Fowlr

[jc]

What is a decent calcium level in a fowlr tank with a clean up crew? Right now it is about 300. What would be some good inverts to add to the tank? I was thinking about maybe some starfish or cowries. Would a large hermit crab kill the smaller ones?

[blueboy]

make sure your nitrates are in check before adding any inverts. they(nitrates) tend to get a little high in fowlr tanks, with no ill effects on the fish. but, the inverts are far more sensitive to nitrates. i'd hate to see you lose a whole order of snails and crabs, or anything for that matter. there are some cool starfish available for FO tanks(or should i say non-reef tanks), like the african red-knob star, which looks similar to a chocolate chip star, only the "knobs" are red(you probably guessed that from the name, huh?).

[jc]

The nitrates are about 25 right now. I added a fuge with a dsb and cheato and it seems to be slowly helping. Red knobs are cool but I read they will eat other inverts. I wonder if that includes snails and crabs.

[blueboy]

i think they go after clams and scallops, but i could be wrong. some research would deffinately be recommended. 25 isn't too bad for a FO tank, i would think you would be OK, but then i don't have much experience with FO tanks( at least not in the last 10-12 years). maybe someone else will chime in.

[BA]

man for some reason ive ALWAYS had bad luck with red knobs, and i dont know why, all the toher stars in the tanks to fine!

[saltcreepette]

if a choc chip/red knob can catch it, it will eat it (ie I wouldnt trust it with sessile inverts) I know for sure it will eat mushroom corals. I had two hitchiking shrooms on the LR in my FOWLR tank and they were both tasty snacks for the star. I have a shrimp and nassarius in with it and they are fine. the 'trates in that tank and my reef are around 20 with no ill effects on the other inverts. just acclimate them nice and SLLLOOOWWWWWW.

btw, on the calcium level, you need to test your dkh and your ph. if they are within normal range, you can add a 2 part buffer/ca supp like kents two part Tech CB. But if youre like me and your ca is low but your dkh and ph is normal, use just a liquid ca supplement (I am using kents liquid calcium) to raise the ca levels. oh, and a side note...I was trying to raise my ca levels to no effect until I tested for magnesium (mg) and discovered it was low. after I supplemented/raised mg up to normal levels, my ca supplements began to 'work.'

[jc]

I checked my nitrates again today and they are still on the slow downward spiral. The color is in between the 10 and 20 mark on the test kit chart. Coul d I add a chocolate chip and a red knob? How about a tiger cowrie?

[alton]

My friend added a chocolate chip to his 10 gallon and in one week his coraline algae was gone

[blueboy]

urchins are coraline eating machines too. i had always wondered why my coraline didn't grow. then, when i got fed up with my urchin knocking down corals and banished him to the overflow, coraline went crazy!