New tank!! id questions

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jencheung

AC Members
Jan 22, 2007
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Cambridge, MA
So I got my new 24g nanocube up and running today (yay!!) with 30 pounds of live rock and as expected have some hitchhiker questions.

First, I got this clam in with my live rock and I have no idea if it's alive or dead or how to care for it or even how to id it. Can anyone help? When I had it out of the water it doesn't smell at all but I haven't seen it do anything yet (though the tank's only been up and running for an hour). How can I tell if it's dead?

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Second, I've got this cute little orange guy. No clue as to what it is. Any thoughts? (Please ignore the silt settling on everything! The tank's only been up for about an hour and things are still clearing up)

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Third I've got this stuff on this one rock that I can't figure out. There's this black patch on the right that I tried to get off because I thought it might be dead sponge or something but I couldn't get it to come off with just my hands. Should I take it out and use something else to try to pry it off? The other thing is sort of a clear mucus-y looking patch. You can see it in the middle of the picture, to the left of the black patch and also a little patch to the bottom right of the bigger hole on the left. I didn't see it until it was in the tank so I don't know what it feels like or if it needs to come off. Thoughts?

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Here's another pic of the black stuff and the bigger mucus-y patch

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And here's a pic of the whole tank. My sand bed is about an inch and a half at the moment, is that deep enough? Right now all that's in there is the live rock and the clam (and a couple of empty snail shells that got carried in with the live sand from another tank).

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Thanks so much!

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emptywallet

another youngling who is clueless
Apr 19, 2008
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Ohio
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David
i think the clam is probably dead because does it have a reaction like closing and opening? also the black spots kind of look like coralline...
 

jencheung

AC Members
Jan 22, 2007
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Cambridge, MA
Well if the clam wasn't dead when it went into the tank, about an hour later when I performed another sniff check it definitely was. No open/close reaction and it was starting to smell pretty funky. Plus the ammonia level in my tank started to rise so I pulled it out. Clams will just have to come later when the tank is ready.

Blossom, my first thought on the orange guy was sponge too but I thought sponges died when they came into contact with air. This little guy seems to be doing fine so far so either it's a different kind of sponge or it's something else all together. Anyone else have any ideas?

As for the black stuff, I think you might be right, emptywallet - it's starting to look a little more purple than black to me, but then again it might just be the lighting. But it does seem to have the right texture so I guess we'll have to just wait and see. Anyone have any other thoughts on what the black or mucus-y stuff might be?

Thanks!
 

animalman

Love My Clowns
Oct 15, 2007
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Massapequa, New York

Blossom112

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Feb 25, 2008
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Toronto
My sponge on my rocks have been in air for short time and is still fine .
I have sponge in direct water flow and is dying , so tomorrow i shall move it .
Tough call tho i have a feather duster and devils hand on that rock and both need flow.
i think the white stuff next to your red sponge ,has something to do with brittle worms ,spy on it at night as thats when they will likely come out .
I had that too
i think i see TUNICATES in the 3rd picture
 
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