fire worms !!! 7 gallon and at least 3 so far.

[marinebeginner]

I have a 7gallon reef tank I have been keeping for my grandmother. It was my first and I finally got everything under control ie water and algae!! Then my livestock started dissapearing! first a cleaner shrimp, crabs, and now my NEMO fish :( I don't know what to do!! I have tried to catch the fire worm. We have actually seen 3 different fireworms!!! They were all in this one rock so we took out the rock and the Nemo dissapears! All I have left is a red beard clam thingy. We are afraid it will get eaten too. I don't want to kill all my coral but they are taking over!! I thought the clam thingy(can't remember his name) was hunting it! What do we do?? We put a trap out and couldn't catch it. We tried to pull out a small one and it just broke!

[Reef69]

whats a fire worm? well, anyways....to start with a 7 gallon tank is too small for a nemo fish, your red beard clam thingy its a filter feeder, it does not hunt fire worms..honestly, i dont think "the fire worms" are killing anything, must be your water parameters..IMO

[brewercm]

Do you mean bristle worms, I've heard them called fire worms before also. They won't kill anything but they will help clean up remains once something has died. Do you happen to ever hear any clicking sounds, possibly a mantis living inside one of your rocks. I'd think in a 7 gallon you would have seen it by now though.

[dan]

i have hundeds of those[ fire worms] in my system and they do a good job cleaning up left over food and anything that's lying around. wish i had a hundred more bristle worms. :lol:

[Reef69]

Honestly, it was a bad move starting with such a small tank..you should have tried a bigger one first, to get a hold of things..small tanks can fluctuate very easily

[scuba_steveo]

Something is in there if the fish are dissapearing and you cannot find their remains. Do not put your hand in the tank because it might be a hungry mantis shrimp. That would hurt! Look up mantis trap online. I got one out of a friend's tank a few weeks ago by placing some krill in a jar. Once the mantis went in I moved the magnet over the jar trapping the mantis inside. It took all of 5 minutes. Anyway, it may not be a mantis........

[dan]

Honestly, it was a bad move starting with such a small tank..

i totally agree with that. i'm setting up a 350gal now and i think that's to small. but that's JMO :skeezy:

[Reef69]

LOL Dan..I want a bigger one, but i already have 3...lol

[dan]

sell the three and buy 1 BIG ONE

[Gator]

i thought nyou just bought a nano dan

[CD]

Ok, guys...here's a little segment from our book on Reef Inverts (Fenner/Calfo)...There actually IS a difference between fireworms and bristleworms:

"All Fireworms are bristleworms, but not all bristleworms are Fireworms. These common names are exchanged freely and quite inaccurately to describe two *very* different polychaete worms. It is very important for you to understand the differences between them, and there are many. Bristleworms are relatively small (to several inches) and mostly harmless detritivores. They can in fact be enormously beneficial to natural marine aquarium methodologies for supporting the health of live substrates. Only in neglected aquaria (excess detritus or food, inadequate water flow, etc.) do they reach nuisance populations. The real "bad guys" are true Fireworms <the book has pics, but you can look up Hermodice on google to get an idea> ...notice the more densely clustered bristles. Fireworms can grow large to 12" or more and eat many desirable reef creatures including corals, bivalves, and even fishes when available."

Needless to say, there is a LOT more information on these worms in the book, but the above was just FYI. This book is an awesome source of info on inverts, and a highly recommended read. I rather doubt that marinebeginner has the true Fireworms in their tank, as they are rather rare in the hobby these days...especially now that wild live rock collection from the Caribbean is protected. Most likely, the fish/inverts died for some other reason, and the bristleworms were just cleaning up.

Wendy

[Reef69]

Well Dan, my 90 is My LPS/SPS reef, which i love, it takes care of itself..the 25 has my pair of percs, with my harlequin shrimp..and my 6 has a peacock mantis so..I guess Ill just buy a BIG one and keep these 3..lol

[NaCl_H2O]

i thought nyou just bought a nano dan

A 350 IS Dan's idea of a "nano" :o

[GaryP]

A 350 IS Dan's idea of a "nano"

Yea, I saw it sitting on his kitchen counter.

