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optikalus posted:Looks like a standard bristle worm to me. I used to constantly fret about hitch hikers, worms, etc., but everything in the tank is part of a cycle. You can get a fish (sixline wrasse possibly) to try to eat it, or you can just starve it out. Well I'm looking to add my cleaning crew in the near future and don't want them to end up food if it's an aggressive worm. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDgvLDGA41o edit: not my tank, but worm looks pretty similar Edit 2: hmm, I'm at work and girlfriend sent me these:   He's either getting braver, or he's dead and problem solved... another loser fucked around with this message at 00:48 on Dec 14, 2010 |
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Dec 13, 2010 23:41
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| # ? May 10, 2024 01:40 |
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Not sure if it's a bristle worm or not, but from what I understand they are not harmful. Some people even say beneficial. Check out this recent post on RC. The OP is definitely one of the more knowledgeable guys on that forum. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1946308 Also a seemingly relevant thread - http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1946013 Internet Explorer fucked around with this message at 01:18 on Dec 14, 2010 |
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Dec 14, 2010 01:14
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Update: unfortunately I can't get a good picture of the white things on my snail with my camera, so I guess I'm left with my verbal description. It doesn't loko anything like the white aiptasia I've seen online. As long as it stays on the snail I don't really care, but I've learned a couple times if you just ignore something and hope it goes away on its own, it gets out of control (i.e. hair algae). I guess I can try scrubbing it off, but I'd like to know what it is to know for sure if it is harmful or not before killing it. On another note, I am still debating my third fish. Has anyone had experience with Yellow Spotted Anthias (Pseudanthias flavoguttatus)? Not the yellow+pink really expensive version that google gives when you search for yellow spotted anthias, but the guy next to him on this page http://www.aquacon.com/anthias_saltwaterfish.html in the bottom middle. I'm concerned about adding him in with my clown. I've heard that they can be a little wimpy and easily picked on, and clownfish can be aggressive at times. However I know experiences are variable and my clownfish is still very small and is scared of everything that moves. Even so, I am having tremendous trouble finding something that a) won't stay on the bottom of the tank and suffer the wrath of my goby or b) get harassed by my clownfish at the top of the tank(or kill my clownfish).
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Dec 14, 2010 01:55
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Ugh, I just weathered a 6 hour power outage running nothing but an airstone and occasionally a powerhead. My house dropped to 52F (it's single digits outside) but luckily the tank did not drop below 74F. When the power came back on, I checked the tank out and found my Lubbock's Fairy Wrasse looking dead in the corner. He seemed to just be stunned though, as when I woke up this morning he was no longer there. What a relief. I've gotta think about investing in a generator or battery operated pump.
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Dec 14, 2010 14:36
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Update: Got home and he was looking pretty dead. Removed the rock he was in and dipped it in 1.030 water. Nothing else came out. Pulled him out and he was about 10" long. Considering the take is only 8g, glad he's gone.
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Dec 15, 2010 06:40
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I know it's a long shot, but I'm moving to Orlando, FL over the holidays and am going to need a good local guy for some rock and fish. Are there any good online listings for saltwater aquarium stores? Or does anyone happen to know somewhere near or around Orlando that they could recommend?
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Dec 17, 2010 20:28
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Depends on what you want and where you land, it seems to me you can mostly just order stuff directly from the Florida guys now and pick them up (reefcleaners.org, ccritters.com, tampabaysaltwater.com, reefs2go.com) ... I'd check with local reefing clubs (look on reefcentral.com forums) to source Pacific items.
VAGENDA OF MANOCIDE fucked around with this message at 21:51 on Dec 17, 2010 |
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Dec 17, 2010 21:36
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Dono posted:I know it's a long shot, but I'm moving to Orlando, FL over the holidays and am going to need a good local guy for some rock and fish. Are there any good online listings for saltwater aquarium stores? Or does anyone happen to know somewhere near or around Orlando that they could recommend? I'm in Gainesville which is "near" Orlando I guess. My step brother from that area tells me there is a wellknown store here: http://www.worldwidecorals.com/ on Orange Blossom Trail. I'm not too sure if they sell fish+rock though, but I'd assume they would since I've never seen a 100% coral store. Aquatropics in Gainesville is the biggest store in my area, that's where I've gotten all of my stuff. In terms of fish, for anything rare you'd have to special order it, so you'd probably just be better off going with an online store. I got my semi-picasso clown and live rock+sand from http://www.aquacon.com which offers cheaper overnight shipping if you live in Florida (I believe it was like 14.99 instead of 24.99, and free if it's over some amount). Next time I'm in I can ask the Aquatropics guy if he knows of any good stores down there...it seems like all the central florida fish store people know each other.
