Saron neglectus, also known as the Eyespot Shrimp, Green Marble Shrimp, or Spotted Marbled Shrimp, is a small shrimp species found in the Indo-West Pacific Ocean. They are known for their striking green or reddish bodies with white bands on their legs and claw arms. These nocturnal creatures inhabit coral reef environments, often among corals or in rubble areas, and are typically no deeper than 12 meters. They are omnivores, with a particular fondness for coral polyps.
Key characteristics:
Appearance: Green or reddish body with white bands on legs and claws.
Size: Typically about 5 centimeters (2 inches) long.
Habitat: Coral reefs, rubble areas, typically not deeper than 12 meters (40 feet).
Diet: Omnivore, with a preference for coral polyps.
Behavior: Nocturnal, can change color to blend with their surroundings.
Sexual Dimorphism: Males have longer foreclaws than females, sometimes as long as their bodies.
Distribution: Indo-West Pacific Ocean, from the Red Sea to Hawaii.
Other Names: Eyespot Shrimp, Green Marble Shrimp, Spotted Marbled Shrimp.
Aquarium Suitability: Can be kept in home aquariums, but may eat coral polyps
The Saron rectirostris, commonly called the Purple Leg Shrimp, is a species of shrimp in the family Hippolytidae. It is a reef-safe species known for its unique coloration and elongated legs, particularly in males, used for ritualistic combat. They are found in the Indo-Pacific region, often lurking in rocky crevices during the day and emerging at night to forage and interact.
Physical Characteristics:
Coloration: They are typically white with pale brown patches, featuring purple legs and tail.
Cirri: Males have tufts of cirri (feathery appendages) on their back.
Legs: The first pair of walking legs in males are elongated.
Size: They can grow to about 2.5 to 5 cm (approximately 1 to 2 inches).
Translucency: Their bodies are somewhat translucent with various shades of white, green, brown, and red.
Behavior and Ecology:
Habitat: Found on Indo-Pacific reefs, hiding in rocky crevices during the day.
Nocturnal: They emerge at night to feed and interact.
Solitary: Generally solitary and likely territorial.
Ritualistic Combat: Males engage in ritualistic combat using their elongated legs.
Aquarium Keeping:
Reef Safe:
Generally considered reef safe, but should be kept with other small, reef-safe species.
Acclimation:
They require slow acclimation (4-8 hours) and may lie motionless initially.
Diet:
They are omnivores and will eat a variety of foods.
Water Parameters:
They are intolerant of copper and high nitrates, and require iodine for molting.
Sabellastarte spectabilis, commonly known as the Indian feather duster worm or feather duster worm, is a tubicolous marine polychaete worm. These worms are characterized by their beautiful, feathery tentacles, which they use to filter feed and breathe. They live in leathery tubes, often covered with mud, and are found in tropical and subtropical waters.
Appearance:
Color: Vibrant colors can range from reds, oranges, to purples.
Tentacles (radioles): The tentacles are feathery and arranged in a fan-like structure, creating a striking display when the worm is active. They are striped in dark and pale brown bands.
Tube: The worms secrete a leathery tube that protects them.
Size: Can reach up to 80 millimeters in length and 10-12 millimeters in width.
Habitat and Behavior:
Location: Native to tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific but have spread to other regions.
Tube: The tubes are typically buried in the sediment.
Filter Feeding: They use their tentacles to capture small particles of organic matter from the water.
Sedentary Lifestyle: They primarily live within their tubes and do not move much.
Reproduction and Other Characteristics:
Asexual Reproduction: They can reproduce asexually by fragmentation.
Regeneration: They can regenerate body parts if damaged.
Aquarium Popularity: They are popular in aquariums due to their beauty and helpfulness in removing organic particles from the water.
The foxface rabbitfish (Siganus vulpinus), also known as the foxface, black-face rabbit fish, badger fish or the common foxface is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a rabbitfish belonging to the family Siganidae. It is found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It can be found in the aquarium trade.
