cindy's cadlights 8g: on writing deadlines! :O

[Tamberav]

API phosphate is worthless. It will say 0.25 but it could be far from that.

 

I would beef up the CUC though regardless.

[cindyp]

API phosphate is worthless. It will say 0.25 but it could be far from that.

 

I would beef up the CUC though regardless.

 

thanks! and tbh, the flow isn't great in this tank

either, due to live rocks i have and size. i'm mean,

i'm just limited. i'm wondering if i should lose one live

rock and open things up a bit. will think on it.

 

bummer that API is worthless.

[Tamberav]

thanks! and tbh, the flow isn't great in this tank

either, due to live rocks i have and size. i'm mean,

i'm just limited. i'm wondering if i should lose one live

rock and open things up a bit. will think on it.

 

bummer that API is worthless.

 

The problem with API is it either reads 0 or 0.25.... it doesn't tell you the actual value. It's not meant for low range PO4 testing.

 

There are other kits or the hanna checker that work.

[gena]

 

i hope the LFS has one!

 

so. i'm almost exactly four weeks into this

tank (yes, i know, i jumped in early, eep!) and

i'm noticing that my live rocks are beginning to

take on a green tinge.

 

my phosphates are at .25 according to API,

not ideal. everything else i tested, nitrates, nitrites

and ammonia were good.

 

my old pico had hair and bubble algae issues.

 

should i be concerned?

 

i have no CUC other than stomatella snails.

should i get a few ceriths? i loved them, they just

knock everything over, which is annoying.

 

thanks for any insights or advice!

I would get a few. I have Florida ceriths, dwarf ceriths, nerites. And I just got some banded trochus. They all do a great job on the film algae. I also have some nass snails but they only eat detritus and leftover food...still a nice addition to the crew .

[cindyp]

hello everyone! my little 8g is 4 weeks old

today. i went to LFS and picked up two margarita

snails and one astraea snail. there were no dwarf

ceriths. the margairtas, once they stopped clinging

to each other, immediately went to town. they are fast!

 

the astraea is still near where i had put him. i hope

they help with the green tinge algae beginning to show

on rocks.

 

here's the one month foto of my very stocked tank.

ha! it is the hong kong of 8g as i said.

 

i'm playing with the idea of removing the middle rock

in the front. i'd rather remove the left side rock in the

front, but that's preventing sand being blown around.

 

[reefernanoman]

hello everyone! my little 8g is 4 weeks old

today. i went to LFS and picked up two margarita

snails and one astraea snail. there were no dwarf

ceriths. the margairtas, once they stopped clinging

to each other, immediately went to town. they are fast!

 

the astraea is still near where i had put him. i hope

they help with the green tinge algae beginning to show

on rocks.

 

here's the one month foto of my very stocked tank.

ha! it is the hong kong of 8g as i said.

 

i'm playing with the idea of removing the middle rock

in the front. i'd rather remove the left side rock in the

front, but that's preventing sand being blown around.

 

Nice tank. I like your black sand.

[cindyp]

Nice tank. I like your black sand.

 

thanks! i really like the look of black sand

as well.

 

i also perused fishies today and i'm definitely

interested in a green or blue clown goby.

possibly a rock kind of looking blenny, but there

was also a shrimp goby (?) that looked like a pokemon

that i loved. but expensive.

 

eta: i'm concerned that neither the margarita nor

the cone snail will eat detrius off my substrate? hrm.

i might have to try and track down some dwarf ceriths.

[cindyp]

TGIF, friends!

 

so it looks like my latest hitchhiker

is a small white, sort of fat compared to my

brittle starfish, asterina starfish.

 

i googled it thinking it's the "bad" one and

by the time i decided i might take it out, it's

shuffled off somewhere.

 

what has your experience been? should i definitely

murder the little guy next i see him?

 

the culprit. BAD NEWS?

 

[FlowerMama]

I've heard both good and bad. If it doesn't bother your coral and stays on the glass, then good. I think they're cute and I can't believe btw 3 tanks that I've never had one yet.

[Tamberav]

I added them to my tanks on purpose, I have quite a few now. Most eat algae but there are a few coral eaters. So if you want to keep it... just keep an eye on it.

 

The ones I have definitely eat algae. They are excellent at it too and can even tackle some softer macro algaes.

 

At this point it should be said that there are many different species of Asterina sp. and of them all, only a few have ever been recorded to eat coral such as Acropora, zoanthids and other soft corals. The vast majority are opportunistic scavengers and/or herbivores that eat coralline or other types of algae. It has been estimated that of all the Asterina sp. varieties, only around 5% are coral eating species.

