Clean up crew

Thanks! One difference in pic quality I'm noticing is that with the Instinct, what's in focus is great but the background is kind of off. W/the hp, the whole shot will be in focus, more or less. I think it's rad being able to upload to photobucket right away. It was surprisingly easy to do!

Oh, the camera doesn't have a flash; but it *does* have a "touch-up mirror" right next to the lens. I get what it's for, but I still think it's hilarious.

 

to answer a previous question... hermits can be fed flake if you like to have a bunch of them. turbos are problematic because they only eat a narrow range of food, and they need a lot of it everyday. Try getting some inverts that eat a diverse range of food, so they will always be able to find a meal. IMO It is better to get more small cleaners than a few larger ones because the smaller ones will be able to find enough food each day when compared to turbos which have to find a lot of food everyday.

 

Nerite eggs look exactly like sesame seeds. Hopefully that helps with your id. There are some breeder size Nerites in there so it is likely. Coming along nicely, I think the 2nd camera takes better pics, but maybe the tank just looks better. Whatever it is, those shots are pretty clear.

I think the tank will be "100%" by the 25th. Should only be another 2 weeks. Hopefully by then you will find a less creepy looking avatar. I have nightmares now of people giving me eye surgery. j/k

 

I have super power vision now though! At least it fills that way. I might change it to one where you can see the lens cut off. Second thought . . . maybe not

 

This tank is getting all kinds of cleaner. I don't doubt John's 25th prediction one bit. Wouldn't be surprised if it took a bit less time too.

Tried to get another shot of a face on, so you could see more of the cleaned area. Got the window reflection again : but oh well. It's looking great!

That's 1 Clown - reflection makes it look like 3








The white spots are the sesame seed looking Nerite eggs. I wonder what will come of these

 

unfortunately nothing. after they hatch they have a larval state where they swim around the water and then get sucked up by powerhead intakes, or eaten by fish or coral. Nerites are extremely difficult to breed because this state is prolonged.

Getting a reflection is a great way to get a 3 for 1 clown.

 

Will the eggs leave junk on the glass? Should I be cleaning these off because the nerites seem to know better than to clean them off - which makes sense.

Free fish food is awesome.

Also, will they lay eggs year round or is it seasonal? That is, will I always have these eggs everywhere? They're on the rocks and glass and everything.

 

Today's pics are here! Hurray! With all lights on today.

I'm really glad I have stuck it out and not cleaned the glass myself. From now on, when people ask 'how long will it take?' - people can answer: check out this thread for an idea!

It was also a great way to trick myself into the mantra <take it slow, let it grow>. Still got some time left - no more than ten days based on John's thinking (and I would have to agree based on what I've seen so far!). But it did get me to leave it alone, more or less, for several weeks.

The heavy hitters in this seem to be the dwarf ceriths. When the lights go off and the moons come on, these things come out in hordes. Once the rocks were clean, they moved to the glass. Then in the morning, they all vanish.

The chitons are still very effective, but both of them have almost exclusively remained in a small area of rock, up top. Though the bigger one has ventured towards the bottom once or twice for a few hours.

IMO, limpets are great for variety. More things to watch. They clean well, just not very much area gets covered. More of a long term approach it seems to me.

I'm not sure, but I think I've only got a few Florida Cerith's left. Maybe it's the crabs doing it (there is one hermit now traveling in an algae covered cerith shell, but several of their shells haven't moved in a few days), but they are also very effective. And they 'look' like they're dangling and hanging on for dear life when they are clinging to the bottom of a rock. Their shape makes them interesting (to me).

Dwarf Planaxis are still gone from view for ever and ever. OK, not true. I did see one stuck to a Nerite the other day. I guess it was on a tour (j/j).

The hermits have learned to climb glass. More specifically, a couple have been spotted climbing up the algae in the corners of the tank. They make it almost to the top. These pics came out way too blurry.

Nerites are sucking up insane amounts of junk from the glass. And leaving almost as many eggs in their wake (exagerating).

And the pics:







Better pic of Nerite eggs

 

Well fed Nerites are happy breeding Nerites. When the food level drops they start to hang out more in a clump and breed less. Weird how the dwarf ceriths run together huh? The Florida ceriths are a target for hermits for sure, empty shells help. They do spend quite a bit of time being still then go back to business. It can be unnerving at times. The rocks are looking better, how are the nooks in the rock looking? They are usually the last parts to get clean.

 

Pics for today.