New - cycled tank, ID?

[DedElvis]

Hi all. I had a FO years ago, but now want a reef. Biocube 32, Carbon, Floss and stock filters.

I've been cycling the tank about a month and a half now, all my levels seem ok after an ammonia spike (I used a frozen shrimp in pantyhose) and bottled bacteria.

I've been through the diatoms - pure brown tank even using RO. Had a green bloom afterward, now I am starving the green I hope (green hair turning white)

My local Petco was about to move and had some zoanthid frags that looked really sad. I bought them with the hope of saving them. Well one frag is brilliant orange under night lights, the pic I am posting was a bunch of grey lumps. Now they have grown into this - do zoa's have such spindly legs?

 

[shakacuz]

looks like that zoa frag came with some paly’s

 

[DedElvis]

looks like that zoa frag came with some paly’s

Thanks Shakacuz - I was wondering that but didn't want to appear dumb. I'm trying to keep phospates down and giving reef roids one time every week or so. The largest is the size of a dime now. They don't fluoresce particularly bright, at first they did, a bright peach color, but man are they getting bigger.

 

[shakacuz]

Thanks Shakacuz - I was wondering that but didn't want to appear dumb. I'm trying to keep phospates down and giving reef roids one time every week or so. The largest is the size of a dime now. They don't fluoresce particularly bright, at first they did, a bright peach color, but man are they getting bigger.

one thing about paly’s is their toxin, so be careful on how you handle them. if you’re going to keep them i highly suggest you isolate them to a confined rock island somewhere in the tank.

seems your weekly reef roids is sufficient for their supplemental feeding but they’ll do just fine feeding off the light you provide them. reef roids is known to raise phosphates!

lastly, no question is too dumb. we all start somewhere and we are all here to learn and teach!

 

[DedElvis]

one thing about paly’s is their toxin, so be careful on how you handle them. if you’re going to keep them i highly suggest you isolate them to a confined rock island somewhere in the tank.

seems your weekly reef roids is sufficient for their supplemental feeding but they’ll do just fine feeding off the light you provide them. reef roids is known to raise phosphates!

lastly, no question is too dumb. we all start somewhere and we are all here to learn and teach!

I'm wondering now if I don't want the paly's? Do people keep them intentionally?

 

[shakacuz]

I'm wondering now if I don't want the paly's? Do people keep them intentionally?

they do, yes. but they know of the potential consequences

 

[Sharkbait19]

I keep palys both intentionally and unintentionally. I say this because some I bought, some were hitchhikers (though I knew about them when I got the coral they were on). They are toxic, but this generally isn’t a concern as long as you are safe (wear gloves, goggles, and a mask when doing anything with zoas and palys). Imo they are too good looking to pass on.
They do spread like wildfire though, but it seems to slow down once free real estate has been taken up (unlike Xenia and gsp). Mine grow right on the main rockwork, they are well hidden by the other corals.
If you like them, keep them!

 

[DedElvis]

I keep palys both intentionally and unintentionally. I say this because some I bought, some were hitchhikers (though I knew about them when I got the coral they were on). They are toxic, but this generally isn’t a concern as long as you are safe (wear gloves, goggles, and a mask when doing anything with zoas and palys). Imo they are too good looking to pass on.
They do spread like wildfire though, but it seems to slow down once free real estate has been taken up (unlike Xenia and gsp). Mine grow right on the main rockwork, they are well hidden by the other corals.
If you like them, keep them!

Not sure I like this toxin stuff. My wife had a bad reaction from an anemone from my first tank. Here is my night pic - anybody wants can have. My potato camera won't take a good pic to save my life. Obviously 2 different things on same frag though. Might take this back to LFS.

 

[DedElvis]

Not sure I like this toxin stuff. My wife had a bad reaction from an anemone from my first tank. Here is my night pic - anybody wants can have. My potato camera won't take a good pic to save my life. Obviously 2 different things on same frag though. Might take this back to LFS.

