Painting my tanks backside!

Hi again guys,

Hey I was wondering about painting the back glass of my aquarium a Blue or Black!

I wanted some of your opinion's about what colors would go best with my White stand and canopy.

Also what kind of paint to buy!

I know you should only clean your outside glass with water and not chemicals because it could get into the tank threw the glass, so I didn't want this to happen to my tank by painting the glass with a paint!

I just don't like the look of the plastic back grounds, they are just so cheesy and I plan in time to have purple coral line growing on the back glass, but I need something in the mean time,

If you can help me out on what to do I would greatly appreciate it.

Mellissa :doh:

It's almost time to cycle and I need some HELP! Please

Hi Guys...

Hey I am new to the site, thanks for letting me join, I am so excited to be here!

I have had saltwater tanks on and off for about 5yrs, something always seems to come up and I end up selling it off, and every time wishing I didn't.



Well here I am again, but this time, in it for a long haul!

I have bought a 75 gallon tank, with a stand, Canopy, trickle filter, skimmer, two power heads, and a LED lighting.

The stand and canopy was wood and not in the best of shape!

So I have painted it a Beautiful white, and made sure the inside of the canopy was also painted white for a great light reflection !

I also I used nice durable paint for easy cleaning, I am so excited!!!



Ok to the point, I am looking to start it going, and need too get the cycling going!

So here is were I may need some help!

~ First off I am not sure if you can use old dried out sand? The guy I bought the set-up from has 2 Five gallon buckets that he used in this tank over a year ago, it has been sitting in these buckets for over a year! I haven't opened them yet, and not sure how to go about it! So if anyone has any ideas on that would be great too.

~ Second If I can't use that sand stuff in the buckets, should I use Sand or Crushed Coral? and How many bags to use in my 75 gallon? I don't want a deep bed!

~ Third What can I do to start the cycling process?

Is there a chemical I can buy to help get it started?

Or should I buy some live rock?

~ Finally~ What is a good place in the Michiana Area were I can buy rocks, fish, and maybe coral ? I am kinda worried about buying from Petco, they had a bad time with Ich..

* I thought there might be someone with a few extra pieces of unwanted dried or live rock they could throw my way*:wavey:

If anyone can help me answer some of my questions I have listed above, I would just so deeply appreciate it.

Please feel free to email me anytime.



Thank for letting me join and enjoy everyone of you!

Mellissa

Help! Sand turning grey?

I am new to this hobby and just noticed couple of grey stuff on the sand. They can be removed easily and just on the top layer. My tank its been running for about two months now. Any idea of what I need to do?



Thanks guys:D

My new Picasso's from Proaquatix

My newest pair of clowns from a raffle

http://ift.tt/1klyHbY

return pump help

i am about to start a 55 gallon saltwater with a 29 gallon sump and i have the eshopps pf-800 overflow box but i need to find a return pump





what gph should the pump be?

and what pumps will work? also i need to be able to connect the pump to 1in pvc piping

Another rtn thread

Sooo had anyone found out why this happens and what causes it?? I have an acro frag that I've had for at least 6-7 weeks now and yesterday it was fine and now when my frag tank light turned on its flesh is gone?? I understand it can happen when a coral is moved and is stressed or whatever but what makes this happen for no reason when nothing has changed and I haven't done a water change in over a week?? All of the frags around it are doing just fine so idk I don't get it??



Another question is should I remove it?? Will it affect other coral around it??



Stewie

emails from an account here

Hey Mods -

For the last two days I've been getting emails from size=113 alan@thereeftank.com



The message has no content, but getting 3-4 every hour or so.



I looked and it appears this account hasn't been active in some time. It is possible there is a software glitch or possibly a compromised account or the users home PC has a virus.

80 gallon setup question

I am going to be settting up a 80 gallon rr tank with a 40 gallon sump and I'm not sure what I should use for a skimmer i have been doing some research and have been leaning toward a reef octopus in sump needle wheel but I was looking for some feed back also I'm not to sure what watt heater I should get or what brand name any feed back would helpful

Question about coral...

