Reef Growers LLC, Kansas City, KS (2026)

08/24/2013

Friday's Featured Fish: Mystery Wrasse (Pseudocheilinus ocellatus)

Looking to add a colorful fish to your tank? A mystery wrasse may be a perfect solution. Wrasses in general tend to have amazing color patterns that will add new life to your tank. The Mystery Wrasse is a personal favorite because of it's striking blue, yellow, purple and pink markings. Plus they are relatively tough to find, so owning one gives you bragging rights! These beauties are reef safe, easy to keep and peaceful towards their tank mates - making them an awesome addition to any reef system!

**Keep in mind several wrasses like to jump - do your research and buy a screen for the top of your tank if necessary! It's never fun to wake up and discover your gorgeous little fish went carpet surfing during the night!

08/22/2013

True Love Thursday: Couple's tip of the week!

As reefer's, fish seem like the perfect pet. They are beautiful, majestic, and watching them swim is theraputic. Plus when was the last time you had a fish chew up your shoes, get into garbage or have an accident on your carpet? But, to some, fish seem like a boring pet (I know crazy right?!). Think about it though, you can't cuddle with a fish; a fish won't greet you at the door when you come home. So how can you get your significant other to recognize a fish as a fun loving pet? Buy him/her a fish that are known for their personality! Puffers, Triggers and Lawnmower Blennies are a few types of fish that come to mind. These fish often times recognize their owners. Many of them will eat right out of your hand, watch you while you're in the room, and even get excited and 'play' when they see you watching them back. Encourage your significant other to choose one of these fish for themselves. Let him/her be in charge of taking care of their special fish. It will only be a matter of time before a bond forms and fish seem like a pretty good pet after all.

**Be sure to do your research though, some puffers and triggers will eat some corals/inverts. Don't buy a fish that your special someone falls in love with, only to have to get rid of it because it's eating your favorite clam!

08/22/2013

Wild Ocean Facts Wednesday:

Did you know that coral skeleton has been used in human surgical procedures as bone grafts? The skeleton of some corals are very similar to our bones when it comes to structure and chemical make-up. While in it's natural form coral is not practical as a bone graft, it can be chemically altered to have the same major components as human bone. Coral can't be used in every type of bone graft surgery, but for those that it can, it is actually considered a less risky option due to less surgeries needed. While no one want's to have this type of surgery, it would be pretty cool to know that what was once a beautiful coral is now benefitting your body and holding your bones together!

08/20/2013

Tough fish to keep Tuesdays!

Copper banded butterfly fish:

What a perfect fish to start with for our new “tough fish to keep Tuesdays.” I, along with the masses, want a butterfly fish in my reef tank. There is something dynamic about being able to say "yes, I have a butterflyfish in my reef." For us reefers, it’s a bragging right. Unfortunately, very few butterflyfish let reefers sleep well at night, as they love the taste of coral. So does that mean all butterflyfish are off limits? Nope! The copper banded is the mac daddy of butterflyfish. They tend to leave corals alone and they do things to help take care of your tank, like eating aiptasia - its like this fish pays rent! But as awesome as they are, they have very special needs to be met and high fatality ratings. The first few months will define if you can brag your success out loud. The reason they make it to the 'tough to keep' list is due to their eating habits. They have long snouts for picking into rocks and small holes. If you plan on having this fish I recommend having several different kinds of food ready to try because they can be picky eaters. Also, I have seen better success with these fish in tanks with an abundance of copods to help sustain while they become accustom to aquarium life. These fish are really a blessing and not a curse. If treated with care and respect, they are well worth the reward in ownership!

08/18/2013

Word of the weekend!
Symbiotic Relationships
Symbiotic relationships include those associations in which one organism lives on another, or where one partner lives inside the other. Now what does that mean, let me break it down. A symbiotic relationships has been made famous by a certain Pixar movie (Finding Nemo) in the movie, two clown fish known as Marlin and Nemo, lived inside an anemone for safety. Which is honestly the most perfect example of the symbiotic relationships, where two different creatures not even in the same genial category benefit from one another. Let’s start with the anemone they have a dangerous sting, which can paralyze a fish when it isn’t watching where its going, then he becomes dinner for the anemone, fish tend to know this so they stay clear of these hazard zones. Whereas the clown fish have a protective coating that allows them to live in the anemones tentacle’s without being affected by the sting, they also are cleaned by the tentacles of the anemones which then eats the debris as food in return. When in danger the clown fish can safely hide in his lethal big friend to stay protected, pretty cool both are completely different, but work together to provide, and survive in the ocean. There are many different kinds of symbiotic relationships in the ocean, and in our tanks, so now you know and understand a new word, go impress your local fish store, with your new found knowledge

08/17/2013

Friday's Featured Fish: Foxface Rabbit Fish (Siganus Vulpinus): These bright yellow fish with unique markings are a great addition to a reef tank. They are easy to keep and if you feed them well they will usually leave coral alone. Don't be suprised if you look in the tank and have trouble locating them sometimes, they have the ability to camoflage themselves right in with the rockwork when frightened or sleeping. Be careful with these guys though - they have venomous dorsal spines that you want to be sure to avoid!

08/16/2013

Are you looking for something to really pop in your tank? A maxi mini anemone may be just the addition you're looking for. These small creatures pack a powerful punch of color and are sure to stand out in any reef tank. The smaller variety get to be about three inches while larger ones are approximately five to eight inches. Compared to other anemones they are relatively easy to care for and they don't tend to roam the tank stinging coral. Give them a spot on a rock with high light and moderate flow, and they will be very likely to stay in that spot for good. Another plus is they are easy to propogate. They can be cut in half through the mouth with a razor blade, dipped in iodine/saltwater mix, and in three to five weeks you will have two healthy little beauties. If you have any questions about these colorful anemonies, feel free to send us a message.

08/12/2013

Happy 7th Anniversary to the faces of our company: Peck & ReefPrincess. May you have many happy years to come!

08/05/2013

Building a reef. Building a relationship.

Having a common passion in life brings people closer together. There are online forums for nearly every topic imaginable. These forums make it possible for individuals all over the world to discuss what they love with people they've never met. The aquarium hobby is no different. There are numerous reef forums out there, some are local communities that may help you find new local friends. We feel it should be taken one step further though. Reefing becomes even more enjoyable when you share it with your spouse or significant other. ReefPrincess and I have been together for nine years and our reef tank has definately brought us closer together. She wasn't intersed in any of it at first, but I'll never forget how excited I was when I saw her light up and find a personal interest in the hobby: coral picking and tank decorating. Our new common love brought new life to our marriage and eventually led us to create reefgrowers together. One of our goals as a business is to get couples to enjoy building a reef together and form a stonger realationship in the process. Check back often for - Peck & ReefPrincess: Couple's tips!

08/04/2013

Allow us to introduce ourselves...

08/04/2013

This video was shot by: http://jonrawlinson.com Want to license this video? Contact me: [email protected] I'm available for freelance work. Examples of ...

08/03/2013

Over 10 years ago Joyce Wilkerson wrote a great book on breeding and raising Clownfish. It is still referenced today but has been out of print for years. That said, due to its popularity, it continues to be sold on Amazon. A used copy of this book sometimes brought over $100 a copy! In the past, you could sometimes find a copy at the Johnson County Central Library.

Recently Amazon has brought this book back through their Kindle store for only $12. If you have a Kindle or Kindle App on your tablet - this is a great read...

http://www.amazon.com/Clownfishes-Captive-Breeding-Natural-History/dp/1890087041

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