Possibly starting first ever small FOWLR SW tank and looking for info

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

Hi fellow Calgarians!

I have been doing some FW planted tank fish keeping for about a year and a half and have been seriously thinking about starting up a small 6G SW tank with a similar sized sump to get an idea about what its like to work with salt water tanks. Before anyone comments about the size of tank, I am aware that small volumes of water is very risky for a beginner but it will give me a great hands on experience without breaking the bank and I can assess whether or not I would like to continue with something bigger after messing with something smaller scale for a bit. My plans would be to add 2-3 small fish (a small clown and a goby I think) and some inverts. Eventually I might add some other easy to care for corals or something once I figure out what easy to care for means in SW.


That being said I am trying to get an idea of where to source things and also looking for information/tips from those more experienced than I am.

1) where can I source small cheap chunks of live rock and live sand in Calgary? This will save me a little bit of traveling around the city. If I bought some from a member here would I necessarily need to cycle the tank?
2) Is it ok to add both live rock and live sand to the tank at once or is it better to put the sand in after the live rock has cured? The sticky article in here didnt seem to mention if it could be done at the same time and if there was any caution needed if doing so.
3) After the live rock and sand is added, how long before I would be able to put some inverts and fish in? I am guessing it would depend on the initial source of the LR and sand and how quickly its able to drop ammonia and nitrite levels?
4) Any suggestions about creating the salt water mix and what brand of salt is a good balance between quality and price? Or is there much difference?
5) I know lighting will be a big part of keeping the SW tank, does anyone know where I can get a retrofit kit and ballasts locally to put those short power compact fluorescent tube lights in?
6) what other equipment and supplies besides the basics of tank, lights, heater, skimmer and test kit might I need?

7) Is there a reference of slang/shorthand for SW that I can read up on? Researching is kinda confusing when I dont know what such things as a cheato or pods are..
8) Any other cautionary things I might need to know ahead of time that I may not pick up from reading posts in the forum?


Thanks for any info that can be provided!

[Magma]

some slang that I have in a txt file :p hope it helps?

acro - Acropora, a type of SPS coral
Ca - Calcium
CaCl2 - Calcium chloride
CaCO3 - Calcium carbonate Ca(OH)2 - Calcium hydroxide
Cl - Chlorine
CO2 - Carbon dioxide
CO3 - Carbonate
Cu - Copper
CYANO - Cyanobacteria
DI - Deionisation, type of water purification
dKH - Degrees of carbonate hardness, measure of alkalinity
FO -Fish only, type of marine aquarium
FOWLR - Fish Only with Live Rock
frag(s) - Broken or cut pieces of coral which will eventually grow into a new coral
GAL - Gallon
GPH - Gallons per hour
HCO3 - Hydrogen carbonate
HO - High output fluorescent light
HOB - Hang on back
HOT - Hang On Tank
HSA - High speed aeration, type of proteins skimmer
I2 - Iodine
IO3 - Iodate
K - kelvin (mechanism for measuring spectrum of lighting)
KI - Potassium iodide
LFS - Local fish store
LPS -Large polyped Scleractinian (stony) coral
LR -Live rock
LS - Live Sand
macro - macroalgae
Mg - Magnesium
MH - Metal halide light
micro - microalgae
Na - Sodium
NaCO3 - Sodium carbonate
NaOH - Sodium hydroxide
NH3 - Ammonia
NH4 - Ammonium
NNR - Natural nitrate reduction, reef setup technique
NO - Normal output fluorescent light
NO2 - Nitrite
NO3 - Nitrate
NSW - Natural seawater
O2 - Oxygen
PC - Power compact fluorescent light
pH - Measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions
PH - Powerhead, water pump
PO4 - Phosohate
pods - Non-specific types of copepods, amphipods and such.
PPM - Parts per million, equivalent to mg/l (milligrams per litre)
PVC - Poly vinyl chloride, used for piping / plumbing
PWC = partial water change
RO - Reverse osmosis, type of water purification
RO/DI - Reverse osmosis, followed by deionisation, type of water purification
SG - Specific gravity
shrooms - Mushrooms
Si -Silicon
SiO2 - Silicon dioxide
SPS - Small polyped Scleractinian (stony) coral
Sr - Strontium
SW - Saltwater / seawater
UV - Ultra violet, type of light of shorter wavelength than visible light
UVS - Ultra violet Sterilizer (a unit used by saltwater and freshwater hobbiests to 'zap' parasites and bacteria from the water)
VHO - Very high output fluorescent light
W - Watts
WC - water change
WPG - watts per gallon

[cale262]

Sounds like a nice little sumped Edge:wink:

:welcome:

[globaldesigns]

Firstly, welcome to Canreef and the the fun realm of salt!

