Wierd stuff on LR & in tank

[oceania]

Hi All,

Currently cycling my new tank and found the following wierd stuff. Pls help to ID and advice if I shld remove them.

1. Snail and mini white caterpillar

2. Not sure wht this is but it opens and closes its mouth

3. Is this sponge?

4. Caught these while trapping crad. Isopods? Not sure if they're beneficial or pest.

5. White moving specs on the wall of my tank

6. White worm with feelers. Apologise for the poor focus, this is the clearest shot I can get

7. Purple mucus

Oceania

[straydum]

1 is probably a bristle worm which does more good than bad imo. you can leave it in your tank

4 looks intimidating reminds me of the pods that stick to my fishes. but i'm not sure whether in your case they are the same ones.

5 copepods! great food for fishes like dragonets, or wrasses

[oceania]

1 is probably a bristle worm which does more good than bad imo. you can leave it in your tank

4 looks intimidating reminds me of the pods that stick to my fishes. but i'm not sure whether in your case they are the same ones.

5 copepods! great food for fishes like dragonets, or wrasses

Thanks bro!

[iskay]

1. Turban Snail, Likes like a bristle worm. Both goodies

2. don't know. more photos or video might help

3. looks like some sponge. goodie

4. looks like isopods. Baddie

5. copepods. goodies

6. looks like starfish legs. goodie

7. looks like some sponge. goodie

[decentkid]

1 is a limpet.

2 is most probably a barnacle

3 is a sponge

4 is a isopod (most tend to be parasitic)

5 cant tell exact but looks harmless

6 is spaghetti worm

7 is a sponge

[iskay]

1. Turban Snail, Likes like a bristle worm. Both goodies

2. don't know. more photos or video might help

3. looks like some sponge. goodie

4. looks like isopods. Baddie

5. copepods. goodies

6. looks like starfish legs. goodie

7. looks like some sponge. goodie

Update:

1. Thing on right is a Turban snail. If the thing on the left is worm-like and long, then must be a bristle worm. Else it does look like a Chiton. both are harmless.

6. If the "tentacle" tends to stick upwards and is quite short, then it must be a brittle starfish. If it's in long strands and tends to stick close to the ground, then must be spaghetti worm. both are harmless.

[Gouldian]

Image 2 look like a sea squirt Polycarpa sp. especially when you mention that it has mouth.

http://www.habitas.org.uk/marinelife/species.asp?item=ZD1880

[oceania]

Thanks Bros! Really appreciate the help! Guess all can stay except the Isopods.

Have been using mkt prawn to bait crab and Isopods. But it seemed that the crabs and Isopods are only interested in the prawn on the 1st day. Do I need to change the prawn on a daily basis?

Read that wrasses do eat feather dusters worms, tubeworms, wild shrimp, flatworms and Isopods. How effective are they? Apart from Yellow and Green wrasse, any others that are reef safe contenders?

[Gouldian]

Thanks Bros! Really appreciate the help! Guess all can stay except the Isopods.

Have been using mkt prawn to bait crab and Isopods. But it seemed that the crabs and Isopods are only interested in the prawn on the 1st day. Do I need to change the prawn on a daily basis?

Read that wrasses do eat feather dusters worms, tubeworms, wild shrimp, flatworms and Isopods. How effective are they? Apart from Yellow and Green wrasse, any others that are reef safe contenders?

Hi bro,

You can place the bait in side a container and place the container near the isopods/crabs, once they goes near, remove the container immediately. I don't think it s good idea to continuously place prawn in your tank just to bait isopods/crabs, you will encounter more problems in the long run with high nutrients.

For crabs, sometimes you don't even need to use prawn, just a empty glass jar near its hiding place before lights off will reap results. This is because most crabs are inquisitive and will explore the entire tank when all lights are out. I have many success using this method.

Wrasses are mainly carnivorous feeding on any meaty morsels that can fit into their mouth thus they will hunt down all tube worms, polychaete, shrimp, small crabs, pods and even isopods. However do note that they will indiscriminately eat any convenient food that they find interest and may not be eating the ones that you wanted them to eliminate. As to why most wrasses are generally considered reef safe if because they will leave corals alone - at least from my experience.

Also, do note that although most carnivorous and omnivorous fishes will consume isopods they are not free from this pest, as you can see from the below image - a wrasse being victimize by a isopod.

Common reef safe wrasses are:

* Most Cirrhilabrus sp - Ideal but keep tank covered at all times and check floor daily!

* Most Paracheilinus sp - general easy but get spooked easily and not recommended for tank with aggressive fishes

* Several Macropharyngodon sp - some may grow too big and most are not recommended for beginers

* Some Pseudocheilinus sp - Good example is the Mystery Wrasse (Pseudocheilinus ocellatus) and Six Line (Pseudocheilinus hexataenia)

* Some Halichoeres sp - May get too large for most local tank, the yellow wrasse you mentioned is the Halichoeres chrysus

* Some Wetmorella sp - Remain small however, slightly too cryptic to my liking.

* Labroides dimidiatus - AKA Common or Blue Cleaner Wrasse, this is the only cleaner wrasse that have been successfully kept locally compared to the rest. However, only buy them when you are sure that they are feeding as those that don't feed mostly will starve to death. Due to low success rate overseas and also due to the loss of this fish in the nature may be detrimental - exercise caution when buying them.

Source:

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/aquarium-fish-supplies.cfm?c=15+1378

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-08/hcs3/index.php

http://www.bluezooaquatics.com/productlist.asp?cid=290&did=1

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/oct2004/fish.htm

[iskay]

you need to change the bait (prawn) on a daily basis as it'll rot and pollute your tank the longer you leave it in the water. Don't count on another livestock to eradicate your problem, chances are the problem reduce but will not go away completely.

[oceania]

Thanks Gouldian and Iskay! Currently I'm cycling my tank thus I reckon it's ok to leave the prawn in the tank?

Have been changing prawn on a 2-3 interval. Was wondering if this effectively kick start the Nitrogen cycle? My tank has been cycling for a wk however ammonia, nitrite and nitrate readings were all 0.

[straydum]

yeap if you're cycling i think the prawn can stay. but just for this one time

you need to let the prawn decompose into ammonia and feed whatever bacteria is present in your tank from your rocks.

the cycling period will take anywhere from around 2 weeks to a month. if you change your prawn every now and then or do partial water changes during the the process, as doing so will stall the cycle from completing

[oceania]

Yup ok got it thanks! Shall leave the prawn as it is.

Found this brown wriggly thing with tiny red legs in the return compartment of my sump! Not sure if it's a copepod. Pls help to ID once again.