brittle stars/brissel worms/white hairs

[classecat]

:unsure:THEY ARE EVERYWHERE.. in the 3+ year old 55g tank (just recently got about 4 mos ago.. maybe)
not one, not 10, more like hundreds everywhere I look I see legs
we also have WHITE HAIRS all over rock n sand we have white sand tubes going crazy
AND once in awhile we will see a white sand star..and yes we have brissel worms only about in long (we took out one piece of rock 'scoccer ball size' put in a bucket, put outside, about 2 weeks later, looked in the bucket and there was over 30 or more brissle worms in bottom of bucket) can you imagine whats in rest of the rock in the tank..

well this has been our learning tank... ''' whats this, whats that, can we, should we, what if,,,etc..
newbie ... in the world of underwater ...

ok.. here is the descission : ( I dont like looking at legs and hairs all on the rocks ) I wanted a bigger tank. So we just recently purchased a 95g. new sand, new water, and sump. Now we need to get rock in it. well I dont know if I should move all this (what I described) in the new tank, because I dont want the 95g to have all these brittle stars and hairs specially in the sand.
Some say all this is good, beneficial, good tank (but to me it's ugly) I have seen some awesome tank set ups since I have been on arc..and visiting fish stores.. very clean and neat and colorful.

For the fish and corals... should we transfer this rock in new tank or start with new rock ?
So undecided. Help ... comments... suggestions... (all welcomed) to help me decide
DO I EMPTY MY POCKET OR WORK WITH WHAT I HAVE ? Some say get a HALF BLACK ANGEL FISH they will eat the brittle stars...

talk shop people...need to make decission (tired of looking at a empty 95g tank with 3 damsels in it) The one helping me with steps of learning the sump and larger tank, says : please help her make up her mind ! (lol)...

 

[jdavid]

well, there is always the option of bleaching the rock.

 

[frantz]

Its an eco system. Their populations are based on having enough food for more and a lack of preditors. Over feeding is abig cause and frankly having preditors alone will not get rid of the waste problem but rather make it worse. Whats your bio load and whats your feeding regiment?

 

[classecat]

Bleach does kill about everything (lol) but is it good ? Seriously ? can this be done ?
The amonia in tank blew my mind. (but made sense after I was explained why ppl do it)
again I am new at all of this salt water world. Some things makes sense, but some things I am told really blows my mind. Its like can you really ?
That is why I came on ARC to learn, get help, and advise.

Edit: ok Frantz ( I am also learning the words too) Bio load ?
we feed small amount of pellets in the am, before work.. then when I come home. The fish get 1 cube of either mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, cyclops.. we alternate
fish : 2 clowns, coral beauty, 6 line wrasse, 3 gromies, toby the sand gobie, dragnet.. and of coarse we have snails, crabs. and one large brittle star (I think that is what he is called)

 

[classecat]

That was a large serpent starfish.. .not a large brittle star... sorry

 

[rdnelson]

classecat;850649 wrote: Bleach does kill about everything (lol) but is it good ? Seriously ? can this be done ?
The amonia in tank blew my mind. (but made sense after I was explained why ppl do it)
again I am new at all of this salt water world. Some things makes sense, but some things I am told really blows my mind. Its like can you really ?
That is why I came on ARC to learn, get help, and advise.

Edit: ok Frantz ( I am also learning the words too) Bio load ?
we feed small amount of pellets in the am, before work.. then when I come home. The fish get 1 cube of either mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, cyclops.. we alternate
fish : 2 clowns, coral beauty, 6 line wrasse, 3 gromies, toby the sand gobie, dragnet.. and of coarse we have snails, crabs. and one large brittle star (I think that is what he is called)

If you have a wrasse and still have tons of worms you are most definitely over feeding. Stop the morning feelings at the very least. One day feed a cube of frozen and the next just a little of the pellets. The bristle worms and stars are doing you a favor right now by consuming all the excess nutrients. You don't want to get rid of all of them but can reduce them simply by feeding less.


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[jdavid]

but if you want to use your old rock for the new tank, but start fresh, yes, you can bleach it. or, just let it dry all the way. if you bleach it, you have to then soak it in dechlorinator. then you start from scratch.

you already have a wrasse.. it should eat the worms.

 

[classecat]

ok so I will stop the morning pellet feeding. Do night feeding 1 cube / pellets (alternate ea nite)

next question : once I move the rock in the new tank.. and deal with the look. Is there any suggestions for fish I can get to help eat the brittle stars to thin them out. (been told half black angel or possible a copperband butterfly fish) need to get along with the fish I have already in tank. But yet do its job .

the white hairs on the rock.. any suggestions on what would eat that ?

Once this tank gets going and the 55 is emptied, will be getting a yellow tang.

(( keep in mind, when offering suggestions, I do have a few corals in the tang, with plans to add more once all is established and I get the understanding of caring for them)

 

[rdnelson]

Adding a fish to eat a problem is not the best idea. What happens to the fish when it runs out of stars? Copper Bands don't do well and should be kept by experience aquarist. By lowering your fed ding the problem will go away in time. Remember, only bad things happen quick.

Are the white hairs tube worms? As in feather dusters? If so, that is a good thing. You don't want to get rid of them.


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[jdavid]

its possible that she has vermetid snails. I thought at first it was long hair in my tank (my girlfriends hair gets everywhere)

Then upon closer inspection, it looks like a string of snot. I superglued his tube shut and the problem went away. thin white tubes may also be featherdusters, or she could be referring to the same kind of creature I have but have yet to identify. Its either a white tentacle or a thin white worn that comes out of a hole in the rock and waves/ moves around. not a serpent star, longer and without any kind of protrusions along it.

Edit: I do have a yellow tang that is too big for my 29 biocube and I am not far from you. maybe we could work out a trade.

 

[rdnelson]

Nothing wrong with virmetid snails either. Good filter feeders. Can sometimes irritate a fish swimming by but nothing serious.


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[slickwill613]

I would kick a puppy to have that kind of biodiversity in my tank. Don't look for a solution to a non existent problem.

 

[rdnelson]

SlickWill613;850989 wrote: I would kick a puppy to have that kind of biodiversity in my tank. Don't look for a solution to a non existent problem.

I agree. Well maybe not kick a puppy. A cat maybe but a puppy???? LOL


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[frantz]

Bio load is the amount of waste produced by your tank. Lots of little fish or a few large fish equals lots of poop. I know these critters arent the prettiest but i always considered them part of my cuc.