I was so busy preparing to leave for the Left Coast Crime conference in Monterey (I leave tomorrow) that I completely forgot to post an aquarium blog today.
In semi-redemptive news, I went to the fish store to get the water I needed for a pre-conference water change (my husband will handle the feedings while I’m gone) and discovered the store had a lovely specimen of a rare and fragile species that doesn’t usually do well in reef tanks but for which my reef is unusually well-suited.
A feather star.
This is our new crimson feather star, who doesn’t yet have a name. He’s happily ensconced in a safe location, after a long acclimatization drip and a nice dinner of plankton and oyster eggs (which he seemed to eat quite happily).
I’ll post more about this unusual and lovely species next week, when I return!
Sooooo pretty. What is an acclimatization drip?
Thanks Christina!
An acclimatization drip is something you do when you bring a new fish (or invertebrate) home from the store. These creatures are sensitive to the salinity and trace mineral content in their water, so in order to keep from shocking them, you put them in a bucket with a line that drips water from the tank you’ll be moving them into, and let the water drip into the bucket for about an hour. This slowly equalizes the salinity and trace minerals, and allows the creature to adjust to its new environment before you move it into the tank. It increases the chances of a successful move and survival.