Brains in a Nano   3/4/06 Dear Anthony, <No longer with us, unfortunately. Will cc him here> You probably remember my tank,  but I'll refresh your memory anyway. I have a 20gal. nanoreef with a CPR BakPak with a  prefilter, an Aquaclear 200 box filter and 130 watt PC lighting. I have  30-40lbs. <Yikes, and not much water!> of live rock with a profusion of clams and other filter feeders  living on it. 1 large hairy mushroom ~5", 2 small Discosoma mushrooms  ~1", 1 softball sized Lobophyllia, a large colony of daisy polyps that are  spreading rapidly. (I am in the process of fragmenting some of them and then will  sell the fragments on a site like frags.org) and a small colony of green star  polyps ~2.5".  About 8 Blueleg hermit crabs, 2 Ocellaris clownfish and one  yellow-tailed blue damselfish. (I am keeping an eye on the damsel.) My lobo looks  on the overall like it is doing pretty well. The only thing is that it has a  small (about the size of a nickel) area of recession. It doesn't appear to  be getting worse, but it is not getting better. I have had the lobo for about 3  months now, the recession might have been there since I bought it. If not then  it showed up shortly after I got it. I have noticed that throughout the day  sometimes the lobo will be completely expanded and then in seemingly no time at  all it will be closed and the mouths on it will be open. In about an hour it  will be opened back up and looking fine. It doesn't do this everyday, maybe once  or twice a week. Do you know why it is doing this and if it means there is  something wrong with it. <Can't tell with the info. provided...>     My LFS  has been getting in some variety of what they call green brains. I think that  they are probably Trachyphyllia. They have a flat(ish) middle section with a  heavy ring of tissue around it. (it kind of looks like a flattened out lobo) I  was wondering if it would be possible for me to have one. <I wouldn't here... your system is too small, crowded> I don't have any room  on the bottom except for one place under my powerhead that doesn't get much  light. I was wondering if it would be ok to place it on a flat rock about  halfway up the 12" tank. I was also wondering how often I should feed the lobo  and hairy mushroom and if I get it the Trachy. I am currently feeding them about  once weekly, with small pieces of krill or shrimp. (I will probably get something  else to feed them, any recommendations?) Thanks, MDM <Do take a read, Google on WWM re Lobophyllia/Mussid Disease/Health, Trachyphyllia Selection. Bob Fenner>

Re: Brains in a Nano cont.   3/28/06   Dear Mr. Fenner,          In my last email I sent to the  WWM email. I told you about how I never received a reply when I had sent  pictures with the email. You directed me to send it to your personal  email. <Yes, thank you for this>      In a previous email I told you about my  Lobophyllia and some odd behavior. As I said before it I am not sure if this is  just natural or a problem. Other than the odd behavior and some recession it is  doing well. <I see this here> As I mentioned before with the recession it was there either when I  bought it 4 months ago or shortly afterwards. The recession does not appear to  have gotten much worse, but not better.      Below are pictures of the lobo in it's 3 forms (not  really the right word). When it is in it's extra expanded state, it's "normal"  state (meaning what it looks like most of the time.) and when it will pull in  most of it's tissue. The behavior has no pattern and varies from day to day.  On most days it will look normal all day, on other days it will go into the  pulling in it's tissue form. It does usually do it in the afternoon and will  stay like that for a few hours. It is rarely in it's extra expanded state,  usually once or twice a week. ( it only stays like that for a few hours then  will usually go into the normal state) The fluctuations seems entirely unrelated  to feeding or water changes or anything else. Bye the way how often should I  feed it? <A few times a week with meaty foods... Please see here: http://wetwebmedia.com/mussidfdgfaqs.htm> I was thinking 3 times a week. (Or is that too often.) Order of picture is as follows: 1. Extra Expanded 2. Recession Extra Expanded (have moved the rock with red algae on it since picture) 3. Recession Normal 4. Normal 5. Recession Closed Up 6. Closed Up 7. Full View of Tank. (Daisy Polyps are closed up because I took the picture in after 8 P.M. just when they like to close up for the night, not a  great picture of the tank either. The flash washed everything out, but it gives an accurate representation of the tank.) Thank you for your help and time, (sorry if the pictures took a long time to load) MDM <Likely this tank is doing about as well as it can under your good care. The keeping of multiple species, families, orders of cnidarians in small volumes is problematical. Put another way, your "margin of error" increases with increasing system size all else being equal. Bob Fenner>