So I just bought my first frags that are mounted on ceramic discs and plugs the one on a disc is a Aussie hammer and the one on the plug is a duncan... So my question is will these just encrust over the ceramic or do I need to take them off the discs and glue them to the rock desired? I currently have the hammer just sitting in the sand and the duncan since it's on a plug style disc I drilled a hole in a small piece of LR I had kicking around and it to is sitting in the sand for now... I have always bought full colonies before but couldn't pass these guys up because they were a steal! Thanks in advance!

Zoanthid ID

hey, i got this for $20 at my lfs. Can anyone tell me what species it is?

Test Kit

I am wanting to check the calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium in my tank. Ive been doing research and seen Red Sea offers a test kit. Is that a good/accurate test kit? Would it be better to get individual test kits from another brand?

Pentagon Cichlid Tank?

I have a 45 gallon pentagon aquarium, and I was thinking about stocking it with either Mbuna, Demasoni, or Shell Dweller cichlids. Thoughts?

5 Creative Ways to Use LED Light Strips

5 Creative Ways to Use LED Light Strips

Sale ends 4/14/14







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• A Beginner's Guide to Pico Reefs


• The real deal about eels: feeding, care and compatibility


• EcoSystem Aquarium Balling Method: A VERY Economical and Effective Way to Maintain Ca/Alk/Mg


• Hydra Aquatics FR-45 BioPellet Reactor: It's all about the tumble!


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FEELER ai sols

Thought I would throw this up here and see if anyone would be interested...I am switching tanks and lighting and was going to use these for supplemental/actinic light for the new halides however it's a bit overkill for that purpose sooo here goes



I have 4 ai sol blues with the ai controller...also have ext rails and hanging kit all set up for a 7 ft tank and with a little trimming and a drill the tails could easily be modified to fit a 6 ft tank



3 of them are a year old and one is 2-3 months old as I added it when I switched to this tank



Price would be 1350 shipped for all 4 and controller with rails and hanging kit if you wanted it



On the current tank







On the old 125







Thanks



Stewie

Glass or acrylic?

Need to get a new lid for my 20 gallon hex... Wanting to get it custom so I can have some better lighting. Glass or acrylic? I currently have a crappy marine land reef compatible light. And the lid of the tank has only a small area for the light to go through! Any recommendations would be awesome! ☺️

Win a Media Reactor!

Win a Two Little Fishies Phosban Reactor 150 (a $34.99 value!)



There are many ways you can add media to your aquarium. One of the best ways is by using a fluidized media reactor.



This week we are giving one lucky aquarium hobbyist the versatile Two Little Fishies Phosban Reactor 150, our top media reactor in 2011 and 2013!



If you want to lower phosphate and reduce nuisance algae in your aquarium, ENTER NOW.



Registration ENDS at 11:59 PM PST on 4/7/14.



Details: Open to U.S. residents 18 years or older. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. Winner will be contacted via email.





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• A Beginner's Guide to Pico Reefs


• The real deal about eels: feeding, care and compatibility


• EcoSystem Aquarium Balling Method: A VERY Economical and Effective Way to Maintain Ca/Alk/Mg


• Hydra Aquatics FR-45 BioPellet Reactor: It's all about the tumble!


• Hydra Aquatics Twist Water Flow Accelerator: Get something for nothing!


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• Tunze Nano Osmolator 3152 Product Review


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• How to Install an Aquarium Overflow Box

Coral Compulsion cc-120

Anybody have knowledge about the Coral Compulsion cc-120 Dimmable LEDs?

should I or shouldnt I

So a guy in my club wanta to trade me my reef breeders photon 48 for his maristar 4ft 2x250 halides with 2 t5ho. He kinda doesnt have alot of time and wants a simple system of softies he now does sps. Ive been thinking of going to halides but we all know the draw backs. The led seems to be lacking in certian areas. I really believe that the only reason we even like led is the pop from the blue if it wasnt for that no one would even want led. I could always add some blue led to get the pop but mylesd is to big to add much to it to supplement with t5. I prefer a complete fixture they just look nicer than buying parts and putting them into canopy. They always look like fire hazards to me so this is the way I would rather go with haildes. How aree these fixtures. Price wise the halides are almost double. I still have over a year warranty left on my light. Not even sure how old this other light is but tbey only come with a 1 year which doesnt seem long for a pretty expensive fixture

10% off ends @ midnight

End of the Month Sale



Get 10% off orders $99 & up + FREE shipping on orders over $175!



