Recent content by Spracklcat

Hey folks, For those who have been in reefs for a while and know me, nice to see you all again after my little hiatus. Josh reached out to me last night after a little internet kerfuffle (feels like 2008) and dragged me out of retirement. More later. For all the newer folks, a giant fat...

Yup, you've learned one of the newb lessons--emeralds can be ...less than pleasant houseguests. You may end up having to either get rid of the crab (give him to someone who has a huge tank or a fish only?) or protect the corals until they are grown in enough to be better established.

Definitely stomatella. These are good guys--help clean up detritus, keep things clean. They can sometimes get a little out of control numbers-wise, but I've never seen them reach pest proportions. They are desirables. :)

Silica being a problem is a bit of an old myth. Some people dose silica nowadays to help with nutrient export and to help keep sponges. That said, RODI is definitely a good idea for all the other benefits in a full reef.

You can use a HOB, but let me suggest something sacreligious....how about going skimmerless? The tank is tiny enough that water changes will be a snap, and if you keep the bio load reasonable (more coral, fewer fish) you might not need one.

Good luck! Keep the water clean and look out for flashing and other signs of stress. I admire your patience!

Lymphocystis is a virus, and it's pretty much impossible for a hobbyist to get piscene antiviral medications. As long as you keep the fish in good condition otherwise (good water quality, feed them often with good quality varied foods) they should fight it off on their own.

Is it just on the tail? And how large are the spots, like a grain of salt, or larger? If they are a little bigger and sit just at the edge of the tail fin, it could be lymphocystis. Ich will make the fish flash (scrape and flick against rocks) and may make the gills move quicker (difficult...

Here's why "reef safe" and "antiparasitic" don't often coexist. Think about the animals you have in your tank: corals and fish, of course, but also mollusks, other invertebrates, dinoflagellates, bacteria, viruses...a lot of organisms with different lifestyles and mechanisms, and all of them...

Hyposalinity is not an option?

Welcome to the forum where we discuss all the bad things that happen in tanks. Aiptasia got you down? Fish losing weight? White spots and flashing (your fish, not you)? You've come to the right place! Fair game topics: fish disease, coral pathogens, parasites, chemical warfare, aquatic...

Love the idea of a white worm culture. I might try that too...any handy live food is a good thing. They would be good for getting finicky sick fish to eat too.

Geeorge and I are in...

Glad you guys are coming back, looking forward to seeing you!

Cool thread. Ok, two things from the perspective of someone actually schooled in marine animal medicine (that would be me :) ) 1. It is pretty much impossible for any product to kill flatworms and nothing else with the technology available on the market currently. It may kill the flatworms...