Lost my Scooter

One of my favorite fish jumped out of the tank and died Saturday night. This isn't the first time he's done it, either. I have pond netting covering the holes in my canopy, but there is a tiny space where the filter intake pipes hang on the tank. He must have found his way through that space, because I found him on the floor just underneath the filter. He wasn't completely dried out, so I threw him back in the tank, hoping he'd revive. Unfortunately, he didn't.

I'm really bummed out about it. I liked this fish a lot. It's such a shame that he died so needlessly, because he was very healthy and fat. I had him since he was only a little more than an inch long, and he was about 3 inches when he died.

Livebearing Marine Brotulids

I've always been fascinated by livebearing fish like guppies, so when I discovered Brotulids, I had to know more about this odd, cryptic fish.

The most common species in the hobby is the yellow dusky Brotulid, otherwise known as a yellow eel goby. They're easy to care for and not picky eaters. They do best in small, peaceful aquariums with easily accessible places to hide, like PVC pipes and flowerpots. They should be target fed, since they are so shy. In large aquariums with a lot of rockwork, they can't be target fed and may starve.

I bought my first yellow dusky Brotulid in March 2008. I put him into my reef aquarium with over 90 pounds of live rock where he promptly dove under a rock pile never to be seen again. A few months later, I bought another one and put her in my seahorse aquarium which has low lighting and little live rock. She lives inside of a rock that is shaped like a cave. I can easily see her, but sometimes I have to use a small flashlight. She is almost constantly in movement, hovering inside her cave while undulating her beautiful, ribbon-like fins. She has become much less shy and even pokes most of the way out of her cave to eat thawed frozen mysis shrimp alongside my seahorses. She is not picky about what she eats and took to frozen food right away. She lives with my two female Orange Eel Gobies, which are a similar species. All three of them are very social with one another and share a cave. Strangely, they also share their cave with my Curious Wormfish, who is very similar to them in behavior and body shape. She is extremely peaceful and doesn't bother any of the small crustaceans or fish that share her tank. Even the squat lobster and Trimma gobies are safe with her.

Sexing this species of Brotulid is a little different than sexing other species. The males of most Brotulid species have large, visible claspers at the beginning of the anal fin. The male yellow Brotulid has a fleshy, crescent shaped pouch which contains his rounded claspers and sexual organs. The female (pictured here) is similar to females of other species in that they have a tiny "knob" at the front of the anus. Breeding this species in captivity might prove to be as easy as breeding freshwater livebearers. The young are large and highly developed when they are born. Unfortunately, there isn't a high demand for this cryptic species, so aquaculture facilities are not breeding them. There have been reports from hobbyists that some Brotulids eat bristleworms, which are a nuisance to aquarists. If this claim can be validated, that would make this species more popular with hobbyists.

These fish have gone by many scientific names including Dinematichthys riukiuensis, Brotulina fusca, and Diancistrus fuscus. No one is entirely sure which scientific name is valid for the little yellow Brotulids that sometimes show up in the aquarium trade. According to fishbase.org, Brotulina fusca is no longer a valid name, and is replaced by and a synonym of Diancistrus fuscus. Fishbase.org goes on to say that Brotulina fusca is very rare and known only from a single male specimen. It seems unlikely, but not impossible, to me that such a rare species would regularly make it into the aquarium trade. I think that these yellow Brotulids we see in the aquarium trade are more likely in the genus Dinematichthys. I recently came across this photo of a Dinematichthys randalli while doing a Google search. This is the closest I've ever come to positively identifiying my little Brotulid.

The best information I've found on these awesome fish so far has been from a German website called www.seahorsemania.eu. This is what they have to say (translated loosely into English):

"The following photos and info on the animal, comes courtesy of Martin Reith, Freiburg - www.seahorsemania.eu

This very unusual fish, Freiburg shop "Under Water" photographs, where several rare animals for sale. The Yellow bearded Brotulid is considered "Brotulina fusca" in the aquarium trade, but the current Latin name is Diancistrus fuscus. Hardly a rarity these aquarists will have ever seen, so a few additional details:

Assignment and kinship:

The Yellow bearded Brotulid is the family of livebearing Brotulas (Bythitidae) in order Ophidiiformes (like fish entrails / male-like beard) and is therefore associated with the widely-style cod (Gadiformes) related. Fishes of the order Ophidiiformes are mainly deep-water fish and this is also the reason why most divers and aquariums are not yet familiar with members of this order. The only members of this order, the little known, are the bizarre fish viscera (Family Carapidae) in the body of live sea cucumber.

In the family of livebearing Brotulas (Bythitidae) in addition to marine fish and a few representatives that live in anchialinen caves (caves where freshwater and saltwater mix). To mention are the genera Typhliasina, lucifuga and Ogilbia from cave systems in Central America as well as in various groups of islands in the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific. From the genus Diancistrus come here next to the imagined nature, even (still rare) reddish colored fish on the market. They are traded as Brotulina Erythrea, it could therefore possibly be Diancistrus erythraeus.


