Things I got from Ballito Beach

RiaanP

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I spending the festive season walking distance from Willards Beach.

Things I collected so far.

Nerita Snails (including 2 white nerita's)
Turbo Coronatus snails
Normal green Turbo snails
3 Yellow ring cowrie

Normal Green Zoa's and normal purple Zoa's. And one small 5 polyp luminous green zoa group. And a few button polyps.

4 different types of urchins. All small, long spine, purple short spine, one green banded urchin, reddish short spine.

Halimedia macro algae, bubble caulerpa, green long leave type.

Small dwarf cushion stars,

Large brittle starfish.

Small sea hare

different colour rock anemones.

only 2 hermits.

Nice all sorts collection.

Will try to get a blennie the day before I leave.
 
Nice Riaan

How do you keep them until you can transport them?
 
Eish, quite a haul you have there.

How are you keeping them alive ?

Do you have a portable tank ?
 
Hey nice work.
Also collected a few things from bazley a couple of weeks ago.
A nice variety of algaes.
A few turbo snails.
Button polyps.(green and purple)
A type of soft coral dont know what it is yet.(purpleish blue.looks almost like small kenyan trees.)
A sea goldie
8cm honeycomb eel and a cleaner wrasse.
Transported in two 25l drums.
 
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Heaters, small 300l/h pumps for power-heads, Small Light unit for the creatures requiring light. All outside on veranda. 5L water change per bucket twice a day. That is why walking distance is crucial. Flakes for hermits and rock anemones and sea star for feeding them.

For trip home I remove all electrical. And put the lids on. In middle of lid is 2 small holes, one for battery airpump. other for air release. Also get a short air pipe to prevent too much water spillage.
 
well done dude.. nice collection you got there
 
And I got a Picture Wrasse, about 10cm.
Are they reef safe? see they feed on benthic invertebrates.

Emperor Angel juvenile, 1cm, caught next to the bathers on main beach.

Some Chitons.

2 Cape Pearl oysters

And an orange Nudibranch. (My son dived it out).
 
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Is this one reef safe?
 
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Not sure if it is an emperor, their juveniles have circles. Positive id please if I'm wrong.
 
Old lady 100%, I don't even bother anymore with them, the Semi looks similar, but is like black with white stripes, let me try get a pic.....
 
Heres a really bad pic, but sure you get the idea.


Notice, there is no thin line between the thicker ones, and they are white were as the Old lady is more blue.





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Great stuff Riaan ! :thumbup:
 
I drove back home yesterday. And had one mishap, the bloody battery airpump must have came loose somewhere between Harrismith and Pretoria. That was the last time I checked.

Casualties.
2 long spine needle urchins
1 rock anemone (but I think I'm the guilty one, damage it when I took it off)
1 Nerita snail (or maybe the shell was empty when I picked it up).
Something that looks like a cross between a sponge and a zoa, there was green and orange ones. small in-bedded polyps. Did not travel at all, collected it Saturday. Maybe it should not be exposed to air, as I did found it under the water line.
And the Picture Wrasse. I caught it the day before I left, and it did not make the first night. Was dead before I packed up 2 in the morning.

Everything else is 100%.

Just a note to anybody else who want to do this.
Go prepared, take a heater, battery airpump for when driving back, small 300l/h pumps for circulation, thermometer (to test the sea temp) and suitable bucket with tight closing lid.

Keep Zoa's separate. They tend to cloudy up the water and is easier to keep them in one of those 5L purified water bottles you get at shops.
 
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