Enter coupon code MARCH2014 to save some sand dollars



Some exclusions apply / See website for details



—> HURRY! SALE ENDS TONIGHT @ MIDNIGHT! <—






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• Which Clean-up Crew Critters Should You Have in your Reef Tank?


• Coral Frenzy Reef Pellets: The ULTIMATE coral food now in pellet form


• A Beginner's Guide to Pico Reefs


• The real deal about eels: feeding, care and compatibility


• EcoSystem Aquarium Balling Method: A VERY Economical and Effective Way to Maintain Ca/Alk/Mg


• Hydra Aquatics FR-45 BioPellet Reactor: It's all about the tumble!


• Hydra Aquatics Twist Water Flow Accelerator: Get something for nothing!


• Nano Fish: Small Size, BIG Personalities


• Tunze Nano Osmolator 3152 Product Review


• New Life Spectrum AlgaeMax: 9 Different Seaweed Varieties for Your Tangs!


• How to Install an Aquarium Overflow Box

bristle worms in new tank

Just bought my used125 gallon tank, with 80lb of livrerock, and a few fish also came with it. When we picked it up yesterday the tank was loaded with algae, on the walls and liverock.. So I cleaned the tank up real good :). Now for the liverock... I was going to brush in salt water quickly to get rid of most.. But........ I then noticed a huge amount of bristle worms in the rock.. I haven't put in tank as want to get rid of them.. Some are 4" and don't look so cool :( I've been advised to fresh water dip them.. But just wanna ask you guys for any better tips. Currently the rock is soaked(water from tsnk) in a large container(probably shouldn't do this too long?).. I didnt want to put them in tank infested and looking green...

Please help :). What do I do...

Thanks in advance.

Peppermint Shrimp acting as a Cleaner Shrimp?

Anyone ever seen a Peppermint Shrimp clean any of their fish before? I have a Peppermint Shrimp and a Royal Gramma that live in spots of Live Rock that are very close to each other.



I've seen the Peppermint shrimp "clean" the Royal Gramma now a few times. At first I thought I just saw the RG swim close to him, but I've seen it multiple times. The Royal Gramma sits there sideways and the peppermints tentacles go up and down his body. I don't know if hes' actually getting anything off the RG, but it's a very similar motion to what the cleaner shrimp does.



I have a cleaner shrimp, but he lives on the other side of the tank. Never seen this before.

Apogee Releases New Marine Safe PAR Sensor Wand

Apogee has released a slick new fiberglass sensor wand for the aquarium market. The wand is a 3 piece design that can be used for different sized aquariums. It's reef safe and made from fiberglass. The overall length is 41" (104cm) so it will be able to reach the bottom of most reef aquariums with ease. By simply detaching the sensor mount you can shorten the wand length to better suit your specific aquarium depth. In other words, you can one, two or all three sections to suit your needs.



Read more about it here: http://ift.tt/1hrOqqL



They are now shipping!

http://ift.tt/1hrOqqP

C.U.C amount?

I have a 75 gallon and was curious as to how many and exactly what i should have for the clean up crew in the tank.



the tank is just over 5 weeks old as of right now. i do have a cleaner shrimp, 2 snails, and a few small crabs.

Low pH.

Hello everyone, I have low ph (7.8-8.0) levels, and can't figure out why. Any suggestions?



SG.1.026

Ph.7.8- 8.0

Tem.78

Alk. 7 using API test kit.

