STT to VT

[ScubaDrew]

Some updated photos:

More crab taunting










HH


Strange stuff is growing


Sponges are open




Snails sniffing


First Frags




Another unident HH


Full tank












Acclimating my first fish - pictures of him/her tomorrow!

[GeeWizzItsMe]

OO! What is the fish???

[ScubaDrew]

Lets just say he had a LOT to eat this evening with out putting anything else in the tank...

[GeeWizzItsMe]

Well, for sure a grazer... Maybe a tang? But tangs should be added last so probably not... maybe some time of lawnmower blenny?

[goldenmean]

Tank looks great!
I really like your aquascaping!
Nice to see those sponges open again too.

I am not positive but that crab you have is probably okay.
His claws are not dark tipped and that is one of the signs of a trouble crab.
From TBS website talking about gorilla and stone crabs:

The sure-fire way to spot one of these is to look for the black tips on their claws.

. I think your crab is a decorator crab that is not yet decorated. Check out this crab ID site Crabs


BTW you should have entered that pic of the featherduster in the POTM contest.
That is a cool pic!

[GeeWizzItsMe]

BTW I think those white "strange things" and orange "sponges" are tunicates.. I went to the TBS website and those appeared as some of their hitchikers! I sooo want TBS rock!!! Also, I agree with goldenmean on the decorator crab.

[bluespotjawfish]

You've been busy! Lookin' good

[Melanie]

Thank you thank you for the updated photos. I LOVE reading your chronicle. Those orange trunicates are so gorgeous I might break into your house and steal that rock.

[ScubaDrew]

Originally Posted by goldenmean

Tank looks great!
I really like your aquascaping!
Nice to see those sponges open again too.

I am not positive but that crab you have is probably okay.
His claws are not dark tipped and that is one of the signs of a trouble crab.
From TBS website talking about gorilla and stone crabs:
. I think your crab is a decorator crab that is not yet decorated. Check out this crab ID site Crabs


BTW you should have entered that pic of the featherduster in the POTM contest.
That is a cool pic!

Thanks golden! I'm surprised I seem to have got something I'm happy with on my first shot. I was really bad at aquascaping my FW tanks...

I've got a LOT of crabs, two more have died since my last dead crab post. They appear to be gorilla (black tips anyway) so I'm not complaining.

The big guy that you think is a decorator is in my fuge, and coming RUNNING out every time i put some freeze dried krill in there. I'm going to try some fresh shrimp today since thats what the mantis came out for last time. I'm going to take a look at the crab ID site - appreciate that link.

You think?! I've had a really hard time w/ the photos so far, and I think I just missed the entry cutoff this month. Hopefully next months contest is orange sponges!

[ScubaDrew]

Hmmm I'll have to get back to TBS and check that out! Would be nice to have an ID and some info on these guys, I'd hate to kill them.

Thanks GWIM!

Drew

Originally Posted by GeeWizzItsMe

BTW I think those white "strange things" and orange "sponges" are tunicates.. I went to the TBS website and those appeared as some of their hitchikers! I sooo want TBS rock!!! Also, I agree with goldenmean on the decorator crab.

[ScubaDrew]

Thanks for stopping by Melanie - I owe everyone here for all the help. This would have never happened - honestly - with out RS's help.

Drew

Originally Posted by Melanie

Thank you thank you for the updated photos. I LOVE reading your chronicle. Those orange trunicates are so gorgeous I might break into your house and steal that rock.

[ScubaDrew]

GOOD NEWS

My new Foxface Rabbitfish is in the tank and VERY happy. After an hour drip acclimation I tossed him in and within 2 minutes he was back to bright yellow and taste testing everything in the tank.

BAD NEWS

This morning I woke up to him eating everything again but he has a HH on his tail. The HH is semi-transparent white. It has a small black eye or marking on the end towards the front of the fish and a split tail. This thing was NOT on him yesterday so he picked it up while he was sleeping. Ahh the wonders of TBS live rock. The photos suck, its very hard to get a picture of a fish tail...

[GeeWizzItsMe]

What a great fish!!! I hope you take care of the hitchie!

[ScubaDrew]

I will take care of it, I just need to figure out HOW. Wonder if a cleaning shrimp would do it?

Originally Posted by GeeWizzItsMe

What a great fish!!! I hope you take care of the hitchie!

[goldenmean]

Your fish looks great but the HH is not good.
I think that it may be a Cirolanid Isopod
Live Rock - Tampa Bay Saltwater Aquacultured Live Rock - The Package Organisms Go to the last organism on the list.
From TBS:

Cirolanid Isopod are bad hitchhikers -- when you put fish in the tank, they may attach to the side of the fish. If you find one, remove it from the tank, or scrape it off of the fish. There are other little bugs that look similar, but don't have the large black eyes -- those are ok. Photo: garagebrian

You can also check out this great article
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/bp/index.php

I think GWIM is right.
Our "sponges" are colonial tunicates
you can see them on that list of TBS organisms.