Gary

[captexas]

Please keep this thread to task as it posted in the Emergency Forum. :-)

[marinebeginner]

I have already researched fire worms and the worms I have look like the pictures I have seen! I read a thread on another website where the hobbyist found a 6foot long fire worm in his 75 gallon 2 year old tank. He didn’t know he had it until it started eating his prize coral!! He had to tear down his whole tank! So, I know I am not too far off! Plus, there is no debris, particles ect. It is just disappearing in a matter of hours!! Not to mention the hermit crabs at least 4-5 now have been eaten leaving only empty shells. Actually, we haven’t even found all the shells! Nemo, was very healthy looking the night before, swimming around chasing the net and eating like a hog! My corals look fabulous, better then any in the fish stores, with the exception of finaddicts. I have been doing water changes every 7-10 days , I think the water is good.
Maybe, it is something else! I am not sticking my hand in there with out a heavy rubber glove just in case! So, does anyone have any real advice?!?

[CD]

Ok, well since you've done some research and pretty much determined that's what they are, you obviously need to get them out. This can be rather tricky, and rather than trying to pull them out of their holes with tweezers (which is pretty much impossible, especially keeping them intact which is very important) you are going to have to try and trap them. The traps you get at the LFSs are pretty much useless. This will probably take some time and patience, but try the following and LMK if you have any success (or not, and we'll try something else). Place a chunk of shrimp (you can get fresh from the seafood counter at HEB) and place it inside a cut off piece of clean pantyhose. Tie off the top with a piece of string, and leave enought string to where you will be able to leave the string part hanging outside of the tank/water with the shrimp sitting on the sandbed. The Fireworm will be attracted to this food, and it's bristles should get caught up in the pantyhose material long enough for you to pull it out.

Try that, and if it doesn't work, I have another DIY trap plan I read about today that we can talk about. As you know, be VERY careful with the worms and use rubber gloves or long tweezers to pry it off the pantyhose.

Please keep me posted on your progress. ;)

Wendy

PS...even if it is something else other than a Fireworm, it should still be attracted to the shrimp.

[marinebeginner]

Thank you, Wendy!! I already have the shrimp because, I tried to trap them in a plastic bottle with slits in the side. Then, I thought if I removed the rock they had to be gone!
Actually, thank you for the technical name, to be more specific they look like "genus Eunice, sometimes called 'bobbit' worms are "eunicids do not have the white protective bristles found in fireworms, and they often keep their other bristles withdrawn... would consider them amongst the "usual suspects" if some small fish such as fire fish or small gobies disappeared without a trace." I found this at this link http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-04/rs/
Very informative!
I will try the panty hose thing. However, I am going to have to wait awhile.

[marinebeginner]

Since, whatever it is has already killed all my live stock except for the snails and flame scallop, I don't think it will hurt the soft corals just yet. It is at my grandmother's and I am not going to have time to trap it for about 2 weeks! I will need to stay awhile. Do you think it will be alright for 2 weeks?

[marinebeginner]

C.Mydas had e-mailed me the same idea! She also said my flame scallop should be fine. I hope that catches whatever it is. Since, I have seen 3 worms, should I be more concerned? Will panty hose trap a KILLER SHRIMP !!!

[marinebeginner]

Why wouldn't you put the coral banded shrimp in a 7 gal?
How will I know if it is not the worms? ( without sacrificing a helpless "Nemo").
Shouldn't the worms have come out with the live rock I removed?

[marinebeginner]

How do you kill KILLER SHRIMP?
Also, I had a bunch of tiny, clear things all over the glass today when I went to visit. They looked like tiny shrimp, my grandmother thinks they look like baby snails? I cleaned a bunch of them off when I did the water change.