Question about lighting... small SW systems stocking, keeping - 2/28/2006 Hello WWM Crew. <Arielle> I have a 10 gallon tank with some beloved critters in it: a clownfish, pajama cardinal, Firefish goby, three Christmas worm rocks, a Hawaiian feather duster, some Zoa frags, and a small bubble tip anemone (which my clownfish has very happily just discovered). <... not easy to keep all this in such small confines... and when, not if, something goes awry, will crash quickly> The tank originally came with a 13" 24W 10000K Blue 50/50 Jebo straight pin bulb set; I tried to find the exact same bulbs with no luck, and so I purchased a Coralife 50/50 with Actinic 03 Blue, also 10000K. When I installed the new light, I noticed immediately the difference in color - my old light was very white and bright, and this new bulb is very purple and subdued. Although I've been told that this purple light is supposed to be much more aesthetically pleasing, I prefer the brighter lights; can you recommend a good 50/50 brand that would be brighter but equally suitable for my tank? <... I want to skip ahead and strongly encourage you not to replace this light, but instead upgrade to a much larger system... at least forty gallons> I absolutely love the Christmas worms in my tank; is there some way I can encourage them to grow or reproduce? <Time, feeding, stability may do it> Do you have recommendations on the best way to care for them? <Posted... on WWM> Thanks for your time, Arielle Kim <Please do read re "Nano" or small reef systems: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/setup/index.htm Particularly set-up, maintenance, stocking... Bob Fenner>

Sea slugs for Nano reef   2/26/06 Hi Adam, <... which one? No prev. corr.>     I have a 20gal. Nano reef that you probably  remember, but I'll still give you the inhabitants again. I have 2 Ocellaris  clowns, 1 yellow-tailed  blue damselfish, 8 Blueleg hermit crabs, 1 large hairy mushroom, 2  small mushrooms probably Discosoma, 1 Lobophyllia,  1 colony of daisy polyps and a small colony of star polyps. I am having a little  problem with Bristleworms, and hair algae. I was looking on your site for  something to deal with them. For the bristleworms I was thinking of a  Philinopsis gardineri sea slug but I saw that it would eat the  bristleworms but wasn't sure if that is the best way to get rid of them. I  already tried an arrow crab. He was dead in 2 days (I have not had luck with  shrimp or crabs except for Blueleg hermits. I suspect there may be something  living in the rock that eats them) I also didn't see what to feed it if it runs  out of worms. <Best here to bait, trap and remove these... see WWM re> (I think this is very unlikely). For hair algae control I was  thinking of some kind of sea hare, or preferably a lettuce Nudibranch. <No, not a good idea/choice> I saw  that the Nudibranch eats algae but didn't see if it would eat hair algae. Even if  it doesn't I still would like to have one if it would be compatible with the  other inhabitants including a Philinopsis gardineri. I do have some  dried algae that I could feed it on if it runs out of hair algae (also very  unlikely). Also my daisy polyps seem to be dying off in the front of the colony.  I was wondering if this could be due to bristleworms. <Not likely. Much more possible is the allelopathy from other cnidarians present> I do see them on it  every night. It is only dying back on the very front, so I am not sure if it is  because of bristleworms. (perhaps it is they are just old or not receiving  adequate light or current.) If the lettuce Nudibranch wouldn't work could you  recommend a good sea hare to control the algae. Would the hermits eat the  slugs? Thanks for all of your help, MDM <... I would use other means of algae control here... See the Google search tool on WWM, the indices... re Filamentous or Hair Green Algae. Read. Bob Fenner>

