My Atlantis - Wild & Woolly May 2015 Pictures!

[pschom]

From what I have read this is the typical Kenya tree droop. Is this typical in your experience?

My green Sinularia did this and I twisted it around and put it in a little more flow. Now it stands up straight and looks amazing. Except at dusk when it shrivels into a death state. Looks real bad. Comes right back in a couple hours.

[pyronus]

Citron gobies are pretty much adorable.

 

Just watch out if you decide to get any SPS, they are nommers.

I've got a Green Clown Goby and he doesn't touch my SPS, some like to nom, some dont.

[eitallent]

IME, soft corals will never look 100% healthy 100% of the time.

That is good to know. I am nervous newbie.

 

My green Sinularia did this and I twisted it around and put it in a little more flow. Now it stands up straight and looks amazing. Except at dusk when it shrivels into a death state. Looks real bad. Comes right back in a couple hours.

I am keeping a close watch on it. Some folks report that some times when it does this it is ready to spread by dropping its 'arms'.

 

I've got a Green Clown Goby and he doesn't touch my SPS, some like to nom, some dont.

Hopefully this little guy will not get that curious. I read that when the spawn they clear SPS of tissue where they attach their eggs. I do not have a pair and no SPS yet so he should be no trouble.

 

This morning he was resting on the circulation nozzle. At first I panicked thinking he was sucked up against it. I turned it off and he happily remained sitting there. He moved off of it to eat and then I turned on the nozzle again. He went right back to it and settled down on it again. I guess he was in the mood for a Jacuzzi bath!

[eitallent]

Hubby noticed some thread like organisms toward the back of the tank on the LR. I thought, "Uh, oh." When I looked at them they immediately brought to mind Hydroids.

 

These things are too small to photograph without proper zoom lenses.

 

The best description I can think of is a white thread which splits into a few branches and each branch has a circle of small hairs (like the end of a polyp on the Kenya tree). I touched them with a bamboo skewer and the little 'polyp end' closed not retracted.

 

I also have some little feather dusters back there. They are in tiny, nearly invisible tubes in the LR. When I touch those the 'fan' completely and quickly retract into it's tube.

 

Yesterday's water levels:

 

Temp. 80.6 F with daylights --> Salinity b/w 1.024~1.025 --> pH 8.0

Cal 420ppm --> Nitrates = 0 --> Phosphates = 0 --> Alkalinity 8.2ppt

 

I was able to pull some out with tweezers as is suggested in some posts but I can see that at this rate they will overcome my efforts. Are their presence a symptom of over feeding? Dead spots in the flow? Too much detritus?

 

I have a clean up crew of snails (Nassarius, Ceriths, Nerites, Colonista), bristle worm, Pep. Shrimp and Emerald crab. The tank is clean of algae and not much detritus.

 

My water flow seems like it is furious. I have a 200 GPH pump in a 12 G Nano Cube with an added Koralia circulation pump to the left of the pump nozzle.

 

I feed only frozen brine shrimp to the Citron Goby and only a few so he will eat them all. He eats them right out of the pipette. I have stopped feeding the sinking pellets to the Pep. shrimp because he can catch some of the brine shrimp the goby spits out.

 

Have any of you won the battle against Hydroids like these?

[eitallent]

Hello all.

I have read all I could about Hydroids. Some aquarists say they leave them alone and in a properly balance tank system they will die out on their own. Others write that Hydroids took over their tank and are still battling them to keep them in check.

 

So while all creatures have their place in nature and are kept in check by nature, in my small tank environment I do not want to take chances. Unfortunately for these cute little creatures, I have no room in my tank for them. So yesterday I did as you, Albert, and many others recommend and used boiling water.

 

First, I was able to remove the live rock to which the Hydroids were attached. Next, I took my kitchen turkey baster and basted the area with the boiling RO water. The unfortunate coralline algea in that area turned orange and brown from being cooked. I then tweezed any strings, scrubbed the area, basted some more boiling water, and rinsed the rock in a bucket of clean salt water before palcing it back into the tank.

