Hitchhiker and Caulerpa

Question
Wow! Thanks for your comprehensive answer. I was a little ashamed to admit how small my tank is, since I read The Conscientious Marine Aquarist after I got it, and didn't realize what a bad idea it was. The fish store set it up for me with live rock and live sand and said it would be easy.

I do have a couple of other questions.

1. How quickly will the clown outgrow the aquarium? From what I read, he'll get up to 5 inches long and that's awfully big. Should I remove him? He's very attached to the anemone.

2. Will the anemone get too big for the tank? It's adjusted itself in one spot and been there for a month, and I've adjusted the rest of the stinging critters to keep away from it, but how long will that last?

3. Do I need more than 2 turbo snails? The green algae grows quickly and I have to take it off about once every week, but I don't want to get too large a bioload for the little tank.


Again, thanks for your response. I'm going to your site to find the information on the food for the flower pot coral. The latest article in the fish magazine, though, said that 99% die within a year for no apparent cause. Your words give me hope though.
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Followup To
Question -
I have a 12 gallon reef tank with one bubble tip anemone, one red mushroom coral, one tree-like coral (the fish store didn't know it's name, it's tan with clusters that open and close), one piece of flower pot coral (that I didn't buy, but the fish store gave it to me and I'm waiting for it to die based on what I've read), 1 tomato clown (sold as a cinammon but has no black on it), 1 fire fish, 4 hermit crabs, 2 turbo snails, 2 bumble bee snails, 2 barnacles. The tank was set up in December. The ph is 8.1, the salinity is 1.023, and I'm changing 2 to 2.5 gallons per week of water, adding plankton and cycle to the mix.

Questions: 1. A hitchhiker appeared this week, and I'm afraid it's some sort of sea slug. (Nothing added to the aquarium in 1.5 months.) It is about 1/2 inch in diameter, whitish with brown speckles, has a nipple shaped protrusion from its back, and is moving across the back of the aquarium. Do you know what it could be? What should I do about it, if anything?

2. I bought some caulerpa to put in the aquarium to maintain the system. It's growing like a house afire, spreading everywhere. Should I cut it back? How should I control it?

Thanks for your help.

Margaret Cooter
Answer -
Margaret,
Sounds like you have a pretty good grasp on your tank.  The tree like thing sounds like a Gargonian to me.  It's a filter feeder and sounds like it's doing well in your tank.

As for your Flower Pot... I think you aren't giving yourself enough credit.  I think you can keep it alive without any trouble at all.  Here's a quick pointer I got from Julian Sprung on such a topic.  They love magnesium and iron.  The only product on the market that contains these useful trace elements and others is Two Little Fishies SeaElements.  It's a once a week additive that I've been using for the last few months with unbelievable results.  I too have a flower pot that was given to me because it was "dying" and it has fully recovered its tissue and is growing.  I owe it to this product.  I also love it because now I don't have to add iodine or strontium to my water.  No more bottles littering the stand!

Now to your questions... Sounds like your little friend is  a chiton or a limpid.  Don't worry about him in there as they are great algae eaters and in some cases detrivores.  I keep several of them in my tank at home.  More information can be found on these guys can be found in Invertebrates:  A Quick Reference Guide.

The caulerpa is good to have but can become invasive very quickly.  Feel free to prune it back on a regular basis to train where it grows, etc.  By pinching it back on a regular basis it prevents any nutrient spikes in your water.

We carry SeaElements and the invert book on our online catalog. They might even be on sale this month.

Thanks for your time and best of luck with your tank!

Regards,
Scott Johnson
Aquarium Crazy Fish
www.aquariumcrazyfish.com

Answer
Margaret,
The clownfish will die before it gets that large in that size aquarium due to a stunted growth and life cycle.  You can probably keep him in there for another year but after that consider replacing him with a specie that stays smaller.  That or you can just get a bigger aquarium.

The anemone may get a bit large for that size aquarium, but I wouldn't expect that to happen for a couple of years.

The tank is going to be your best indicator of how many snails it will support.  I'd try tossing a couple more in there and see how they do.  Another alternative would be some small Blue Legged Hermit Crabs to help with the algae and other waste in the tank.

Best of luck with your tank.

Regards,
Scott Johnson
Aquarium Crazy Fish
www.aquariumcrazyfish.com