More Misc Questions and pictures

[Turtle77]

Ok as always I have more and more questions. I decided to take some pictures to help yall out a little. Please be patient.

I want to apologize ahead of time for the quality of the pictures. compared to some of you guys mine dont look all that great. I am still trying to find the right lighting settings and setup on my camera to get the kind of shots that make my tank look like what I see but its not happening yet.

1. Ok what is this little thing. Its coming out of a white tube dead center of the picture. It fans out and just flows in the breeze but if anything swims by it sucks in really really fast. Its cute, I wonder if its going to get bigger. Is it one of those Feather Duster type things?
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/11107081@N02/2539475709/" title="P5302204 by chernalp, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3285/2539475709_08f5060eb1_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="P5302204" /></a>


2. Ok another Identify I guess. See this long worm coming from the shell on the right side? Is this a bristle worm? I got like 5 or six of them and they come out when I feed Nemo. Are they harmful. I see on the internet that some people say yes and to get them out of the tank and others say they are harmless.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/11107081@N02/2539474897/" title="P5312303 by chernalp, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3127/2539474897_736c45a601.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="P5312303" /></a>

3. Ok so I don't have many pretty things in my tank right now. But I do want to contribute to the frag swapping and such. I want to learn how to get frags ready and all that. I am assuming these are called Zoas. I have a green set and a brown set. Now I don't care much for the brown ones actually but the green ones are pretty neat but they are growing like weeds. I have a partial rock that broke off that has a bunch of the green on it that Could possibly even be broken a few more times to make several frags. The brown set are just a few and they are on a small rock as well. My question is are these pretty common or are these colors what people might want. I don't really want to look goofy offering frags of something everyone has in thier tanks already.
Here are the brown, colors on my pic doesnt really do it justice.
They are on the right side
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/11107081@N02/2540286272/" title="P5302283 by chernalp, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2296/2540286272_abb492aecd_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="P5302283" /></a>

and here are the green, again these look better in person
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/11107081@N02/2540286522/" title="P5302290 by chernalp, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3284/2540286522_f1164a524f_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="P5302290" /></a>

4. I think these are called mushrooms but they are very pretty and green striped. One is VERY large and its very cool. Again is this something that can be fragged to trade with someone else, is it common? When I first got the tank there were only like 3 or 4 and they are growing alot.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/11107081@N02/2540286824/" title="P5302212 by chernalp, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2161/2540286824_c1955c3351_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="P5302212" /></a>

5. Ok last but not least just wanted to show a couple pics of my tank for you experts just to see and let me know if anything just jumps out at you that I might be doing wrong. This is so much fun!!! Thanks for reading.
I dont like this one cause the flash went off
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/11107081@N02/2540287096/" title="P5302252 by chernalp, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2333/2540287096_40cd79fbe6_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="P5302252" /></a>

I like these better
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/11107081@N02/2540290546/" title="P5302271 by chernalp, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2389/2540290546_6890e89e82_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="P5302271" /></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/11107081@N02/2539469379/" title="P5302270 by chernalp, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3136/2539469379_5fe08ce9e7_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="P5302270" /></a>

And these are all over my tank
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/11107081@N02/2540293686/" title="P5302278 by chernalp, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2095/2540293686_5b0e6aaabf_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="P5302278" /></a>

 

[mamagoose45]

1. Yes that is a type of feather duster. Most people love having them in the tank because they add more interest. No worries at all on those.

2. Indeed it is a bristle worm by the looks of it. The majority of people don't really sweat having them in the tanks since they eat a lot of the detritus floating around. Be careful when you're digging around in the tank though - they have been known to sting with all of those little spines coming off the sides. Some people have no reaction to them, some people's fingers swell up like balloons when they get pricked. Thing about them is, you don't usually feel it too much when you bump into them, you notice it later when your finger starts to itch...

3./4. Those are all pretty common beginner corals - but most beginning reefers are always in the market for hardy colorful corals! I'm not a zoa expert, so I can't identify the zoas for you but check out www.zoaid.com if you want to try and get a specific name. Fragging is really easy and we've been trying to do a lot of fragging at the monthly meetings to get more corals floating around in the club. I believe we will be doing a good bit of it at the June meeting at the Aquatic Critter. Show up and get a crash course!

