Tons of featherdusters and coraline question

[eww]

Lately, even with some of the recent challenges, we have had a major outbreak of featerdusters. They are everywhere and multiplying. Is this a sign of good or bad and can they actually become a nuisance because of quantity?

Also, how long does it take for Coraline to start growing noticeably. I'm sure it has a lot to do with parameters and such but none of those have been that far out of sync for very long.

 

[ac7av]

I don’t believe the little feather dusters are bad. They are good filter feeders but it can be an indication of a lot of nutrients in the water if they are exploding in populations in the tank.

 

[ac7av]

Be careful of what you wish for on the coraline algae. Once it starts you will be cursing it all the way to the scraper. Some people say its evil. I have tried to keep it out of the tank but unfortunately I think I got some green in the tank.

8 months now and I think I’m seeing some speckling on the glass that will not come off with out a lot of elbow grease.

 

[NC2WA]

feather dusters are good filter feeders..they will not harm the tank..

Coralline algae is a "depends" question..coralline algae needs a reasonable and consistent calcium level and good lighting..I started to notice in my tank 6 months after my tank was running..

 

[blk822822]

I like the coriline on the rock but not on my glass. And featherdusters are a sign of high nutrient levels in the tank. The more food for them the faster they will grow and spread. I had coriline start to grow pretty fast and then I started to dose vodka and the coriine stopped and my SPS started to polyp out very well. But I cut down on the vodka and now I have great polyp extension on all my corals and some coriline algae. I like the colors of the coriline on the rock. So I'm trying to keep a happy medium for the low nutrient corals and the stuff that like some nutrient rich water. It's working well so far.

 

[eww]

So I am assuming a lot of nutrients in the system is a good thing???

 

[ac7av]

I think what we normally try to do is remove the nutrients from the water with filters skimmers and similar items and replace it with controlled feeding. You probably would see it on some ammonia test if it was too high or maybe a buildup of DOM in the water from a lack of skimming. How much has your skimmer been producing?

 

[blk822822]

To much nutrients in the water don't get used up and then break down into waste like ammoina, nitrates , phos, exc. and cause algae and stuff like that. Are you running a good skimmer??? Good flow will keep the waste suspended in the water so it can get to a filter or skimmer.

 

[blk822822]

O I see you do have a skimmer

 

[eww]

Skimmer runs 24/7. We feed twice a day, morning and night. The skimmer hasn't been producing much but we are pretty new with 6 fish and 3 shrimp. What it does make is some pretty nasty stuff. I cleaned it about 3 days or so ago and there's about 1" of skimate in the cup tonight. Maybe I should turn up the foam a bit to try and pull more. We did just loose a yellow tang the other day after he seemed perfectly healthy for almost 3 weeks but we got it out of the tank. It was weird. It seemed like he was swimming around like always and bam he was dead. I did a full regiment of tests that night and the ammonia was at 0.1. That was 2 nights ago. I haven't retested ammonia since.

 

[blk822822]

I dont know about those skimmers ,but I have a reefoctopus NW150 and a 90 gal tank and I have to dump mine everyday. About 1 1/2 cups of skimmate, but I run mine alittle wet. I also feed alot for corals and fish. Are you test kits good ones and not to old? And with just a few fish and such you dont have much to worry about. But if you loose a fish then somethings wrong, if it was a healthy fish. JMO

 

[NC2WA]

Nutrients:

What are the levels for the following:
Nitrates?
Nitrites?
Ammonia?
Phosphate?

Ammonia and Nitrites should be zero, but you will get some people that say there is always a small undetectable amount of ammonia in your tank..

If levels are off or in a bad range, a good 20-30% water change will take care of most issues.

 

[blk822822]

O and do you have good current in your tank to keep the food from building up in areas and breaking down. You want enough current to keep stuff suspended in the water colum and not building up behind rocks. Take a turkey baster and blow water on your rocks and see if a bunch of stuff gets blown out.
And what kinda water are you using tap or RO??

 

[eww]

Nutrients:

What are the levels for the following:
Nitrates?
Nitrites?
Ammonia?
Phosphate?

Ammonia and Nitrites should be zero, but you will get some people that say there is always a small undetectable amount of ammonia in your tank..

If levels are off or in a bad range, a good 20-30% water change will take care of most issues.

Kirk,

We just did a water change on Monday. About 20%. That's the same day the fish died. Levels were:

NH4 0.1
NO2 0
No3 0
PO4 0

All tests are Elos and within expiration dates.

 

[eww]

O and do you have good current in your tank to keep the food from building up in areas and breaking down. You want enough current to keep stuff suspended in the water colum and not building up behind rocks. Take a turkey baster and blow water on your rocks and see if a bunch of stuff gets blown out.
And what kinda water are you using tap or RO??

We have 2 K3's, one at the top of each side pointing at the front center of the glass and one k1 behind the rocks pointing straight out at the front of the glass. Lots of flow collision and rondomness. There is also a return of about 300gph in the top corner pointing 45 degrees downward and at the front. Nothing seems to settle on the sandbed and I blew at the rock with a turkey baster today and nothing comes loose.

 

[eww]

And what kinda water are you using tap or RO??

And we use RO from a good clean machine at the store and only with filters that have been changed within 10 days or less.

 

[blk822822]

Maybe nothing to woory about. Maybe the tang was sick when you got it. I had a Kole tang for 3 months and then it looked like it got velvet and just disapeared in my tank. I have featherdusters also but not to many. I think I have a fish that takes care of them. I think I read that a sixline will eat them.Dusters arn't bad anyways. I'd like to have a co co worm or a large hawaiin feather duster but never had good luck with them in the past.

 

[psb]

Yellow tangs can be disease prone and it could have nothing to do with the water. Typically, fish will last two to three weeks and suddenly go dead. It is probably mostly that they havent or wont adapt to captivity and have some disease or parasites. Quarantine tanks are a great way to rule problems out. Medicate and treat before intro to the main display.

 

[NC2WA]

want enough current to keep stuff suspended in the water colum and not building up behind rocks.

sounds like you have good flow..the only thing I would add to bill's statement, is your want stuff suspended in the water column so it will go into your overflow and then to your skimmer...

How dark is your skimmate??

if you are getting a sufficient amount of good dark skimmate, this is what you want.

how often do yo clean your skimmer? (that is, collection cup, and shaft)?

 

[eww]

It is really dark like cola and nasty smelling. I have to clean it every 5-7 days or so.

BTW... I found one of our Fire Shrimp dead this morning as well. We tested for ammonia again and it's not quite zero but not 0.1 either so probably like 0.05 which is lower than the 0.1 it was two days ago.