Quick question... - Aquarium Advice

ntswift · 03-17-2006, 11:28 PM

what is the difference/ benefit from having a fuge? Wouldnt having calurpa and live rock in your main tank just do the same thing? i know its not the same thing but i just want to know why. i'm just setting up my fuge now and just wondered what the difference was aside from if you want to have pods. Also i just bought some calurpa and there were these little flea (if you magnified it) looking things. anyone know what they are?? sorry i dont have a camera right now to take a pic. I heard bristle worms are bad, but why exactly are they bad and do i have to worry about them if i have a 6 line wrasse and a scooter blenny?TIA (sorry its so long!)

TCTFish · 03-18-2006, 12:05 AM

The minerals in the mud make the difference. You use mud...or should use mud in the fuge whereas it's not used in the tank. So it's not so much the macro algae, but the combo of macro algae with the reef mud. These things create a chemistry that allow for the natural break down of proteins.

Those flea looking things are copepods.

Bristleworms are not bad. Fireworms are bad which look like fancy bristleworms. Bristleworms feed on ditrius in the sandbed, keeping it churned and healthy. The only time when soft coral may be targeted as food is if there isn't enough ditrius in the sandbed, so you don't want to have too many.

BTW...scooter blennies and six line wrasses do not eat bristleworms. Six line wrasses eat flatworms and scooters eat copepods and what ever else they can suck up in their little mouths. Arrowcrabs eat bristleworms.

ntswift · 03-18-2006, 12:16 AM

i was just reading on the getting started part of the forum about the mud. i will have to get some! when i put my macro algea in there were these worms all over in it and i assumed they were bristle worms. they were half black and half red with little spikes up and down the sides. I'm not 100% because i've never seen one to confirm that it was one though. just assuming!

( i know its stupid to assume but i'm still a little new to this!) The flea looking things were freakin huge. i know i have copepods because i saw them for the first time two days ago when i woke up and turned on the lights.

this did not look like that at all. they were about the size of white rice maybe a tiny bit bigger. if they are copepods, then cool! My mistake about the six line and the scooter blenny. i thought they did eat bristle worms. Thanks for the correction!

TCTFish · 03-18-2006, 08:16 AM

I was told those white flea looking things are copepods. They're just like them but bigger. I've no clue how big they can get. If anything, it's food LOL.

Those worms sounds like bristleworms. They would be really good for the refuge so, just keep the population manageable. They can get big and are very ugly things when they're big. Fireworms are pretty. Their spikes are like thick tufts of hair and some can be quite colorful. The bristleworms are simply a peachy pink, flesh red to dark brown and their spikes are just spikes. Very irritating too so use something like a double pair of surgeon gloves (the spikes can penetrate through one). When I get stung and usually on my fingers, the sting areas would itch like mad for hours. I'd be chewing on my fingers all day long...LOL. It's more annoying than painful unless you are allergic. Then I'm sure it could be painful. Fireworms are painful..so I'm told.

ntswift · 03-18-2006, 09:01 PM

LOL...well thanks for the info. i went back to the LFS where i got the macro from and asked him what they were and he said they were amphipods??? i dont know if i spelled that right but anyway he said there was nothing in his tanks that weren't reef safe. i take that with a grain of salt though... one good thing is that i've wanted to get a star fish for a while now and the macro came with like a dozen little baby brittle stars! Nice bonus! (if they are reef safe)

MT79 · 03-18-2006, 10:07 PM

Quote:

he said they were amphipods???

Amphipods, specifically Gammarus Amphipods, look similar to small ants. They can reach lengths upto 1/4". Copepods, at least the ones commonly found in reef tanks, are generally the size of this dot(.) and white in appearence. The stars are most likely "mini-stars". They are beneficial scavengers, and a good addition to every reef.

Here is a good article on bristle/fireworms. They are not so bad after all...
http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium_...4&fromsource=4
good luck!

ntswift · 03-20-2006, 12:15 PM

Yeah, I think they are amphipods then. They were pretty small but i know they weren't the copepods be cause I see those all the time in my tank now. My clowns took a bite at one of the amphipods but just spit it back out. Maybe it was too big for it. I just wanted to make sure that they weren't mantis shrimp. Thanks for the article on the bristle worms and fireworms! I guess they aren't so bad either!

