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Hey guys, thanks again for the help with my new SW tank. It's doing really well! I had two questions about some stowaways on my LR.

Frist, an urchin appeared earlier this week and I was wondering if there is anything special I need to do to keep it alive? Here's a picture:

Urchin

This coral came in on the rock, it's still small, but alive, and I'd like to keep it that way. I was wondering what it was? I have 2x96W PC lighting the tank, will this be sufficient?

coral

Also, are bubbles normal on liverock? These have started appearing on my two big chunks of florida aquaculture.

Last edited by puffer_archer at 05-Jun-2005 21:59

Many urchens tend to eat coraline algea. It's best to not have a urchen in a reef tank.

As for the bubbles. Do you have a powerhead adding bubbles to the tank, or a skimmer that's letting bubbles get in to the tank? It looks like the bubbles are just getting stuck to the rock. Some times this clears up after a few weeks.

Dan


Dan

the bubles could be from the algea living in the live rock

Goldfishkeeper,

If you look at the picture, the bubbles are very clear or whitish in color. If it was bubble algae they'd be a deep green. As asked, is your skimmer or an air stone releasing bubbles?

Urchins have venom in their spikes, so be careful when you're in the tank. I've accidentally bumped into them because of the way water distorts location/size of things. Like Dan suggested, I'd bring him back. I think he'll end up being more of an issue, they get pretty big and are pretty hardy too. They just aren't really my thing.

-Ferret

-Formerly known as the Ferretfish

Well, I may try to take him back, but since he was a stowaway, we'll see.

Well, the powerheads are not releasing any bubbles. The skimmer may be letting some in, but I didn't think it was enough to cause the build up.

The coral kind of looks like a Galaxia coral.....hard to tell though without really being able to see the tentacles. Any chance you can get a better pic of the tentacles?

the bubles could be from the algea living in the live rock

Very close.....the bubbles are coming from the algae on the rock.....Just like FW plants, SW plants/algae will produce 02 during photosynthesis....that is what you are seeing is the "pearling".



[hr width='40%']I lay here in my bed and dream of you
Hoping you are dreaming of me too...
Someday the miles will be less and we will dream together
Your heart and mine Always and Forever...

Nate...

I didn't think pearling looked like that?

I thought it was more of a stream, and that it was of much smaller bubbles.

Learn something new everyday...

I'll have to keep that in mind.

-Ferret

-Formerly known as the Ferretfish

I'll see if I can get a better picture tonight.

I was thinking that it was pearling, but I wasn't sure if algae would do it as much as fw plants would. Good to know! So, this is a good sign, right?

Neither good or bad IMO, but if I had to pick one I would go with bad.....not because of the "pearling" itself, but because of the algae on the rock.






[hr width='40%']I lay here in my bed and dream of you
Hoping you are dreaming of me too...
Someday the miles will be less and we will dream together
Your heart and mine Always and Forever...

lol, I see. You know I have to say though, SW algae is much prettier than FW algae...

Sorry to bring this thread up again, but I was wondering if I need to be concerned with some of the mushroom corals overlapping?

If so, how would I want to go about relocating some of them?

They should be fine. If you want to move some, you can scrape them off the rock. It's harder then it sounds. They shrink up and are slippery.



Dan

What would be the best way to reattach if I did move one? I don't want to right now, but it would be good to know.