noticed little critter in my tank

[sponger0]

now my tank is cycling and i have a some live rock in there. last night i was looking at it and i noticed a little critter running around. actually quite a few. they are very very small. id post a pic but im not sure i would be able to photograph them with my camera. the are about a couple millimeters long and look like tiny shrimp. they have legs and the end of them looks curled. ill try to get a pic but like i said im not sure ill be able to. they run around the fiji live rock ive got and go in and out the little holes in it. anyone got any ideas?

[scuba guy ron]

sounds like amphipos. check out the link. they are good but will prey on unhealthy zoanthids in my experience. check the link.

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/amphipodfaqs.htm

[sponger0]

i dont plan on getting zoas or soft coral soon....but when i do should i try to "extermintate them" so to speak? or should i just let them be?

[badwrasse]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15454722#post15454722 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by scuba guy ron
sounds like amphipos. check out the link. they are good but will prey on unhealthy zoanthids in my experience. check the link.

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/amphipodfaqs.htm

thet may eat dead tissue but i have never seen them on any of my zoe's

[scuba guy ron]

let them be. they eat algae. Be sure that If you do purchase zoas that they are completely healthy. If you want to be sure they wont mess with them you can suction cup a frag rack up and onto the glass. doing this will deter them as they dont like to be out in the open. 2 weeks ago I purchased a 4 polyp frag of a very rare zoanthid that I thaught was healthy. I didnt put them on the rack and they are gone. All this said, many people controll their numbers with a wrasse or a mandarin. They are a healthy sign in a new tank. And usually dont bother anything. congrats!

[scuba guy ron]

badwrasse,

You will see more discussion under zoanthids forum on these and there are many people reporting this same issue with them targeting new small frags and unhealthy zoanthids.

[sponger0]

now will they eat soft corals?

also are there any breeds of wrasses that would be fine to put into a 29 gallon? im still confused on the fish. still learning and the fish right now got me all messed up. would a clownfish and wrasse be fine to put in the same tank? ive been wanting to have a clown fish for a very long time just never made the jump to saltwater

[scuba guy ron]

any of the fairy wrasse species are reef safe. a clown will be fine with one. Dont worry about the amphipods. I wasnt meaning to scare you. the only thing I've ever heard of them targeting is unhealthy zoas and I believe this to be rare.

[sponger0]

oh i didnt scared of them i just am askin anythign that comes up so i am knowledgable on things and know whats going on and what to look out for.

[scuba guy ron]

that is the best way to be in this hobby, often times people dont pay enough attention to possible problems or possible adverse issues until it is too late. Good job!

[sponger0]

lol ive been so excited about this new adventure i cant keep my face out of the tank lol. my gf makes constant fun of me. so every little thing i notice. i wake up in the mornign and shove my face into it lol

[scuba guy ron]

here is a link to dr fosters web sit with an example of a fairy wrasse for you. There is a basic compatibility chart link in the quick stats section.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+1378+1158&pcatid=1158

[scuba guy ron]

dont laugh, It only gets worse...LOL. just wait until things start growing.

[scuba guy ron]

post some pics I'll post some of mine.

[sponger0]

it gets worse?? omg....lol. things are startign to grow. I notice all the little stuff. I keep saying to myself im not this pathetic lol

[scuba guy ron]

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc115/ronnyfl22/PICT0032.jpg

[sponger0]

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e209/sponginpunk/29%20gallon/IMG_1195.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e209/sponginpunk/29%20gallon/IMG_1198.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e209/sponginpunk/29%20gallon/IMG_1197.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e209/sponginpunk/29%20gallon/IMG_1232.jpg

these are the only ones i have access to right now. The rest are at home. I got some pretty neat pics of my sand sifting crabs just chillin...maybe put them up later

[sponger0]

wow i like your tank. what size is it?

[scuba guy ron]

make sure youget a good clean up crew

[sponger0]

my clean crew right now does pretty good. i have 2 snails right now. thinking maybe getting some cleaner shrimp once the tank is cycled or maybe more snails

[scuba guy ron]

37 gallon column with a 10 gallon sump. I have a do it yourself vid on the you tube page you can check out at www.youtube.com/scubaguyron

[sponger0]

so a 10 gallon sump would work for my 29 i assume

[scuba guy ron]

did yo check out the vid, you can use a tuperware

[scuba guy ron]

the biggr the sump the better as it increases the overall water volume.

