Tank turned 41 years old
- Thread starter Paul B
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Now that I can see it better I know that "Slug" is a nudibranch and is probably snacking on my colt coral.
On another note:
Yesterday I collected a batch of mud from the Long Island Sound. I had to try a few different places because in some places below 1/4" there is hydrogen sulfide. Those places are where the mud is too fine and no oxygen can penetrate. I found another place which was sandier and was perfect. The hydrogen sulfide was down about 6" so I colllected above that.
Under a microscope the mud is teeming with tiny worms, pods and an assortment of other life. Some of this I added to my reef.
I also had some mud which I collected about 6 months ago and I checked that out under the microscope also. That older mud had lost much of it's life. I knew that it would being it was in a small container for a long time with hardly any food input.
On another note:
Yesterday I collected a batch of mud from the Long Island Sound. I had to try a few different places because in some places below 1/4" there is hydrogen sulfide. Those places are where the mud is too fine and no oxygen can penetrate. I found another place which was sandier and was perfect. The hydrogen sulfide was down about 6" so I colllected above that.
Under a microscope the mud is teeming with tiny worms, pods and an assortment of other life. Some of this I added to my reef.
I also had some mud which I collected about 6 months ago and I checked that out under the microscope also. That older mud had lost much of it's life. I knew that it would being it was in a small container for a long time with hardly any food input.
A couple of days ago something spawned in my tank at night. Not a fish because I can usually see when they spawn but probably the urchins or a coral. I can tell by the smell.
Usually a salt tank has kind of a fresh salty smell but I immediately noticed an odor and the water was slightly milky.
I know from experience that it was not the smell of something dead but the unmistakable musty odor of a spawning.
Another clue was that the corals looked better than usual, not worse.
The smell disapated in a day with no help from me and the water cleared. Yesterday a pair of gobies spawned but those eggs stay in one place and do not smell. Not in the small amount that gobies lay anyway.
I know the smell of spawning from when 24 urchins all spawned at the same time.
Also my skimmer was pumping out a lot of waste which was whatever eggs or sperm was in the water.
I have been away for a few days and diden't notice anything that looked like it was ready to spawn but sometimes it is hard to tell.
There are things I discover in my tank occasionally and don't know if they came from local water or the tropics.
I have not added local water since last fall and no rocks in years, or decades. I did add some corals and I assume some of these things came in with them as babies.
Spawnings are usually a good sign but urchins will spawn in response to changing water conditions.
Have a great day.
Paul
Usually a salt tank has kind of a fresh salty smell but I immediately noticed an odor and the water was slightly milky.
I know from experience that it was not the smell of something dead but the unmistakable musty odor of a spawning.
Another clue was that the corals looked better than usual, not worse.
The smell disapated in a day with no help from me and the water cleared. Yesterday a pair of gobies spawned but those eggs stay in one place and do not smell. Not in the small amount that gobies lay anyway.
I know the smell of spawning from when 24 urchins all spawned at the same time.
Also my skimmer was pumping out a lot of waste which was whatever eggs or sperm was in the water.
I have been away for a few days and diden't notice anything that looked like it was ready to spawn but sometimes it is hard to tell.
There are things I discover in my tank occasionally and don't know if they came from local water or the tropics.
I have not added local water since last fall and no rocks in years, or decades. I did add some corals and I assume some of these things came in with them as babies.
Spawnings are usually a good sign but urchins will spawn in response to changing water conditions.
Have a great day.
Paul
To update those 5 bumblebee gobies, they are all going great and now for some reason they spread out all over the tank. Ever since I have had them they hid around the right side of the tank toward the back. Now they swim around like "regular" fish.
They still stay a few inches apart from each other though.
One of my larger gobies spawned the other day so they had a feast. They battle their way around the larger fish to get to worms and they still get new born brine every day as all the fish do. I think I can say that these gobies can acclimate to full salt and can live in it indefinately. They are very colorful and striking, peaceful toward other fish, easy to feed, (as long as you give them meaty foods) and real cheap. What else can you ask for?
They still stay a few inches apart from each other though.
One of my larger gobies spawned the other day so they had a feast. They battle their way around the larger fish to get to worms and they still get new born brine every day as all the fish do. I think I can say that these gobies can acclimate to full salt and can live in it indefinately. They are very colorful and striking, peaceful toward other fish, easy to feed, (as long as you give them meaty foods) and real cheap. What else can you ask for?
Myteemouse
NOTHING
well done very nice....
MGDMIRAGE
Shoulda been a fish!
glad to hear they are all alive yet
Another update on this old thread. My bluestripped pipefish are again full of eggs which happens every month or so and that urchin again stole that coral, but this time he left it in the dark in a place where I can't get to unless I dis mantle the tank which I am not going to do. I think he will pick it up again and deposit it in a place where I can get it so I can glue it to an even larger rock.
Today before the lights came on I noticed a slug of some type about an inch long that had a small shell on it's back. I forgot what you call them but they are kind of a half snail and half slug.
As soon as I put the flashlight beam on him he ran away. Well slithered away. I never saw him again or that other nudibranch that I posted a month ago.
I also noticed today a large colony of fan worms. I first thought they were corals but they are red fan worms. I usually find these under rocks but these are up on top of the rocks so they may be a different type.