 

I faced the affected area toward the front so I can monitor for the return of unwanted guests. Hopefully I will not have to do that again and they will not return anywhere else.

[pschom]

IMO why battle something that isn't a threat. (Except big a$$ worms)

[jedimasterben]

I wouldn't worry about hydroids unless you plan on having dwarf seahorses.

[eitallent]

IMO why battle something that isn't a threat. (Except big a$$ worms)

Excellent point! LOL Those BA worms are worth battling, but with caution.

 

I wouldn't worry about hydroids unless you plan on having dwarf seahorses.

 

I do not plan on having dwarf seahorses but they are sooo neat.

 

I am a nervous Nelly so I am glad to hear from you guys that they are nothing to be concerned.

[jedimasterben]

You'd go broke trying to get enough dwarfs in a 12g tank to actually be able to see them without hunting for an hour. My friend has some in a 6g Fluval Edge, and it takes a lot of work to find a single one.

 

Also, you cannot keep them with fish or most inverts other than your standard snail CUC, you can't have hardly any flow, and you can't keep any LPS (and really no SPS, either, because water quality goes way down because you have to feed them twice per day, every day, and they are messy as hell). About all you can have is smaller zoas, I've seen palys that can eat a juvenile dwarf seahorse no problem.

[eitallent]

You'd go broke trying to get enough dwarfs in a 12g tank to actually be able to see them without hunting for an hour. My friend has some in a 6g Fluval Edge, and it takes a lot of work to find a single one.

 

Also, you cannot keep them with fish or most inverts other than your standard snail CUC, you can't have hardly any flow, and you can't keep any LPS (and really no SPS, either, because water quality goes way down because you have to feed them twice per day, every day, and they are messy as hell). About all you can have is smaller zoas, I've seen palys that can eat a juvenile dwarf seahorse no problem.

 

I will have to just look at pictures of them then. Thanks for the info.

[I<3SPS]

Hello all.

I have read all I could about Hydroids. Some aquarists say they leave them alone and in a properly balance tank system they will die out on their own. Others write that Hydroids took over their tank and are still battling them to keep them in check.

 

So while all creatures have their place in nature and are kept in check by nature, in my small tank environment I do not want to take chances. Unfortunately for these cute little creatures, I have no room in my tank for them. So yesterday I did as you, Albert, and many others recommend and used boiling water.

 

First, I was able to remove the live rock to which the Hydroids were attached. Next, I took my kitchen turkey baster and basted the area with the boiling RO water. The unfortunate coralline algea in that area turned orange and brown from being cooked. I then tweezed any strings, scrubbed the area, basted some more boiling water, and rinsed the rock in a bucket of clean salt water before palcing it back into the tank.

 

I faced the affected area toward the front so I can monitor for the return of unwanted guests. Hopefully I will not have to do that again and they will not return anywhere else.

 

If you're really worried about them making a comeback, epoxy over the area...simple fix that worked for me. Very nice tank btw!!!

[eitallent]

If you're really worried about them making a comeback, epoxy over the area...simple fix that worked for me. Very nice tank btw!!!

 

TY

 

I will definitely epoxy if they come back and bother anything. Thanks for the tip.

[eitallent]

New pictures of old and new!

 

This is Skipper, out one and only fish, a Citron Goby (Gobiodon citrinus)

 

Cute little zoanthids ( Know the varieties? Please tell me. TY)

 

Mushrooms

This one decided to attach in a secluded spot.

 

Snail CUC Nassarius

 

Beautiful Astrea

 

Mexican Cerith

 

This Nerite snail has coralline algae and a barnacle growing on its shell

 

New Hammer coral frag

 

Found that this anemone is a Brooding anemone. It is hermaphroditic and its larvae grow between the tentacles of the parent.

