New Tank and Pest. What is my best option?

[WillRuehr]

I have a newly set up Max-E 170 (about 3 months in). I did probably one of the worst things someone with very little experience in the hobby can do. Not using patience when first starting out with a tank. I have Apitasia, vermetid, and what I believe are hydriods. Here is a short video to see if I did identify the hydriods correctly.

I have spent the last week here reading over everything I can find on these three issues. Seems like what works for one person might not work for another.

I guess my question is, would it be best to start the tank over since it so young? Or is trial and error in ridding the tank of these pests better? In the tank, I have a small CuC of a few snails and an emerald crab along with 8 small frags.

I stopped feeding the tank in hopes of starving out the hydriods and vermetid. I ordered F-Apitasia and it should arrive sometime next week. Will berghia nudibranchs get into or survive the sump area of the E 170 if put there? I am concerned even if I can clear the DT of the snails and apitasia that they will still be in the rear sump and continue to come back.

Thanks in advance.

 

[davidcalgary29]

I think that your best option is to take a deep breath...and accept what you have. None of those things are going to kill fish or inverts, and you can eradicate them. I had all of those in my Evo (imported on a very large live rock I bought with some mushrooms on them), and that Evo is currently my best build. A peppermint shrimp got rid of the aiptasia and the vermetid worms (or the vermetid worms disappeared coincidentally around the same time), and the hydroids disappeared after I dosed 'em with Aiptasia-X.

I'd rather have any of what you've listed (and I have!) than a disease outbreak.

 

[WillRuehr]

Thanks. I did want to get back into the hobby to help teach me better patience

I'll grab some Aiptasia-X then for the hydriods. As far as I can see, they are only on one rock. I'm assuming I was correct then and in that video those are hydriods?

If I wanted to add peppermint shrimp into my attack plan, should I look at getting multiple or would one be ok? I understand it is hit or miss with them.

Since we are both in Alberta, do you know of anyone that has berghia nudibranchs? Guessing finding them is the hardest part. The only problem I have with using them is I don't want them to die after the Apitasia is gone. Are they hard to catch and remove from the tank?

 

[tranceFusion]

It's hard to see the video but those look a little more like feather dusters than hydroids to me.

 

[WillRuehr]

It's hard to see the video but those look a little more like feather dusters than hydroids to me.

Thanks. Hopefully that is the case! Does anyone else feel the same as traceFusion here?

 

[anthonygf]

Thanks. Hopefully that is the case! Does anyone else feel the same as traceFusion here?

They do look like FD. Get a GoPro or other waterproof camera to get in there and get a close up shot of them. I just started working on my camera to get inside and close-up.

 

[tbrown]

Thanks. Hopefully that is the case! Does anyone else feel the same as traceFusion here?

They are most probably feather dusters, not hydroids. I keep hoping they'll show up in my tank! I had two but they disappeared.

 

[anthonygf]

They do look like FD. Get a GoPro or other waterproof camera to get in there and get a close up shot of them. I just started working on my camera to get inside and close-up.

And turn off flow to get a good still shot.

 

[homer1475]

None of what you have warrants tearing down and starting over. Hydroids can be smothered with kalk paste, same with aiptasia(F-aiptasia works the best IMO). Not sure those are hydroids(hard to tell with the camera being so far away), but I'm leaning toward feather dusters.

Unfortunately nothing you do will rid you of vermetids. You can limit their population, by not feeding excessive amounts of powered coral foods, and crush what you can see. But in my experience once you have them, you will always have them.

 

[davidcalgary29]

Hm, my hydroids were alot less stiff, now that I look at your video. And they fluoresced gold and green under blue light. Pretty, really, except that they spread like mad.

Check with Neal at the Marine Experience in Edmonton for Bergia Nudibrachs. I could've sworn that I saw some come in on one of his facebook posts, but I can't find it now. He also has peppermint shrimp.

 

[WillRuehr]

Thanks, everyone for the input. I really appreciate it. My camera was actually very close btw. Those FD/whatever they are are extremely tiny. The biggest one is about 1/5 an inch.

I'll message Marine Experience and see what they say.

 

[anthonygf]

Thanks, everyone for the input. I really appreciate it. My camera was actually very close btw. Those FD/whatever they are are extremely tiny. The biggest one is about 1/5 an inch.

I'll message Marine Experience and see what they say.

Here's hoping for the best. Hope they are only FD. I still can't wait till I get my underwater camera set up. Then I can have a fish eye view, and can see behind the rocks.