Need help identifying things on my live rock

[perryfletcher]

My 125 Gallon Reef Tank Upgrade

My 29 gallon reef build has been updated to a 125 gallon reef build.
Here is what I have.
125 gallon Oceanic tank, stand, and hood
2X400w MH lights and 2X100w VHO
A 29 gallon sump with a ETTS Red Devil skimmer powered by a mag5
I have an overflow with a mag12 pump
a 300w heater
a Coalife circulator I think its called a power head that circulates 2900 g/min
and a Coralife 50 g/day RODI

Well here it is.
View from the outside.

Tickled to see I left one of my clothes pins on the stand that I use to float my bags with for everyone to see in my pictures. Sorry about that.

Here is my sump and skimmer. It is foaming.

I have a few little fishes. A Lawnmower Bleeny (grasshopper), a blue Damsel (Molly), and a one spot Damsel (Spot). I also have a few other little creatures. I have a zebra turbo snail. 2 Mexican turbo snails, and 2 scarlet red hermit crabs.
Grasshopper

Molly

Spot

 

[perryfletcher]

My 125 Gallon Reef Tank Upgrade (continued)

My wife being the sweet person she is bought me two pieces of coral today. Of Course they were only $10 dollars a piece.
An unknown green Zoa. I know it is hard to see. It is very very small but has 4 heads or what ever you call them on it.

A unknown name brown mushroom with a light blue center.

Anyone have any specific names for these two frags?
Here are some closer pictures of all of my live rock.

 

[perryfletcher]

My 125 Gallon Reef Tank Upgrade (continued)

If you will look in the very center of my tank you will see an 18 lb. Rock I have with purple and green all over it.

Here is where it gets very interesting for me. That rock was on the very bottom of the pile and I had to drag it from underneath about 40 other rocks. It was the largest one they had. The rock is covered with some type of purple coral. I need help identifying it. I love it and think it is beautiful. but there is 2 problems with it. 1. After dragging it from the bottom the coral got damaged. It had several chucks taken out of it. I even used one of the large chunks to put some super glue gel on it and glued it on top of anther rock. Problem 2. It is covered in some kind of green moss. I tried to rub most of it off and even tried to put a turkey baster to it. Which tore off more chunks. So I stopped. Anyway the coral is huge but it is totally covered in this moss. What is this green moss stuff and how do I get rid of it. The snails wont touch it. I think they are getting stung. The Blenny will take a bite every now and then but usually spits large chunks back out and he can not get down in the crack. Also my hermits will not eat it. Here are several close ups.

Will the coral repair its self? Will the moss stuff kill it? What exactly is this coral and what is that moss?
A good point is one of the rocks I got was covered in purple algae. I hope it spreads everywhere. I think?

Oh one other thing. My crushed coral and sand mixture I have has little red worms crawling all in it making tiny little tunnels. IT'S ALIVE! Oh wait. What are those little worms. Are they suppose to be there and are they good? What are they called. Sorry I don't have any pictures they are way too small.
In closing. When I purchased my live rock it was already curred. I have given it a week now and the levels have not changed any so I added the livestock. I herd you could do this if the rock had already been cured. So I did it. I hope everything will be okay. Here are my levels as of right now.
Ph 8.2
Calcium 400
KH 12
Phosphate 0.25
Ammonia untraceable
Nitrite untraceable
Nitrates 10 ppm
CO2 1.9
Specific Gravity 1.026
Every thing look good to y'all?
Well Sorry this was so long but several people have been asking to see it. I hope you all like it and I anticipate getting all of your expert answers to my questions.

 

[returnofsid]

The purple "nubs" with green tentacles sticking out of them, are Green Star Polyps. I do see some algae, on the Green Star Polyp (GSP) Mat. The Mat is the rubbery looking, purple, base, that all the purple nubs are sticking up from. Unfortunately, it looks like that particular rock might be difficult to remove. If not, remove the rock, and take a toothbrush to it, swishing it around in a bucket of old saltwater, to remove most of the algae.

ALSO, GSP is very aggressive and soon becomes a WEED. The way you have your rock work arranged, it will easily grow from one rock to another, with the very real potential of growing onto every rock in your display. I would recommend isolating it from other rocks, by keeping the rock it's on in the sand bed, separated from other rocks.

