pods!!!! :)

[daisy]

So mytank is cycling, and I was worried a few weeks ago when I first put the LR in that I had lost many pods.

My worries have been put down completely. Last night I identified at least four different types of pods in numbers that I could not count. Isopods, Copepods and two others that I could not identify (very small ones).

One thing I saw several of in the tank but do not know what they were - free-swimming pink-looking lines maybe a centimeter long corkscrewing to swim... moving fast through the water - what were they?

Anyway, I'm very, very psyched!

Sadly, there are now two types of aptasia (brown and colorless) increasing in the tank, and in addition to green bubble algae, there are a few purple/red bubble algae as well... UGH!!!!!

counting the days till I can add pepps!

 

[jhale]

pods will always come back, they are tough little guys.

instead of shrimps I would start kalking the aptasia's.
before there's anything in tank it will be easy to move the rocks
to get to them. Deanos once showed me the proper kalking method.
to kalk them take some kalk and mix in a small bowl with RO water
till you get a thick paste like consistancy. fill a syringe with a large opening,like one that comes with the salifert test kits. squeeze some into the mouth of the aptasia and let it close around the kalk paste. once closed up go back and cover the aptasia with the paste. make sure to siphon out the remains. I've never had an aptasia come back after doing this.

 

[tosiek]

joes juice gives you a syringe and a cool green tip that gives you this pinpoint shot at the mouth of the aiptasia, usually squirts it not only on the mouth but inside. Nice to see the pests fill up with white stuff as they try to shrink back in.

 

[daisy]

Okay, but can I hit the aptasia with Joe's Juice or Kalk while the tank is cycling?

 

[jhale]

yes you can, it will not make a difference in the cycle.

fwiw, I used joes juice and all it did was make the aptasia angry.
they came back in force and kicked my tanks a$$. if you use joe's juice
make sure you follow the directions and siphon out the aptasia you inject!

 

[tosiek]

yeah shouldn't affect a thing. Better now before you accidentally get some on coral.

 

[daisy]

So in fact, I did siphon out the dead/dying, but I think that the ones that did not die just turned white and are now the biggest ones in the tank!!!!!!

So.... I'll do better this time! :smash:

 

[jhale]

I found the kalk paste to be a sure thing.
there is no chance for the aptasia when it is covered in kalk paste.

 

[daisy]

I'm assuming I can do a search for how to make it...

Thanks!

 

[jhale]

read above, my first post :Blurp:

buy some kalk powder, add about three table spoons to a small bowl.
be careful not to breath the powder, it's bad to do that.
then slowly add some ro water and mix the kalk. your looking for a goopy paste, kind of similar to toothpaste. if you add too much water just throw some more powder in.

tip: do not let the paste harden in the bowl, and do not dump the extra down the drain, it dries hard, and you don't want to take any chances. I scoop it out in a paper towel and throw it away, then rinse the bowl.

 

[ellebelle]

I just posted a little demo on how to do this.

http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum...struction.html?highlight=aiptasia+destruction

I took my rock out of the tank, but you can leave them in the tank as well - just be sure you siphon well. Also, I like using a metal tipped syringe because you can stab them - you don't have to aim for the mouth because you can just inject it right into their little bodies. But if you only have the plastic tips, the mouth works too.

 

[daisy]

very cool tutorial.

I need better needles. Now that I no longer am engaged in scientific research (that was my last life), it is difficult for me to get my hands on actual syringes. I have the green-plastic tipped syringe from Joe's Juice, but I think that's not going to do. Any idea where I might get them from?

Thanks!

 

[ellebelle]

The plastic ones will work - I just think it's easier with the metal ones. You can always try asking for them at CVS or something - they might look at you a little strangely though!!!

 

[daisy]

you know, i tried that and they didn't look at me strangely, they outright refused me.

seems they can get arrested for giving out hypodermics w/o a prescription...

so sad, the state of our world. oh well...