I just wanted to thank all the people on this thread who have helped everyone (and myself) with questions. I am afraid if I name names I will forget some people, but you all know who you are. I only joined in June but this was the first thread I read entirely because I knew I could avoid so many questions. It was 'only' 28 pages then, now into the 40s but new members and new reef-keepers (and old too) you should really read this whole thing. It is by far the most helpful thread here (to me at least). Hitch-hikers make this hobby what it is for me. Sure I love coral and fish but every time I buy coral I attempt to buy it attached to rock because I know it will have extra goodies, even if they are sometimes bad.
The only real bad ones I have encountered are aiptasia and a polyclad flatworm so far but I would gladly take the bad just so I could have the good. I think everyone should avoid (unless you are seriously seriously spending tons of money on your corals and stuff) using dry rock and dips and everything else to nuke these little creatures. They are part of the system and the good far outnumber the bad. Of course this is just my own personal opinion and I have so far been lucky not to encounter something REALLY bad. I need to start a new tank simply for my extreme love of liverock and hitchers because I think I have more rock in this 10 gallon than water now. I am out of room for pretty much any more rock unless I just pile it up until the top.
Anyways, sorry for the rant. I just love the hitchers, they make this hobby so much more than just fish and coral. I know it's impossible, at least now, to completely replicate the ocean but I think the creatures play a huge part in making our tanks not just sanitized version of a "reef", they make it what it is. A piece of the ocean in our living room.
Thank you all for this thread, it is the best
(and if you change it for 50 replies per page in your control panel it's only 23 pages and easier to deal with, although you won't be able to play the "page claim" game)