Verbreitung und Lebensraum:

The Yellow bearded Brotulid Diancistrus fuscus lives in the western Pacific in southern Japan, Taiwan and the northern half of the Philippines. To the south of the equator it is replaced by "Allen's bearded Brotulid" Diancistrus alleni. The Yellow bearded Brotulid was rarely observed free-living, it probably lived in shallow waters up to 20 meters in depth, well hidden in columns of coral reefs.


Posture and nutrition:

When it comes to attitude, we can only give rough recommendations because we have little experience with this species. For the welfare of the Yellow Bearded Brotulid in the aquarium, a large number of crevices and caves are needed, since the animals in nature predominantly reside in in columnar systems. Since the diet of these animals still as good as nothing is known, however, should first try to get these animals in a darkened aquarium with very little possibilities to keep hiding in order to be able to observe what food they take. The above-mentioned with the Yellow Beard related fish from anchialinen caves are known to eat several small crustaceans. Yellow Beard Brotulids may eat small copepods and Mysis shrimp. Pair or group housing would be recommended so that the very interesting reproductive behavior and the largely unknown social behavior can be observed.


Reproduction:

The animals are livebearing fish and have an internal fertilization. The males have in a belly fold a penis and pair of claspers similar to those of rays and sharks. The females live bring juveniles to the world. Perhaps Yellow Beard Brotulids are especially easy to breed.


Abstract:

The Yellow Bearded Brotulid is a rarely traded, and highly interesting from an unusual fish group, their way of life is still very little known. Even the exceptional reproduction suggests that the biologically interested aquarists, who is a Artbecken up a lot of sensational observations can be. The very hidden way of life make the Yellow Bearded Brotulid unsuitable for aquarium fish in their normal set, mixed reefs aquarists often want to see."

Don't Do This

I have had a pretty terrible week so far. I spent yesterday in the hospital for a minor outpatient procedure. After explaining my severe needle-phobia to my anesthesiologist, he still managed to fail to properly insert the IV not once, but twice.

Very early this morning I awoke with alarm as my husband shook me awake saying, "Honey, you need to get up, the aquarium is overflowing." How could this happen? I admit it is totally my fault. I have the necessary check valves and clamps, brand new, in a bag under my aquarium stand. I've just been procrastinating about installing them.

As you can see from the extremely cluttered photo at the left, the return pump has no hose clamp. It is just dangling precariously from the end of the hose. Don't ever do that. It's bad. It's hard to see in this photo because it's obscured by the hose in front, but also take note of the extremely long outlet elbow. It reaches below the water level to about a third of the way down on the main aquarium. Don't do that, either, especially if you don't have a check valve on your outlet hose.

Even if you're not a physicist, you can probably tell from the photo and the description what happened very early this morning to my aquarium. The hose disconnected from the return pump, causing water from the 55 gallon main tank to siphon down into the 37 gallon sump on the floor. If there had been a hose clamp, the hose wouldn't have disconnected from the return pump. If the outlet elbow wasn't so long, it would've stopped siphoning once the water level sunk below it. If I had installed the check valve, it wouldn't have siphoned at all. I knew all of that was possible, which is why I have those hose clamps and check valves under my stand. But you can't change someone's true nature. I'm still a procrastinator, and guess what I'm doing rignt now instead of installing them...

The silver lining? the 20 gallons of water on my floor didn't do any lasting damage. It stopped inches from my computer tower and cell phone.

Pom Pom Crabs and Basket Stars

The pom pom crabs I ordered have arrived! They are in perfect condition, and the acclimation couldn't have gone any smoother. I placed them next to my older pom pom crab in the aquarium, and they seemed to get along fine. As you can see from the pictures, one of the new pom pom crabs is definitely a female. Note the bright orange eggs on her abdomen. Please forgive the hair algae stuck all over the crabs, that came from my aquarium...





I'm doing a little experiment to see if it's true that pom pom crabs share their anemones with one another, then frag them to make more. I think it's more likely that they steal anemones from each other. When a pom pom crab molts, it puts down its anemones for a short time until it can shed its old exoskeleton and pick them back up again. Perhaps that is when they are most vulnerable to anemone theft! Unless I see it happening, I may never know. But hopefully my older pom pom crab acquires some new anemones somehow, because she lost hers a few months ago and has been carrying around sponges instead. It's kind of sad and pathetic.



Word has gotten around that I like Crinoids and other non-photosynthetic animals, so I was given some basket stars last week. Thanks, Joe! You're awesome!



I have no idea what species these basket stars are. If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you can see that they are pinkish with red-orange stripes all over them. If I had to name them, I'd call them "candy-striped basket stars." They are only about the size of a nickel when they spread out. These are the smallest basket stars I've ever seen, hopefully they'll be easier to feed as a result. They came on this gorgeous non-photosynthetic orange and red soft coral, which I also couldn't ID. It reminds me of corals related to Dendronepthea sp. and Stereonephthya sp. Anyone know what this is? It wasn't attached to a rock, so I rubber-banded it to a heavy coral mariculture plug. I'm going to pin it tomorrow with a long stainless steel frag pin. The stars haven't strayed from the coral yet.

