cycling for fiji puffer and friends

[riggers]

I've heard good things about them, but I've no experience with one.

[Pufferpunk]

Yes, that is comparable to the Backpac. Don't waste a single dime on either of the other 2.

[Idontknow]

i was looking at the cured rocks and i saw more critters, a fat juicy looking caterpillar thing.

I would remove any catepillar looking things...probably a bristleworm or a mantis shrimp. Depending on the type bristleworms are usually not harmful. However, mantis shrimp tend to attack fish. IMO, I would remove them...but don't use your hands! Use some tweezers or tongs.

[Pufferpunk]

I have a 5" Peacock mantis that lived with a 6-line wrasse for months (until it jumped). I also have a smaller red one that lives with a tank full of fish. Also, bristleworms are harmless & are good detritus eaters.

[mikeKICKz]

so ummm... i thought that stuff was to help the cycle. i saw a snail looking thing also, should i remove it?

i think i'm going to get a use bak-pak skimmer from ebay.

[Pufferpunk]

Just keep an eye on the ammonia & nitrate & eventually the y will be 0. Then you do a BIG water change & you're ready for fish. Leave all the life in there. That's what makes 'live" rock!

Did you look at RC?

[Idontknow]

What you have are hitch-hikers, they naturally live in the rocks in the ocean. Some people have good experiences with them. Some people don't. I haven't had good experiences. My mantis shrimp ate a bunch of my fish. Now I have the mantis shrimp in a separate tank. They are really easy to care for. But, I don't trust them with my fish.

[mikeKICKz]

Just keep an eye on the ammonia & nitrate & eventually the y will be 0. Then you do a BIG water change & you're ready for fish. Leave all the life in there. That's what makes 'live" rock!

Did you look at RC?

"y" will be at 0?

i'm starting to read RC but you know how is it starting on a new forum. aghh!



but i'm really thankful for all the help here

[mikeKICKz]

ok i added salt and my sg is at 1.024

here's a bunch of pics and a video.
help me id stuff of the rocks. thanks

[mikeKICKz]

video is still uploading. there's a snail like creature on one of the rocks, also a white hair like things, green mirco algae, little star fish slimming around, and a white calm like thing. are any of these bad. i saw a bristleworm or maybe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CY1mCg4KFk

[Pufferpunk]

"y" will be at 0?

*they*

Looks like you have some snails, macroalgae & a small scallop. The pink stuff growing on the rocks (& eventually on your glass) is coraline algae. Get yourself a magnet glass cleaner to keep the front glass clean. Keep it in the back corner of your tank for easy access. I clean my glass daily.

[Jase]

I'm terrible at corals... but I think those are zoanthids in the 1st and 14th pics.

[Pufferpunk]

I don't see any zoas... I do see some tube worm tubes.

[Jase]

Oh my bad. I thought I saw yellow-green tentacles on them...

[mikeKICKz]

wow. i was feeding the damsel and i noticed the white hair looking things on the LR got a hold of flake food and sucked it into the rock. sorry if i so amused by such a thing. also on the same rock i saw small feather duster and a tiny little snail. not like the one i took a picture of, this one looks like a garden snail. i like this LR the best out of the other one i have. i think i'm going pick up some more from the lfs i got it from.