Cal. 420 ppm.

*onday callin'

Good mawnin', TRT!



Coffee is ready. Soft farm fresh scrambled eggs with cheese, Charleston stone ground grits (they are creamy, not gritty ;) ), Texas toast and bacon if George or someone else will fix it. Nanners, too, of course.



Today is a comp day for me. Wheeeee! Going up to 72º, and that's the lowest temp for the week. :dance:



Lots of love and hugs and peace to everyone.

damsel digging tunnels!

sup everybody! so I was checking out my tank after work today like normal and noticed there's now a tunnel built underneath one of my rocks. I think it was my neon damsel because I've seen him stirring up the cc around where he sleeps.



has this happened to anybody else?

Black live sand: good or bad????

I've heard so many rumors about how bad live black sand. I have also heard nothing is wrong with it. I really like the way it looks and really want to try it. I just need to hear more about it before I decide.

How Long does it take Dry Rock to become Live Base Rock and then Premium Live Rock?

How Long does it take Dry Rock to become Live Base Rock.



And how Long does it take Base Rock to become Premium Live Rock?



My LFS sells all 3 - Dry, Base, and Premium



Dry - 2.99 a Pound

Base - 4.99 a Pound

Premium - 9.99 a Pound



I am wondering which of these three to get.



Obviously Premium is much better than Dry.



If it is relatively quick for the Dry Rock to upgrade I will do that to save money.



But if it takes years to upgrade then Dry is not worth it - Same goes for Base.



So I am wondering how long the change takes?

Will my New Tank NOT Cycle if I only use Dry Rock (Marco Rock)? trying to avoid Cycle

So I am planning on upgrading my 10 Gallon Aquarium to a 30 Gallon Frag Tank (30 X 18 X 12).



People keep recommending Marco Rock.



It is Dry Rock though and not Live.



But you do avoid any Hitchhikers and it is Cheaper.



My Question is if I use Dry Marco Rock Only.



Will I avoid a Cycle (No Ammonia, Nitrite, or Nitrate)?



Also, how long will it take for the Dry Rock to become Live Rock?



Don't you have to add at least one piece of Live Rock to seed the Dry Rock and transfer all the good animals that are in Live Rock?



I mean I do not see how this stuff would Magically appear.

Anyone Try a Kessil A150 LED with Gooseneck on a Rimless Tank? I heard that you can't

So I want to set up a Frag Tank that would be 30 Gallons (30 X 18 X 12).



I have a Spare Kessil A150 LED so I was going to use that for Lighting so I would not have to buy New Lights.



Then I thought it would look better if I went Rimless without the Traditional Black Trim.



But My LFS said you could not do that because you would have The Metal Bracket from the Gooseneck touching Glass which would be a big no no.



So my question is has anybody tried this with Success? (or Failure).



And if so what happened.



What was Good or Bad with using a Kessil Gooseneck on a Rimless Tank?



Also, why is Metal touching Glass a Bad Thing?



Would it somehow Break the Glass?

Some Photographs of my 72g (a stock lens)

Here are some photos of my 72g, taken with a stock lens since I can not seem to get my Macro lens to focus. Most taken at 55mm, some at 35mm. Settings set to your typical 'portrait' settings, no photoshop or other doctoring done.



Enjoy.



















Here is the sump cabinet I built that houses a 40g breeder/sump, a reef octopus 250, and a 35g rubbermaid tote that serves as a freshwater reservoir for my ATO. Also houses all the electrical and the controller for my MP10.







The doors are built with Dry Erase board, so my daughter can draw her "flowners" lol. Here is her putting it to good use...







And yes, those are lightsabers standing up against the cabinet and tank. They ARE mine, I have no shame.



-William

Huge moving catastrophe

Hey all. Well, I just moved from one city to another. About 6 hours away drive time.



I broke down my 40GB, put my rock into buckets, and put my fish + some rock into my old 10 gallon nano as it was much easier to move.



I moved everyone the night before so things wouldn't be too crazy on moving day.



