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Here are some pictures of Mystic Aquarium’s Clam Tank, The tank was not very big in fact I would say it probably did not go over 75 gallons but it hosted a whole bunch of tropical marine reef clams from maxima’s and croaceas to Squamosa clams. It also had a very nice gorgonian as well as a ton of mushroom corals.
The Algae Codium Fragile as pictured above and below is a species of algae that we sometimes come across in our marine reef tanks. There are other names for this type of algae such as dead man’s hands or dead man’s fingers. This is a slow growing algae in my reef tank and it only shows up when the water conditions are very good. When I see this algae start to grow I can tell that my other algae’s such as Halimeda will soon sprout and grow as well. Right now I am letting this algae grow even though it is considered a nuisance algae becouse there is a galaxy coral right on top of it. Nether the galaxy coral or the codium fragile seem to be effected by one another. I would assume that this would make a good algae to have in a refuge because of its slow growing nature and its “hairy” tentacles may appeal to pods.
One of the most easiest corals to grow and take care of in a saltwater reef aquarium is the green or brown star polyps or if you want to get scientific, Pachyclavularia (genus). These corals are considered a beginners coral, they can be very forgiving when it comes to poor water quality. The star polyps are also very tolerant of both low light and intense light as well and are very tolerant of a wide range of current. These corals should be kept at normal saltwater reef tank parameters.
These corals do not need any additional dosing other then your weekly water change but can be sensitive to to some phosphate removing sponges (the ones that use aluminum oxide). In my experience as with other soft corals they seem to like a little bit of phosphate in the water however so does nuisance algae. You also do not have to directly feed star polyps, they are photosynthetic creatures that do not require additional feeding provided that you have ample lighting.
Green and Brown star polyps are often fast growing corals that are easy to propagate. The easiest method for this is to let them grow on top of rubble rock and then break or cut the piece of coral that grew on top of the rubble. I currently have five colonies spread throughout my reef tank just by using the above method.
Obtaining star polyps as you can imagine, is an easy task. You can find these corals at any reef club, ebay, or on online forums. The cheapest way is to simply go to a reef club and ask for a couple of frags, usually if you are starting out other reefers will give you a frag or two. Buyer beware though, some online sites demand up to thirty dollars for a frag of star polyps that is only one to two inches big.