Nano Stocking/Inappropriate Selection/Lack Of Research - 02/19/06 Hi, <<Hello>> I've set up my first Nano reef (16gallon) and have a few questions about compatibility and stuff. <<Ok>> At the moment I have snake polyps, glass anemones, and blue mushrooms in my tank with 3x micro blue hermits and 2x turbo snails (which I need more of), <<If these are true Mexican Turbo snails, two is plenty for this tank.>> and 1x Hypselodoris apolegma Nudibranch (which I got to control the glass anemones but knowing my luck it won't touch them). <<Mmm, no...didn't you research this animal before you purchased it?  Hypselodoris apolegma feeds on sponge, and not just ANY sponge.  From what I can find it prefers Dysidea and Aplysilla.  Unfortunately this specimen is doomed to starvation...an animal best left in the ocean.>> I am adding a cleaner shrimp today. <<This won't help with the glass anemones...try a couple Peppermint Shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni).  Though there is no guarantee they will eat the glass anemones either, they are a better choice than the cleaner shrimp for this purpose.>> Firstly can I add star polyps and tree coral with the other specimens? <<Yes>> And I have had some irritating Bristleworm hitchhikers is there any thing that will keep there numbers minimal? <<Generally, these are beneficial detritivore.  Their numbers are usually self-limiting if you aren't overfeeding the system.>> And lastly what fish would be considered a good tank mate with my Nudibranch (because I love it lol)? <<A couple Blue-Green Chromis (Chromis viridis) should be fine.>> In such a small tank I was thinking of a mandarin and possibly a box cow or just a box fish although I have taken a liking to the porcupine puffer but I will have to upgrade the tank one day with that in. <<NONE of these are suitable fishes for this tank.  Please research your proposed purchases.>> cheers <<Regards, EricR>>

The Stock Exchange (Stocking List)   2/10/06 We are hoping to have a nice mix of small compatible fish and simple (cleaner crew type) invertebrates. It is a 37 gallon tank with 50 lbs LR, 100 gallon capacity protein skimmer, Millennium 3000 power filter & 2 submersible pumps for water circulation. <Sounds good so far!> We are hoping to eventually have the following and want to give them the best chance possible at survival and compatibility: 2 false Percula clowns (3") 1 Neon Goby (1/2") 1 Pink & Blue Goby (3") 1 Sailfin, Scooter or Lawnmower Blenny (4") <If the "Scooter" that you refer to is a really a Dragonet, please pass on that one for a while, until your tank is well established. They require copious amounts of small crustaceans to feed on.> 3 Blue Reef Chromis (2") or 2 Banggai Cardinals (3") 1 Royal Gramma (3") 1 Lemon Peel Pygmy Angel (4") <I'd pass on this fish in this sized aquarium. It is one of the largest of the Centropyge angels and can be a behavioural problem in a small tank!> 1 Randalli Pistol Shrimp (1/2") 1-2 Cleaner Shrimp (1") 2 Blue Legged Hermit Crabs or Hawaiian Zebra Hermits (1/4") 3 Scarlet hermit crabs (1") 3 Nassarius snails (3/4") That being said we are wondering 1) whether this list is too many fish for that size tank and if so what you would remove and 2) in what order would you add them and how many at a time? <Good questions. I'd probably pass on the Chromis and the Angel- they require more room than this tank affords, IMO. I'd  go with the Neon Goby, a Sailfin Blenny, 2 Cardinals. Add the Cardinals first, and then the Goby and the Blenny. Since you're considering a Pistol Shrimp, I think it would be cool to obtain one of the small Gobies that reside with the shrimp as part of your display. Stick to small, peaceful fishes in this tank, stock slowly, and enjoy!> Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated :-) Thanks!! Stephanie <My pleasure, Stephanie. The entire list would make a great stocking list for a 75 gallon tank, IMO! You'll do fine with the fishes that we discussed here, though. Good luck! Regards, Scott F.>