Taxonomy
The foxface rabbitfish was first formally described as Amphacanthus vulpinus in 1845 by the German zoologists Hermann Schlegel & Salomon Müller with the type locality given as Ternate Island one of the Molucca Islands in Indonesia.The blotched foxface (S. unimaculatus) differs from S. vulpinus in possessing a large black spot below the soft-rayed part of the dorsal fin. It is sympatric and not phylogenetically distinct, and though these two might be recently evolved species, they may be just colour morphs and should arguably to be united under the scientific name S. vulpinus. under the scientific name S. vulpinus.The specific name vulpinus means "fox-like", Schlegel and Müller did not explain what this alluded to but it is thought to be the pointed snout.
Description
The foxface rabbitfish has a compressed body which has a depth which fits into its standard length 1.9 to 2.4 times. The dorsal profile of the head is steep to the rear of the eye and there is an indentation between the eyes and a tubular snout. The caudal fin is weakly forked. There is a procumbent spine in the nape to the front of the dorsal fin.Like all rabbitfishes, the dorsal fin has 13 spines and 10 soft rays while the anal fin has 7 spines and 9 soft rays. The fin spines hold venom glands. This species attains a maximum total length of 25 cm (9.8 in), although 20 cm (7.9 in) is more typical.The main colour on this rabbitfish is vivid yellow with white on the head and front part of the body, however foxfaces can camouflage when experiencing threat, quickly changing colour to a dark brown. There is a black band running backwards from the mouth through the eye to the start of the dorsal fin and there is a black area on the breast that runs upwards to just above the base of the pectoral-fin, tapering as it does so.
Distribution and habitat
The foxface rabbitfish occurs in the far eastern Indian Ocean and in the western Pacific from Indonesia to the Marshall and Gilbert Islands north as far as Taiwan and south to New Caledonia and Australia.[1] In Australia it is found from Western Australia on the northern reefs and offshore reefs, at Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea, and on the east coast in Queensland from the northern Great Barrier Reef to the Capricorn Islands. It has been recorded as deep as 30 m (98 ft).[1] This species lives in lagoons and seaward reefs where there is a rich growth of corals.
Biology
The foxface rabbitfish is omnivorous, eating mostly algae and zooplankton. They may be territorial, adults are normally found as either solitary individuals or in pairs and are associated with branching Acropora corals. Juveniles and subadults may sometimes form large schools, feeding on algae growing on the bases of Acropora corals.This species produces venom in the spines of its fins.In a study of the venom of a congener it was found that rabbitfish venom was similar to the venom of stonefishes.
Utilisation
The foxface rabbitfish appears in the aquarium trade. No statistics are kept for the catch and in some areas this species appears in mixed catches of reef fish, caught by spearfishing.
Signigobius biocellatus, commonly known as the Twinspot Goby or Eyespot Goby, is a species of Goby that often lives in pairs. Pairs typically share a burrow and exhibit a unique behavior of "hopping" around, with their large, yellow-ringed ocelli (eyes) on their dorsal fins and black pelvic and anal fins resembling pincers. They are known for their pale body with brown blotches and a narrow brown bar through the eye.
Here's a more detailed description:
Appearance:
Twinspot Gobies have a pale body with irregular brown spots and saddles on the upper half, and three irregular brown bars on the lower half. A narrow brown bar runs across the base of the caudal fin. Their pelvic and anal fins are black with blue spots.
Behavior:
They often hover low over the sand and signal to each other with their ocelli. They may be aggressive towards other Goby species, but prefer to live singly or in pairs.
Habitat:
They inhabit lagoons and coastal bays with silty substrate and cover amongst corals and reef rubble, to depths of 30 meters.
Breeding:
Twinspot Gobies can be bred in captivity. In the wild, pairs work together to create and maintain burrows. The male will sometimes be sealed into the burrow during spawning, and the pair may occasionally return to the burrow for maintenance.
The Ocellated dragonet (Synchiropus ocellatus) is a small, colorful fish with a distinctive diamond-shaped body when viewed from above, and is known for its unique way of moving along the substrate using its pectoral fins. It typically grows to about 8 centimeters (3.1 inches) in length. Males are generally more brightly colored than females and have a large, sail-like dorsal fin, often orange at the base. The body is mottled with brown and white, sometimes with red highlights, and features a pattern of stripes or spots.
