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 State of the Tank: (cont.) |
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As of this writing, the boundries still exist EXCEPT for a single female Bimac who, for some reason, chooses to live exclusively on the Bartletts side, most often found under the ledge formed by my huge hycinthus (Acro #22) with a few of the smaller males. The larger Bartlett males seem to tolerate this completely. And as far as the Bimac side, the male will allow occasional 'visits' from smaller Bartlett males only. If they start getting a bit rambunctious however, he will quickly send them away...I guess so they can 'think about it'. And once they calm down, they are cautiously welcomed back again.
The Olives? Well, the two of them hang out mostly at the LOWER right corner of the tank and always have. They do seem to have free reign to come and go wherever they please however. They just choose not to go anywhere too far until feeding time.
As far as the other recent additions (The Regal Angelfish and the tiny second Flame Hawk) are concerned, both continue to do well. The Regal has made the 'dash hole' underneath the ledge created by my Efflo its hangout but is otherwise out front swimming about 75% of the time. The little Flame Hawk is always in the vicinity of its larger tankmate and has even cozied up next to it. Of course, this happens every time my camera is out of reach but it's pretty cute to see.
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All in all, the tank seems a lot more vibrant with all the new fish. This is the most I've ever had in it at one time, which means this is the most I've ever had to feed at one time (three feedings a day most days). So far, no rise in nitrates and/or phosphates. Speaking of feedings, what's really cool is watching all of the fish rise and swarm together with anticipation whenever I open the hood to introduce their food. It very much reminds me of the frenzy at The Atlantis Marine World reeftank when Joe feeds it (see last months' slide show). This, by the way, is a complete change in my reefkeeping ideology whereas just a few years ago, I believed in letting the corals be the stars while the fish were used as accent pieces. Now, they share equal billing as they do in most of the natural reef photographs I see. Any negatives? Well, the tank obviously doesn't seem quite as 'peaceful' anymore. In fact, an especially long viewing can make me feel more tired than when I started.
So am I finished adding fish? Pretty much for now. As I mentioned before, I WOULD like to add a few more female Olive Anthias to make up for what I've lost over the years but they are extremely difficult to find. I've had feelers out for several months now with absolutely no luck at all. I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet though. So if you should come across them, especially online, shoot me an email and let me know. I'll thank you and my male Olive  will really thank you. |
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