[CD]

Coral Banded shrimp or an Arrow crab


I read about those too, plus some wrasses will eat them...but you're right, a 7G is such a small tank. Don't those arrow crabs get pretty big? Plus, sometimes you can be trading one headache for another depending on what new fish marinebeginer plans to keep.

marinebeginner - I was so intent on concentrating on the Fireworm problem, I didn't mention that IMHO a 7G is waaaay to small for a "nemo" clownfish. There are lots of cute, smaller fish that would do just fine in a nano, which we can talk about some more once you get rid of the Fireworms.
OK, as I'm previewing my reply, I see you've written some more... ;)
No, if it is a mantis, the pantyhose will not work, but at least you will draw it out into the open to see what it is. I'm not surprised the plastic bottle didn't work, but also keep in mind they will probably be *much* more likely to come out at night or when the tank lights are off...they are very sensitive to light and can see better than you think. Since you've lost most of the livestock at this point already, I don't think waiting a couple of weeks is going to make much difference, plus I believe FWs prefer hard corals to munch - not soft. Actually, it may even help, as you won't be putting food in the tank for the fish, and the Fireworm is going to get mighty hungry (this will make the shrimp/pantyhose trap more likely to work).

Wendy

[marinebeginner]

Thank you!

[CD]

Why wouldn't you put the coral banded shrimp in a 7 gal?


Too small of a tank, plus if you intend on getting another smaller fish to replace the clownfish you lost, it could present problems.



How do you kill KILLER SHRIMP?


If it is a mantis, then you probably won't want to dispose of it. I'm sure there would be plenty of people that would want take it off your hands. Lots of folks have tanks set up specifically for these type of shrimps.



like tiny shrimp


Most likely 'pods - which are a very good thing to have in your tank. I'd have to see a pic to be sure. They could also be a type of snail - as you mentioned - but again, I would need to see them.



Shouldn't the worms have come out with the live rock I removed?


Doubtfull. When you took the rock out, I'm sure they just got as far back in their holes as they could, and waited for you to stick the rock back in. They can survive for a bit without being underwater.

Wendy

[scuba_steveo]

Maybe it is just me but I do not see worms being the problem.

[brewercm]

I was kind of thinking the same thing as scuba_steveo. If it was the worms doing the damage I'm fairly sure it would take them a while to completely finish off a fish.
If it was a mantis in the tank however, they love to attack and then pull their victim into their little cave and eat until there's nothing left. I'm sure there are plenty of worms and other little critters that aid in the cleanup at that point also.
I got rid of my mantis out of my rock by taking the rock out that I knew he was in and doing a nice fresh water dip for a couple of minutes. In a small nano this shouldn't be hard to do and you will flush out some (not all) of the worms at the same time.

[Instar]

I really have to ask a dumb question but why is a 7 gallon tank so bad to keep a young nemo or banded shrimp in if the water quality is kept up well and the rocks arrainged to accomodate? I have a couple small nanos and really don't see it. People are keeping some things like this in all kinds of nanos. Check it out at FinAddicts and you can see it in living color. Nemos and mr gobie are not all that different in size. If you are talking about an adult wild caught female or adult pair of the larger clowns, then thats a whole different thing. Aren't Nemos sometimes bred in 10 gallon tanks with a clay pot for cover? I would think a tank with rocks would be a whole lot better than that. The Ocellaris clowns are in the smaller fish category so, given the provision that the water is kept in good condition, I'll have to disagree on a 7 being too small for one little nemo or even an immature pair of tiny little nemos (referring to young small fish, not mature ones). They can start out there and when it seems they have grown too large for the tank, then move them into a large one. I just got someone into the hobby with a similar setup and one of my young maroons. When it grows, there's the excuse to buy a larger tank. And the little clowns really don't eat that much, so the load is not much higher than with the gobies. Personally I would not keep an adult pair in a small tank, or a very large wild caught mature one in a small tank, but, one samller young single is not the same. It doesn't have to stay in there if it starts to look like its grown too large? I have an 18 gallon nano with a couple of real tiny baby fish that will grow up to be in the 2 foot range. I do plan to move them when they grow up some. Meanwhile, they are very beautiful and make for an unusual tank. I guess this means you are going to fuss at me for using nanos, huh? :roll:

[CD]

when it seems they have grown too large for the tank, then move them into a large one.


