Anenomes and clown fish- The Relationship

If you have seen the movie “Finding Nemo,” you saw how the clownfish lived in an anemone. Clown fish and anemones have a well-known relationship. In the ocean, the clown fish are protected from predator fish by the stinging tentacles of the anemone.

It all begins by the fish slowly beginning to adapt to living in a stinging anemone by making quick contacts with its tentacles. Most sea creatures have protective mucus or slime coating. The clownfish begins mixing the slime of the anemone, which has stinging cells, with its own skin slime. Every day the fish stays longer and longer among the anemone’s tentacles until all of its slime is completely mixed with the anemones. This protects the anemone clownfish from getting stung. The fish then snuggles among the deadly stinging tentacles of the anemone.

All anemones have nematocysts or stinging cells in their skin. Most fish avoid anemones, but anemones provide clownfish with a safe home. In return, the clownfish helps clean the anemone by removing parasites and dead skin, helps by chasing away their predators and drops scraps of food for the anemone to eat. The anemone also gets fertilizer from the feces of the Clown Fish.

Together the anemone and clownfish live in shallow calm lagoons or costal reefs to depths of 50 feet. These fish live alone, in pairs, or even in a small group within one anemone and they always stick close to their anemone host. They rarely move far away.

In our tank one of our clown fish has started to rub onto our anemone once in a while, so we are really hoping that he is trying to host with the anemone. If this happens, our two clownfish could end up having babies. We’re keeping our hopes up!

For year sea turtle have charted the seven seas. With their paddle-shaped flippers and hydrodynamic bodies, they are capable of crossing entire oceans, coming ashore only to build nests and lay their eggs. Upon hatching, the baby sea turtles will instinctively head toward the water were they begin their journey.

However, over just a few short decades, these creatures have succumbed to human activities, and their numbers are now plunging. From the destruction of their nesting sites and poaching of turtle eggs to destructive fishing methods that entangle and drown unsuspecting turtles, all of the world’s sea turtle species are facing the threat of extinction.

One of several types of sea turtles found in the Gulf of Mexico, loggerheads rely on Florida's waters and beaches for nesting and foraging habitat. After years of capture by commercial fisheries, Florida has seen its nesting loggerhead population decrease by more than 40 percent in the last decade.

Florida is also home to the most endangered sea turtle in the world, the Kemp’s Ridley, as well as the green sea turtle, which can be found as far away as Africa and Australia.

Each of these species is either threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. One of the primary threats to these vulnerable creatures is a harmful form of commercial fishing, called bottom longlining.

Bottom longline fishing uses hundreds to thousands of baited hooks strung along miles of fishing lines that stretch down to the ocean floor. Even though the hooks are meant to catch commercial fish species they also snag and entangle other species, including sea turtles.

Many turtles drown when they get caught by longlines because they cannot surface for air. Even if the turtle manages to escape or is tossed back into the ocean after being caught, the injury it sustains impairs its ability to feed, swim, or avoid predators. As a result, many turtles end up dying even after being released from the longlines.

I think this is so sad, and if something doesn’t start to change with the way people are treating these turtles, they will soon be extinct.

Jellyfish

There are over 200 different species of jellyfish in the oceans. They cover the entire spectrum of the oceans depths from shallow bays and lagoons to the deepest, largely unexplored regions of the aquatic domain. The most recognized jellyfish is the moon jellyfish.

Jellyfish are best described as a sac within a sack. They are composed of about 95% water, 3% salt and 2% protein. They have no eyes, no brains, and no supporting skeletal system but yet are one of the oldest multi-cellular creatures know today. They do not have specialized digestive, respiratory or circulatory systems. In fact, they don’t even have blood cells. Oxygen is absorbed by simple diffusion through their outer membranes. A second membrane within the jellyfish contains a gastrodermal lining which forms a gastrovascular cavity. This cavity functions in place of a digestive system. Nutrients are absorbed and distributed throughout the body. Jellyfish either have a single mouth or multiple mouth openings positioned on oral arms that function for both intake of nutrients and expulsion of waste.

Most Jellyfish are also very dangerous to humans. They shoot out venom and there is a rare chance of survival. The pain is so excruciating that you would most likely go into shock and drown before reaching the shore. Make sure to watch out for jellyfish when swimming in any ocean.

Jellyfish can look harmless, but in reality they are deadly creatures that people need to be careful to avoid.

Starfish

Star fish are interesting creatures. We currently have two larger starfish in our tank, a grey Serpent Sea Star and a blue Linckia Sea Star. We also have many small white Spiny Beaded starfish that seem to just appear. Sometimes a part of a starfish’s arm will detach itself and will start growing into a new starfish, and that is why we have so many in our tank that we did not purchase.

