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Old 10-21-2011, 09:24 PM
ScubaSteve ScubaSteve is offline
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Can you be more specific as to which ones you're looking at/for? The different species have different requirements, which makes some easier to care for than others.

But on the whole, they're tough to keep. I love squirts, they're up there with nudi's as being my favourite critters. But like nudi's they're one of those species that can be a real challenge. The bigger squirts like the orange monkey sea squirts are basically out of the question unless you are prepared to do a lot of target feeding or do a species specific tank like an azoox tank.

You'll probably have better luck with the small to medium sized colonial tunicates (I'm on the hunt for some myself). They'll spontaneously grow on live rock and can stay around for quite a while. The trick to them is getting good placement. Basically treat them like a sponge; they need good flow to bring nutrients to them but not too high they can't capture food or are torn from the rocks.

Though they are a challenge, don't let that discourage you from trying to figure them out. Do your home work and try new things. Sort of like how a few years ago people said you couldn't keep mandarins in small tanks, but once we figured out tricks like rubble piles and refugiums you see them being kept in nano tanks successfully. So the same goes with tunicates... you just have to figure out that critical element for success. If you want to try to figure them out I'll gladly help ya out!
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