First Pic-Post and maybe some help in ident?

[SaltyFlip]

Here's my first post of pics here. I am an amateur reefer only 8 months in this. I'm taking it really slow but surely...I hope. Here is some pics and comments...after them maybe some help in identifying some. :iamwithst
PICTURES:
#1- Some chaeto I believe from Zanymaster, But my goodness his tank looks great...too bad it was at night and so I didn't get to see the full beauty of it. Thanks again Zany for this chaeto.

#2- Clownfish and a snail

#3- Lone starfish ontop of unknown stuff with clownfish.

#4- Some snails, candy cane, zoo's, and mushrooms

#5- Candy Cane, zoo's and Snail

#6- Mushrooms. The other one is in the back.

#7- Xenia with Ric

UNKNOWN TO ME:
#1- These things look like feather and have actually been taking over that rock. Kinda cool to look at when they flow with the current.

#2- This green thing just grew on my rock naturally. Kinda stuck to it actually. There's also 4 other growths on my other rock but 2 of the growth looks more like cotton candy, still green but looks like fresh cotton candy. These have grown well before the chaeto was introduced.

Well that's about it and hopefully I can make my little tank as good as the one's I've seen here. I'm going for that natural look, where it looks like I took a piece of the ocean and literally just shoved it in my living room. I've tried to hide the corks or at least chose frags that are on rocks already so it looks natural. :bigeyes:

 

[Lenny718]

Nice pics, Keep up the good work but list your water prams I'd love to see them.

 

[m'akoyPINOY]

very nice!

 

[D1J8Z]

I would pull those star fish out b4 you have a tank FULL of them... JMO


some love em some hate em

<------ Hater :irked:
​

 

[D1J8Z]

Nice pictures tho very clear

but you will notice one star fish in every pic camera hog lol

 

[ming]

UNKNOWN TO ME:
#1- These things look like feather and have actually been taking over that rock. Kinda cool to look at when they flow with the current.

[/IMG]

These are hydroids
google up on them
I recommend killing them asap

 

[SaltyFlip]

Hey thanks for all the feedback.

Lenny718- my water params are:
pH 8.2, Temp 82 ( high since I'm not using any cooling device and rely on my pump), Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 20 (I think 2 of my tiny hermits just died and a snail...haven't seen them in a while. I also just took out a dead cleaner, have no idea why he died. I'm doing a slow 1/3 water change.)

m'akoyPINOY- Thanks, hope to see your setup soon with all those yumas. I bet they look stunning.

yourbedormine18- Too late, they've already took over. I'll try to take a shot before I clean the tank next time. When my glass is somewhat growing with algae, they just rise up and almost take up the top half of the tank. I take one or two once in a while but they're pretty cool. What I do have to take out are some bristleworms, I've got so many that they don't wait for lights-out to come out as you can see in pic #1 on the bottom pic in the unknown section.

 

[SaltyFlip]

Thanks Ming. I just looked 'em up but I can't seem to find anything on whether to take 'em out or not. I'd like to get view points on other MR'ers here too. They seem pretty harmless...for now. Let me know what you guys think.

EDIT: Ok I found out that they seem to be really bad...Is there a chemical-free way of treating them. Most thing's I've browsed online were chemical treatments. Can I just pick them out individually or do I have to throw out the rock?

 

[KathyC]

Best off to get the rock out of there asap..and put it in your backyard to dry (and die) in the sun. After it's been out there for a month or 2, you can recure it & put it back into he tank.
They spread rapidly and everywhere!

As for the bristleworms..those are the small variety (there are 8,000 dfferent types of marine worms). They will only multiply to the level of food available. If you have a lot now and follow a sensible feeding routine (as in not overfeeding), their numbers will level off in time. Bristleworms are good for your tank as they are fantastic detritus eaters

Some of your others comments..
Do you have a clip on fan that you can direct at the surface of the water? They do a pretty good job of dropping your temp a full degree or so (though it will increase your evaporation rate, IMO the trade off is worth it!)

Do you have Ca Alk & Mg test kits yet? You'll be wanting to follow those numbers closely as you move forward with your tank.