Well, for the drive I drained and kept all the water from the tank, to about 4" deep, removed the rock so there were just the alive creatures in the 10. Into the CAB of the truck we went.



Well unfortunately I think everything got WAY too cold on the way over. The water was 60 degrees when we reached our destination... It was about 8 hours from breakdown of the 10 to re-setup of the 10.



I have two clowns, one watchman goby and a mandarine. An hour after setting up the 10 again, everyone was breathing labored and on the bottom of the tank, or on their sides. I am so sad. One clown and the mandarine were dead this morning. I feel so bad. I know that couldn't have been a good way to go out of this world. My other clown looks fine now, but the watchman looks like he isn't going to make it.



Wondering if the cold killed so much bacteria that there was an ammonia spike shortly after re-setup. I only packed an extra gallon of saltwater, so couldn't do a water change. All of my fish tank stuff is packed away, as I don't get to move into my apartment until wednesday. Tank is set up at my friends house, where I'm staying. Re-setup happened last night about 9pm. Didn't have any testing kits... So I don't know exactly what happened.



This is such a blow. I feel like I shouldn't be reefing if I can't be responsible enough to keep everyone alive.

Rock Flower Anemone - Where should I Place it?

So at first someone told me that you should Place Rock Flower Anemones on the Sand Bed and then it will Bury its Foot in the Sand and will be Happy and Stay Put.



Well I was at the Frag Swap today and all 3 People that were Selling Rock Flower Anemones said to put it on a Rock for it to be most Happy.



One Dealer said to turn of the Flow, Put it on the Rock, and Hold it there for 20 Seconds and it should Stick and not Move after that.



He said that there is a "Sand Anemone" version which are the Less Colorful Brown Variety that like the Sand but the Nice Colorful Red Rocks that people sell at Shows like to be on Rocks (Hence the name Rock Anemone).



Is this true?



Where should they be Placed?

What starfish is this and is it reef safe?

Found this starfish in my tank just now. Looks like maybe a Culcita species? It's about 1/4". Can anyone ID it? And should I take it out? Thanks

Rapid LED vs ReefLEDlights.com

Who used whom and what do you all recommend? :)



I was planning rapid, but I saw that reef "bins the LEDs " to avoid yellowish whites or "flat" royal blues. I don't know if Rapid does this or not.



thanks guys / gals!

FS: 120 gallon reef ready tank and stand, etc.

Consolidated two tanks to one so have a reef ready 120 with stand. I had the tank for 2-3 years bit I bought it used. Good condition no big scratches that I can see. Probably some smaller ones. $250 delivered to La Crosse if necessary.



8 bulb TEK 48" light. Needs bulbs but old bulbs included. Some salt spray on the reflectors. Legs included.

$150.



4 watt Skyye led clip on light. Brand new in box. $25



Aqueon 2400 power head. Used about two hours. $40

Will these barrels be safe to use??

Well one of my trusty brutes in the basement has sprung a leak and I need to replace it...I haven't ever really been happy with them but it seemed like that was the best option I had at the time...not to mention I need to upsize my water storage anyway due to the upcoming tank upgrade



Anyway to get to the point I found a guy on Craigslist that has 55 gallon plastic drums available CHEAP!! They have a label on them that says salt solution as you will see in the pic below and I'm wondering with a good bleach and vinegar bath if they will be safe to use??







Thanks



Stewie

refugium...sand or bare bottom

So I have a 20L refugium i just finished building and trying to decide to go bare bottom or a sand bed. my DT has a 3inch sand bed and about 100Lbs of live rock. any body have any opinions?

Poly Filter?

Just when I thought I was catching up on the basics, something new comes along.



http://ift.tt/1jMzxmc



Does anyone have experience with using these directly in a reef? I've read of only a few using them with reefs, but I am not sure of the specifics.



