How often do you find new creatures?

[sen5241b]

I find some new invert all the time in my tank. I've had the tank since Jan 08 and at first I found a half to a dozen new inverts every month, most very small. I still find at least two new inverts in there a month. Found a new tiny starfish (not asterina) and a worm that looks just like sand in the last month. Did I get really good LR or does anyone else find small inverts at this rate? (I have a big magnifying glass).

 

[wontonflip]

I found 3 bristleworms in my 10g, and a bunch of baby snails in my 45g :) My sump/fuge is crawling with new little critters all the time. Hence my signature about it being "30 seconds since I last stared at my tank." :)

 

[yote]

I find something new every couple of nights.Seems like just about evey time I look,there something interesting.

 

[dcantucson]

I found new stuff for about a year and a half, but sadly I haven't found anything new in a long time. :sniffles: Why am I being punished?

 

[sen5241b]

I found new stuff for about a year and a half, but sadly I haven't found anything new in a long time. :sniffles: Why am I being punished?

You might try adding some new premium LR.

 

[dcantucson]

True. But I don't have enough room for more LR.

 

[yote]

Maybe your just not looking hard enough David:D

 

[dcantucson]

Humm..... maybe........ my tank boil might have killed them, too. I noticed a lot of copepods were gone. Coming back finally.

 

[Bifferwine]

Do you have majano yet? If not, I'll give you a few rocks that will give you something new to look at! ;)

 

[dcantucson]

Thanks but no thanks Biff. I have plenty of aiptasia that I'm battling.

 

[Rcpilot]

I haven't added anything to my tank in like 18 months. But about 3 months ago I suddenly started noticing asterina stars. I was okay with them until they started eating all my coraline and splitting into hundreds of them.

I started sucking them out every time I see one. So far, I've sucked out over 200 with my turkey baster. I still see a few of them daily. Grab the turkey baster and suck it out. Down the garbage disposal it goes.

My tank went from PURPLE to white in a couple months. It's not poor water chemistry either. It's from probably 500 of these damn star fish constantly eating my coraline. I just keep sucking them out........... every day.

You guys bored because you aren't constantly discovering new and exciting hitch hikers?

Be careful what ya wish for. :shock:

 

[sen5241b]

I haven't added anything to my tank in like 18 months. But about 3 months ago I suddenly started noticing asterina stars. I was okay with them until they started eating all my coraline and splitting into hundreds of them.

I started sucking them out every time I see one. So far, I've sucked out over 200 with my turkey baster. I still see a few of them daily. Grab the turkey baster and suck it out. Down the garbage disposal it goes.

My tank went from PURPLE to white in a couple months. It's not poor water chemistry either. It's from probably 500 of these damn star fish constantly eating my coraline. I just keep sucking them out........... every day.

You guys bored because you aren't constantly discovering new and exciting hitch hikers?

Be careful what ya wish for. :shock:

I had asterina with a blue-ish spot in the center and they ate my corrline too. The instant I saw one I would pull it out. I picked them out with tweezers before they became too numerous and eventually I eiliminated them all. I think only the ones with a blue spot will eat coralline.

 

[dcantucson]

Someone on here said it was only the 6 armed ones that would eat corals. I didn't know any of them had blue spots?

 

[winyfrog]

The asterias that I have in the 850 are only eating filamentous algae. Some of them have 6 arms for a day or so, but have never harmed my coral, unless the coral was already having issues.

I have new things popping up probably monthly. :) some good, some bad :(

 

[wontonflip]

Too bad we can't teach the stars to eat just the coralline on the glass :) I've got a lot of coralline spots on my 10g's glass that I need to scrape off.

 

[project5k]

hehehe new stuff, i'm still trying to see cop-a-pods in my tank, havent seen a one yet.
I'm not saying that thier not in there, i'm just sayint that i'm not seeing them. I've tried my maglight, my led flashlights, i tried shining the light through a red cd case, nothing...

oh oh oh i just remembered,, i just fixed my handheld blacklight... wonder what'll show up under that?!?!?!

 

[dcantucson]

project5k, Blacklights don't do much of anything. Get yourself a UV flashlight and you'll be amazed at what you'll see.

 

[Rcpilot]

My asterina star have the little blue spot on their back. 5 legs, sometimes only 2 or 3 if they've recently split. I've been sucking them out with the turkey baster every time I see one. But if you look closely you can see them on just about every rock and shell in the tank. I fear I may never get rid of them all. Should have started removing them as soon as I figured out they were eating the coraline.

In the last 2 days I've probably sucked out 50 of them. I like to fill the bucket with fresh water and watch them curl up and die before I send them through the garbage disposal. Kind of my own sick way of getting revenge for turning my reef white. :chair:

 

[dcantucson]

Funny when I had my first tank I went to one of our LFS and was looking around and saw some of these asteria starfish. I asked what they were and how much they were selling then for. They told me that they were miniature Caribbean Starfish and sold them to me for $3.00 a piece. I left with 10 of them and some fish. I was more excited about my new miniature starfish than the fish I had purchased. That LFS closed last month. :lol:

 

[Zissou]

Don't harlequin shrimp eat them as their primary diet? Would they work?