Starfish Tank April 17, 2014

April 17, 2014
       Today usual checks on salinity and water temperature were made, to ensure the environment is able to support the organisms. Both were at correct levels. Recently two starfish, a chocolate tip and brittle starfish, were introduced to the tank. The brittle starfish was placed in another tank after we discovered the chocolate tip starfish was attacking it and tearing off parts of the brittle starfish's limbs. Since then, the only organism other than algae has been the chocolate tip starfish, so to create bio-diversity, two hermit crabs were introduced to the tank from a coral reef tank (where the brittle starfish now lives). The hermit crabs could possibly help clean the tank naturally. The hermit crabs are quite agile and fast, so we are not worried about the chocolate tip preying on them. A basic algae scrub of the tank was also preformed to help keep the tank clean. We also added a light-timer to the lighting system. Lighting is how the organisms act, and too much light can stress out organisms. This timer is extremely important in providing a healthy environment. Next class we will be able to see if there are any conflicts between the starfish and hermit crabs.