Pests and what eats them?

Sk8r · 11/06/2006, 04:01 PM

List your own:

1. hair algae on rock: scarlet and blueleg dwarf hermits, turbo snails, astraea

2. film algae on glass: margaritas, turbo, astraea. [reducing phosphates helps greatly: Phosban/Rowaphos]

3. hair algae on sand: fighting conch [but you have to pull the longest strands, or they'll loose it into your downflow teeth.]

4. caulerpa: grape: scribbled rabbitfish; tripneustes gracilis urchin; saccoglossan sea slug [not commercially available]

5. aiptasia: peppermint shrimp will eat young, not so much older ones. They keep it from spreading. Copperband butterflyfish will, but are delicate and more for expert reefers.

6. red algae on rock: urchins

7. asterina stars: bumblebee shrimp [they eat urchin and starfish feet and are the size of a horsefly]

8. coralline on glass: asterina stars.

9. valonia [bubble algae]; allegedly, emerald crabs, but mine won't. My scarlet hermit will, but is too small to do any good. Tripneustes gracilis urchin, however, peels it off and puts it on his butt, which actually removes a lot of it. He forces it off the rocks and lets it float.

10. fish and snail poo: bristleworms reduce it in size so it can be broken down by sandbed and eaten by corals.

Add your own! Let's get a list going that can be of use to everybody.

Sk8r · 11/06/2006, 04:24 PM

Forgot:
11. sandbed gunk...nassarius snails; fighting conch; tigertail cuke [caution: read up on same]; sand sifting star; serpent stars.

fantastic4 · 11/06/2006, 05:14 PM

A juvenile dragon wrasse will terminate all tiny critters (good and bad). Easy to catch and remove when your done as they are not affraid of the net. When you have Zoanthid eating pests, get the terminator or lose your blues and pinks.

chrisd1009 · 11/06/2006, 05:24 PM

aptasia: bergai nudis

11/06/2006, 04:01 PM	#1
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Pests and what eats them? List your own: 1. hair algae on rock: scarlet and blueleg dwarf hermits, turbo snails, astraea 2. film algae on glass: margaritas, turbo, astraea. [reducing phosphates helps greatly: Phosban/Rowaphos] 3. hair algae on sand: fighting conch [but you have to pull the longest strands, or they'll loose it into your downflow teeth.] 4. caulerpa: grape: scribbled rabbitfish; tripneustes gracilis urchin; saccoglossan sea slug [not commercially available] 5. aiptasia: peppermint shrimp will eat young, not so much older ones. They keep it from spreading. Copperband butterflyfish will, but are delicate and more for expert reefers. 6. red algae on rock: urchins 7. asterina stars: bumblebee shrimp [they eat urchin and starfish feet and are the size of a horsefly] 8. coralline on glass: asterina stars. 9. valonia [bubble algae]; allegedly, emerald crabs, but mine won't. My scarlet hermit will, but is too small to do any good. Tripneustes gracilis urchin, however, peels it off and puts it on his butt, which actually removes a lot of it. He forces it off the rocks and lets it float. 10. fish and snail poo: bristleworms reduce it in size so it can be broken down by sandbed and eaten by corals. Add your own! Let's get a list going that can be of use to everybody. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

11/06/2006, 04:24 PM	#2
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Forgot: 11. sandbed gunk...nassarius snails; fighting conch; tigertail cuke [caution: read up on same]; sand sifting star; serpent stars. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

11/06/2006, 05:24 PM	#4
chrisd1009 Lurker Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 226	aptasia: bergai nudis __________________ But my water parameters are perfect? The best customer service is the one you don't need. Current Tank Info: planning phase

11/06/2006, 05:14 PM	#3
fantastic4 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 662	A juvenile dragon wrasse will terminate all tiny critters (good and bad). Easy to catch and remove when your done as they are not affraid of the net. When you have Zoanthid eating pests, get the terminator or lose your blues and pinks.