Our Tbs - Page 10

bobt2 · #**226** 12/01/2006, 09:29 PM

got an id. it's a brittle star in the class ophiothrix.

patsan · #**227** 12/02/2006, 07:52 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by bobt2
got an id. it's a brittle star in the class ophiothrix.

Cool. So Richard was right. I'll have to look up ophiothrix.

dwculp · #**228** 12/02/2006, 12:03 PM

Here is some info Pat:

http://www.marlin.ac.uk/species/Ophiothrixfragilis.htm

http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/ec...lab/ariolr.htm

http://www.habitas.org.uk/marinelife...sp?item=ZB2350

patsan · #**229** 12/02/2006, 12:10 PM

Thanks Dave.
That last link doesn't really look like what Bob has....unless we just can't see all the bristly spines in his pictures.

dwculp · #**230** 12/02/2006, 12:24 PM

Actually, I had to shrink his pictures down, the pictures he sent were larger and you can see the bristles in the original photos.

bobt2 · #**231** 12/02/2006, 02:17 PM

of course my problem remains, goby type fish vanish! i also noticed my smallest serpent star is missing the tips of all its arms!

bobt2 · #**232** 12/02/2006, 02:23 PM

my star looks like aranea, except that was taken in the british islands.

dwculp · #**233** 12/05/2006, 01:48 PM

We are currently torturing the kids with standardized tests by keeping them in their seats all day long taking long tests. Something I dont agree with.

Anyways, took a few pics and processed some older ones. The large hammer coral is now split into two pieces as it broke a couple of days ago while tank cleaning. Oh well, now I have two to grow out!!!

Nearly all the clams have died (very recently actually and at the same time) but my oysters are still chugging along!!

So ugly he is cute:

Lookie what I found - just the molt.

jazz881 · #**234** 12/05/2006, 09:51 PM

I saw a very small crab in my aquarium and am not sure what it is. It was too small to get a picture of, but the body was all black, the legs were white and black and the claws were white and black. Any ideas?

bobt2 · #**235** 12/06/2006, 08:53 AM

did it have white spots on the shell?

jazz881 · #**236** 12/06/2006, 10:28 AM

As far as I can remember, the body was solid black, the legs were black & white and the claws were black on one side and white on the other. Unfortunately, it was too small to snap a picture of.

patsan · #**237** 12/06/2006, 11:24 AM

These are Bob's pictures....did it look like this?

jazz881 · #**238** 12/06/2006, 11:29 AM

Yeah, pretty much. Quite a bit smaller though.

bobt2 · #**239** 12/06/2006, 12:08 PM

pat, your amazing! you keep better records of my stuff than i do.

jazz881 · #**240** 12/06/2006, 12:33 PM

But what is it?

liverock · #**241** 12/06/2006, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jazz881
But what is it?

It is very similar to a stone crab, but never gets very big...the one in bobs picture is as large as I have seen....usually they are about 1/4-1/2 inch....and at that size are not a problem....but if they got BIG.........

Richard TBS

jazz881 · #**242** 12/06/2006, 12:54 PM

So right now, being as he is about the size of half a pea I need not worry. Sounds good, thanks for the help everybody.

bobt2 · #**243** 12/11/2006, 08:52 AM

i was sitting around looking at the tanks saturday morning and realizing how much i,ve invested in reefing over the last 20 months, and decieded to make the last plunge to protect it all. i am now equipt with a generator just in case! here on long island all our power cables are above ground and subject to the weather. no more worries about blackouts.

dwculp · #**244** 12/12/2006, 09:38 AM

About 5:30 yesterday, after my robotics class a few students and I went to look at the tank and lo and behold, there in a hole in the rock up front is a BIG, HAIRY Gorilla crab. Just hanging out like nothing is wrong.

The kids are of course excited by this find.

I am not.

The crab is quite large, 3-4 inches across (including legs) and looks mean.

I figured it wouldnt work but I would just stick my hand in and try and catch him. I have rarely caught a crab this way as they scurry into the rock work.

This guy didnt scurry into the rock work. He rushed out and clamped onto my fingers!!! What an aggressive crab this was. He wouldnt let go, clamped down harder and started pulling me into his hole.

I couldnt believe the power of this little guy. Anyways, he got away and scurried into the rock work. He lived to fight another day.

I got a fighting conch for the tank and the kids are enjoying watching it slowly work the sand. I have to admit it is a pretty interesting creature.

BrianPlankis · #**245** 12/12/2006, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by dwculp
This guy didnt scurry into the rock work. He rushed out and clamped onto my fingers!!! What an aggressive crab this was. He wouldnt let go, clamped down harder and started pulling me into his hole.

I got a fighting conch for the tank and the kids are enjoying watching it slowly work the sand. I have to admit it is a pretty interesting creature.

I had a large gorilla crab in my reef up until two weeks ago. I've seen it eating my hair worms on occasion and it always evaded capture. Then one night I caught it on the top of my rock work and instead of retreating it just put out its claws in a "bring it on" stance. So I brought it a chopstick and the predator has been removed.

I agree, conchs are awesome animals if you have the sandbed to support them.

Brian

PS. My new article series has started with Reefkeeping if anyone is bored with nothing to read

dwculp · #**246** 12/12/2006, 02:48 PM

I am really liking the conch, he seems to be active in "spurts". He will spand an lot of time scavenging the sandbed and then rest for a couple of hours, then back at it again.

Will these guys do rocks also if I place them on a rock with some algae?

drk70 · #**247** 12/12/2006, 03:25 PM

I still have a gorilla or two but no where near that big.

My cleaner shrimp have eggs. I noticed one of them fanning water over them the other day.

Are fighting conchs bad for stuff in your tank? I would love to have something that would mix my sand up well.

dwculp · #**248** 12/12/2006, 03:29 PM

No, fighting conchs are suposed to be great for your tank. They are suposed to be great sand bed stirrers (sp?) and great algae and detritus eaters.

drk70 · #**249** 12/12/2006, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dwculp
No, fighting conchs are suposed to be great for your tank. They are suposed to be great sand bed stirrers (sp?) and great algae and detritus eaters.

I could probalby use about 50 of them then.

dwculp · #**250** 12/12/2006, 03:36 PM

Some days all the trouble is worth it....

Three days ago my tank looked ghetto. I was frustrated, the tank looked like total garbage. I have seen sewers look better.

On top of that I had broken my huge, beautiful, star of the tank hammer coral in half. I had decided to move my devils hand coral and cant get the &*(!@#! thing to stick to a rock, no matter how hard a try and now I am at my wits end with it and I might just super glue it down! In addition, one side of one of my brand new actinic PC bulbs blew out.

Anyways, I put a new background on the tank last night, did some cleaning and a water change on Sunday and today the tank glows. Holy crap I cant believe how good it looks today. In fact, kids come in the room and comment on it.

In addition, I have had about 70-80 strombus eggs hatch over the last couple of weeks and today for the first time I saw a cluster of about 5 babies working a rock! I figure 80%-90% of them hatch and dont make it because they become food for something.

Today, it is all worth it.