So yes, the tank does seem to be completely cycled, but continuing with the take it slow mentality I only bought a clean up crew. This consists of 4 snails (two different types, I forget the breeds), and a emerald crab (Logan named him Sheldon). The purpose of these guys is to eat the algae and other gunk left as a result of nutrient buildup in the water. I’m not a big fan of snails, they seem kind of boring to me, but the kids like them and they do a pretty good job of keeping the tank clean. I really do like the emerald crab though, at least I liked the one I had in my last tank. That was one feisty little crustacean. I remember it actually stealing pieces of sheet algae from my hand as I was trying to feed a yellow tang that I had at the time. This one, however is quite shy. I rarely see him, and I swear he can see me coming. Every time that he is actually visible and I approach the tank to take a look he immediately darts into a crevice in the rocks. I hope that as I add new inhabitants he will get a little more “sociable”.

A side benefit of not adding a bunch of new livestock to the tank is that it has allowed us the opportunity to discover all the other life that apparently came in with the rocks instead of only noticing the pretty fishes. That little button has now opened up to probably 4 times it’s original size. Granted, fully opened is still only about a ½ inch in diameter, but still. Also my tank is crawling with bristle worms. I still can’t decide if that is a bad thing or not. Some people think they are a hazard, but I’m not convinced. These are quite small, about an inch in length, smaller in width than a pencil lead, with little spurs (bristles) running the length of their bodies. I find them quite ugly and may try to remove them for that reason alone, but for now they are just another interesting set of creatures to watch. This picture shows two nasty little bristleworms poking their heads out of some holes in the rocks as well as my newly alive little button. This thing doubles itself up into all types of odd shapes, and as I type this, looks like a little green beach ball.

We also found on the first day something that looked like a little piece of fuzz, or possibly some gray mold on the topmost rock. My daughter soon discovered that the mold was moving around. We’ve never actually seen it in motion, but it is never in the same place for long. I noticed it riding on the shell of one of the snails this afternoon, I would take a picture to help me with identification, but the snail is not in a good picture location. We have decided for now it is a baby starfish. A moldy baby starfish. We also have a few “sea monsters”. No idea what these really are, but there are a few spots in the rock that will occasionally sprout 2 – 4 tiny green and black striped tentacles that remind me of the final scene in Beetlejuice. I would be really creeped out by this if not for the protective layer of glass between me and them. I wonder if I will ever find out what is at the end of those tentacles. The last little life forms that have begun to accumulate are various forms of what are known as copepods. They are like little white bugs all over the aquarium. If you click on the top picture in this post to open it full size, you will see several little white dots attached to the tank glass or floating in the water. These are some of the pods. Normally these are a food source to fish living in the tank, but since I have no fish, the population has exploded. The first fish I do add is likely to be very fat and happy for the first several days in the tank

Ok, So I did get impatient and buy one extra thing. A small colony of zoanthid corals. There are actually two types. One is orange with a pale blue dot in the center, and one is a neon green. The colony was only $10, so we will call it my test coral. Another reason for my patience is that I will be going on a trip for a few weeks, and will not be able to take care of the tank or feed any inhabitants. Right now the tank is pretty much self sufficient, and if the zoas are still alive when I get back I’ll know for sure that I have a stable system that is ready for some new creatures.