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03-13-2005, 04:22 PM
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#1
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Plankton
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: maryland
Posts: 15
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what is this crap??
i have some weird rusty-reddish looking "stuff" growing on my live sand. What exactyl is this? It has already begun to grow and spread on some smaller rocks in the front. Is this stuff bad?
thnx
BjW
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03-13-2005, 07:03 PM
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#2
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photomod
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Montana
Posts: 5,898
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From the sounds of it, I'd say you have cyanobacteria, search TRT or google for it.
It's not bad but it can be if it gets out of control, It can cover your corals and starve them of light.
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03-13-2005, 11:32 PM
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#3
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Plankton
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Saint Marys, West Virginia
Posts: 18
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How long has your tank been set up? Sounds to me like diatoms. Is it stringy? Don't let it get on your corals as was mentioned earlier. If your tank setup is fairly new, then it is just cycling. Diatoms live off of silicates in the water. They will eventually starve themselves by using up all the silicates in the tank. And just about all will disapear(you may still have some here and there.) Try, though, to keep it cleaned up if it gets to out of hand.
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03-14-2005, 01:39 PM
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#4
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Plankton
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: maryland
Posts: 15
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what is this crap??
ill look up both things. It isn't stringy, but when i broke it up yesterday, it broke off the sand like a form of skin, but when i cleaned it up yesterday, most of it came back today. this tank wasnt mine orginally. I've only had it about 2 weeks, but it's been set up for about 2 months, i would say..
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03-14-2005, 09:01 PM
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#5
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Plankton
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Saint Marys, West Virginia
Posts: 18
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Hmmm. Sorry, I don't know what that is. I don't think I have seen anything like that before. Would be interesting to find out, though
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03-14-2005, 09:50 PM
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#7
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Plankton
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Saint Marys, West Virginia
Posts: 18
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I got to thinking about what you called skin. If it left the sand kind of lightly "cemented" together, then I have seen it before. It was in my sons salt water fish tank. Yes it is diatoms. I wouldn't worry. It's just a nuisance for a while. Just clean it up if i gets out of hand. Thanks for the link. Good luck.
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03-15-2005, 03:44 PM
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#8
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Plankton
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: maryland
Posts: 15
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thnx for the link. It said the red-legged hermit it best for eating this stuff. The only problem is that i have 5 hermits, and 4 snails. All of which avoid coming near it. i also have 2 peppermint shrimp, they avoid it too.
does anyone know anything about a peppermint shrimp about to drop a couple hundred eggs?? |
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03-15-2005, 06:17 PM
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#9
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photomod
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Montana
Posts: 5,898
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by P3nnywise_dncingclwn
does anyone know anything about a peppermint shrimp about to drop a couple hundred eggs??
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Yes, once the eggs hatch siphon the fry out and raise them like brine shrimp.
Here's a link to an article for raising them.
I was able to raise about 30 from a hundred or so, sold them all for $2 a piece to my LFS.
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03-15-2005, 08:07 PM
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#10
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Plankton
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: maryland
Posts: 15
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thnx
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03-15-2005, 10:22 PM
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#11
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Plankton
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: In a house
Posts: 36
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The bloom will actually fix itself with some time, as quick as it appeared, it will disappear. Mine comes and goes, make sure you are not over feeding and your water changes are on schedule. That stuff will go away as fast as it appeared.
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03-15-2005, 11:15 PM
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#12
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Plankton
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: maryland
Posts: 15
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yea, i just noticed today, one of my turbo snails munching away at some of it on one of the smaller rocks. I cleaned up most of it by hand yesterday. it seems to be more under control now.
thnx for the help guys.
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03-21-2005, 10:35 PM
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#13
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squid
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Alabama
Posts: 6
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This is actually extremely common. I work at a pet store inthe salt water department... this algae is just one of the many algae's that a tank normally has appear when it is trying to get settled... A good power head and water movement through the tank helps to keep it from settling and spreading through the tank. Its just one of thos nuissances you have to deal with until the tank just gets settled...  |
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