We would love to get another larger one, however it is suggested that we get a bigger tank before doing so. Three starfish in a 55 gallon tank is said to be too many. The particular starfish I would love to get is the “Red-Knobbed Starfish.” It will add color to the tank and has an interesting shape to it.

Starfish are echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidia. There are about 1800 living species of starfish in the world’s oceans, including the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian as well as in the Arctic and the Southern ocean regions. They are found in a broad range from the shallow waters to abyssal depths.

Starfish possess a number of known traits, such as regeneration and feeding on mussels. They also have a wide diversity of body forms and feeding methods. Most Starfish typically have five rays or arms; however, there are many species that have more. The Solasteridae starfish in particular has 10-15 feet arms and the Antarctic Labidiaster Annulatus starfish can have up to 50. It seems crazy to me to think there are starfish out there with 50 arms.

Starfish make great additions to saltwater tanks and I can’t wait to get another one.

Serpent Starfish

                                                     

Linckia Starfish

10 Largest Sharks

I find sharks to be such terrifying creatures. I don’t even like swimming in lakes because I am afraid a fish will swim up and nibble on my leg. I love fish, i just hate swimming with them. I thought it would be interesting to search what the top ten largest sharks were and here is what I found.

The Whale Shark

The largest shark in the entire world is the Whake Shark. It can grow as long as 41 ft. long and can weigh up to 15 tons. Even for being so big however, they are not predators and are just another slow moving filter feeder.

Basking Shark

The second largest shark is the Basking Shark. It can grow as long as 40 ft. and has been reported at weighing as much as 19 tons. Luckily these sharks are non-predators also.

Great White Shark

The third largest is the Great White Shark. They are known to have grown as long as 26.2 feet and weigh as much as 5000 lbs., and yes these sharks are predators.

Tiger Shark

The fourth largest shark is the Tiger Shark. They can be up to 24.3 feet and weigh up to 2000 lbs. They are known for being vicious.

Pacific Sleeper Shark

The fifth largest shark is the Pacific Sleeper Shark. They can grow up to 23 feet and weigh as much as 800 lbs.

Greenland Shark

The sixth largest is the Greenland Shark, found in the North Atlantic Ocean. These sharks tend to grow up to 21 feet and live as long as 200 years. They are known as the longest living vertebrate.

Great Hammerhead Shark

The seventh largest is the Hammerhead Shark. They grow up to 20 feet and the heaviest one dated was 1280 lbs.

Thresher Shark

The eighth largest shark is the Thresher Shark. It can grow as long as 18 feet and can weigh over 1100 lbs.

Bluntnose Sixgill Shark

The ninth largest shark is the Bluntnose Sixgill Shark and is often referred to as the cow shark. They can grow as big as 15.8 feet.

Bigeye Thresher Shark

The tenth largest shark is the Bigeye Thresher Shark. They can grow up to 15.1 feet and can weigh up to 795 lbs.

Aquariums I Would Love to Visit!

Even though the Great Barrier Reef is the place I want to visit most, there are also a few aquariums that I eventually would love to visit also.

One is the Georgia Aquarium (pictured below) located in Atlanta which is currently the largest aquarium in the world. There are many exhibits and there are many tours to be taken there.

The second is the Oregon Coast Aquarium. The biggest appeal for this aquarium is that they have what is called “Passages of the Deep Exhibit.” This exhibit entails large glass tunnels that allow you to see marine life as sharks and fish swimming around you.

Now going out of the U.S. is the Aquarium of Western Australia which is located in a coastal suburb of Perth. It contains Australia’s largest aquarium tank which is 130 feet long, 66 feet wide, and holds 793,000 gallons of seawater. It incorporates a 322ft underwater tunnel for people to walk through. Also, for a fee, snorkelers and divers can get even closer to the fish, sharks, and rays by joining the aquariums dive master in exploring the main tank.

The forth is the Aquarium of Genoa, located in Italy. It is made up of 70 tanks and has more than 6000 animals.

I could name so many more, but these are the top aquariums on my list to see one day.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Monterey Bay is a large aquarium located in Monterey, CA, on the shore line of the Pacific Ocean. It holds thousands of plants and animals representing 623 separate named species. The aquarium benefits by a high circulation of fresh ocean water which is obtained through pipes which pump it in continuously from Monterey Bay. There are many exhibits and tanks to explore and there is also a deck that you can go out onto and watch the otters in the water below. The exhibits have everything from jellyfish to sharks.

