Bristle worms

[Michelle L]

Hello all

I managed to find a deal on a batch of live rock that will come in very handy in the 240 gallon that my husband and I are in the process of setting up. I found an ad placed by a co-worker in my company's newsletter advertising 125 pounds of live rock for $200. When I actually got it home and weighed each tub, I found that I really got closer to 200+ pounds. The rock doesn't have much color (besides some not-so-attractive green algae), but some of the pieces are very large and will make a great base.

I filled a 32 gallon trash can to the brim with rock and started circulation on it as a way to store it and keep everything alive until I get the tank up and running. This morning I got up to find the top of the water teeming with pods and to my slight repulsion, dozens of fat bristleworms everywhere in the crevices of the rock. I don't know if they've come to the surface because there is more oxygen near the top of the trash can, but I hope that the rock isn't permeated with them all of the way through to the bottom of the pile of rock.

They are all pretty small, around two and a half inches or less. Will they be harmful in such large quantity, and if so, how do I elimate most of them without harming the other creatures??

Also, someone on another forum said I am cooking the rock. I've read about the process, but can't recall what it is or why it's done. Can someone refresh me?

[Benny Z]

bristleworms aren't always (or even usually) a bad thing. see if you can get a picture of them for id.

you are "cooking" the rock if you are not using a light over it. this kills all algae/organisms that need light to survive, leaving behind a dead looking white rock after a month or so. the only life remaining on the rock at that point is the "good" bacteria necessary to the nitrogen cycle. lots of debate over whether this is a good thing or a not so good thing.

[Michelle L]

Oh oh. I'll have cooked rock. There's just too much to put under light because the light over the trash can won't penetrate all of the way to the bottom, I'm sure.

I'll get a pic of these worms. They just look like plain 'ol bristle worms to me.

[brad23]

They are fine and good for your tank unless they get huge which takes some time. Just get a few Wrasses when you set the tank up and they will all be gone. I had loads in mine now I don't see any after the Wrasses took care of them.

Also I have seen the rock you bought and it doesn't make for the best LR as it looked very heavy. I'd put some better rock over the top of it.

Oh you'll need more rock for a tank that big. One more thing, I don't think your tank is a 240g, it's a 210 or 225g. 72x24x30 isn't a 240g tank.

http://reefcentral.com/calc/vol.php?tankLength=72&tankWidth=24&tankHeight=30&sump=Calculate

[Michelle L]

Yes, that it why I said we planned on using it to build a good base. We have about 200 lbs. of live rock from elsewhere scheduled to arrive at the same time that the tank is delivered, so a portion of what I bought yesterday may be given away.

As far as the worms and such dying off, that's not a big issue for me as the rock that will be laid over it will re-establish what dies off. For the price, it was worth it as a base.

I agree that it may not be a 240. Whatever size the tank is, it's going to house a lot of animals, and we are already shoe-horning into our living room. Any bigger, and we'd have to build an addition.

Ben, I am still working on uploading that picture. I have to resize it first.

[Michelle L]

Since I have not been a "rock chef" before, what is the correct way to do this? The only way I have ever gotten live rock in the past was a little at a time from my LFS. It's really starting to smell up the whole upper level of my house (and that happened quickly). I am taking it that I do regular water changes and rinse the rock in fresh (salt) water at this point?

I guess I was just under the impression that the organisms could live in limited light conditions...boy was I wrong. :eek: Phew wee!

[tcottle]

Better make yourself a cup of coffee. Its a 22 page thread :D

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=485572 (http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=485572)

[smorrow5773]

You might want to run a skimmer on that rock to keep smell down and help to keep things alive. You could borrow my 6' cc air skimmer if you would like, it works great but you would need:
airpump -min Whisper 60
pump 130gph (the pond ones at Menards have no metal in contact with water)
wood airstones
second trash can(used in sump-not completely waterproof or you could glue together if you would like)

I am not using anymore(just for rock curing so if you want to borrow...lemee know)

[Michelle L]

You guys are the greatest. smorrow, thank you so much for the offer of the use of your skimmer. I think I will have to pass though, because I have this paranoia about borrowing someone else's stuff and then something happens to it. I know it's tough to break a skimmer, but if there is a way, it will happen to me. But again, thanks for helping me. :)

[Michelle L]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7455103#post7455103 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by brad23

Oh you'll need more rock for a tank that big. One more thing, I don't think your tank is a 240g, it's a 210 or 225g. 72x24x30 isn't a 240g tank.

http://reefcentral.com/calc/vol.php?tankLength=72&tankWidth=24&tankHeight=30&sump=Calculate

Just wanted to update....after a lot of digging and asking different businesses who carry different brands, as well as e-mailing the manufacturing companies....it all depends on the manufacturer and glass thickness as to what size the tank is sold as. Reef Central's calculator is most likely calculating actual internal volume, which is not always how companies sell the tanks themselves.