Re: Big dreams for a tiny tank... 02-08-06 But my tank has a UV sterilizer and a Bak Pak skimmer with a 200 watt lighting fixture- would an Anemone really be a bad idea? <Yes it is still a bad idea. These items do not increase your water volume or your tank's stability. Travis
Re: Big dreams for a tiny tank... 02-08-06 I cannot afford to upgrade my tank size.  I have spent well over 1000 dollars on this system and the maintenance fees are about $100 a month. I just want to know how much soft coral I can hold in my 20 gallon tank if I get rid of the tang and just have the 2 clownfish and the goby. <The tang really has no bearing on how much coral you can keep in your tank. Fish are bioload contributors, corals are not. The limiting factor to your coral load is space and chemical warfare between inhabitants. Travis>

Small Tank With Big Plans!   1/22/06 Thanks for all you guys do! <You're quite welcome. We have a great bunch of folks here at WWM and I'm proud to be associated with this Crew! Scott F. at your service!> I have a 20gal FOWLR (small I know, will be upgrading to 120-150gal this summer). Tank water parameters are 0's across the board, temp 79, salinity 1.023. I had two yellow tail damsels that I had added one at a time (mistake). They seemed to get along, but the bigger one would occasionally chase the smaller away. Never any damage, just a chase. However, they both began to spend more and more time hiding and only came out to feed. I thought this might be because of lack of cover as I only had about 13lbs of live rock at the time. <Lots of possible reasons...Your hunch is as good as any.> I added 10lbs of Hawaiian coral skeleton and saw a little more of the two. Last night I finally added a Royal Gramma. After acclimating him, my larger damsel immediately attacked him. After rearranging the decor, the damsel continued his assault. <All to common with Damsels, unfortunately.> Needless to say, I had to remove half the rock and net the damsel. I decided that I could either keep the Damsel or the Gramma and since the Gramma was so friendly and active, I took the Damsel and gave him to my LFS. The smaller Damsel and Gramma are getting along great and I have had no  problems. Both are feeding very well. <Good to hear. I have a lot of personal disdain for Damsels, myself. Pretty to look at, but they can ruin a lot of otherwise great communities with their aggressive tendencies.> Now for my question. I was thinking of adding a pair of either false Percula or True Percula Clowns, I live the personality of clowns and their responsiveness to human interaction. The only thing am worried about is over-stocking my small tank and any issues of aggression. <Valid concerns.> If I don't go with the Clowns, some kind of Goby or two Chromis. I want something that won't spend all its time sitting or hiding. Any suggestions? <I really like the "Canary Wrasse", Halichoeres chrysus. It's a colorful, peaceful, and interesting fish that usually stays well behaved and attains a manageable size.> In addition to the Gramma and damsel the tank contain 8 Trochus snails. Since putting them in they have kept the glass and rock clean of algae. The sand however still has a brown layer on it. Will these snails clean the sand? <They are usually found on rocks. A better choice for helping to keep the sand clean would be the Nassarius snails.> Also, I'm concerned that I have too many of them as they keep the tank so clean. <Keep in mind, they are bioload, and will impact the water chemistry and organic levels in the tank. Overstocking in a small system is a common error that you obviously know to avoid, so use your judgment on this one.> In addition one or two more fish to be added as mentioned above, I would like to add a cleaner shrimp. Would this be too much and what would you suggest to help with the algae on the sand? Thanks for your time. Joel <I'd probably pass on the Cleaner if you're thinking of the Wrasse, as it could become a tasty snack for the Wrasse at some point! Check out the Nassarius snails, and possibly some Cerith snails, as mentioned above. Good luck! Regards, Scott F.>

