Need More Cuc Also Some Other Q

[Robert247]

I am looking at adding to my cuc I only have 2 turbos and 2 sand sifters and want to get some hermit crabs my nitrates are heigh as i used tap water to start of with (which I now regret) and i am now doing bi-daily RO pre salt mix water changes but they don't seem to be dropping.
I dont plan on keeping corals of any type only things like shrimps and hermits.
I was wondering if anything is ok with heigh nitrates or will i have to wait until it is at a low level it is at about 20 at the moment maybe even more. And do invertebrates of this kind need any special lighting?
will hermit crabs get along with my snails as i hear they can try and kill the snail for the shell even if it isn't planning on using it.
and what about shrimp like cleaners, dancing and maybe even boxing shrimp?
any help would be great.
oh and i nearly forgot i have to clowns i dont know if that makes a difference but i thought i might as well say.

 

[Donya]

Hermits/snails shouldn't need any fancy lighting. But, get the nitrates down - crabs & hermits need those low. Have you thought about double-checking with another kit? That the nitrates are constant with increased water changes seems odd. At any rate, when you do get that sorted out, as long as you don't have any other "small" snails (e.g. Astrea, Cerith, Nassarius, some Trochus), you'll be ok as far as the hermits getting along. I find Clibanarius species to be pretty well-tempered. I've actually kept C. ransoni in with all my snails and never had a casualty resulting from hermit aggression, ditto for an electric buile hermit I had (can't remember the species name). Others are iffy. Zebra hermits are the worst I've run accross for attacking snails and other hermits, so the snails have to be pretty large to be out of the danger zone with those crabs. Shrimp will depend on your fish and tank size. Boxers need a lot of space and will opportunistically take small fish was they grow, so they're often not the best choice for smaller tanks or ones with small fish.

 

[AK77]

I am looking at adding to my cuc I only have 2 turbos and 2 sand sifters and want to get some hermit crabs my nitrates are heigh as i used tap water to start of with (which I now regret) and i am now doing bi-daily RO pre salt mix water changes but they don't seem to be dropping.
I dont plan on keeping corals of any type only things like shrimps and hermits.
I was wondering if anything is ok with heigh nitrates or will i have to wait until it is at a low level it is at about 20 at the moment maybe even more. And do invertebrates of this kind need any special lighting?
will hermit crabs get along with my snails as i hear they can try and kill the snail for the shell even if it isn't planning on using it.
and what about shrimp like cleaners, dancing and maybe even boxing shrimp?
any help would be great.
oh and i nearly forgot i have to clowns i dont know if that makes a difference but i thought i might as well say.

You'll have given yourself a major uphill battle by using tap water initally and now want to get the nitrates down. Ideally, to keep shrimp and other invertebrates you want the nitrates below the 20ppm mark. Tap water in the UK is around 400ppm. I'm a bit confused by what you mean by RO pre salt mix water changes. Are you removing salt water from the tank and replacing it with RO water? If so you are severely dropping your SG level. Also, if you've used tap water, you will have copper in the water from your pipework. Copper will harm invertebrates.

What is your current SG reading?
What are your Nitrate levels?

 

[Robert247]

I'm a bit confused by what you mean by RO pre salt mix water changes. What is your current SG reading?
What are your Nitrate levels?

I am using RO water that i have purchased from a retailer which already contains the salt
my SG is at 1.0235
My nitrate level is at about 25

 

[AK77]

Ah ok, with you now.

Well the nitrates aren't really that bad. Try running some active carbon or other nitrate absorber or throwing some cheatomorpha algae in the tank, to bring them below 20 and you should be good to go. I put my cleaner shrimp and bloodshrimp in and a starfish too, while the nitrates were just over 20.

The only thing I would recommend you test after, is for copper. Since you used tap water there will be a lot of chemicals in your tank, including copper from the pipework in your house. Copper will probably kill an invert quicker than the nitrates will.

 

[Robert247]

cheatomorpha? is that the stuff that looks rough and bristly and in long strings all looks like it is attached together? I think i know which it is but are the strands smooth or bumpy my lfs has tons of it growing in their display tank they will gladly give it away there is no point in asking them as they wont have a clue wat it is. in many pics i have seen on Google cheatomorpha looks smooth like spaghetti what is this other type and is that helpful with nitrates? or will it just be a useless nuisance. will taking my filter pads out of my internal and filling it with rubble or course gravel help?

what do you recommend to start of with i like the way cleaners are really friendly and come over to clean your finger do any inverts of this type require any special lighting and also what is the starfish you put in and do they need good light?

