The Blind Man Society

My last Chameleon nature blog was very well received, so I thought I might do another one today on reef tanks and dwellers, along with a few of my personal secret favorite inhabitants…all of which, I have kept before in my own home reef tank years ago.

Naturally, all the coolest animals that kids want to keep are either poisonous, expensive, cannot be gotten, or are financially out of reach. All the lemonade stands and lawn mowing in the world, along with house chores and allowances cannot change this fact. For me personally, I lived to look at pictures in books and spent hours and days and weeks (and longer) learning all about these as a kid. Until one day, I traveled around the world to see them out in the wild….

Without further ado, these are a couple of the REALLY cool ones that I found, that ARE available and captive bred and born here in the USA, and available at fish stores around the country. These are not a beginning keeper’s animal, they are very specialized and take a lot of work and money to maintain.

The Frogfish (aka, Anglerfish):

The Frogfish is a very colorful occupant of a reef system. They are well disguised ambush predators, that use a natural flesh lure that comes out of the front of their head to lure fish and shrimp close enough to them – they shake it around an inch or two in front of their mouths, to inhale prey in a sudden influx of water. They change colors, to match their surroundings, and range from a couple inches long to a foot or more. They have two front legs, that they can walk around on, in addition to swimming like a normal fish They are REALLY cool little guys and fascinating to watch!

The Harlequin Shrimp:

Harlequin, or clown shrimps, live in mated pairs and are among the most beautiful and specialized animals on the planet. They eat one thing, and that is starfish. They will gallop across the bottom of the tank, to grab one, flip it over, and start to eat the sucker feet first, before devouring the whole starfish second. People who are in the know, keep multiple starfish and rotate them in and out of the tank because starfish regenerate lost parts. It is my understanding that it can take upwards of a month to grow back these parts. So, you have to have the money, and REALLY love these little guys to keep them over the long term.

The Clownfish:

Clownfish are one of the most aesthetically amazing saltwater fish you will ever see. A little known fact, is that all Clownfish start off female. The most dominant among them, switch to male. They can live in groups, but, usually form mated pairs, and choose some type of anemone or coral to live in. Clowns are unique, in that they can tolerate the stings of an anemone and choose this home to get food and for protection from the myriad of predators out there in the ocean. They start to become immune to the stings, by brushing quickly against the stingers and pulling away. Eventually, a layer or coating of slime covers them and they are hurt no more. In the home aquarium, these fish are inexpensive, captive bred and born now and available almost anywhere in the USA. There have to be at least 20 varieties of them, and colors to go with, and they too are very interesting to watch and keep.

The Elegance Coral:

The last inhabitant I’m going to talk about from my own personal list of best kept secrets in the reef world is the Elegance Coral. I have kept these too – and, they are a potent sting, but great corals in a reef tank. Corals get their colors from algae called zooxanthellae that live inside of them. Its a symbiotic relationship in the body of a coral. The algae coloring grows from sunlight. The flesh coral, grows from accumulating food on its stingers – much like an anemone. And, Clownfish will use Elegance Corals for homes as well. Corals, release stingers into the water from the movement. So, it is possible to get rashes and red welts from simply having your arms or hands in the tank. But, If you want to keep the greatest, you’ve got be tough!

I have a ton of favorites, and a ton of stories…but I thought I would share these with the readers today for something fun. Not controversial, not food for thought, not philosophy (which after 95 posts, I need a break from)…just FUN. To the younger readers out there that find these animals fascinating, they are within reach – but to be truthful, salt water tanks, and reef tanks are VERY expensive. Its a better idea to slowly get your chops with keeping captive bred and born animals, and work your way up to it. As my dad says, keep some things out there to work towards…it makes all the difference!

Have a great day everyone, out there wherever you may be, and I hope this blog was informative and fun. I used to work in a fish store when I was a kid, that is how I know these things – the knowledge was not purloined from other web pages, and is my take on things. One day, maybe the younger people reading can get out there and see them in the wild too by traveling the world. In their natural homes, they are 2-10 times larger than what you will find in the pet trade. Please feel free to leave comments in the box below!

***All images, are courtesy of Wikipedia.org, the online, free internet encyclopedia.