Another freakie creature...

[kcandcritters]

Hello all, I am new to the site and I gotta tell ya... this place is awesome! I am very inpressed! I think I am going to learn alot!
But for now I am hoping someone can tell me why my little nano reef tank looks like a snow glode that has been shaken!
Sorry, these little white bugs are too small to even get a pic of with my normal digital camera!
I did a water change Thursday and Friday morning when I turned on the light... WOW... little white )and I do mean LITTLE) bugs were clingning to the sides and floating around everywhere.
Should I worry? I know that it is hard ti tell me what they could be without visual aid but, thought I may get an idea or at least whether or not I need to suck em outta there!
The tank is about a half a gallon if that and has been set up about a month. It is growing and flourishing as are all the inhabitants. Including the ones i didn't know I had!
Can anyone help out?

 

[XXFirefighter]

nope, no worries those are amphipods. GOOD thing tohave in your tank. Mini garbage disposals !

Your tank is a half gallon size?

 

[kcandcritters]

Umm...yep, half gallon or less! I have never really measured it!
I am SO glad these guys are harmless! I was ready to up the power on my filter and suck em out!!!

I read an amazing article on nano reef tanks in coral magazine and how small they can be and thought... I can do that!!!
I bought a tiny acrylic starter tank from red sea I think... It has a flor. bulb and a tiny filter on it.
Filled it with live sand added small pieces of live rock, a worm rock, some hermit crabs, snails, corals, polyps, a plant and all the interesting things that go with the live rock!
two weeks ago I added a tiny yellow gobie and a sexy shrimp. The tank sits on my end table and entertains me for HOURS!
Hahaha, It's so small I use a TURKEY baster to do water changes!

I also had two hitch hikers in the live rock. They were they tiniest little crabs i had ever seen! Flat shelled crabs.
One is solid white! Anyone know what he is? He is growing like crazy and has molted twice in a month! he lets me hand feed him with a eye dropper!
The other one is smaller and grey with blue in him. He sits and flings his two front feet around and around constantly like he is trying to get food to him. Very odd crab!
It may be hard to tell me without pics I know!

So a bristle worm is OK you say???

 

[Cafe Jeff]

I think I have seen that tank at the LFS but didn't think it could be used for anything more than a Betta. Wow. I was wrong. I was also wrong about Shrimp being sexy, unless your an invert! That said, with your system going so well, you could probably transfer the lot into a bigger home and be even more entertained.
Really, 1/2 a gallon--it must be a record. I am concerned that my 20 is smallish. How long has your pico been going? Jeff

 

[kcandcritters]

If you can get your hands on a april/may o4 coral mag. They dedicated half the articles to tiny patch reef nano reef aquariums. It is just a wonderful and informative article. It gives step by step directions on how to.
I'm going to 'attempt' a pic for ya.... don't think it is SO small... the cig. pack is a 100's pack!!
This was the first week the tank was set up... it has done nothing bit flourish and grow, grow, grow!

 

[Corty]

Wow - that's really nice looking! You did a good job working with the small space.

 

[Cafe Jeff]

I wouldn't have believed it was possible. I am feeling quite a bit better about my 20 gallon now.
I am going to see if I can't get a copy of the Coral Mag. Sounds like a good read. Jeff

 

[SaltwaterTeen]

Is that purple thing in the middle a clam???? Kinda looks like one.

 

[SoylentGrundy]

holy crap!! Now THAT'S a nano tank! 8O

 

[kcandcritters]

The purple thing in the middle is a piece of live rock with coraline algea on it.
I had to take out quite a bit of the brown coral (tree coral?) because it was getting too big!
I have since added a really nice feather duster that sits and stares at me all the time.
We have a 10 gallon set up in the dinning room and I transplant alot of the over growth in there and when that's full I sent the over flow to my BF's pet store.. that's where I get most of the small pieces. They break off during shipping and what looks like pieces of junk and scraps I take home and stack em up and watch them grow.
My little yellow gobie is so cute! He wouldn't eat when I got him but has since learned to eat out of an eye dropper! Friendly little guy!
I'm tickled to have been able to share my little tank. People thought I was crazy when I showed them what I bought it to set up for a reef tank!
They make a great night light!
You can also get these little tanks with a black light. We have been selling them like crazy at the store!
Mike has set up a couple of these little guys and sold them as complete set ups for people.
Set back.... frequent water changes water warms up fast and the turbo snail likes to re-arrange my rocks and collaps them!

 

[mle421]

any updates? i'd love to see how this tank is doing? your pictures were what made me want a nano tank

 

[EBR]

I'll second SoylentGrundy -- holy crap!

Ya know, it's funny. Having just added my first bits of coral over the weekend, I quickly realized that the red emerald crab I've had for a year really likes xenia and zoos. So here he sits in QT while I hunt for a new home for him. And lo and behold -- a 1/2 gal nano. Even the 3 or 4 gal nanos is more than I want or have room for -- but THIS! This has strong potential.

Perhaps the little bugger doesn't need to leave after all
Thanks.
Matt

 

[Brad]

I'm impressed. Very nice indeed. Sexy shrimp is a great choice! If you haven't already, go to a photo shop and pickup one of those slide magnifiers (loupe).

You'll find that it won't focus past the glass. Take it apart and remove one of the lenses. Then you can use it to look more closely at your nano!