Larry, this is not marinebeginner's tank (I'm not even sure that they have one themselves), it belongs to their grandmother - I don't think moving it to a larger tank would be an option, as that's all she has. I know they are tiny as babies, but I was looking at the long term...a full grown "Nemo" has no business being in a 7G tank IMHO. I've never had the privledge to see your entire set up and tanks, but I'd be willing to bet that you have a bunch, and can always have the ability to transfer a growing creature to a larger habitat. I think nanos are cool as long as whatever is in there has room to swim. As far as the banded shrimp - it's kind of a vicious circle - if the shrimp eats the worms and creates more bio-load which in turn feeds and grows *more* worms, then what's the point? Plus, there would be risks towards smaller fish, other shrimps, crabs, and mollusks...*and* the "good" worms that inhabit aquaria - especially in a 7G - would be gonners with a banded. BTW - I would never fuss at you. ;)

brewercm - We aren't totally ruling out the possibility that there *could* be a mantis in there. However, marinebeginner provided a link in the first page of this thread, and identified what they had was of the genus Eunice (bobbit worm) type. R.L. Shimek Ph.D. says in this article: "...individuals have been reported to strike upward from the sediment surface, grab a fish, and pull it under the sediment to snack on it at it's leisure. There are also smaller species of Eunice, which generally appear to be harmless scavengers, however, even I, a self-proclaimed vermophile, would consider them suspect if some small fish disappears without a trace."
As far as a freshwater dip - well, you are going to be killing off good creatures too, plus, even if the worm they are trying to kill ends up dying inside the rock, once the rock is placed back in the tank, then you have a decaying animal to foul the water. Needless to say, in a 7G, this would be a bad thing. If you can get a copy of Reef Invertebrates (A.Calfo & R. Fenner) and read the section on these worms, it is a real eye opener...at least it was for me. This is a book well worth purchasing. :D


Wendy

[brewercm]

individuals have been reported to strike upward from the sediment surface, grab a fish, and pull it under the sediment to snack on it at it's leisure

WOW, that's spooky. Kind of got backflashes of that movie "Tremors", at least I think that was the name. :o

I didn't think that these types of worms could do that kind of damage. Kind of makes you think twice about putting you hands down in there.

[CD]

WOW, that's spooky. Kind of got backflashes of that movie "Tremors", at least I think that was the name.


LOL - Yes, that's the name, and there are actually three "Tremors" movies...all worth watching IMO. I especially like the Burt Gummer charachter (Michael Gross). Too funny. :-D



I didn't think that these types of worms could do that kind of damage. Kind of makes you think twice about putting you hands down in there


No kidding! I've gotten to the point where I won't handle LR unless I'm wearing rubber gloves. Last time I didn't, I got "stung" by something that left blisters on my fingers for at least 10 days...not to mention the infections you can procure from some of these critters :shock:

Wendy

[Andrew]

I agree with Larry that juvenile clowns are nano worthy, and even (one) adult of a smaller species may be suitable (perc, skunk etc.) provided they're given more than 5 gallons, and properly cared for (moved to larger accomodations if necessary). In my experience with a number of small to medium sized clown species [currently have 4 adults (1 perc., 3 ocel.)], they spend the majority of the day and entire night within approximately 12" square worth of space, even in larger tanks. Years ago I had a cinnamon clown that rarely strayed more than several inches from its anemone. They are not strong swimmers in comparison to most fish, and also have a comparatively low metabolism. . .

my 2 cents

<'(((>< Andrew ><)))'>

[Instar]

Wendy -- To be more specific, if there is no larger tank and marinebeginner doesn't start one up, I really was thinking in that case she could move it to one of my tanks? I could helpout? 8)

Please if you ever do decide you want to come over, make the appointment waaaaay ahead of time so I can find hiding places for my nanos. You might hurt me if you saw my 2 gallon. I agree with Andrew -- Oces and skunks are often very small in the lfs and wouldn't fare too well in a large tank. In fact there are quite a number of delicate little fish in some of these lfs that would fare better in a nano than in a fast current reef. I put 3 little masked gobies in my reef and I only see one poke its head up amoung the zoos now and then. I'd probably see such fish if they were in one of my nanos. I know they get food cause they are fat, but, not often seen. And they are scared of the larger fish. In the nanos, thats not an issue. There are different issues and please don't mistake this for me saying all fish can live forever in a 7 gallon. It does take some common sense, observation and research to figure out what can go in there and fare well. I have a baby twin spot in my 18. He is smaller than small right now, about the size of a neon goby and very very shy. He would not be so easy to care for in a 250 and might even get eaten by a larger fish. He's even afraid to get too close to the cling fish goby that is about 2 inches long. Nanos like FinAddicts puts together are very interesting and really pretty simple to care for. In regard to my twin spot, he will not be able to stay in the 18 forever. When he is able to compete in a predator tank, he can go in a much larger tank and it really doesn't have to be mine if I don't have a tank such as that. But for now and maybe a year?, this little tank with a twin spot smaller than I have ever seen before, is way cool. I specifically set it up for tiny babies that might not have a chance in something larger. If you see any extremely tiny (I'm looking for smaller than small, not just juvies) baby fish that are way cool and don't need live shrimp or baby guppies, please pm me. I promise they'll love my rocks! A few 1/4 inch bangis would be cool.

