I identifying the good from the bad...

So things are sprouting up all over the place. I just want to identify and take care of anything that could cause issues down the road. Most of these things are very small. Smaller than a dime. Except for the crab...he's huge, dont know how he has been hidden for so long.

This is the little guy that appeared tonight- Must have been in there a while to be so big. Don't know if he will cause any issues though.



Then this is all the stuff growing on the rocks-Weird looking anemone thing.



This is my purple and red growth... no clue what it is.



Strange looking feather thing...



These are tube like critters with long thin tentacle like thing coming out of them... there 3 or 4 in a small cluster in a few places in the tank-





Thanks for any help...
ERIK

 

1) Not sure what kinda crab that is
2) I think that's a glass anenome, which is a pest so I'd get rid of it ASAP
3) That's coraline, which is a good thing
4) A typical feather duster which is good as well, = good water conditions
5 and 6) not sure, look like filter feeders.

 

get rid of the crab,
sniffles has you covered on the others
also the last pic looks like maybe sphagetti worms wich are ok.

 

On the crab, if it has pointed claws then get rid of it. It may be a brownish Emerald Crab which is okay.

 

P.S To get rid of the glass anemone use Aiptasia X, Joe's Juice, etc. on it. Works like a charm. Also, to keep pest anemones in check you should pickup a couple of peppermint shrimp. Some people have success, some don't. Although I have to say that since I've had my peppermint shrimp I've never spotted one since.

 

Awesome guys...thanks. I will try and get the crab out and get a better pic.

On the Aipptasia X, is it something you apply to the critter? I will be going to the LPS in the morning to pic some up.

As for the new rock. Its all dead. Do I need to boil it or clean it?

 

With w/e product you purchase just make sure you read the directions.

As for the rock, I wouldn't worry about it. Unless there was A WHOLE LOT of bad ooh: on it. Other than that do you have LR already that can seed it? Because any beneficial algae on the rock IS dead, so you need something to seed it to make it "live" once again.

 

Is the rock in the pictures live?

I am very new to this. What is defined as live rock?

 

if you have coralline growing on it and featherdusters etc coming out of it. its live rock..
the actually rock isnt alive, its whats living on the rock bacteria etc wich makes it live rock..
so the rock in the pics .. for sure a live with what i see on it..

 

So the way I want to set up the three chunks of dead rock are sort of pyramid-ish. 2 at the base and one taller one on top.

How do I get the live rock to seed it? Just place the live rock on the dead rock?

 

yup, but be sure the rock has no way of falling and either killing a fish, even though you shouldnt really have fish in the tank yet. or worse have it fall over and crack your tank. you gotta make sure if you stack rocks to wedge them in good.

 

+1 Knuckles

Looks like you have LIVE rock, if it were "dead" it would look like it was just bleached. "Dead" live rock is also referred to as "Base Rock." I'd take a picture of some base rock that I just added to my tank for you tonight so you can see the difference between "live rock" and "base rock", but I'm lazy and tired. Tom. seems better to me

Also, a basic rule of thumb with LR (Live Rock) is to have atleast 1lb of LR/Gal

 

yeah it will spread to the other rocks..like i said though make sure its not easy to topple over fish will sometimes dig and losen rocks up. so make sure its plenty sturdy.

 

That crab looks like a bad guy. I'd try to trap it. Definitely has all the characteristics of a predator.

The anemone thing actually looks like a ball anemone to me -- which is not considered a pest anemone. However, if you have a lot of them and they are spreading, you should try to get them under control. Aiptasia X has worked wonders in my tank, it's a liquid that hardens when it comes in contact with water. The kit comes with a little syringe, and you apply some to the mouth of the anemone, in the center. It hardens up and the anemone dies.

Your purple and red stuff is coralline = good.

The next picture is a feather duster = good.

The next pictures look like vermetid snails = good.

Your rock is very much alive. Simply place the dead rock in contact with the live rock, and critters will start to colonize it.

 

I was going to use the rock epoxy to glue them together.

I actually removed tank from a friends house. It was running, but very neglected. The sand was saturated with algae. I saved the water, but put in new sand. Then placed the original rocks back in. All within 24 hours.

How should I go about adding rock...just put it in? Wont hurt the water chemistry?

Also, should I wait 4-6 weeks before I add anything living?

I am a very patient person and dont mind waiting. But I feel sorry for Rocky (clownfish) Being in there all by himself.

 

That crab looks like a bad guy. I'd try to trap it. Definitely has all the characteristics of a predator.

The anemone thing actually looks like a ball anemone to me -- which is not considered a pest anemone. However, if you have a lot of them and they are spreading, you should try to get them under control. Aiptasia X has worked wonders in my tank, it's a liquid that hardens when it comes in contact with water. The kit comes with a little syringe, and you apply some to the mouth of the anemone, in the center. It hardens up and the anemone dies.

Your purple and red stuff is coralline = good.

The next picture is a feather duster = good.

The next pictures look like vermetid snails = good.

Your rock is very much alive. Simply place the dead rock in contact with the live rock, and critters will start to colonize it.

 

Man, you guys are fast...!

So I have like 5 pounds of rock in there haha... I guess I am a little short.

I will pick those rocks up in the morning and take a picture.


This is all I need is another expensive hobby...hahaha Between building cars, diving, photography, sports, and now this...I am going to be in debt! :shock:

 

Ya, welcome to the hobby ($$ wise, lol)

If you don't have excessive hair algae, etc on the rock you have NOW, then I'd put in w/e base rock you can come up with. It won't affect anything except give you more biological filtration. Do you have skimmer with your tank? Infact, what's your exact setup? (lights, powerheads, etc.)

 

Exact set up-

30 Gallon - 12 deep x 24 x 24
I cant remember what the light is- Local fish lady said it was good for soft corals, but wont support hard ones!
Has a canister filter for a larger tank...much larger I believe.
Have a jet that blows water straight out.

No protein skimmer yet

Wanting to get two Koralia 2's but dont have the money at the moment. Kind of why the tank is sitting as is.