The other basket starfish I got this week is a Caribbean basket starfish, Astrophyton muricatum, similar to the one pictured. I had that one come in as a hitchhiker on a Gorgonian order a couple years ago, and it didn't last long. That is how I learned that basket starfish can crawl inside return pumps and get destroyed by the impeller. Since then, all my pumps have been covered with ugly mesh bags. The one I got this week is about the size of a large man's hand when it is stretched out. This species grows to three feet in diameter in the wild.

I hope to do better with this basket star than with my last one. Like most other non-photosynthetic marine creatures, the majority of the basket star's diet will have to come from my aquarium's refugium and sand bed. In the wild Caribbean basket stars prefer to eat pelagic copepods and other small zooplankton, so Cyclop-eeze, Cyclops, and rotifers are an ideal supplemental diet for a small to medium-sized basket star.
Here's an older article about basket stars on reefs.org http://www.reefs.org/library/article/r_toonen17.html

Aquarium Update

All my aquatic pets are doing well. I'm dealing with some condensation on the glass now that summer is here and I chill my aquarium to 72 degrees. The algae is coming back with a vengeance and threatening my corals. I'm considering starting a nano tank just for my corals. I have a 20 gallon bullet tank, but it currently houses my freshwater livebearers. I doubt my husband will alow me to get ANOTHER aquarium, so I'll have to either get rid of the algae or get rid of my livebearers.



The Curious Wormfish is doing great and eating a lot. He spends most of his time buried in the sand, but when I feed the aquarium he emerges to feed. It's strange to see a tiny blue head poking up out of the sand, waiting for the perfect, calm moment to burst out and begin hunting Mysis. He's now eating the large PE Mysis, about 2 or 3 pieces a day. After dinner, he may stay out for a couple hours, then buries himself in the sand again.

I just ordered some pom pom crabs, they should be arrving soon. My pom pom crab, who is a couple years old now, lost her anemones a few months ago. Hopefully her new friends will share their anemones with her.



My yellow-fin flasher wrasse accidentally went over the overflow box and now lives in my seahorse tank. I'm not very good at catching fish, so he has stayed there. It's been a few weeks now, and my Rubriventralis fairy wrasse has turned into a male within that short time. "His" ventral fins are a gorgeous black-red color, and the blue on his tail and body glows. I promise to post better pictures soon.



The Erectus seahorses are also doing great. They are growing so big! It's hard to believe that just five months ago, they were tiny juveniles, only a few inches tall. I love this picture of Hoover, who is usually black. She turns white when I feed her or when she is being courted by Juniper or Debelius. Click on the photo for more detail.

The one-eyed goby my friend Paul got me for my birthday in April has finally started to gain some weight. Well, technically, he has two eyes, but one is severely deformed. When I first got him, I was concerned that he wasn't eating enough because he can't see anything on his right side. I try to target feed him, but if the food falls to his right side, he can't see it at all. He is less shy now and is confident enough to compensate for his eyesight by swimming in circles to look around.

Honestly, I'm surprised that my Crinoid feather star is still alive. All of its arms are intact, and it seems to be thriving. I put a fish net in my seahorse tank in an attempt to get the flasher wrasse used to it so I could catch him better. The Crinoid decided to make that fish net its home, so now I can't remove the net. The squat lobster is less shy now and is always visible on the center of the Crinoid. I'm noticing that the squat lobster doesn't steal small food particles from the Crinoid, only larger pieces (like Mysis) that fall and get stuck in its arms.

Lastly, one of my female Brotulids has slowly been getting fatter and fatter, till recently, her stomach turned dark and swollen. She definitely looked like the pregnant Brotulids I've seen before. The strange thing is that I don't have a male of the same species in the tank with her. She hasn't been around a male in almost a year. I'm not sure if they can store sperm the way that freshwater livebearers can, or if she possibly mated with the yellow Brotulid who is from a different genus and has radically different genitalia. Last week, I noticed that the front of her belly was flat, and a long black shape was still visible near her vent. The next day, it too was gone, and she now looks exactly like her sister. These fish are so ridiculously cryptic, I can only view the adults with a small flashlight I keep near the tank. Most people who buy Brotulids for their aquariums never see them again, or see them years later when they tear down their tanks. I can't help but wonder if I now have a couple baby Brotulids...

McCullochi Clownfish Breeding Update

We've posted some new photos on Liveaquaria of our McCulloch's Clownfish eggs and larvae. Click here to view photos of the eggs' progression, the larvae, and the rearing set-up. I took some of these photos, but the best one is the "Day 2" larvae photo that Kevin took.

I've never seen clownfish babies before, and my first reaction was how big they are! I know that doesn't sound right, but really, they aren't that small. They were just as big as some other freshwater egg-laying species' fry I've seen. They swim a lot faster than I would've expected, making it even harder to get a photo. The first to hatch are eating voraciously and growing exponentially. They've been segregated from their smaller brothers and sisters, who are catching up to them in size now.

Any we've lost have been donated to my microscope. It's clear to me that since day three, they are starting to develop a crude tail. You can tell from the photos that they are turning black already. Some have more black than others, and it seems that the larger ones are darker. Under the microscope, you can see neuron-shaped spots of black and some smaller, rounded yellow pigments.