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Dec 17, 2010 22:22
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I wouldn't trust any particular individual LFS owner/employee to give accurate unbiased advice/opinion on their competition, because the business is as cut-throat as you'd imagine. Well-established reef clubs (and I can't imagine the Orlando area not having an well-established reef club scene) generally have an up-to-date list of all the LFSes along with consensus information--go to each one that's close enough to you to find out for yourself ... with a critical eye as to pricing (vs. online+shipping and vs. other local stores) and livestock health (keeping in mind that stores can have their bad days or bad weeks). After a month or so you should pretty much have a good idea what stores carry what, what you can expect in terms of livestock health, and where to go if you need something right quick and who is more amenable to trade-ins for store credit, etc. edit: The Orlando Reef Caretakers Association subforum seems fairly active: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=48 VAGENDA OF MANOCIDE fucked around with this message at 22:50 on Dec 17, 2010 |
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Dec 17, 2010 22:29
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Sorry, I should have been more clear. I don't trust my LFS owner much at all, but he does have an employee that is very knowledgable and will openly tell you that what the owner told me was a bunch of crap. Even so, I would of course take his recommendations with a grain of salt and ask my friends if they agree, just as a starting point since i've never been to the stores down there. Unfortunately for me, Gainesville is mostly a one-store show. I should get involved with a local reef club, as I'm sure there is one nearby, but I feel like I'm still a little too new to get into that. On another topic, I think my orange sun coral may be dying. I blow mysis/brine shrimp and arctipods over all the heads and put phytoplankton in, and the heads come out but they never extend their...tentacles, whatever you want to call them. My black one does, but I have yet to see the orange one do it, even when I check at night. One of the heads is turning white at the base which I can only assume is not good. I've had it for two weeks now(give or take a few days). I'm thinking it was just a piece that was already dying at the store, since as I mentioned there were a bunch of dead heads on it when I got it that I couldn't see until I got home. Any suggestions? I keep him in a shaded area of the tank and have been trying to keep the lights on for only 6-8 hours a day.
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Dec 17, 2010 23:05
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This is the state of the Chicago Marine Aquarium Society club: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1948091 A 3-4" RBTA in good health for $30. Beat that, anywhere.
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Dec 17, 2010 23:25
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I got a GBTA around the same size or a little larger for $30 from my local club (richmond, va) a while ago. Its grown a lot too. heres a pic when I first got it, it now has actual bubbles. 
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Dec 20, 2010 04:29
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What do you guys think are acceptable nitrate levels in a reef tank? Our tank seems to float between 10ppm - 50ppm nitrate. Fish store says these levels are perfectly fine but I've heard they need to be at zero from other sources. Everything else is perfect.
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Dec 21, 2010 22:26
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Coral stop growing with a certain level of nitrates, either 15 or 25 ppm I think. You might get a lot of algae too.
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Dec 21, 2010 22:30
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Depends on what coral you have but I would never want mine over 10 and I aim for as close to 0 as possible with my mixed reef.
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Dec 21, 2010 22:41
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You wouldn't actually want zero nitrates in a reef system, but since it's an unobtainable goal if you feed or have fish it's worth shooting for. I too would be concerned with nitrates over 10ppm
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Dec 21, 2010 23:55
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Mine seems to hover around 5ppm, but I have a really light bioload at the moment. I've heard a lot of corals like 'dirtier' water, but yea. Anything over 10 you should probably do a water change.
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Dec 22, 2010 06:46
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From The Reef Aquarium: Science, Art, and Technology by Delbeek and Sprung: "The nitrate level in reef aquariums should be less than 1ppm as nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) ideally, but need not be maintained so low. In fact nitrate levels as high at 10 ppm nitrate-nitrogen (approximately = 40 ppm nitrate ion) may encourage more rapid growth of both soft and stony corals (D. Stuber, pers. comm.)"
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Dec 23, 2010 02:04
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I've never, ever measured lower than 10ppm in the entire time the tank has been running. I can do a bunch of water changes but it never seems to have a real effect on the number. All the corals are growing great though, most a few mm a week.