For free, not a refund before anyone gets mad

 

[Sharkbait19]

Magician palys maybe? Not good with their IDs. The left guys with the yellow ring are a zoa, not sure which but nice looking. Neither are particularly toxic to my knowledge. It is bred out of a lot of captive strains. Captain jerks are an example of a super toxic one, and I’ve been poisoned by it. Nothing super bad though I don’t recommend carelessness with them.
The toxin isn’t a sting like an anemone, but a poison released when stressed. Typically you will get cold like symptoms for mild exposure. Most bad problems come from it being boiled (unbeknownst to the reefer just trying to disinfect live rock on which it’s a hitchhiker) or by actually eating a zoa (which you have to be a special kind of stupid to do).
Wearing PPE generally negates the mild symptoms. If poisoned you may get a cough, scratchy throat, and metallic taste in your mouth, goes away after a few hours.

For free, not a refund before anyone gets mad

Nothing wrong with store credit either!

 

[DedElvis]

Magician palys maybe? Not good with their IDs. The left guys with the yellow ring are a zoa, not sure which but nice looking. Neither are particularly toxic to my knowledge. It is bred out of a lot of captive strains. Captain jerks are an example of a super toxic one, and I’ve been poisoned by it. Nothing super bad though I don’t recommend carelessness with them.
The toxin isn’t a sting like an anemone, but a poison released when stressed. Typically you will get cold like symptoms for mild exposure. Most bad problems come from it being boiled (unbeknownst to the reefer just trying to disinfect live rock on which it’s a hitchhiker) or by actually eating a zoa (which you have to be a special kind of stupid to do).
Wearing PPE generally negates the mild symptoms. If poisoned you may get a cough, scratchy throat, and metallic taste in your mouth, goes away after a few hours.

Nothing wrong with store credit either!

Is there a swap forum here? I'll look around. I'm wanting some pulse xenia or kenya tree. I'm thinking I don't want to keep this frag. Beautiful peach color zoas under night lights though. My tank is not mature enough for hard to keep corals. This frag has multiplied since I have had it on both sides.

 

[Sharkbait19]

Is there a swap forum here? I'll look around. I'm wanting some pulse xenia or kenya tree. I'm thinking I don't want to keep this frag. Beautiful peach color zoas under night lights though. My tank is not mature enough for hard to keep corals. This frag has multiplied since I have had it on both sides.

Zoas are no harder than Xenia or Kenya, and a common early coral.
(I don’t mean to sound like arguing, sorry if I do).
Not sure if there is a swap forum specifically, but there is a marketplace and you can say what you are looking for for a trade.
Kenya and Xenia grow so fast most reefers practically give it away.
Without pruning Xenia looks like this:

All of the pink on the rocks is Xenia. You can also see various zoas and palys spread about.
Nothing wrong with trading away the coral! I’ve had my share of corals I bought and only afterwards decided I wasn’t ready to keep them yet.

 

[DedElvis]

Zoas are no harder than Xenia or Kenya, and a common early coral.
(I don’t mean to sound like arguing, sorry if I do).
Not sure if there is a swap forum specifically, but there is a marketplace and you can say what you are looking for for a trade.
Kenya and Xenia grow so fast most reefers practically give it away.
Without pruning Xenia looks like this:

All of the pink on the rocks is Xenia. You can also see various zoas and palys spread about.
Nothing wrong with trading away the coral! I’ve had my share of corals I bought and only afterwards decided I wasn’t ready to keep them yet.

I'll give away the Palys (plus the zoas). Just a bad experience with wife handling common anemone. I'll pay shipping plus for Xenia.

 

[DedElvis]

Wow. The first time I walked through a "saltwater" pet store I thought pulsing Xenia was the end-all ultimate! Well now I want that. Any recommendations for a vendor? My tank is fully cycled.

 

[Sharkbait19]

Wow. The first time I walked through a "saltwater" pet store I thought pulsing Xenia was the end-all ultimate! Well now I want that. Any recommendations for a vendor? My tank is fully cycled.

