Tank birthday, 47+ years

[Paul B]

Nice to see you here. It is a good thing I like to talk (or write) because i am on a few of these forums and I forget what I write and where I write it. Much of the time I just copy and paste it in different places because I get tired of hearing myself talk. I enjoy writing for "Saltwater Smarts" It makes me feel Smart.
So far the clown gobi eggs didn'a hatch yet but they take a couple of days, I want to see if I can get a picture in my antique microscope.
This little guy lookes a little premature as I picked him out of the batch of eggs on my acropora.



This is how I look to the clown gobi as I steal some of her eggs.

 

[Paul B]

This is the last prototyps of the fry collection device. The tube is against the eggs and the bubbles draw water up into the container.

 

[Paul B]

I get such a kick out of mandarins. My female mandarin is always pregnant. A day after laying eggs she seems to be pregnant again. The male is kind of large and probably has a hard time finding enough food to stay in breeding condition, but they are so slow. He loves live worms but to get some to him, I have to shoot some worms on the far end of the tank, then I sneak some to him. The copperband, who swims like a tuna is very fast and sucks up every worm in the tank before the worms even realize they just hit the water. The mandarin has to introduce himself to the worm, then he has to apologize to it before he eats it, then he seems to be saying grace, it just takes so long and by this time the copperband, and 4 or 5 other fish already stole all the worms from under the mandarin. Eventually, after I throw in $19.00 worth of worms, he will get one or two. In the mandarin's defense, I know eh can only eat a couple of worms as they don't have a real stomach like Chris Christie may have. They are used to eating a pod every 8 seconds or so. I am surprised he doesn't spend more time with the female as she is a real Babe. But he is a man and probably thinking about eating, soccer or whatever sport they play in his home country.

Sometimes they all go out to dinner together, but I am not sure who picks up the bill.


Here he is after dinner putting his moves on her.



She must like him as she is always pregnant.

 

[Rob&Gab]

omg i love everyone of your story's with your fish and posts. ! amazing. :) looks like a little table in the tank HAHA

 

[Paul B]

Thanks, that is their dining room table.

 

[SharkGirl]

Thanks, that is their dining room table.

They are beauties! I have one too and he loves to patrol the love rock cave I made haha

 

[Paul B]

They are romantic, that's for sure. And what is more beautiful than a female mandarin? OK the males are just as good looking but I am a man so I don't like saying that.

 

[SharkGirl]

How can you tell the difference? I would love to get mine a mate!

 

[Eienna]

How can you tell the difference? I would love to get mine a mate!

The males have a spiked foremost dorsal fin (the female's is shorter and doesn't have the extended ray), and they grow somewhat larger than the females do.

 

[SharkGirl]

The males have a spiked foremost dorsal fin (the female's is shorter and doesn't have the extended ray), and they grow somewhat larger than the females do.

Thanks! I'll have to look when mine comes out which isn't often since he stays in his cave haha

 

[Eienna]

Thanks! I'll have to look when mine comes out which isn't often since he stays in his cave haha

Are you sure he's okay? He should be out grazing on pods.

 

[SharkGirl]

Yeah he just patrols the rocks. We don't have any corals yet just live rock. We have a little puffer who picks on him sometimes

 

[Paul B]

Here is a video of them at their diner. They are eating with friends.

 

[SharkGirl]

Here is a video of them at their diner. They are eating with friends.

What do you feed them?

 

[Paul B]

They eat pods every day but I supplement them with new born brine shrimp that I hatch every day in this hatchery and shell separator that I designed.

 

[SharkGirl]

They eat pods every day but I supplement them with new born brine shrimp that I hatch every day in this hatchery and shell separator that I designed.

That's really cool!

 

[Paul B]

Tomorrow my tank will be 43 years old. I almost forgot.

 

[bearjohnson]

Happy Birthday Paul's Tank!

 

[Paul B]

My tank thanks you

 

[SharkGirl]

Has it been in the same house or have you moved? I'm just curious of how hard it is to move a tank