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Dec 23, 2010 04:00
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It seems a lot of people have that problem until they start skimming heavily with carbon source dosing.
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Dec 23, 2010 09:24
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A refugium works wonders for lowering nitrate to near sterile levels.
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Dec 23, 2010 09:36
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A RDSB, really.
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Dec 23, 2010 12:00
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Trying to decide between a RDSB in the fudge or doing a DSB in the DT on my 90g w/ 40g breader sump. Anyone have any experience one way or the other?
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Dec 23, 2010 14:25
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Look into an algae scrubber
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Dec 24, 2010 06:13
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I have one in my fuge, hasn't gone sour yet, but I appreciate having it away from my display if something does.
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Dec 24, 2010 07:46
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What I did with mine was fit in a smaller glass tank with a DSB in the chaeto chamber of my sump.
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Dec 24, 2010 09:08
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This is kind of a dumb question but I couldn't figure out the appropriate google search to answer it. I siphoned my tank yesterday and the top layer of sand was clumped up with dead algae. Needless to say I got a lot of sand in the siphon. Is it possible to put that sand back into the tank after a freshwater rinse? I vigorously stirred it under the tap to remove as much of the detritus as possible until the water pretty much ran clear. I was thinking of doing one final rinse with RO/DI water to get as much of the impurities out as possible. Would this do any harm to my tank?
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Dec 30, 2010 14:41
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If you've rinsed it off well it shouldn't be a problem at all, as far as I understand. It's basically "dead" sand at this point.
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Dec 30, 2010 14:45
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I'm more concerned that somehow I'll get phosphates and other crap back into my tank from the tap water rinse. RO/DI water is still at a premium in my house, so I'm hesitant to use it for anything other than water changes. Thanks for the input.
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Dec 30, 2010 15:38
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Melchior posted:I siphoned my tank yesterday and the top layer of sand was clumped up with dead algae. Needless to say I got a lot of sand in the siphon. Is it possible to put that sand back into the tank after a freshwater rinse? I vigorously stirred it under the tap to remove as much of the detritus as possible until the water pretty much ran clear. I was thinking of doing one final rinse with RO/DI water to get as much of the impurities out as possible. Would this do any harm to my tank? An aside question to this as my tank is just about to go under way. Do I need to constantly clean my sand (every month or so)? I've read where snails (and other cleaning fish/crustaceans) will take care of algae (that isn't growing in my refugium) and other decaying biologicals. Not to mention is disrupting the natural process of phosphates and nitrogens breaking down. I'm also thinking of creating a small anaerobic layer to my tank.
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Dec 30, 2010 16:32
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A serpent star and some nassarius snails will take care of your sand problems without disturbing anything else. I was having a similar problem until I dumped a red serpent star and 10 nassarius snails into my tank. The star went nuts crawling around the tank sucking up all the detritus/dead algae/left over food til the sand was spotlessly clear. The snails powered into the sand bed and kept things nice and stirred, occasionally surfacing to run race tracks across the surface before diving again.
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Dec 30, 2010 16:54
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I wouldn't worry about the tapwater on the sand, you're not going to be introducing a significant amount of nutrients compared to what is already on the sand from being in your tank. Really using RO/DI is more about the total water in the system and algae control, small amounts from cleanings are unlikely to cause any issues.
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Dec 30, 2010 17:05
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Fantastic, thanks. I am glad to hear I won't be shitcanning about a pound of sand!
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Dec 30, 2010 17:27
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i added fuel once to my reef tank to boost coral growth and have had a gross red algae growing in it ever since. That plus i used cheap food once in my auto feeder when i went on vacation so there is red algae and green algae now that grows continually that i can't get rid of. I'm looking anywhere for decent suggestions, any thoughts? I tried manually siphoning it out but it is fuckin resilient and keeps growing back. I use ro water and change 15% bimonthly.
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Dec 31, 2010 09:23
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polariced posted:i added fuel once to my reef tank to boost coral growth and have had a gross red algae growing in it ever since. That plus i used cheap food once in my auto feeder when i went on vacation so there is red algae and green algae now that grows continually that i can't get rid of. I'm looking anywhere for decent suggestions, any thoughts? I tried manually siphoning it out but it is fuckin resilient and keeps growing back. I use ro water and change 15% bimonthly. I would post a few good pictures and test readings on Reef Central and ask there. What type of coral do you have in the tank? One common solution to algae seems to be to stop feeding or cut it in half, and then stop lights with a towel or whatever over the tank to starve the algae of light. From what I understand most fish and coral can outlast algae in that regard.
