Mini Reef Update -

Please e-mail any comments to - matt@mjc70.co.uk

Sorry I've not had time to post any updates recently

Well one year on after I wrote my February update, I cannot believe how time flys!! Moving job has meant I have had less time to spend on my reef tank. I don't have access to the digital camera so readily now either which is why the pictures haven't been so frequent. I plan to change that soon though and borrow a camera from my friend.

Not much really happened in the last twelve months. Not as exciting as last year with the discovery of my mysterious crab (See below). The tank just seems to tick along nicely. I haven't done as many water changes as with the previous year and this hasn't had a detrimental effect on the tank. All the fish are still doing fine (Yellow Tang, Flame Angel, Cherub Angel and a pair of Percula Clowns). The corals still seem to be doing well too. The only down point of the year was the loss of my Comb Coral. This slowly went down hill, but I replaced with a nice large bubble coral which just loves to be fed.

I've had many emails with respect to my coraline algae growth. Again I attribute that to my regular dosing of Kalkwasser with the addition of Kent Coral Vite and Kent Strontium additives.

Thanks for all the very kind emails which you have sent. I'll try and write some more real soon along with some new pictures.

Its been a while since I've written about my mini reef tank, so here's an update on the progress of the tank, including successes, disasters (nobody said this hobby was easy), general experiences and plans.

The summer months of 97 here in England were quite hot again, although not as hot as the previous year. This resulted in the problem of soaring tank temperatures and lots of evaporation. Tank chillers are not common place in this country, as the hot spell only lasts for a couple of months, if we're lucky! Hence, I make use with a large fan blowing over the water surface. This certainly helped in keeping the temperature in check. However, with my tank being located in my bedroom, I had to turn this fan off over night to get some sleep. This resulted in the temperature going up over night to well over 80.

I don't think this had too much effect on any of the inverts, but I did lose my Cherub Angel one particularly hot night. The heat is the only thing I can attribute its death to, as the fish seemed perfectly healthy and was feeding well prior to its death. I think Dwarf Angels are particularly vulnerable to high temperatures. Anyhow, I didn't see the body of the fish, so I presume my various hermits, shrimps and other critters did the biz.

Talking about critters. I still hear clicking in my tank and sometimes it's quite loud, especially in the dead of night. Still don't know what/who the culprit is, but I suspect it's either a Mantis Shrimp or a Pistol Shrimp. I still suspect it's the later, as I've not actually seen it. I think Pistol Shrimps are more recluse than the Mantis. I caught a Mantis a while ago but I use to see that quite regular. My population of turbo snails has drastically declined in recent months. This might be related to the clicking sound. Although I'm told turbo snails are not that long living anyway? I have about five assorted hermit crabs and these seem to be doing fine. I few months ago, I had a big surprise on returning from work one day, I looked into my tank and was confronted by a big white (dirty white) hairy crab looking back at me. It obviously didn't fancy me and soon scuttled back under a rock. Its body is just under an inch in diameter and its legs seem to tuck in close to the body. Its two main claws are black at the end. I described this to a few friends and they seem to think the crab might be a Teddy Bear Crab? Looking through various books has not shed any light on the subject though. I don't see the crab too often, but I know it's still in the tank. The alarming thing is that on one occasion I spotted it, it was wrestling with one of my hermit crabs. The hermit crab got away though. It does make me wonder whether I should try to catch it, although all my hermits are still alive. I think I'll have to take a friends offer up to borrow his crab trap! I've seen other small crabs in my tank, but these don't look as menacing or as big. Since I've written this, I managed to capture the crab on video. This picture was taken off the TV, so if any body could identify it and give me any info I would be most grateful. CAUGHT...(February 8th) I've just managed to catch the crab. I placed a jam jar in my tank on a slight angle. In the jar I placed a few pieces of cockles. As soon as I put these into the jar my two cleaner shrimps immediately came to investigate and indeed ventured into the jar to take a piece each. Their movement obviously caused the mysterious crab to become suspicious, and after about five minutes or so, it was around the jar hungry for a feed. Cautiously the crab tried to lower itself into the opening of the jar on a couple of occasions, but just wouldn't drop in. I'd sat watching it patiently, but it just wouldn't drop into the bottom of the jar. This went on for a couple of hours, until finally it dropped. Another hermit crab had made its way to the opening of the jar and could obviously smell the cockles. This was wrestled into the jar by the larger white hairy crab, who then followed the hermit into the bottom of the jar. With this, I quickly jumped out of my seat and raised the jam jar out of the tank with its two occupants in, a small hermit crab and the white hairy crab. I then put the hermit back into the reef tank and transferred the hairy crab into a larger container. I've since taken the crab to one of my local shops, they seem to agree that the crab in fact is a Teddy Bear variety. In a way, I feel a little sad that I was able to catch the crab so easy and I won't be seeing it again (unless it has a mate!). But I know my population of hermit crabs are feeling safer in their shells again!