Here are my thoughts to your questions:

1.) Buying from a member would save you some money. Either way, from the store or not, you will have a cycle. Depending if the rock was cycled already, you can still have a smaller cycle as their could be death during transport. If you are using new sand, then most difinately you would have a larger cycle.

2.) Adding both, will mean one cycle... If you do sand, then cycle, but then add rock, you will have some sort of a cycle again. If both are from an existing systems, then the cycle can be minimal.

3.) Once the cycle has ended, based on tests, you could add inverts right away to start cleanup.

4.) Alot of salt, alot of different prices.

5.) Look for complete fixtures, used if you want to save money. The fixture is one of the most important things. I personally recommend Metal Halide, but alot of people have great success with T5HO. Do your research here, buy depending on what you want to try and keep.

6.) Not much more, I guess people keep telling me to keep it simple, so that is what I will tell you.

7.) already posted, so no reply

8.) BEWARE!!! Very addictive Hobby, do at your own risk!!! :biggrin: Have fun!!!

[Doug]

Welcome to Canreef.

:welcome:

I,m going to move the thread to the general reef forum for you. Should get more response there.

[intarsiabox]

If you want to go PC lighting they have the screw in type 50/50 bulbs or you could go with a small LED fixture. Either one should be good for a 6g tank without overheating the water and will easily keep soft corals and zoanthids. My soft corals have always seemed to grow like weeds under PC lighting. Good luck and have fun!

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

Thanks all for the welcome... I have been lurking on here for a few months and only just decided to start posting.

@Magma Thanks... that is a good start... still dont know what a cheato is but I assume its not a cheesy snack. :razz:

@cale262 Whatever gave you that idea? :mrgreen: (Sump isnt quite done yet but should be very soon.... )

@globaldesigns Thank you for the info. Yes I can imagine the SW side is as addictive as the FW side of things has been. Sounds like there is a bit more to learn for SW though. Should be an interesting challenge.

@doug Thanks for the move. I was looking for local sources for supplies but definitely could use everyone's input to start.

@intarsiabox cale262 has it correct.. this is a Fluval Edge that I have been modifying with some info and guidance from him. I will probably go with the MR16 LED bulbs which output a decent white and will also have LED strip of blue lights. I have also got a socket that I can mount in the hood for the 50/50 bulb. Just thought I might eventually need to look for a better option in case those arent quite good enough. I have seen other examples of SW Edge tanks with the PC light mods.

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

What kind of LS should I be looking for and where can I pick it up locally in Calgary? Think I need much to cover the bottom of 6G tank? Should I also think about putting some with LR in my sump and would that require lighting the sump? My sump is basically done so I am starting to look for supplies etc and still need to hunt for some small nice looking chunks of LR. I measured it out last night and I have a total water volume of approx 10G ... maybe slightly less to account for sand, rock and enough space for water to drain to in case of power failure.

[reefwars]

What kind of LS should I be looking for and where can I pick it up locally in Calgary? Think I need much to cover the bottom of 6G tank? Should I also think about putting some with LR in my sump and would that require lighting the sump? My sump is basically done so I am starting to look for supplies etc and still need to hunt for some small nice looking chunks of LR. I measured it out last night and I have a total water volume of approx 10G ... maybe slightly less to account for sand, rock and enough space for water to drain to in case of power failure.


you wouldnt need much sand and if you post an ad you can get some for free on here i guarantee it , you will just have to rinse it very well. you would only need around 5lbs and ideally around a 1-2" sandbed but you can go more if you like. buy a few pounds of rock right out of someones tank and transfer it home in water the less time it spends in transport or being taken out of water the less dieoff you will have and the shorter cycle you will get.
you can always add small amounts of liverock to your tank later without a cycle if there has been do dieoff:):) cheers:)

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

When you say rinse it very well... does that require using salt water? and wouldnt that just get rid of any living creatures/bacteria in the sand? guessing its a stir it up in the bucket and dump the floatin stuff out situation?