Re: Overstocked Nano'¦That was my Opinion the First Time and Still Is.  - 1/6/06 Hi, <Hello again.> I have only changed the sponges once so far, because they are full of amphipods and I assume other beneficial biological filtration bacteria.   Should I still change them? <Well it is true that they have collected beneficial bacteria and are breeding grounds for micro-fauna, it also collects leftover food and detritus. When I used to have my cube I would clean out the sponges weekly in R.O. water. Since yours has been allowed to sit for long there is no doubt that removing it would cause the tank to become unstable, especially with this being a Nano. However what I would recommend is to remove 1 sponge (I believe there are 3 total, 1 large one, and 2 smaller ones) every few weeks, replacing them with cured live rock rubble. Utilize extra/larger water changes and a reduced feeding regime to combat sub-par water conditions.>   To answer your other questions, no I don't test for phosphates, <I would get a phosphate test kit, methinks there are some in your source water. Speaking of which, what is your source water?> I would say the water flow is medium, since I have some soft corals that sprouted up from the live rock, and the light bulbs are about 6 months old. <Not new by any means, but still 'acceptable.'>   And actually this tank is fine for three seahorses, <You sound quite sure of yourself there. Is this query a question or a comment? At any rate it's still open for debate and opinion, and my opinion is that your above statement is in error.> seahorse.org recommends 8 gallons/pair of H. reidi, and they also say that Percula clowns make fine tankmates. <I completely 100% disagree, especially in your set-up.  This tank isn't big enough for one adult Percula clown let alone 2 in addition to 3 seahorses of any species. And eventually when those clowns get larger, they will become more defensive and assertive, especially during eating time'¦this can, no this WILL, lead to the demise of your seahorses.  Seahorses belong in dedicated species only tanks.  Taking your set-up into consideration makes this even worse, the design of the Nano-cube causes it to accumulate detritus and thus nutrient problems which give way to algae problems (Sound familiar) What's worse Nano-cubes don't run protein skimmers. Seahorses are sensitive creatures; which demand stable displays, free of any type tormenting from boisterous tank mates, and anemone fish are quite boisterous in comparison. I guarantee you that this arrangement is at best a short-term solution.  Let us also keep in mind that smaller marine systems in general just aren't casual endeavors, they are prone quick crashes and instability and require daily diligent care.   Adam J.>

