GT's first reef - Reefer 170

[GTBlackIce]

Hiya folks,

Missed last weekend's update as I was caught up with some other stuff. Time does fly indeed and it's coming to a month since I set the tank up. My cycle is complete, got some GHA but that was taken care of by a sea hare slug I got upon recommendation - it was part of the cuc I got, which consist of 3 bumblebee snails, 2 turbos, 2 Nassarius and 1 unidentified snail.

The sea hare slug to me is a real 'sea cow'....it literally obliterated the GHA within a day. I'm having problems with photobucket now so won't be posting pics this round.

Well I'm supposedly leaping for joy I've completed the cycle, and was looking forward to adding in my first corals and fish...but alas that's not to be for now. I noticed a few dreaded aptasia last week (counted 7 to date) - lfs have neither aptasia x nor lysmata wurdemanni available for me to counter it. That was a concern... But after what I saw earlier aptasia became less of a concern.

It was an eunice worm I saw earlier... Did some Google-ing just before posting here and it's confirmed. And it's lighting fast for me to catch it... Really disappears back in the hole in a blink of an eye.

My dilemma now would be...since I've yet to add any corals or fish(es)... Should I restart the tank? - As in removing the rocks...dip it in RO water and let everything die off? Figured this is probably the best way to get rid of those pesky HH...albeit having some nice ones as well.

If this would be the best way to do it...any recommendations on how I should cure the rocks?

Hope to get some feedback on this. Looks like the corals I ordered would have to be put on hold for awhile... [emoji17]

Cheers.


Sent from my Xperia Z3

 

[spiraling]

The worm is really bad news. I certainly wouldn't add anything until you know its gone. The aptaisia usually isn't too bad if you keep on top of it. Get aptaisia x (online if you can) and the shrimp. Kill whenever you see one. IMO it can be eradicated fairly easily with some diligence.

Now back to the worm. I think you have a couple of options.
1 - catch it. Look up oenone worm trap and build one. I have those little buggers and I wish I didn't, but this is how I get them. They are almost as fast. Since you are not feeding the tank that worm is going to get hungry. They don't really see red light, and once their head is in the trap they don't really see movement at all so you can sneak up on them. So leave a dim red light on at night. Then put in the trap with a tasty morsel. I've caught several oenone with this approach.

2 - (easiest) If you know which rock it hides in then you can just remove that rock and dip it in freshwater until it comes out and/or you kill it and/or you throw the rock away. Put a red light on the tank, put out some bait, and watch its every move. You may be able to narrow the hiding spot to one or two rocks. Pull them out. Check the tank every night to make sure it doesn't have any buddies in there. Then you save most of your bacteria and live things in the tank and won't have to wait for another full cycle.

3 - take all your rock out and dry it in the sun for a month, scrub all the dead stuff off, cure it for two months in the dark, get new sand, and start again without bad hitchhikers. Of course you loose the benefit of starting with live rock.

 

[GTBlackIce]

The worm is really bad news. I certainly wouldn't add anything until you know its gone. The aptaisia usually isn't too bad if you keep on top of it. Get aptaisia x (online if you can) and the shrimp. Kill whenever you see one. IMO it can be eradicated fairly easily with some diligence.

Now back to the worm. I think you have a couple of options.
1 - catch it. Look up oenone worm trap and build one. I have those little buggers and I wish I didn't, but this is how I get them. They are almost as fast. Since you are not feeding the tank that worm is going to get hungry. They don't really see red light, and once their head is in the trap they don't really see movement at all so you can sneak up on them. So leave a dim red light on at night. Then put in the trap with a tasty morsel. I've caught several oenone with this approach.

2 - (easiest) If you know which rock it hides in then you can just remove that rock and dip it in freshwater until it comes out and/or you kill it and/or you throw the rock away. Put a red light on the tank, put out some bait, and watch its every move. You may be able to narrow the hiding spot to one or two rocks. Pull them out. Check the tank every night to make sure it doesn't have any buddies in there. Then you save most of your bacteria and live things in the tank and won't have to wait for another full cycle.

3 - take all your rock out and dry it in the sun for a month, scrub all the dead stuff off, cure it for two months in the dark, get new sand, and start again without bad hitchhikers. Of course you loose the benefit of starting with live rock.

Thanks for the speedy feedback. Yes it is bad news indeed. I just tried option #1, but without any traps. My back was aching and my hand cold being in the water for ~20 mind or so. I did turn the red light on my Radion hence able to attempt this...but without any trap this fella is lighting fast.

As for option #2, since the latter failed is what I intend to attempt tomorrow. It does seem to hide on that one specific rock, and it's got sand around its hiding spot. It's the rock where I have the sponges and tunicates. Hope when I remove that rock it's still on it so I could give it a hot bath. Was thinking since I'll be attempting this I might as well remove the rock that has got aptasia on it.

Questions :
1) Does it have to be a month to dry it out after giving it a few dip? Was hoping it'd be shorter (couple of weeks maybe), and I was just told the same by a guy I know locally.
2) Planning to leave the other non-infected rocks as it is in the tank. When I return those rocks in after drying out period, I should be going on another cycle - likely shorter, correct?

I'm hoping to avoid option #3 if possible, as it defeats the purpose of starting with live rocks as you said. Aptasia I can live with but definitely not with this eunice worm. I'll look at farther lfs for the aptasia x, if I don't intend to take that rock out. Fingers crossed I wouldn't have to wait a couple of months before I could start putting any livestock / corals in it.

Cheers!


Sent from my SGP612 using Tapatalk

 

[spiraling]

The 'red only' setting on the Radion is an awesome night viewing light

Questions :
1) Does it have to be a month to dry it out after giving it a few dip? Was hoping it'd be shorter (couple of weeks maybe), and I was just told the same by a guy I know locally.
2) Planning to leave the other non-infected rocks as it is in the tank. When I return those rocks in after drying out period, I should be going on another cycle - likely shorter, correct?

1 - I'm not an expert on this so see what others think. I've also taken out individual rocks (most recently with out of control mushrooms) and soaked them in hot fresh water for a couple of hours, then scrubbed them off to remove anything dead. It kills pretty much everything. Then I've put it back in the tank the same day without issue. Don't boil rocks, just use hot water. Try to get your worm out even if you have to break the rock open. You don't want it decaying in the tank in case there are toxins in it. This method without re-curing the rock might make the rock more susceptible to algae. My understanding is the curing also puts a thin film on the rock that helps with algae taking hold. I'm not saying its the best way, just the way I have done individual rocks in the past with success.

It might be possible to take a hammer and chisel and knock the sponges off before you soak the rock then toss them back in the tank. Or even crack open the rock and just get the worm out without having to soak the rock. I, personally, would still soak it in case there are worm eggs present.

2 - correct. If there is dead stuff on the rocks then it will decay into ammonia. Depending on how much bacteria you have built up in your tank it may just be able to handle it. One rock scrubbed clean in my mature tank does not produce noticeable ammonia or nitrite. Either way check your parameters. You might have a mini cycle, you might not, but it shouldn't be a month. Probably only a few days.