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Dec 31, 2010 14:20
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I had a huge red slime outbreak a few weeks back and my solution was: - Nuke the tank with Red Slime Remover (4 days, it's fairly reef safe) - Cut feedings to 2-3 times a week - If feeding frozen mysis, soak food in RO water, then strain it through a brine net and drop only what will be eaten into the tank directly. - Siphon up as much dead algae as you can, and rinse the sand it's inevitably attached to thoroughly before putting it back into the tank My main problem was that I was dropping a 1/4 cube of mysis into my tank every day without defrosting it. That food is ridiculously rich in phosphates, which was pretty much the sole contributor to algae growth. I am now red slime free, although I still have some green algae (but I'm fine with that). the Pixies fukken SUCKED fucked around with this message at 17:22 on Dec 31, 2010 |
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Dec 31, 2010 14:30
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I'm at a crossroads on my return to this hobby since I'm going to be making a local move in about six months. I currently have a 20g aquarium that is sitting unused, which I had considered converting to a sump for a 75 or 90g aquarium, but the upcoming move has put that plan on hold since moving a large tank is quite an ordeal. So I'm thinking about setting my 20g tank up in the meantime since such a move won't be as dramatic for myself or any inhabitants. I've had two temporarily successful goes at marine aquariums with that tank, one fish only and another slowly creeping into reef territory, each ruined by haywire heaters turning my tank into fish stew overnight. I'm willing to give it another try after being out of it for almost a decade, but I am entertaining the idea of setting up the 20 now, and setting up a larger tank in the new home later. Reason being, I want to get back into reefkeeping, but I also enjoy the personality that comes with a lot of fish that aren't compatible with inverts. You'll never get a damselfish or tang to eat out of your hands or come up to the surface for petting as easily as a triggerfish will. At least now I'm not foolish enough to believe a Niger trigger won't outgrow the 20g in short order. So as of now, I'm just trying to decide if I should set up the 20g fish-only tank to hold me over, or immediately start hoarding the funds to get a larger reef system going and cannibalizing the smaller tank for a sump. I just know I have a lot to relearn, since I was last in the hobby back in the days when undergravel filters were considered more important than maintaining a good cleanup crew, putting together a sump, and using a skimmer. At the very least I'll be investing in several smaller, higher quality heaters and a shutoff switch just in case. edit:  moment
TheFuglyStik fucked around with this message at 05:50 on Jan 4, 2011 |
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Jan 3, 2011 08:42
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I'd use this time to get plans made for the 75g and maybe even start building baffles into your 20g and other projects to entertain you until you move.
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Jan 3, 2011 17:06
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It really depends on how you plan on setting up that 70/90g aquarium and how big your budget is. If you have the money and time to buy everything all in a weekend and get it going within a month or so then by all means start tinkering with the small tank, but from what I'm experiencing now there is a lot of setup and detail that needs to be taking setting up a tank of about 90g. I don't think waiting till the last minute is a smart idea and I would agree with Ludnix on starting to plan out your aquarium after the move. Especially if you plan on keeping corals in the 90g and if it will be RR or not, you're looking at well over 1,000$ in setup costs w/o any fish or corals added to the cost easily.
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Jan 3, 2011 18:41
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I've come to the conclusion that yes, setting up the 20g would be a bad idea at the moment for budgetary and logistics reasons. The time and money would be better spent coming up with a firm plan after some reeducation, acquiring parts, and invading the workshop for whatever DIY projects are feasible. I do intend on building a sump out of the 20g, wiring up more lighting beyond the standard tubes, and possibly a protein skimmer. All are within my abilities, and tend to be major expenses from retail. I've scratched the idea of making my own tank long ago since I'm nowhere near crazy enough to risk a temporary waterfall in the livingroom. Plus the LFS has a decent deal on 75 and 90g tanks and stands with a decently large hood I could modify without much trouble. I am planning on using eggcrate material like you see in fluorescent office fixtures and a reef safe expanding insulation as a base for a full back wall of live rock since there are several others who have had success with it, and I think the results look more natural without displacing as much water volume as stacking. Thoroughly cleaning my old LR and rubble will be a bitch, but it should give me something to work on over time. Hell, I have six months at minimum until I can even entertain the thought of adding water, so I'll have no excuse for not being prepared.
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Jan 4, 2011 06:15
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