Overstocked Nano and Algae Problems   1/4/06 Hello, <Hi Joe.> I have a 24 gallon NanoCube tank with two Percula clownfish and three seahorses. <Mmm, methinks you need to be reading up on your sea horses, this tank and the livestock within it as well, are completely inappropriate for this species, read here: www.seahorse.org .> The tank has been running for about a year and everything is going well, except for one thing: Algae. <Some nutrients to blame I'm guessing, you have quite the heavy load and Nanos are quite unstable and yours doesn't even include a protein skimmer.> Red slime algae, hair algae, and tons of other kinds of algae just keep growing and growing.   <What is your water change regime, do you clean out the sponges in the cube compartments regularly?> I clean the tank glass everyday with an algae scraper, because if I do not do this, after about a week the glass becomes so covered you cannot see through it.  Slime algae grows all over the live rock and live sand.  I purchased some hermit crabs and Cerith snails to get rid of my algae problem, but they have done nothing to make it any better (probably just keep it from getting worse). <Or make it worse my adding more livestock to the tank.>   I do weekly water changes of 10 gallons, <Good.> and my nitrates are >10 so I do not know what could be sparking the algae growth. <See my above comments. Also do you test for phosphates, how much water flow do you have? (not so much I'm guessing with seahorses) Maybe some possible detritus accumulation? And last question; how old is your light bulb?> Any suggestions to counter the algae would be very helpful. Thanks, Joseph Marano <Adam J.>
Re: Overstocked Nano'¦That was my Opinion the First Time and Still Is.  - 1/6/06 Hi, <Hello again.> I have only changed the sponges once so far, because they are full of amphipods and I assume other beneficial biological filtration bacteria.   Should I still change them? <Well it is true that they have collected beneficial bacteria and are breeding grounds for micro-fauna, it also collects leftover food and detritus. When I used to have my cube I would clean out the sponges weekly in R.O. water. Since yours has been allowed to sit for long there is no doubt that removing it would cause the tank to become unstable, especially with this being a Nano. However what I would recommend is to remove 1 sponge (I believe there are 3 total, 1 large one, and 2 smaller ones) every few weeks, replacing them with cured live rock rubble. Utilize extra/larger water changes and a reduced feeding regime to combat sub-par water conditions.>   To answer your other questions, no I don't test for phosphates, <I would get a phosphate test kit, methinks there are some in your source water. Speaking of which, what is your source water?>
I would say the water flow is medium, since I have some soft corals that sprouted up from the live rock, and the light bulbs are about 6 months old. <Not new by any means, but still 'acceptable.'>   And actually this tank is fine for three seahorses, <You sound quite sure of yourself there. Is this query a question or a comment? At any rate it's still open for debate and opinion, and my opinion is that your above statement is in error.> seahorse.org recommends 8 gallons/pair of H. reidi, and they also say that Percula clowns make fine tankmates. <I completely 100% disagree, especially in your set-up.  This tank isn't big enough for one adult Percula clown let alone 2 in addition to 3 seahorses of any species. And eventually when those clowns get larger, they will become more defensive and assertive, especially during eating time'¦this can, no this WILL, lead to the demise of your seahorses.  Seahorses belong in dedicated species only tanks.  Taking your set-up into consideration makes this even worse, the design of the Nano-cube causes it to accumulate detritus and thus nutrient problems which give way to algae problems (Sound familiar) What's worse Nano-cubes don't run protein skimmers. Seahorses are sensitive creatures; which demand stable displays, free of any type tormenting from boisterous tank mates, and anemone fish are quite boisterous in comparison. I guarantee you that this arrangement is at best a short-term solution.  Let us also keep in mind that smaller marine systems in general just aren't casual endeavors, they are prone quick crashes and instability and require daily diligent care.   Adam J.>

Big dreams for a tiny tank...  02-08-06 I am the guy with the 20 gallon tank and power filter w/ skimmer. You had said that my tank was overstocked and crowded because I have 2 clowns, a hippo tang, and a blenny. If I get rid of the tang to a friend w/ a larger system, will my tank still be open to more corals and anemones? <Tangs and anemones are poor choices for a 20 gallon tank. Tangs need swimming room or will be stressed and anemones require stable water conditions that are hard to maintain long term in a small volume of water.> How much soft coral can I put in my tank? <Instead of asking this question, ask yourself if you can afford to upgrade your tank size so you can successfully provide for your tank inhabitants. Remember corals and fish grow, be sure to plan for it. Travis> Thanks Stress ...

SW...  too crowded tiny tank  1/26/06 Hi Crew,
<Hi Sam> I have a 10 gallon setup that is about 2 and half years old. There are two spotted cardinals, a Firefish and a royal Gramma (overcrowded according to the Crew).<Yes> This group has been together for 9 months so I thought I proved that it is not overcrowded. The Gramma was the last one in and was smaller than the Firefish but is now full grown. The Gramma opens his mouth and lunges at times but the other fish seem to be used to it. The cardinals feed at the top and the Gramma and Firefish in the water column. The Gramma may at times take a shot at food on top but generally seems to be afraid to try. So the Firefish and Gramma are usually  where the filter water comes in and shoots the food from the top into the water below. And at times the Gramma gets annoyed if the Firefish grabs something he thought he should have and the Firefish will then either scoot away or just turn his tail towards the Gramma. But for the past few days the Firefish is hiding and does not come out even to eat. Did it take 9 months for the Firefish to get stressed out? Any other possible explanations?
<The health of the Firefish can have a lot to do with stress.  If it's health is slowly going down the stress level can rise.  This could happen over a long term period.  The Gramma is not a good choice for the other tankmates and Firefish fare much better in groups of three or more.  If it were my show, I'd be finding a home for the Gramma.  James (Salty Dog)>