Tank Diaries

So much has happened since the last "Tank Diaries" post. I have come to the sad realization that I am NOT a very good aquarist as the turnover in the tank has been pretty high. It's stressful, frankly, trying to keep animals alive that live in water. (I am really good at keeping algae healthy though.)

Comparatively, the cat (Twinky) and dog (Judy) are pretty low maintenance. They seem to have a plentiful supply of oxygen and I don't have to worry about them being poisoned by their own urine, and if the air quality or food selection is not to their liking, well, too bad for them- they won't die because of it. Here's a picture of the air breathers waiting for something exciting to happen.


How pathetic.

Back to the inverts... Here's the list of the RECENTLY dead: Chapeau (anemone); Spike (urchin); Spiny Jewel Box (spiny jewel box); Starfish (sea star).

And here's the list of the soon to be dead: Porky (urchin); The Menace (Dolly Varden/calico box crab). The Menace has a mystery funk eating through his shell also known as (by me) "the curse of the black spot". Pretty sure either a parasite (maybe nemertean worm?) or some bacteria. The previous Dolly Varden (named Tank- who I loved...sob) had the same affliction. See how sucky I am? Subjecting yet another crab to my infested tank?!

On a happier note... There are a couple hardy specimens still "kicking". Spiny Jewel Box had, unbeknownst to me until I noticed it on a photo that I took, a lovely, little fan worm of some sort living in one of the shell's spines. Here's a picture of Wormy with his/her radioles (tentacles) extended waiting for some edible tidbit to float into its grasp:

photo copyright 2010 by Heather Stoker

Ugly Snail is, of course, still alive. I don't know what kind of gastropod he is because I really don't care- he's so uninteresting and boring to have around that I haven't bothered to look him up. I don't feed him and I don't know what he eats (presumably crap under the coral gravel because that's usually where he is). My neglect is clearly making him prosper.

And, finally, there's good old Jerry, Clibanarius vittatus, the striped hermit crab. He's totally happy. I give him a rotating wardrobe of shells and he spends the day changing into various calcareous garments. He has also had fun systematically disrobing the urchins of their spines and tubefeet. He finished off Spike one night. I came in to find a nicely cleaned urchin test (shell) which, of course, is now in the glass cabinet with the crusty remains of others in my dead invertebrate menagerie.

Here is Jerry in different shells:

photo copyright 2010 by Heather Stoker


photo copyright 2010 by Heather Stoker


photo copyright 2010 by Heather Stoker

He seems to be ambidextrous as the lightning whelk (middle picture) is sinistral (aperture or shell opening on left). As I write, he is checking out a Florida fighting conch shell that I just dropped into the tank. Not sure the opening meets his standards though. Perhaps a little scientific research is in order investigating his shell preference. I'll call it the Jerry Project. Stay tuned...