I was looking at Ocean Direct and their line of Live Sand... kinda odd that it says it contains bacteria when its in a sealed bag for who knows how long... or is it similar to fresh water where they have "bacteria boosters" that are questionable on if they work or not?

Also... thinking of getting a koralia nano... any opinions on this vs a different brand of power head? Do I need a grounding probe for something this small?

My thread title is misleading now since I think the SW tank is pretty much a go once I get all my equipment :D
I am makin my list and hopin someone will check it twice... (and give me suggestions and guidance)
LS
LR ( depending if I find a nice looking shaped chunk or 2)
Salt
Marine Test Kit
hydrometer or refractometer
Powerhead (koralia nano seems to be popular)
grounding probe?

[Magma]

The koralia nano PH would a for a 6gal tank its small I have one in my sump to keep the water moving in there.

Grounding probe is not needed, get a GFCI plug or GFCI powerbar and you will be fine, the grounding probe will take any stray voltage you have in the tank and give it a path to ground which is great but IMO it hides the fact theres a problem, at least if a GFCI trips you know you have a problem. I just checked my tanks with my meter and one tank had 0.04V showing and the other had 0.02V all used equipment expect my power heads so personally for me with a combine total between my two 40gal tanks of 0.06V im not worried at all.

[reefwars]

Live sand from the bag is like uncured rock , in the way that it contains dieoff, so this Alone is enough to start a cycle but nit enough to sustain a "bioload" or be a filter. Alot of people run barebottom tanks (no sand)

koralia nano is fine indeed but I don't like how it's one piece (mine is anyways) makes it hard to clean.

Refractometer over hydrometer , hydrometers are not accurate

[reefwars]

To wash simply rinse with ro water,as your gonna have a cycle anyways you only want to remove the filth from it. I used a fine fishnet and buckets rinsed each netful a few times each.

[AHHope]

good luck with the small sw system
i recently just set up a 2g fluval spec at work for a contest and its doing really well for such a small tank (even all the sps is doing awsome under the LEDs). Ive even been thinking about buying one for myself and putting a small zebra mantis in it.

[Magma]

good luck with the small sw system
i recently just set up a 2g fluval spec at work for a contest and its doing really well for such a small tank (even all the sps is doing awsome under the LEDs). Ive even been thinking about buying one for myself and putting a small zebra mantis in it.

that the ones at pisces pets?

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

@Magma Thanks. Is your Nano PH a specific model? I see the nano is available in a 240 or 425 gph.... guessing 425 would be way too strong for a small tank?
I figured the grounding probe was unneeded since I recently installed GFCI's but I thought I would ask.... thanks for confirming.

@reefwars How dirty is LS from the bag? Could I get away with dumping it in and filling the tank slowly? I imagine its going to make the tank cloudy either way just to different degrees?
Looking at the manual for the nano and under the maintenance heading it says that it can be disassembled as shown in figure 4 ... not sure how exactly but there must be a way.
Wow I didnt realize a refractometer was so expensive! $70 bucks is the cheapest one on Big Al online. I might just go with the hydrometer for now since its only $15

@AHhope same question as Magma... is it at Pisces? I saw the Specs there and they both looked great!

[reefwars]

It's def cleaner but you should still rinse, after put your rock in and pour sand around . Pour water in slowly to create as little stir up as possible. I use plasic bags weighed down with plates or cups and once it's full just slowlyremove the weights and pull the bags out slowly:):)

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

actually... the plan for me was to put in the sand... fill with water and then go around and find some live rock somewhere... Might be a few days before I find chunks that are small enough and in a nice shape. I am still putting the finishing touches to the mods on my overflow and sump so it will be a few days still before I get to setting it up in its final spot.

Dont suppose there are any snails or other CUC that would be ok to put in right after putting in the live rock during the cycling period? Just curious because I would be a bit impatient having an empty tank and I know there might be boxing day sales coming up.

[Arok3000]

You might want to check the classifieds.
Key_Equine is just down in Bragg Creek and selling a reftractometer for $40.

[reefwars]

You can add rock later it's jst most prefer to not havevthe sand under the Rock as alot of fish dig plus trapped ditrius.