This is such a wonderful and exciting learning experience. I'm grateful that even in these hard economic times, Dr. Foster and Dr. Smith have enthusiastically supported this expensive experiment. It is my hope that someday, the rare McCullochi clownfish will be just as numerous as "Nemo." The best news you'll hear all week? The parents are cleaning the glass again...

06/18 Update: Unfortunately, all the babies died a couple days ago. This isn't uncommon with a first spawn, so we're being optimistic. The second batch of eggs is much larger and due to hatch on Saturday. This time around, I hope we'll be more successful.

06/29 Update: Our second batch of eggs only produced five larvae. Maybe our pair is young and inexperienced at spawning. They spawned again on Friday night; this clutch is much larger, and the eggs look healthier and brighter. Hopefully we'll get a larger hatch this time.

07/02 Update: We still have one little fry swimming around in the nursery tank. He is past the larval stage now and doing great. The newest spawn is starting to look really mature; the eggs have eyes! These eggs look great.

07/08 Update: We've got about thirty hatchlings with fat, healthy bellies and one lone ranger from the last clutch who has finally metamorphosed into his sub-adult form. He is about a centimeter long and is obviously a mini-adult. He's jet black with two white stripes and yellow fins. His eyes look absolutely enormous compared to the rest of him. He's our little mascot; I have named him Pierre. Here's a link to some photos and a video of him chowing down on some baby brine shrimp.

Oh, and by the way, they spawned again tonight. This clutch is even BIGGER than the last one!

07/14/09 The newest eggs should be hatching any minute now...

08/22/09 We now have four large babies that have gone through metamorphosis, and one getting ready to. They look completely different from the adults. The babies have three stripes instead of one, and yellow markings on their fins. Some of them are mis-barred, but you won't be able to tell when they are adults, they lose their stripes. We have about a hundred (I don't know, I was an English major) swimming around in the fry rearing tank. The parents spawned again last night, right on time. You could set your watch to them.

08/30/09 Kevin says he successfully collected the entire batch this time using his larvae collector. I can't wait to see all the babies tomorrow, I bet there's a lot! He said all of them hatched at the same time this time. That's been a major problem for us in the past. Before today, a few would hatch out before the majority of them, and would be stronger and outcompete their smaller siblings.

Interview with Dan Underwood of SeahorseSource.com

I've been a member of the seahorse community for a few years now, and it's been blatantly obvious which seahorse retailer stands out among all the others. No matter which seahorse forum you visit, you'll notice that the vast majority of posters recommend buying from SeahorseSource.com.

Unlike many Asia-based seahorse breeders that mass produce seahorses and offer no customer service, the Underwoods are active in the seahorse and aquarium community. Dan and his wife, Abby, are active posters on Seahorse.org, answering questions and giving expert advice to seahorse keepers, customers or not. I also had the pleasure of meeting Dan and his daughters at IMAC last year.

As you can imagine, Dan U. is a very busy guy, but he graciously accepted when I asked him to do an interview for Aquarium Adventures.


FM: First of all, why seahorses? What (or who) was your inspiration?

DU: A few years ago, I was involved in a startup business in New England. I knew the company was to be sold soon and was looking for another venture to be involved in. While on a business trip, I stayed with my sister who was working with seahorses and she told me about seahorses and that there were only a handful of successful breeders worldwide and how difficult they were.
After several conversations with my sister, my wife and I decided that we wanted to be involved. A few months later the company sold, we sold our house and sailed to Florida. We spent a couple of years studying, keeping and observing seahorses. After figuring out how to successfully rear them, we started Seahorse Source.


FM: How many different species do you breed?

DU:Currently 6 species. H. erectus, H. zosterae, H. barbouri, H. fuscus, H. kuda & H. reidi.


FM: That sounds like a lot, is your whole family involved in caring for the seahorses?

DU: Yes. Originally it was a 2 person partnership with my wife & myself. Now both of our daughters are involved.


FM: Do you have any other pets or animals at home?

DU: Yes. 3 dogs and a rabbit.


FM: When you're not taking care of seahorses, do you have any other hobbies?

DU: Yes. Boating. We love sailing, but due to time restraints with the seahorses, that is temporarily on hold. We sold our sailboat and bought a power boat for exploring the estuaries and studying the seahorses and their natural habitats. We do sneak in a little play and chill time on the water as well.


FM: I noticed that you sometimes sell seahorses from other breeders. What do you do to ensure their health and quality?

DU: We would prefer to breed all of our horses that we sell. Space and time constraints prevent us from doing so. Also, sometimes it is more profitable for us to resell than to breed. First we take a look at the breeder and learn everything we can about them. What is their track record, what do others think about them (both professionals within the industry and their customers), what we learn from a personal interview and how well they will stand behind their product. Next
we order a sampling of their specimens. After we have observed a sampling and are satisfied, we do a trial order. From there it is based on consistency with their livestock. As long as we feel we would be personally happy with their livestock, we are willing to continue with them. We have had breeders that we have dropped due to deterioration in quality.


FM: What temperature would you recommend for most tropical seahorse species in your customers' home aquariums?