[sponger0]

ok i checked the vid out. pretty cool. well i have a 10 gallon i plan on turning into a sump. but i need to get another one for a qt tank

[scuba guy ron]

that'll work fine.

[sponger0]

can you give me suggestions on return pumps and the gph rating i should look for

[scuba guy ron]

mag drive EP850 should be fine. About $100.00. If you search online you can probably find it cheaper. These pumps are pretty indestructable. mine is about 5 yrs old.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=18631

[sponger0]

awesome. i didnt know what kind of pump to use....there too many out there lol or i wasnt sure on the gph rating

[badwrasse]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15454783#post15454783 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by scuba guy ron
badwrasse,

You will see more discussion under zoanthids forum on these and there are many people reporting this same issue with them targeting new small frags and unhealthy zoanthids.

not good! I have a ton of them, I have never heard this or seen this but im in research mode.

[scuba guy ron]

the ep 850 is what I use. The only problem is that they get a little warm and can increase the tank temp. Idont have a chiller so I have my ac vent pointed at the tank to make up for it so my tank stays aprox 78-80. another choice for less then half the price (around 35.00) is ViaAqua Water Pumps. the 2600. they are less durable and only last about a yr or 2 with proper cleanings but deffinitly run cooler. hers a ling for that one.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=8164

[sponger0]

ok well i was under the impression that was too high of a flow. i read somewhere you go 10x the size of the tank. or did i misread something?

[sponger0]

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e209/sponginpunk/29%20gallon/IMG_1202.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e209/sponginpunk/29%20gallon/IMG_1203.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e209/sponginpunk/29%20gallon/IMG_1207.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e209/sponginpunk/29%20gallon/IMG_1216.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e209/sponginpunk/29%20gallon/IMG_1228.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e209/sponginpunk/29%20gallon/IMG_1179.jpg

Here you guys go with a couple more pics

[scuba guy ron]

what are those things with the feathers. they look like some kind of crazy shrimp

[sponger0]

they are called sand sifter crabs. i remember i was a kid i would go to the beach and dig big holes to find those guys

[Poeticlydead]

10 times the volume in total flow not return unless you intend to blast water through the sump and use the return pump as the main source of circulation.
I prefer to use powerheads in the tank and go 5 times the volume on the return pump but keep in mind you need to see what the pumps are rated at with your head (distance from the outlet of the pump to the point it dumps in the tank). Bare in mind these are just one set of "rules of thumb" some people go bigger on the return pump.
I think most of the flow should be confined to the DT and only enough flow should pass through the sump to change the water over 3-5 times each hour depending on what you intend to keep.

Just my honest opinion though.
In this hobby rules of thumb change alot :)

Some things that are added to tanks like lower flow and some like higher so you will want some areas with more flow then others.

[sponger0]

Well I got busy with my tank and got some new rock and some fish. they seem to be doing really well. Eating and not showing any agression towards each other. Let me know what you guys think of my seascaping.....i think its all set :)

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e209/sponginpunk/29%20gallon/IMG_1291.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e209/sponginpunk/29%20gallon/IMG_1294.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e209/sponginpunk/29%20gallon/IMG_1296.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e209/sponginpunk/29%20gallon/IMG_1298.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e209/sponginpunk/29%20gallon/IMG_1309.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e209/sponginpunk/29%20gallon/IMG_1345.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e209/sponginpunk/29%20gallon/IMG_1308-1.jpg

[sponger0]

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e209/sponginpunk/29%20gallon/IMG_1337.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e209/sponginpunk/29%20gallon/IMG_1350.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e209/sponginpunk/29%20gallon/IMG_1350.jpg

[jwalker314]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15454886#post15454886 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sponger0
lol ive been so excited about this new adventure i cant keep my face out of the tank lol. my gf makes constant fun of me. so every little thing i notice. i wake up in the mornign and shove my face into it lol


lol...i have nothing but rocks and sand and 3 lazy snails in my tank, and i sit there and stare at it, waiting for it to cycle right in front of my eyes...lol...woke up and noticed the smallest amount of brown patches on one part of the sand and i got very excited....glad im not the only one!

[sponger0]

yea i saw the brown stuff and thought something was going wrong lol. glad its all starting to come together. now all i need is some 30" lights :)