About three weeks ago, we purchased a 32-gallon marine aquarium and a bunch of associated marine life. My family has been fascinated with the aquarium, and I thought it might be fun to document the life that we currently have in the tank. This is going to be a work in progress so don't be surprised if it is edited frequently over the next few days, weeks and months. As I get a photo of each animal, I'll add them to this list! Until then, there are some overview photos to our Flickr account.
Corals
Yellow Fiji Leather Coral (Sarcophyton elegans) (photo and care)
- We have two of these, one large (about 4 inches wide) and one small (about 2 inches wide).
- The large one is really too big for the place in the tank where we have put him, so I'm looking for another home for him!
- Based on this discussion, we should move him to a place with more light.
- Note that he can sting other corals so we need to be careful where we move him!
(photo)
- If the photo from Petco above is correct, then we have a really small octopus coral that hands out below one of our Toadstools.
- Our Orange ricordea has taken really well to a nook in the live rock. At night he hides almost completely out of site and during the day he straddles the nook to expose himself to sunlight.
- We may have had him in too much light because he never sticks out tentacles. Until I saw the photo above, I didn't even realize he was suppose to.
- Also known as Flame Polyps.
- We have two sun corals and they are a lot of fun to watch. Feeding them is slightly odd in that after putting shrimp in the water, they take a good 15 minutes to open up... But once they do, they open up into small but beautiful flowers.
(Still need a photo of the coral in our tank!)
- Having trouble finding out more about the Yoyo coral online. Our version of this is huge and looks even better than the linked photo suggests... I need to find the scientific name!
Notes:
- I've glued him to a coral in the bottom half of the tank and he seems quite happy.
- He's grown in the past three weeks and now takes up a good three to four inches in diameter.
Octopus Coral (Tubestrea Miracantha)
- Based on this discussion, I should probably move our Frogspawn coral lower in the tank where there is less water flow.
- Here's another photo and description of a toadstool that is "budding". One of our toadstools is doing this!
- I can't find anything in my tank that resembles the photos I'm seeing for plate corals on the internet. hmm... Could it be this guy:
Mushrooms
Blue-Striped Mushroom (discosoma sp.) (photo and care)
- I think we have this type of mushroom and it was mis-identified as a "Green Mushroom".
More photos, but I'm not convinced they are the same: here or here).
Clams
Electric Flame Scallop (lima sp.) (photo and care)
(Still need a photo of the coral in our tank!)
- Technically a clam
- Initially, he was very active and would show his electric spark on a regular basis... Last two days he has dug himself into a whole and doesn't open up much.
Blue Tang (paracanthurus hepatus) (photo and description, care)
- Spends most of his time out in the open...
(See first photo of post!)
- He spends most of his time hidden and/or zooming from one hiding place to another
(Still need a good photo of our Wrasse!)
- Has an attitude and is known to sling snails off of the glass with his nose just for kicks.
- Very pleasant fish. Spends his evening in the open water in the very front of the tank.
Shrimp
Peppermint Shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni) (photo and care).
- Only comes out at feeding. Otherwise he is hidden behind the rocks. However at feeding he will attach himself to the end of the feeding utensil to get as much as possible.
Crabs
Emerald Crab (Mitharax sculptus) (Photo and Care)
(still need a photo of the crab)
- Mostly hides out, but I like him anyway. :)
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