Supplemental food for turbo snails

[tigger]

Hi.... I currently have my inverts (choc chip starfish & 3 turbo snails) in a 10 gal Q-tank. I bought them last Saturday & since then they have turned the disgusting algae tank into a sparkling clean tank. What food should I supplement them with until I can move them to their permanent home?

TIA,

Natalie

 

[steve-s]

A ½ sheet or so of nori once or twice a week should suffice for the turbo's. The star will need more meatier foods like krill, shrimp or other marine proteins. Once a week should be enough for the star. Just be mindful of water quality and do the neccessary water changes to keep the NH3 and other toxic levels in line. The parameters may be great now but when/if adding materials that "break down" the water quality can degrade.

Why the QT'd inverts?

Cheers
Steve

 

[Doan]

I would also be very careful that the star does not suppliment his own diet with turbo snail.. From what I understand CC starfish can be real nast when it comes to stuff like that..


Doan

 

[Psiclone]

CC stars can and will eat snails, but they're more a creature of opportunity. It's one of those things where the snail has to be in the wrong place at the wrong time for a long time. I used to have a CC star and he ate a couple snails and a crab because they stayed still for too long and were in his path.

 

[tigger]

Thank you for the replies. We QT'd the inverts bcz we treated the main tank for ich. At the time, we had 7 fish & didn't think it would be right to stuff them in a 10 gal tank. I know...shouldn't put copper in the main tank, but didn't want to spend a lot more money for a larger QT.

We had a hermit crab, but he tried to eat the CC star so he was returned to the LFS.

So far the star has stayed away from the snails. Every once in a while, I see them crawl over by him 8O.

I haven't been able to find Nori anywhere locally. I do have something called "seaweed selects". I'll ask my LFS to order Nori.

Thanks again!

 

[tigger]

Steve S,

Can I substitute "seawood selects" for Nori? My LFS has never heard of Nori. The Seaweed Selects are in sheets also.

Thanks,

Natalie

 

[steve-s]

They are the same thing nutritionally but the selects are far more exspensive, Go to the local grocers or health food staore and you should be able to find the nori. It's the same untoasted seeweed used for wrapping sushi rolls...

Cheers
Steve

 

[cmor1701d]

Go to the local grocers or health food staore

Or find an Asian market.

 

[tigger]

Thanks!

 

[sumphead]

Tigger, also be wary if you treated your main display with copper. If you have LR it will absorb it and leech it out for a long time to come which can be detrimental to your inverts and future corals if you go that route. For the most part I agree with the CC star talk so far. I have one and he has slurped up more than one of my turbos. Every now and then I see him with a big lump only to lift him over to find a large turbo under him. Then I scold him and send him on his way. But my CC is BIG, probably 7" across.

 

[steve-s]

Yikes....didn't even dawn on me about the copper. 8O

If available in your area, get a few Poly Filters made by Bio-Marine. These things actually work very well but need to be replaced regularly and the tank tested repeatedly for copper levels.

Did you use chelated copper by chance?

Cheers
Steve

 

[tigger]

We used Cupramine (Buffered Action Copper). The last time I used it was Nov 8. We have recently done several water changes which has reduced the copper level greatly. We purchased CupriSorb from the LFS, but haven't used it yet. We don't have any LR. Should I attached the Nori/seaweed selects on a clip or let it float around eventually fall to the bottom of the tank?

If we use the CupriSorb, should we also use the Poly filters too?

The CC star is very small...maybe 3 in diameter.

Our LFS has a 220 gal tank that is the same style as our 55 gal. We are drooling!

Thanks again!

 

[steve-s]

We used Cupramine (Buffered Action Copper). The last time I used it was Nov 8. We have recently done several water changes which has reduced the copper level greatly.

Seachems Cupramine is a chelated form of copper and therefore much much easier to remove from the display tank. Not really something I would recommend for future use in the display, hopefully it will not be that difficult to fix.

Should I attached the Nori/seaweed selects on a clip or let it float around eventually fall to the bottom of the tank?

Use the clip unless you have some rubble rock and attach it with a rubber band.

If we use the CupriSorb, should we also use the Poly filters too?

Might not be neccessary but I would not leave it to chance. The polyfilter will remove all forms of copper and would ensure the stuff gets removed. They are quite inexspensive. Be sure to test the copper levels religiously for the next few weeks and change out both products as suggested by the manufacturer.