On the invert side, I've added a pair of Cleaner shrimps and a Boxer shrimp. I think the cleaners may have bread as one seems to be carrying eggs? The Boxer stays relatively static during the day and doesn't venture far from its vantage point. On the coral side, I've added various varieties of mushroom rocks. My favourite being a white furry type, which I can best describe as looking like snow flakes. Various Caribbean types have also been added. My yellow polyps have continued to spread, however these seem to have periods where they spread very fast, but then slow and even decline. I still maintain that hand feeding them helps. Another recent addition, which again I cannot identify, is a soft cabbage like green coral. This looks excellent under my two actinic lights and really fluoresces green, as does my Comb coral.

With respect to fish, there was a long period when the only fish in my tank were a pair of Percula Clowns and my Yellow Tang. Around October I decided to add a Flame Angel. I'd seen this nice Flame at a local store but resisted buying it on impulse. I later thought about it and rang the shop back to ask them to reserve it, which they did. I introduced the Flame into my tank and other than a little bit of squaring up by the Tang, all seemed fine. The fish quickly settled in and started to feed on brimeshrimp and flake. However after about a week or so, I noticed one of the flames eyes had turned cloudy. This progressively got worse over the next few days to the extent where both eyes had turned white and cloudy. This was obviously effecting the fish and whenever I added food it couldn't see the food to eat. It knew the food was there and tried to eat in vein. By this time I knew something had to be done and I'd contacted the store a couple days earlier. They recommended that I treat the tank with some streptomycin as more than likely the fish was suffering from a bacterial infection. Prior to dosing, I double-checked that this treatment could be used in a reef system, which the store reassured me was safe. Slowly but surely the treatment took effect, the eyes became clear and the fish could now see its food, which it happily took.

Like I said above, this hobby isn't easy and you most be prepared for the unexpected. I could choose to write about only the good things, but that would paint an inaccurate picture of my tank and the hobby itself. OK onto the next saga. I've always found the Powder Blue Tang fascinating. In fact it's my favourite marine fish. Anyhow, around late October 97 I spotted this gorgeous Powder Blue tang at a local store. The fish was just the right size, perfect proportion for the size of my tank. Again, I didn't buy the fish on impulse. I'd been told many times by other people to stay clear of the Powder Blue in a reef tank. Main reason being they're very susceptible to white spot which cannot be easily treated in a reef tank. On my next visit to the shop about a week later, the same Powder Blue Tang was still there. I'd fallen in love with the fish as I stood watching it swim about. I thought to my self - "I've got a UV light, It'll be all right". However, on telling the shop owner that I would like to buy the fish, he replied that somebody else had reserved the fish and was picking it up later that day. Needless to say I felt like my hermit crab which I described above, and retreated back into my shell at this time. Later that night, I had a phone call from the shop owner. He said the guy who had reserved the Powder Blue had seen a another fish in the shop which he would sooner have. With this, the owner asked me if I were still interested, I replied yes. At this stage I thought it was fate that I should have the fish. I picked the Powder Blue up the next day and introduced it into my reef tank. The fish settled in well and started to feed on brimeshrimp and lettuce. I was really pleased with my acquisition at this time and the fish looked great in my tank......Seven weeks later just before Christmas. I noticed that the Powder Blue tang had got white spot. I couldn't believe it! I recall doing a water change some three weeks prior, but other than that, I had no explanation why the tang should have got white spot. I always heat my water prior to doing a water change. Who knows??? Anyway, this doesn't end in tears. I knew if I didn't act quickly the fish would die, as there was no way I could treat the fish in my reef. My parents had setup a marine fish only system in October. My intention was to catch the Powder Blue Tang and put it into their tank. That way I could treat the fish with a copper based remedy. I was lucky, the tang had grown so tame over the period in my tank. It knew when and where the food was introduced into my tank. With this in mind, I decided I would try to catch the fish around feeding time. I tempted it up towards the surface and with the other hand swiftly got a large net under it. I'm happy to say the copper-based remedy worked. The Powder blue tang is now swimming happily again in my parents fish only system. It just goes to show that even if you've got a UV light installed, you're still prone to white spot.

I still keep thinking to myself that I'd like to strip the tank down and start again. Looking back at the picture where I first added the live rock, it is very noticeable how the rock has moved and sunk down in the tank since. Saying that though, If I were to set-up again I'd have a bigger tank next time. On the maintenance side I still do a water change about every three weeks and do any top-ups using my Kalkwasser system. Additives are added weekly and include Kent - Coral Vite, Strontium and Iodine. Touch wood, I still haven't had too many problems with hair algae. I had a small outbreak early in 1997, but other than that no other growth.....long may it continue. This is probably down to the ever increasing amounts of coraline algae (the pink stuff). At one stage this totally covered the entire back and sides of my tank. One night though, I decided to scrape it all off. I did this and it seemed to make the tank look a lot cleaner.