KelseyMarie125
New Member
Hey Reef2Reef Community! I’m a total Newb to the hobby and I had no idea HOW much I was getting into when buying a saltwater tank! So far I’m really enjoying it, just wishing I’d had a better head start with more understanding and better advice on dipping/quarantine and how to make sure the live rock I bought was pest free.
It seems you can never stop learning in this hobby, and a lot of things are quite confusing and make me feel very uneducated! Anyhow. I’ve had my tank now 5 months and started adding some corals 1 by 1 after about 6 weeks up until now.
I’m starting to realize, after researching things on Reef2Reef, that I haven’t always been given the best advice from my LFS. I live in a small town and we only have 1 place to go.
When I bought my 7gal tank set up In March 2022, I was instructed to use Aragonite, “ready to go” liverock, and already mixed salt water, add to tank, and wait a few weeks before adding anything. I was not instructed to do anything with the liverock to avoid potential pests. After about 6 weeks, noticed an aptasia anemone, got a peppermint shrimp and he ate it, no problems with aptasia since. The shrimp unfortunately died during his first molt. Also got my cleanup crew. Since then, little by little have added a few corals. I asked about dipping and was told there was no need….. wishing I had done it anyways based off of what I am now reading online.
A couple months ago the only person at that store that was experienced left, and as of today their tanks and corals do NOT look good, tons of aptasia, red flat worms and bristle worms, and lots of their corals are dying. Wish I had a LFS that was thriving with great advice but It seems from now on I need to resort to here. I don’t plan on putting anything else from there in the tank anymore due to its size, I did buy a clownfish pair today as it was in a separate tank from the corals that seemed clean. Acclimated them for 30 minutes, then added some of the water from my tank into their bag for 10 more minutes, then pulled them out with a net and dumped that water, and they seem to be doing good so far.
what I have:
2 hermit crabs
2 Astrea Snails
1 Hammer Coral (not sure what kind)
1 Super Sonic Zoa
1 Unknown Zoa (greenish yellow center and orange rim, couldn’t get a good pic as it’s very small and in the back)
1 Ninja Turtle Chalice
1 X-mas Chalice
2 New Clowns
Current Parameters:
Temp 76
Salinity 1.023
Mag 1400
Ca 420
Kh 9
Using RedSea Foundation Pro test kit, and have AquaVitro 8.4, Calcification, and Fuel.
So I have a few things I would like to address and get some advice on. Possible pests, and help with 1 of my corals. I found 1 bristle worm in my last water change, pulled it out, haven’t seen more since and keeping my eye out for dreaded red flat worm I saw infesting their coral tank, hopefully won’t get any from not dipping my last coral after what I recently saw at the store today. But what I am noticing are a few I think Vermetid Snails, no feather duster, but do see the string like mucus coming out, and then hard snails with red feather dusters, a couple just like that with white feather dusters, a couple scuds, and then some sort of soft whitish clear sponge in a few different areas, one at the base of my hammer coral but doesn’t seem to be bothering it.
My corals seem to be doing good other than my Ninja Turtle Chalice has lost a lot of its original color and turning kind of orange-ish, but still nice and puffed up and has actually had new growth over an old skeletal portion it had when I first got it (will post pic of when I got it and now) not sure if the color change is a lighting issue, or is possibly too close to Xmas chalice, or getting affected by the possible nearby Vermetid circled near the recent pic of the chalice.
I know this is a long post addressing multiple things, so I really appreciate anyone who has the time to give some advice! TIA!!!!!
It seems you can never stop learning in this hobby, and a lot of things are quite confusing and make me feel very uneducated! Anyhow. I’ve had my tank now 5 months and started adding some corals 1 by 1 after about 6 weeks up until now.
I’m starting to realize, after researching things on Reef2Reef, that I haven’t always been given the best advice from my LFS. I live in a small town and we only have 1 place to go.
When I bought my 7gal tank set up In March 2022, I was instructed to use Aragonite, “ready to go” liverock, and already mixed salt water, add to tank, and wait a few weeks before adding anything. I was not instructed to do anything with the liverock to avoid potential pests. After about 6 weeks, noticed an aptasia anemone, got a peppermint shrimp and he ate it, no problems with aptasia since. The shrimp unfortunately died during his first molt. Also got my cleanup crew. Since then, little by little have added a few corals. I asked about dipping and was told there was no need….. wishing I had done it anyways based off of what I am now reading online.
A couple months ago the only person at that store that was experienced left, and as of today their tanks and corals do NOT look good, tons of aptasia, red flat worms and bristle worms, and lots of their corals are dying. Wish I had a LFS that was thriving with great advice but It seems from now on I need to resort to here. I don’t plan on putting anything else from there in the tank anymore due to its size, I did buy a clownfish pair today as it was in a separate tank from the corals that seemed clean. Acclimated them for 30 minutes, then added some of the water from my tank into their bag for 10 more minutes, then pulled them out with a net and dumped that water, and they seem to be doing good so far.
what I have:
2 hermit crabs
2 Astrea Snails
1 Hammer Coral (not sure what kind)
1 Super Sonic Zoa
1 Unknown Zoa (greenish yellow center and orange rim, couldn’t get a good pic as it’s very small and in the back)
1 Ninja Turtle Chalice
1 X-mas Chalice
2 New Clowns
Current Parameters:
Temp 76
Salinity 1.023
Mag 1400
Ca 420
Kh 9
Using RedSea Foundation Pro test kit, and have AquaVitro 8.4, Calcification, and Fuel.
So I have a few things I would like to address and get some advice on. Possible pests, and help with 1 of my corals. I found 1 bristle worm in my last water change, pulled it out, haven’t seen more since and keeping my eye out for dreaded red flat worm I saw infesting their coral tank, hopefully won’t get any from not dipping my last coral after what I recently saw at the store today. But what I am noticing are a few I think Vermetid Snails, no feather duster, but do see the string like mucus coming out, and then hard snails with red feather dusters, a couple just like that with white feather dusters, a couple scuds, and then some sort of soft whitish clear sponge in a few different areas, one at the base of my hammer coral but doesn’t seem to be bothering it.
My corals seem to be doing good other than my Ninja Turtle Chalice has lost a lot of its original color and turning kind of orange-ish, but still nice and puffed up and has actually had new growth over an old skeletal portion it had when I first got it (will post pic of when I got it and now) not sure if the color change is a lighting issue, or is possibly too close to Xmas chalice, or getting affected by the possible nearby Vermetid circled near the recent pic of the chalice.
I know this is a long post addressing multiple things, so I really appreciate anyone who has the time to give some advice! TIA!!!!!
