wasp

If they are a problem, I wonder if Joes Juice would get rid of them?

Chris, that stuff in little vials you are using, did you say once mixed you are storing it in the fridge for a week?

I know there is sps also But the tank is slanted towards softies, lps gorgonians, and I would expect that to be the aim in such a skimmerless sytem. Also, I have no idea what the filtration is, but I'm going to stick my neck out and bet there will be a major refugium plus chemical filtration such as carbon. No problem with that, can do an excellent job, and if well run, almost negate any advantage from a skimmer. But to tell a starting reefer it is a good idea to go skimmerless is just not quite the whole deal.

Well I would like a tank like that, I better throw away my skimmer! But seriously, the tank is primarily softies, lps, gorgonians, which may prosper in that type of system. I presume it will have a major refugium plus chemical filtration such as carbon. However it is interesting to note that the biggest commercial promoters of that type of skimmerless systems, Miracle Mud, have done an about face and now make and recommend skimmers. Going skimmerless has it's applications, such as not removing food for gorgonians, but these are specialist areas for those with a particular interest. I think many new reefers start out thinking they can do it without a skimmer also, thinking this is "natural", but end up getting tired of cleaning algae off the glass every day and get a skimmer. And Ray, good luck with getting the skimmer, but once you find something you like, do ask here before purchase. There are skimmers, and skimmers. Also, a skimmer will not clean up your tank overnight, but it is a major part of the long term strategy.

Yes I guess that makes sense. But what about the slime etc that comes with uncooked mussel but will not be eaten by the fish. Would that not be a source of nutrient addition to the tank?

Hi Ray, here's a thing about mysid shrimp, http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/ ... reeder.htm although they are a lot smaller and faster than these photos make them appear. Here's a photo of cyano growing on this guys rock and sand http://www.aquariumadvice.com/photopost ... photo=8830 and here's an article about cyano http://netclub.athiel.com/cyano/cyanos2.htm One easy fix for cyano is a product you buy in the shop that kills it, but you should NOT do it this way. The reason is that it kills the cyano, releasing all the nutrients back into the tank and in a few weeks when the chemical you put in has stopped working, the cyano will likely return with a vengeance. If you do not have a skimmer, do look at getting one, in my opinion this is the single most important piece of equipment to keep a clean healthy tank. There are rumors of healthy tanks with no skimmer, but I've yet to see one that really measures up by todays standards. From my own experience, I know that some of these problems such as cyano and algae can be quite discouraging and seem impossible to beat. But concentrate on keeping your tank nutrient low, keep reading and asking questions, and these problems will become a distant memory.

I lightly boil the mussels first, just to get them solid enough to be able to grate them with a cheese grater. But I've always thought raw would be better, Cookie Extreme how do you deal to the raw ones? I know you're a Chef so I'm sure you have some chopping technique mastered! I'd like to know how to get them into bite sized chunks, but not pureed.

Why get rid of them? I thought they were pretty cool. I never had enough to be a pest.

Actually I just took another look at your first post, if they are fast, they are probably mysid shrimps, another beneficial scavenger that will again provide live food to your fish.

Pods, I should have said copepods, they are little critters that run around in your tank, exactly as you describe. They are beneficial scavengers, part of the wonder of the little ecosystem which is our tank. They are also a great source of live food for your fish when you get them. The black stuff, well I'll bet it's really a dark purply red, is probably cyano bacteria. It is unsightly but is not harmful unless it covers things from the light. It is a mass of photosynthetic bacteria that grow when the tank is overloaded with nutrients. It should be syphoned, this will remove it along with the nutrients it contains. Of course, more will grow as long as you have sufficient nutrients, so you need to work on your nutrient control. IE, skimming, etc.

I think you got pods, and cyano.

Looking good Craig! What's that red, under the green mushroom, upper left?

Very interesting Interfecus, once you get started you MUST run a thread on that study for the benefit of the rest of us. I'll definately want to read about it, zooxanthellae are at the root of so much we do, and yet many hardly know they exist.

. This may not be of interest to everyone, but to those interested in some of the processes happening actually inside their coral, read on... http://zeovit.com/forums/showthread.php ... ge=1&pp=15 .

I had some by accident around 5 ish years ago when I had a cold water tank. After a storm I collected some sponges and other stuff from the rocky area below Cheltenham beach. After it was established in the tank, a number of hydroids became apparent. The ones I had were somewhat similar in appearance to an aptaisia, but nowhere near as resilient. I suspect they were non photosynthetic although not sure. They would consume food if I fed them although it was difficult as they were so slow to grab it.

. ENJOY !! http://zeovit.com/forums/showthread.php ... ge=1&pp=15 .

Cheers Fay. Yes I figured you didn't see it. The other thread you started was pretty interesting, I showed my wife the pics & now she wants to go there. But I'm like you - small business, hard to get away. BTW, how did you organise the care of your tank while you were away?

I've got little bits and pieces of that orange monti all over the place, mainly because I'm clumsy and keep breaking it. Anyhow, the ones with most light are the most bright orange, although my lights are only 150 watt DE 10,000k. The ones kicking around on the bottom tend to be brown(ish).

The adaptation arguement was put forward, however the scientific opinion was that the forecast changes will be too fast to give many species the chance to adapt, hence the likelihood of extinctions. All due to human activity too.

I watched an interesting piece in the midday news today, not sure if it was on again at night. There were some lovely reef shots, but the news was bad. Apparently the sea is becoming acid. The reason is that Co2 in the air is increasing, we actually have 20% more Co2 in the air than we did 50 years ago. This is soaking into the sea, and making it more acid. It had not been realised until recently, but this is part of why a lot of reefs are suffering, it is just another stressor on them. The scientist they interviewed said the outlook was bleak, the problem is likely to get a lot worse and may result in mass extinctions of vulnerable species.

Hmmm yes, vitamins and minerals. A little broad though would you not say? How much else could there be? Other than vitamins and minerals? To actually tell us something we want to know it would go beyond some common substances, and vitamins, and minerals.

What's in it? It's a secret! :lol: :lol: :lol: Seems a bit of the good stuff is a secret!

I've dosed both Reef Solutions and the Salifert Trace and Salifert Amino Acids on my frag tanks. I found the reef Solutions to be beneficial/great for most softies and lps, little effect on sps. But to be honest I found no noticeable effect from the Salifert products, except perhaps, an coraline algae.

Yes I remember being a little dissapointed when I dove in Indonesia, most of the stuff was brown, even the anemones. I think it's like my wifes flower garden. She wants it to look great so she buys all the colorful stuff. So coral collectors are going to target the nice colors also.

Wow! All the effort I'm putting in trying to grow those things, and there they are, just laying around! Does anyone keep reef tanks over there? (other than the commercial exporters)