Not Sure I Know What I'm Doing

[bugsman]

I started out with a 6 gallon off the wall kind of tank about 2 months ago. Added live sand and a small live rock to it. Since the tank, I found out later, was definitely not for salt water, the bulb prongs got ate up within 2 weeks and I only had some house lights on it for at least another 6 weeks. I finally bought a 28 gallon nano-cube HQI, biotrop series tank, added more live sand and more salt water. My original live rock had green algae on it. The fish store told me to scrub it lightly with a nylon brush and put it in the new tank. I also picked up another live rock from the fish store which has been cured and put it in the tank also. (The fish store said that was okay) The new live rock has very small anemones growing on it already and some seaweed type stuff with beautiful color to it. Now to get to the point and question: The old rock has nothing growing on it and some bubbles on the very top, is this normal? I have no fish yet, but do I have to feed the anemones? I keep reading things, but I'm just not understanding everything I'm reading about them eating.
I appreciate any advice any help you can give me. Thanks.

 

[1guydude]

u keep reading wat? I would suggest getting a couple books on sw aquariums...e.g. keeping sw aquariums and such..
The sm anenomes u are speaking of could actually be pests. Can u describe them a lil better or even pics, we love pics!
Good job on the biocube HQI purchase...I personally wouldnt have scrubbed the green algae off the rocks. The cured rock is okay to put in ur tank! Do u have test kits? Sorry theres gonna be some questions before we can give u any answers or advise.
Welcome to the site

 

[bugsman]

I've been trying to get pictures, but everytime I put the camera near the tank they keep closing up. When I walk away for a bit and go back they are back open. The other type is kind of attached to the rock and has flowing tendrils on it. I'll keep trying and upload them. I've been reading articles and forums on the internet I don't have any books yet - any recommendations for reading material? Thanks for the welcome.

 

[jstdv8]

Do the anemones look like these?

 

[meowzer]

YEAH...was gonna say saounds like aptasia....DO NOT FEED THEM!!!!
Get some Joe's Juice....inject each one with some and KILL THEM.....ALSO...if your water is ok...get some CUC (clean up crew) You can get 2 peppermint shrimp (will eat aptasia) and some astrea, ceritha and nassarius snails
NOT too many algaes are good BTW.....and YES, pictures would help us a lot

 

[1guydude]

ya there either aspestia as pictured above or lil feather dusters....
reading material....i have like 5 diff books lol but i would at least get
The Complete Book of the Marine Aquarium by Vincent B. Hargreaves....lots of good stuff their!
U do test ur water correct? How long has ur new biocube been set up? How many pounds of rock would u say u have in ur 29gal biocube? Id reccomend at least 20pds

 

[bugsman]

Yes, they are aptasia's. I did a search on live rock pests and that's what they look like and like the ones above. Unfortunately my local fish store won't open again until Tuesday - the rock that has them has been in the water for several months at the fish store. I've read here in the forum, that hot water or lemon juice may help. I'll try that until I can get to the fish store. The tank itself has only been set up for a week - is it too new to add a clean up crew to as suggested above?? And I'll get that book. I do have a master test kit and have been testing my water and there is about 15# of live rock in it. PH is at 8.0, salinity is 1.024 no nitrates or ammonia. But after reading through the forums and all I have to get rid of those before they spread more - I thought I had something going on - I'll learn eventually. Thanks.

 

[bugsman]

After I got off the site, I tried calling the fish store and they were open until 8:00pm, so I went down there and got some Joe's Juice and some snails and hermit crabs. I put the snail and crabs in but plan on doing the juice today. The guy at the fish store said the other things I described to him could be a type of worm and not necessarily a bad thing - you can't see them in these photos because they seem to draw into themselves when something spooks them. I took some pictures, not the best, but here they are:

 

[jstdv8]

yep aiptasia.
I use kalkwasser or mrs wages pickling lime made into a paste and cover the face of them. then suck them out with a turkey baster. Need to get on it too, I've let that slip and I have loads of them.

 

[bugsman]

Thanks for the advice, working on it with Joe's Juice. I've just been reading about introducing Berghia to the tank but my tank has a long way to go before I could introduce something like that. They sound hard to get started.

I do appreciate all the advice. I'll be back with more questions.