AboutJennifer Schanely Expertise I have worked for sixteen years in a pet store where I am the fishroom manager. I can answer most questions pertaining to saltwater fish and coral care, feeding and behavior. I am knowledgeable in setting up and maintaining reef and fish only tanks and can usually identify creatures that come off of live rock. I am experienced on culturing live copepods for feeding of some invertebrates and know how to set up a culture. I am only slightly knowledgeable on disease treatment with prevention being my specialty. My approach to the marine tank is that of simplicity. Keeping a marine environment is easy and I encourage anyone intersted in this hobby to give it a try!
Experience Besides owning various types of tanks,I have worked as a fishroom manager in a pet store for the past sixteen years. I answer questions to many fish related problems on a daily basis. At our store we have many fresh water tanks, salt fish tanks, corals, and other invertabrates. I also know alot about different products on the market and what works and what doesn't.
Education/Credentials I think sixteen years experience is far more education than any school could have taught me.
Question I suddenly have a hundred or so small clear amber/brown colored squares all
over the bottom of the tank, also it looks like tiny white starfish are on the
rocks and some small looks like a very small computer joystick, worm like
things are also on the rocks. My 55 gal tank has been set up for about 10
months and is very stable. I only have one tomato clown, 2 sand sifting
starfish and a dozen grass shrimp from the nearby lagoon (very small) and
some various hermits and snails. My husband and I have had tanks for years
and both teach science so we are really currious.
Answer Hi Karen. I am not too sure from your description exactly what you are asking. Do you have three different things living in your tank that need to be identified? The brown squares you mentioned; are they moving, alive, are they really actually square? They could be flatworms. As for the starfish are they things that resemble starfish or are they actually starfish? They could be a kind of brittle starfish or a serpent starfish. Do you have live rock in your tank? It is common to get very small brittle starfish as hitch hikers on live rock into your tank. The third thing you mentioned is a little sketchy. You say you have worms that resemble computer joysticks? Are they worms that crawl around like earthworms or do they look to be attached to the rocks? What color are they? Any visible legs or mouthparts or tentacles? I really need a better description of these things to help you identify them. I can give you a website that may help you to identify them. It is: http://www.chucksaddiction.com/hitchhikers.html
Just copy and paste this into your browser. Go to the worms section and scroll down to flatworms. There are ones on there that are a brownish color and sort of squarish. You can also click on the names for a link with more information on it.
