Local collected stuff

[Paul B]

How cute is this guy? He is the one I collected in the summer and doubled his size already.

This is of course my local animal tank and not my reef

The rest of the collected stuff is all also well. These two butterflies and two wrasses are looking good as well as all of the local hermit crabs and local snails.
I have to step on stuff in this tank to kill anything and it is practically un lit, un filtered and un heated. There is a small HOB filter which is really clogged.

 

[youpey]

where did you find that first one, its awesome

 

[Paul B]

We got him in a cove on the south shore of Long Island
Here he is right after collection

 

[panmanmatt]

Paul, what are you feeding the burrfish? I collected one last summer but couldn't get it to eat. I tried live brine, fresh and frozen fish and shellfish but had no luck.

 

[Paul B]

He will eat anything meaty like worms, shrimp, clams, mysis etc.

 

[panmanmatt]

Mine never took to any of that. Maybe if I find another one this year I will try again. This is the first year I have seen them around here.

 

[harlequinreef]

I do not believe those are wrasses you have there. Looks to be juvenile blackfish or tog, Tautoga onitis. I'm sure no one will bother now that they are in captivity, but check local regulations before keeping undersized gamefish.

 

[NikkiT]

Wow Paul, your first fish (Burrfish says panmatt) is super cute, and the butterflies look like they are thriving. Congrats on keeping everything healthy and thriving 6 months in, Happy Half-birthday fishes!

As someone who would love to set something similar up, but is afraid I'd accidentally kill everything, would you mind sharing what size tank you have those guys in, and what the temp range is? Also, are you using natural salt water with these guys?

 

[Paul B]

They are in this 10 gallon tank in my workshop. It is unheated and practically un lit except for a desk lamp with a 14 watt bulb. I use waste water from my reef for water changes. This tank has been set up for decades and I use it for unusual stuff that I don't want in my reef.
That wrasse looks like a blackfish, which I think are also wrasses but I don't think it is a blackfish. They are blacker, shoorter and have a more rounded face, blackfish are very common here.
I don't even think it is a bergall. It hardly grew in the months I hsave it and blackfish grow much faster. There is another different looking wrasslike fish in there also but I can't get a picture of it.
This tank is fed live blackworms as the butterflies will only eat live food.
I will be giving them away soon.