This was inspired by someone who always asked for aptasia to be sent to him on the #askbrs page and a university project about keeping aptasia in jars. And, after receiving the slightest amount of encouragement...
I bring you: William the Mojano.
I first spotted William on August 14, stretching out on a new frag disk after adding a recently acquired coral (7/27) to my 90g. I had dipped and inspected, removed as much as the original plug as possible and reglued. Yet, here was my very first mojano. (6yrs of reefing, not shabby.)
The new disk was concrete so I had to chisel off a piece before unceremoniously dumping it into the cleanest container I didn't really care about: a plastic cup from a local restaurant. (Washed with biodegradable soap first.)
And there he sat for... quite a few days. I noticed he was frequently on the move. He would be in a different location every time I checked- even just minutes apart. Mojanos are surprisingly fast. (Next 2 photos were 10 min apart.)
Was he upset? Searching for more light? Trying to escape the cup to seek revenge?
On August 22, I decided (after almost picking up the cup to drink it) to move William off my counter/kitchen island and onto the window sill behind my kitchen sink where I would see him frequently and not accidentally drink nasty tank water. I also took this opportunity to top off...straight from the tap. No temp adjustment, no Prime...didn't even check salinity.
And there he seemed satisfied. Last night (8/28), I noticed the beginnings of diatoms on the rock and bottom of the cup. I very briefly considered a water change. Meh.(William is getting ready to sleep as this was taken after dark.)
Instead, I decided to "upgrade" to a clear glass jar. Surely, no one will accidentally drink from the jar. I used 100% of the original water...i.e. I poured the cup into the jar.
William is quite happy in his jar. Will there be more mojanos? Will I spot feed him? Will I add rubble or sand, perhaps a tiny pirate ship? Will I test the water (prob not.) What will my husband say when he finally notices? (On a 3 wk business trip, he doesn't know yet. )
I've been asked for daily updates but...I don't think I'll remember that frequently.
I bring you: William the Mojano.
I first spotted William on August 14, stretching out on a new frag disk after adding a recently acquired coral (7/27) to my 90g. I had dipped and inspected, removed as much as the original plug as possible and reglued. Yet, here was my very first mojano. (6yrs of reefing, not shabby.)
The new disk was concrete so I had to chisel off a piece before unceremoniously dumping it into the cleanest container I didn't really care about: a plastic cup from a local restaurant. (Washed with biodegradable soap first.)
And there he sat for... quite a few days. I noticed he was frequently on the move. He would be in a different location every time I checked- even just minutes apart. Mojanos are surprisingly fast. (Next 2 photos were 10 min apart.)
Was he upset? Searching for more light? Trying to escape the cup to seek revenge?
On August 22, I decided (after almost picking up the cup to drink it) to move William off my counter/kitchen island and onto the window sill behind my kitchen sink where I would see him frequently and not accidentally drink nasty tank water. I also took this opportunity to top off...straight from the tap. No temp adjustment, no Prime...didn't even check salinity.
And there he seemed satisfied. Last night (8/28), I noticed the beginnings of diatoms on the rock and bottom of the cup. I very briefly considered a water change. Meh.(William is getting ready to sleep as this was taken after dark.)
Instead, I decided to "upgrade" to a clear glass jar. Surely, no one will accidentally drink from the jar. I used 100% of the original water...i.e. I poured the cup into the jar.
William is quite happy in his jar. Will there be more mojanos? Will I spot feed him? Will I add rubble or sand, perhaps a tiny pirate ship? Will I test the water (prob not.) What will my husband say when he finally notices? (On a 3 wk business trip, he doesn't know yet. )
I've been asked for daily updates but...I don't think I'll remember that frequently.