how much live rock do i need to have enough coraline algae to keep asmall sea urchin alive? there like 3 inches at my fish store. and how do i know if i have coraline algae?
i have 7lbs right now all live, in my ten gallin with 20lbs live sand, two baby clownfish, and 4 tiny hermit crabs for cleaenup.
all of my live rock is turning different colors, and my glass is getting dirty. is this the algae that i need for a sea urchin?
im not adding anything after the urchin except for a few more crabs and maybe some more live rock if needed.
my water parameters are actually pretty good when i get them tested.
also, should i get a powerhead for more oxygen? i know that my clowfish are very poor swimmers. my filter is a aquatech 5-15.
thanks alot
2007-06-28 15:11:24 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Fish
If the urchin's bodies are 3" these are already too big for your tank. I'd try to find purple rock urchins, or purple impact urchins - these only get 1 1/2 inches or so (not counting the length of the spines).
Coraline algae is the pink, purple, red, and pale green "crust" that grows on live rock like that shown in these photos: http://a1272.g.akamai.net/7/1272/1121/20040331211507/www.liveaquaria.com/images/general/la_liverock.jpg , http://www.liverocknreef.com/images/live%20rock%20photos%20in%20vga%20size%20008.jpg?PHPSESSID=c5e2c427244b7acc00ceb40ee70da5ae Sea urchins will eat the coraline algae and several other types as well, but some of the red algaes produce an acid that erodes their "teeth" they use for scraping, so this you should help remove for them. I also scrape the inside of the dront glass (because I like to see my fish) but let algae grow on the other 3 sides for my snails and urchins to eat. If you're getting a lot of algae growth, you may have phosphates in the tank, and this isn't something everyone tests for - you can help control this by using a phosphate-absorbing pad in the filter.
Once you tank has been set up for a while, this will grow on the glass as well - to encourage its growth, make sure you have good lighting, a high pH (8.2-8.4), and do weekly water changes of 25% to make sure there's enough calcium for it to grow (you can also add a little calcium supplement).
If you were to get a powerhead for circulation, I would only get a small one - a 10 gallon with live rock doesn't hold that much water. They can be helpful if put behind the live rock to increase the circulation, but if your present filter is doing a good job of this, you can continue to use just it.
2007-06-28 18:51:24 · answer #1 · answered by copperhead 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm sorry but i felt compelled to answer this because it doesnt seem like any answer given really helped you. To address english american, there are MANY tanks under 10 gallons that are beautiful and stable for years. Check out nano-reef.com to see them.
For the original poster you are going through the phases of tank establishment. The urchin is something i would reconsider since they do eat coralline and in a tank that small it wont take long for it to eat it all and then starve. Water flow is extremely important and the more the better since you want 10-15x the tank volume to be moved per hour. The turnover helps to balance out your PH and keeping the top open is a good idea, just get some eggcrate and cut it to size then put it over the top of your tank.
Again nano-reef.com is a wonderful resource that you should look into. Good luck!
2007-06-29 00:19:13 · answer #2 · answered by hyperion21 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
We took our filter off and used a fluval and a protein skimmer, those seem to be working well.
As for the urchins, lol... ours eats shrimp and krill. It also will eat algae tabs. Our urchin will clean our glass too, so yours should be ok. Our reef isn't mature enough to feed him so we feed him, lol.... Also we got some snails that have really been keeping the glass clean. Try not to expose the tank to direct sunlight, that would help also. You may want to consider getting a bigger tank also as typically a salt tank shouldn't go under about a 20gal.
Hope this helped!! Good Luck!
2007-06-28 23:59:12 · answer #3 · answered by english american 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
How much rock is not the question ( that is for cycling not for stability of the tank) . You have 7 pounds you are good at this point.
Although sea urchin's eat the coraline they also eat other things like starfish, shrimp krill, algae, dead fish and inverts and you will need to target feed it. What you are going to have to watch is your crabs as well will eat your urchin given the chance.
No more crabs. Your tank is not large enough for 4 let alone more. You are going to have to feed them as well. Brine shrimp works well. Watch your sand as well. If it is deeper than 2" you run the risk of air pockets. These airpockets in the sand can create toxic gas pockets. Coraline algae will grow on just about anything in your tank including the glass filters, powerheads, rock and shells.
you should also invest in a test kit for your home. This will help you to keep the water params under check.
Powerheads in a salt tank are always a great idea for water movement. I would say yes get one.
Just remember your filter should not be running with carbon. Pull them out. They are not needed for salt tanks and tend to remove a lot of the "good" organics and inorganics in your tank. you can replace them with a filter media instead.
2007-06-29 23:49:56 · answer #4 · answered by danielle Z 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Your tank is too small.
2007-06-28 23:08:54 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