I am such a saltwater newby!

[twoodrough]

This week I found out I have a phosphate problem because LFS did not test for phosphate and it was leaching out of the live rocks. Solution: phosguard

Today I find what I think is a rogue coral and turns out it is likely aptaisia. Solution: I am thinking about taking the rock out and using concentrated lemon juice or getting a peppermint shrimp but I am researching and open to ideas that have worked for others

Today I find another thing in the tank that turns out to be vermatid snail. Solution: scrape them off any time I see them but I am researching and open to ideas that have worked

Then I realized that something I saw last week that is now "gone" was probably bubble algae. Solution: I just figured out I had these last week but the bubbles are gone now. Could my new emerald crab have gotten them, or do I have little bubble algae spores flying around my tank right now. Still researching these.

There is still one unidentified thing in the tank. It is a small white feathery thing that comes in and out of the rock. Given the way things have gone I assume it is some sort of pest that I will have to deal with once I know what it is.

Am I having fun yet?

At least I have been going slow and have only intentionally added the emerald crab. I will deal with my pests for a few weeks before I add the fish I want (black clown).

Any other help you can offer this newby is appreciated.

 

[54seaweed]

the feathery looking thing sounds like a feather duster there good ,

as for your aptaisia be glad you caught it before you were further on down the road
you can attack it in one of several ways
A) aptaisia X
B) vinagar
C) Lemon juice
D) Lighter
A , B , C , can be done inside the tank or you can remove the rock and attack it that way ,
D , would be remove the rock and burn it out with a lighter
since your just starting up I'd recommenced removal and attack method
peppermint shrimp are no guarantee on eating them ,
vermid snails be glad you caught them early as they can be one of your biggest nightmares , remove the piece that has the stalks scrape them off than dip in a 50/50 mix of peroxide and tank water than rinse in clean tank water , this should help if they laid eggs somewhere on that piece ,
as for your phosphates sounds like you have found the source , If your buying your water there Since you know they have a phosphate issue Don't find a new source ,
If you are through with your cycle I would attack the phosphate issue with large water changes , phosban works but it tends to hide it more than fix it , Be sure you always check your water source for phosphates before you use it , RO/DI units are highly recommended for water changes , well worth the money ,
Green bubble algae could be eaten by emerald crabs sometimes they tend to break free and spread spurs through out the water column ,
my lawn mower blennie eats them faster than the crabs,
Be glad you can tackle all of this before you add stock a lot of us had to deal with these problems after the fact trust me it was no picnic
Glad to see you here at AA
look forward seeing your progress as you progress

 

[twoodrough]

Thanks so much! I am gone for the weekend but will tackle all of this stuff next week!

 

[chefbill]

There is still one unidentified thing in the tank. It is a small white feathery thing that comes in and out of the rock. Given the way things have gone I assume it is some sort of pest that I will have to deal with once I know what it is.

Or a barnacle, is it a round crown of feathers, or just 1 feathery arm that swings in and out fast?

 

[twoodrough]

I did post this on a another thread but haven't gotten a positive ID and what to do or not do with it. It is not a great picture. This one is about 1/2 inch long, but now I see others on other rocks that are smaller. They may be spreading. I can do a better picture later this week if that will help.

Now that my weekend get away is over this week is pest control week in my tank.

 

[twoodrough]

Just saw a "bug" on my rock. 3 ml long. Brown. Maybe 6 legs. 2 short antennae. Too fast to get a picture of.

Then I saw this guy:

I just keep adding to my pest list this week. Can anyone tell me what my new additions are and what I should do with them?

 

[Sniperhank]

Sounds like you got yourself a pod. Totally harmless.

 

[Istrom]

Pods are actually a really good sign, means the tank is stable. The way that I knew my new 24 had finished cycling (alongside testing), was that there are hundreds of copepods on the glass.

90 G Reef
55 G Discus
24 G Reef

 

[twoodrough]

Okay - I guess that is good considering this is a 10 gallon and people say it is hard to keep a 10 stable. We will see in the long run.

 

[Istrom]

As long as you keep up on water changes and use the right equipment it's no big deal. It's only considered "harder" because if something goes wrong (phosphate spike, Ammonia spike) it happens faster than it would in a larger system. Just be on your toes!

90 G Reef
55 G Discus
24 G Reef

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

Okay - I guess that is good considering this is a 10 gallon and people say it is hard to keep a 10 stable. We will see in the long run.

This has got to be the most commonly parroted myth in the sw hobby, nanos aren't any harder than large tanks if you have good husbandry. And the best part is if you do get a nutrient spike big percentage changes are a piece of cake, 5g wc on a 10 g tank will fix almost any issue where as 5g on a 100 won't do anything to get nutrients back inline


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