Flame Angel

This is my pride and joy of the fish. The flame angel is stunning (at least I think so). I wanted one for the longest time... and finally on 3/5/06 I got one. Well, as a birthday gift (I did not want to spend the $'s). It has been doing fantastic in the tank. A limitation to having a reef tank is that a lot of fish species can not be in the same tank since they will eat and nib on your coral. Angels are classified in the "maybe is reef compatible" section ... so it can go either way. So I got lucky! In the picture you can also see a cleaner shrimp. They are a great addition to any tank due to colors and an amazing personality. They are curios scavengers and go crazy at feeding time going against fish and corals for food. Taking pics of fish is a painful task. My camera can't handle the movement most of the time. I need advise on that topic.

Quick Stats: Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons; Care Level: Moderate; Tank Conditions: 72-78°F; sg 1.020-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4; dKH 8-12; Max. Size In Aquarium: Up to 4"; Color Form: Orange, Yellow; Temperament: Semi-aggressive; Reef Compatible: With Caution; Diet: Omnivore; Compatibility: View Chart; Origin: Christmas Island, Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Tahiti; Family: Pomacanthidae.

Temperature Worries

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I am closely watching the temperature in the tank (currently 75.7). It should be at 78 degrees consistently. We keep our house pretty cold, so I have 2 in sump heaters (300 watts each, 2 in case one beaks) to help maintain the temperature at 78. There are 2 risks… if I set them up too high; the lights (which are very powerful) can make the temp go above 78. It has happened before. The corals pretty much start to die. Nice fish soup! If the temp goes below 76, I get worried as well and the corals also start to suffer. Different season in the year represent a challenge. I think the fall season is one of those since it is getting cold at night but is still a bit warm in the house during the day. I am about to go online and order 2 new heaters since mine are about 5 years old.

Finger Leather Coral

This piece was added on 7/30/06. It is growing fast. The coral is not colorful, but when it is open it looks neat with the tiny feeders out. What bothers me about this one is that it stays closed for days at a time. I am still figuring out whether it is normal behavior. I think it will be ok since it keeps opening and growing.

Quick Stats: Care Level: Moderate; Light: High; Water Flow: Medium to Strong; Tank Conditions: 72-78°F; sg 1.023-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4; dKH 8-12; Color Form: Brown, Tan; Temperament: Semi-aggressive; Ideal Supplements: Iodine, Strontium, Trace Elements; Origin: Indo-Pacific; Family: Alcyoniidae

Polyps

I have several of these little guys. They have been in the tank since 3/5/06. Their colors are awesome. These are green and yellow polyps. The green ones are very static. The yellow ones are neat because their longer strings look like moving hair under water. They swing side to side with the water movement. This yellow colony started with a couple of babies that dropped from the large colony and they propagated quickly. Polyps are very easy to maintain and are the perfect coral for beginner reefers.

Quick Stats: Care Level: Easy; Light: Moderate; Water Flow: Medium; Placement: Middle; Tank Conditions: 72-78°F; sg 1.023-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4; dKH 8-12; Color Form: Bright Yellow; Temperament: Semi-aggressive; Ideal Supplements: Iodine, Trace Elements; Origin: Indonesia; Family: Parazoanthidae.

Cabbage Leather Coral

The cabbage coral is pretty simple, no fancy colors and no movement. However, I like the shape. The top looks like a flower and has a neat leathery appearance. They stretch and contract with the light cycle. It is very hardy and doing well since the introduction to the tank in 3/19/06.

Quick Stats: Care Level: Easy; Light: Moderate to High; Water Flow: Medium to Strong; Placement: Top; Tank Conditions: 72-78°F; sg 1.023-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4; dKH 8-12; Color Form: Brown, Cream, Tan
Temperament: Semi-aggressive; Ideal Supplements: Iodine, Strontium, Trace Elements; Origin: Indonesia; Family: Alcyoniidae

Mixed Zoanthids

This group of mixed-color Zoanthids is one of the newer additions. They were added on 8/27/06. As I run out of space in the tank I am more careful about what I add and when. This coral is very easy to maintain and it looks great. The tank has been running for close to a year now. There are corals that have nearly doubled in size and I now have to watch how the distances between them get smaller. Soon, compatibility issues come up and I relocate corals accordingly.

Quick Stats: Care Level: Easy; Light: Moderate; Water Flow: Medium; Placement: Middle to Top; Tank Conditions: 72-78°F; sg 1.023-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4; dKH 8-12; Color Form: Green, Orange; Temperament: Semi-aggressive; Ideal Supplements: Trace Elements, Iodine; Origin: Indonesia; Family: Zoanthidae

Frogspawn

This frogspawn is a truly great looking coral. It is very calmed and colorful. It has been in the tank since 5/28/06. It has never given me any trouble. It seems to be fairly strong and easy to keep. It is a great addition to any collection. It was a bit pricier though, so I had to wait for the right sale at the local fish store.

Quick Stats: Care Level: Moderate; Light: Moderate to High; Water Flow: Medium; Placement: Bottom; Tank Conditions: 72-78°F; sg 1.023-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4; dKH 8-12; Color Form: Green, Pale Brown, Tan
Temperament: Aggressive; Ideal Supplements: Calcium, Strontium, Trace Elements; Origin: Indo-Pacific; Family: Caryophylliidae

Plate Coral

This is a Long tentacle plate coral. It was added to the tank on 4/9/06. It has been doing great since the first day. However, it is a bit aggressive. It got into a bit of a fight with the frogspawn and they both lost some arms. At night, the lunar lights in the tank light up the body in bright yellows and greens. The tips of the tentacles are bright blue under the lunar lights as well. I recommend this one to beginners since it is hardy and the cost is reasonable.

Quick Stats: Care Level: Moderate; Light: Moderate; Water Flow: Medium; Tank Conditions: 72-78°F; sg 1.023-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4; dKH 8-12; Color Form: Brown, Gray, Green, White; Temperament: Aggressive; Ideal Supplements: Calcium, Strontium, Trace Elements; Origin: Indonesia; Family: Fungiidae

I am a reefer!

I am a reefer. This means that I am passionate about salt water tanks. I have a 75 gallon tank with a few fish and a several corals. The pic above is from the middle of the tank. I can spend hours looking at the life in the tank. It is a hard hobby to get into since keeping a reef can be time consuming. I have been in the hobby for almost 20 years.