What do you think???

[TopNotch]

I have a 30 gal long tank, with about 20 lbs live rock, and a PM HOT-1 skimmer....

Stocked with-

a marroon clown
2 firefish
cleaner shrimp
and 5 blue leg hermits


My levels are all okay, nitrates are about 10 ppm usually. alittle more before a water change of about 15% twice a month. Everyone is doing good, cept for the amount of HAIR ALGAE that has come from adding the two firefish, i had no idea they would be so dirty.

What should i do to compensate? more hermits? what do you think? thanks in advance,

top notch

 

[Jawbone]

My guess is to reduce feeding to once or twice a week. The fish shouldnt be fat and schedule the lights for 6 - 8 hours a day and take your rocks out and toothbrush the algae off.
You might also put in a phosphate sponge into your filter or overflow.
Later when the algae quits start to increase the light back to 10-12 hours a day.

 

[Reeffreak]

Adding more hermits would have a positive effect in removing the hair algae. My two favorite types are the Blue legged and the scarlet. I have found both of these not to be too aggressive, eat alot of hair algae and have a minimal effect on eating coralline algae. You should also look into why you have Hair Algae in the first place.

Steve

 

[Anonymous]

I say be careful with the blue legged hermits. Some people have never had a problem with them, but I've found them murdering my snails for the sport. They have plenty of grow out shells and there is plenty of left over food for them to eat. They're just mean.

On the other hand, I love my scarlet hermits (and again, you'll get plenty of people that hate them as well) - they've never hurt a soul. When I had my hair algae problem, I watched one clean a snail's shell of hair algae - gave him a neat little Mohawk.

I alway recommend driping kalk to help with the hair algae problem. Worked for me.

Oh - meant to tell you - there are scarlets and reds. Scarlets have the yellow eye stalks. More people have been known to gripe about the reds than the scarlets. My little angels.

[ April 14, 2002: Message edited by: tangirl ]</p>

 

[reefworm]

TopNotch,
How old is this set up? Hair algae is a normal phase for new tanks. Later, as bacterial and benthic populations increase it will die back. More hermits is not a bad idea, nor is a good snail population. Just keep an eye on those little bandits as others have warned.

What are you doing for filtration besides the PM [great skimmer, by the way] and the 20# of LR? You might even add about 10# of rock. Do you have a sump? Of what does your substrate consist? A deep sand bed should help with your nitrate levels.

regards,
rw

 

[TopNotch]

Hey thanks for advice, im gonna cut the feeding down. I also have a UV sterilizer sitting under my bed for a possible ick attack - should i hook that up?

Its been set up for probally 2 years successfully, and prior to that, about 3 years screwing around with juv. bluefish (Long Island snappers).

In the past two years ive kept all sorts of fish from damsels, green chromis, a lion, psuedochromis, to a hippo tang... (dont worry the hippo is still alive) i borrowed him for a wicked house party. The girls love the fish.

But yeah the tank has been really successful, no problems cept for a streak of ick which killed my lion. But Im happy with the stocking, they get along great, the firefish are pretty cool they stick together all the time. And the marroon isnt too terratorial - yet

Im gonna pick up some scarlets too... what do you think about 4more (bringing the total hermits to 8?)


(((oh i forgot to mention)))
- I have about 2-4 inches carribean white sand
- no other filtration, other then the skimmer and LR
- the heater and an aerator under the heater
- i have a 20W NO Florescent 50/50 6500/Actinic (on about 11 hours)

[ April 14, 2002: Message edited by: TopNotch ]</p>

 

[AquaticFins]

Eight (actually nine, if you're counting, but that's okay) hermits are not too many for a 30 gallon tank with the bio load you have, but the scarlets do tend to grow larger than the little blue legs, as you probably know. They also have slightly different eating habits, as you probably also know, and I don't know what other algae types you have. I'd assume that they'd do okay. As TanGirl has already stated, the scarlets are better behavied than the blue-claws. Although they tend to be out and about less...at least from my experiance.

 

[Anonymous]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by AquaticFins:
<strong>As TanGirl has already stated, the scarlets are better behavied than the blue-claws. Although they tend to be out and about less...at least from my experiance.</strong><hr></blockquote>

My scarlets are out a bit during the day, but big time at night.

 

[TopNotch]

oh and glad to see noone thinks my tank is over stocked...... i really enjoy my set up

 

[EmilyB]

I'll vouch for scarlets as well. Mine were sold to me as "red reef hermits" but they are now properly id'd by tg...

 

[Anonymous]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by EmilyB:
<strong>I'll vouch for scarlets as well. Mine were sold to me as "red reef hermits" but they are now properly id'd by tg...

</strong><hr></blockquote>

woohoo!!! See? And they think I'm just a sump dweller...