DU: 72 to 74 degrees F. This is not always possible though. Especially during the peaks of summer and winter. We consider 77 to 78 degrees the high for summer and 68 to 69 degrees the low for winter. Generally we have found that customers that maintain temperatures in the mid to low 70's have a much higher success rate in keeping seahorses long term.


FM: I've never heard of a customer giving you negative feedback. What's your customer service secret?

DU: I have a very strong sales and customer service background. I did very well in this area in previous businesses. It is more or less a carry over in philosophy. I believe if you understand what your customer wants and deliver or exceed upon those expectations, you will have a satisfied customer. We are not perfect though. It is when you make an error or fail to deliver that your true customer service shows. We admit when we have goofed or were wrong, and fix it. We are one of the few companies that if we fail to deliver what we promised, will replace our products at no charge, including shipping, instead of issuing a credit towards the next order.


FM: What do you think makes Seahorsesource.com's pet seahorses higher quality than other live seahorses on the market?

DU: First, because we are a small Mom & Pop Operation with very high standards. Our focus is on quality. Being small and hands on we have direct control over this. Secondly, unlike many of the seahorses sold today, all of our seahorses are true Captive Bred specimens from closely monitored recirculating systems.


FM: Other retailers sell their "colored" seahorses for a higher price. Why do you choose not to sort yours by color?

DU: Quite simply, because it is impossible to stand behind the product when selling by color. Seahorses can and do change colors. It is part of their defense mechanism to blend into the environment. We have no control on the décor of the customer's tank which will be the largest determining factor in their color. Selling seahorses by color is like offering green chameleons at a higher price than say brown chameleons.


FM: What do you think the future holds for the live seahorse industry?

DU: Seahorse husbandry is still very much in its infancy. There is still a ton to be learned. Presently the biggest challenge for breeders is how to become more consistent in production and how to be profitable. The profitability end is an issue for USA breeders who have to compete against foreign breeders with low over head, very little regulatory control in aquaculture and inconsistencies in defining how seahorses are bred.

FM: Do you think seahorses will continue to be popular aquarium pets ten years from now?

DU: Yes! Maybe, even more so, than now.

McCullochi Clownfish Spawn in Rhinelander, WI

It's an exciting time for us Rhinelander, WI residents. Love is in the air, and Liveaquaria's super rare in-house McCullochi clownfish (Amphiprion mccullochi) pair has spawned! Amazingly, Kevin Kohen, Liveaquaria's director, was there right when it was happening and caught it on film. Check out Liveaquaria's Exclusive McCulloch's Clownfish spawning video. There's a hilarious clip near the end of a snail that got too close to the egg patch. Watch as the McCulloch's pair viciously attacks it in an attempt to move it away from their precious eggs.

The eggs were laid on Sunday, and we expect them to hatch this Monday after an eight day gestation period. I feel very lucky to have a front-row seat for this experience. I'll keep you posted when I can, so look for more updates from me in the near future.

McCulloch's Clownfish are endemic to Lord Howe island off the coast of Australia, which is a national park. One ambitious Aussie named Ryan was granted permission to collect ten pairs for breeding purposes. Thanks to him, McCulloch's Clownfish became available in the aquarium trade for the first time in nearly 30 years, since Lord Howe island became a marine reserve in 1982. Most of the F1 McCulloch's Clownfish were sold in Japan for around $5,000 U.S. each! Because of Liveaquaria's endeavors, these amazing creatures are now available to hobbyists in the Unites States. You can read Ryan's whole McCulloch's clownfish story here, or an easier to follow version here.

UPDATES HERE

Curious Wormfish

I am very excited about my new pet Curious Wormfish. This fish has been on my fish wish list for many years, but I haven't been able to locate one until last Friday. I was very pleased that my fish has blue on it; some curious wormfish are more yellow and lack the blue stripe. Mine must be the true Gunnelichthys curiosus. I took more than two hours to acclimate him using the drip method. I take longer than normal because my tank's temperature is so low, and this is a delicate fish. Updates on this fish Here.

I took a top-view photo of him in the bucket, then transferred him to a specimen container to get a good closeup. In all my life, I've never seen a fish jump so much. Poor thing is too skittish to even photograph with the flash on. So I gently put him into my aquarium. Lucky for me, he decided to swim around for a few seconds before promptly burying himself in the sand, which is where he will probably spend most of my waking hours. I was able to get a couple half-decent pictures of him. You can sort of tell how he swims from the photos, undulating his whole body in an S-shape.

Curious wormfish are very shy and cryptic, but so is everything else in my aquarium. They have a poor survival record in captivity, mostly due to improper housing. These fish must be kept in an aquarium with a tight fitting lid. I'm using fine pond mesh to cover mine. They are so thin, they can fit through even the tiniest spaces.

According to wetwebmedia's FAQ, These fish are even more shy than seahorses, and shouldn't be kept with swimming fish, including wrasses. Almost any fish will easily outcompete them for food and harass them. They are surprisingly thin, and may be easily swallowed by all but the smallest, most peaceful fish. I put mine into my seahorse/Brotulid aquarium where he can be cryptic in peace.

