Help with aggression

[kerrylynne]

Please help - I have a larger lawnmower blenny in a 29g Biocube who picks at my serpent starfish and sally lightfoot and chases fish - is this normal because I thought they were peaceful?
Also, I have Chaeto in my in Tank refugium but doesn't seem to have any life in it even though I have added phyto and pods multiple times to display and to refugium. I have a submersible halogen light that I turn on nightly - thoughts?

Also, I have some little clear anemone things that I think might be aiptasia. I have put in a peppermint shrimp (or so it was called) but he isn't touching them. Is there anything I can do - thought about adding a butterfly temporarily?

Thanks in advance for any help!

[Sugar Magnolia]

Lawnmower blennies can indeed be agressive, especially in small tanks. You may need to remove it.

For the aiptaisia, you can buy a commercially available product like Joe's Juice or simply inject the aiptaisia with boiling water. You should definitely not put a butterfly in such a cramped environment to control an easily controllable pest.

[kerrylynne]

thanks for the advice - Yes, I was unsure if the butterfly was a good idea or not. Didn't know if that was something that was recommended as a temp solution. Thanks for the info on Joe's Juice - I will look into that as I am not sure if I trust myself with even a small amount of boiling water with my little family members...lol!

I will definitely keep an eye on the lawnmower. I think I already overfeed so not sure why he is suddenly aggressive but really like my 'little old man' so hoping I don't have to remove him. Good to know they can be aggressive and I am not just seeing things.

Thanks again for the reply!

[Uncle Salty 05]

Halogen bulbs give off lots of heat.
You are probably cooking your refugium.

Kalk paste is the best thing I have found for killing aptasia.
Do you have any pic? Thay may not be aptasia.

[kerrylynne]

interesting - never though about the light except that it is the one that inTank sells for the refugium. I do have some live rock sitting under the Chaeto and try to keep the water level at least mid-3/4 high in the middle chamber. Think I can just fit the light down into the live rock to make a difference?

So, I have some kalkwasser that was given to me but have never used it because I am not advanced enough yet to figure out the whole 'drip' thing. If I mix it with water into a paste, is it safe to put on the critters without harming the tank? I, unfortunately don't have a good camera- only my phone and they are tiny so can't get a pic but they are really tiny (like smaller than 1/2 of my pinky nail) and clear with white tips and look just like an anemone...

[Uncle Salty 05]

I would ditch the halogen altogether and go with a 6500K CFL bulb.

To use kalk paste effectively you need a syringe with a fairly wide opening.
The ones that come with API test kits are OK.
Mix up your paste so that it is very thick, you don't want it runny.
Turn off all pumps so the water is still. The key is to NOT touch the aptasia with the syringe, only the paste. At first the aptasia will not retract because it thinks it is getting fed. Fill that sucker up with paste, soon it begins to burn (kalk paste has a PH of 12 or more) when the aptasia retacts into a hole, fill the hole with the paste.
Only treat a few at a time or your PH will go through the roof.
Leave the pumps off for 20-30 minutes then turn everything back on.
Wait a few days and repeat.