Identification, Zoanthid 06/02/09
I'd like to thank you folks for the use of your great site.
<Welcome>
I usually use the information on your site to answer all of my questions. Unfortunately I am stumped about this identification. I attached a photo of the unknown. I have read up about the majano anemone and it seems that they have rounded tips and there mature size is not to large and coloring varies from brown to greenish depending on antics used.
<Mmm, yes... Note the absence of tentacles about the mouth... the squat body...>
Let me describe to you what mine look like. Yes coloring varies brownish-green pending on antics, tips are pointed, approximate size of some of the largest 1"-2" (in the photo there is a Mexican turbo snail next to it), the base of mature ones when fully extended (1"-2") and is brownish with green polka-dots and they do have a visible mouth. I believe I acquired 4-6 of them on a frag 3 years ago and I now have about 24 of them, most of them live in clusters and a few that sit alone. Lastly the reason for my concern now is that I am changing over to a reef system and would like to know if these guys are a problem to other corals.
<Am pretty sure this is a Zoanthid... see a/the chart here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/zoanthid.htm
Can be problematical in proximity (and not) to other Cnidarian life. (see the linked FAQs file re Compatibility) Bob Fenner>

Aiptasia? & Cyano? 5/23/09
Hi can you identify what exactly is in the black rectangle I painted on this picture?
< Looks like Green star Polyps.( Pachyclavularia sp.). Not the dreaded Aiptasia but under certain conditions can become just as much of a nuisance. >
This is a tank some one is selling... Also, this tank has been running for 2 years or so, is that Cyano in the sand?
< Cyano, diatoms lots of things. Common in deep sand beds. I wouldn't worry about it unless it starts to appear on the rock and top of the sand bed.
Read here for more info on DSB.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/deepsandbeds.htm GA Jenkins >
Thanks,
Nathan

pH problems & Invertebrate ID 5/22/2009
<Hi Darren>
I have a 34 gallon reef tank, about 4 months old, only 2 fish- a six line wrasse and a bi-color blenny, and a few stony corals- a birdsnest, long tentacle plate, I believe a torch? and another I can't identify, I'll attach some photos if you don't mind identifying them for me?
<OK>
Anyway, I've had a couple of reef tanks in the past that I had some success with, but my job kept me moving pretty often and I had to sell most of the stuff I had.
<As a former military member, I understand.>
This time I had the opportunity and a little more cash and figured I'd set up a pretty decent reef tank somewhere between a nano and small, a 34 gallon Solana cube, although I didn't like the included skimmer, and wanted the flexibility of more water and a sump, so I removed the cheap skimmer, used a CPR overflow box I had and added a two tier sump system, first the water travels from the overflow to a 20 gallon Rubbermaid container that I have the heater/chiller in as well as a hang on Turboflotor skimmer in, then via a bulkhead fitting, the water flows by gravity to a 3012 Eco-system sump, no mud just a few pieces of live rock and Chaeto algae that is lit 24 hours a day, then from there an external Quiet One 400 GPH at a four feet head height back to the display tank.
<Sounds like a well thought out filtration system>
The display tank has 3 or so inches of sugar sized aragonite sand, 30 lbs of live rock and again the wrasse and blenny, about 10 blue leg hermits, 4 Astrea snails, the corals I've attached pics of, and I added a detritivore kit from inland aquatics that included mysis shrimp, small brittle and micro starfish, Gammarus shrimp, copepods, amphipods to seed the sandbed. For water movement addition to the return pump from the sumps I have two small Koralia powerheads powered by a wavemaker that alternates them, and an Eco-tech marine Vortech (mp20). For lighting I have a 14 inch Solaris LED light, it's supposed to put out the equivalent of a 400 watt metal halide, but I'd estimate just looking at the output somewhere from a 175 to 250 watt metal halide, that was expensive but neat with all of the features and little or no heat to the tank.
<Sounds like a nice setup as well.>
I get about 1 or 2 cups of medium dark skimmate from the skimmer a day, and the problem child is the pH....from about 7.75 with the display light off at night, to about 7.80 to 7.90 with the light in the display on during the day, again the light in the sump is on 24 hours.
<So a bit low, but not too low. I prefer stability over fighting to hit an exact number.>
I can't understand why, everything else according to Salifert tests is good... magnesium at 1200 ppm, calcium at or above 400 ppm, strontium at 3 to 6 ppm, iodine about .06 ppm, alkalinity at usually about 3.70 meq/L, dKH at about 10 to 11, the phosphate, nitrates, silicates, ammonia, nitrites all are at or about non-existent. I keep these levels by 5 gallon water changes per week (de-ionized water with D-D H2Ocean salt mix and adding C-Balance parts A and B about twice a week. I would try more buffer agents, but I really don't want the dKH or alkalinity any higher than it already is. The only thing I can think of is the salt mix, but the H2Ocean is highly recommended from what I read, and the calcium and magnesium, etc are better than I ever had before by using instant ocean or reef crystals. So I'm at a loss here, the surface movement with the powerheads, and the skimmer and other powerheads should keep the water plenty oxygenated, not to mention the Chaeto and live rock in the sump at 24hour lighting. The fish and corals seem to be healthy, I don't overfeed, it is what I believe understocked if anything so I just read and read and scratch my head trying to figure it out. Can you suggest anything?
<I must thank you for the amount of detail you've provided. The one thing you did not mention is likely your culprit. What are you using for source water, and what is it's pH before and after you add the salt mix? Do test these and I'm sure you will find the reason.>
<API makes a product called "pH 8.2" I use this to raise the pH of my new water.>
Also if you don't mind could you properly identify my corals?
<Sure: You are correct on the named pictures see the following pages for reference.:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/pocilloporidae2.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fungiidae.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/elegance.htm
For your unknowns, the first one appears to be some sort of "Candy Cane" coral (Caulastrea)
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/faviidae.htm
And the last picture has two different inverts on it, the green "flowers" appear to be zoanthids.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/zoanthid.htm
and the blue mushrooms are corallimorphs
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/corallim.htm >
Sure. Thanks for all of your time and expertise....
<My pleasure>
Darren
<Mike>

