whats the best cleaners

[entice59]

was wondering, anyone know any good books and videos to check out on reefs and stuff.... im getting really into this fish stuff.... mostly on corals though =) i heard my shrimp is good for getting rid of ich, dont know if its really true....
anyone know whats the best cleaners out there for my tank, im growing alot of alge because of the light..... ideas? how many can i fit in my tank?

 

[bang guy]

I disagree that Cleaners get rid of Ick. i believe they eat the external parasites but they can't do anything for under the skin. I DO believe they help relieve some stress and make the fish more comfortable. That could keep them alive longer, but IMO the best way to cure Ick is find out what is stresing the fish and fixing the problem.
Guy

 

[tjkohler]

To answer your algea question feel free to look at my sig for my cleanup crew. Get a diversity, it's better on the eyes. My Nassarius snails and my fighting conch are my favorite. You will only need _one_ fighting conch in your tank though (same as me). If you can get a hold of Tronchus snails than I would get more of them and drop the Turbos and Astrea though.

 

[reefs_rock]

entice59
IMHO ........ You don't give us enough information to answer your question but, you give enough to offer some advise.
With the list of creatures you have in your 15 gal tank and the filter system you have, your problem is not the light. Light alone will not create an algae problem. It requires nutrients in the form of phosphates and/or nitrates.
Phosphates can come from your water source. Nitrates come from the end product of the nitrogen cycle that happens in your aquarium's filter system. In your system you have live rock and live sand. Those are good filters and perform the needed functions of the nitrogen cycle.
You also have a HUGE bio-load for a fifteen gal tank. That's the beginning of the problem, that along with the Fluval2. A canister filter becomes a nitrate FACTORY. The solution is not easy to diagnose without seeing your set-up but, the important thing to do is eliminate the source of nutrients.
The source could be your tap water, over feeding, and your canister filter or all three. I suspect all three.
I'd recommend frequent water changes, watch the amount of food left over after the fish are done feeding and change the filter media more frequintly. There's probably more you could do but, without seeing your system I don't know.
As far as a book is concerned one I recommend is "Narural Reef Aquariums" by John Tullock.
Good luck.

 

[entice59]

the anemone has been moving alot for some reason and looks funny..... plus it leaves this clear goo, is it dieing? how can you tell if an anomie is dead and sick?

 

[lou_brakant]

entice, I have ordered two great books from Amazon. Read them from a friend and learned a ton. Both books cost about $40 total. You can never over prepare for a reef tank.
The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert M. Fenner
The New Marine Aquarium by Michael S. Paletta

 

[slothy]

Originally posted by Lou_Brakant
entice, I have ordered two great books from Amazon. Read them from a friend and learned a ton. Both books cost about $40 total. You can never over prepare for a reef tank.
The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert M. Fenner
The New Marine Aquarium by Michael S. Paletta
dewd ~!! i told ya i had some books you could use... (save that money for crack rock errr live rock) hehe

 

[sistrmary]

"the anemone has been moving alot for some reason and looks funny..... plus it leaves this clear goo, is it dieing? how can you tell if an anomie is dead and sick?"
I hate to say it, but probably. However, most anemones, once harvested in the wild begin dying. (This isn't personal opinion, it's fact. Most anemones will spit out their zooxanthellae when they're harvested. To regenerate this symbiotic algae, they need nearly perfect conditions. Few recover, most die in pet stores or in still cycling tanks because the pet store wanted to unload it before it died on them.)
Moving doesn't always mean that it's dying, it means that it's looking for a better place to be at the moment.

 

[jim672]

entice59,
Is your tank relatively new? How long have you had it? If new, the algea you're experiencing could be part of your cycle and may go away by itself.
Anenomes will move.....any time.....any where they want. I have had a number of them over the years and have lost all of them. I won't try anymore. A sick/dying anenome will schrivel/whither and will begin to look as if it's disintegrating. That may account for the "clear goo" you've described. If it looks sick, it probably is. I would get it out of the tank as soon as possible before it dies and totally disintegrates, leaving you with a real mess to clean up (it REALLY STINKS, too!).
The Fenner book mentioned in one of the posts is a must, IMO.
Jim

 

[entice59]

aw man that sucks.... i transfered my tank which i had for 2 months and a half to a newer tank just 4 weeks ago... my blue maxima clam has this wierd white thing coming out of its mouth like one of the tips of an anomie is this normal????

 

[entice59]

i woke up the anomie died... =(... and now the water is cloudy...