It says it removes ammonia, nitrites (not really concerned) all forms of phosphate, copper, iron. I am primarily interested in the phosphate remova (from above link, referring to uses with ponds)l. I have also read that it does not remove phosphates in seawater, despite their claims. The article from drsfostersmith (above) does not mention saltwater applications, but it is interesting that the package displays a picture of a reef on it.



How well does this work? Which claims are true/false?

is this light suspension kit going to work?

hi, i am going to start a new 55 gallon tank and i already have a 48" t5 fixture

and i need to find a way to mount it.



so has anyone used this and do u think its a good option?



http://ift.tt/1fDjXSD





and also i have a stand where there is 4 points that touch the ground and i have tile on my floor without a basement will it support a 55 gallon and a 29 gallon sump?



thank you

How to decrease microbubbles in my tank

Hey guys. I have a 75-gallon reef tank with a Reef Octopus In-Sump Skimmer. However, I'm noticing that there are quite a bit of microbubbles floating around in the display tank.



I think I may have the culprit, although not a solution. I believe the output of my skimmer is creating many bubbles that are being pumped up back to my display. Now, I have had a block sponge seperating the area from the return pump to the skimmer, but recently I've had to compress the sponge and allow more space to allow a greater velocity of water flow. My problem was that water wasn't filtering through the block sponge fast enough, and the last compartment with the return pump had a greatly decreased water level because of it.



So, I'm a bit stuck as to what I should do with my block sponge. I've "shaken it out" in old tank water when I've done water changes, but it doesn't seem to help with the flow issue. Should I cut the diameter of the sponge in half so that the water has to flow through less of the sponge? Will that decrease the microbubbles?

Hydroids galore!!......Help!

I have hydroids in my tank for a few months now. They have ruined all my corals, and I think they are stinging the fish, which is where I have to draw the line! I have the digitate, colonial, and algae (where they grow and extend like a tree). The colonial ones have a white tube with pink, feathery ummmm..tentacles? At first I thought they were pretty feather dusters, but no way, they are my nemesis!



These hydroids are growing in my refugium, even in my skimmer! My first thought was to give up, I've been beaten down so many times, then I thought to start over with new base rock (still not a bad idea), BUT here is my big idea - has anyone ever tried copper? At this point I am willing to sacrifice the coral.



I was thinking of removing the rock, treating it with copper - which will also kill off all those nasty aiptasia - and running a little copper thru my main tank, removing all crabs and snails first of course.



I've scoured the web and couldn't find anything, but would appreciate any opinions or experiences......anyone?

Red Bugs

Sorry for continually asking about this and the not-so-great pictures (below), but last night I noticed red bugs around the base of my green acro. It looks like they are causing STN. For the past week or so it has been browning, and I initially thought it wasn't liking the light it was in, so I adjusted that, but then I noticed tissue loss along the base. It looks like the tissue is receding from the base, turning a pale grey color. So, what can I do to get rid of these red bugs? They might have been AEFW, but I'm pretty sure they were red bugs.



Tank specs are in the My Tanks link in my sig.

Params

SG: 1.024

Temp: 79

Nitrate: 0

Nitrite: 0

Ammonia: 0

Phos: 0

Mag: ~1400

Cal: 415

Alk: 8.0 dKH

pH: 8.3



Does anyone have experience with getting rid of them? CoralRX dip? Should I just frag the good parts and hope for the best? Never fragged SPS before, any pointers?



Thanks in advance



See the tissue loss around the base







Just losing color in general

Freshwater Dip...Did I kill my coral

I had a bad Flatworm problem. Let me start out with my Specs. I have a 75g tank with a 20g sump and I am running a Nautilus TE skimmer. The Coral in question are my two Xenias and one Pagoda cup. I dipped them in tank temp RO water for about 20sec each. It did the job for the Flatworms but now my Xenias are shriveled up and it looks like all the polyps of my Pagoda are the same. Did I do something wrong? Am I panicking to soon? its been about 24hrs.

Do I "clean" the filters in my three stage fluval aquaclear,

Or just replace them on the corresponding months? If I'm to clean them, I basically just rinse them in a bucket of the tank water, yes?

