I won’t bore you with shots of my Protein Skimmer filled with sewage or my Calcium Reactor laced with salt creep. What I will show you is some of my best photography work over the last few years of both fish and invertebrates that reside in my aquariums.

Note: Click on any image below to see the full size photo.

Marine Betta – Calloplesiops Altivelis

The Marine Betta or sometimes called the Marine Comet is a great fish for the marine community tank. Although it is carnivorous, it doesn’t grow large enough in size to even threaten the smallest Goby. Bettas are extremely easy to keep and display some remarkable color patterns (click on the image to see a close-up view).

Linkia Starfish – Linckia laevigata

The Linkia Starfish has very bold coloration. Most are collected in solid blue or solid orange. Most come from Fiji Island. They are not your typical starfish in that they don’t attack clams and can’t pry the clam open with their arms- which is the behavior of just about every other starfish in the world. No one really knows what these guys eat in the wild. Consequently, it is hit or miss if and how long they can survive in a captive environment. It is often said that old, mature reef tanks provide the necessary food and environment to support the Linkia Starfish. The one in the photo has been thriving and growing for close to year in a 60 gallon reef tank.

Sun Coral – Tubastrea faulkneri

The Sun Coral is a very brightly colored LPS soft coral that stands out in any aquarium. Despite popular belief, the Sun Coral is extremely easy to care for. The only thing they need is food, and lots of it. You need to feed these guys EVERY DAY. If you skip a day, they won’t open as much and will require several days to recover. If you skip a week, they may stop opening altogether and will wither away and die. Don’t feed powdered coral food or other junk. These guys need BIG portions like whole brine or mysis shrimp, or big chunks of fish, squid, or shrimp. They will spread all over your aquarium and look cool- if you can feed them all.

Royal Blue Acro – Acropora sp.

The Royal Blue Acropora is one of the more difficult to keep small polyp stoney corals. They require very bright light, extremely low nutrient levels, and strong circulation to thrive. If any of these factors are not met, they turn a brown color. Don’t try to raise these guys under PC or T5 bulbs, it just won’t work. This one stays about 5 inches below a 250W 10K Metal Halide bulb. Like all Acros, it needs pristine water quality to look and grow good. That means weekly water changes and some form of physical or chemical phosphate remover.

Tridacna Clam – Tridacna sp.

These aren’t the Cherry Stone clams you might find in a bar at happy hour. These are South Pacific native clams with unusually colored mantels. Most Tridacna clams are relatively easy to keep. In fact, the bigger they get the easier they are to take care of. They do best if fed at least once a week with a powdered or liquid filter feeding food, targeted directly at the clam. Don’t underestimate the calcium requirements of clams- there shells are heavy and need lots of calcium in the water to grow. While corals might gain a few grams of weight in a month, a clam can gain .25 to 1 ounce in shell weight, which is pure calcium. Don’t attempt these guys unless you have a big calcium reactor or you are religious about 2-part additives.

Eibli Angel Fish – Centropyge Eibli

Eibli Angels are a great addition to your FOWLR tank. They are inquisitive, adapt well to captive conditions, and will eat almost anything including flake food. They sometimes show aggression towards other pygmy angel fish, but all in all they get along peacefully with other tankmates.Their colors can be quite spectacular. The one shown here has an almost fluorescent blue lined tail, with orange-ringed eyes. Don’t add these guys to your reef tank. Like most angels, polyp nipping is the norm, and the Eibli is no exception.