FishyReef
Broke Reefer!
That crab looks like a gorilla crab - could definitely be contributing to the problem - good luck with the trap!! My guess is that its not just one thing but several things that are contributing to your problems. Glad the lotion idea hit home, and hope you have better luck with the gloves! For the record, I have the gloves and they are huge on my hands, making it really hard not to squish or break things when I try to move them around, so I no longer use them and just avoid putting lotion on my hands at all during the day. I do often wonder if make up residue or soap residue gets into my tank when I put my hands in it, but so far no problems. I also have a pair of long tongs that I use to move stuff around whenever possible.
As for the zoas, yeah, they may not have been healthy colonies. If you try some again, start them on the sandbed to acclimate to your lights, and make sure they get decent flow. Also, zoas are one of those corals that tend to do better in dirtier tank water. Running carbon and GFO might be making your tank too clean for the zoas, unless you are getting some from another local reefer who runs an exceptionally clean tank and has zoas thriving. If you have decent lights, I'd try some easy LPS corals - torch/hammer/frogspawn, duncan, trumpet or candycane, etc. You could also try a monticap or birdsnest - both of those tend to be easy SPS, though my own birdsnests are some of the first to retract polyps when tank chemistry is off. I just think zoas are so hit or miss and aren't necessarily a good barometer on how well or poorly your tank is doing!
As for crap on the rocks, you can take a turkey baster or point a powerhead at them just before doing a water change to blow stuff off and into the water column. You can also buy less expensive powerheads to get more flow (like the hydor koralias) while waiting to save up enough money to get another vortex.
Finally, I think I might reconsider running the carbon and GFO 24/7. I think the only tanks that really have a need for that are heavily stocked SPS tanks. Some people only run carbon a few days a month to polish the water. I'm not convinced of the need for GFO, as I think there are other simplier and cheaper ways to control phosphates, but each to their own! I would think as long as you have a good skimmer (rated for double your tank volume) and run some chaeto in your sump with a light that you have on an opposite cycle from your DT, then that should keep things in check!
Keep us posted! I really hope the lotion is the key to your snail problems :)
As for the zoas, yeah, they may not have been healthy colonies. If you try some again, start them on the sandbed to acclimate to your lights, and make sure they get decent flow. Also, zoas are one of those corals that tend to do better in dirtier tank water. Running carbon and GFO might be making your tank too clean for the zoas, unless you are getting some from another local reefer who runs an exceptionally clean tank and has zoas thriving. If you have decent lights, I'd try some easy LPS corals - torch/hammer/frogspawn, duncan, trumpet or candycane, etc. You could also try a monticap or birdsnest - both of those tend to be easy SPS, though my own birdsnests are some of the first to retract polyps when tank chemistry is off. I just think zoas are so hit or miss and aren't necessarily a good barometer on how well or poorly your tank is doing!
As for crap on the rocks, you can take a turkey baster or point a powerhead at them just before doing a water change to blow stuff off and into the water column. You can also buy less expensive powerheads to get more flow (like the hydor koralias) while waiting to save up enough money to get another vortex.
Finally, I think I might reconsider running the carbon and GFO 24/7. I think the only tanks that really have a need for that are heavily stocked SPS tanks. Some people only run carbon a few days a month to polish the water. I'm not convinced of the need for GFO, as I think there are other simplier and cheaper ways to control phosphates, but each to their own! I would think as long as you have a good skimmer (rated for double your tank volume) and run some chaeto in your sump with a light that you have on an opposite cycle from your DT, then that should keep things in check!
Keep us posted! I really hope the lotion is the key to your snail problems :)
