Phyto In A Tube

     Chris is always for new tank projects despite my protests. He had been talking about cultivating phytoplankton for years and since last Christmas, had been begging for a phytoplankton reactor. 

photo courtesy of reefbuilders.com

     I told him to make one out of bottles like most reefers do.

photo courtesy of reefcentral.com

     Instead, we are at our friend Kyles house one day and he sees an old homemade kalk stirrer that was sitting at the curb to be pick up by the garbage man and decides to bring it home for the tank instead. Sure! Why the fuck not?! 

     Plankton acts as a food source to countless species of corals and invertebrates and even larger animals as well. Every reefer has bought DT's at one time or another and knows how beneficial it is to their livestock (and how expensive it is). However, I know another project will only lead to more projects.

     Doesn't matter, he sets it up. 

     And a strange light emits from the basement as you descend down the stairs. 

     Day two and it starts to turn a shade of green.

     And before long it's even greener.

     A few more days and he's bottling them up and storing them in the fridge. 

     And wouldn't you know it, I was right! Another project soon followed. Tisbe pods are being bred and fed to the tank daily as well. We also give them to the members of the club and trade them with a local fish store too. It wasn't long that I was making labels for the bottles. 

     We even have labels for the phyto now too. 

     I find it kind of cute sometimes when he asks me to come downstairs to see how green the phyto is this particular day. It's green, very green. He talks about leaving it for another day to have it get a little greener sometimes. It was of course trial and error in the beginning. Now we have gallons of the stuff and are looking forward to the next club meeting to include a bunch of it in the club raffle. Our corals are very happy as well as all the pods we are breeding now. 

     Until next time, stay green!!

My Evicted Friend

     Chris was all excited late July after order two file fish in order to help with the manjo anemone infestation in our tank. If anyone doesn't know what one of these bastards looks like here is a photo:

photo courtesy of unclenedsfishfactory.com

     These anemones are truly a reefers worst enemy and after some extensive research, Chris decided to risk the fish and purchase them for the tank. Only some were known to 'nip' at sps polyps and even then, it wasn't detrimental. 

     The fish finally arrived. As usual, I was home to receive the package and acclimate them to the tank. I open the box and pull out the bags. 

     Oh shit...

     The first fish is upside down in the bag. This is not a good sign and incredibly sad. I pull out the second bag. The little guy looks just like his brother.

     I slice open the first bag and poke the fish. No movement. Damn. Now for the second bag. I'm not too optimistic but what the hell, right? I slice the bag open and actually put my hand in the bag. However, this time, the fish moves ever so slightly! Holy shit!!! 

     I pick the fish out of the freezing cold water and run over to the tank, pull off the lid and throw my hand into the water. Now it occurs to me that I just shocked this mostly dead fish even more. Good thinking Missie! I hold him there for a few seconds and it suddenly feels as though he bites me or something and I let go. Now he's floating sideways in the tank with the current and I fear he's going to go into our giant carpet anemone so, I scoop him back up into my hand again.

     I hold him for a while. Every once and a while I let him go to see if he can swim at all and then I quickly scoop him back up. I keep getting the feeling of getting bit or maybe he's putting little spikes into my hand, I'm not sure but, he's not ready yet to be on his own. 

     Eventually, I let him go but, I watch to make sure he stays away from that damned anemone. That anemone has eaten some expensive fish in a matter of seconds before. When the kids get home I keep asking them to look for the little guy too. I now have an attachment to the fish that I thought came in dead that I almost left in the bag. 

     Chris comes home and I tell him the story. I'm all excited because I saved the life of this little file fish. Within a few days he's doing fine too. 

     However, within that time he also begins nipping at the sps in the tank. By mid August Chris has decided to evict my little friend. He puts up some pictures on Reef Central along with a post about the little guy and a fellow reefer offers to buy him. Chris offers to give him my friend as soon as he scoops him up. 

Pictures of him slurping up some sps polys for a before dinner snack...

     He was caught soon after and given to our fellow reefer at the next club meeting. Every once and a while he'll post a picture on reef central for me so that I know he's okay and he always tells me how he's doing when we see him. He's a survivor...too bad he couldn't just stick to manjo's!

     Until next time, always check twice, like Santa does!