Weird Algae

Hello everyone,



I recently have found an unidentified algae in my tank. It's coming out of the live rock and it is thicker than hair algae. A few months ago I added about a cup of Green Gracilaria Algae to my tank while I was gone for a few weeks to feed my fish. It kind of looks like Gracilaria to me but I'll let you be the judge:







Sorry for the lack of scale but they're about a 4th of an inch long.

29 gallon fish capacity

Hey gang -

I've been told that 4 small fish are too much for my Coralife Biocube 29g. What I have is two False Oci small clowns (tank raised), one 6 Line Wrasse and one small Royal Gramma. Also a variety of softies and one LPS, 1 peppermint shrimp, snails and hermits.



Tank has been up and running since Dec 2013 and params check good (using API and Red Sea Pro). I perform a 25% water change every week to two weeks.



Alright, so here's the question - would I be wrong to add a small Sailfin/Algae Blenny? That would be the last fish.

Is my RBTA dying??????

I have my rbt for about a 1 1/2 month now, but the last 3 weeks it was hiding everytime when i turn the light on and at night when the lights are off it was walking all over the tank every night. The last week it doesn't take any food and the tentacles are not sticky.Tank is 8 months old.

Do i need to take it out???



Tank parameters are :



ammonia 0

nitrite 0

nitrate 10 ( was 20 the week before...had a nitrate spike)

ph 8.1

calcium 440

kh 10.5

magnesium 1305

sg 1.025

what is this??

http://ift.tt/1kc7msS



What is this?? Just got it for free is it dead?

Phasing out tap water

I used tap water to set up my tank and am paying the price now. I recently got a RO unit and have done a 30gallon water change and then about 5 yesterday. It's a 75 gallon tank. My question is how often can I do these without disturbing the tank. Just trying to slow down the diatoms/algee blooms.

Melanurus Wrasse F/S

I have this fairly big melanurus wrasse about 5 - 5.5"' long, healthy and chubby ready for pick up. Asking $22 obo. Please pm me with contact number if serious. Thank you.

Clown Fight !

I have two young Perculius Clowns in a 75 gallon tank. The clowns are siblings and tank raised.



During the day they swim and feed together, but as soon as I turn off the lights the slightly larger clown begins darting at the smaller one. He does this until he forces the smaller clown to the top of the tank or into one of the far corners. This goes on for a while since the smaller clown keeps wanting to come back.



The next morning I flip on the lights and they hook right back up. Will this continue between the two, or even get worse as they mature? I don't want to have a death in the tank over this and can't find anything on the subject.

Sunday and windy!

Good mawnin', TRT!



Coffee is on. I'm running late for church. Loaded oatmeat with nanners and such. George or PV, will you fill in the blanks for breakfast?



Lots of love and hugs and peace to everyone.

Lets Talk Skimmers and Filtration

I wanted to start a FRIENDLY conversation about skimmers and filtration. So some people are firm believers in the faster you can move your water the better. I know a lot of people who turn their tanks over at least 20 times an hour. To me that seems like a lot. my question is why? I have a 220 lps/softie tank. That means I SHOULD run 4400 ghp thru my sump. In my sump i have an AquaC EV 240. Please correct me if I am wrong but isn't the skimmer the most important filtration? So less that half of the water that runs through the is getting skimmed. Theoretically shouldn't your return pump be the same or even smaller than that the pump on your skimmer to acheive maximum efficiency, meaning your pumping clean water back into your display tank no half cleaned water?

red live rock

this may seam a stupid question but hot do i get my live rock red not all of it just in some areas is there something you have to do

New Tank! Tips and Suggestions?

Hi Everyone,



I'm new to this forum and to the saltwater life. I have had freshwater tanks my entire life, and I thought it was time to "upgrade."



I got a 55G Saltwater tank that has been running for about 3 months.