My family and I visited Monterey Bay years ago when we were in California visiting family. I was probably around 13 years old and still remember how amazing it was. I personally love aquariums and would love to go back one day. The aquarium is so cool because of its many tanks and exhibits. There are even small open tanks that have things such as starfish in them that you are allowed to touch and hold. I thought it was pretty cool that I got to hold a live starfish. Also, it’s really cool that the aquarium is right on the shore. As you see in the picture bellow, there is a large deck that people can go out on to watch the otters as well.

It’s a really nice aquarium with so many cool things to see. I highly recommend going there one day and I myself hope to get back to the aquarium one day as well.

Moving Day

Well, I am super excited because my boyfriend and I are moving to a new place on Monday. One thing I am not looking forward to, however, is moving our fish tank. I have added a few photos of our tank to show what kinds of things we are moving. The tank we have is 55 gallons and is such a pain to move. You have to be very careful not to hurt anything while in the process of transferring it.

We will first have to get several buckets out and fill them a third full of water (water from the tank), then transfer the fish, anemones, shrimp and rocks into them. The shrimp gets its own bucket because if the shrimp is confined in a small area with the fish it will fight with them. The rocks also get their own buckets so that the fish won’t be squished in the move. Last, the anemones will also have their own bucket. Once we have everything carefully transferred into the buckets, we drain all of the water out, saving 2-3 buckets of the water. Then we take the sand out and save ¾ bucket to put back in when we set it back up.

Once the tank is empty, it is crunch time. The tank is heated to keep the water at a curtain temperature for the fish and since it’s so cold out, we must hurry and get the tank to the new house before the water in the buckets becomes too cold. If the water gets too cold the fish can go into shock and die, not being used to the cold temperature.

Then the final step is setting it back up as soon as we arrive to the new house, which entails: Arranging the tank light on the wall above the fish tank; Filling the tank back up and adding a measured amount of salt to the water; setting up the filters and heaters; letting the water warm up to the right temperature and letting the water settle; arranging the rocks in the tank; putting the anemones back in the tank; then releasing the fish and shrimp back into the tank.  

It’s such a long process, to move a salt water tank, but in the end it is worth it.

Mushroom Corals

We have a few mushroom corals in our tank at home. The first one we got we have had for a couple years and it is very easy to take care of. It started out being only a couple inches across in diameter when we first got it, and is now about 12 inches in diameter and continues to grow.

Mushroom Corals are some of the easiest species to care for and are recommended for aquarists at all levels. They are called mushroom corals because the individual polyps are large and fleshy. In lower light environment the polyps seem to stretch upward in the water, creating a mushroom-like appearance.  In normal-to-higher light environments, the polyps lie flat and have a discoid shape.

Mushroom corals are generally found in lower light and in nutrient rich environments, which makes them somewhat ideal inhabitants in a mixed species tank including fish and coral. Most corals require low light, are not picky about flow and can be kept in less than pristine conditions.  They will reproduce in your tank through budding or splitting.  Budding is a process where a small portion of the foot extends, then detaches, forming a new polyp.  Splitting is a process where the corallimorph actually forms a second mouth and splits down the center, essentially cutting itself in half—while each half re-grows to full size.

If you are looking to start up a salt water tank, I highly suggest a mushroom coral be one of the first corals you get. They are the easiest to take care of and will usually last a long time.

 Saltwater Aquarium Tip: If you plan to keep these coral with smaller fish, avoid large mushroom species like the ‘Elephant Ear’ or ‘giant cup mushroom’, which will snack on unsuspecting smaller fish that get too close.

Blue Hippo Tang vs. The Yellow Tang

Most of you know the Blue Hippo tang as “Dori” from Finding Nemo.  About five months back, we had a Blue Hippo Tang and a Yellow Tank both in our tank. Well, certain fish can’t be in a tank with another fish of their kind and Tangs are one of those fish, but at the time we didn’t know it. It turns out that these fish get very territorial and the fish start messing with each other and fighting. When this happens, one or both of the fish can get a disease called “Ick”. If a fish gets this disease it can spread it to everything in the tank and if this happens everything with the disease will most likely die.

                We had this happen in our tank, however, we were lucky and it didn’t spread to the other fish. We lost the Blue Hippo Tang to the disease, but at least we didn’t lose all the fish.  We have learned now to research which fish can live together before we get one of the same kind.

You can, however, have these two fish together if you have a larger tank. We have a 55 gallon tank and it doesn’t give them enough room to have their own space all the time.  With a bigger tank they won’t always be around each other, so they won’t be so stressed, and are much less at risk of getting the disease.

