the stuff that grows in back of tank

[baldomero]

whats up guys i was just wondering i wipe off all that stuff that grows on the glass on my tank.question, is it beneficial to let stuff grow atleast on the back of the tank glass or does it matter if i clean it or not,and my tank is a fowlr not a reef tank thanks guy.

[D to the P]

it depends on whats growing. essentially it doesn't matter, it's just aesthetics. so if you like it, it doesn't really matter, but if it is something that might end up taking over your tank than I wouldn't let it. I know a lot of people that let the purple coralline algae grow all over the back glass.

[Brandon M]

What exactly is growing on the back of your tank? Do you have any pictures? What are your tanks parameters? Testing results will help.

If it is algae you will want to find the causes of this algae and eliminate them. This can be done with a refugium and growing macroalgae, effectively using phosphate removing media with a phosban reactor, strictly using ro/di water and doing regular weekly water changes. What can also help is cutting down on feeding and the amount of time you run your lights.

[beetlenut33]

I have a similar question, on the back of my nano cube there are a lot of little spikes growing that are white. I can take my hand and run it on the back and they will snap off. Anyone know what they are? Good, bad, or neither? I can post a picture when I get home.

[Brandon M]

Originally posted by beetlenut33
I have a similar question, on the back of my nano cube there are a lot of little spikes growing that are white. I can take my hand and run it on the back and they will snap off. Anyone know what they are? Good, bad, or neither? I can post a picture when I get home.

I believe those are a very small type of worm, if you look close they are probably curled up. I don't know the exact name but I do know they are nothing to worry about.

[cbusreefer]

any pics?

[RyanMKintz]

I asked he same question a while back, pretty much everybody told they just leave it there and dont scrap it

[beetlenut33]

Originally posted by beetlenut33
I have a similar question, on the back of my nano cube there are a lot of little spikes growing that are white. I can take my hand and run it on the back and they will snap off. Anyone know what they are? Good, bad, or neither? I can post a picture when I get home.

Here is a picture of what I am talking about. Some of them are little spirals, others stick off like spikes. Not sure what they are or their purpose.
[IMG]http://i27.*******.com/10dz6df.jpg[/IMG]

[baldomero]

just a little Algea but nothing to be concerned about

[Aquarist007]

I used to let the nuisance algae and corraline grow on the back tank--afterall it is consuming nitrates and phosphates----and a source of food for the snails/ urchine.

[demonsp]

What doesnt grow. In time coralline will take over if water quality stays high. I never cleaned back glass and then in time gave up on side glass.I only clean the front. Its really up to you but i would leave the back for CUC and other critters that like algea and whatever grows on it.

[jaymz101]

beetlenut33 those are spirorbid worms, a very small member of the featherduster family. Nothing to worry about they wont hurt anything. Just scrape them off where you dont want them.

[beetlenut33]

Originally posted by jaymz101
beetlenut33 those are spirorbid worms, a very small member of the featherduster family. Nothing to worry about they wont hurt anything. Just scrape them off where you dont want them.

Thanks jaymz101, I appreciate your help and am happy to hear it is nothing to be concerned about.

[DLANDINO]

Some actually look like vermetid snails to me. See here for more info.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rs/index.php

[Hop]

Originally posted by DLANDINO
Some actually look like vermetid snails to me. See here for more info.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rs/index.php

+1

They look like vermetid snails to me. Are you having any growing on the rocks? Hard calcified tubes? If you stirr up the SB do you notice that they extend white, web-like things from the stalk?

[beetlenut33]

Originally posted by Hop
+1

They look like vermetid snails to me. Are you having any growing on the rocks? Hard calcified tubes? If you stirr up the SB do you notice that they extend white, web-like things from the stalk?

Yes I did notice some growing on the rock. I did not try stirring up the SB. I am not sure what you mean by this exactly. Another quick question, I noticed that at night when looking into my tank with a flashlight, there are tiny worm like creatures, the shape of a star fish. Imagine a white worm, with five legs. They are grazing the rock, quite a few of them actually. Anyone know what they may be?

[BeesGoneWild]

Originally posted by jaymz101
beetlenut33 those are spirorbid worms, a very small member of the featherduster family. Nothing to worry about they wont hurt anything. Just scrape them off where you dont want them.

gotta go with jaymz on this one

http://www.melevsreef.com/id/spirorbid_worms.html

[Hop]

You may see that the vermetids can explode in population and then die back. Being a smaller cude, I would add breaking the tubes off during waterchanges as part of the maintenance program. Usually they are pretty harmless, but if you have a incident that provides them ample fuel (food) to grow, their populations can become rather large. I had a problem with them a few years ago that they actually irritated a lot of my SPS to the point that they would not open and I lost a few because of them.

I'm in no way saying they are anything to panic over, but if you have the means to control their situation through breaking the tubes or gluing the tips shut it can go a long way to controlling their numbers. I also found that zebra legged hermits seem to do an OK job at controlling their numbers, but are not what I would call a solution

[beetlenut33]

Originally posted by Hop
You may see that the vermetids can explode in population and then die back. Being a smaller cude, I would add breaking the tubes off during waterchanges as part of the maintenance program. Usually they are pretty harmless, but if you have a incident that provides them ample fuel (food) to grow, their populations can become rather large. I had a problem with them a few years ago that they actually irritated a lot of my SPS to the point that they would not open and I lost a few because of them.

I'm in no way saying they are anything to panic over, but if you have the means to control their situation through breaking the tubes or gluing the tips shut it can go a long way to controlling their numbers. I also found that zebra legged hermits seem to do an OK job at controlling their numbers, but are not what I would call a solution

Their population has steadily increased over the past few months, they have covered the back wall and some of the rock. I think I am just going to start to scrap them off during water changes with a credit card or something of that nature. They look a little gross anyway...

However, by scraping them off and them falling into the water, would it cause any ill effect? Such as more of them appearing? I think not but I just thought I would ask anyways.

[Hop]

I doubt scrapinng will cause much more of a population increase. Here is an excerpt from an article I wrote. References are available so you don't think I did all the research

Unlike most mobile mesogastropods, vermetids reproduce by means of the male of the species releasing spermatophores, which are then caught by nearby female’s mucous nets. Once females catch the spermatophores, they store the sperm until they are ready to fertilize their eggs. The vermetid's young remain inside the females’ tubes until they are reared through various stages and are ready to crawl out. The Vermetid young usually only crawl a short distance before attaching themselves and begin their new life as another pest in your tank. I also believe that some vermetids are swept via power heads, closed loop and sump return pump flow currents to various other places inside the aquarium.

I have found that vermetids grow rapidly in aquarium plumbing and hard to get to areas of the sump. They can cause problems by restricting flow through various pipes and cause obstructions which can hamper drains and cause surging in plumbing lines.

Vermetid snails can also cause problems with aquarium inhabitants and smother corals, killing them. From my experience, Vermetid snails feed by shooting small web-like mucus tissues from inside their tubes. Often times these webs are small and hard to notice. Other times, such as feeding the tank and disrupting the sand bed, will cause the webs to extend fully. I have noticed that some of the mucus webs extended over eight inches. As my vermetid population grew I noted that at feeding time, it appeared that there were very dense spider webs which covered rock and coral. It was obvious that these mucus webs irritated the polyps which in return caused the polyps to retract.