- Reading FAQs and Other Issues -
Dear Bob & Crew:
I submitted an e-mail to you yesterday pertaining to two questions that I had.   I have finally discovered the first part of my question under the live rock category on your site.  It is funny to see another person’s perspective on explaining such a strange looking organism.   The problem I had finding the information was the words I was using in the search varied from what it was in actuality. Anyhow, I do apologize for any inconvenience I may have caused you in replying to my inquiry on the first part of my question. <No worries.>
However, I’m still awaiting the answer to my second question.  It has barely been a day since I submitted the question, so I do not expect an answer soon. <And certainly, with a chunk of the crew off to IMAC, it may take a while.> Just figured I might be able to save you time in responding to my first e-mail.  Or maybe I’m just trying to prevent seeing this on your post/reply:
<<Hey, XXXX, if you have read our FAQ section properly, you ill have realized it said to thoroughly check for answers on our website!>>
<Understood, although I often think that, I would never say it in public. Some folks just find it better to ask questions first, read later... the reason they are called Frequently Asked Questions is because they are asked frequently.>
Your website and reading material that you provide to the public pertaining to aquatic life is priceless! <Glad that you find it so.>  I am a novice to this hobby, recently started a 45 gallon tank, and have used the content on your site repetitively.   I have yet to find better content available online.
For reference, this is my first e-mail:
I have completed numerous searches pertaining to my 2 questions on your site and others and cannot find anything.   Maybe you can help shed some light on these issues ?:
Question 1 ) I have Florida Live Rock in my tank and I have noticed when the lights are turned off at night a mysterious entity spreads a translucent web from the live rock.   It appears to be about 20 individual elastic strands that extrude from the rock.   Each strand is about 8” to 12” in length and translucent and has additional translucent branches that stem off of it that are each only a couple centimeters in length.   Each strand almost resembles a translucent feather that floats around in the water.   The most amazing thing to me is that when the lights are turned on each strand/feather contracts and bundles up against the surface of the live rock.   It does not retreat into a hole. Do you know what this enigmatic entity is? <I think it's a spaghetti worm.>  (I have 192 watts of light on a 45 gallon tank, 96 watts Actinic & 96 watts 10,000K)
Question 2 ) In retrieving water from my tank from the Atlantic Ocean, I unknowingly caught a tiny little needle fish that is about an inch in length.   He has been in my tank now for about a day or two and seems to be quite healthy swimming along the surface of the water in the tank.   Do you have an idea of what type of diet these fish have?   All the research I could find online mentioned that larger fish love to eat them, but not what type of food they eat. <Probably plankton... I'd try to get your hands on some Cyclop-Eeze or daphnia... these are sufficiently small that this fish might go for them. There is also Zoe's Sweetwater Plankton which is a little larger but generally well accepted by all fish.> Please help me feed Spike!
Thank you,
Jon M.
<Cheers, J -- >

How often do aquarium needle nose gars eat
I moved mine away from the guppy tank Monday and it died on Saturday.  I had
been planning to return it on Sunday for feeding.
<Once or twice a week is about right... A jittery, nervous fish in captivity that needs to be carefully tended to. Bob Fenner>