Bought Live Rock - Lots of Hitchikers

[drcrook]

I'm going to break this up into 2 parts: More finds and some questions.

More finds - I'll try to get more pictures:
1. Tiny snails
2. some kind of pinky nail sized see through shrimp thing.
3. I saw some vermitid strings going out (not a lot). So I guess I have a combination of filter feeders and those.
4. A bunch of tiny bug like things (guessing copepods).
5. I think a few tiny white starfish. They look like they are encrusted onto the rocks in various areas; but I think they might be alive.
6. Something dug a crater near the base of one of my rocks. I do have 2 damsels (black and a blue one). I'm thinking it is one of those?

Questions:
Notes - My lights are ReefBreeder Photon v2 and are between 20-30% (zoas come out there; but retract above that). I bought everything to cycle the tank and even had a 40 ct shrimp in there; my ammonia, nitrate and nitrite are all still zero for 3 days in a row (since I got the test kit in). My ph is 8.3 and my salinity is 1.026 and temperature is 79-ish. I bought everything to help cycle the tank; but seeing all these critters popping out of the rocks; I do want to try to maximize the chances they survive.

1. The Alveopora looks super unhappy. It has retracted everything in and hasn't come back out since yesterday. Any thoughts on what might be the culprit and how to fix?

2. The zoas appear to be unhappy; but attempting to survive. They close up at night and partially come out during the day. I guess they will probably make it?

 

[samnaz]

I'm going to break this up into 2 parts: More finds and some questions.

More finds - I'll try to get more pictures:
1. Tiny snails
2. some kind of pinky nail sized see through shrimp thing.
3. I saw some vermitid strings going out (not a lot). So I guess I have a combination of filter feeders and those.
4. A bunch of tiny bug like things (guessing copepods).
5. I think a few tiny white starfish. They look like they are encrusted onto the rocks in various areas; but I think they might be alive.
6. Something dug a crater near the base of one of my rocks. I do have 2 damsels (black and a blue one). I'm thinking it is one of those?

Questions:
Notes - My lights are ReefBreeder Photon v2 and are between 20-30% (zoas come out there; but retract above that). I bought everything to cycle the tank and even had a 40 ct shrimp in there; my ammonia, nitrate and nitrite are all still zero for 3 days in a row (since I got the test kit in). My ph is 8.3 and my salinity is 1.026 and temperature is 79-ish. I bought everything to help cycle the tank; but seeing all these critters popping out of the rocks; I do want to try to maximize the chances they survive.

1. The Alveopora looks super unhappy. It has retracted everything in and hasn't come back out since yesterday. Any thoughts on what might be the culprit and how to fix?

2. The zoas appear to be unhappy; but attempting to survive. They close up at night and partially come out during the day. I guess they will probably make it?

without photos, here are my best guesses.
1. collonista
2. amphipod (gammarid)
3. get rid of the vermetids while you can...
4. copepods and/or isopods.
5. asterina stars
6. I have no idea if that's common behavior for damsels. hopefully you're right and it's not a mantis

Alveopora tends to slowly wither away even under ideal conditions in well established tanks. I tried my hand at them once (regrettably) and ultimately lost them within about 4 months, so I'm in no place to offer advice regarding their survival.

 

[samnaz]

And just so you don't eradicate the wrong snails/worms, these are the vermitids:


don't kill these guys (I call them feather dusters):

 

[Will Milberger]

[QUOTE} I might keep the tube worms though; they are neat. What makes them bad?[/QUOTE]

They multiply rapidly and will take over a tank. I mean every where, glass powerheads, pumps, skimmers, everywhere.

 

[drcrook]

Got a few pictures of the little white starfish. I saw some kind of thing that looks like a centipede as well last night hiding in some nooks. No idea what it is; but it is fast when you shine light on it.

Here are the little starfish. I hope they are good; because I have a ton of them.