When I came home from work today, he was swimming out in the open. I immediately thawed a cube of Hikari Mysis shrimp and put it in the tank. He ate with gusto! I tried to get a couple pictures of him, but he jumps every time the flash goes off. (I don't know how anyone could possibly keep one of these in an uncovered aquarium. The poor thing would only last 2 minutes.) And my glass has billions of Spirorbids on it from the phytoplankton feedings. I'll let him settle in more before subjecting him to the camera again. For now, check out this gorgeous photo by Keoki Stender. This is by far the best photo I've ever seen of a Curious wormfish.



December Update: my Curious Wormfish moved himself to my sump with the Brotulids a few months ago. I left him there because he seemed more comfortable in the dark with other lazy fish. He hides with them in their PVC tubes and comes out when he smells food. He is still an extremely skittish, shy fish. He seems to get along wonderfully with the Brotulids. There are several PVC pipes in the sump, but they all share one. Guess they like company.

Devonian Fossil Cluster

I found this neat fossil at an art/fossil store in Minocqua, WI. They had a small inventory of fossils, mostly whole Trilobites, Ammonites, and some crystals. They had this fossil labeled as a Devonian fossil cluster, 350 - 416 million years old. I immediately assumed it was of marine origins, but now that I have it home, it occurs to me that it could be terrestrial. Any fossil afficianados out there want to hazard a guess at what these little...things are?

Click on the photos to see the huge detail version.

Squat Lobster and Crinoid Update

It's been a while since I've had a squat lobster-Crinoid update. The Crinoid feather star is still doing well; it is extending its arms farther and more often now. So far I haven't noticed any deterioration of the arms, even with the squat lobster living on it.

The squat lobster is also doing very well. If a squat lobster could be happy, I would say this one is quite content. The photo above shows the squat lobster, named "Darth Vader," eating the Mysis shrimp prize it found in one of the arms of its feather star.

Commensal Coral Hermit Crab

I've acquired a new piece of coral with some interesting critters living inside. This piece is from Australia, I believe it is a Leptastrea pruinosa. The first thing I noticed about this tiny piece was the yellow commensal coral hermit crab, Paguritta sp. It measures about 3 mm total length. It is officially the smallest pet I've ever had. It is more yellow in real life, I'm still learning how to use this new camera. I've seen bigger ones, so I'm hoping it gets a lot of plankton to eat in my aquarium and grows. What really surprised me about this crab was that it was living in a Leptastrea coral. I've only ever seen them on SPS corals like Acropora, Montipora, and Astreopora corals.

I'm not sure how difficult these are to keep in captivity. Technically, these are filter feeders. If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you can see that the crab has feathery antennae that it uses to capture suspended plankton. Like its shelled hermit crab cousins, I've also seen it pick up tiny particles with its claws and put them in its mouth. Hopefully that means they will be easier to feed than other filter feeding animals.

When I looked closer at this coral, I noticed some tiny blue things with black markings. They are about half the size of the hermit crab. At first I thought they could be a different species of commensal coral hermit crab, but they didn't appear to have claws. I watched them during acclimation, but they didn't move much. Once I put the coral into my aquarium, I saw that the blue things lifted up and the tiny, feathery hand-like feeding apparatus of a barnacle came out of each one. There appears to be some tissue loss on this end of the coral, but I don't think it is a direct result of the barnacles living there. Click on the photos for larger views.

Update 6/20: I'm happy to say that my commensal coral hermit crab is doing well and is easy to feed. I target feed it daily with small pieces of frozen Mysis, Cyclops, and krill. Just like its shelled cousins, it holds the food (often several times the size of its body) in its claws, methodically rips small pieces off, and puts them in its mouth. It retreats when it detects movement nearby, but quickly comes out waving its arms and antennae when it senses food. I can get the tip of the syringe so close to the tiny crab that I can gently squirt pieces of food directly into its greedy claws. For good measure, I do often target some phytoplankton for its feathery antennae to catch.

Coldwater Catalina Gobies

There has been a lot of focus lately on sustainable aquarium livestock harvesting and responsible aquarium keeping. The Catalina goby, Lythrypnus dalli, is notorious for being kept in inappropriate captive conditions. The picture at the left shows a captive Catalina goby perched on a sea mat "glowing" under Actinic lighting.

For years Catalina gobies were marketed as tropical fish and sold to reef aquarists. When the gobies died shortly after purchase, it was assumed that they were delicate or had short lifespans. Neither assumption is true. Catalina gobies are not tropical or sub-tropical fish. They are temperate, cold-water fish. And quite hardy, if kept in the correct environment. The maximum temperature to plan for in your home Catalina goby aquarium would be no more than 65 degrees, maintained by a chiller.

Some retailers are beginning to notice that their customers are educating themselves about the habitats of the species they are keeping, including Catalina gobies. Some of these retailers have changed their stand on Catalina gobies and other coldwater stock, admitting that they are truly temperate. But they are still recommending the incorrect temperature range. Some retailers list the maximum temperature at 74 or 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Those are still tropical temperatures. It's a step in the right direction, but their temperature recommendation is still way too high.

