I know some of you are fascinated by our fish. That is why I put in a post every so often to introduce new fish and happenings in our tank. It is a fascinating environment to watch as the new fish get acclimated to their new home. Some do better than others just like people. We sometimes have difficult adjusting to a new home when we move. Now you know how fish feel being moved around.
We recently purchased a starfish and a sea urchin to add to our 95 gallon saltwater tank. They appeared to be happy in their new tank and already have found their favorite place to rest.
Here are some photos of what has been added and new events. The mysteries begin!
Above is Red the Sea Cucumber. He never moved from the left front of tank. We wondered if he was sick or something. Well, recently we noticed our new addition – Chippy, the Chocolate Chip Starfish was moseying over to see Red. That is not a good sign! Yikes! I think Chippy was wondering if Red was alive or not since he didn’t move much.
In this photo above Red has pushed himself tightly against the glass in the corner when he noticed that Chippy was coming his way. Sea Cucumbers don’t move much if at all but starfish can move quicker. We watched Chippy as he moved as fast as his five legs and tentacles could propel him. It wasn’t really fast but a little faster than a snail. They appear to glide above the sand.
Here Chippy is touching Red but the Sea Cucumber is moving into an ‘S’ shape to get away from the Starfish. I couldn’t see Red moving though but from the photos you can see his shape changing.
Unfortunately, today I learned from my husband that Red, the Sea Cucumber, did not make it. He finally met his demise and had to be removed from tank so as not to pollute the water. Something had taken a nibble out of him. If it was left in the tank I’m sure he would have been eaten by the other fish and Chippy.
Here is another new addition to our tank – a Sea Urchin – Spiny.
None of the fish bother Spiny as his name denotes. He is covered with long black sharp spines. I never see him actually move but have found him all over the tank high and low, in the rocks and on the glass. He eats the algae on the rocks and whatever else he can find.
Here is another interesting mystery in the tank. My husband, the keeper of the tank, had dropped in this clam a couple of months ago. It was a live clam that he purchased from the fish department of the grocery store. It had buried itself in the sand and was living there ever since until recently. How? It lived on the debris and food leftovers that sink to the bottom.
The question is: Who opened it? And how?
Well, there are a couple of usual suspects. One suspect is Red the Starfish. Red is known to be able to open shellfish with his mouth and teeth in the center of his body. They can work at the shell continuously until they burrow a hole into it and can suck out the juicy contents. Once it is opened that way the shell opens automatically since it is not being held by the clam inside anymore. This allows the fish in the tank to clean out any debris left in the shell after the starfish has his feast. They are all happy.
The other suspect – Clown Trigger has sharp tiny teeth that can chip away at a shell. But it would take a longer time to be successful. He probably watched the starfish in action and waited for his turn to feast on the leftovers. Smart fish!
I hope you enjoyed reading about our fish and the fascinating environment where they make their home. It is a busy place for they all have things to do daily – look for food and guard their place in the tank.
I will share new things with you when they happen in this saltwater world. Stay tuned for more episodes of the Spina Aquarium.
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Thanks for sharing more from your tank with us. Sorry about poor Red not making it though.
Happy to share. It is a fascinating tank. Always something happening there. Poor Red. He wasn’t an active character. 🤗