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=863603

So, it's very possible that the tank was originally sold as a 240.

[brad23]

The only reason why I came out and said this was because Guy claimed he used the reefcentral tank volume calculator and said it came up with 240g

[hcs3]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7544294#post7544294 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Michelle L
....it all depends on the manufacturer and glass thickness as to what size the tank is sold as.

...it all depends on the fisherman as to what size the fish they caught was :p ;)

[Michelle L]

And the only reason I checked into it was because I talked to the original owner who bought it new as a 240, and then during conversations with Advanced Aquarists in Chicago learned that sizes can differ by manufacturer. Now as we all know, size doesn't matter :D but knowing size helps when deciding on equipment and amount of live rock.

ETA: I'm not normally this argumentative in real-life, but I feel it's important to stress to anyone who buys a used tank and is attempting to find what size it is that there are variations to everything. :)

That said, if you take external measurements of 72 x 24 x 30 and figure that it's 1/2 inch glass on the top, bottom, and sides, that comes up to 2.5 inches (1/2 inch per side). Calculate that with 7.76 (pretty sure that's gallon conversion) and that gives an additional 19.4 gallons to be added to the internal volume of 224.4 gallons. That's 243.8., which I can see being rounded down by a manufacturer to 240 (All that is tenative because I stink at math.)

If anyone used Reef Central's calculator and came up with 240 internal gallons, add that with the glass measurements and you have 259.4 gallons. I don't think that anyone sells a 260 gal.

Of course, all of this is for the sake of argument. :p

[Benny Z]

was that a 640 bowfront or a 720 hex?

i forget.

:D

[Michelle L]

Benny, get to work!! :mad:

[Benny Z]

i'm in class @ hp this week.

[Michelle L]

Aw, you bum. As usual, I am stuck behind my desk. :(

[ChemE]

If the glass is 0.5 inches thick and those dimensions are external...
http://www.dragonhome.org/~lucas/tank_vol.PNG

[Michelle L]

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!

See, that's why I'm not an engineer. :D

[ChemE]

It does take a special kind of geek.

[LegoZ81]

nice well still the display is over 200gal so that is cool and all :)

[hcs3]

but if you factor in the silicone, bulkheads, overflow boxes, etc., i bet it falls below 200g :p

[Michelle L]

And then with gravel and rock and fish, I'm going to be at about 20 gallons soon. Crap!

[hcs3]

you need a bigger tank!

[Michelle L]

(I don't know why I said gravel...I meant sand.... it's Monday on a Tuesday.... :o )

Anybody want to buy a tank? Sorry, I can't tell you what size it is! :mad:

[tcottle]

My next tank is going to be in a giant Klein bottle like this one

http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/6079/giantkleinbotandcliff24ih.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

While I have not decided how big I will make its surface area, its volume will be zero!

[hcs3]

is that lowell's brother?

[brad23]

LOL at this thread.

[LegoZ81]

just wow lmao

[Michelle L]

:p I'm glad we can all laugh about this!!

[tcottle]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7552023#post7552023 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tcottle
My next tank is going to be in a giant Klein bottle like this one

While I have not decided how big I will make its surface area, its volume will be zero!

Well my Klein bottle arrived today. I must have missed a decimal point when I specified the surface area because it is only slightly taller than 6" :rolleyes:

I paid to have it calibrated and the volume measured out to 0.00000mL - Not bad!

Guess I'll make it into a nano ....

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/23/pict00053su.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[philagothos]

0.00000mL? Too big to be a nano, but might qualify as the ultimate pico-tank! :D

[brad23]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7590059#post7590059 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tcottle
Well my Klein bottle arrived today. I must have missed a decimal point when I specified the surface area because it is only slightly taller than 6" :rolleyes:

I paid to have it calibrated and the volume measured out to 0.00000mL - Not bad!

Guess I'll make it into a nano ....

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/23/pict00053su.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

That looks like some crazy bong

[Michelle L]

Well now Brad how would you know???? :D :D :D J/K!!

[brad23]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7597459#post7597459 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Michelle L
Well now Brad how would you know???? :D :D :D J/K!!

The good old days