Perseverance Reef

[sfin52]

So I managed to find where someone posted a video of marine mites in the algae in their overflow. The fact that I know of two tanks now that have marine mites in the overflow makes me think these mites feed off of pods. The mites are at least 20x smaller than my isopods. They might predate on amphipods. I doubt they feed on copepods however since they’re quite a bit smaller than the mites. Mites only eat the fluids of their victims so I don’t think they’d bother with the small amounts of fluids they could get from pods smaller than they are. They’d have to work much harder catching smaller pods when one isopod would be much easier.

Last night I decided it was time to increase the flow from the return. I originally cut the PVC in the return pipe about 3/4 of an inch short. I left it that way because the return line had a leak in the silicon where the pipe goes into the DT. I fixed it using J.B. Waterweld. It’s reef safe and binds to both glass and PVC. It’s held up quite well. I cut a 3/4” piece of PVC and slipped it on. I’m definitely getting more flow now.

Your right that some prey on small crustaceans and what not. Others feed on algea. Small fish like wrasse will feed on them.

 

[Fishy888]

I keep going back and forth on getting a wrasse. I’d want a yellow or green coris wrasse. You’ve seen my tank though and I’m not sure it’ll be long enough for them to be happy. They also eat bristle worms and small feather dusters. I love the way they look and the diversity they bring and I don’t want to lose them. Then again I don’t want to lose all my pods. A catch 22 for sure. I am getting a royal gramma or two though. Honestly I think most of my fish eat pods in between feedings. I haven’t seen any mites outside the overflow yet so they may be getting eaten. The sump is another matter entirely.

 

[tbrown]

I keep going back and forth on getting a wrasse. I’d want a yellow or green coris wrasse. You’ve seen my tank though and I’m not sure it’ll be long enough for them to be happy. They also eat bristle worms and small feather dusters. I love the way they look and the diversity they bring and I don’t want to lose them. Then again I don’t want to lose all my pods. A catch 22 for sure. I am getting a royal gramma or two though. Honestly I think most of my fish eat pods in between feedings. I haven’t seen any mites outside the overflow yet so they may be getting eaten. The sump is another matter entirely.

Don't do a Green Coris. Yellow Coris for sure!

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

I would say Springari damsel would have a hayday with them also. Small fish, cool temperament, ok in smaller tanks. Eats pods and flatworms

 

[sfin52]

You tank could house a wrasse. You have lots of swimming room corner to corner and around the rocks.

Yellow corris is really nice or ornate would be very cool. Both a pest eaters with the yellow being the better of the two.

If a fish sees a juicy pod it will be eaten.

I love a pistol/goby pair.

 

[tbrown]

I would say Springari damsel would have a hayday with them also. Small fish, cool temperament, ok in smaller tanks. Eats pods and flatworms

And you can have two of them sometimes.

 

[Fishy888]

You tank could house a wrasse. You have lots of swimming room corner to corner and around the rocks.

Yellow corris is really nice or ornate would be very cool. Both a pest eaters with the yellow being the better of the two.

If a fish sees a juicy pod it will be eaten.

I love a pistol/goby pair.

If I go the wrasse route do I need to add more sand? I know most wrasses sleep in it. Now that I think about it do they mess with brittle stars or peppermint shrimp?

The bristle worms breed in the sump and the overflow so there’ll always be some that make it. Hopefully the tube worms will survive if the wrasse is well fed. The brittle stars are what I’m mainly worried about.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I have a six line that doesn't sleep in the sand. I also have a crap ton of micro brittle stars. YMMV.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

I'm not sure you could decimate a healthy population if you wanted to. Keep them in check, yes. MBS mostly come out after dark when the predators are in the sand, plus live deep in holes and cracks in and around your rocks..

 

[Fishy888]

I have a six line that doesn't sleep in the sand. I also have a crap ton of micro brittle stars. YMMV.

I love my micro life as much as I love the corals and fish. I had one micro brittle star that came from some chaeto until my birthday in October. I got a rock full of them as well as mushrooms, a GSP colony, six or seven hermits, and six majanos which have taken the kalk paste express to the next world. The brittle stars are in all my rock now.

