Magical Manta Months!

Small Marine Aquaria

• Humbugs (Dascyllus aruanus),
• Spotted butterfly fish (Chaetodon guttatissimus),
• Highfin fangblenny (Petroscirtes mitratus),
• Snapping shrimp (Alpheus species) – excavating sand, potentially destabilising the rocks!
• Clark’s anemonefish (Amphiprion clarkia) – territorial and aggressive towards each other as they compete for the single anemone. We plan to add a second anemone to resolve this dispute!

The Fungia corals are partially shaded, to promote zooxanthellae replication, and the Porites cylindrica provides important habitat for humbugs and invertebrates. Our mini coral frame is doing well, with most fragments showing calcification onto the frame/ties and growing new corallites.

Acropora coral fragment with new corallite on scar

• Blue-green chromis (Chromis viridis),
• Three-spot dascyllus (Dascyllus trimaculatus), Indian dascyllus (Dascyllus carneus),
• Picasso triggerfish (Rhinecanthus aculeatus),
• Two-spot surgeonfish (Ctenochaetus binotatus) – great for algae control,
• Coral banded shrimp (Stenopus hispidus),
• Bubble tip anemone (Entacmaea quadricolour) – claimed by a pair of anemone fish.

Coral species include Montipora digitata, M.foliosa, Porites cylindrica (all appear healthy) plus Fungia sp. and Ctenactis sp..
Our Toadstool leather corals produce branching tendrils of mucus that appear to catch debris from the water column. We think tube worms might be living inside the soft tissue of the coral (without detriment to the host).

Fungia coral with extended tentacles