14g (now 20g) Anemone/Ricordea/Goby Cube

[TriggersAmuck]

What do you have for a clean up crew? Looks like you could use some crabs

Haven't had any, but I have ordered a purple pincushion urchin and a few turbo snails due to arrive Thursday. The last time I tried to order snails they all perished in shipping due to the Florida heat (I think).

 

[TriggersAmuck]

Update 11/19:

Added the following this week:

• 1 Purple Pincushion Urchin. Undoubtably the coolest thing in my tank now!
• 1 large Green Bubble Tip (bringing my BTA count up to 5).
• 3 more Rock 'Nems. Simply stunning.
• 3 more sexy Shrimp.
• Hi Fin Red Banded Goby (though I can't find him since putting him in).
• 5 Turbo snails. Had better luck shipping this time as the temps in Florida dipped to low 70's during the day.

Of course adding so many bags to the tank's surface ticked off the main BTA which has since moved to the back of the tank, grrrr. Within 15 minutes of being released, the urchin already made it a point of falling squarely on top of the new rock 'nems. The new BTA went and completely blocked daylight for the oldest (greenest) 'nem in the tank. Yep, this seems to all be in keeping wit the crazy art of herding anemones.

 

[Matt Miller]

Update 11/19:

Added the following this week:

• 1 Purple Pincushion Urchin. Undoubtably the coolest thing in my tank now!
• 1 large Green Bubble Tip (bringing my BTA count up to 5).
• 3 more Rock 'Nems. Simply stunning.
• 3 more sexy Shrimp.
• Hi Fin Red Banded Goby (though I can't find him since putting him in).
• 5 Turbo snails. Had better luck shipping this time as the temps in Florida dipped to low 70's during the day.

Of course adding so many bags to the tank's surface ticked off the main BTA which has since moved to the back of the tank, grrrr. Within 15 minutes of being released, the urchin already made it a point of falling squarely on top of the new rock 'nems. The new BTA went and completely blocked daylight for the oldest (greenest) 'nem in the tank. Yep, this seems to all be in keeping wit the crazy art of herding anemones.

Planning my nem/clown cube now so following and waiting for updated pics

 

[RichtheReefer21]

My btas retreated to darkness to split before reemerging as two. Time shall tell.

 

[TriggersAmuck]

• Case of the Purple Pincushion Massacre

So I have been very happy with my Duetto ATO mounted in the main display (since I don't have a sump). Well, my new purple pincushion urchin (named Wasp by my wife) decided to cuddle up with the sensor, resulting in about a half to 3/4 inch of fresh water being dumped into my 14 gallon tank. Fortunately I was talking on the phone sitting next to it when I noticed water back siphoning (which would normally never happen). I had about a gallon of pre-made salt water so immediately swapped out a small water change with that, taking the level down below normal. None of the inhabitants seem fussed about it, but had the level risen another quarter inch there would have been overflow. Guess my tank is no longer ATO proof (or purple pincushion proof rather).

 

[TriggersAmuck]

Purple People Eater!

 

[steelrain119]

Pretty cool

 

[RichtheReefer21]

Nice catch on the ATO urchin assassin. They can be major pitas, but nothing gets the rocks clean like them. Short of an asterina invasion. Rfas look happy in the vid too

 

[TriggersAmuck]

Be free! Be freeeeee! . My purple pincushion urchin keeps reaching for the stars.

 

[shaner014]

Hey! I just got a pincushion with some other livestock. He's in jail until I decide if he'd be a model citizen. Any major annoyances with yours?

 

[TriggersAmuck]

Well, let's see. He attempted to overflow the tank by swallowing the ATO sensor (not literally of course). He has fallen (yes, fallen off the glass) into several of my anemones. Fortunately none of them found him very appetizing. I think @RichtheReefer21 called it well when he called them PITAs, but having said that it is still the coolest pet in my tank! Keep in mind I have no corals in this tank, only BTAs and Rock 'nems, so I don't deal with the challenges that a normal reef would have in the little brat bull dozing over coral frags and such. This one does traverse both the glass walls as well as the rock surfaces.

 

[TriggersAmuck]

My wife is reminding me to not call it an "it", it's name is Wasp (named by her). I prefer Purple People Eater, because next to my small herd of sexy shrimp it does look like a sci fi monster.

 

[RichtheReefer21]

My wife is reminding me to not call it an "it", it's name is Wasp (named by her). I prefer Purple People Eater, because next to my small herd of sexy shrimp it does look like a sci fi monster.

Smile and Wave! Wasp it is Daaarrrling

 

[TriggersAmuck]

Anemones can be so infuriating. My most recent GBTA addition decided to find its way around the 3D pump guard on my Nero5, so my tank looks like a vanilla milkshake for now. Will do a large water change this evening or tomorrow. Having much better success with the rock 'nems, but even then there have been a few who decided to wander into BTA territory.

 

[RichtheReefer21]

Anemones can be so infuriating. My most recent GBTA addition decided to find its way around the 3D pump guard on my Nero5, so my tank looks like a vanilla milkshake for now. Will do a large water change this evening or tomorrow. Having much better success with the rock 'nems, but even then there have been a few who decided to wander into BTA territory.

U running carbon in addition to the wc? It helps with toxins etc, at least in my travels it has helped.

Nero 5's. Yum.

 

[Andreas' Reef]

Lookin pretty epic ngl

 

[TriggersAmuck]

Every once in awhile you are awarded with a pleasant surprise in this hobby. Like today when after a water change I spotted a wee tiny Hi Fin/Red Banded Goby which I had added a month or so ago and hadn't seen since. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I though that was only supposed to happen when you add such a tiny fish to a large behemoth tank like I used to with my 125g/6' tank.

 

[TriggersAmuck]

Another observation: Since the demise of a few middle sized fish over the past year (male Fire Clown, Royal Gramma, Cryptic Wrasse), the single remaining "middle sized" fish, the female Fire Clown has really decided to chill out almost all of the time.... until my hand goes into the tank that is.

 

[RichtheReefer21]

Clowns... the Devil damsels.

 

[TriggersAmuck]

Update 12/29:

Added the following today:

• 6 Ricordea Florida
• Several Coralline encrusted clam half shells in attempts to inject some coralline into the tank

After adding the purple pincushion urchin and 5 turbo snails a month or so back they have done a marvelous job at beating back the long hair algae. While the video clearly shows there are still remnants of it here and there, the tank (from medium distance at least) looks so clean now! Now I just wait for the next challenge to arise. . Happy New Years everyone!