Reefkeeping poses many challenges, chief among them the need to integrate species that live in different natural environments–sometimes thousands of miles apart–and although good reef keepers know to stock only compatable species within a single tank, sometimes even compatable fish and corals need to learn how to get along. Some corals are photosynthetic, others eat plankton, and others eat larger, meaty foods (including fish — another reason to be careful what you stock in your captive reef). Since corals lack eyes, brains, and complex nervous systems, they react to the environment immediately and without considering consequences. Some sting, while others produce
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Here Comes the Sun (Coral)
Many people think of corals as “plants” or “flowers;” it’s easy to do, given their brilliant colors and generally sessile nature. However, corals are animals, and while some are photosynthetic (like plants), many are carnivorous–including one of my favorites, the sun coral (Tubastrea sp.): The coral gets its name because, when open, it looks like the sun, with its mouth at the center. If you look, you can see the mouths (they look like slits when closed) on every polyp: The coral on the upper right is actually a child of that parent colony, as are these baby suns growing underneath my filter intake:
Read moreReef Retrospective: August 2014
August was an interesting month on my little reef. I created “algae cages” to grow red macro-algae (think “seaweed”) for my abalone, Oscar. Oscar would ordinarily eat the entire plant at once, but the cages protect the plants while allowing Oscar to nibble on the parts that grow through the mesh. I acquired a new species of sea fan: …and lost a fish. Sadly, Tai the dragonet leaped from the tank and I didn’t learn about it until too late. (Stay tuned for an update on his replacement.) Ghillie continued his habit of offering lovely poses to photograph, and Ceti continued hunting for
Read moreReturn to the Reef!
In all the excitement of launching the second Shinobi Mystery, BLADE OF THE SAMURAI, I may have forgotten a couple of Tuesday Reefs… I’ve still been taking pictures, however, so fortunately there’s something to share today. Here’s a photo-status-update of the reef! Ghillie the seahorse likes to sit under the new sun coral – to reference a favorite book from my childhood, he’s a regular Ferdinand: My abalone, Oscar, spends his days consuming algae. Unfortunately, he’s nearsighted, and can’t always tell the difference between an algae-covered rock and a seahorse: When he does find his way to the algae, however,
Read moreThe Curious Nature of Seahorses
After three years as a seahorse-keeper, I still never tire of watching these odd little creatures explore their environment. Seahorses are curious creatures by nature, a fact that can get them in trouble on the reef. Like small children, they “explore” the world around them as much through touching and tasting as with their eyes. Everything is either grabbed: Or tasted … or both. Many times, I look over and see a seahorse with its snout pressed up against the rocks, examining something inside a hole. They love to feed on the little live gammarus (small crustaceans) that live in the
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