Coral help urgently needed- high nitrates?

[DI68]

Forgot to add that mandarins don't need fed daily really... They are primarily consumers of pods and can clean a tank out of them quickly. If yours eats prepared foods you are lucky like I am with my green mandarin. Just keep an eye on it as they can revert back to only eating pods. I think it's a good idea to keep a tank stocked with pods still as they are good clean up crew and mandarins forage all day long for them eating, hence why it is said to feed several times a day.

I have a fair amount of LR in the tank but don't know if I have seen a pod before. After having nudibranches eat my duncans, I am paranoid about everything that crawls. Good to know I can cut back so much on food as this will help over the holidays- I won't have to return every 2nd day to sort out water and food for the fish.

 

[mr_X]

You can cut back to feeding a couple/few times a week without ill effects. That advice is for anyone with higher than optimal nutrient levels.

 

[DI68]

You can cut back to feeding a couple/few times a week without ill effects. That advice is for anyone with higher than optimal nutrient levels.

Thanks and good news- my 4 fish are gone. I am left with the 2 clarki clowns, dotty back and target mandarin. Did a massive water change while the reef was pulled apart, tested the nitrates this morning and they are 10ppmm. Much better than the 80 earlier this week which the LFS tested after my initial post.

Still not perfect but there is hope. Now deciding what to do with the huge bristle worm and also ID a mithrax crab in my tank. This surely is a box of assorted chocolates!

 

[Rmckoy]

Thanks and good news- my 4 fish are gone. I am left with the 2 clarki clowns, dotty back and target mandarin. Did a massive water change while the reef was pulled apart, tested the nitrates this morning and they are 10ppmm. Much better than the 80 earlier this week which the LFS tested after my initial post. Still not perfect but there is hope. Now deciding what to do with the huge bristle worm and also ID a mithrax crab in my tank. This surely is a box of assorted chocolates!

Once your feedings are cut back the bristle worms will diminish .
They do sell traps for large bristle worms at LFS

 

[DI68]

Once your feedings are cut back the bristle worms will diminish .
They do sell traps for large bristle worms at LFS

Ok so that tells me not to put it back in the tank - it's still in the container I used when I pulled apart my reef. Thanks

 

[carey]

LOL, I just pulled out a bristleworm that was about 1/4 inch thick and almost a foot long. Yep, I'd NOT put it back in, hehe...nasty little buggers

 

[Rmckoy]

They are good scavengers when it comes to consuming left overs

 

[mr_X]

Common bristle worms are not nasty at all. Relatives of the earth worm, and just have some spines on their sides for protection from predators- Otherwise detritus eaters.