New to Saltwater Tank...confused!

S

sakie

Reefing newb
Hi, I'm new to this saltwater hobby and I have serious questions that need some experts advice. I just started out my 65g saltwater without LR but when I bought the LR from a person, I placed it my tank to cycle it faster. Well, as of right now, I spotted so many pests! I'm not sure what it is, is it harmful or not. I checked out the link posted as sticky about pests but some of the pests from my tank isn't listed. Here's my question.
1. Should I nuke my whole tank with "hot" water to kill off everything and start all over with "dead rock" (assuming that hot water will kill all the bacterias inside the LR)?
2. Should I wait until my tank is complete it cycle and find a way to get rid of the pests?
3. Should I pour chemical into my tank to kill off all the pests?

Thanks a bunch.
 
There are many hitchhikers in LR that arent pests...Pictures would be the best thing to show so we can tell if its that drastic...
 
Don't nuke the whole tank. Live rock is extremely important and killing all the live rock would set you back.

Post pictures of what you have. There are good pests and bad pests. And most of the bad pests are very easy to take care of and nothing to panic over.
 
First of all, Thank you very much. Second, my camera is crappy and I cannot get a focus on the pests and the worm isn't showing up during the day (I'm assuming). I asked my friend to lend me his camera to take the picture of it. I hope to post it by today and await for yours input on the matter.
 
Most worms are harmless and even beneficial to our tanks. Don't do anything yet. See if you can somehow post some pics or at least a detailed description and we can get things sorted out for you. There are also some links posted around here somewhere for good and bad hitchhikers. I will see if I can find it for you.
Here's one... Xtalreef - Reef Saltwater Aquarium
Hope that helps
Also, I have had a few pests that went away on their own after they exhaust their food supply in a few months.
 
Last edited:
sakie said:
Hi, I'm new to this saltwater hobby and I have serious questions that need some experts advice. I just started out my 65g saltwater without LR but when I bought the LR from a person, I placed it my tank to cycle it faster. Well, as of right now, I spotted so many pests! I'm not sure what it is, is it harmful or not. I checked out the link posted as sticky about pests but some of the pests from my tank isn't listed. Here's my question.
1. Should I nuke my whole tank with "hot" water to kill off everything and start all over with "dead rock" (assuming that hot water will kill all the bacterias inside the LR)?

You should never have to resort to "nuking" a tank unless you have a really serious pest that no other treatment has worked. It should really be a last resort.

2. Should I wait until my tank is complete it cycle and find a way to get rid of the pests?

Waiting until the cycle is done will not affect the, "pest's" response to treatment.

3. Should I pour chemical into my tank to kill off all the pests?

You should never attempt to bleach/detergent a tank if that is what you mean. There are specific medications for certain diseases and pests, but you need to identify what it is before you choose to do any of the things you listed. A picture would really help, or at least an accurate description.


Thanks a bunch.
Click to expand...

Good luck!
 
If it's a pink or tan worm, then it's probably a bristleworm, which is a beneficial member of your clean up crew. It's probably the most common hitch hiker in our tanks and it's a good guy.
 
I tried my best to take these pictures...I still cannot take the picture of the worm.
01.jpg

02.jpg

03.jpg

04.jpg

05.jpg

06.jpg

07.jpg
 
sakie said:
I tried my best to take these pictures...I still cannot take the picture of the worm.
01.jpg


Stomatella. Good Guy.

02.jpg


Collonista snail. Good guy

03.jpg

04.jpg


Asterna Starfish. Some say harmless, others say that once they get out of control will eat your corals. I have never had a problem, but have always erred on the side of caution and removed them when I have seen them

05.jpg

06.jpg

07.jpg
Click to expand...

Aipsatasia AKA glass anemone. Kill them with aipsatasia X. They will sting your corals and become a plague.
 
Thanks BJO's for IDing. I google Aipsatasia and someone said peppermint shrimp will eat it...is this true? I rather have it gone naturally instead of using chemical to kill it. I google aipsatasia X as well and it is not harmful to anything inside the tank but still...Also, I couldn't take a picture of this "small, close to micro" little white 'something' moving inside on my tank glass. Its move pretty fast for it size too. Now I am afraid to even put my hand in the water! lol
 
The thing on the glass is probably an amphipod or copepod, which are also good guys. BJ nailed all the IDs. He is right on the money. :)

I would use the Aiptasia X. Peppermint shrimp will eat aiptasia sometimes, but there's no guarantee. They are good to keep them under control once you have killed off any existing aiptasia. The peppermints will usually keep them from coming back. But if you have a problem that needs to be taken care of now, go with the Aiptasia X. It's harmless and you don't have anything in the tank to worry about anyways.
 
I see alot of common hitch hikers here don"t nuke your tank. Is that a Stomella snail in the first pic? Asterina starfish in the other pics just pull them out when you see them some people leave them some don't. You do have Aptasia in those other pics but you should be able to take care of it with AptasiaX or some people have had luck with lemon juice.

Part of what makes the hobby so interesting is the amount of stuff that can come in on such a small piece of rock both good and bad. It may not look nice but that doesn't mean it's bad.

I think you should be able to take care of it.
 
1. stomatella snail - good guy
2. likely colonista snail - also a good guy
3 & 4. asternia stars - mostly harmless though in really large numbers have been known to eat coral - likely nothing to worry about in your new tank!
5, 6, & 7 - aiptasia anemone - pest that stings corals and gets out of control very fast. This is the only one you need to worry about - go get some aiptasia x from your LFS (even petco sells it) and get rid of them now!

EDIT - Just saw there was a second page to this thread - hahaha! Guess I'm late to the party lol
 
:( I got the Aiptasia X and am going to use it tomorrow morning but just now, I spotted another pests...I think. It's like a hairy tentacle of some sort..here's the pic.
08.jpg

There's a lot of these "thing" coming out of my rock (I counted 3 rocks so far).
 

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