You’ll find it at pretty much any store. I’d recommend your local lfs, it’s wildly overpriced at big box like petco or liveaquaria. If there are any local reefers by you they will sell it cheap too.
I thought the same when I started, I had no idea it was so easy and common.

 

[DedElvis]

Thanks all for your replies!!! One last thing - little white bugs smaller than fleas are crawling around on my glass. Creepy really. Good or bad?

They are real bugs, not bubbles...

 

[saltybees]

Good most likely, hard to Id without a pic but sounds like isopods which are excellent fish food and a staple of a healthy reef

 

[DedElvis]

Hi all. I had a FO years ago, but now want a reef. Biocube 32, Carbon, Floss and stock filters.

I've been cycling the tank about a month and a half now, all my levels seem ok after an ammonia spike (I used a frozen shrimp in pantyhose) and bottled bacteria.

I've been through the diatoms - pure brown tank even using RO. Had a green bloom afterward, now I am starving the green I hope (green hair turning white)

My local Petco was about to move and had some zoanthid frags that looked really sad. I bought them with the hope of saving them. Well one frag is brilliant orange under night lights, the pic I am posting was a bunch of grey lumps. Now they have grown into this - do zoa's have such spindly legs?

I'll be dumping this frag. If anyone wants let me know. I don't want the Paly's.

 

[MaxTremors]

I'll be dumping this frag. If anyone wants let me know. I don't want the Paly's.

I think people here have vastly, wildly over stated the potential danger of having Palys in your tank. Even if your wife had a bad reaction to an anemone, palytoxin is an entirely different toxin with a different method of delivery. So long as you’re not pulling the frag out of the tank and trying to frag them, while not wearing gloves and goggles, they pose no threat to you or your wife. Working in the tank is fine, unless you’re severely disturbing or squishing them with a fresh cut on your finger, thei I likelihood of getting poisoned is virtually nonexistent. I know there are a few people on here who claim to have been poisoned, but none of the accounts are verified or diagnosed by a blood test, they’re generally all ‘I felt kind of weird after working in the tank, so it must be palytoxin’. And I’m not saying that these people weren’t potentially poisoned, just that there is no proof. Like I said, the threat Palys pose is insignificant, you’re more likely to die in a car crash driving to the lfs to return them. If you really just don’t like them, that’s one thing, but getting rid of them because of the threat of palytoxin is irrational and illogical, so long as you take an abundance of caution when handling them you’ll be fine (you put them in the tank and yet you’re miraculously still alive enough to type these comments!).

 

[DedElvis]

I think people here have vastly, wildly over stated the potential danger of having Palys in your tank. Even if your wife had a bad reaction to an anemone, palytoxin is an entirely different toxin with a different method of delivery. So long as you’re not pulling the frag out of the tank and trying to frag them, while not wearing gloves and goggles, they pose no threat to you or your wife. Working in the tank is fine, unless you’re severely disturbing or squishing them with a fresh cut on your finger, thei I likelihood of getting poisoned is virtually nonexistent. I know there are a few people on here who claim to have been poisoned, but none of the accounts are verified or diagnosed by a blood test, they’re generally all ‘I felt kind of weird after working in the tank, so it must be palytoxin’. And I’m not saying that these people weren’t potentially poisoned, just that there is no proof. Like I said, the threat Palys pose is insignificant, you’re more likely to die in a car crash driving to the lfs to return them. If you really just don’t like them, that’s one thing, but getting rid of them because of the threat of palytoxin is irrational and illogical, so long as you take an abundance of caution when handling them you’ll be fine (you put them in the tank and yet you’re miraculously still alive enough to type these comments!).

MaxT, thanks for this. I think due to recent hysteria over Covid and crap I'm caught up in the "everything must be sterile" crap. I eat rare beef, and grew up drinking from a garden hose LOL. I'll keep the Palys for now, and remove them because they are ugly and invasive (if I should be so lucky to keep such a healthy tank). I'll do more research and for the time being take their growth as a sign I am doing something right. Thanks for the wake-up slap, seriously.