Noob Questions w/Pics this time

[Gilghamesh]

Hey all,

Noob Gil here again. Finally got a camera and this seemed the more appropriate forum to post this LONG question thread. Sorry for how long it is but I have much to learn.

This is a 29 Gallon Oceanic Systems Biocube.
74-75 degree water temp
Specific gravity: fluctuates from 1.025-1.027
Still some low levels of Nitrate and Phosphorus
Lighting is standard, not sure on type but one daylight and one actinic
moonlight LED's included as well.

Pic 1 Shows tank setup: Feel free to comment on placement of anything you see that might not be ideal.

Pic 2: Orange Ricordia: My only real question here is in the center you see the white "stringy" things coming out of the month. That is nearly always the case. Is that good or bad? I can't find info on it anywhere.

Pic 3: Button polyps? Not sure but you will notice how some of the Polyps have been "chewed on" specifically the polyp on the far right on the one right behind it. Now if you look at the nice big one in the foreground, look to the left and will see another one slightly pulled in. In between them is a line of purple corraline algae. At the very top of that line is a little bump. That USED to be a HUGE Polyp. I can't find what's doing it but something in the tank is eating my Polyps. It has to be an invert of some kind because as far as I know Clownfish don't touch them.

More Q's and Pics on my reply below. When answering please refer to a pic so I know which question you are answering.

[Gilghamesh]

thread cont

Pic 4: These white spots have started appearing all over my tank. Here you can see them imbedded in the rock work. They are on the snail, hermits, and back walls as well. Is it possibly Calcium Buildup?

Pic 5: Any idea what this red flaky algae is? It just started appearing

That's about it. If anybody has any good advice on what might aid these creatures I would love to hear it. Right now I use Phytomax and Chromomax once a week each. I dose with Fuel for Corals twice a week, and green water every other day. Aside from feeding of course. I also give Lygols once a week for Iodine. I use Marine Snow for the filter feeders as well.

[Gilghamesh]

I FINALLY got a look at the hitchhiker crab who I think is eating my polyps. He's so freakin elusive though this is the best pic I could get. His shell looks a lot like a money conch.

Here is the Pic. Can anybody ID off of this?

Gil

[jenglish]

pic4: probably a calcium tube building filter worm... if you look very closely see if it looks like a tiny snail shell.

I can't ID the crab... but unknown crab + nibbled zoas = get him out just in case. chances are its him. pic 5 um that red flakey algae I have gotten on LR before. Mine jsut kinda went away so I can't really help you more than that

[Gilghamesh]

Awesome thanks Jenglish. On the pic 4 definitely not a worm. There are literally hundreds of them all over the tank. They are little white specks that have "grown" into crevices in the rocks and the backs of the snails and hermits. Any other idea on those perhaps?

[jenglish]

hmm.. after looking at the pic closer they don't look like the worms I have. I have 100s of them so I thought you might too . Its very unlikely that calcium would be precipitating out of your tank. Unless you are dosing calcium out of control. it is likely something making a shell out of calcium. Is it difficult to say more than that. Are they difficult to scrape off? I don't suppose they move? wish I could tell ya more. have you thought of how to remove the crab? the cup method works well for crabs

[icebear]

the white specs are snail egg sacs, nothing to worry about. maybe astrea snails?

the red flakey algae might be some sort of plating algae. it comes and goes in my tank too.

the crab is likely whats causing your polyps to disappear.

the ricordea look like they are expelling their zooxanthellae ... at least i have been told thats what it is, they do that when under stress... when you get them in shipment or change tanks they often do that, but it should get better within hours or a day, if not they may die. sometimes they just 'puke' it up and then pull it back in. but if you do a search on it you will get better info than i can offer.

[Gilghamesh]

thanks Icebear. They have been in there 2 months and done that since day one. Any advice on how to get them out of stress. Water params are good, maybe more light? I will keep searching too. I appreciate all your help

Gil

[Jadinop]

Just a few broad comments to maybe help solve some of your issues.

74 to 75 is on the low end for a reef tank. Is that with the lights on or off? Is your thermometer accurate? Most Biocubes tend to run on the warm side. A temp of 78-80 would be more inline with reef temperatures.

Specific gravity should be more stable. Water should be topped off everyday if not a few times a day. 1.025 is a good level to shoot for. What are you testing with? If it's a hydrometer, try to find someone with a refractometer to test your hydrometer against. Hydrometers can be off by a few points and once you find out how much, you can then compensate accordingly. Remember to topoff with RO/DI or something cleaner than tap water.

Your lights are ok. Are they on a timer? A consistent 8-10 hour lighting schedule is what you want to provide. Turning them on/off when you remember to is not good for corals.

I counted 5 different liquid foods that you are dosing. I wouldn't recommend using 1 of them let alone 5. Clean water and light is all your corals need to survive. A weekly water change will benefit your tank more than any of that stuff your dumping in there.

Get that crab out asap....

[Gilghamesh]

Wow great advice.

Actions taken so far:

Turned up heater to 78 degrees before leaving for work and the temp rose while away.

I don't top off that much because I can never really tell how much to add. I use Distilled water right now as I don't own a RO/DI filter. If I were to add daily how much would I add? I plan to buy a refractometer as soon as I can but I will try to keep my 1.025 more stable.

Lights are on a timer. The tank is in the lightless basement. I run the main lighting from 3pm to 12pm with the actinics coming on an hour before and staying on an hour later than the white lights.

Thanks for the heads up on the liquids. I guess I had some bad advice when I was told to use them to feed my filter feeders. I think I will continue with the calcium though unless you think otherwise. I will discontinue the rest immediately. I do weekly water changes of 5 gallons already so I should be good there.

Hunting the crab as we speak, hoping to catch him tonight. I don't have a sump or a refugium so I hope my LFS will house him in their big sump. I hate to see anything happen to him...not his fault I like to look at his food lol.

Keep the advice coming fellas. Assume I know nothing and don't hold back. You don't know how much I appreciate it.

Gil

[jenglish]

look for a clip on breeder. Its like a little plastic box for guppies and other livebearers so the mothers won't be loose in the tank eating babies. Most crabs can't get out of one of these if you get a deep enough one. For like 7 dollars they are worth having IMO

[Jadinop]

What are you using for calcium? Dosing with a good two part solution is a good idea. With the weekly water changes and the few soft corals you have it isn't an absolute necessity at this point. What brand salt are you using? If you started using a salt like Reef Crystals (has extra calcium and elements already in it) for your weekly water changes, you can probably do away with the calcium dosing. Remember that you should really only dose what you test for.