My first Reef: Music Man

[music man]

My first live addition (not counting the LR and Sand) Feather duster I put him in at about 45 days or so just before I threw in a couple Mexi Turbos.



My first fish 90 days from day 1
Order: Perciformes
Family: Pomacentridae (Damselfishes)

Sub-Family: Amphiprioninae

Scientific Name: Amphipirion perideraion (Bleeker, 1855)

Other Common Names: Pink Clownfish, Pink Anemonefish, Pink Skunk Anemonefish.

I think if he gets a name it will have to be Mr T. see the mowhak and litle skinny sideburns? yeah you see the Mr T. dontcha'?

Of course I have several hundred other fish in other tanks, ponds pools etc... this one is just special the first at the reef I have spent the last 20 years being too chicken to attempt.



My 30G Hex pseudo-reef I still haven't figured out my lighting as it is challenging to squeeze a good light in under 18" of space you can see my cords and such still there on the left hand side.
I have an anemone in there now and I will get a picture of her when I get a chance, nice and bright green.
in the back of the tank you can see some hot prints of my clown in an anemone to try to get the idea to the clown fish that it might be nice, I must thank boomerD for that little tidbit. Thanks again.


I converted my mini agressive fish only tank for my first attempt at the live reef. it's becomming an obsession to see just what I can grow, I've found all kinds of little monsters in there like bristle worms, spaghetti worms sponges, mini feather dusters and brittle stars, I also found what has been suspected of being a coral growing in the substrate in the rear of the tank. see below--->

[lcstorc]

Nice start!
Enjoy
Peace
Lynn

[Woodstock]

Looking good!! Thanks for sharing~

[blue_eyes53813]

Looks great. congrats.

[music man]

Well it's been about 6 months now the only major change I made so far is the change in clownfish, my pink skunk somehow jumped out of the 3X5 access hole in the top of the tank and dried up on my filters, I replaced it with a yaong false perc. and another blue Chromis, they wont hold still long enough for a picture but some of the other stuff in there is here are some shots of the hitchikers I have gotten with my LR.

I have decided to post some of these under the hitchhiker page to try to find a identity on some of them. like this first that I suspect is a turf algae. I had to tear the LR apart to get at this fella but I made it.


next is a group of so far unidentified SPS.

another view


moving on I found a anemone growing behind the LR in the rear under low lighting in the sand bad I disturbed it moving the rock around and now it's attached itself to the rock in a nice spot up front, there are nice rich bright purple tips on each tenticle.

another view.


here is a clump of what appears to be a SPS but I can't be sure it is so tiny. I actualy thought it was just coraline algae on the tip of a piece of dead frag but then one day it bloomed into what you see in the photo.

Finaly I found some Zoos poking out of the rock and have not been able to get a good shot they only seem to open up at night, if you look closely there is one that is open in the background of the photo. and in the foreground is a mushroom that seems to be quite an evesive species as I now have about 20 of them sprung from nowhere.


And last but not least a clump of Caulpera that started from under some LR it grows extreemly fast as much as 1" per day to each tip so I have needed to remove some already but it is easy enough to remove.


There is one fellla I cant photograph because it keeps hiding under the LR but it is an Oyster of some sort about 1" and less than 1/4" thick, I moved it out into the open a couple times to watch it but it keeps sneaking off, should I leave it alone?

[boozeman]

cool pics!!
tank is looking real good

[Gina]

Looks great!
In the 1st and 2nd pic that looks like xenia. Do the ends open and close? (pulse)?

The 4th kinda looks like my star polyps except for the color.

[lcstorc]

Wow. I so stink at the ID stuff. LOL I think Gina is right on the Xenia, but are you sure that is an anenome? The other one looks really neat. How big is it. Is it a ball or like a sheet? I have an Encrustonian Gorgonian that is a sheet kind of. Forms to whatever it is on so if it was on a round ball type surface it would kind of look like that. The color is all wrong though so ... Told you I stink at ID stuff.
Really just wanted to say.
Glad things are going so well and you have the start of a great reef.

[music man]

Yeah, it is more of a sheet it is encrusting the tip of a dead piece of coral LR I have. I actually thought it was just some coraline algae when I got it. then it started to emerge after a few days. thats why it looks like a ball, it is a light pink in color the camera steals alot of the color from the pics.

[cheeks69]

None of the corals are SPS.
Star polyps


Looks like xenia


Maybe Beaded Anemone aka Heteractis aurora

[music man]

You nailed the Anemone: I have been researching it a litle more and it is definitly a good ID you have. Thanks