Davek410 · 03-21-2006, 11:04 PM

Does anyone know what to do about low PH 7.8 and HIGH Nitrate levels (20)?

TCTFish · 03-22-2006, 03:03 AM

Dave...here are some basic questions we ask so we can help you better...

How many gallons is the tank?
Type of filtration (including protein skimmers and refugiums)?
How long has the tank been up and running with fish in it?
What do you feed? How often? How much?
How much and how often are the water changes?
What kind of substrate?
What fish and other livestock are in the tank?
What are the current water parameters..other than what you've already stated (ammonia, nitrite, and SG)?

When ever pH is low, test ammonia. If there are levels of ammonia, you need to lower the ammonia prior to buffering up pH. The lower pH keeps the ammonia at a non toxic form called ammonium. If pH levels are buffered before ammonia levels are zero, you can poison the fish.

Davek410 · 03-22-2006, 04:51 PM

I'm new to this so bare with me, I'm constantly learning:

Light: marine-glo (40W) and power-glo (40W) both 48" (light is on 11-12 hours a day)
How many gallons is the tank? 75gallons (1 year)
Type of filtration (including protein skimmers and refugiums)? fluval 404 filter and berlin turbo protien skimmer
How long has the tank been up and running with fish in it? year
What do you feed? How often? How much? frozen brine shrimp, or cyclop-eeze (1 daily)
How much and how often are the water changes? weekly 5 gallons
What kind of substrate? elaborate
What fish and other livestock are in the tank? 2 damsels, tang, hermit crabs, snails
What are the current water parameters..other than what you've already stated (ammonia, nitrite, and SG)? am .25, nitrite 0, sg? salinity 1.023

03-17-2006, 11:28 PM	#1
ntswift Aquarium Advice FINatic Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 732	Quick question... what is the difference/ benefit from having a fuge? Wouldnt having calurpa and live rock in your main tank just do the same thing? i know its not the same thing but i just want to know why. i'm just setting up my fuge now and just wondered what the difference was aside from if you want to have pods. Also i just bought some calurpa and there were these little flea (if you magnified it) looking things. anyone know what they are?? sorry i dont have a camera right now to take a pic. I heard bristle worms are bad, but why exactly are they bad and do i have to worry about them if i have a 6 line wrasse and a scooter blenny?TIA (sorry its so long!)

03-18-2006, 12:05 AM	#2
TCTFish Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Southern California, USA Posts: 1,470 Images: 20	The minerals in the mud make the difference. You use mud...or should use mud in the fuge whereas it's not used in the tank. So it's not so much the macro algae, but the combo of macro algae with the reef mud. These things create a chemistry that allow for the natural break down of proteins. Those flea looking things are copepods. Bristleworms are not bad. Fireworms are bad which look like fancy bristleworms. Bristleworms feed on ditrius in the sandbed, keeping it churned and healthy. The only time when soft coral may be targeted as food is if there isn't enough ditrius in the sandbed, so you don't want to have too many. BTW...scooter blennies and six line wrasses do not eat bristleworms. Six line wrasses eat flatworms and scooters eat copepods and what ever else they can suck up in their little mouths. Arrowcrabs eat bristleworms. __________________ http://www.tricitytropicals.com ------------------------------------ We, as a people, know so much more about outer space than we do about our own oceans. This lack of knowledge can very well spell the dangers that lay in wait for us. The oceans surely would swallow us before a rock comes down to smite the planet of it's life. Nov/2004

03-18-2006, 08:16 AM	#4
TCTFish Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Southern California, USA Posts: 1,470 Images: 20	I was told those white flea looking things are copepods. They're just like them but bigger. I've no clue how big they can get. If anything, it's food LOL. Those worms sounds like bristleworms. They would be really good for the refuge so, just keep the population manageable. They can get big and are very ugly things when they're big. Fireworms are pretty. Their spikes are like thick tufts of hair and some can be quite colorful. The bristleworms are simply a peachy pink, flesh red to dark brown and their spikes are just spikes. Very irritating too so use something like a double pair of surgeon gloves (the spikes can penetrate through one). When I get stung and usually on my fingers, the sting areas would itch like mad for hours. I'd be chewing on my fingers all day long...LOL. It's more annoying than painful unless you are allergic. Then I'm sure it could be painful. Fireworms are painful..so I'm told. __________________ http://www.tricitytropicals.com ------------------------------------ We, as a people, know so much more about outer space than we do about our own oceans. This lack of knowledge can very well spell the dangers that lay in wait for us. The oceans surely would swallow us before a rock comes down to smite the planet of it's life. Nov/2004

