20141231 Close up shots!

Going out of 2014 with style in a boom! Some close up shots of my critters using my underwater case with a macro lens!

Snow onyx hybrid percula clownfish with RBTA rose bubble tip anemone

Maxi Mini Carpet anemone

Blue Tuxedo urchin

20141229 Clams in my 180!

With my wife's lovely gift of waterproof case, I was able to snap some underwater shots without the disruption of water reflection.

My 10" Stardust Squamosa Clam

My 8" Green squamosal clam

8" Derasa Clam

20141227 Hawaiian Monk Seal in Waikiki Aquarium

This was a video we took when we traveled to Hawaii's Waikiki Aquarium. I just have to share because this monk seal is so cute just rotating at the spot!

20141226 Underwater footage of my 180 gallon reef- Fish point of view

Here is a submerged "fish point of view" to my clam in the middle of my tank. I love it when the sailfin desjardini tang decides to come up close and "size me up"

20141225 Snow onyx clownfish hosting anemone

It's a snow-less Christmas here in Wisconsin this year- pretty sad. So in Christmas spirit I am posting a video of my "snow onyx" hybrid clownfish with her anemone. My wife got me a waterproof case for my iPhone so after testing it out to make sure it was no leak, this was one of the first videos I took!

20141224 92 Gallon Corner Reef Revision

I was going through some of my older photos and videos. I found a video of my 92 corner reef from a while back. This was over a year ago, possibly two years because not only I have not acquired the big clams, I also have not added some of the fish I later have.

20141222 Mixing Zebrasoma Tangs

As you might have read in one of my previous posts I lost my beloved yellow tang during the tank transfer. I have been wanting to replace it but was living under the fear that the desjardini sailfin tang would tear it apart since they belong in the same genera.
Last weekend I added a pyramid butterfly knowing no one would bother him. And I also added a paracanthurus hepatic blue tang to test the waters of the sailfin tang's acceptance of another tang. My logic it that not only the blue tang look different enough, but it also was of a decent size and in a larger community. The large tank size, complex rock work, as well as many other active fish distracting the acclimation process paid off. Both the blue tang and the butterfly were successfully introduced with only a minor flame angel incident.
This week I discovered a healthy, well eating yellow tang at a local fish store and decided to go for it.
The yellow tang was initially timid upon the introduction. But I did a heavy dose of feeding as distraction. Not only no other fish bothered the new comer, the yellow tang actually took a few bites!
During the two nights ensuing the introduction, I have observed no aggression at all from either of the existing tangs toward the yellow tang with the exception of occasional "size up" fin display. But no slashing action.
Here is a video of all the fish swimming happily together.

20141215 180 Mix Reef Video Update!

Here is video to the 180 Mix reef update with the new family members added. All mingling with no aggressions! I love the blue tang's electric blue color and the pyramid butterfly's golden highlights.

One thing surprised me: I was expecting the blue tang to appear "black" under actinic 430nm lighting, however, it appeared to remain sharply blue!

20141214 New fish in my 180 Reef

Added two new family members to my 180 Reef tank today: The gold pyramid butterflyfish, and the Paracanthurus Hipatus blue tang. I need to add the full name for the tang because there is a lot of confusion over the word "blue tang" in the trade.

Shot o my mix reef with the new fish. Lower left is the desjardini. pyramid butterfly in the middle. and the blue tang next to the clarkii clownfish.

My initial fear for adding these two fish were: 1) the pair of flame angel can be aggressive to any new comers regardless of species and size. 2) the desjardini tang being aggressive towards another tang.
The result- I actually also also introduced four blue line cardinal fish at this time, and no one messed with them at all, they joined my existing school right away. When introducing the butterfly, only one of the two flame angelfish came up and sized him up a bit but then left it alone afterward. All other fish completely ignores it. The blue tang went into hiding for 10 minutes and scared himself upon introduction- in my experience, very usual behavior for this shy fish. After 10 minutes it came out and swam around and explore the boundaries. No one bothered the tang at all, not even the desjardini. The blue tang must look so different from the desjardini tang that it they felt no threat to each other at all.

Flame angel pair

It's not easy capturing the two flame angelfish I have swimming together in the tank. Primarily because they swim rather speedily. And also likes to dart in and out of the rock work. But after three weeks of mixing the two together in my 180 reef, I am confident they have not bonded as a pair as they follow, not chase, each other.

the one at borrow is female, with a more rounded anal fin. The brighter red one on top.

flame angelfish hanging out together.

20141205 180 Reef Video Update

An update of my 180 Gallon tank. Recently added four more blue eye cardinal to the school. And the two flame angels are really calming down and forming a bonded pair with occasional courting dances. The three herbivores: Desjardini tang, foxface rabbitfish, and the gold spotted rabbitfish are now getting along very well and are the tank's "BIG THREE" at feeding time.