yikai

purple anthias have 3 kinds. Yours is definitely on of the three below, but without a photo, i can only assume it's purple queen anthias, being the most commonly offered "purple anthias". Pseudanthias tuka - commonly called purple queen anthias. Pseudanthias pasculus - commonly called purple anthias. However they look almost identical to purple queens and alot of people mix them up. for simplicity sake, both shall be considered purple queen anthias. Pseudanthias evansi - purple also with a yellow band running down the dorsal region. all the above 3 "purple anthias" are very difficult to keep. requires alot of feeding and most usually pine away even after feeding. the "purple anthias" are one of the harder ones to keep. you should try other hardier species.

very nice photos! did not know iphone can take such good photos.

i know... i saw how AVA killed so many dogs that i love at my grandma's house. brutal.

welcome to the world of reefing. Like it or not, there's alot of politics here. best to stay out of it but sometimes it's impossible.

thanks iskay for the help. added already. feel free to add more and i'll edit the page tomorrow. plenty of potentially dangerous animals. the list will be more than a page long!

thank you. added!

yes that's what makes a marine tank interesting. the little un-seen stuff that draws your eyes all over the tank. like a slithering pipefish on the rocks. or the shy little liopropoma basslet hiding within the little caves. or the cute littles gobies perching on rocks and corals.

please read this thread from reefcentral. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1437433 it's not the same ban as of NOW, but at least it will provide some insight on the matter.

this is not the first time tonga shipments have been banned. It is not up to AVA. Even the US people are experiencing it. I'm not supporting AVA, but we should not jump to conclusions and blame them like without knowing what's going on. Best to get the facts right instead of complaining about AVA. I've taken the initiative to actually search, here's walt smith's reply on the issue during 2008. (like i said, not the first time) Hi All, Since I was asked to weigh in on this issue and possibly shine some light on the facts I am happy to oblige. It is true; the rock ban goes into effect on August 4th. Our only hope at this point is a proposal I have sent to Fisheries that outlines a more feasible phase out period. In a letter sent to all the shippers (informing them of the ban) they were of the view that cultured rock could easily replace the harvest because the “technology already existâ€. What they did not take into account was the fact that cultured rock must first be made and then put into the ocean for about 18 months before it is any good. Buying all of the raw materials such as cement, pumice, sand, iron oxide and a cement mixer plus all the labor is very expensive over the course of 18 months with no income to support this activity. I have suggested a two year phase out period with the operator showing proof of aquaculture involvement and investment by January 09. If any one operator does not show proof then no further export permits will be issued to that operator. I feel very used in this scenario because at the end of last year I was asked by fisheries to come over and give a presentation to them on how I grow corals and make live rock in Fiji. They asked many questions after my presentation and I felt encouraged that the bill to allow aquaculture would finally be passed because at that point it was not yet legal. Well, to make a long story short, they used that presentation against the industry stating that “the technology already exist†and went on to impose the ban as soon as aquaculture was made legal. What I mean by legal is that there was no format, rules or protocol in the fisheries guidelines that had been passed by cabinet at that point so it was not allowed. The result is no more live rock and 50% reduction on the coral quota. I was also called into the National Economic Development Council last April to give a presentation to cabinet members on the sustainability of our export. Once they were satisfied with my report they ordered fisheries to carry out a resource assessment and environmental impact study BEFORE any bans were put in place. Fisheries ignored this demand (which is highly unusual) and did what they wanted anyway. They said that they already had the proof they needed. …… this is where your stories originate from. A long, long time ago in a far away land named Tonga there was a fish and coral exporter and life was good. Soon there came other exporters and life got a little more complicated. Some exporters were good and some only interested in cashing in on some mystical good life. Ok back to reality! There soon were 5 exporters with three fairly stable operations and experienced personnel. One of the other operators had plenty of trouble staying alive and the business changed hands several times with each change more and more desperate and unsustainable acts took place. The fifth company arrived made a big splash with lots of divers, big boats and illegal immigrants (over the amount allowed) and broke all sorts of rules getting some negative attention from fisheries. Fisheries then gave permission for one of these two operators to set up a coral farm right under their noses at the fisheries facility. This “farm†was established by bringing in some “expert†from a fish store in the states and really making a mess. Just a bunch of broken off pieces of coral scattered around in the tanks so that they could be exempt from the coral quota the rest of us had to adhere to. After about a year they realized that they had a mountain of dead coral right outside their back door and started to take pictures of the damage. To make matters worse, this inexperienced “expert†went on the web (I think here) and started showing off horrifying pictures of himself walking all over the reef and holding up massive pieces of coral. This really concerned me as he was bringing all the wrong sort attention to our industry and a very uninformed, unsustainable practice was carried out right under their nose. This is when they brought me in to demonstrate what a real coral farm should look like. I remember them asking me questions about the “farm†at their facility as if they doubted the validity of those efforts as only a ploy to evade quota restrictions. Since I did set them straight with my presentation and movie it is a shame they used this as an excuse to shut a totally viable and sustainable industry down. About the insensitive comments regarding the workers this will present a huge problem to the economy. Since they burned the town down in 19 months ago unemployment is out of control … there simply are no jobs to be had. The Tongan government will not realize about 8 million in export trade, the countries second largest export and Air New Zealand is threatening to pull the direct flight making it very difficult to travel to and from Tonga. Once the direct flight is gone it will also be very difficult to ship whatever coral and fish we are allowed. I suspect most (if not all) exporters will simply close up shop leaving a large hole in the already fragile economy. To answer more direct questions; our company has never been thrown out of any meeting, we only practice the most sustainable and proven methods for harvest and we continue to set the best practice examples for our industry. It is a shame that the good guys will suffer for the acts of a careless few. Sorry for the long post but you asked for it. We are praying for a reinstatement of the policy and at least order the study and impose a reasonable phase out before August 4th or it will be too late then to do much about it. Walt Article extracted from reefcentral, 2008.