03-22-2006, 03:03 AM	#9
TCTFish Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Southern California, USA Posts: 1,470 Images: 20	Dave...here are some basic questions we ask so we can help you better... How many gallons is the tank? Type of filtration (including protein skimmers and refugiums)? How long has the tank been up and running with fish in it? What do you feed? How often? How much? How much and how often are the water changes? What kind of substrate? What fish and other livestock are in the tank? What are the current water parameters..other than what you've already stated (ammonia, nitrite, and SG)? When ever pH is low, test ammonia. If there are levels of ammonia, you need to lower the ammonia prior to buffering up pH. The lower pH keeps the ammonia at a non toxic form called ammonium. If pH levels are buffered before ammonia levels are zero, you can poison the fish. __________________ http://www.tricitytropicals.com ------------------------------------ We, as a people, know so much more about outer space than we do about our own oceans. This lack of knowledge can very well spell the dangers that lay in wait for us. The oceans surely would swallow us before a rock comes down to smite the planet of it's life. Nov/2004

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03-18-2006, 12:16 AM	#3
ntswift Aquarium Advice FINatic Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 732	i was just reading on the getting started part of the forum about the mud. i will have to get some! when i put my macro algea in there were these worms all over in it and i assumed they were bristle worms. they were half black and half red with little spikes up and down the sides. I'm not 100% because i've never seen one to confirm that it was one though. just assuming! ( i know its stupid to assume but i'm still a little new to this!) The flea looking things were freakin huge. i know i have copepods because i saw them for the first time two days ago when i woke up and turned on the lights. this did not look like that at all. they were about the size of white rice maybe a tiny bit bigger. if they are copepods, then cool! My mistake about the six line and the scooter blenny. i thought they did eat bristle worms. Thanks for the correction!

03-18-2006, 09:01 PM	#5
ntswift Aquarium Advice FINatic Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 732	LOL...well thanks for the info. i went back to the LFS where i got the macro from and asked him what they were and he said they were amphipods??? i dont know if i spelled that right but anyway he said there was nothing in his tanks that weren't reef safe. i take that with a grain of salt though... one good thing is that i've wanted to get a star fish for a while now and the macro came with like a dozen little baby brittle stars! Nice bonus! (if they are reef safe)

03-20-2006, 12:15 PM	#7
ntswift Aquarium Advice FINatic Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 732	Yeah, I think they are amphipods then. They were pretty small but i know they weren't the copepods be cause I see those all the time in my tank now. My clowns took a bite at one of the amphipods but just spit it back out. Maybe it was too big for it. I just wanted to make sure that they weren't mantis shrimp. Thanks for the article on the bristle worms and fireworms! I guess they aren't so bad either!

03-21-2006, 11:04 PM	#8
Davek410 Aquarium Advice Newbie Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 6	Does anyone know what to do about low PH 7.8 and HIGH Nitrate levels (20)?

03-22-2006, 04:51 PM	#10
Davek410 Aquarium Advice Newbie Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 6	I'm new to this so bare with me, I'm constantly learning: Light: marine-glo (40W) and power-glo (40W) both 48" (light is on 11-12 hours a day) How many gallons is the tank? 75gallons (1 year) Type of filtration (including protein skimmers and refugiums)? fluval 404 filter and berlin turbo protien skimmer How long has the tank been up and running with fish in it? year What do you feed? How often? How much? frozen brine shrimp, or cyclop-eeze (1 daily) How much and how often are the water changes? weekly 5 gallons What kind of substrate? elaborate What fish and other livestock are in the tank? 2 damsels, tang, hermit crabs, snails What are the current water parameters..other than what you've already stated (ammonia, nitrite, and SG)? am .25, nitrite 0, sg? salinity 1.023

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