help!!!So many white bugs!!!

[marine_phoenix]

Looked into my tank yesterday and saw so many tiny white bug-looking things "running" around my sandbed and side of my tank!!!

 

Wat are those? And wat does it means when these bugs appear in our tank? Does it mean cycling is done? Or wat?

 

Thanks

[nano-nemo]

copopods are good you should be excited not scared

[mapv281]

oh sh*t, that's a bad sign, you need to redo the whole thing, apparently your tank has some sort of life rock disease..... j/k

 

chill out, they are good for your tank

[marine_phoenix]

So does it means that i can starting adding a fish or two?

[mapv281]

no, make sure you have your clean up crew and that your cycle is complete, to play it safe, wait a month from the time you set up your system, then you could add A fish at a time, BUT i would advice you not to, new systems tend to be a little unstable at first, i would first go ahead and start adding corals, etc, wait around 3-4 months so that your tank matures a little more and it's safer to add fish, now that's just my opinion and advice, you don't have to take it/agree to it.....

[jaguilar]

you won't know if you can add fish until you test all your parameters or you have the lfs test it for you. mainly, you need to be concerned about ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. if the ammonia and the nitrite are at 0 and the nitrate is relatively close to 0, then you should be good to go. but if there is any trace of ammonia or nitrite, than your tank is not done cycling. how long have you had it up and running? just because you're seeing pods(bugs), that doesn't mean that your tank is done cycling.... just test you water and give us the results.

[marine_phoenix]

The ammonia reading is about 0.4mg/l and the nitrite is about 0.3mg/l or lesser than that.

 

But the water parameter is always the same. Two weeks ago,it will like this. Last week was the same and until today, it is still the same... There doesn't seems to be any change in the results.

 

So what's hapPening? :|

[SeaSide]

It is possible that you can have both ammonia and nitrite at the same time. Which ususally means 1) you're still in cycling 2) you're overfeeding 3) You need more LR to get adequate level of filteration. Also, it is possible that your water contains some nasties.

I would turn skimmer off and wait a month or two. They will zero out eventually. Then I would wait another month or at least two weeks before adding any fish in to the tank just for safty sake.

[marine_phoenix]

Thus that would mean that i dun have to turn on the skimmer during cycling izit?

 

I only throw in a bit of live brine shrimps thus i think the problem doesn't lie with overfeeding. (For my anemones)

 

and what are those nasties in the water that is mentioned above.Can give some example?

 

And one more thing. If i were to turn off the skimmer,my ammonia and nitrite will be very high. Then would the anemones in my tank die because of this bad water condition? (the anemones grew on the liverock itself)

 

Thks!!!

[SeaSide]

Originally posted by marine_phoenix

And one more thing. If i were to turn off the skimmer,my ammonia and nitrite will be very high.

 

What do you think this mean? You are not done cycling.

When you're not done cycling, any food = ammonia source... also could be overfeeding cuz your LR is not ready to deal with it.

 

It is good thing to turn the skimmer on during the cycle WHEN you have strong light and water flow. But I suspect you don't have them. Thus it is possible that your skimmer pull out too much gunk even before it gets desired ammonia level for cycling. If this is the case, your cycling period is enlonged because of such reasons. Turn skimmer off, and wait a few week could be a solution in this case. Anemone does not require frequent feeding when you have strong light. It can wait a few week without food if it is in good condition.

 

I also suspect you use tap water. Tap water could contain nitrite/nitrate, phosphates, trace elements and dissolved organics that could harm your reef... especially you're in farm/industrial area. That's why we recommend using RO/DI water.

 

I think you haven't been very patient. Most people get into trouble because they are not patient. Do not hurry. Just sit back and wait a month before adding anything in your tank. That'll take care most of your problem. No clowns until then. Good luck.

[marine_phoenix]

But doesn't the anemone tend to get stress due to the bad water condition if i do not turn on the skimmer. As you know,the cycling process is not finished yet. Thus will the ammonia,nitrite and nitrate get until so high that the anemone can't take it anymore and die off? (There is no bacteria to eat the "ammonia and friends"(nitrite and nitrate) and no skimmer to remove the the harmful stuffs.)

 

Correct me if i am wrong...

 

So what do you big bros suggest i do now? Should i remove the anemone rock and leave it in a pail and let my tank cycle first before putting it back.I will be leaving the rocks without anemone in the tank. Is that ok? (This is what i think and pls feel free to correct me if i m wrong)

 

Thanks:):)

[WorldNation]

hmmm, too bad you put the anemone in there before u were sure it was done cycling...hmmmm. i wouldnt recommend removing the anemone into a bucket. it'll just cause more stress on it and it might jsut die off from that. try this.

 

turn off the skimmer. if your anemone is living fine in your current water conditions i dont think it'll effect it that much. besides. i dont believe that turning off the skimmer will do u THAT much damage at all.

 

now let the tank cycle properly. and make sure your test kits are good ones. there are a lot of problems with bad test kits giving out wrong info. and if u wanna be safe, take it to your lfs and ask them to test it with good testing equipment. might cost u a tiny bit of change.

 

you should be fine with doing tests once a week, but i would recommend testing the water every other day or so. especially if u already have life stock in there. also cut back your feeding of the anemone to once a week.

 

you should be finished cycling in about 3-4 weeks. maybe a bit less.

[marine_phoenix]

Thks for your help.

 

But can i ask how do the anemones look like when they are doing find?And can i add anymore liverock in the tank now?And if i were to add the liverock ,it is a must that i only add those liverocks without any anomone,feather duster and etc?

 

Thks:)

[marine_phoenix]

Ok...and thanks for all the help!!!

 

But just one question that is not related to my tank,(just for my knowledge)How does an anemone looks like when it is healthy?

[drewmd.]

first off what are you doing with an anemone in the first place. regardless of how you try and take care of it it's gonna die. your not experienced enough for them. an unhealthy anemone will have deflated tentacles and wrong color. usually wont come out much. with an anemone your facing danger for all your other animals you plan to put in there. once they die or are in the process of dying they release toxins into your tank. (bye bye fishies and corals.) not to mention that if the anemone is fine and you put corals into your tank later down the road your gonna have a lot of chemical warfare going on in there. also please do turn your skimmer off. your doing nothing but bad with it on right now. what are you trying to skim. theres no waste in there. let your tank properly cycle first. once it has cycled and you have tested all parameters and they are good you can add your first fish. make sure it is a hardy specimen though. most people use a damsel. let him set in there for another 3 weeks before getting any other inhabitants. and i also suggest you read up on the nitrogen cycle. you will find most answers from the questions you have been asking in there.

[MillerLite]

I think there is plenty of good advice here. I would consider the anemone a complete loss unless it survives the cycling time on its own. The anemone did arrive on the rock when you purchased it, didnt it? I would try to put all of the live rock into the container that you wish to start with to allow it all to cycle together. Leaving pieces out now may only cause your cycle to occur again when you add it back to your tank. Also I would not add any additional rock to your tank until your tank is well established. So set it up now to last a while. You will find that with basic flow and little disturbance from you, that the rock should cycle on its own. The skimmer use may only prolong the cycle time. I wouldnt use it. Anthing in your tank will or will not survive independent of what you do now. Also, try not to be in such a hurry to add things to the tank. Every new reefer quickly finds out that this was the wrong thing to do, especially in a nano-sized tank where errors are less-forgiving. Just give it time otherwise you may pay for it later.