If there are anymore to add, please feel free to post and i'll add them to the main post. Thank you for your co-operation, and stay safe!

A little guide in lieu of the recent poisoning happening to one of the members. This is a list of marine animals that should be handled with caution, as they may pack a powerful punch. I've classified them as deadly, toxic/dangerous and irritant. Deadly marine animals are uncommonly sold in the trade, but for whatever reason you find yourself in close proximity with them, don't be fooling and attempt to touch them. - ANY Blue-ringed octopus of the genus Hapalochlaena. These tiny octopus are small and do not usually bite when provoked. Rather, they prefer flight over flight. However, when bitten, there is NO cure, and death often follows suit. The actual octopus is not venomous, but the saliva it secrets contains bacteria which produces the toxins. Toxins produced are neurotoxins and paralysis follow suit, resulting in a quick death within minutes due to cardiac arrest and asphyxiation. - Stone fishes. Rare in the marine trade, but i've seen them before. Like the blue-ringed octopus, they produce neurotoxins from their highly venomous spines and death can quickly occur. - Cone snails. Small cone snails can inflict nasty "stings", but larger ones of certain species can inflict terribly painful and potentially fatal "stings". Fortunately, they are not very common in the hobby. Toxic and deadly animals are aplenty in the trade and often look harmless. Treatment should comprise of immersing your hand in hot water. As hot as you can possibly endure. Poisons are made of proteins and the heat will partially denature the poison. - All foxfaces in the genus Siganus. Their venomous spines on the dorsal fin, ###### and ventral fins can cause severe pain and fever, followed by vomiting etc. All hard spines on this fish can cause pain. Not to forget the actual pain caused by the sting itself is very painful. GO TO THE HOSPITAL/DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY if very severe. - Sea urchins. Sea urchins, especially the long spined diadema sea urchins, can inflict painful stings. Their spines are very brittle and break into many small pieces that get embedded in your skin. Try to pull as many spines out as you can but it will only break into smaller pieces. The small pieces that get embedded in the skin will eventually break down and get absorbed into the body. Poison secreted by them behave much like the foxface. Pain, swelling etc and hot water provides some relief. GO TO THE HOSPITAL/DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY if very severe. - Lionfish, scorpionfish, wasp fish and leaf fishes. Venomous spines are found on all hard rays of fins. Very painful and should be treated the same way as Sea urchin and foxface. Hot water, then doctor. Don't play hero with these fishes! they inflict a PAINFUL sting. - Moray eels. Large eels can bite so exercise caution! Bites can be painful and teeth are often loaded with bacteria which can cause horrible infections. Bacteria in marine organisms differ from that of land animals, so treatment may be harder. - Hell's fire anemone. The sting of this animal is severe and very painful! Hot water and doctor! - Marine catfishes. These marine catfishes are unlike their saltwater cousins. Some species have poisonous barbs and spines that can inflict painful stings. - Stingrays have poisonous barbs on their tail which can cause severe pain and infection. See a doctor immediately to treat the wound. - Surgeonfishes of the genus Acanthuridae. The spine on the caudal penducle (tail region) of these fishes can inflict painful and nasty wounds. Infection may occur. See a doctor if the cuts and wounds are serious. If infection develops, see a doctor too. - Pufferfishes and Triggerfishes can inflict nasty and painful bites. When bitten, wash with warm water and soap. Apply disinfectant and treat the wound appropriately. If infected, go to a doctor. Organisms that are irritants. Some people show varying degrees of pain/reaction to these organisms. so individual people will experience difference in feeling. Stings from Cnidarians like corals or jellyfishes can be treated with mild acids such as vinegar. Acids denature the protein based poisons by disrupting the 3D structure of proteins, and expose the hydrophobic portions and cause denaturation. - Soft corals. Some people can be very sensitive to the slime produced by soft corals. Uncommon but not impossible. For people with eczema or sensitive skin, gloves should be worn. - LPS corals. Same as above (see soft corals). - Anemones. See above (LPS/Soft corals). However, some stings can be more painful like carpet anemones and different people can experience different levels of sensation. If severe, please visit a doctor. - Jellyfishes. See (Anemones). - Bristleworms can cause irritating and sometimes painful sensations from the sharp bristles that get embedded into the skin, if accidently brushed upon. These little bristles are tough and colourless, so getting them out can be difficult. By placing your skin against a light source, the little colourless bristles may reflect light and appear visible momentarily, and can be removed by pulling them out with a sharp pincer. It is not easy as the bristles are short and thin. - Fireworms Highly toxic. This annelid merits the name "fire worm." If touched, it inflicts painful stings with bristles that pierce the skin, break off, and release a toxin. The pain and itching may last several days.

