Reef Tank DIY - For Dummies

[smokinreefer]

Those guys look awesome! My kids will want them for sure if they see them!

I'll entertain this...

They need to be found at a freshie store and acclimated to salt correct?
They'll decimate the bunch of trocus snails I just bought? And my cleaner shrimp?

Anyways I enjoy the pics of your tanks progression! Looking good!

[Dash]

Yeah they’re usually sold as freshwater. I haven’t seen them around lately, maybe because of their reputation for being “difficult.” I haven’t found this to be the case. Some people acclimate them by slowly raising their salinity over months but I took the advice of doing a 24-hour drip. They were totally fine.

They love shellfish as much as I do, ha ha. Crustaceans are their natural prey. Most CUC have enough protection against them - I have snails, hermits, urchins and have not lost any. However I would not keep shrimp (although I do have a pistol with YWG).

They are my faves for sure.

[DKoKoMan]

I cannot believe the puffers are freshwater lol. They look like they have some awesome personality in the tank.

[Dash]

I always remove whatever I buy from frag plugs (mostly because I don't like the look of them), but when I got SpongeBob, I didn't want to disturb him thinking he'd die for sure, and he was fully encrusted on his little rock plate. Anyway, I got him in back in June and he's been doing his thing, which is a lot of nothing thankfully. Then the other day as I was moving things around as I often do, I see....dun dun dun - aptasia! My first encounter. Six of them peeking out all around his plate. Where have they been hiding all this time?



After some quick googling, I decided to fish him out in a clear container and injected a bit of vinegar into each one. One of the larger ones withered & hung down in a heap immediately. It's been a few days and no re-appearance but I will keep an eye on Bob for a while.

[Frogger]

When I get a frag/coral/sponge that I can't separate from the base or there are dead areas of the base that are exposed I always cut off as much as I can and I cover the rest with superglue right up to and on the edge of the live tissue. This helps reduce the potential for unwanted hitchhikers.

Hopefully they have not spread elsewhere

[Dash]

I have to admit this was one addition I didn't inspect as carefully as I usually do. I was so worried about getting it into the tank without exposing it to air. It sure goes to prove how easy it is to bring a pest into the tank. On the other hand, my examination of it in the clear container also showed a low-growing cool sponge on the rock. So there's good with the bad.

[Dash]

I also finally have a new tail spot blenny to replace dearly departed Basil. After hiding for a day, Jenny now goes all over the tank and gets along with the segmented blenny.