Wild crab eats fish now white moving things

[smurray]

Hello

My tank has now been running for almost 2 months and is at the end of its cycle, i am looking to stock my tank in the next comming weeks but i have encounted a thew probs i was wondering if any one could help.

my first concern is that a crab that came on the wild rock seems to have eaten one of my mollies! is this right or is he going to eat every fish that i put in the tank.

Secondly i have just noticed lots of tiny white specs on the glass that seem to be moving on closer inspection i realised that some of these are mini snails (but not all) CAN THIS BE. should i stop drinking? (i do have two large snails in the tank currently added 1 week ago they are fantastic).

and last my poor molly seems to have a white shinney pacth on its side, small and by its fin could this be ICH is so is it best to mix a bit of garlic with its food?.
(the mollies where added almost a month ago and seemed happy initially. i have not done any water changes as the lfs said it will slow the cycle down.

Any thoughts would be greatly recieved thanks everyone in advance Sean

 

[Trogdor]

First off, welcome to Nanotank.

Congrats on getting through your cycle. I know it can be a bear watching it with nothing in there. More than likely your crab didn't kill your mollie. Crabs are scavengers for the most part (unless they fancy a snails shell) and if you see them munching on something, it will usually be dead before it got to it.

Depending on what livestock you have, you could very easily have some small baby snails. If there isn't any predators then they have a chance to grow out and be a new addition to your tank. Just don't get your hopes up because there are a lot of predators in your tank that you might not even see. Another creature that they might be are copeopods and amphipods. They are a good sign for your tank and are a good food source for many animals/fish.

The white spots could be ich. I would try and get a photo if you can, or research photos of ich to check yourself. I have never had it in my tanks so I can't comment on a treatment other than try to stay away from copper medicines. Copper seeps into everything in your tank and is next to impossible to remove. It also can kill many marine creatures such as shrimp and most inverts like crabs. Actually if your tank has ever been treated with copper medicines then you won't be able to keep anything sensitive to copper. Hope that helps a bit.

 

[smurray]

thankyou that is vaued advice, with regard to your thoughts i am going to perspone my stocking of the tank as i cannot be certain of the course of the mollies death, the white spot seems to be reducing in size but is still evident though.

One more question if you dont mind, when is it a good idea to put corals and tube worms in etc.
Thanks again Sean

 

[Trogdor]

Coral can go in right after the cycle. I assume by tube worms you are referring to the classic feather dusters. I would give it a month or so after the cycle. They are more sensitive, like shrimp, to water conditions. Giving it a month or so lets it settle in and balance out. I waited just over 3 months before i added my shrimp.