Need help with this.....

[aweeks95]

I just recently baught 6-8 lbs of LR for my new sump. I've had it going for about a week with the new rock. Tonight I was looking at the sump with a flashlight to see what I could find for hitchhikers. Low and behold I saw a small pair of legs scurry into a "cave" in one of the larger pieces of LR. I checked back later to see if it came back out so i could get a good look at it and there it was...small, about 1/2", seemed to be light brown or tan with fuzzy legs and almost red claws or red tips on it's claws. I went for the camera to try for some pics but he went and hid be for I made it back. Does anyone have any ideas about the type of crab this is from my description?

One other little hitchhiker....does anyone have a good pic of glass anemone? or a site that has pics? I think I might have four or more little ones that range from 1/4"-3/4". They are in my sump, but should i get rid of them? I have no light on the sump and it stays covered except for when i do my maintenance. Will they survive or should I EXTERMINATE them?

sorry for the length....any help or links would be great thanks guys....and girls!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Anonymous]

I just recently baught 6-8 lbs of LR for my new sump. I've had it going for about a week with the new rock. Tonight I was looking at the sump with a flashlight to see what I could find for hitchhikers. Low and behold I saw a small pair of legs scurry into a "cave" in one of the larger pieces of LR. I checked back later to see if it came back out so i could get a good look at it and there it was...small, about 1/2", seemed to be light brown or tan with fuzzy legs and almost red claws or red tips on it's claws. I went for the camera to try for some pics but he went and hid be for I made it back. Does anyone have any ideas about the type of crab this is from my description?

One other little hitchhiker....does anyone have a good pic of glass anemone? or a site that has pics? I think I might have four or more little ones that range from 1/4"-3/4". They are in my sump, but should i get rid of them? I have no light on the sump and it stays covered except for when i do my maintenance. Will they survive or should I EXTERMINATE them?

sorry for the length....any help or links would be great thanks guys....and girls!!!!!!!!!!!!

there are a huge amount of crab species that come in on live rock, and most are not easily identifiable at smaller sizes-generally, all 'rock crabs' you find, are best removed from the system.



did you look at the hhfaq?

 

[wade1]

HHFAQ: http://reefs.org/hhfaq/

You can also see examples of Aiptasia species on the hitchicker picture threads both in this forum and in the photography forum.

Wade

 

[revkev6]

hey, this is my brothers tank. I'm pretty sure that it's a glass anemone. It's in his sump, would peppermint shrimp survive in the sump without any lighting? what about the anemones? don't they have some sort of light requirement? what would you do with the peppermint shrimp after they ate the anemones? move them to the display?

 

[wade1]

The aiptasia will survive on the detritus that settles down in a sump area. They will go clear (no algae in them anymore) but they will not die. A shrimp would do fine in there as well, as they are nocturnal and feed on detritus as well. Just make sure that any pump intakes are covered so the shrimp doesn't feed a sushi dish to the main tank.

If its just one, scrape it off the tank with a razor blade. If it is on something that can be removed, remove it, scrape it off (if smooth) or burn it off with kalk (in a hole) and be done with it.

 

[revkev6]

there are a couple of them on most of the pieces of live rock that he bought to put in the sump. luckily, he did a very good job of setting the sump up and there is a filter between the pumps and the live rock. putting the shrimp in there wouldn't be an issue from that standpoint. how many of them do you think he would need?

how would you "burn them off with kalk" newbish question but kalk is an additive isn't it?

 

[revkev6]

okay, I just went and did a search, and found this:

http://www.reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=65408

explaining how to "burn" them off. thanks!

 

[wade1]

You can create a paste, using a tiny amount of water and kalkwasser paste (calcium hydroxide or pickling lime). Mix them until they are a thick slurry and then use a baster or some sort of pipette/spoon and push the paste into the hole/crevice/crack where the aiptasia are. Its extremely basic (alkaline) and will destroy the pest anemones.

 

[Mihai]

Does it work for Grape Caluerpa too? I am loosing the battle with a strand of this devil's macro - BTW, in absolutely all books I read I heard about the worst things in this hobby: mantis shrimp, glass anemones, bubble algae, but not a word about the nasty grape Caluerapa - why?

Anyway, can I burn it down with Kalk (with fire is not an option)?
M.

 

[Anonymous]

You can't just prune it all?

 

[Mihai]

Nope, it turns out that I always miss some little part of the holdfast and it regenerates from that! (like Aptaisia or Xenia would do). It's also in a place that doesn't allow me to clean it well or get the rock out. So... should I try with kalk?

Also, how close can the kalk sandwich be to a coral? I have a nice montipora about 1-2" from the area to be nuked.

M.

 

[wade1]

Yes, the kalk paste would work well in that situation. Remove everything you can, and then let a glob of the paste rest on the same area. The kalk will not hurt anything it is not directly touching (I've used a great deal in my tank all at once).

 

[Anonymous]

Nope, it turns out that I always miss some little part of the holdfast and it regenerates from that! (like Aptaisia or Xenia would do). It's also in a place that doesn't allow me to clean it well or get the rock out. So... should I try with kalk?

Also, how close can the kalk sandwich be to a coral? I have a nice montipora about 1-2" from the area to be nuked.

M.

once macros get their holdfasts into live rock, they are nearly impossible to be romoved completely,the holdfasts can burrow very deeply into the rock, waiting for the opportune moment to 'sprout'(the holdfast is really just a modified form/structure of the macro itself, which, iirc, is actually one large cell)-which is why chaetomorpha is the preffered macro to use-it does not use holdfasts


hth

 

[Mihai]

Yeah, I have chaeto as my main nutrient export, this hitchicked on an insufficiently quarantined clam (and moved from the fuge to the main tank). I'm trying (hard) to erradicate it.

M.