Little Box of Fun

Monster’s Molt

mary — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 01:49:17 +0000

The other morning I came into the office to do my routine morning feeding and I was surprised to find that my coral banded shrimp had molted again. The first time your shrimp does this you think he is dead. He molts about every four weeks or so and it is amazing how much it looks like a real shrimp. I read on one forum that coral banded shrimp leave their molted exoskeleton out in the open so nothing bothers it while it hardens. Very ingenious!

Welcome Home Thing 1 and Thing 2

mary — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 13:28:27 +0000

After about a week of quarantine, the two clownfish have arrived home! They are a very cute addition to our tank and I am glad that we waited to make sure that they were healthy before we brought them home. We have affectionately named them Thing 1 and Thing 2 from the. Dr. Seuss book The Cat in the Hat. Clownfish are also called Clown Anemonefish because in nature, they host with or lay in anemones to get massaged and rest. As you will see in the below pictures, they have decided to host at night with our new frogspawn. Although this is not an anemone, its soft cushy tentacles provided the perfect place for a siesta.

Patience is a virtue

mary — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 04:08:10 +0000

Today I was supposed to pick up the latest addition to the tank, two baby clownfish. When we visited the local pet store, The Reef Chief, I saw them and decided they would add great color and actually be fish that would not hide behind a rock all day long. I did some research and found that they are easy to take care of and make a great addition to a nano reef aquarium. When Jeff, a very honest and knowledgeable store owner, went to get the little guys out of the tank, he saw a white spot on one of the fins. He said that he thought it was a little scratch from a rock, and he wanted to watch the two fish in quarantine for a few days. Well, a few days past, so today I called to check in on my friends and Jeff said that the white spot had gotten smaller, but was not completely gone. As a result, still no fish. The two clown fish are still on hold in quarantine at the store. I am going to call back on Friday. I really respect Jeff for wanting to make sure that they fish were in good condition before I purchased them, but I really want to the mated pair of clowns. In this hobby, patience really is a virtue!

Day versus Night

mary — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 21:23:55 +0000

Coral loves to close up at night. For a new person to the hobby, this was very scary at first. Here is a picture of the frogspawn when the 150w metal halide light has been on for about two hours. The difference is amazing!

New Frogspawn Coral Added Today

mary — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 03:52:00 +0000

Check out the photo of the new frogspawn coral that we added today. It has an unusual color and seems to be adjusting well to its new home.