[C.Mydas]

I have to say I agree with Larry. I've got a 1gallon (from Fin-Addicts) that has a banded goby with a pistol shrimp, 2 porcelain crabs and a pom-pom crab. All of which would die or disappear in a larger tank. Even in a tank this small I barely see my crabs and pistol shrimp and the goby never goes more that an inch away from his home. We kept a chevron tang in a 10gallon for about 3months too. It was an emaciated baby when we got it and knew if we threw it in our big tank it would die b/c it wasn't used to feeding in captivity and would not compete w/ the other tangs for food. Needless to say, after we got it used to the algae clip and got it eating aggressively we put it in the big tank and even though it was 1/2 the size of the others it got in to the feeding frenzy and even now eats pellets. My point: baby fish need special attention they may not receive in a larger set up. As far a small clown in a 7gallon, I know personally it took Brian and I forever to find a good size clown, Im sure she wont have trouble selling it to someone who wants a larger clown. Why not let someone who will spend the extra time on it while it is a baby grow it out for someone with a larger tank?

I've talked with marinebeginner in person and she is a very nice person who wants what is best for her grandma and her new friends...She has been getting all her info from a LFS...and we all know how that goes. They've been telling her the truth but for obvious reasons most employees dont have the time to explain the entire hobby to someone. (Except for GaryP who explained the entire hobby in about 45 minutes to a woman in FinAddicts the other day :shock: :-D ) I think we should make a book/site list to direct newbies to, so that they/we can do our own research and hopefully get closer to the truth.

[CD]

Wendy -- To be more specific, if there is no larger tank and marinebeginner doesn't start one up, I really was thinking in that case she could move it to one of my tanks? I could helpout?


LOL...I *know* that you would ;)



Please if you ever do decide you want to come over, make the appointment waaaaay ahead of time so I can find hiding places for my nanos. You might hurt me if you saw my 2 gallon


ROTFLMAO...<now wiping tears of laughter> Now, see? You seem to think I have a problem with nanos when I don't. I think they are waaaay cool! Those ones we saw Felipe and Sarah setting up at their store were awesome! I hope I do get the chance to visit you and see all your tanks sometime, Larry. That would be a real treat :D

I was just remembering from other posts that marinebeginner had made in the past - and correct me if I'm wrong - but I was under the impression that there *were* no other tanks they had to upgrade a growing fish to, and that grandma was not able to get around well? IOW, she may not want or be able to take care of a bigger set up? I know I can be overly protective when it comes to my critters, but getting rid of a baby fish I had raised because I didn't have or couldn't take care of a bigger tank, would be much akin to giving away one's child because the house wasn't big enough. I couldn't bear it, and by the sounds of it, grandma gets a great deal of enjoyment from her marine critters.

As far as baby percs and tiny fish - yes, a smaller tank or a nano is probably much more apropriate, however, once that perc has grown, personally I wouldn't have it in anything less than say a 20-30G. We have two false percs in our 75G, and they *love* to swim the entire tank, playing in the water flow, etc. Chris bought me a Randall's Shrimp Goby recently, and it is a very small fish - totally awesome little fella, and beautiful to match. He pretty much sticks to about a foot perimeter in the RH side of the tank, but I've seen him scoping out the rest of the tank plenty of times. If I had anything in our tank that I though would hurt him, he would've never been put in there. Personally, until our fish can speak to us and tell us what they prefer, I'm going to do my best to give them the roomiest accomodations possible. :)

Wendy

[Ram_Puppy]

well, a very similar worm at www.oregonreef.com decided it like munching zoanthids, I wouldn't leave it if at all possible.