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
Appearance:
The fish has a mottled brown and white body, sometimes with red highlights. It has a large, boxy head and a diamond-shaped body when viewed from above.
Size:
It reaches a maximum length of about 8 centimeters (3.1 inches).
Coloration:
Males are generally more colorful than females, with a bright orange dorsal fin base. They also have a distinctive pattern of stripes or spots on their body.
Locomotion:
The Ocellated dragonet uses its pectoral fins to shuffle along the substrate, rather than swimming in a typical fish-like manner.
Habitat:
They are found in shallow waters, particularly on sandy areas of reefs and in tide pools.
Diet:
They are micropredators, feeding on small benthic invertebrates and zooplankton.
Aquarium Care:
In aquarium settings, they are known to be reef-safe, hardy, and stay small, making them popular with aquarists. However, they require a well-established aquarium with a constant supply of live zooplankton or other small foods, as they cannot eat large meals at once.
Skimz MBR127 Macroalgae Biosorption Reactor features the QuietPro 1.2 DC pump and has a small footprint that is great for hobbyists who have small sumps. MBR127 is suitable for aquariums up to 400 litres.
Dimensions: 175 x 176 x 410mm
Pump: QuietPro QP1.2 DC - 15W
LED: RLD18 - 18W
Total Watt: 33W
For Aquarium: up to 400L
Skimz Macroalgae Biosorption Reactor (MBR) utilizes microalgae as a method of nitrate and other unwanted nutrient export from your reef aquariums. Skimz MBR incorporates an LED Grow light tube using quartz glass to maximize light penetration and efficiency. Quartz glass consists of quartz crystals that results in a transparent glass with an ultra-high purity and improved optical transmission.
Skimz MBR is an excellent alternative for people who lack of space, but in need of a large algae filter. This small upright macroalgae reactor may still be the best option. Skimz MBR LED Grow light tube is specially build with combination of 2 Red: 1 Blue : 1 White to grow macroalgae. The LED light tube is water proof, uses very low power and the quartz glass has high working temperature.
Skimz MBR will allow you to grow beneficial macroalgae as well as house zooplanktons. Zooplanktons like copepods and amphipods would breed, and their babies would flow into the aquariums as a food source for corals and fish. These tiny microscopic crustaceans incorporate protein and fatty acids into a highly nutritious package for consumption by marine animals. Some fish, such as the mandarins, anthias and sea horses are found to be extremely difficult to get to eat anything other than copepods and amphipods.
Skimz Macroalgae Biosorption Reactor (MBR) is a complete solution to leveraging the benefits of a concentrated algae scrubber, allowing users to grow algae within an upright contained reactor and place it in any sump. It is an excellent alternative for people who lack of space, but in need of a large algae scrubber. Growing algae like chaetomorpha will greatly help your reef aquarium with nutrient issues like nitrate and phosphate.
Skimz MBR157 includes a high power 360 degree LED that encased in a crystal clear quartz glass, allowing more light to pass through. The combination of Red, Blue and White LEDs provide an effective light source for algae grow and development.
The inclusion of DC pump give you full control of the flow rate through the algae. The highly efficient QuietPro DC pump with 9 different speed settings, allowing you to adjust the flow rate. As the water flow through the reactor and contacts the quartz sleeve, it will help to cool the LED lights.
Macroalgae Reactor Features:
• Small Footprint• LED Lighting System• DC Controllable Pump• Growing and Cultivating copepods• Biological Denitrification
Reactor Specifications:
• Footprint: 185 x 210mm (7 5/16" x 8 1/4")
• Total height: 570mm (22 7/16")
• Body diameter: 150mm (5 7/8")
Pump Specifications:
• Model: QuietPro QP2.0DC
• Power consumption: up to 22W
• Voltage: AC100-240 50-60Hz 24V DC/1.5A
• Pump controller: QPC35
LED Specifications:
- Model: RLD36
• Power consumption: 36W
• Voltage: AC100-240 50-60Hz 12V DC/5A
Total Power Consumption:
• up to 58W
For Aquarium:
• up to 1,000L
Installation:
• Designed for in-sump use
Lighting Duration:
12 hours is sufficient for growing macroalgae. The LED lighting is running on a reverse cycle so that when the main tank lights are off the LED lights turn on. During the night time, photosynthesis stops inside your aquarium and corals will no longer uptake CO2. This leaves an increased amount of CO2 dissolved in your aquarium water which then lowers your pH level. By running the Macroalgae Reactor at night, the algae inside the reactor will continue to uptake CO2 and help reduce the pH swing. This will help to stabilize the pH levels and the overall safety of its inhabitants.
