Buffy's 1st Ever SW Build - Reef Tank

[Spartachris]

Some people make their own food using a blender and fresh seafood from the market. I'm planning on blending some in the next week or two. You can do some searches here for more info. I think Mr X does this too. It simplifies all the choices that way.

 

[Buffy]

Some people make their own food using a blender and fresh seafood from the market. I'm planning on blending some in the next week or two. You can do some searches here for more info. I think Mr X does this too. It simplifies all the choices that way.

Awesome thanks.

Hey Mr. X you out there???? Want to toss in your two cents on this one please?

 

[Buffy]

You will not need supplements until you acquire a heavy coral load.
I use Marine Cuisine, krill, phytoplankton and oyster eggs for the filter feeders. I will soak brine shrimp in vitamins and feed that every so often, but never just the plain frozen brine shrimp. I also use a pellitized food that sinks, like shrimp pellets for the gobies on the bottom.

Awesome, I now have a shopping list between all the information from you guys, and now also the food I need to use and learn about. So much out there I had no clue where to begin, now I do woohoo Thank you

 

[Buffy]

So I will be qt'ing fish. I've read enough to know what I need and what I need to do there thanks to this awesome forum.

However, do you qt corals and anemones and inverts too? I read some get "dipped". But mostly sounds like people just put them in their tanks? Please advise thanks

 

[carey]

I have coralx for my corals. You add a capful and some tank water and let the coral sit for a few minutes. The you rinse it in tank water from another container and in it goes. some people QT everything, I'm just gonna go with the fish for now.lol

 

[Grizz]

I do the same as Carey, QT all the fish and dip the rest unless it looks odd then i chicken out and into the QT tank it goes lol

 

[jsmith]

Buffy will u just get s fish already sheesh... just kidding what's your time frame?

 

[Grizz]

I know it's like waiting for Heinz ketchup lol

 

[huma-huma]

hey now!! why you gotta rip on the Pittsburgh ketchup?

 

[carey]

Buffy is just taking it extra slow, she has the patience thing down for sure.

BUT I do think she's being overly cautious but maybe the girl has stuff going on in life that precludes her from spending every waking moment on fish and fish stuff.

I think she's also a little scared to add livestock, but weren't we all? LOL

 

[Buffy]

Buffy is just taking it extra slow, she has the patience thing down for sure.

BUT I do think she's being overly cautious but maybe the girl has stuff going on in life that precludes her from spending every waking moment on fish and fish stuff.

I think she's also a little scared to add livestock, but weren't we all? LOL

Bingo to the 2nd paragraph. Scared yes, but not so much as stuff going on. Sorry guys, nothing til I can get my head on straight.

I don't want to kill anything because of "other stuff".

 

[Buffy]

Buffy will u just get s fish already sheesh... just kidding what's your time frame?

Maybe not til He double hockey puck, freezes over at this rate. Sorry.

 

[Buffy]

Clean up Crew

Ok, so I don't have any fish or corals right now. But maybe so I can keep my tank "alive" til I can, Carey suggested maybe a clean up crew and feed them.

What do you all think and what kind of crew and how many would you do for this 75 Gallon stalled tank.

I like the idea cause least the past couple of months won't be for naught. But let me know your thoughts. I can wait. As she said.....I do have patience (most of the time).

Thanks all.

 

[Grizz]

hey now!! why you gotta rip on the Pittsburgh ketchup?

lol wasent ripping on a great ketchup Was on another forum and the Remember the..... came up and that was one of them IDK if you remember the add it was Carly Simon signing and some kids holding the bottle over a burger

As to a CUC toss a cupple hermits in there rugged little buggers and they'll crawl around so it looks like there's some life in there maybe some snails too

 

[Gregcoyote]

Snails, spiny starfish, emerald or hermit crab. Or I have a plastic fish I use in the bath tub. I can let you "borrow" it if you are careful. It doesn't eat much.

 

[Buffy]

Asterinid Stars - I think I have 2 of these in my tank, Make that 3, found one more. 2 are on the filter riser, 1 is "missing" a leg, pretty much all light color. 2nd one has 5 but they aren't uniform and this one has green in it. The third likes to stay right at the edge of the water level, it has 5 complete and uniform legs with the "belly" being darker and a dark stripe going out through each leg to the end of the leg. I found a picture for this last Star.

3 snails I've found, what they are no clue, can't seem to find a matching picture, 1 is on the back of the rock in the back of the tank (does move), it is a darker color, another is lighter in color and moves around. These two I do not see their "face" come out but they do move around (least I find them in different places. The third is the lightest, not white and appears to have a few stripes but not sure...This one sits on the glass bout 6 inches from the one star. He stays at water level with a little less than half out of the water and "his top half that is out of the water (I see his face kinda, but those whisker things too), kind flops around with the current so can't make out color too well.