I will tell you since the tank is small, You should sit next to it at night, let the lights go out, keep the room very dark, and use a red lensed flash light (most creatures in the sea can not see red light) and just watch. When the little bugger comes out and hunts, find out which rock it is in. Then get some tongs, and remove the entire rock. you can run fresh water into his hole and that will probably drive it out into a container and you can flush it, blend it in vengance, or give it to some strange person who wants to keep it in a species tank... perhaps we can have the reefers version of a **** fight... worm against mantis.. :)

Oh, and please do not add a clown fish (nemo) back to a 7 gallon aquarium, it may fit for now but it won't for long, additionally, there is not enough water volume to dilute it's waste and so forth.

Hope this helps!

[Instar]

Wendy... hmmm giving away my first born... I'll get back to you. LoL. I guess the same reason you site for your percs cruising the 75 is the same reason I haven't moved mine into a 20 for breeding. My Oces like to play too, but, they have been raised in there with the wild tang school. I think they kinda think they're tangs.

Ram - you too, appts years in advance. I'll definitely have to hide my nanos. The option is always there for someone to trade for a smaller fish or move it... to my tank maybe? Last time I was kidding about doing such a thing I got an incredible Ultra RBTA and not long after a cool candy cane anemone. If something that happens again here, I'm all :-D

I have another dumb question now: Since size is a relative thing, species and situation dependant, what is the difference between a tiny ocellaris, perc or skunk clown in a 7 gallon and a 7 inch hippo in a 125? I'll take the liberty of answering just in case - the 125 is way, way too small and the 7 could be just right. How many times has that irresistable large fish been purchased locally and brought home to its prison of a 125 or 200 when in should have been in a 500? I see more posts like that than an appropriate sized nano with a little clown or goby in it. (soapbox mode off now)

Maybe Ram has a good idea to target that fire worm? Its definitely worth a try I think.

Talk to Felipe at FinAddicts about it as certain species and sizes will work great as do different kinds of setups. His are with plenums. They all take maintenance in proportion to the bio load. The nano discussion probably goes on forever on the nano dedicated web sites.

[Ram_Puppy]

Larry, your correct of course that there is always the possibility of relocating to a larger home... I forget where I read it a while back, it might have been in Tullok's natural marine aquarist, not sure, but typically, people who buy small aquariums with the intent of purchasing a larger one down the road, simply can't afford it or just don't do it. (not saying this is the case) you know, a best intentions type thing, for instance, I wanted to have my 115 up and running almost a year ago, but a contract stopping, a new one starting, and various other financial problems have me to the point where i just ordered the glass and it won't be in for 2 weeks, and that doesn't count buying the chiller, oceans motions, sump, plumbing, pumps, all that, I may well be another year before I even put water in that glass... had I waited and not started this hobby until I could afford a larger tank, i probably could have done all this sooner (after all maintaining a reef of almost any size is a healthy expense. and impacts what we can spend on 'upgrading'. I have nano's too, I even had a very tiny Citron goby in a 1 gallon tank, I planned to move him to a larger tank later but he suicided. :( the nano was awesome while it lasted. ( a co-worker killed it.)

Anyhow... Marine beginner sounds like he has his head screwed on straight so I am sure if he chooses to put a juvenile clown in there he will move it when the time comes (if it comes).

Oh, and the fireworm targeting trick isn't mine, I read it on reef central.

[marinebeginner]

Thank you, everyone! Ram Puppy thank you for that link. That is actually the link I was referring to when I mentioned the 6footer. Obviously, I got the details wrong it was a 7footer!!!! However, those are the worms I have. For the record, I found the rock that we saw 2 of them in and removed and have never returned it to the tank. Nemo disappeared after removing the rock!!! Clearly, I am going to have to pack up the babies and spend the night over there! Thanks for all your help!
By the way, Nemo was very small and seemed quite happy. No, I don't have a larger tank yet! If we ever replace Nemo, we would move him if he got too large. However, I was hoping to have my 100gallon up and running by then. Y'all know how that goes!