Imature nems growing on parent

[pschom]

Love everything except that anemone. I'm convinced it will take over if you leave it in there. Be safe and take it out. Gonna spread like aptaisia.

[eitallent]

Love everything except that anemone. I'm convinced it will take over if you leave it in there. Be safe and take it out. Gonna spread like aptaisia.

 

It definitely makes me nervous too. They are so cool though!

[eitallent]

Tank update:

 

Water chem:

10/01 ave. temp. 79.5 F :: pH 7.8 ~ 8.0 :: Cal 440 ppm :: Alk 8.2

 

I do not like the pH so low! I propped the lid up higher on the nano cube, opened the windows (78 F outside), turned ceiling fan to high trying to get some O₂ in the house.

 

I changed 2 gallons of water.

 

10/02 ave. temp. 80.9 F :: pH 7.8 ~ 8.0 :: cal 440 ppm :: Alk 9.0

 

In an attemot to get rid of some CO₂ i decided to do like some others on NR and put macro algae in the tank. I bought chaeto at LFS yesterday. Today I put it in a mesh bag into the second chamber.

 

I washed out the chaeto well in SW and found lots of HH. One HH of concern was flatworms! They are clear, rounded at the head and a v-notch at the tail. I looked on WWM and found that these seem harmless. I dipped the chaeto in fresh water anyway before adding it in the tank just in case! lots of bristle worms fell out too. Good ridance as one huge one in the tank is enough for me.

 

Here are some questions for those who have time or the willingness to answer them for us newbies.

 

# 1 May I safely add two part B-Ionic to raise my Ca and alkalinity?

 

# 2 Will rinsing chaeto in FW kill it?

 

# 3 Is using chaeto effective and reducing CO₂?

 

# 4 Are the clear flatworms with round heads and v-notch tails harmless as stated on line?

[jedimasterben]

# 1 May I safely add two part B-Ionic to raise my Ca and alkalinity?

 

# 2 Will rinsing chaeto in FW kill it?

 

# 3 Is using chaeto effective and reducing CO₂?

 

# 4 Are the clear flatworms with round heads and v-notch tails harmless as stated on line?

1) Not particularly. Your levels are fine as they are. Until you load the tank with corals, you may not ever need to dose two part.

 

2) Shouldn't, but the same can't be said for all the beneficial fauna on it, as you already noticed.

 

3) In large quantities, yes. In a nano, no.

 

4) Most likely.

[eitallent]

1) Not particularly. Your levels are fine as they are. Until you load the tank with corals, you may not ever need to dose two part.

 

2) Shouldn't, but the same can't be said for all the beneficial fauna on it, as you already noticed.

 

3) In large quantities, yes. In a nano, no.

 

4) Most likely.

 

As always you are super! TY

[eitallent]

I do not like the slick on the water's surface. So, I pointed the rotating pump nozzle toward the surface to get more agitation. The Koralia circulating nozzle is pointed in the opposite direction in the attempt at forming crosscurrents. I hope that helps to get rid of the slick. Ahoy, Skipper!


FTS: There is Skipper, king of the hill, guarding his hammer coral. You can see the 'Brooding anemones' down on the sand bed, a small colony of green zoas on a rock ledge to the left and a clump of green star polyps on the rocks up to the right.


RTS: Here you can see the happy Kenya tree which I have glued to a rock. Of course Skipper has turned to keep an eye on me. You can see the beautiful shell of the Astrea snail in front of the clump of GSP.


LTS: Here you can see the Xenia I have glued down. A colony of Zoas is visible to the upper right and the blue mushroom relaxing on the lower left. The Nerite snails are congregated at nozzle having their daily meeting.