Unfortunately no livestock during cycling alot of inverts are more sensitive to amonia than fish. :):)

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

yeah... that is what I heard about the LR... I was just going to push it down until I hit glass... too bad about not being able to add anything... fish keeping is about patience I guess... sigh.

[reefwars]

yeah... that is what I heard about the LR... I was just going to push it down until I hit glass... too bad about not being able to add anything... fish keeping is about patience I guess... sigh.


wont be long within a few weeks youll be ready for a clean up crew , and some hardy corals....in the meantime use that time to aquascape, get your maintanance routine down,practise testing and keep algae out of your tank:)

lots of reading time lol:):)

[AHHope]

that the ones at pisces pets?

Ya those are the tanks and its looking alot better now that i actually have some nano fish to work with (btw barnicle blennies are now my new favroite nano fish) and thanks for the compliments. Did you guys both vote salt?

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

I didnt actually get a chance to vote... just ran in to grab something really quickly and saw the tanks there. Maybe on my next trip in this week... how long is the contest going?

[AHHope]

I didnt actually get a chance to vote... just ran in to grab something really quickly and saw the tanks there. Maybe on my next trip in this week... how long is the contest going?

funny thing is a actually need the votes. Contest is going till the end of the month then from the votes were raffling a spec system away.

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

So I went and got some live rock on sale at Big Als boxing day sale... is it true that I shouldnt have the lights on for the first bit while cycling? There appears to be lots of purples, some orange and some small growths of various things on the rocks already. Should these be situated so that the light would hit them?

[reefwars]

honestly its your own preference your more prone to algae blooms during cycling so leaving your lights on wont help there, but youd need light if you were trying to save any corals. lights wont effect your cycle and it wont hurt to run them a few hours a day either.

some say running actinics 24/7will help in coraline growth while your starting your tank for a couple weeks.

also remember anytime you add liverock thats been out of the water for any period of time to a tank your bound to see an amonia spike be it big or small:)

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

Thanks for the input Reefwars. Guess I will leave the lights on in case there is some nice stuff capable of growing in the LR. I only have 2 MR16 LED lights and a strip of Automotive LED lights sitting on the top of my tank. Not sure if I have any corals on the live rock but there are a couple forms of circular life form with little arms which I would say "might" be alive. It is moving in the current and doesnt appear to be translucent like other things that seem to be dying off on the rock. It doesnt really have any sort of color though so I am not sure its alive or not and at the moment I cant identify it since I havent done enough research yet. I do seem to have some bristle like appendages that seem to be attached to the rock that have started to get some green color to them which I didnt notice when I first bought the rock. I have no clue what they are but they are short and maybe 1mm across in diameter and maybe 2 - 3mm in length sticking out off the live rock. The green versions of these do seem to have just started coming out and most are dark brown, purple or light tan colored. I would guess its not algae.

Is coraline algae a good thing on live rock? These big patches of purple are pretty pervasive on the one chunk of live rock I have while the other 2 have really small splotches across the surface.

I was going to put some pot scrubbies into my sump but realized that this might not be a good thing in a marine tank vs a FW tank. Should I even bother with the scrubbies in this FOWLR tank?

Still havent tested the water for ammonia and nitrite yet but its only been a couple days since putting the LR in so I figure its a waste doing a test so early. Currently using plain Calgary Tap water dechlorinated with Prime as I dont have a RODI system.
The hydrometer I bought seems to show the salinity is high which is annoying since I followed the instructions on the bag. I seeded the hydrometer but not sure how accurate it is. I decided to splurge for a refractometer while its on sale. Will be changing out a bit of water in a couple days I think.

[reefwars]

Thanks for the input Reefwars. Guess I will leave the lights on in case there is some nice stuff capable of growing in the LR. I only have 2 MR16 LED lights and a strip of Automotive LED lights sitting on the top of my tank. Not sure if I have any corals on the live rock but there are a couple forms of circular life form with little arms which I would say "might" be alive. It is moving in the current and doesnt appear to be translucent like other things that seem to be dying off on the rock. It doesnt really have any sort of color though so I am not sure its alive or not and at the moment I cant identify it since I havent done enough research yet. I do seem to have some bristle like appendages that seem to be attached to the rock that have started to get some green color to them which I didnt notice when I first bought the rock. I have no clue what they are but they are short and maybe 1mm across in diameter and maybe 2 - 3mm in length sticking out off the live rock. The green versions of these do seem to have just started coming out and most are dark brown, purple or light tan colored. I would guess its not algae.

