Weird "toxic" Anemone and more

[Pseudoshrub]

Recently came into possession of a 16 Gallon Nuvo Reef Tank that used to be a display tank at a LFS but they feel behind on maintenance so they gave it to me for a pretty good deal (or maybe not).

 

 

I need a bit of help figuring out whats in this tank, as I'm just starting out in the hobby.

 

Any suggestion or names that I can google would be appreciated.

 

Item 1.

 

 

One of the assistants at the LFS told me not to touch this one and that it was an Anemone which was toxic to humans. It seems to prefer low light because it moves into the little crevice to hide whenever the lights are on. Does anyone know what kind of an Anemone this one is?

 

Item 2.

 

 

I'm guessing this is an elegance Coral?

 

Item 3.

 

 

I'm guessing this is kind of a Montepora SPS?

 

item 4.

 

 

I'm guessing this is a doughnut LPS?

 

item 5.

 

 

Mushrooms right?

 

 

[Pseudoshrub]

item 6.

 

 

Is this an Acropora SPS?

 

Item 7.

 

 

Whats this one? not sure if this is candy cane coral, trumpet coral or torch coral?

 

Item 8.

 

 

Ok, Correct me if I'm wrong but I think this is a torch Coral?

 

item 9.

 

 

I'm not to sure if this one is still alive, but it glows yellow when under the actinic lights so I'm hoping that there's something still worth trying to revive. Pocilliopora?

 

item 10.

 

 

Toadstool leather coral?

 

Item 11.

 

 

Some kind of candy cane coral?

 

Item 12.

 

 

Candy Cane?

 

Item 13.

 

 

This one has me completely perplexed. Is it an Anemone? because it moves on its own. If it doesn't like the spot it will move away, however when touched its stony/hard. Are there any corals that move on their own, and I don't mean move their polyps but the kind that has the locomotion to reposition itself in the sand. Also, there doesn't appear to be any suctions cups or legs beneath the thing, so how its moving I have no idea.

[Pseudoshrub]

Here is the whole tank:

 

 

I must admit, I've jumped right into the deep end. Any tips would be greatly appreciated, I'm prepared to have to give up some of the tank's inhabitants (and get some store credit) so that I don't lose everything.

 

Other than those 13 corals, there's also 2 sand sifting star fish in there (which I will have to remove because my sand bed is barely a centimeter deep), 2 peppermint shrimp and maybe a pistol shrimp somewhere (i've never seen it but I hear clicking after dark).

 

The tank has been established for roughly a year. But it was likely to have exposed to so many different types of organisms as there were corals and fish coming in and out of this thing over a period of a year.

 

Specific gravity (according to hydrometer) is 35.

 

Temperature is around 28C or 82F

 

There's over abundance of phosphate, you can tell because the hair algae is growing like crazy. I'm just waiting on my test kit and phosphate remover to arrive in the mail, so hopefully that will all be gone in a few weeks.

 

I'm running a Fobsun 24" LED 35w with 10k white and 14K actinic (i may be a wrong, but its this one http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Aquarium-Fish-Tank-Light-FOBSUN-24-LED-Aquarium-Lamp-35-Watt-/221413578496 )

 

If anyone has any idea about the 13 corals please let me know.

 

Thanks

[MysterRC]

FYI, #13 is a walking dendro… very cool. I have one in my tank. If you look in to them, you will see that they actually don’t move, the worm that is living inside moves them.

[Pseudoshrub]

FYI, #13 is a walking dendro… very cool. I have one in my tank. If you look in to them, you will see that they actually don’t move, the worm that is living inside moves them.

Awww Yeah!

 

Thanks MysterRC

[Mr. Microscope]

Ok. Here's my stab at it. I'm pretty sure about these ID's:

1. Looks like a small bleached haddoni (carpet nem).

2. Yes, elegance coral (doesn't look happy)

3. Looks like a dead pagoda or chalice. Hard to tell..

4. Acanthastria

5. Yes, mushrooms

6. Hydnophora (cool looking coral, but will take out anything near it)

7. I think it's a symphyllia. Nice looking piece!

8. Yes, trumpet/candycane. There are also some clove polyps there.

9. Looks like dead branching porites

10. Yes, toadstool leather

11. Favia, i think

12. Very nice colony of blastos!

13. Hard to tell..possibly an unhappy elegance or maybe walking dendro (unlikely, as they're rare)

[CrazyCarl]

My best guesses, most agree with above.

 

1. carpet anemone (bleached)

2. elegance

3. Pagoda. Looks alive to me but I could be wrong. Edit: Actually looks like Tubinaria to me

4. Yes doughnut

5. Yes Mushrooms

6. Hydnophora

7. Symphilia? Maybe Favia?

8. Candycane

9. Whatever it is looks dead

10. Toadstool Leather

11. Favia

12. Blastomussa

13. 99% walking dendro.

[hypostatic]

#2 is an elegance. In the pic it looks very not happy

[CrazyCarl]

Also some advice. The anemone looks bleached and is really not suitable for that size tank in the long term, and looking at the lighting, I do not believe that it is sufficient for the anemone. I would get your water parameters in check, and see if you can revive to the point it can be removed and either sell or trade it. What kind of chemical filtration is in the media baskets, do you have a skimmer or reactor? I would put some gfo, purigen, carbon and or chemipure in the baskets. Also how do you plan on doing water changes. Do you have an RO/DI filter, or are you planning on buying RODI from the LFS, mixing at home, using pre mixed water (Avoid tap water if at all possible)? I would get some water ready now, if you don't have test kits yet.

[Pseudoshrub]

Thanks guys,

 

Now that I have a better ID on everything in the tank, the next step is figuring out what to do about them.