Tonite 2 white "bugs", they RUN not swim. When it first caught my eye, it reminded me of a mouse scurrying. While trying to take a picture, (all of them blurry), saw a 2nd one. 2nd one as exact same except a tad bit smaller. They were on the same little piece of base rock. The rock has no color yet, it's basically white or off white. These 2 little "bugs" blended right in with the rock, if they didn't move I would never have seen them.

Anyone know what these white runners are? My guesstimates are not very accurate but I'd say about 1/8" for the small one (grabbed my measuring tape). Also they have "attenna's" or whiskers type think, (attenna's cause they appear to be coming out of the forehead, but whiskers cause they move like cat's whiskers.

I know this is alot, I tried to describe as best as I could because out of about 20 pictures that I took, not a single one can be used as every one is just a "blob" lol. I have no clue how you guys take pictures of your tanks and the fish not all just be blurs.

Hope ya'll have idea's on those RUNNING things though, they kinda make me nervous and give me the creepy crawlies.

FYI, does not look like that pod I took a picture of, however it was same color. The pod wriggled like a worm, I'm sorry but I can't get over how these two little suckers RAN. lmao

Thanks all, I get 2 1/2 hours sleep tonite so gotta run. Hope you can figure out what they are by my description. Nite.

EDIT --Oops also forgot to mention there are 3 spots on 2 different base rocks, that have black skinny legs poking out here and there (or 1 or 2 in each spot but those things are probably about an inch), I'm thinking brittle fish???

Dang and I think I may have that atipisia stuff. I found two legs or feelers sticking out in 2 different spots (1 feeler per spot) and when I shined my light, they went back into the hole.

 

[jsmith]

Being friday I may have drank more then I should have tonight but is say ur okay I wouldn't be concerned with snails or the stars ... I think your fine hun..the things with black are most likely bristle worms.

 

[TLTGF]

IMO the "bugs" that you mention sound an awful lot like copepods. And the other "feelers" protruding from the rock caves are most likely small brittle starfish arms - they put them out to grab food.

Without a picture it may be tough, but maybe I can get one tomorrow and you can see mine...

 

[Buffy]

Thanks guys, I'm pretty sure those are brittle starfish also, I was curious about the little white things. I looked up all the pods, zooplanteon and stuff and couldn't find a match. They don't look or move like a pod, they just have the same white color.

I'm not worried about the snails, just thought I would give a descript of them is all.

The star fish I wasn't too worried about either, as I found them and was able to read about them.

Mostly since I don't have livestock yet...I was just describing to all what has decided to live in my tank and become my tenants.

So on that note, if some my 'parameters' were bad, would these critters still be able to live in the water:

Give these parameters as examples:

ammonia .50
pH 8.8
trite 0
trate 80
temp 82.2
salinity 1.025

Just throwing it out there. Tonite after I'm going to try to research again the red growth, and the "little fern plants" I have growing. And I'm going to try to see if I can get my camera working again. Tank light is not on tank so I'll lighten up the room as much as a I can. If I can get my camera working long enough, it has a recorder and I'll try to record too, cause those little buggers are too fast for my phone camera. I need to only put in 2 batteries but fresh batteries appear to allow me to take one or 2 pics b4 camera won't stay on, so am trying to figure that out. Camera should last alot longer than a couple pics lol, it used to anyway.

@jsmith - did ya have one for me? Only concern was for the little white runners, not worried bout them in the tank, it's if I would have to take them out lol, seeing those kinda gave me the creeps so just nervous bout putting my hands it..................I did buy gloves though so

 

[jsmith]

Thanks guys, I'm pretty sure those are brittle starfish also, I was curious about the little white things. I looked up all the pods, zooplanteon and stuff and couldn't find a match. They don't look or move like a pod, they just have the same white color.

I'm not worried about the snails, just thought I would give a descript of them is all.

The star fish I wasn't too worried about either, as I found them and was able to read about them.

Mostly since I don't have livestock yet...I was just describing to all what has decided to live in my tank and become my tenants.

So on that note, if some my 'parameters' were bad, would these critters still be able to live in the water:

Give these parameters as examples:

ammonia .50
pH 8.8
trite 0
trate 80
temp 82.2
salinity 1.025

Just throwing it out there. Tonite after I'm going to try to research again the red growth, and the "little fern plants" I have growing. And I'm going to try to see if I can get my camera working again. Tank light is not on tank so I'll lighten up the room as much as a I can. If I can get my camera working long enough, it has a recorder and I'll try to record too, cause those little buggers are too fast for my phone camera. I need to only put in 2 batteries but fresh batteries appear to allow me to take one or 2 pics b4 camera won't stay on, so am trying to figure that out. Camera should last alot longer than a couple pics lol, it used to anyway.

@jsmith - did ya have one for me? Only concern was for the little white runners, not worried bout them in the tank, it's if I would have to take them out lol, seeing those kinda gave me the creeps so just nervous bout putting my hands it..................I did buy gloves though so

Oh hun, I had at least 3 for you. I need to some pics of what ur describing.. sounds like pods to me I just think you maybe in disbelief.
. Lol