According to fishbase.org, the maximum water temperature Catalina Gobies can be found living in is 71 degrees. This is during the hottest point in summer in shallow water. Keep in mind that our reef fishes can be found in waters where the temperatures reach more than 90 degrees during the summer. For example, in the summer Brazilian Reidi and Erectus seahorses are observed in shallow waters where the temperature is above 90 degrees. Even the least responsible keepers would never attempt to keep their seahorses or reef fish at those temperatures. Our aquariums and captive reefs are very different from the wide open ocean. In captivity diseases and parasites can reproduce unchecked by inadequate dilution and overstocking (compared to the ocean). Attempting to keep any fish at the very top of its natural temperature range is going to shorten its lifespan and weaken the immune system. 71 degrees happens to be the top of a Catalina goby's temperature range.

Public aquariums have known for years that Catalina gobies must be kept at low temperatures. The Monterey Bay Aquarium houses Catalina gobies in a chilled aquarium maintained between 58 and 60 degrees. They are able to keep their Catalinas for an average of two years each and have no problems with disease. The Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco keeps theirs at 60 degrees. Steve Weast keeps his Catalina gobies at 62 degrees or lower. He has graciously posted some fabulous photos of his Catalina gobies guarding eggs in this Reefcentral thread. The maximum temperature to plan for in your home Catalina goby aquarium would be no more than 65 degrees, maintained by a chiller.

I kept a beautiful pair of Catalina gobies in temperatures between 67 and 72 degrees for a few months. When I noticed their fast respiration and a Lymphocystis infection, I did some research then moved them to an aquarium with a temperature between 65 and 67 degrees. They recovered from the Lympho, but I was still only able to enjoy them for one year total.



There are a few more species in the Lythrypnus genus, but only two show up in the aquarium trade with any regularity. The other is the Zebra Catalina goby, Lythrypnus zebra. This species is not often collected, and the few that make it into the aquarium trade sell quickly. Not much is known about it except that its care is similar to Catalina gobies. It has a more southern range and may be able to withstand slightly warmer water temperatures. This might make it a good candidate for sub-tropical or seahorse aquariums. I've kept one in my aquarium for nearly nine months as of this post, and it is doing very well. It is eating well, as you can see from the above photo, and hasn't shown any symptoms of disease. My aquarium temperature is between 67 and 70 degrees for most of the year, but in the summer I allow it to reach 72 or 74 degrees during the hottest weeks to prevent my chiller from prematurely wearing out. I'll update this blog if anything changes.



There are tropical gobies that rival the Catalina gobies' beauty and make much better additions to a reef aquarium. Gobies from the genus Trimma and Eviota are similar in size, color, and behavior. Trimma and Eviota gobies can even be kept in small groups with less aggression than groups of Catalina gobies.

Responsibility begins with the collectors, wholesalers, and retailers, but we as hobbyists have a voice every time we purchase a specimen for our aquarium. We can educate fellow hobbyists about cold water livestock and avoid the temptation to keep them in our tropical aquariums only to enjoy them for a few months. By avoiding difficult to keep species, we can decrease demand for these animals, and fewer of them will be collected. We all play an active role in the future of the aquarium hobby.

If you are interested in Catalina goby breeding behavior, read Sex Reversal in Pairs of Lythrypnus dalli: Behavioral and Morphological Changes and Sex allocation in a simultaneous hermaphrodite, the blue-banded goby (Lythrypnus dalli): the effects of body size and behavioral gender and the consequences for reproduction.

If you are interested in setting up a coldwater reef or temperate aquarium, more information can be found on Steve Weast's website Oregonreef.com. Wetwebmedia has a very informative section on Catalina gobies here. These photos were taken in 52 degree waters near Channel Island, California.

Update: https://reefs.com/2017/03/22/coldwater-catalina-gobies/

Nikon D60 Camera

My new (to me) camera came in via UPS today. It is a refurbished Nikon D60 with a 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens. I am super happy with it. Here are a few shots I took tonight with my new camera. To get this close, I used an "Opteka 52mm 10x HD² Professional Macro Lens"

Of course, you can expect more later. Click the pictures to see the full size, detailed pictures.

Cost of Owning an Aquarium

The first question many people ask when considering an aquarium is, "How much is this going to cost?" The total cost of an aquarium will depend on what types of animals you'll be keeping. It will also depend on the brands and models of the equipment you choose. In this blog I will try to make a loose estimation of the total cost of my aquarium and its current equipment and livestock. Keep in mind that I didn't spend all this money right away, it took a couple years to collect all of this stuff. I look for sales, shop online, and buy used equipment from local people.

I only wish that I had researched more before I bought certain things. I have an entire storage room full of aquarium equipment that I no longer use, but can't bear to throw away, because I paid for it!