Is coraline algae a good thing on live rock? These big patches of purple are pretty pervasive on the one chunk of live rock I have while the other 2 have really small splotches across the surface.

I was going to put some pot scrubbies into my sump but realized that this might not be a good thing in a marine tank vs a FW tank. Should I even bother with the scrubbies in this FOWLR tank?

Still havent tested the water for ammonia and nitrite yet but its only been a couple days since putting the LR in so I figure its a waste doing a test so early. Currently using plain Calgary Tap water dechlorinated with Prime as I dont have a RODI system.
The hydrometer I bought seems to show the salinity is high which is annoying since I followed the instructions on the bag. I seeded the hydrometer but not sure how accurate it is. I decided to splurge for a refractometer while its on sale. Will be changing out a bit of water in a couple days I think.










sounds like your off to a great start so in short yes coraline is good over time it does need to be scraped off glass and there are forms that tend to grow like weeds and such but its wanted for color like greens and purples and reds and is beneficial.

untill you actually have livestock of somesort use a reduced photoperiod like 8hrs then as time goes by you can climb up to 10-12hrs a day,

the life your finding on your rock does it look like this??


http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRRdK6IlLqeBxcuPIDyyLRBXbFvLVIM9 TMEUgIZsjptT-z80IFy





if so its called aiptasia and its a pest anemone their sting is very strong and they reproduce at an alarming rate and take over tanks very fast be forever on your lookout for it as its everywhere and i mean everywhere lol:):)

how about spome pics???:):)

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

its similar to the one pictured but doesnt have the white striations and its not quite as thick lookin. I looked a bit closer and it appears I only have 1 of these on the LR. I will get some pics up soon... not sure how well they will turn out though.

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

here is a pic.. its just up and to the right of the center of the picture
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0737.jpg

Here is my setup... anyone have some suggestions on how to arrange the LR better or does it look ok the way it is?
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0739.jpg

[intarsiabox]

It looks like aitasia, best to get rid of it now before you end up with tons of them. Squirt a kalk paste solution on it with a syringe and it will suck it in and disappear. You have nice looking set up! The foam filters you have in your bubble plates may not be a great idea unless you plan on cleaning them out every few days after you start stocking your tank. Organic material will build up in them and start to rot causing nitrate problems. The plates themselves should be enough to get rid of the bubbles without the foam.

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

Thanks for the ID... someone else also confirms that these are indeed the pest anemone. I will need to figure out a way to get rid of this guy... its suggested that peppermint shrimp can help with eating them?

Good to know about the filter foam. I was just under the assumption that its a good idea to have the foam there to help in mechanical filtration like it is in a fresh water tank. Guessing removal of the dish scrubbies is also a good idea for the same reason. Is a skimmer the primary way of eliminating organics from the water?

[Lampshade]

I just inject mine with lime juice out of the firidge. They never come back, they'll spread plague like if you have high nutriants in your tank. I use a needle i had for acrylic glueing, but any syringe would work, i inject lime juice into the mouth, untill they balloon up. I've noticed that if i stab them multiple times and inject it does not work, since the lime juice just spreads out.

[intarsiabox]

Thanks for the ID... someone else also confirms that these are indeed the pest anemone. I will need to figure out a way to get rid of this guy... its suggested that peppermint shrimp can help with eating them?

Good to know about the filter foam. I was just under the assumption that its a good idea to have the foam there to help in mechanical filtration like it is in a fresh water tank. Guessing removal of the dish scrubbies is also a good idea for the same reason. Is a skimmer the primary way of eliminating organics from the water?

A skimmer is the most common way but with regular water changes it's possible to not even require a skimmer. The bacteria on the live rock will also help to break down organics in the water. There is nothing wrong with filter foam just be aware that it needs to be cleaned very often.

Peppermint shrimp worked for me along with manual kalk paste treatments to get rid of aiptasia. I had some in a tank years ago and haven't seen any since. The shrimp will eat the small ones and you will need to deal with the larger ones manually. After they are gone the shrimp will eat anything you put in the tank, they are very greedy and will even try to clean your hands if you put them in the tank.