 

[Donya]

Chaetomorpha should be smooth. Google "grape Caulerpa" and see if that's the bumpy stuff your LFS has. All macro will help with nitrates, but some are harder to keep than others and grape Caulerpa in particular might become Turbo snail food depending on the Turbo species you have (Turbo fluctuosa eats a lot of types of macro, while T. undulatus doesn't, etc.).

Wait until your tank has matured before putting any echinoderms in - it's a bad idea to put those in unless you're certain the environment is stable. Anything else is a gamble. The last thing you want is your tank params going off and a starfish dying to further add to the problem (they decay really fast).

 

[AK77]

Hi robert,

Yeah cheato is the wirey stuff that grows in big balls. It's sometimes called spaghetti algae I think. It doesn't become a nuisance like bubble can and with adequate lighting and good flow rate, will help absorb nitrates and phosphates.

Replacing the filter sponges with rubble won't really do that much if anything at all. So long as the sponges are washed out regularly so that there isn't a buildup of waste in them. The sponges will act just like live rock, in the sense that it provides a home for de-nitrifying bacteria, that's all.


Cleaner shrimp are nice and firendly. Mine always hop onto my hand when its in the tank. I also like Fireshrimp/Bloodshrimp. Awesome colours but quite reculsive. Sexy shrimp are nice too. Peppermints are a bit on the drab side and rarely seen during daylight hours. Mine lives in the sump. I got fed up trying to catch it for the 4th time. It keeps sneaking through my overflow box into the sump. How it knows to keep going up there, I don't know... but he likes it in sump lol.

As your tank is still new, I'd recommend you leave any starfish for at least 6-8 months, particularly sand sifters. Starfish normally starve to death in new tanks, as there isnt an abundant food source for them. Since your not keeping corals, standard T8 or T5 lighting should more than suffice for the algaes. Before you do anything though, get a copper testing kit or take a sample along to your LFS. Normally they test the water for free for you. No point splashing out the best part of £20 on a fireshrimp, only to have it die because of your water chemistry.

 

[Robert247]

ok thanks i will get my water tested i don't have T5s the only thing that is doing any good is the 18w blue moon actinic 600mm/26mm I don't really wana spend £80 on lighting but i might be able to sort something out from a friend of a friend.
I think stars are out of the question at the moment.

I dont think the stuff at my lfs is grape Caulerpa it has the same look as the cheato but it is not smooth and has grown all over the tank
its this you prob cant make it out coz this is one of the display tanks at a shop that i go to.its the green stuff all aroud the corals.

 

[AK77]

Hmm. Not sure what that is, but it doesn't look like cheato. Cheato grows in big clumps.

BTW, how big is your tank??

 

[Robert247]

Hmm. Not sure what that is, but it doesn't look like cheato. Cheato grows in big clumps.

BTW, how big is your tank??

its only small 125litres

 

[AK77]

Well if you're not having corals, why not just get something like a 2 x 70w or 1 x 150w halogen floodlight / security light from Wickes/BnQ? I think they are only about £10 if that. That'll light the tank up a treat. You could either wall mount it above the tank or try to position it in a hood or something.

 

[Robert247]

Well if you're not having corals, why not just get something like a 2 x 70w or 1 x 150w halogen floodlight / security light from Wickes/BnQ? I think they are only about £10 if that. That'll light the tank up a treat. You could either wall mount it above the tank or try to position it in a hood or something.

there isnt much space in the hood as it sits quite low to the water level and i dont really want it open as i have caught my Nassarius snails trying to get out now and again when i relocated my tank i put them in a bucket 2 tubo snails and one of the Nassarius where fine in there but the other one got out a few times. although he hasnt tried it recently.
I think if i upgrade my lighting i will try and get a T5 unit off someone i know is giving one away he said "if you realy want corals then i have a set of T5 you can have but if i where you i wouldnt bother with corals" so i will try and explain to him and maby he will let me have them.
other than that i will just water change and water change and water change it think my nitrates are starting to drop now, when taking the nitrate test it states that you take the reading after 5mins at this point it is a yellowy orange but if i leave it longer it goes darker do i take it from when the colour settles or after 5 mins.

also i just thought the floodlights will get extremley hot wont they i have trouble with temperatures in summer as it is without floodlights boiling the water and i dont realy want to spent more money on cooling.

 

[Musho3210]

watt for watt MH lights and halogen should have the same amount of heat, but not the same amount of light (correct me if im wrong)

 

[SkiFletch]

watt for watt MH lights and halogen should have the same amount of heat, but not the same amount of light (correct me if im wrong)

Lol yeah they're both HOT