TOTW....Inverts

[Curtswearing]

Many people move over to reefs from Fish Only tanks. Some of the habits of fish only tanks are not good for inverts. Primarily, the specific gravity of the tank. Fish only owners often run their tanks at 1.022~1.023 specific gravity. That may be fine for the fish but most inverts will typically not do good at hyposalinity. They will want to be kept at NSW levels. That means a salinity of 35ppt or 1.026 for most swing arm hydrometers and 1.027 for most refractometers.

What questions most interest you regarding inverts?

 

[Woodstock]

Molting of shrimp and the need for iodine.

Does a molt that is not one piece indicate a lack of iodine? .. or a lack of any thing else?

 

[reefjitsu]

The need for iodine supllements for crustacean molting is a myth. Dosing iodine actually poisons them and causes them to molt in an attempt to rid themselves of the poison. Do not add anything to you tank that you cannot test for. All the commercially available iodine tests are unreliable and so are worthless to hobbyists. Iodine is only needed in trace amounts, and it is likely that you add far more than your tank needs when you add food. I would say not to worry about whether the molt is in one piece or not. If the shrimp survives it's molt and does not come out deformed then it is healthy.

 

[Witfull]

i agree, if your worried about iodide levels,,,do a patial H20 change.

 

[Curtswearing]

I agree as well. Excess Iodine/Iodate/Iodide merely forces a crustacean to molt to rid itself of the excess in it's exoskeleton.

 

[Woodstock]

Great, I am on the right track then! Thanks for clarifying that for me!

 

[ScottT1980]

Ok, this is sort of off the wall:

Being that I still have my DSB, I am interested in the DSB fauna, namely, their digestive efficacy.

I suppose we can start with amphipods and copepods since I assume their digestion is fairly similar. Can we start with the "mouth" and then go into some physiology (i.e. is absorption a passive or active process, percentage of nutrients used/stored vs. percentage excreted, excrement form, etc...). I am sure it is similar to other crustaceans, possibly even terrestrial insects, but I really don't have a clue.

Perhaps a bit more in depth than the scope of this thread, but just something I am interested in.

Take er easy
Scott T.

 

[mps9506]

Originally posted by ScottT1980
Ok, this is sort of off the wall:

Being that I still have my DSB, I am interested in the DSB fauna, namely, their digestive efficacy.

I suppose we can start with amphipods and copepods since I assume their digestion is fairly similar. Can we start with the "mouth" and then go into some physiology (i.e. is absorption a passive or active process, percentage of nutrients used/stored vs. percentage excreted, excrement form, etc...). I am sure it is similar to other crustaceans, possibly even terrestrial insects, but I really don't have a clue.

Perhaps a bit more in depth than the scope of this thread, but just something I am interested in.

Take er easy
Scott T.

Leave it to a State grad student to ask such a question!

Now I have to go dig out the marine benthic ecology notebook and texts to see if I have any of that kind of info around still. I pretty dang sure I don't have any of that kind of info about amphipods and copepods, but possibly for polycheates.
Isn't school back in session, you don't have time for questions like this

 

[Curtswearing]

Interesting question Scott. I'll have to do a little research. I do know that scientists estimate the average efficacy of tank critters as a whole to be 10% (i.e. 90% of the nutrients go right back out as poop). However, that is might be a few high effiency critters being offset by many extremely inefficient critters or vice versa.

 

[ScottT1980]

Isn't school back in session, you don't have time for questions like this

Ha, I don't have time to answer them myself, at least not with a little help

To be honest, an "I have no clue is just as sufficient" considering it is a pretty in depth question. I will do some searches myself when I get a chance, but I have an advisor breathing down my neck, constantly reminding me of a lit. review...

Take er easy
Scott T.

 

[ScottT1980]

Just did a quick search and found this abstract.

It might be a good starting place, just by looking at its references. I will try to find the journal when I get a second...

Take er easy
Scott T.

 

[Craig Manoukian]

My shrimp molt like clockwork once a month. My single Red Skunk Cleaner in my 20 gallon is on it's own schedule.

My two cleaners in my 80 gallon molt on an alternating two week cycle. They are hermaphroditic and change sex each month, carry eggs, and hatch larva which my corals and fish love as a natural snack.

 

[Brucey]

You won't see it written in many books . . . . but if you have some nice shrimps etc . . . . DO NOT buy a Bird Mouth wrasse. Mine went through 5 cleaner shrimp, a lobstar and approx 70 redleg crabs in 4 days.
Brucey

 

[Craig Manoukian]

The vast majority of wrasses in the aquarium trade that are not from the genus Paracheilinus or Cirrhilabrus are very tough on ornamental crustaceans as Brucey discovered.