surprising, they tolerate flow very well. it often swims infront of my tunze 6105 at full blast and does not get blown away. in fact, it can swim very well in high current tanks. mine does that all the time since it likes swimming up to eat floating mysis.

my favourite little dragon face pipefish. actively chases mysis in the water and even eats prawn meat. occasionally eats the stray pellet that floats infront of it. but usually nibbles as it cannot eat the whole thing. and my fishes usually eat them all up first. goes crazy for cyclopeeze.

Recently added some SPS frags 2 frags of blue tort. i have an existing one that is growing slowly, but surely. so now have 3. 2 intense pink birdnest frags. now have many birdnest. 2 small colonies from WS. 2 frags. 1 green stylophora frag 1 blue tipped valida frag all the above no pictures coz placed in areas that are difficult to photograph. also added a small colony of pink millie with green polyps a frag of red planet. The colour dropped to green when i got it. hope it colours up abit more or remain green. whichever is fine with me. i'm not particular. all SPS healthy with good polyp extension. water parameters are ok.

anyway i wish you a speedy recovery. in future, remember, foxface spine!

regardless of size..... the spines of the foxface will cause pain and rash. the poison is not usually fatal. just very pain and unnerving. but because i don't know your health history, and don't want to be liable for any medical complications, i don't want to advice you in anything else but seeing a doctor. next time, immerse your hands in hot water immediately. now is useless. must be immediately.

be more careful next time and READ BEFORE BUYING, HANDLING. the fever should subside but you should see a doctor, especially if you have heart palpitations, nausea, vomitting etc, go to the hospital immediately. next time, immerse your hand in hot water. as hot as you can tolerate. the heat will denature the poison which is made of proteins.

please specify wether it's the true or false personifer angel. very misleading when they are labelled "personifer" angel because there is the true, and the false. True personifer is Chaetodontoplus personifer False personifer is Chaetodontoplus meredithi first pic is the false personifer second pic is the true personifer. differentiated by the black band on the tail. black band varies in thickness from fish to fish.

what you mean all are doing fine?

Pseudanthias rubrolineatus

Pseudojuloides atavai!

it's not a parrotfish... the yellow fish is called a foxface and the spines are venomous. never research and anyhow catch it right? you will experience pain and sometimes itching for the next few days. you really need to type properly in future. it's getting increasingly difficult to understand what you're trying to say.

Hydroid jellyfishes. Leave them alone..

AVA's ban on tonga shipments will have no effect on walt smith's SPS. No need to freak out and panic...... Walt smith did not even reply and retort to this. What more, they just updated new stocks on their facebook. Walt smith' Fiji shipment is unaffected. The only thing anyone should be upset about is the ban on tonga, which means we cannot get some rare fishes, including the newly discovered and yet to be properly named, Nahackyi fairy wrasse

walt smith is based in Fiji...not Tonga. plus, walt smith's corals are cultured in a legit facility and have no little to no impact on the wild...