Newest addtions to the family

So with the new 90g we've been forced to add to our family. Introducing...

Though not officially named yet, here's Fred the Engineer Goby. Though he looks a lot like an eel he's actually not. That hasn't stopped him from creating tunnels all through the bottom of the tank. Though he occasionally comes out for a swim, he's most often seen darting out of his tunnels to grab a quick bite before returning to cover.


Tigger the Tiger Shrimp - one of the coolest things about saltwater aquariums is getting a glimpse into some wonderful symbiotic relationships that exist in nature. Such is the relationship between many gobies and a species of shrimp called Pistol Shrimp. Pistol shrimp have incredibly bad eyesight but are exceptional at digging tunnels. Gobys have great eyesight and love to live in tunnels, but don't dig all that well. Sounds like a match mad in heaven, right? It is. Almost immediately upon putting Tigger into our new tank, Rorschach found him. They could be seen following each other in and out of their tunnel. The goby lets the shrimp hold onto his tail. If the goby moves forward the shrimp knows it's safe to come out. If he backs up, the shrimp will scramble back into their tunnel for cover. It's incredibly cool to watch.

In fact, we'd love to see more of this behavior except that upon taking up residence in the tank Fred had to establish his title as "Most Officialist Best Diggerest in the Frame tank". We haven't seen Tigger since, but we hope that he's just enjoying exploring all the new tunnels Fred has dug. We'd hate to believe Fred was capable of anything more sinister than digging...

Lenny the Blenny - Lenny's a shy little guy that loves to scoot along the bottom and over the rocks searching for tasty morsels. He's a bit thin right now but we're trying to fatten him up. Since Tigger went into hiding, Lenny and Rorschach like to hang outside of Rorschach's place and watch the humans walk by.


And not to judge, but our most popular new resident is a gorgeous Green Mandarin. He hasn't told us his name yet, but he loves to hover around our live rock and occasionally grace us with a full appearance. Once picture of him should show you why he's an instant favorite.


Keep your eyes peeled, more to come soon. Oh, and I still need to write a post about the new 29g tank and and its partners who have taken up residence in Laura and my bedroom. :)