Miller's 2.5 Bowfront

[pfc.miller]

Ok, Well Ive been thinking about starting a small pico tank for a long while now, and now finally started one. This site has inspired me alot to really get one up and going. The tank been set up for only two days and of course going threw the cycle process. Here are some pics of it so far.

 

The lights are off in the room

 

The live rock is MINT. Picked it up at the LFS. It has so much yummy stuff on it. It also has 2 small feather dusters and like 8 tiny ones on it along with alot of coraline and sponges. It does have about 3 aiptasia, but I'll get a them off soon, I might just inject them unless anyone suggust a different way?

 

The lights are on in the room and in tank when I took this pic

 

Lights are off in the tank

 

Well after the first day past I checked my tank the following morning. I seen a massive amount of these white stringy looking worms. I would take a pic but you would'nt be able to see them since the camera is crap when it comes to zooming in. Dont know if there good or bad but I'll have to research it more. Also I seen a small bug running along the sand bed. Only seen him for a second and then he ran off. He kind of looked like a bigger amphipod, mostly looking like the Gammaridean amphipod ( seems to be about 1-2 centimeters long ) Well I hope thats what it is at least. I cant wait till my tank finish threw cycle. Im going to test my water at the end of the week along with a water change so I'll have that up here. Thanks for looking and telling me your comments.

 

Im going to keep updating probley everyweek, so look for updates

[warhol1]

It'd recommended not to do any water changes during cycling as it could delay the cycling process.

[doctorreef]

Looking good! What is your lighting?

[pfc.miller]

It'd recommended not to do any water changes during cycling as it could delay the cycling process.

 

Really? What if my ammonia levels get real high, then Nitrite?

[warhol1]

They're supposed to go high during the cycle. First week ammonia should be going off the charts. Second week u should see ammonia go way down and nitrite go off the charts. Third week both should be way down like close to zero and nitrate should be up. When nitrate is the only one out of the 3 that are high then that is when you know that your cycle is done. By then you should do water change and add clean up crew.

[pfc.miller]

Looking good! What is your lighting?

 

Well I did a DIY lighting.I used I believe it was 2-3 inch black pvc that I cut in half. I then put two 20 watt coralife 50/50 bulbs that I mounted in the PVC along with moonlights that I made out of LEDs. I also put some reflecters in the pvc as well. It looks real good on the tank to. I could put up some pics of the light if you want.

[warhol1]

then again i see you have awesome live rock so maybe you want to save them. But I'm not to sure on the process of saving live things on rocks while cycling.

[pfc.miller]

They're supposed to go high during the cycle. First week ammonia should be going off the charts. Second week u should see ammonia go way down and nitrite go off the charts. Third week both should be way down like close to zero and nitrate should be up. When nitrate is the only one out of the 3 that are high then that is when you know that your cycle is done. By then you should do water change and add clean up crew.

 

Thats what I was thinking. The Rock is packed with live things on it. At the LFS I go to there live rock is nuts. Its a lil pricy though for live rock. But there stuff is prem! The tank they have it in is huge. I hid a peice under some larger live rock for later lol. It had 6 rics on it and was only 1 lbs, And he sells it as is for 10.99 a lbs. Cant wait to get it lol

[Weetabix7]

NICE rock, tank looks good, worms and bug/pod are fine, nothing to worry about.

[pfc.miller]

NICE rock, tank looks good, worms and bug/pod are fine, nothing to worry about.

 

Thanks Im glad to hear that the worm thing is ok. I keep researching and finding different answers but most is all good.

[pfc.miller]

bump

[dtfleming]

I wouldnt do a water change either, but if you really wont to save the feater dusters etc. do a 10% water change. Your cycle will take longer though.

[Mercuryne]

bump

 

pfc.Miller

 

I have just finished cycling and I had and have those stringy worms all over my rocks. and they all made it through the cycle without me doing any water changes. The high ammonia, and trites and trates didnt seem to bother them...Not sure what yours look like but mine were long white stringy worms coming from one conentrated area. I believe they are spagettin worms. and harmless from everythign i've read.

Sort of tough to see it but i've put a picture here. I've seen even more come out since the cycle finished.

 

[pfc.miller]

pfc.Miller

 

I have just finished cycling and I had and have those stringy worms all over my rocks. and they all made it through the cycle without me doing any water changes. The high ammonia, and trites and trates didnt seem to bother them...Not sure what yours look like but mine were long white stringy worms coming from one conentrated area. I believe they are spagettin worms. and harmless from everythign i've read.

Sort of tough to see it but i've put a picture here. I've seen even more come out since the cycle finished.

 

 

 

Yes, I though they were spagetti worms to at fist. I looked at your thread earlier before I even posted mine. they do seem to be comming from one concentrated area but then again I have maybe 1 or 2 at other places. They do look excatly like yours though.

[mmelnick]

So do you have regular incandescent blubls that have threading to fit a standard lamp?

[Mercuryne]

Yes, I though they were spagetti worms to at fist. I looked at your thread earlier before I even posted mine. they do seem to be comming from one concentrated area but then again I have maybe 1 or 2 at other places. They do look excatly like yours though.

