Hey, I'm new here, but I think I finally found a forum with people that actually know something!
I have a 20 gal high reef tank that has been going well now for a year. Mostly untouched. I had a lot of experience with plain (fish only) saltwater tanks, and prefer a maintenance free tank if I can do it. I have a venturi skimmer (air powered) a circulating powerhead (175 gal hr) and a biological filter unit with integrateed 50 watt heater.
I have live rock, with several anemones that grew out of it, button pylops some "turkeywing" clams, a goby, two striped eel cats (currently getting too large) a couple of damselfish, and a blue devil. I also got a cleaner wrasse that came out of a live rock I bought. While I read that these have a very low survival rate in aquariums, this one is very healthy and has been in the setup for a year. I have numerous turbo snails to keep down the algae. I have a pencil urchin grazing the rocks. What seems to be a "curlycue" anemone has sprouted from the back, nearest the light.
I use a 20 watt ctinic light, a special coral light, and a high intensity flourescent light above the tank.
While I do add fresh filtered water, iodine supplement, kalkwasser, and reef nutrients as needed, I have never had to clean my tank. The balance of everything is near perfect when I test it. I do not use a charcoal filter of any type, just sponge filters in the biological filter. I feed the invertibrate food twice weekly, and the fish get mostly frozen food, including fresh shrimp and scallops. I also make a recipe of vitamins, salmon oil (for HUFAs and Omega3 oils) and green peas, egg, and gelatin which all the fish seem to love.
I have some things that have just started growing in the tank, which I can not find on your "Hitchiker" page, or in any of my books. I am hoping they are new corals. I have two brittle stars that have seemingly appeared from nowhere.
Attached are pictures. Can anyone identify the creatures? I thought one of the pics is of spaghetti worms, but they do not look like the ones on the "hitchiker" page. The animal near the clams is thin, with a pearl-like shell. currently about 3/4 inch wide. It is growing noticably.
I also made the mistake of putting a 100x viewer on the sand bed, and have millions of things moving ther..it looks like jurrasic park, so I'm assuming it is healthy. 8O
I have a 20 gal high reef tank that has been going well now for a year. Mostly untouched. I had a lot of experience with plain (fish only) saltwater tanks, and prefer a maintenance free tank if I can do it. I have a venturi skimmer (air powered) a circulating powerhead (175 gal hr) and a biological filter unit with integrateed 50 watt heater.
I have live rock, with several anemones that grew out of it, button pylops some "turkeywing" clams, a goby, two striped eel cats (currently getting too large) a couple of damselfish, and a blue devil. I also got a cleaner wrasse that came out of a live rock I bought. While I read that these have a very low survival rate in aquariums, this one is very healthy and has been in the setup for a year. I have numerous turbo snails to keep down the algae. I have a pencil urchin grazing the rocks. What seems to be a "curlycue" anemone has sprouted from the back, nearest the light.
I use a 20 watt ctinic light, a special coral light, and a high intensity flourescent light above the tank.
While I do add fresh filtered water, iodine supplement, kalkwasser, and reef nutrients as needed, I have never had to clean my tank. The balance of everything is near perfect when I test it. I do not use a charcoal filter of any type, just sponge filters in the biological filter. I feed the invertibrate food twice weekly, and the fish get mostly frozen food, including fresh shrimp and scallops. I also make a recipe of vitamins, salmon oil (for HUFAs and Omega3 oils) and green peas, egg, and gelatin which all the fish seem to love.
I have some things that have just started growing in the tank, which I can not find on your "Hitchiker" page, or in any of my books. I am hoping they are new corals. I have two brittle stars that have seemingly appeared from nowhere.
Attached are pictures. Can anyone identify the creatures? I thought one of the pics is of spaghetti worms, but they do not look like the ones on the "hitchiker" page. The animal near the clams is thin, with a pearl-like shell. currently about 3/4 inch wide. It is growing noticably.
I also made the mistake of putting a 100x viewer on the sand bed, and have millions of things moving ther..it looks like jurrasic park, so I'm assuming it is healthy. 8O
