more which is lovely. They appear to be eating well although it's hard to know if they all are getting their fair share. I was advised to offer them smaller foods but they seem keen to take bigger items too. So far they have eaten cyclops, calanus, lobster eggs, enriched brineshrimp and PE mysis. I can understand how these fish may fade away if not fed enough as they are always on the go, never taking a rest even at night. I hope that I can keep up with their dietary requirements without polluting the tank at the same time. Some say that these fish are boring and ugly but I would strongly disagree, they are delicate and subtly coloured. Do they look like a fresh water tetra? Well yes, they kind of do but they work for me and have fitted in to my tank without issue (...so far).
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This tank is approaching the 6 month mark (on the 16th April). Wow, where has the time gone to? It's now well and truly in the 'spotty phase', the back glass is covered with spots of coralline algae and spirobid worms. I have scraped it once already and am now in two minds if I should do it again. Does it look natural or does it just make the tank look messy? I can't decide, answers on a postcard please. :o)
I've had to move the Lobophyllia yet again. The Lobo was very happy in its last spot but, darn it, the snails (Mr Conch I'm looking at you particularly!) just kept knocking it over no matter how hard I pushed it in to the sand. So now I've glued the base of the skeleton to the rock work on the right-hand side at the back. It's not great for viewing but at least it won't get damaged there. Fingers crossed that's the last time I have to move it! Acropora sp. #2 still appears to be red bug free and the PE looks good. Acropora sp. #3 is on the mend I think, to my eye there appear to be less blistering now. It's not completely out of the woods yet but I'm feeling a little more confident about its future. General coral colouration is not great but I'm not too concerned about that at this point. My mysterious hitchhiking crab has thankfully moved away from the S. hystrix and has set up home in the uppermost right hand rock. I still don't have a decent picture of him to show I'm afraid, he moves like lightning whenever I get close. So far he's not attacked or eaten anything that he shouldn't, I regularly observe him scraping at the rock work with his spoon shaped claws and he does a great job of keeping that area clean of algae and detritus. He has grown considerably and I am probably not helping matters by occasionally feeding him directly. I have tentatively identified him as Chlorodiella nigra which is a member of the Xanthidae crab family. According to my research they are generally fine when smaller but can become troublesome as they grow and their appetite increases. I am investigating removal options just in case..... Yesterday afternoon I introduced probably my last fishy additions for this tank, they are still settling in at the moment, pictures to follow hopefully later on in the week. |
AuthorHi, my name is Lisa and I live in Derby, UK. I am a self-confessed reefaholic! Archives
July 2022
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