To continue the previous thread, this post will feature the invertebrate section of the facility.
First I want to show you the massive protein skimmer and reactor combo at this LiveAquaria, there are several of them:
This protein skimmer is taller than me... enough said.
Asked my wife to model for scale, humongous carpet anemones
More carpet anemones
Each of the anemones in this section, including carpet and a bunch of bubble tip are all hosting a pair of clownfish. it's really cool to see they make them all happy, even though as a retailer it's completely unnecessary to pair clownfish with anemone since one or the other would be sold soon anyways. But they did what they can to make each feel happy.
A bundle of long tentacle anemone
a cluster of derasa clams (not yet offered on diver's den, they were exclusive for the tour), and a bunch of cultured maxima clam. very sweet deals! I managed to snatch two of these handsome derasa clams
Lighting may be one of the biggest questions any hobbyist buying from LiveAquaria wishes to ask. In the photo below you will see a broader view of the facility with lights running on a track. The lights run in a lateral movement so that it can cover all angles of the photosynthetic animals beneath rather than creating a "hot spot". When I toured this place a few years ago all lights were 400W 20K Metal Halide. Today this facility has a mix of high end LED (such as AI hydra + a few other varieties). All holding raceway are no more than 12" deep. All the animals look healthy and for clams I can observe significant growth indicating excellent health condition.
The livestock raceway
Here is a picture of the holding section for shrimp, small crabs (such as acropora crabs) and small shrimp (pistol shrimp or squat lobster, which by the way are size of a pinky nail!) They are held in individual transparent containers approx. the size of a film box (if you are born after the mid 90's you might not know what that is lol).
squat lobster, I can't believe how tiny they actually are compare to the online photos.
maxima clams in the diver's den section
And lastly, the diver's den clam section. I must say, almost all the clams in this section appears much larger than what is seems on the photo (contrary to the squat lobster), and honestly, the photos don't do justice on how beautiful they are. One of these clams I purchased looks like a mustard, brown color online but turns out to be a shiny gold in person! All of them are kept under 400W metal halide, 20K bulbs hence the very blue photo here. And one thing they offer that no one else do is live arrival ad 14 day guarantee.
Here is a couple videos:
Feeding time at my tank!
First I want to describe my fish food: fresh headless shrimp + Swordfish + red seaweed all blended together, then add in Selcon, rotifer, phytoplankton, mysis shrimp, spiraling enriched brine shrimp, plankton, all mixed then frozen in ice cubes.
When I feed, this food is so rich in protein I must turn the skimmer off for at least 12 hours before turning it back on! Ever since I began this diet all the coral's growth rate has tripled and fish became so wide they have a hard time squeeze through the rock cracks!
Got a message from saltwaterfish.com on a super special deal:
If you purchase more than $89
you'll receive ALL of the following for FREE: #1 = 1 False Percula Clownfish #2 = 5 Turbo/Astrea Snails #3 = 5 Nassarius Snails #4 = 5 Red Leg Hermit Crabs #5 = 5 Blue Leg Hermit Crabs #6 = 5 Dwarf White Leg Hermit Crabs #7 = 1 Cleaner Clam #8 = 1 Coral Frag or Mushroom Polyp #9 = 1 Marine Plant or Macro Algae #10 = 1 Peppermint Shrimp use coupon code: Awesome http://www.saltwaterfish.com Hurry this ends tomorrow!
Ever since the death of my mantis shrimp, this 24 gallon cube has been in "rebuild" mode while I decide what I put in it. I have decided to keep it a very slow, tamed and relaxed tank with 3 firefish, snowflake clown, randord's goby, a rare purple banded shrimp and a tiger pistol to remind me of the old mantis with its snaps.
I have also included some inverts, besides the standard snails and hermit crabs for maintenance and cleaning, I added a red tip brittle star, bunch of soft coral, and a pair of feather dusters
My mantis is still alive and punching! In case anyone is wondering...
I am not really sure whatthe growth rate of this creature is. But since I've acquired her (yes, we are sure it is a her), she has only molted once that we know of.
She has been constructing and reconstructing her burrow into a chain of chambers. So we cant exactly be sure whether she's molted deep in her hole. But in order to maintain the water quality, I try my best to feed her minimally- one meal every three days with either a silverside fish or a cooked shrimp.
Peacock Mantis Odontodactylus scyllarus has nothing to do with peacock, nor a mantis, nor a shrimp. But just a kiss-ass creature all on its own. The peacock refers to the colorful appearance and the signature "eyes" on its tail that resembles a peacock's tail. The mantis part refers to its front appendix that not only shapes but also functions like that of a praying mantis insect. Finally, as you can imagine, it's easy to mistaken it as a shrimp as it possess many qualities of a common shrimp.
I have been wanting one of these for quite a long time but have not had one for several reasons: 1) they aren't exactly every popular in aquarium trade 2) depends on the source they can be quite pricy 3) they require absolute solidarity and can harm their owners if you don't know what you are dealing with.
It's only been one day since this little guy has been in this 24gallon species tank that has nothing but the mantis along with liverock, some soft coral, macroalgae, and some micro snails. I have prepared a crevice for it, but the little dude was so busy all night "remodeling" it by moving rocks around and puffing out sand. By morning the "cave" is officially a "burrow". They are "reef safe" by the way to a certain degree, that is they will not touch any sessile invertebrates such as anemone or corals, but will readily consume any crustasian, fish, snail, hermit crab, etc that are living alongside them.
There are two types of mantis- the slicer and the splitter. The slicer has razor sharp claws that can slice a fish into two halves before consuming them. The peacock mantis belongs to the splitting group: using its pair of hammer shaped claws, they "punch" the prey with up to 180lb force to either knock them out cold or to split the shell (even clams and snails) before consuming them. Another awesome feature is their two perky eyes- the most complex pair of eyes in the animal kingdom that can see 4 times more "things" than human, including 12 difference color channels (UV and IR included), how neat is that?