[marinebeginner]

I think my grandmother wants a fish that will stay for the long run! She gets really attatched to them. She can tell you all about all her inhabitants personalities!! She definitely, is not in to predator tanks!!!

[Ram_Puppy]

here are some cute fish that would be great in a nano, i am linking to live aquaria, as they just happen to have a new nano-section for fish. Note,

Citrin Goby http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=161
yellow head jawfish http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=188

heck.. here is the whole page!

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?siteid=20&pCatId=2124&TopCatId=2124

[marinebeginner]

percula clown a.k.a. " Nemo" is on that list :lol:

[CD]

percula clown a.k.a. " Nemo" is on that list


It is, but at the top of the page it also notates: "...Ideal for aquariums of 8Gallons or *more*"

Wendy

[garagebrian]

Something else you can try, I have tried removing mantis from rock by using hypersalinity dips, traps and brief freshwater dips. The traps never worked and the two dips caused some of my life on the rock to be stressed. I recently bought a bottle of seltzer(carbonated) water and squirted about 1mL into each hole I suspected a mantis or gorilla crab was in. They BOLTED out of the hole and into the waiting saltwater bucket below so they were quickly washed off and survived. Not sure if this would work for fireworms, but it would be worth a shot and you should catch any mantis that are in there too. With only a 7 gallon tank it should take too long to do all the rock. Just be sure when you squirt that the water running out won't hit your corals.

[CD]

Welcome to MAAST, Brian!

Liked your journal too...did you ever catch the last mantis?

Wendy

[FSU]

Something I read awhile ago, was when first receiving liverock, to rinse it in VERY SALTY water! It kills alot of things like pods and worms, but will help eliminate worms if not wanted and also will expel a mantis shrimp if its hiding in the rocks. I did this on my first tank for my 75 gal.

I got in about 80 lbs of rock. I didn't really know much about pods, and most people thought bristle worms were bad (about 5 years ago). So I made a VERY salty solution in a bucvket and dipped each piece of rock into it for about 5-10 minutes.

Killed ALL the pods, bristle worms came out from EVERYWHERE and some snails and crabs. Anyway, with a tank that small and no livestock, this may help as it would only be a few small pieces of rock I am assuming!

[garagebrian]

Thanks for the tip. I actually tried that and it did get one mantis out, but I only dunked each rock for about 30sec - 1 min. I was too concerned about killing other stuff to leave it in longer. It did kill off a few things I wanted to keep too :( Depending on how much life(sponges, tunicates, etc) come in on my second batch, I may do the hypersalinity dip again.

I'm still trying to catch that last mantis, he has survived a hypersalinity dip of 2 minutes and several shots of seltzer water and just RO/DI water into his home (he just clicked in the rock instead of coming out). DARN IT!! Not sure what else to do with the guy. Might try a different mantis trap.

B.

[jaded]

In my limited experience I have to agree with several members. It sound like you have some issues (water quality, etc...) that are killing fish and the worms are just doing their job. A 7 gallon tank is going to require a ton of hands on maintenance to keep. Read the TOTM captions for an idea of what C.Mydas does to keep her nano looking good!

On a side note, but still on topic - I have 3 worms in my 46 bow front that are roughly 12"+ as thick as my little finger. I've never really seen the total worm out of the rock so I dont know exactly how long they are, but it sounds like I may have some variety other than the common bristleworm. I'll check the google search and if I can get a pic I'll post it in a new thread out of the emergency forum.

[FSU]

As far as killing the good stuff that comes on the rock, theres nothing that can't be replaced! Pods, worms (IF you wanted them), clams, sponges whatever, can all be replaced. Also, just because you kill the pods and stuff right then, some does survive and will still grow or hatch later after cycle! JMO IME!!!

[garagebrian]

FSU, thanks for the opinion, always good to hear them :) hypo is too little, hyper is too much, for salt. So I was doing hypersalinity(too much salt) to try to get the mantis out. My salinity guages stops reading at 1.030 and the needle shot WAY past that really fast, so I'm guessing my salinity was around 1.050 to 2. :)

B.

[FSU]

Yeah, I caught that, thats why I edited! lol