seeding tank

[lilreefgirl]

Hi!
I was just wondering if anything can be put in a 10g tank that is currently seeding 50lbs of dry rock with 5lbs of live. The tank is not being filtered, just circulated.
I tested the water (2 days after putting the live rock in) and the tests are:
ph-8
ammonia-1
nitrite-0.25
nitrate-5
spec gravity-1.022

I thought if I could put snails in or anything that would be more interesting to watch :mrgreen:
What do the levels have to be, or does the tank have to be filtering to have anything in it?
Also, what is a good book to read to learn about these things?
Thanks!!! :Cheers:

Oh, and are there any things that I should be looking for on the live rock that might not be good for the tank? One of the rocks came with worms (I have counted 10 so far) a few different colours/kinds!

 

[Bifferwine]

You can't put anything in there while you have ammonia and/or nitrite -- those are toxic to animals.

The ammonia and nitrite levels have to be both at zero before you add any animals.

Can you post pictures of the worms? We'll be able to ID them for you. Most worms are beneficial and nothing to worry about.

Here's a good book:

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Conscientious-Marine-Aquarist-Commonsense-Professional/dp/1890087998/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270685686&sr=8-1]Amazon.com: The Conscientious Marine Aquarist: A Commonsense Handbook for Successful Saltwater Hobbyists (Microcosm/T.F.H. Professional) (9781890087999): Robert M. Fenner, Matthew L. Wittenrich, Scott W. Michael, Alf Jacob Nilsen, Christopher Turk: B[/ame]

 

[lilreefgirl]

I took pics, they look horrible - just a point and shoot. I tried to upload and it wouldnt work - wifi might just be slow.
I'll try again.
One looked like a stick with a red feather duster popping out the top, the other was a brownish striped feather duster (there are 2 of those) then another one popped up today which is more whitish.
There are about 3 or 4 other ones that all I can see are "whiskers" the camera just wont pick them up - they are white and red "iridescent" whiskers. I'll try uploading again in the next post!

About the chems - can the ammonia & nitrite drop to zero with no filtration?
Thanks!!

 

[lilreefgirl]

why can I not upload pics??

 

[Bifferwine]

The ammonia and nitrite will drop to zero on their own, as the bacterial populations grow to process them. But your nitrates will still continue rising without filtration and water changes.

Use photobucket to upload pics. It's the easiest way. Copy and paste the code from photobucket into your post.

Or click "Go Advanced" under the reply box, then click on the paperclip icon to attach an image directly from your computer.

 

[lilreefgirl]

finally...file was too big
Here are a few shots.

 

[avery155]

They are feather dusters, a common hitchhiker on live rock. I am not sure of the white work in the third picture, it may be a bristle worm. Which in that case are very good cleaners. I have quite a few of them white worms that I found in my live rock.

As the days go on I am sure more and more critters will be coming out of their hiding places.

 

[lilreefgirl]

I thought so on the feather dusters, just not sure on the colourful one!

 

[RIJohn]

Feather Duster or Tube Worms come in different colours

 

[lilreefgirl]

It looks different than a feather duster. The pic does not do it justice, (pic #3) the tips are iridescent...cool, but that is all that comes out of the rock, i have not seen any more of it....yet...

 

[RIJohn]

Does it move?

I have some Red Marco Algea that was super bright orange at first then turned red looks like a branch.

 

[lilreefgirl]

Yup, it goes in and out like a worm...just not as much or as quickly as the feather dusters!

 

[dcantucson]

I don't know what the colored on is either. It's pretty neat looking though.

 

[lilreefgirl]

I wish I had a better camera to really get a good shot of it. :(