GSP also has the ability to create very strong Aleopathic toxins. (Chemical warfare), hurting or killing other corals in your display.

Your red worms, in the sand bed, are most likely Bristleworm. Perfectly fine and very beneficial to your tank. HOWEVER, NOT perfectly fine or beneficial to YOU. Don't touch them.

 

[perryfletcher]

Green Star Polyp

Now that I know that the purple coral is a green star polyp would I do better to just take the rock out and tare off all the coral? Most all of the algae would come off with it.

 

[wicked demon]

It may or may not be green but its definatly star polyps, and you can keep it if you want, but it will grow and spread fast, but is also fairly easy to remove, just pull on it and it comes off, and its totaly non aggressive as far as corals go. I would leave it till you get some other stuff and run out of space. It can be a good "test coral", as an indicator, when they open you are ready for other corals.

 

[boehm742]

I would say that depends on how much GSP you want in the tank and if you want to keep lots of different corals or just fish mostly. IMO GSP is one of the cooler looking pieces in some tanks in terms of its movement with waterflow and ability to glow well under actinics.

 

[perryfletcher]

It may or may not be green but its definatly star polyps, and you can keep it if you want, but it will grow and spread fast, but is also fairly easy to remove, just pull on it and it comes off, and its totaly non aggressive as far as corals go. I would leave it till you get some other stuff and run out of space. It can be a good "test coral", as an indicator, when they open you are ready for other corals.

Thank you. That is a good idea.

 

[perryfletcher]

I assume this would be easy to frag and trade with?

 

[boehm742]

Sure is.

 

[meisen]

Not sure if I am seeing it correctly but it looks like you have metal hose clamps on your skimmer lines? Substitute them for the nylon ones from DFS, Aquatic Eco etc as they will corrode (even if they are stainless steel). The iron in the tank is bad but the other metals they use to alloy are probably even worse.

Do watch the GSPs spreading though if you are skimming and running carbon regularly the chemical warfare aspects are probably somewhat lessened. I used to control mine with a carefully placed frogspawn that kept it restricted to one rock with its potent sting. Powerful nematocysts beat chemical warfare anyday IME.

Otherwise looking good

 

[sprinklerdudes]

ahhhhh, lol I have frog spawn behind my green star polyp also, gsp will not grow anywhere near it, lol

 

[perryfletcher]

Not sure if I am seeing it correctly but it looks like you have metal hose clamps on your skimmer lines? Substitute them for the nylon ones from DFS, Aquatic Eco etc as they will corrode (even if they are stainless steel). The iron in the tank is bad but the other metals they use to alloy are probably even worse.

Do watch the GSPs spreading though if you are skimming and running carbon regularly the chemical warfare aspects are probably somewhat lessened. I used to control mine with a carefully placed frogspawn that kept it restricted to one rock with its potent sting. Powerful nematocysts beat chemical warfare anyday IME.

Otherwise looking good

Thank you for all of this great and usefull information.

 

[cay85]

i agree with meisen about the hose clamps and also get ride of the brass valve on your skimmer hose,brass/ copper no good for tank. nice 125!

 

[gnoles]

I assume this would be easy to frag and trade with?

Easy to frag, you'll find that you'll end up giving it away if it really takes off. Find a local club meeting and you'll get all kinds of star polyps, kenya trees, and xenia.

Depending on your lighting and desires, you'll get more than enough help and frags to get you started.

 

[starfish]

I would get rid of the anemone unless in time you want a field of them. Take the rock out and scrape them off and rinse it off. Remember every piece will make more anemones. That is why I say take it out now while you can and get them off. No they do not grow as fast, in time they will colonize your rock and sting everything in there way.

 

[perryfletcher]

I would get rid of the anemone unless in time you want a field of them. Take the rock out and scrape them off and rinse it off. Remember every piece will make more anemones. That is why I say take it out now while you can and get them off. No they do not grow as fast, in time they will colonize your rock and sting everything in there way.

It is gone now. I killed it and now have 3 peppermint shrimp to help combat any others that try to come up.