 

Completely agree with Crazy Carl and I'm sure everyone else thinks that the Carpet Nem needs to go. The next step is to figure out how to coax the little guy out. I'll do some research and if don't get anything I'll start a thread (Crazy Carl I'm counting on you ).

 

After some googling on the Elegance coral, I figure it may be upset over its positioning, so I've since moved the Elegance coral off the rock and put him in the sand away from the high water flow. Hopefully it will also like its position a bit further away from the lights.

 

I'm inclined to say that the pagoda is still alive (only barely) as the actinics show little florescent green polyps that stick out from its "lumps". Any advice on positioning?

 

Any Advice on the Hydnophora Mr. Microscope? I'd like to keep it, but if my lighting and space is inadequate its better to give it a new home. How much space does it need to itself? Is it only danger when it comes in contact with other coral or does it release toxins into the water column?

 

So Clove Polyps are not part the Candy Cane? You mean to say that there are 2 corals stuck together?

 

Any chance I could save the dead branching porites? If its starting to develop black patches in the white areas does that mean its got disease?

 

In relation to filtration I'm using the stock filters that came with the Nuvo 16 (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Filter-Media-Single-Pack-for-Nuvo-Aquariums-30-38-gal-/181348423994). I've also stuffed in some new poly filter. Keep in mind that this tank has been running since February last year. I've also got some 1.5" Marine Pure balls in there. Unfortunately I currently don't have the funds for a reactor or skimmer. Advice Crazy Carl?

 

I have, fortunately planned ahead a little for water changes. I currently have a few gallons of sea water given to me by my LFS (as I live close to the beach in Sydney Australia), he tells me he sources it from clean locations. While I would prefer to get a RODI, this will have to do for now till i get the funds.

[Pseudoshrub]

Also!

 

feeding, should I just get some frozen hikari brine shrimp? Can I get a way with buying raw prawns at the seafood section of my supermarket?

[hypostatic]

the elegance would probably be happiest on the bottom in low flow.

 

The tank looks like it's having some issues with nutrients, as I see some hair algae. OOPS I guess this was already mentioned. I'd recommend getting some sort of media reactor, with biopellets or GFO or something.

 

Also, from the pictures you've taken it looks like the lights are old and you could use some new ones. What's your lighting situation?

[Pseudoshrub]

it's looking "happier" already Hypostatic, will update again tomorrow.

 

Currently I can't afford a media reactor, and before I do I'd like to do a bit more reading up on it. Would you say in that a couple 100ml Purigen bags would suffice? I also have this (http://coralmadness.com.au/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=410) its probably not very well known as its a small Australian brand. LFS seems convinced its all i need to the time being to remove the hair algae.

 

The lights are about 4-5 months old, they look old in the pictures because the actinics are off (when I try to take pictures with my iphone5 and them one everything is just blue) , only the 10k white lights are on. But then I couldn't tell. They're LEDS, specifically http://sereneaquarium.com.au/shop/hood/fobsun-led-cy60-aquarium-lamp-35w/.

 

Thanks

[afyounie]

For the elegance and probably the donut or meat coral, whatever you want to call it, they will be happiest on the bottom. They inflate to essentially float on the substrate in the wild. They also live in fairly turbid environments. I'd say the elegance looks pretty bleached and the meat coral looks kinda bleached. Definitely not a lot of color on it from the pic. Definitely keep that hydnophora away from the other corals. It will wreck them pretty badly. I'd turn it in and get a more peaceful type of SPS. The haddoni looks pretty dang bad too. I only ever see them that bleached at Petco.

[Acielot]

You will have a nice setup once everything gets spruced up and looks vibrant.

 

 

A really good start if you decide to keep it like that.

[CrazyCarl]

As for the filtration, the stock sponges usually clog pretty quickly before they are exhausted, especially the phosphate sponge. I would exhaust the ones you already have then switch to purigen as you stated and also a phosphate removing media, such as phos-ban or really any decent quality gfo (granulare ferric oxide). I used seachem Phosgaurd (aluminum oxide) with good results for a few years, some claim it irritates corals, but I always made sure to rinse thoroughly and never experienced this. I also always ran carbon, since it will remove toxins released by corals and other impurities. You have a leather and some mushrooms which do release toxins on occasion so carbon might be a good idea. I would plan on weekly water changes of 25% with consistent natural seawater as you stated.

 

I don't have a lot of experience with anemones, but I have read that massaging the foot gently for some time will get it to release, also an ice-cube can do the trick.

 

As for the light, others may be able to read the specs and tell you what corals it is capable of sustaining, but I cant. I can tell you what I would though, which is just closely monitor the health and growth of the corals. The hydnophora would be a good indicator since they are pretty hardy for SPS. Keep an eye on the polyp extension and color, then take some photos and get some reference point to compare with and see if its growing upward, and or encrusting at the base. Give it a few weeks. If color fades, PE is diminished, or tissue is receding, you know that the light is insufficient (assuming water is stable). That would be my approach since you already have the tank and corals, other peoples opinions may differ.

[mattyfelts]

1. Looks like a bleached out carpet nem to me

2. Elegance coral.

3. Looks like a dead or almost dead cup coral to me

4. Definitely a donut

5. Mushrooms fosho!

6. Kinda looks like a green slimmer to me but no clue

7. Some sorta LPS, not quite sure

8. Cant tell, its completely closed but the brown flesh usually isn’t good. Youd have to wait till it opens up again.

9. 100% dead I think

10. Yep toadstool leather, nice one.

11. Some sorta LPS, not a candy cane.

12. Blastos, beautiful colony.

13. No clue, seems like dendro.

Just an FYI, ive heard sand sifting stars rarely live in home aquaria (lack of food) especially not 2, I would return em. Might wanna look into some new lighting to support all your new coral (especially SPS and the anemone)