 

Cool thing is that those tentacles seem to grow longer as time passes.. once they get really comfortable, it seems like they stretch out all over the tank.

 

Pretty cool....I have seen a thing in my tank only once. in over a month that looks sort of like a mantis shrimp. but i've not seen him since the initial sighting.

scary.

Ha

 

Good luck.

[pfc.miller]

So do you have regular incandescent blubls that have threading to fit a standard lamp?

 

Yes, these are them on this link http://www.aquaticmart.com/usrimage/cat1313663.gif. plus I modded the light with LEDs for moonlight.

 

Cool thing is that those tentacles seem to grow longer as time passes.. once they get really comfortable, it seems like they stretch out all over the tank.

 

Pretty cool....I have seen a thing in my tank only once. in over a month that looks sort of like a mantis shrimp. but i've not seen him since the initial sighting.

scary.

Ha

 

Good luck.

 

 

Yeah that's what I originally though. But I set my gf up a fish only tank about 2 months ago ( Ive done plenty of salt water tanks before but this is my first reef ) And I made the salt salinity high on her tank for a couple min to get all the hitchhikers off the live rock I got her to see what I wanted to keep. And I gaint amphipod came off it. It looked alot like what I seen for a qucik glimpse. Well hopefully I see him again soon, and if it is a mantis I'll probley just set a different tank or give him away to the LFS

[pfc.miller]

Ok well I didnt think I would post again till the end of the week, but as I was getting ready for bed, I went in my room and i had all the lights off. When I turned them on these were just chilling all extended out.

 

 

 

Well I went straight to the computer and checked it out, They look like they are syllid worms. You can really tell from the picture but they have really thin legs and alot of them. Kind of creeped me out at first. They seem to be nocturnal since they only came out everytime I turned my lights off in pitch black.

 

They look exactly like this:

 

 

 

 

And in this guys thread, he said it was eating his soft coral. So I think he's coming out tonight. I'll post a picture of him when I get him out. Any tips on how I should get him out?

 

Also This morning as I was looking at my tank I seen a brown sea cucumber about an inch long. Well thats what I believe it is, Ill have some pics of that before the end of the week. Are they bad for reef tanks? Iv looked them up and I know they can release toxins in the tank so Im thinking about tanking him out and giving him away along with the syllid worm. How do you think I should go about taking him out, I was thinking tweezers?!

[Mercuryne]

Ok well I didnt think I would post again till the end of the week, but as I was getting ready for bed, I went in my room and i had all the lights off. When I turned them on these were just chilling all extended out.

 

 

 

Well I went straight to the computer and checked it out, They look like they are syllid worms. You can really tell from the picture but they have really thin legs and alot of them. Kind of creeped me out at first. They seem to be nocturnal since they only came out everytime I turned my lights off in pitch black.

 

They look exactly like this:

 

( I tryed to make the picture smaller but photobucket is being gay )

( I tryed to make the picture smaller but photobucket is being gay )

 

And in this guys thread, he said it was eating his soft coral. So I think he's coming out tonight. I'll post a picture of him when I get him out. Any tips on how I should get him out?

 

Also This morning as I was looking at my tank I seen a brown sea cucumber about an inch long. Well thats what I believe it is, Ill have some pics of that before the end of the week. Are they bad for reef tanks? Iv looked them up and I know they can release toxins in the tank so Im thinking about tanking him out and giving him away along with the syllid worm. How do you think I should go about taking him out, I was thinking tweezers?!

 

 

WOW.. that is sort of creepy.. if you hadnt posted the picture lower picture i would have thought that all those tentacles might be a brittle star....

 

im new so im not sure about these guys,.. but someone here will know what to do..Just the post up top. (bump) till somebody who knows better chimes in..

really wild.

[reefnewbee]

it is possibly a type of bristle worm if you can get a clearer pic of them in your tank i can ID them for you

[adinsxq]

o crap aye. alienz

[Loosey]

one way MAYBE to catch a pest worm like that is to take a clear plastic bottle cut it in half and turn the mouth of the bottle inward. Push a bit of food into the bottom of the bottle first hopefully in the night you can watch him crawl in there investigating the food and just pull the bottle trap out.

 

OR

if you know he is in a bit of live rock for sure and where you are at with your tank, no real live stock to speak of, just remove the live rock tweezer him out of it, or maybe *(and I dont really know about this cause I guess it could effect your cycling) but dip it in freshwater for a bit and perhaps that will kill him?

 

dunno

but no one else suggested anything for you so I thought I would give it an attempt. Someone more experienced should chime in in a bit.

 

Loosey

[pfc.miller]

You know, the only thing is that im getting extremly confused!!? Because the more I see it and I look at brittle star pictures it looks just like their arms. But another thing is that they only come out when its really dark in the room and I wouldnt think that the star could fit in the rock because its really not alot of rock, only a little bit over a pound.

[pattykat99]

i think your rock coloration is Beautiful!! i have a similar worm in my tank that's about 12" long i rarely ever see him but he doesnt seem to harm anything. Good luck catching the buggers lol!

[constantocean]

dude seriously get those nasty ######s out. thats gross.