The critter in your last picture is an Asterina starfish. There are mixed opinions on them. In my experience, they are not a problem. Some people claim they have had issues with them eating corals, but I've never seen them do it in my tank. If you know someone with a harlequin shrimp, they'd probably love for you to farm some of your Asterinas out to them for food...

Hope some of that helps!

 

[NeveSSL]

Your tank looks pretty good! :thumbsup:

1. Yep, this is a feather duster. Personally, I like 'em. I think they're neat. Its a worm that lives in a tube that catches stuff to eat with the "feathers" that are on the end of it.

2. This is a bristle worm. Some people don't like them because out of many species there is a bad species or two, but most of them are fine and actually beneficial in that they'll eat scraps and "fish waste". Do be careful, though, as if you grab hold of him, those bristles he is named for will stick in ya and it doesn't feel very good at all. Not poisonous or anything, though, and vinegar will break the bristles down and help.

3. I agree! The green ones look pretty cool!

They're not super rare or anything, but there will probably always be someone who would like a frag of them (in fact, I wouldn't mind a frag of those... maybe we can trade at the next meeting ).

Keep in mind there's almost always going to be someone who doesn't have them. There are always newer people coming into the hobby who don't have as much or at least don't have the things that have circulated around the club.

4. Simply green striped mushrooms. I think they're cool. I have some different ones.

And again, your tank looks good to me!

Your clownfish looks a little lonely, but maybe thats just from where I'm sitting.

Brandon

 

[Turtle77]

Thanks you two for your comments already. yeah the clownfish looks lonely but I have asked at the LFS about getting another one and they keep telling me that if he has been in that tank for 3 years by himself that he will kill another one if I try to put it in there with him. I guess I just gotta wait him out. Also I know that Clownfish host with stuff like Frogspawn and such but I think mine is trying to with the Green Zoas, is that ok? He stays right with them alot and is always rubbing against them constanly making them close up. I want to get him some frogspawn but gotta wait until the saltwater budget fills back up :-(

Hey is that feather duster going to get bigger? do I need to feed it anything specific?

If I brought that portion of rock that broke off from the one that all the green zoas is on to the next meeting do you think someone there can split it into a few frags so I can offer something up for trade? matter of fact I guess the brown can be split up to for a few more. I like the zoas alot and want all different colors, my live rock looks so naked

 

[DMBillies]

On the clown, ocellaris are some of the more peaceful clowns, so fighting is less likely with them than other clowns. One main thing with clowns is that they have to establish a dominance hierarchy and in the wild there is usually only 1 female per anemone. Immatures eventually turn into males and the males turn into females when the dominant female dies. So, if a clown has been in a tank for a while it will mature and then start to change into a female. If you add another female to the tank then, they will likely fight it out. If you add a juvenile to the tank, they'll probably scrap for a couple days and the little guy will very likely accept its role as the non-dominant fish.

If you want another clown, just make sure it is the same species and find one that is significantly smaller than the one you currently have. Since most of the clowns you'll find in a LFS will be cultured, they will likely be small and wouldn't have taken over any kind of dominant role yet. A lot of people pair up clowns this way and I highly doubt you would have problems.

When you add a new one, they'll probably face off with each other and do this pretty cool shakey dance. It's neat to watch. If the new addition starts to get torn up really bad or they keep fighting after a few days, you could always just net one of them back out and return it to the store for credit...or sell it to someone in the club. One glorious thing about a nano is that you can easily get fish back out of the tank without a whole lot of trouble.

 

[SRT80]

When I moved my brothers 80 gallon to my house, I had a 10 gal setup with a black clown and a onyx clown. The 10 gal. was takin' over by flatworms and caulerpa so I decided I didn't want it anymore but wanted to keep my clowns. I decided to put them in the 80 gal that already has a pair of ocellaris in there...no aggression issues at all. Actually, the black and onyx use to fight alot in the 10 gal. but now everything is good. I would bet you'd be fine adding another clown if you wanted. I had a single clown in my 20 gal for about 2 years and added another and they paired up within 2 days and the original showed no aggression to the new guy.

