Can I "weed"?

[Rae C.]

I've had the tank now for just under one year. Now I've got some nagging questions.

The pulsing xenia and mushrooms are taking over and winning the war with the polyps and montipora.

When I do a water change today, can I "weed" them out and toss them? Will that release any toxins in the tank?

There is a hard green algae that is growing on the front of the tank. The magfloat doesn't even make a dent in it. The scraper I'm using doesn't seem to work well either. I also have coraline growing on the front. What's the best way to clean this off? (It's a glass tank)

The sand is no longer white. Can I disturb the top inch to bring some white sand back to the top? Most of the snails I bought became "escargo buffet" for the emerald crab. They aren't cleaning up the sand like I'd hoped.

Thanks for your help!

Rae C

[sassafrass]

I understand your dismay at the xenia and shrooms taking over the problem is if you cut off the zenia 2 heads will grow back also they are worth at least store credit at your LFS if not cash! What I ended up doing is trading in the rocks they were on for new pieces of rock to put in my display and plumbed a smaller tank into my display sump ( could use your refugium) and grow the remaining zenia there . I have probably made over $1000 in store credit from some zenia that came in as a hitchhiker ! A razor blade will get the coraline off of your glass ( hold it at a shallow angle) the green stuff is a type of coraline also just not as pretty . Make sure and clean the blade before putting it in your tank . As far as keeping the sand white when I dosed vodka to address a nutrient problem my sand bed turned sparkling white however my zoo's started shrinking due to lack of food so it seem you can have one or the other but not both, that is only my experience and I am certainly not an expert .
Regards , Lee

[Rae C.]

How do you dose with vodka? Is it the tank or yourself? Everything looks better with a good dose of vodka!

When you swap out a rock with some from a store, is there quarentine time or you just put the new rock inthe tank?

Rae C

[kristen4109]

do you have any sand sifting critters? some fish sift the sand, sandsifting starfish, fighting conch. ask at your LFS. also you SHOULD NOT throw away any of your pulsing xenia or mushrooms. depending on your fish store you should be able to get couple dollars for each mushroom and also for each frag of pulsing xenia. or atleast store credit.

[Rae C.]

Kristen4109, How do I get the little buggers to the LFS? THese are some sizeable rocks they are on. ALso, the back wall is covered with zenia. How do I get them off without killing them?

I have about 12 narsissus (sp?) snails, the ones with elephant trunks that burrow under the sand, and 12 turbos that scoot around the glass. I also have an AMAZING bristle worm that is at least inches long, but shy.

Rae C

[sassafrass]

Hi, Rae dosing vodka is to the tank is still somewhat controversial many people have done it with success however there are risks involved . The vodka provides a pure carbon source for bacteria as the bacteria population increases nutrients decrease ( I used it to eliminate an 7 month hair algae outbreak ) You dose .5 ml per 50 gals total system water volume ,Once at lights on ,once at lights off watching for signs of depleted oxygen(fish breathing heavily or rapidly ) At the end of 3 days check nitrate and phosphate levels if they remain the same increase total dosage by.5 ml for 3 more days testing again at the end of three days . This schedule is continued until nutrient levels begin to drop ( increasing by .5ml every 3 days) and continuing to watch for signs of depleted oxygen. Once nutrient levels begin to drop stay at that dosage until all levels reach zero then taper back off the way you went up. PS I have never seen sand turn white from benthic inverts they just stir it up .This is only my experience.
Lee

[marioensf]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12884480#post12884480 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by out
I've had the tank now for just under one year. Now I've got some nagging questions.

The pulsing xenia and mushrooms are taking over and winning the war with the polyps and montipora.

When I do a water change today, can I "weed" them out and toss them? Will that release any toxins in the tank?

There is a hard green algae that is growing on the front of the tank. The magfloat doesn't even make a dent in it. The scraper I'm using doesn't seem to work well either. I also have coraline growing on the front. What's the best way to clean this off? (It's a glass tank)

The sand is no longer white. Can I disturb the top inch to bring some white sand back to the top? Most of the snails I bought became "escargo buffet" for the emerald crab. They aren't cleaning up the sand like I'd hoped.

Thanks for your help!

Rae C


It always does good to share some of the xenia and mushrooms in your local area/forum if you believe them to be taking over your tank.
You can get a single edge razor blade and scrap off some of the algae just be careful into getting too close to the silicone seals

[Rae C.]

I guess I'll just top off today and see if LFS will trade some clean rock for mushrooms and zenia covered rocks tomorrow.

Then I'll do a water change. Should I scrape the glass while the tank is at the top, or would it cause issues to scrape the top dry while the old water is being pumped out?

As far as vodka dosing, the ratios seem like those for homeopathy. So minute, how can it possibly do anything.

My husband laughed about the vodka concept and said he likes to get tanked on gin, but vodka would work too. I'm not sure he understands the way it works!

[Enigma445]

also another thing is get frag plugs or ask your LFS when they get their LR shipment in and ask if oyu can take the rubble rock. Xenia you can pretty much just pull of rock or you carefully scrap it off with a razor your preference. Then you attach it to the rubble rock with a needle and no flavored dental floss and let it sit in your tank or refug and let it attach to the rubble then cut the dental floss and pull it off now its attached to a small rock instead of big pieces of rock same thing with mushrooms. Try and get the needle through the base of the coral the thick part. Also another way is to take some of the pieces of Xenia and mushrooms and throw them into a container/collection cup with the rubble rock and they can attach that way make sure the container is some where in the tank so the water isnt getting stagnent. I do this all the time

[petoonia]

Depending on what other fish you already have, you could add a sand sifting goby. Either a diamond watchman, or a yellow headed sleeper goby. That would take care of your sand bed problem.

I dont recommend a sand sifting sea star, as they tend to eat all of the beneficial life in your sand bed, and they usually starve to death in smaller home aquariums.

A serpent or brittle star would be a good addition (just avoid the green ones). You could also add a couple of cleaner shrimp to eat up any leftover food,

I would also add some more snails, but add a variety. Astrea, cerith, nassarius, trochus, and different turbos are some good ones.

[Rae C.]

A goby would be fun. I think I'll get one for my birthday... I do plan on more snails, but I have to catch the emerald crab and sell it back to the LFS. As pretty and active as it is, it's decimating my snail population.

Rae C

[cmm1970]

I keep an SPS tank with "ground cover" of zoos and mushrooms. I find that I have to prune the ground cover to keep stinging mushrooms away from the SPS. I use a concentrated Kalk solution to inject the individual mushrooms that need to go. The next day after injection, they peel right off the rock and don't return. Without the Kalk injection, the mushrooms tear and regenerate. Maddening!