[reefwars]

yeah thats aiptasia your lucky you only have some i just wiped out 300 heads in my 33g using a filefish.right now where your still cycling your left with manual removal so injecting them is best either with a kalk paste or lemon juice these methods are only good in small numbers once you hit plaque status like i was theres hundreds of baby heads youll never even see and youll need somthing that eats them like peps,nudis,filefish,copperbands etc.

take a look at my zoa tank and browse through the pics and see what aiptasia can get like if you leave it untreated and take a look now not a head to be found and things are way healthier.

your liverock is your main source of filtration your skimmer takes out the stuff your liverock couldnt process and also areates your tank for oxygen, i dont use a skimmer on my 33 because the bi load is small and my liverock is plenty on the other side if i had more livestock i would need more room thus removing rock and needing something to help keep the balance...a skimmer is the perfect candidate.

lots of liverock and a huge powerful skimmer are a force to be reckoned with and allows people to increase their bio load by a great deal.:):)


remove your foam is a great suggestion i dont think your bubble trap will work properly with it in so tight and no ever cleans them as often as they should plus in my opinion if it aint a filter sock(which gets taken out also and cleaned reguraly) then no fabric should hit your tank.if you do keep anything in the tank that will absorb waste be sure to keep it cleaned or exchanged reguarly.

your getting alot of bubbles in your sump is it from your drains?? or skimmer??

[Kevotron]

One of the most important thing I learned about this hobby is that you cannot cheap out on certain things....
in the end it will cost you more than you would save.. thats how I was taught the lesson lol
judging from the pics it looks like a pretty sweet lil set up !

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

Thanks everyone for the advice... Ok... so I gotta go out and get me a real lemon or lime... dont suppose something like hydrogen peroxide would work? Just curious since it can be used in a fresh water tank to kill algae when squirted onto it directly and I have a bottle of it on hand. Since it breaks down to water in light I figure it would not hurt to give it (the aiptasia) a shot?

I figure I will go with the skimmer... put the investment into it I might as well use it. I does add a little bit of noise though. I will also probably remove the scrubbies and foam after I start stocking the tank... right now I hope its picking up some of the junk floating off the LR and will monitor it.

@reefwars actually there are not much bubbles in my sump... the picture above has an acrylic lid on the sump which is getting lots of condensation... kinda looks like bubbles. The white PVC portion at the drains actually sits just under the water level by design since I knew splashing would be annoying. The water level just happens to be perfect height for the skimmer to do its job too. A filter sock sounds like it might be a good idea vs the foam and scrubbies.

@kevotron thanks for the compliment. I hope that I can reduce the costly mistakes by referring to more experienced people on this board. My first mistake already occurred. Someone told me to go with a refractometer vs a hydrometer and I went the cheap route... not even sure this thing is giving me a correct reading. I just ordered a refractometer online since it was on sale, however it is the cheaper one so fingers crossed!

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

Been staring at the tank and found me some critters... here are some pics of what I have spotted so far.... please help me identify and let me know if they are good or bad to have...

1) Copepod? right in the middle of the shot.
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0745.jpg

2) a couple little white tubey arms/worms sticking out right in the center of the shots
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0746.jpg
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0750.jpg

3) a little sponge? translucent cylindrical shaped tube pointing downwards just below the red dot located in the middle of the shot
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0763.jpg

4)some sort of starfish... right in the middle of the shot.
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0751.jpg
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0753.jpg

5) This one kinda spooked me a bit... saw it peak out and duck back in several times... guessing a crab of some kind?
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0756.jpg
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0757.jpg
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0758.jpg
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0759.jpg
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0760.jpg

[Kevotron]

Maybe you have urself a Mantis Shrimp

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

I think the guy pictured above is a shrimp of some kind... heard 2 small snap/clicks (like static electricity) coming from the tank so either a mantis or a pistol shrimp?

1) I did also find 2 crabs in my tank as well.. can anyone ID these? This first crab will now be relocated into my sump.
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_3074.jpg
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_3044.jpg


2) bad picture but can just make out the legs dead center of the pic.
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0782.jpg

3) and after taking a pic with the flash of the second crab I also noticed this little black pod located just to the left of center of the picture right next to the bottle I used to trap the first crab. Kinda looks like a shell and has since dissappeared.
http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad249/CGY_Betta_Guy/Fluval%20Edge%206G%20SW%20FOWLR%20Tank/IMG_0781.jpg