Are you using rodi water in your tank?

..and welcome to MR You've picked a great place to learn about reefing!

 

[SaltyFlip]

Hey KathyC, after reading your reply I took it out for precautionary measures...and it's like 2:25 a.m. right now. I've placed it in a cup with some saltwater in it...not sure yet on what to do.
As for the bristle worms, I definitely have too much. I've been hand feeding both my firefish and clownfish for two weeks now so I'm pretty safe and sure with the feeding routine...unless...
Anyway I currently have a heatsink fan that I took apart from a computer motherboard...blows like crazy. I'm still figuring out how to actually hold it in place. I wouldn't want the fan to directly touch the tank because of vibrations...might make the fish go crazy with the pump and ambient noises...unless I wrap it around with rubber and/or mount it on tiny springs...I see a project soon.
I have an Alk test kit but doesn't seem to say anything about Ca...as for the Mg test kit, I shall scour the stores within walking distance to see if they have any...if not I'll have to stop by Wonderful World. I'm also currently using Distilled water from the store, I buy them in gallon jugs. Thinking of investing in a filter system, I'll have to calculate if it's cost effective.

Thanks for the advice and will definitely heed them.

was thinking of baking the rock at 450 for 30 minutes but then letting it sundry will do just as fine...lol:joke:

 

[KathyC]

Go you moving rocks at 2:30am!
I should have put a comma between Alk & Calcium..they are 2 different test kits..sorry about that.

Computer fans are great for mounting in your canopy or stand but I was talking about those $10 fans you can pick up at almost any drug chain or dollar store..sooo versatile
If you do add the computer fans, it's suggested they blow 'in' and not 'out' so the SW in the air won't cause them to die as quickly.

lol..it's going to take more than a couple of weeks for your bristle worm population to level off. Remember that even if your fish are being spot fed (why?), they will still poop..that those worms will be cleaning that up too (yuck!)

How new is your tank and what size?
Unless you have a nano tank, you will find soon that lugging gallons of water gets tired fast. IMO a ro/di unit is oh so much easier to have right there at home, and you & your family can drink the stuff too! A win-win situation :spin:
They frequently are available on our For Sale Forum

 

[SaltyFlip]

POOOPP! YUM!:bablefish
I couldn't sleep at all last night. I had read the first 4 pages of google search results with hydroids and different combination of phrases. What a read! After I woke up this morning I plucked each Hydroid head individually and all that's left is the root system area, my tweezers won't fit. (In the process of taking out the rock and "cleaning" it I've managed to get one or two starfish and bristleworms...it didn't even have an effect on the population.) Anyway since it might rain today, I've decided to air-dry it starting next week in the sun by my window. I'll leave it there for a month and hopefully that should take care of it.:scratch:

I left for a fish-store with a mission to buy both Ca & Mg test kits in mind. When I got there I was totally mesmerized by their fish (both fresh and salt). Before I knew it I left the store, satisfied that I've observed their tanks and was about a corner away from home, when I realized I didn't have any test kits with me. What a bummer.:smash:

My tank is a 12 Gallon Nano Cube and it's been running for about 8 months in my location, and it was running for about 3 years at another location before the move. I actually always have a minimum of 2 - 1 gallon jugs each of top-off water and mixed saltwater. Right now I have about 5 each. It's not so bad since the store I buy it from is just a couple of blocks from me and it's always a good work-out especially if I use the stairs. I think I may stick with the gallon jugs since I usually buy them when there's a sale 2/$1 or 3/$1. I heard that the filter media's are somewhat expensive, I know it lasts for about 6 months to a year depending on usage. We only drink poland spring or deer park for some reason. Poland Spring has a natural distinct taste that it's kinda refreshing. So even if I do get the ro/di unit we won't be using that to drink our water.

I am off to staring at my fish tank again...Tha...:bigeyes:

 

[SaltyFlip]

Here are more Pics:

 

[Lenny718]

Nice pics and love the Stewie sig lol

 

[SaltyFlip]

Thanks Lenny, I love how you have Peter's qoute. Can't seem to remember which episode or even season that was on. Do you know it by any chance...would love to watch it.