From the top:
Poor hammer coral! One week ago I purchased this coral at a frag sale in a town about three hours away. It was one piece, full of color and fully inflated but its skeleton was cracked in thirds. By the time I got it home its skeleton had completely broken apart. So i divided it into three parts, acclimated it in low light and recently moved it to a higher level on the rocks. It is not glued in. I placed the base of the pieces into holes in the rock. Here is the picture of it.

Please give me your opinion on the health of this coral:


New zoas yet to be placed on the rocks:


Mushrooms have decide to attach in secluded places:
at the back of the tank...

behind rocks...


Thanks for reading and I look forward to comments and suggestions.

[Spirofucci]

Ha! Great shots of skipper!! Your froggy looks good to me!

[eitallent]

Ha! Great shots of skipper!! Your froggy looks good to me!

 

Hey! Skipper is a ham! Thanks for your input on froggy.

[eitallent]

Hey! Skipper is a ham! Thanks for your input on froggy.

Here is the proof of his mugging for the camera:

 

 

[pschom]

Frog spawn looks good to me. Beauty of corals. If they break...you have more! I'd get the green shroom out of the cave and into some light though. Citron goby looks great!

[msscha]

I have been looking but haven't commented in a while -- everything looks great! Skipper is waayyy photogenic. Maybe I need a citron goby for my tank.

 

The issue with hydroids is an interesting one -- I labeled the ones in my tank "basket stars" and so far, they stayed small, haven't taken over, and are probably there because there is food to be filtered from the water. That is the case for the feather dusters (I LOVE my feather dusters. Never bought a single one, they are all hh-ers -- like you, I have ones so tiny they are difficult to see, a pretty red type, a blue/red double, some brown cluster, etc) and bristle stars. I figure my tank is a filter feeders paradise, but since I was looking for a wild garden, I will accept that!

 

+1 on whoever cautioned cuddling mushrooms up to other coral. They look all sweet but pack a solid chemical punch and thus far, they seem to win. Same with rics -- they snuggle with each other, but aren't great pals in a diverse neighborhood.

 

I miss my snail life! Gradually, all my snails have passed on except for one turbo (which isn't look great right now) and the nassarius (there are assorted hh ceriths, but they mostly stay under the sand). I've got some algae building up again, too. From what I've read, the astreas that we commonly get are cooler water types rather than true tropicals. I want to find some good tropical ones that will keep the walls clean and enjoy a long happy life.

[eitallent]

I have been looking but haven't commented in a while -- everything looks great! Skipper is waayyy photogenic. Maybe I need a citron goby for my tank.

 

The issue with hydroids is an interesting one -- I labeled the ones in my tank "basket stars" and so far, they stayed small, haven't taken over, and are probably there because there is food to be filtered from the water. That is the case for the feather dusters (I LOVE my feather dusters. Never bought a single one, they are all hh-ers -- like you, I have ones so tiny they are difficult to see, a pretty red type, a blue/red double, some brown cluster, etc) and bristle stars. I figure my tank is a filter feeders paradise, but since I was looking for a wild garden, I will accept that!

 

+1 on whoever cautioned cuddling mushrooms up to other coral. They look all sweet but pack a solid chemical punch and thus far, they seem to win. Same with rics -- they snuggle with each other, but aren't great pals in a diverse neighborhood.

 

I miss my snail life! Gradually, all my snails have passed on except for one turbo (which isn't look great right now) and the nassarius (there are assorted hh ceriths, but they mostly stay under the sand). I've got some algae building up again, too. From what I've read, the astreas that we commonly get are cooler water types rather than true tropicals. I want to find some good tropical ones that will keep the walls clean and enjoy a long happy life.

 

I definitely recommend the Citron goby. He is always out skipping around the tops of rocks and hammer coral. He loves to eat and is a riot when he darts around the pipette.

 

I like my Nerite snails they are always out and about. They love to congregate at the pump nozzles. The dwarf Ceriths are on the glass but they come out late in the afternoon.

 

I may have overreacted over the Hydroids but I am a nervous aquarist.

 

My new addition: Duncans