R.I.P Wilbur

Yesterday we had a fish die in our tank. His name was “Wilbur” (yes we name our fish), and he was a Lawnmower Blenny. Wilber was a cool addition to the tank. He got along with all the other fish and looked really cool. Lawnmower Blenny fish are algae grazers, meaning they eat algae that grows in the tank. Because of this he was really cool to watch because he would almost constantly be eating something off of a rock or off the side of the tank. Also, he could eat a large amount of food at once because of how big there mouths are which was fun to watch. 

Because we no longer have Wilbur we will now have to change some things. How a salt water tank works is that you need to make sure you have a “cleaner crew.” This consists of having certain fish that will eat algae in the tank and also having things like snails and crabs in the tank to help clean it. You don’t clean salt water tanks so you need to have things in the tank to help keep it looking nice. Wilbur helped maintain the tank, so we will now need to get another fish like him, or get some more snails.

Also, an example of the cleaning crew is how we found out that Wilber had died.  One of our hermit crabs was eating him. The hermit crab was helping clean the tank.  

Corals

Corals are so cool to me. You wouldn’t think they are alive because of the way they look, but they are all animals. We have quite a few corals in our tank and they make it look awesome. There are 3 types of corals which are Perforate, Hermatypic, and Ahermatypic.

They are marine organisms in the class Anthozoa and they typically live in compact colonies of many individual polyps. A coral “head” is a colony of genetically identical polyps. Each polyp is a spineless animal typically only a few millimeters in diameter and a few centimeters in length. A set of tentacles surround a central mouth opening. An exoskeleton is excreted near the base. Over many years, the colony then creates a large skeleton that is characteristic of the species. Polyps and corals multiply, and they grow bigger and bigger.

            A coral gets the majority of their energy and nutrients from algae called zooxanthellae that live within the coral’s tissue. However, corals can also catch small fish and plankton, using stinging cells on their tentacles. Most corals require some sunlight and grow in clear, shallow water, usually at depths shallower than 200 ft. Other Corals do not have associated algae and can live in much deeper water. Some can even survive in water as deep as 9,800 feet.

Corals are huge contributions to tropics and subtropical waters, such as the Great Barrier Reef. They come in all different colors, shapes and sizes. I have put some pictures together to show you how cool they really are.

The Lion Fish

I always thought this was a pretty cool fish. We could never have one in our tank because it would kill all the other fish including our shrimp. It’s called the lion fish. This fish shoots venom out of its needle-like dorsal fins purely out of defense. It relies on camouflage and lightning-fast reflexes to capture prey, mainly fish and shrimp. It will often spread its pectoral fins and herd small fish into a confined area where it can more easily swallow them.  A sting from a lionfish is extremely painful to humans and can cause nausea and breathing difficulties, but is rarely fatal. However, if it were to sting a fish, the fish would die.

The lion fish is native to the reefs and rocky crevices of the Indo-Pacific. The largest a lionfish can grow is about 15 inches but the average is about a foot. They are even popular as food in some parts of the world, but are far more popular in an aquarium.

The Great Barrier Reef

My dream one day is to visit The Great Barrier Reef in Australia. The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching over 1,600 miles, over an area of approximately 133,000 miles. It is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland In north-east Australia.

The reef can be seen from outer space and is the world’s biggest single structure made by living organisms. The reef structure is composed of the billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps. This reef supports a wide diversity of life, including vulnerable and endangered species. It makes a great home for many fish.

Here is just some of the life that abides in the Great Barrier Reef: 30 species of whales, 6 species of sea turtles, salt water crocodiles, dolphins, porpoises, stingrays, 125 species of sharks, 49 species of pipefish, 9 species of seahorses, etc.

All of the pictures i have posted so far are of the Great Barrier Reef.

My love for salt water

I chose to blog about the world that lies under the ocean because I find it fascinating and thought it would be a great topic. I first got into salt water fish when my family and I went snorkeling in Hanauma Bay in Hawaii. I was in 7th grade at the time and thought it was the coolest thing I had ever done. The fish were so beautiful; there were so many different creatures, so many colors, so many different looking corals, etc. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. Ever since then I have always wanted to go back.

Also, when I first met my boyfriend he introduced me to his salt water fish tank. Although they can be expensive to keep up, and the fish and corals aren’t cheap, they are very nice to have. We still have it in our house and we love it. We love to sit in front of it and watch it from time to time. It’s interesting to see how corals and fish live together and how it all works. It’s like having a small piece of the ocean in your living room.