My fish only tank has been set up for over two years....and I purchased one large piece of LR from my LFS about a year ago for the tank (though with my low-power flourescent lighting, It is most likely no longer "alive")....and every time I scrub algae off the rock, I notice small beatle-like bugs, and bristle worms....but just last night I made some discoveries.....first, I noticed tiny white specks that were darting back and forth across the glass....I assume these are pods.....and they are EVERYWHERE (none of my fish eat them)....I'm excited to have these since I hear they're good for corals/a mandarin, but will they die when my tank cycles with the addition of more LR? Also, I noticed strange things growing on one of my snails. It is a cluster of flower-like things....they are tiny with white stems....a small, white "bulb", and small white "strings" coming off the top....When I attempted to brush these off the snail, they seemed to disappear, but several minutes later they had reappeared....similar looking things are in the corners of my tank (in the low-flow section of the tank)....are these bad?.....also, I found what appears to be a small starfish on the back wall of my tank, but he only has four arms! Is it possible that these creatures hitchhiked in with the LR, but are just coming out now? Or could they have come in with my new snails about 4 weeks ago? thanks alot
Matt
Matt