All 5 bumblebees are doing fine and they swim all over the place.
My bubble coral fell onto the green star polyps (no doubt with help from that urchin) and the bubble lost about 2 square inches of flesh. The star polyps look fine. Just one of the pitfalls of a reef.
I hope everyone is well.
Have a great day.
Paul
Today before the lights came on I noticed a slug of some type about an inch long that had a small shell on it's back. I forgot what you call them but they are kind of a half snail and half slug.
As soon as I put the flashlight beam on him he ran away. Well slithered away. I never saw him again or that other nudibranch that I posted a month ago.
I also noticed today a large colony of fan worms. I first thought they were corals but they are red fan worms. I usually find these under rocks but these are up on top of the rocks so they may be a different type.
All 5 bumblebees are doing fine and they swim all over the place.
My bubble coral fell onto the green star polyps (no doubt with help from that urchin) and the bubble lost about 2 square inches of flesh. The star polyps look fine. Just one of the pitfalls of a reef.
I hope everyone is well.
Have a great day.
Paul
gotfish
Well-known member
Stomatella is what I think you were talking about.
MGDMIRAGE
Shoulda been a fish!
wow hes a skinny fellow..
I know I talk alot about blackworms, (I know I talk a lot anyway)
But I have been feeding these things to my fish since Nixon was President, (just after Lincoln)
They are filled with the correct oil our fish need and I personally would not be able to have a tank of breeding fish if it were not for them. Any fish I want to get into breeding condition in a couple of weeks I just feed it live worms. (Blood worms are not worms and it will not work) Live worms are cheap and available in most pet shops, on the east coast anyway.
They only live about ten seconds in saltwater so they need to be target fed.
But another use for these fantastic oil filled creatures is for feeding corals. I feed these to bubble corals and any type of cup coral that normally will eat. A couple of worms on their disk causes the animal to slowly close up. Of course the fish gobble up the worms fast so I have to trick the coral to close by touching their outer rim. When the coral closes enough so that there is only a small hole left, I shoot 15 or so worms in there. Then the coral closes fully and re opens in about 45 minutes with a big smile on his face. Well somewhat.
Here he is just after a meal.
This is the same animal, but this picture is old, the coral is almost twice this size now which is about 9" across.
Of course one of these helps greatly and I could not have a reef without it.
I also feed Bubble corals with this method. I just shoot a few worms between some large bubbles and some tentacles start to emerge. Then I shoot a few worms in a few different places. The corals open larger and much better looking.
But I have been feeding these things to my fish since Nixon was President, (just after Lincoln)
They are filled with the correct oil our fish need and I personally would not be able to have a tank of breeding fish if it were not for them. Any fish I want to get into breeding condition in a couple of weeks I just feed it live worms. (Blood worms are not worms and it will not work) Live worms are cheap and available in most pet shops, on the east coast anyway.
They only live about ten seconds in saltwater so they need to be target fed.
But another use for these fantastic oil filled creatures is for feeding corals. I feed these to bubble corals and any type of cup coral that normally will eat. A couple of worms on their disk causes the animal to slowly close up. Of course the fish gobble up the worms fast so I have to trick the coral to close by touching their outer rim. When the coral closes enough so that there is only a small hole left, I shoot 15 or so worms in there. Then the coral closes fully and re opens in about 45 minutes with a big smile on his face. Well somewhat.
Here he is just after a meal.
This is the same animal, but this picture is old, the coral is almost twice this size now which is about 9" across.
Of course one of these helps greatly and I could not have a reef without it.
I also feed Bubble corals with this method. I just shoot a few worms between some large bubbles and some tentacles start to emerge. Then I shoot a few worms in a few different places. The corals open larger and much better looking.
Myteemouse
NOTHING
love it soo nice
MGDMIRAGE
Shoulda been a fish!
tank looks great
My algae trough seems to be doing exactly what it is supposed to do. It is full of algae, it looks like a combination of hair algae and some other type but absolutely none of it is growing in my reef as you can see by this picture I took two days ago.
Mullinsd2, I will do what I can from my experience. What would you like to know?
I can't really write all that I have learned unless I know what you are keeping, what system you are using (and why) and what you would like to keep.
You also may not like my ways. Some consider my methods a little radical. I started this way before internets or computers so I did it all on trial and error.
For instance, I use a reverse UG filter considered by many to be laughable. That is how I consider DSBs.
I can't really write all that I have learned unless I know what you are keeping, what system you are using (and why) and what you would like to keep.
You also may not like my ways. Some consider my methods a little radical. I started this way before internets or computers so I did it all on trial and error.
For instance, I use a reverse UG filter considered by many to be laughable. That is how I consider DSBs.
Well, I have a 4 to 5 inch sand bed in a 45 gallon (tall). I am currently going through the cycle. My filtration consists of live rock, and an Aqua C Remora protein skimmer. I have two hydor k 3s for flow in the tank as well. Diatoms are just now showing up on the sand and rock; some places are more prominent than others. My lighting is normal T5, but I am currently saving up for T5 HO lights to keep corals! My plan for stocking includes the following, and it is open to recomendations (this is where you can chime in at any time!): 2 or 1 false clown(s), one royal gramma, and a pygmy fire angel (i know they can be nippy at corals so this is a maybe) and a Yellow watchman goby and pistol shrimp pair.
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