Cheers
Steve

 

[tigger]

I am so frustrated! The fish in the 55 gal are showing physical signs of ich. I have spent so much money on getting rid of the ich. What should I do?

What about this: get all of the copper out of the main tank, then move the fish to the 10 gal QT and move the inverts to the 55 gal. Will the 4 fish I have be ok in the 10 QT (butterfly, yellow tang, percula clownfish & royal gramma). Also will the fish be ok suffering with ich until I can change everyone out?

Should I buy a cheap 20 gal tank?

In the last post, Steve sd to keep checking the copper levels. Will the copper keep leaching out? Should I get rid of the LS and get new stuff?

Steve originally sd the ideal treatment is to move the fish to the QT and leave the main tank fallow for 4-6 weeks.

TIA,

Natalie

 

[smokiums]

Not to get off track, because I really think tigger needs input, but I was wondering how you would feed a starfish? Do you simply put the piece of krill in his path or do you put it underneath the starfish?

Good luck tigger. I'm QT'ing one of my clown fish today. Ich sucks.

 

[steve-s]

What about this: get all of the copper out of the main tank, then move the fish to the 10 gal QT and move the inverts to the 55 gal. Will the 4 fish I have be ok in the 10 QT (butterfly, yellow tang, percula clownfish & royal gramma). Also will the fish be ok suffering with ich until I can change everyone out?

It's a decent plan but not all those fish in a 10 gal. I would instead suggest 2x20 gal rubbermaid totes, they are cheap and just as effective. One large and one small fish in each. That will minimize aggression. The only doubled cost will be the heater and filter. Once those are set up, drain 10 gal into each from the display tank and fill the rest with newly mixed SW properly matching temp, salinity and ph. That will allow you to effectively treat the fish and keep the inverts in the 10 gal until the 55 is safe. For the new QT"s , I would use polyfiletrs with a quickfilter attachment PH. That will help with bio-filtration and further reduce impurities.

In the last post, Steve sd to keep checking the copper levels. Will the copper keep leaching out? Should I get rid of the LS and get new stuff?

Since you used chelated copper, there should be no lasting effects once the tests indicate zero traces. I would still suggest keeping the tank running with a polyfilter for a few month just to be sure there are no problems. Personally, all my tanks have them. They are also great for reducing PO4. If you had used ionic copper the results would not have been as favorable.

Steve originally sd the ideal treatment is to move the fish to the QT and leave the main tank fallow for 4-6 weeks.

Once in the QT and treated properly (preferabley hyposalinity), the main tank will be fallow (fishless). Without fish, the parasite cannot feed and thereby reproduce. After the 4-6 weeks has passed with no fish, the parasite dies out without the need to treat the main tank.

Cheers
Steve

 

[smokiums]

How about when you have other fish in the main tank but only one has ich? Should you only treat the one?

 

[steve-s]

How about when you have other fish in the main tank but only one has ich? Should you only treat the one?

You should treat all the fish. Once the infected fish is in the tank, so is the parasite. That is why it is best to introduce new fish through the quarantine tank before the main tank. It eliminates the need to worry about treating a multitude of fish but rather one fish instead. It is more than possible to have a parasite free display tank for the entirety of it's existance. My tank has not had any parasite problems in over 3 years. The last fish introduced was 1 year ago.

Cheers
Steve

 

[tigger]

Steve, do you think that putting the 4 fish in a new 20 qt tank is a bad idea? The fish are all juveniles & are small. We have cats & I don't think the lid to the rubbermaid containers will fit with the filter/heater, will they? The cats would love to "play" with the fish. My husband wants to eventually get a huge reef tank, but we haven't had a lot of success with the 55 gal. I hope everyone reading this learns from my mistakes! QT your new fish!!!!!

 

[steve-s]

Steve, do you think that putting the 4 fish in a new 20 qt tank is a bad idea? The fish are all juveniles & are small.

If you feel the fish are small enough and aggression will not be a concern, then you might be okay. Just ensure plenty of hiding places for the fish using short pieces of PVC pipe or the like. Keep tabs on their behavour.

We have cats & I don't think the lid to the rubbermaid containers will fit with the filter/heater, will they? The cats would love to "play" with the fish.

You should never cover the tank with anything impermiable. It traps CO2 and allows a dramatic drop in the ph. What you might find an alternative for the QT lidwise, is screen door material from your local HD. It is usually plastic coated, fairly cheap and easy to cut to shape.

I hope everyone reading this learns from my mistakes! QT your new fish!!!!!

Cheers
Steve