Not-so-mad-March Madness - 15 days of Q&A - Contest Answer Thread!!

[NanoReefer411]

Nothing worked for me except my copperband. =( I tried boiling water, vinegar, manually removing, and covering them with epoxy. They find a way to come back.

 

[SaltwaterNoobs]

Hmmm...I think we all missed question 13. I was sleeping

For what it's worth, though, I'd say your dKH is fine (on the lower end, but in general it is suggested to aim between 8 and 12). Your Mg. is also fine, as it is recommended to have b/w 1250 and 1350 ppm's. But your calcium is low - natural seawater has Ca levels around 420. To raise your calcium, you can do:

Water change
Add calcium chloride
Add Fiji Gold Coral and Live Rock Supplement
Add liquid calcium supplement (like Kent's, C-balance, Seachem reef complete, etc)
Kalkwasser
I don't know anything about calcium reactors, but I would imagine there is something you can change out in them, like if it is too old and needs to be replaced.

 

[jrgilles]

Red legged "hairy" hermit (Dardanus megistos)
Whitespotted hermit

same beast

Dardanus megistos, the white-spotted hermit crab or spotted hermit crab, is a species of hermit crab, living in reefs in the Indo-Pacific region from Africa to the South China Sea and Hawaii.
Dardanus megistos - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[jrgilles]

Do a large water change.

You could also dose a calcium supplement or kalkwasser to raise the Calcium, which is what is out of balance here. Raising the Ca will also raise the dKH though, to the higher end of acceptable (which is why I suggested a water change.)

 

[returnofsid]

You are not balanced, but are in what's known as zone 3. This is typically caused by an overdose in Alkalinity. The best course of action would be to raise your Calcium, while watching your Alk. Once you have your Calcium closer to a proper level, between 380 and 430, you should slightly raise your Alkalinity. You Magnesium level is just fine, if slightly high. Let it fall naturally.

 

[MGDMIRAGE]

Bump calcium up to 380-420 range, the rest of the parameters are fine.

 

[returnofsid]

Using Kalk will result in both Calcium and Alk being raised. You don't want to use Kalk unless you're balanced, which you aren't. Using the proper Calcium supplement will allow you to raise Ca without raising Alk.

 

[eww]

Dose Ca using a calcium supplement,like randy's recipe, brs, and many others that will not raise the Alk. The Alk and Mag are in the proper balance.

 

[kevnkev]

If it's not too late to slide this in...

Alk and Mg are fine as is, so add a calcium supplement to bring Ca up into ~400 range.

 

[estanoche]

You are not balanced, but are in what's known as zone 3. This is typically caused by an overdose in Alkalinity. The best course of action would be to raise your Calcium, while watching your Alk. Once you have your Calcium closer to a proper level, between 380 and 430, you should slightly raise your Alkalinity. You Magnesium level is just fine, if slightly high. Let it fall naturally.

I like returnofsid's response best - Although all of your answers are great! Basically, CA is out of balance, do something that is appropriate for your tank to level it back out!

And, the leaderboard... since I was sneaky I gave you guys a few extra hours and accepted all responses before 9 AM

kevnkev 190
jrgilles 185
eww 140
returnofsid 116
SaltwaterNoobs 90
krisfal 52
spllbnd2 13
rukis 13
mgdmirage 15
mercenary-grunt 3
coolwaves 3

 

[returnofsid]

HAHAHA good thing because I don't think a single one of us got our answers in during the 6 hour window!

 

[SaltwaterNoobs]

Question 14: pyramidellid (aka pyramid) snails

 

[rukis]

Pyramid Snails. *pyramidellid*

 

[jrgilles]

pyramid snails (pyramidellidae)

 

[returnofsid]

The dreaded Pyramid Snails (Pyramidellidae sp.)

 

[kevnkev]

Pyramidellid snails (who I just learned are not true snails, but are opisthobranchs - the group that also includes nudibranchs and other sea slugs)

 

[MGDMIRAGE]

Yep Pyramid snails which thankfully I've never had.

 

[eww]

pyramidellid snails, better known as pyrams to hobbyists, and include members of the genera Pyrgiscus, Turbonilla and Tathrella (Cumming 1998).

 

[estanoche]

And, the answers are: Pyramidellid snails - manual inspection, cleaning, some predatory wrasses, good water quality, quarantining in special containers (to keep the clam away from the sandbed), and freshwater dips are some common treatment practices to ride yourself of these pests....

 

[estanoche]

And - new leaderboard - its still close... maybe tomorrow's question will determine our winner!!

kevnkev 195
jrgilles 190
eww 145
returnofsid 121
SaltwaterNoobs 95
krisfal 52
mgdmirage 20
rukis 18
spllbnd2 13
mercenary-grunt 3
coolwaves 3