Macroalgae Grows:
It's important to periodically harvest a portion by removing it from the Macroalgae Reactor. This opens up space for new macroalgae to grow and to continue absorbing undesirable nutrients
Skimz Monzter SM207DC protein skimmer features a low wattage DC needlewheel pump.Skimz SM207DC draws an air intake of 1,800 litres per hour and is suitable for aquariums up to 2,000 litres.Skimmer Specification:• Footprint: 280 x 270mm (11" x 10 5/8")• Total height: 580mm (22 13/16")• Body diameter: 200mm (7 7/8")• Recommended sump water height: 180 - 240mm (7 1/16" to 9 7/16")• Installation: Designed for in-sump usePump: 1 Skimz QPS6.0 with six preset RPMs and food shutter timerAir Intake: 900 - 1,800 l/hTotal Watts: 13 - 35WFor Aquarium: up to 2,000 l
The Pajama Cardinalfish, scientifically known as Sphaeramia nematoptera, is a popular saltwater aquarium fish known for its vibrant colors and peaceful nature. It features a greenish-yellow face, bright orange eyes, and a silver body with a bold black band across the midsection. The posterior part of its body is adorned with orange polka dots. These fish are relatively small, typically reaching a maximum size of 3 inches (8 cm).
Here's a more detailed description:
Appearance:
Coloration:
The Pajama Cardinal has a striking appearance with a greenish-yellow face, bright orange eyes, and a silver body.
Markings:
A prominent black band runs across the midsection, and the posterior of the body is dotted with orange polka dots. These dots are black in juveniles and turn red as they mature.
Fins:
The fish has distinctive tail fins.
Size:
They are relatively small, typically reaching a maximum length of 3 inches (8 cm).
Behavior:
Peaceful:
Pajama Cardinals are known for their peaceful nature and are suitable for community saltwater aquariums.
Schooling:
They thrive in small groups or schools within a larger aquarium.
Hierarchy:
While they establish dominance hierarchies when kept in groups, they don't typically rely on aggression to assert their position.
Nocturnal:
They are most active during twilight hours and during the night, when they disperse to hunt.
Care:
Reef-safe:
Pajama Cardinals are generally considered reef-safe and do not harm corals or invertebrates.
Diet:
They are omnivores and readily accept a variety of high-quality frozen foods, pellets, and live foods.
Tank Size:
A minimum of 20 gallons is recommended for a small group of Pajama Cardinals.
Compatibility:
They should be housed with other peaceful tankmates to avoid any aggression.
Additional Facts:
Mouth Brooders: Like other cardinalfish, they are mouth brooders, with the males incubating the eggs in their mouths.
Difficult to Sex: It's difficult to distinguish between males and females based on appearance alone.
Origin: They are found in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Strombus dentatus, or toothed conch, is a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Strombidae, known for its distinctive shell. It's a relatively small conch, with a shell length ranging from about 22 to 52mm. The shell has a flaring outer lip with a notch near the anterior end, and is characterized by three pointed projections near the opening. It is found in the Indo-Pacific region, typically at low tide marks.
Here's a more detailed description:
Shell Shape and Size: The shell is relatively small, with a maximum size of 6 cm (male/unsexed). It is elongate and moderately large.
Outer Lip: The outer lip is flared and features a stromboid notch, a key characteristic of the Strombidae family. It also has three pointed projections near the anterior end.
Color: The shell can be cream, orange, or salmon-pink.
Surface: It has a relatively smooth surface, though it can have spines on the body whorl.
Spire: The spire is short and pointed.
Habitat: Strombus dentatus is typically found in shallow, sandy waters, sometimes buried in sand or rubble, on seaward reefs at depths of 5 to 25m.
Distribution: They are found in the Indo-Pacific region, including the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean
