peppermint shrimp

Last weekend I brought home an unusual and beautiful new specimen for the reef: an electric flame scallop. For those who have never seen one alive, this is what it looks like: I brought the creature home with some misgivings, because I know they don’t survive very well in most aquariums. They’re filter feeders, subsisting on a diet of phytoplankton and planktonic bacteria (bacterioplankton), neither of which is present in large enough quantities on the typical reef. The scallop in question had spent three weeks in the fish store. It looked healthy and open, and since I know my reef