 

[sfin52]

I have micro brittle and brittle stars never seen my wrasse mess with them. I have feather dusters and they are fine.

They will leave shrimp alone.

2 inches of sand will be fine 3 would be even better.

not all wrasse sleep in sand.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I have micro brittle and brittle stars never seen my wrasse mess with them. I have feather dusters and they are fine.

They will leave shrimp alone.

2 inches of sand will be fine 3 would be even better.

not all wrasse sleep in sand.

Yes, I forgot to mention, I have a lot of mini feather dusters too and the six line leaves them alone.

 

[Fishy888]

I love my micro life as much as I love the corals and fish. I had one micro brittle star that came from some chaeto until my birthday in October. I got a rock full of them as well as mushrooms, a GSP colony, six or seven hermits, and six majanos which have taken the kalk paste express to the next world. The brittle stars are in all my rock now.

I also had a bunch of limpets but I haven’t seen any since the move six months ago. I want to get some more. I also need to get some chitons and stomatellas. It’s just a matter of getting a piece of rock that has them.

 

[Fishy888]

I have micro brittle and brittle stars never seen my wrasse mess with them. I have feather dusters and they are fine.

They will leave shrimp alone.

2 inches of sand will be fine 3 would be even better.

not all wrasse sleep in sand.

That’s good to know. Thank you. A wrasse may well come to Perseverance Reef in the near future.

 

[Fishy888]

Yes, I forgot to mention, I have a lot of mini feather dusters too and the six line leaves them alone.

Awesome. They are beautiful fish. Thank you.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I also had a bunch of limpets but I haven’t seen any since the move six months ago. I want to get some more. I also need to get some chitons and stomatellas. It’s just a matter of getting a piece of rock that has them.

I've got chiton and limpets galore, lol! Let me know if you're planning on being in the Houston area and I'll set you up - mini brittle stars, limpets, and chiton, but no stomatellas right now.

 

[Fishy888]

I've got chiton and limpets galore, lol! Let me know if you're planning on being in the Houston area and I'll set you up - mini brittle stars, limpets, and chiton, but no stomatellas right now.

I appreciate that. Sadly I won’t be in Texas anytime soon but thank you for the offer. I really appreciate it.

 

[tbrown]

Halichoeres (sp?) sleep in the sand so wrasses like the Melanurus or Yellow Coris. As mentioned above Six-line and related don't - they make a mucous cocoon to sleep. As far as the micro flora/fauna, my Melanurus immediately eats any and all micro brittle stars on contact but leaves my snails alone. I rarely see limpets in my tank but have close to 100 Stomatella snails - I added two after the wrasse was established and they have bred multiple times and have since populated my tank. Stomatella are easier prey than limpets. Also, I have a small population of bristleworms that he keeps in check but doesn't eliminate.

 

[Fishy888]

Pods are blooming like crazy now. There are quite a few isopods in the overflow. As crazy as it sounds I wonder if I could use the overflow as a refugium. Granted I have one already but the more the merrier since I’m getting a yellow coris wrasse within the next few months (preferably before summer). I also want a pair or a harem of royal grammas and a mandarin.

I never went to the hardware store yesterday because of the ice among other things. Today I’ll go there and get the male to male adapter since the faucet is female as is the faucet diverter. I’ll probably have to get the faucet diverter from brs. I just hope they don’t charge an arm and a leg for shipping. If the first hardware store doesn’t have it I’ll have to go to the second hardware store which is a little farther away. Someone will have the parts I need.

It just so happens that store number one is located next door to the only saltwater LFS in town. I’ll stop in there and see what they have. I might end up with a new fish or two.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I wonder if I could use the overflow as a refugium.

Of course! The overflow is providing "refuge" to the pods by limiting predation, so whether or not you intend it as such, it will serve the same purpose as a traditional refugium when it comes to maintaining a pod population. Now, if your overflow box gets a decent amount of light, and you are committed to regular maintenance, you can also let algae grow there for nutrient export. Just make sure the algae doesn't interfere with the drains, etc.