Final check

[DWhatley]

From your description, I would guess hydroids. Here is a forum post with a photo if you scroll down a bit. Anemones are also a form of hydroid and there are other tiny varieties as well. Generally speaking they are not a big problem unless you are raising dwarf seahorses (then they are lethal).

 

[Ryan Smith]

Yup, that kind of looks like them. I was worried they were barnacles and I would have to scrape them off before they got their shells. My question now is, theres hydroids in the chesapeake? I took a gallon bottle and scooped 12 gallons of water from the shore. I must have picked up some eggs or something? When I get my water testing kit im going to test the water. I wouldnt think the water gravity would be higher than 1.05.

 

[DWhatley]

They could have easily been in the water or hatched from the substrate. They are a major problem for dwarf seahorses are are thought to even survive as eggs on brine shrimp egg casing (generally from The Great Salt Lake in Utah).

 

[Ryan Smith]

Hello, off topic but I mentioned my fish here. I feel really terrible right now. For any of you who didn't know I caught 3 bluegill and put them in my octo feeder tank till crabs and shrimp were in, and then I was going to let them go. Well I was about to bring them back to the beach where I caught them, because I caught a bunch of shrimp to put in my tank, and the bluegill would eat all of the shrimp. When I was reading about the shrimp and I found a link about keeping wild animals as pets. Keeping bluegill here is legal, but releasing them is a felony and a BIG fine. Around $1,000 a piece. So I had to kill them... I feel absolutely TERRIBLE. But ruining my life wasnt worth 3 bluegill living. I should have done more research and Im sorry for that. So to anyone whos keeping wild animals CHECK YOUR LAWS THROUGHLY!!! So you dont make the same mistake as me.

 

[DWhatley]

Good post Ryan! We have discussed the problems (legal or not) about releasing anything back into the ocean and I guess we need to rehighlight it from time to time.

 

[jeanlee411]

i get all my water at a water store. they have these machines that run through an ro/di machine like 3 times and its about $2 for 5gallons. not bad, i think. i did the math and with all the filter things you have to change it cost mores for me to get an ro machine on sale(if i said something please correct me).

 

[DWhatley]

Purchasing RO/DI (be sure it is also DI) is an excellent choice IF you are sure the filters are changed regularly. I would recommend picking up a TDS meter to check the water periodically. If purchasing is desired and RO/DI is not a clear option, distilled water is a more expensive equivalent (different process) that does not rely on the store changing its filters.

 

[Joe-Ceph]

...distilled water is a more expensive equivalent (different process) that does not rely on the store changing its filters.

I could be wrong about this, but it was my understanding that the coin operated machines that sell filtered drinking water, and also sell what they call "distilled" water are using filters in both cases, but that "distilled" water is filtered more than drinking water (in order to remove the trace minerals that make drinking water taste better). Distilling typically means condensing steam into pure H2O, which is certainly not done in those machines.

 

[DWhatley]

Good to know. I have only purchase distilled in bottles (for batteries) and did not know that some places sell it in machines (which will NOT be distilled as you clearly point out). I wonder how they get away with calling it distilled if it is only filtered.

 

[Ryan Smith]

I believe there are many distilation processes. Vodka is distilled through a series of filters that replicate the results of the distillation process. Many of our rodi units could be called distillation units as long as the water coming out has the same qualities as distilling with heat.

 

[DWhatley]

I will have to do some research on the topic. I have never heard of distillation by filtering. I will see what new technologies (to me) I can find on the subject and post back.

 

[DWhatley]

Altough I suspect Cyrus will not be with us long, he did bring this back up and I did do a quick check to be sure distillation still requires boiling. The definition has not changed and I did not find references to misuse of the term for water. What I did find is a home counter top water distillation unit so it may well be possible for an instore machine to produce distilled water.

 

[Ryan Smith]

Hey guys its been a while. My tank will be finished culturing on July 26th. Everything has been going great. I have 2 ocellaris clowns and 2 black and white ocellaris, and a starfish (when its time for an octo, my sister will be taking my fish). Until about an hour ago everything was fine. When I went to look at my fish there were a few food pellets in the sand, nothing out of the ordinary, and then I noticed they were stuck together in a type of spider webbing like material. When I shinned a flashlight on it to get a better look, I saw a kind of thin red arm. But then it dissapeared. I figured it was my starfish until I saw my starfish in a different rock. I havent noticed it in the 2 months Iv had my tank running, and I havent added any new rock etc. Could anyone give me an idea, an ill investigate from there. Thanks.

 

[DWhatley]

Guessing from you limited description and knowing it could be any number of things, I would guess some kind of worm. It the "arms" had been clear/white, I would think spaghetti worm but the red color is curious. Alternately, it could be a cucumber. If you see it again, fish it out with a scoup by gently going under the sand and see what you have.

 

[Ryan Smith]

Ill try to provide some more info. The arm or body or whatever I saw was red mabye an inch long, it could have been longer because the rest of it may have been behind a piece of rock. It was actualy pretty thick. Thicker than my starfish arms. The problem is Iv never seen it before. I doubt it was a cucumber because it was incredibly fast. Im worried it will harm my fish. And Im going on a trip to Maine for the week of the forth so I probably wont be able to fin out what it is. I think the most unique thing about it is it leaves slimy spiderwebs. All try to find it, catch it and inform you of more. Oh and Im pretty sure it lives in the sand.