In over my head Update!

Piratefish said:
Yes there is LR in the tank. It is many years old, I dont know how long it has been the tank but at least 5 years.

Should I have more than one powerhead in a 55g tank? The lights are old and need replacing but I want to do clams so I want to upgrade to Mh. What do you think about Aquaticlife? R7S HID Light Fixtures 48"
420206
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Light 48IN 2-150W R7S
DE HID 4-T5 HO 4 Lunar
420206
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Light 48IN 2-150W R7S
DE HID 4-T5 HO 4 Lunar
Click to expand...

I don't know about the quality but should allow you to keep anything you want.
 
I checled the tank today (its not at my house) all water tests are good. The lights have been out for a few day now. I looked in the tank before i turned the lights on in the room and I saw some strange tanish worm things coming out of the rocks. They appear to be eating the algae because now at the base of the LR the sand has NO algae on it, about 1-2 inches out from the rocks. I turned on the lights and they disappeared quick. I hope these are a good sign.
Also there was some bright yellow greenish coraline( i think that is what it is spelling?) on the rocks but it is turning black, that doesnt look good?
Water is clear and the temp is at 81*.

When should I start testing for Calcium, Phosphate, and Iodine?
 
Dont worry about testing for those right now.All your concerned with is ammonia,nitrite,nitrate,and PH.Maybe alkalinity.
It sounds like your rock is full of peanut worms.Their great for the tank and will feed on algae and detritus.
 
Today I discovered that I have some kind of small snails in my tank and in my sump.Is this good or bad? NO guys I did not buy them and put them in there! They are smaller than a pencil eraser brownish with sort of tiger stripes. I have turned the lights on because the ployps didnt look very happy with three days of blackout. They are set of only 3 hours a day now. Still trying to control the algae. I think the blackout helped cause the sand has less and less algae on it every day.
How long can I black it out for without doing damage to the coraline and polyps?
 
Do they look like this?

sundial.jpg


If not, they are probably safe, just regular hitch hikers. If so, that's a sundial snail, and it's a common coral predator.
 
Okay Here's the update. I have found 2 more sponges and a clam. The clam is small about the size of a pinky finger nail its white with fine ridges on its shell. I also think I have lice:shock: or shrimp. I was poking around with the flashlight and there was a small translucent shrimp like thing scurring across the top of one of the rocks. This hobby is so great I love to discover new things in my tank.
 
You definantly DONT want a mantis shrimp. They are evil incarnate!!! But cool as hell to watch. You could always set up a 10 gallon mantis tank. But you do not want one in your tank as it will kill and eat all of your fish, crabs, snails, and shrimp.
 
If at some point you do get one in your tank, don't try to pick him up. There's only one certified mantis hunter on this forum..He costs $10,000 + roundtrip airfare.

Consider yourself warned.:mrgreen:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wRpTmcPC4I]YouTube - Mantis Shrimp (G. Chiragra) vs. My Hand![/ame]
 

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