YOUR FIRST PROBLEMS...what you're likely to run into...and the fixes

[Sk8r]

1. hair algae. This comes from an excess of phosphate in a) the rock and sand, especially dry rock and sand. You can help it a bit by washing both before use. b) you also get it from using tapwater instead of ro/di

The fix for it is a) time and b) a fuge at least half the size of your tank and c) a gfo reactor (Phosban or the like) ---just putting it in a sock won't do it, really; takes about 3 months to really clean out the phosphate load from a 50 gallon tank, longer for a bigger tank. But don't overdo it; your tank needs some.

2. small white bugs, hard to see. Those aren't a problem---they're copepods, and they eat algae, and get eaten by fish. Good stuff.

3. worms: if they don't have several tentacles on their heads, they're good and valuable. If they do, they're eunicids, and they're bad. To get rid of a eunicid, remove the rock they live in and put it in your sump.

4. crabs: crabs outside of micro-hermits like scarlets and such, are bad. Don't buy one. And if one hitchhiked in, see #3.

5. Weird other stuff: if it comes in on corals, it's not often good: things ride on what they eat. If it's just weird, isolate it, get a photo, and we'll tell you whether it goes in your sump or back in your tank.

6. small spongy white stuff. They're pineapple sponges, usually. They're a phase. They'll die back, given time. A new tank can have growing pains. They're one.

7. small round green bubbles. Valonia. Bubble algae. Never mind getting anything to eat it: it only poos the fertilizer back into your tank and you go another round. A phosphate reactor can help, but it's like 6. It's a phase.

8. reddish blush on your sand or a spongy, thready red sheet with bubbles if it's bad. Cyanobacterial bloom. Don't freak. Nothing's dying. Turn your lights out for 3 days once a month and it'll gradually leave. Most tanks get a little of this once a year when the sunbeam from the window reaches your tank. Don't use chemical cures for this one. If the lights-out trick doesn't work, it MAY not be what you think it is. Diatoms (a baby-poo brown film) are the other possibility. That comes from silicate in your water: repeated water changes with ro/di will help. And if it still doesn't help, check the cylinders in your ro/di filter.

HTH.

[poakley723]

I knew my hair algea was good in a way LOL.

I am also happy to know that I knew it was from phosphate!

[sleepydoc]

So I have a question about phosphate testing -
Whenever I've tested for phosphate, it comes up 0, but I have a new tank with the expected hair algae, so I know I've got some. The explanation I've always heard is that the algae is using all the phosphate, so the tests show 0.

Sk8r cautions not to overdo it with GFO and remove too much phosphate, but how do you know when you've removed enough vs too much when the tests always read 0?

ANSWER: [sk8r] that's right. The phosphate gets into the algae. If you kill the algae but don't uptake the phosphate, it just goes around again and grows more algae.
And if NOTHING green will grow in your tank, and your blenny is looking starved, you took out all his food. Feed him green pellet: green fish food adds phosphate to your tank. If you have herbivores, you're always going to have some.

[Doc_Polit]

Another great thread Sk8r!

As another newbie, I really appreciate the information and will certainly apply it as my tank plan progresses.

[SKurj]

#9.. you didn't research that latest impulse buy fish and now he is terrorizing the other residents..

Best of luck getting him out of the display!

It will happen...

ANSWER: lol! you bet your sweet life it will. I got a beautiful reefsafe fish---a ghost eel. It took out 300.00 worth of fish. Seems they hunt at night, and they're perfectly reefsafe: he didn't eat a single coral. Just his roommates. That's when I learned the definition of 'reefsafe.'

[scarface70706]

nice write up.

[sammy77]

Thank you. Always great information!

[bebangs]

what's a "phase"?

[Ariel00]

Great information. So simply to understand. You have helped us newbies so much

[sponger0]

Originally Posted by Sk8r

4. crabs: crabs outside of micro-hermits like scarlets and such, are bad. Don't buy one. And if one hitchhiked in, see #3.

Would just like to add procelain crabs are completely reef safe. Sorry, they are one of my favorite critters and every newbie should get one lol

[Chris27]

Originally Posted by sponger0

Would just like to add procelain crabs are completely reef safe. Sorry, they are one of my favorite critters and every newbie should get one lol

Who doesn't love a crab with built in catchers mitt's! They are great little creatures to watch.

[sponger0]

Originally Posted by Chris27

Who doesn't love a crab with built in catchers mitt's! They are great little creatures to watch.

Mine actually goes nuts when I feed the fish, he comes out of his hole and starts filtering the water like crazy. Hahaha catchers mitt.

[cwagner315]

Originally Posted by SKurj

#9.. you didn't research that latest impulse buy fish and now he is terrorizing the other residents..

Best of luck getting him out of the display!

It will happen...

ANSWER: lol! you bet your sweet life it will. I got a beautiful reefsafe fish---a ghost eel. It took out 300.00 worth of fish. Seems they hunt at night, and they're perfectly reefsafe: he didn't eat a single coral. Just his roommates. That's when I learned the definition of 'reefsafe.'

Best ways to avoid this is to read up on the aggresiveness of the fish? Hopefully I wont make this mistake but it sound inevedible.

[jerpa]

Originally Posted by cwagner315

Best ways to avoid this is to read up on the aggresiveness of the fish? Hopefully I wont make this mistake but it sound inevedible.

Research before the purchase ALMOST always prevents this. Research does not include asking your LFS or someone else trying to sell you something. There are many great resources online and most will mention whether that fish may eat other inhabitants and what tankmates are suitable.