Re: pH problems & Invertebrate ID 5/22/2009
<Hi Darren>
Wow, thanks for the quick response!
<No Problem.>
I never thought to check the pH of my RO/DI source water before adding the salt, or after for that matter,
<Ahh ha!. Do realize that fresh RO\DI water will start out around 7.0, and then usually drop as it ages Adding salt mix stops the pH drop.>
I always just check the tank and sump water after mixed together, good advice, I'll do that first thing when I get home tonight. One additional question though, do you add the "pH 8.2 directly to the RO/DI water before mixing with salt, or after?
<I mix up my water about a week in advance., so I add it a day or so before I add the water to the tank. My aged, mixed water usually comes out at 7.9
- 8.0, so a quarter scoop takes it to 8.2>
Thanks also for the id of my corals!
<You're Welcome>
You guys rock..... Darren.
<Mike>

Strange Growth 5/8/2009
Hello Everyone!
<Adam>
I posted this on a couple other forums before trying you guys. My question is about a saltwater reef tank if that gets me to the right person. A few weeks ago, possible a little more than a month, I started supplementing calcium. I noticed an almost immediate change in the corals, but a few new things appeared. One of them I had seen before and have identified as Neomeris sp.
<Yes, the droopy bit to the lower right>
There is one of the "stalks" of Neomeris visible in the bottom right corner of the picture I have attached.
The growth I am emailing you about is the small green round things growing in the center of the picture. They are very small, about 1/16th - 1/8th of an inch. They are very hard to the touch. On another forum people suggested they could be coral either mushrooms or zoas, but they are not soft, are much smaller, and do not form a mat.
<Zoanthids may start as individual polyps...>
They also do not retract or react at all when touched.
For reference, the picture is taken under 14k metal halide lights with actinic supplementation, but the darkness is turned way down on the camera in order to focus. The colors shown in the photo are accurate,
but just a little dark. The width of the flat section of rock they are growing on is about 1 - 1.5 inches.
Do you have any idea what this might be? Is it a type of algae? How large might they grow to be?
<Not algae, are a polypoid animal of some sort (Cnidarian). My guess based on the low res. image is that these are Zoanthids. Please see WWM re Cnidarian taxonomy>
Thank you for your help. I read the section about using grammar when submitting a query, and was a little intimidated. I hope this meets the specifications!
Thanks,
Adam
<Ah yes. Bob Fenner>

Coral ID 4/26/09
Hi there,
hope all is going great!
<Summat... flight out of Denver has been delayed... they're "looking for a plane" (not easy to hide I'd think)>
I had been for local collection trip on the Indian western cost (inter tidal zone).
where i found this lovely frag...
Was wondering if you could ID this coral, looks like an Acropora of some kind, its not very hard to touch, but quite firm as its very small (1in in height)!
pls see the attached file, and let me know what family/ species do you think this frag could be?
<Mmm, on close inspection this is an octocoral... I think it's likely a juvenile Gorgonian of some sort... am away from my in-print ref. works....
Bob Fenner>
thanks a lot, keep rocking!
Sameer