 

http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index.php/current-issue/article/45-reefkeeping-101-

[cindyp]

I've heard both good and bad. If it doesn't bother your coral and stays on the glass, then good. I think they're cute and I can't believe btw 3 tanks that I've never had one yet.

 

 

I added them to my tanks on purpose, I have quite a few now. Most eat algae but there are a few coral eaters. So if you want to keep it... just keep an eye on it.

 

The ones I have definitely eat algae. They are excellent at it too and can even tackle some softer macro algaes.

 

At this point it should be said that there are many different species of Asterina sp. and of them all, only a few have ever been recorded to eat coral such as Acropora, zoanthids and other soft corals. The vast majority are opportunistic scavengers and/or herbivores that eat coralline or other types of algae. It has been estimated that of all the Asterina sp. varieties, only around 5% are coral eating species.

 

http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index.php/current-issue/article/45-reefkeeping-101-

 

thank you both. ah this hobby!

it certanly keeps you on your toes.

 

last i saw, it was going through the slat toward

the back chamber. we'll see what happens.

[Nano sapiens]

...and then there are the ones that much on coralline algae, which I had. Unfortunately, they all look so similar.

 

Hoping that yours isn't a 'bad' one...

[antsypants]

The one youve got looks like mine which have been pretty cool hitchhikers. Ive begun to notice more after only starting with two so I'd keep an eye on their population but I doubt they'll be bothering your coral

[cindyp]

it looks cute, but i've half a mind

to kill it. seems like russian roulette with

tanks. but...it has stayed on the back or glass

so far, so that seems promising. thanks reefers!

[hey]

it looks cute, but i've half a mind

to kill it. seems like russian roulette with

tanks. but...it has stayed on the back or glass

so far, so that seems promising. thanks reefers!

 

The longer you keep a tank the more you will come to appreciate the amazing diversity within it. Honestly I was freaked out by everything new in my tank for a while, now I love it and have learned to benefit from most of them.

[Drexellake]

Give it some time. Just don't trust it.

[cindyp]

Give it some time. Just don't trust it.

 

sounds like the beginnings of a bad relationship.

 

The longer you keep a tank the more you will come to appreciate the amazing diversity within it. Honestly I was freaked out by everything new in my tank for a while, now I love it and have learned to benefit from most of them.

 

very true. fingers crossed!

[cindyp]

good morning, friends!

 

i woke up this morn and first thing

i did was to check on the status of

the asterina starfish. it is on the front

glass now. has not ventured, as far as i know,

toward the corals yet.

 

all zoas and palys are still okay.

 

hope everyone has a great weekend!

[CatfishSoupFTW]

eh I got a decent amount of those in my 10 gallon. they sometimes go over and onto my corals, but then just carry on. similar to my snails at times. I havent had any worry. If anything, I had an issue with some sort of pods, that ate my some of my zoas, I forget which . BEfore i had fish, I had tons of pods (which is seen as a good thing , but can be bad) and then once i added fish, they ate them all. lol

 

but yeah, most of the time, those stars are just on my tank walls minding their business, until my girlfriend decides to knock them down with my nano mag

[cindyp]

thanks, catfish, man.

i had an amphipod infestation too

in my 3g pico--no fish!

 

i have teeny copepods in this 8g.

will be getting fishies next weekend!

excited!

[cindyp]

good morning, friends!

 

here's a brief monday update.

 

a foto of one of my first coral pieces, originally

one happy mushroom that had split, then suffered

high temps while being babysat and got bleached.

they are both see through now. i'm nursing in the

back corner, not knowing if they'll ever make a recovery.

good news is, one is actually closing to eat, which the

other isn't yet. here's a great foto of one closed.

 

 

my neon orange mushroom that i got at an Aqua SD sale

a couple weeks ago is opening fully and doing great! especially

since i moved it from the sand bed into the middle height

of the tank.

 

 

and my ultra flower nem moved last night! i had orginally

dropped her into a small crevice in the rock, and it's been

scrunched up there for over two weeks. yesterday, it

"walked out" of the hole and is opening up widely with the

lights on. hoorah! (the crevice is just below it in photo.)

 

[cindyp]

eta: also, i was night watching with my iphone

flashlight and saw a hitchhiker i'd never seen before.

white and oval, but moving. i've googled just now

and it's a small chiton!

 

known hitchhikers spotted and currently in 8g:

 

bristle worm

chiton

asterina star

mini brittle starfish

feather duster

copepods

stomatella snails

[cju84]

That neon orange mushroom looks amazing. Really pops with the dark background/sand!

[cindyp]

That neon orange mushroom looks amazing. Really pops with the dark background/sand!

 

thank you, cj! i'm really happy about that pick. and another

chicago reefer? there are many of you!

[rfman81]

Looking good Cindy I should update my thread some more