After they paired up though, they killed my firefish. I tried to add a mandarin awhile back and they shreaded him up. I was able to get him out though. They also host a large colony of hairy mushrooms and if my hand gets near it when in the tank, they attack it as well.

Steve

 

[NeveSSL]

What they said on the clowns. BUT, if you don't want to buy another one, you most certainly do not have to.

No need to feed the feather duster. It will just filter feed straight out of the water.

As far as fragging goes, someone could probably help ya at the meeting, but quite honestly its just something you gotta just do. It does help seeing it done, though. The first time I saw it was last May when c_stowers took a Dremel to a hammerhead (with arguable success)... freaked me out! :lol: But for zoas, I find the best thing to do is to cut around the mat (the flesh they're all on) in the size I want, and then try to cut the rock out from around where I cut the zoa. This usually works ok.

Here is a pretty good guide with pictures that should help you. Don't be afraid of hurting or killing the coral... zoanthids are pretty darn tough!

Now its time to bunker down for part two of this storm.

Brandon

 

[DMBillies]

Fragging is really simply and you could more or less take most corals out of the tank, hit them with a hammer, and accomplish the task.

Of course, damaging the flesh to the least extent possible is usually the goal, but they bounce back pretty well the vast majority of the time.

For zoas, I prefer just chunking the rock their on up and then using a razor blade to cut the mat for the polyps that are hanging on to both pieces. I don't have a ton of experience with them though because my record on growing zoas is pretty ridiculously poor.

You should know before you mess with them that they do have a toxin in them, so you should be careful not to get squirted in the eyes with anything that might come out of them as your breaking them up and you should always wash your hands carefully afterward. Also, watch for dumb dogs, other pets, or children that might scarf them the minute you turn your back...

Also, trade if you like and get some different stuff, but it is by no means a requirement that you bring something to the meeting... I hate to see you chop up a coral if you're just doing it because you feel like you need to.

 

[NeveSSL]

I meant to bring up the toxicity and its worth mentioning again.

Zoanthids have an extremely powerful neurotoxin in them. You should be fine as long as you wash your hands good with soap when you're done and don't squirt any juices anywhere. The toxin is strong enough to kill a medium to large sized dog within a few hours, so do take heed.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has made himself sick after fragging zoas by not washing his hands. Not fun at all! Knocked me out for an entire weekend.

Its nothing to get too worked up about, but do take precautions and be careful.

Brandon

 

[Turtle77]

ok this info is great everyone. NeveSSL I followed your link to fragging instructions and I am understanding alot more. So those bowls with the netting on them that you just set back in your tank, is that how you bring them to the meetings?

 

[NeveSSL]

Nope... I usually superglue them to either small pieces of rock or frag plugs.

Brandon

 

[Turtle77]

frag plugs?

 

[DMBillies]

Frag plugs usually refer to small pieces of molded concrete that have a post on the bottom of them for fitting into egg crate (egg crate is light diffuser for fluorescent fixtures that is a white grid). They allow you to mount your corals on some and not have them easily tip over or slide in a holding tank or during transport.

People sometimes also refer to anything you might mount a coral on as a frag plug (live rock rubble, discs of concrete (frag disks), tiles, etc.).

 

[Turtle77]

Are those easily picked up at the LFS? just ask for frag plugs?

 

[SRT80]

I don't think the local stores carry the plugs? I ordered mine awhile back online. Can't remember where I ordered them though. I bought the ceramic frag plugs. They also come in a frag disc. Some club members even make their own plugs.

Also, you could bust up a piece of base rock or sit some rubble next to your zoa colony and they will spread onto those.

Steve

 

[fallinapart]

do an e-bay search for frag plugs & you should find some

Norman

 

[DMBillies]

I know boston aquafarms makes them and I know that thatfishplace.com sells them (if you have other ordering to do).

That said, until you are fragging a lot of stuff, I think you'd be better off just buying a couple off of a local reefer or just using LR rubble.