Since I have two aquariums plumbed together with an overflow box, let's just consider them as one since they share all their equipment. The top aquarium is a 55 gallon "reef" tank. It has mostly photosynthetic Gorgonians, Actinodiscus sp. mushrooms, Zoanthus sp. polyps, a Turbinaria sp., Duncanopsammia sp., and other miscellaneous corals. It has about ten gobies, a pipefish, two small wrasses, and some small inverts. I bought it during a "dollar a gallon" sale at Petco a few years ago. I paid only $55.00! The lower aquarium is a 37 gallon aquarium with five seahorses, a pipefish, three Brotulids, non-photosynthetic corals like Gorgonians, several Tubastrea sp., a pink sea cucumber, and other inverts. This aquarium (along with tons of other useful stuff) was given to me by my friend Monica, but a similar aquarium would likely cost around $50.00 because it's an unusual size.

Syngnathids do best at temperatures lower than 74 degrees Fahrenheit, and two of the Brotulids I keep are sub-tropical to temperate species. Even in Wisconsin, it gets warm in the summer, so I needed a chiller. My chiller was one of my first aquarium purchases. I bought an off brand 1/10 horsepower chiller on Ebay used for a little over $300. After doing some research, I discovered that I could've gotten a similar model brand new for about the same price. I didn't make that mistake again.

I've had three different canister filters over the years, but my favorite so far has been my Fluval 405. I started with a Magnum 350, but got rid of that soon after nearly electrocuting myself. (it's a long story, but basically, the o-ring fell off into the canister after I reattached the lid, which caused water to spray out of the canister in all directions onto my power strip, which then started to smoke, prompting me to panic and push the little red switch...) My second canister filter was a Filstar XP3. I really liked this filter, but after a couple months, an air pocket developed a couple inches below the lid, and it started to leak a bit. Since the company is located in France, I didn't get much customer assistance. I later got a Fluval 405, which runs about $235.00, and haven't had a problem since. I do miss the perfectly square Filstar XP3, though. It was much easier to customize media.

I've also had several different lighting systems, but the one currently on my reef aquarium is a 48" Dual Satellite Compact Fluorescent fixture which costs about $270.00. My non-photosynthetic tank has a light, too, but just enough for me to view them. It's a single strip light, costed about $35.00. I also have a light on my refugium, a Coralife Aqualight Single Compact Fluorescent Strip Light. I got the 24" freshwater version (the color temperature is good for macroalgae) for about $70.00. I have countless ballasts, bulbs, and strip lights in my storage room that I won't factor into the ultimate cost.

I've had two different skimmers so far. I bought a Prism Pro a few years ago, but I removed it from the aquarium after a few months because it was such a pain to adjust all the time. I was constantly adjusting the water flow and air valve. After I started getting a lot of hair algae, I decided it was time for a new skimmer. I got (and blogged about) my Hydor Performer in January, and I love it. The smallest model runs about $320.00, but it is worth it.

I consider my refugium an essential part of my aquarium. It provides food for my pipefish and seahorses, helps reduce nitrates by growing macroalgae, and gives me a place to put really tiny shrimp and fish when they first come out of quarantine and I want to watch them closely. I have the the large AquaFuge External Hang-On Refugium for $165.00.

My aquarium stand was used, so I only paid about $50.00 for it. But you could expect to pay between $100 and $150 for a similar new one. I have a stand for my 37 gallon tank, but my leopard gecko tank is on it right now. It was given to me with the aquarium. It's not pretty, but I just have my seahorse tank on the kitchen floor (to the dismay of my husband).

There are other little things to factor into the total cost, like algae scrubbers, food, filter media, electricity, etc. Including electricity it costs approximately $75.00 a month maintaining my three aquariums. Luckily, my electricity is included in my rent.

I was really lucky when I bought my Live Rock. A friend of mine was moving to a different state and couldn't take her aquarium with her. She had about 50 pounds of dry rock left over and sold it to me for $50.00. Another friend placed on online order for premium branch live rock and accidentally ordered too much. He sold me 30 pounds for about a dollar a pound as well. If you are buying coralline algae encrusted live rock online, you can expect to pay around $4.75 a pound including shipping. If you buy from a local shop, expect to pay between $7.00 and $9.00 a pound, depending on where you live. You'll probably want about a pound or a pound and a half for a reef aquarium. Keep in mind that you'll be adding live rock later when you buy corals attached to rock.

I can't say for sure how much I've spent on livestock (fish, inverts, and corals) over the years, but it's likely to be my most costly category. I have a "thing" for weird and unusual fish and inverts. I estimate that I have more than $1,500 worth of livestock in my aquarium right now. That's not counting the animals and corals I've lost. You certainly don't have to spend that much on your livestock, though. You can get inexpensive, beautiful species and enjoy them just as much as the rare, expensive ones. No matter what species you get, make sure you are purchasing healthy livestock through reputable retailers that have guarantees. And if you are buying seahorses, make sure you buy True Captive Bred seahorses. They are more expensive at about $60 each (depending on the species) than Net-Pen raised and Kelloggi seahorses, but you save money in the long run on medicines and replacements.

So that's a grand total of (approximately, give me a break, I was an English major) $3,130.00. I know what you're thinking, that's a lot of money for the ugly tank pictured above. I could have easily spent $10,000 on a flashy Acropora tank, if I had the money.

Now that I've typed this all up, I am really hoping that my husband never reads this post. I am lucky because he is so supportive of my hobby. It also helps that I get a discount where I work!