Sk8r
07/31/2016, 08:42 AM
Hitchhikers. Yes. I got some 50 different ones in one load of live rock, ranging from asterina stars to aiptasia to live stony coral, and most all of it survived the cycle---including coral, mushrooms, xenia, etc. [Fish are the ones most affected by a cycle.]
It was great stuff, that rock. It came from somebody else's tank, and yes, occasionally you get more of something than you'd like, but the key to a lot of it is balance---water balance, primarily. There's a reason you don't see the ocean a solid mass of aiptasia or asterinas or hair algae. Water chemistry and lighting won't allow it.
Hair algae: once you get your phosphate down to near nada, you will not have it. Drop a hairy rock in---it dies off. Getting something to eat it? Waste of time---they just poo the phosphate back and feed more algae. Endless cycle. Get a GFO reactor, changing media once a month until not needed.
saddle-shell snails with long antennae, are stomatellas. Very desirable.
slugs are no better in your tank than in your garden. Those that can make a living in your tank and not starve are eating your zoas. Some are gorgeous, but they're doomed to starve.
Asterinas---no problem unless you have the sort that goes for zoas, and if you have zoas. If you don't, two or three will wander around eating a little coralline from time to time, and if your water balance is good, you'll be scraping it off your glass.
Macro-algae: here's where I apply the peroxide: macro algaes with roots, like caulerpa---if your tank is under 150 gallons and can't house a foxface, you need to get that stuff out. Lowering phosphate will discourage it, but won't stop it.
Colonial hydroids---minor pest: again, peroxide.
Aiptasia or majanos---no big deal. I've employed pep shrimp, and generally don't have these things multiply too much: there'll be a bloom, now and again, but nothing catastropic. If they did, I'd be on it with pep shrimp or a matted filefish.
Various films, bubble algae, cyano: there's no treatment for bubble, but again, water balance. Cyano responds to a 3-day lights-out coupled with good skimming---sometimes recurs for a few months, but this regime will get it. Chemical cures were a disaster in my tank. No-light is cheaper and has no side effects even on a reef.
Sponges---no problem.
Crustaceans---if they have big claws, get them out: don't buy crabs over micro-hermit size. They grow up and nip fish. Or eat them. Unscheduled pistol shrimp and mantids are also a problem. Micro-hermits: scarlets are the best; but these others generally cause no trouble IF YOU PROVIDE THEM SHELLS of the same species they're wearing. Crabs are specialists in that regard. Ask your lfs for a handful of the right shells of slightly larger size than your crabs now have.
Worms---what show up in our tanks are 99.999 % good ones: There are two bad ones, pretty obvious: the fireworm, with large fluffy pompoms down its sides and a real obvious head, not the 'which end is the head?' of the common bristle worm; and the eunicid, with small tentacles around its head and looks more like a centipede than a worm. The rest are all good, bristleworms, spaghetti worms, peanut worms, all good citizens, desirable.
Snails: don't pick them up off the beach: many easily accessible are whelks which eat some of your other critters. Many snails that we do keep are of that family, but have better manners. Avoid margarita snails---pretty, but quick to die in our warm water tanks. The rest---good guys. The small pointy ones tend to fall over and die on sandbeds---bad bargain, those: I have more of a life than snail-flipping. I tend to buy ceriths and nassarius (a nice whelkish type).
Starfish: generally bad news in a tank. The brown bristle star is ok, and the black/brown, or the occasional red: they live under rocks and you'll rarely see them anyway. Avoid the green serpent star. And outside of that NO starfish. Most can't live in our tanks, EVEN for experts. The red and blue ones will die a sad, slow death, and the chocolate chip will eat things you paid for. No stars!
It was great stuff, that rock. It came from somebody else's tank, and yes, occasionally you get more of something than you'd like, but the key to a lot of it is balance---water balance, primarily. There's a reason you don't see the ocean a solid mass of aiptasia or asterinas or hair algae. Water chemistry and lighting won't allow it.
Hair algae: once you get your phosphate down to near nada, you will not have it. Drop a hairy rock in---it dies off. Getting something to eat it? Waste of time---they just poo the phosphate back and feed more algae. Endless cycle. Get a GFO reactor, changing media once a month until not needed.
saddle-shell snails with long antennae, are stomatellas. Very desirable.
slugs are no better in your tank than in your garden. Those that can make a living in your tank and not starve are eating your zoas. Some are gorgeous, but they're doomed to starve.
Asterinas---no problem unless you have the sort that goes for zoas, and if you have zoas. If you don't, two or three will wander around eating a little coralline from time to time, and if your water balance is good, you'll be scraping it off your glass.
Macro-algae: here's where I apply the peroxide: macro algaes with roots, like caulerpa---if your tank is under 150 gallons and can't house a foxface, you need to get that stuff out. Lowering phosphate will discourage it, but won't stop it.
Colonial hydroids---minor pest: again, peroxide.
Aiptasia or majanos---no big deal. I've employed pep shrimp, and generally don't have these things multiply too much: there'll be a bloom, now and again, but nothing catastropic. If they did, I'd be on it with pep shrimp or a matted filefish.
Various films, bubble algae, cyano: there's no treatment for bubble, but again, water balance. Cyano responds to a 3-day lights-out coupled with good skimming---sometimes recurs for a few months, but this regime will get it. Chemical cures were a disaster in my tank. No-light is cheaper and has no side effects even on a reef.
Sponges---no problem.
Crustaceans---if they have big claws, get them out: don't buy crabs over micro-hermit size. They grow up and nip fish. Or eat them. Unscheduled pistol shrimp and mantids are also a problem. Micro-hermits: scarlets are the best; but these others generally cause no trouble IF YOU PROVIDE THEM SHELLS of the same species they're wearing. Crabs are specialists in that regard. Ask your lfs for a handful of the right shells of slightly larger size than your crabs now have.
Worms---what show up in our tanks are 99.999 % good ones: There are two bad ones, pretty obvious: the fireworm, with large fluffy pompoms down its sides and a real obvious head, not the 'which end is the head?' of the common bristle worm; and the eunicid, with small tentacles around its head and looks more like a centipede than a worm. The rest are all good, bristleworms, spaghetti worms, peanut worms, all good citizens, desirable.
Snails: don't pick them up off the beach: many easily accessible are whelks which eat some of your other critters. Many snails that we do keep are of that family, but have better manners. Avoid margarita snails---pretty, but quick to die in our warm water tanks. The rest---good guys. The small pointy ones tend to fall over and die on sandbeds---bad bargain, those: I have more of a life than snail-flipping. I tend to buy ceriths and nassarius (a nice whelkish type).
Starfish: generally bad news in a tank. The brown bristle star is ok, and the black/brown, or the occasional red: they live under rocks and you'll rarely see them anyway. Avoid the green serpent star. And outside of that NO starfish. Most can't live in our tanks, EVEN for experts. The red and blue ones will die a sad, slow death, and the chocolate chip will eat things you paid for. No stars!