It currently has:

- 2 Clown Fish

- 1 Small FoxFace rabbitfish

- 3 Cardinals

- 1 Scarlet cleaning shrimp

- And the cleaning crew (10 snails, 5 red leg hermits, 2 Nassarius Snails, 1 Emerald Crab)



I use a canister system for filtration, and a HOB protein skimmer. I have had about 7 pounds of live rock during these three months, and I added 40 pounds of dry rock about a month ago.



I got some brown algae 2 days ago, so that's why I got the cleaning crew.



I also use a Reef capable LED light, which is mostly off now because of the algae.



Now, I have a few questions that maybe someone can help me:



- How long does it take for the Dry rock to become "live"?

- Besides the cleaning crew, the Chemi-Pure in the canister, and feeding 3 times per week, anything else I could do to remove the brown algae?

- How can I tell when the tank is ready to add corals?

- I want to add more rocks, should it be live or dry? I don't want to cause any cycle problems.

- How don't you get nervous or concern when the Foxface looks stressed out? I feel I'll give it a heart attack every time I do something in the tank :(



Thank you!

NIB Mag 12

$90. Buyer pays shipping.

H

Reducing Sand Bed, or more flow?

Hello All. I know this is a tired/opinionated subject but regardless I am looking for some advice from TRT. I have a 40B with the following specs:



40 Gallon Breeder w/o sump, established for 10 months:

Octopus BH-100 Skimmer

Refugium with dragons breathe and chaeto (lots of pods!)

TLF Reactor running Rowaphos when necessary

Water levels all check (dKH, phosphate, pH, calcium, Mg, etc.)

4 T5-HO (2 10ks, 2 actinic purple)

35 Watt Fluval LED with UV, Blue, and White light.

3 Powerheads---can get upto 2000 gph of flow.



I have been battling algae, but adding the TLF reactor with Rowaphos has greatly helped. My concern now is my sand bed. Every water change (I do 5 gallons a week) my nitrates spike. I know this occurs because I clean the sand bed and it releases nitrates, etc. My thought now (that I have plenty of LR) is to start to reduce the sand bed down to 1 inch by siphoning sections during WCs. If I have enough LR, what is the point of more than an inch of sand outside of it being a waste collection area? If there is a benefit to having more than an inch, would it help to have MORE flow on the sand bed to continue to move detritus into the skimmer, instead of removing the sand bed? If I add to much flow now, I feel it would be exposing the anaerobic areas all the time.



I know there will be multiple opinions and I would like to hear all of them!



If reducing the sand bed is the route to go, should I physically remove large amounts during WCs, or siphon it out slowly?



I just added a coral (blasto meletti) that struggles every water change. Towards the end of the week it begins to look better. I would assume that is because of the nitrate spike, but let me know if that is incorrect. The coral has grown more heads since being in my tank



Thanks to all.

moving selling tanks, liverock, livesand

I'm moving to an apartment and need to get rid of all my tanks.

75gal tank (drilled for 1 inch balkhead back of tank) black stand and wet/dry sump rated for 180gal asking $120.



45gal corner tank (this tank is running)

45gal tank, stand,wet/dry sump rated for 75gal, pump, over 100lbs liverock

( pieces range in size for rubble to large pieces the size of a football)

over 40lbs livesand and one clown fish. and 4bulb 24inch t5 light (need bulbs for saltwater set up) asking $450



55gal oak stand (stand only) $55

My young Reef

Here is a update on what my reef looks like now.

http://ift.tt/1oc8djj

I'm bored. Please help!!

I finally got my dream tank about 1.5 years ago. Now that it is fully stocked with corals and fish and with no room left, I am bored. Been thinking about redoing the aquascape to spark my interest again but not sure which directions I should go. Here is the tank when set up and today. Any recommendations on new Aquascape ideas greatly appreciated. Sorry the photos are bad. I suck at taking tank photos.



Oct 2012







March 2014

(MOD PLS READ) Anyone with equipment/photography questions please read

Hi everyone, I work for a camera store and I am very knowledgeable about equipment and photography in general. If you need advice on purchasing a camera/lens or questions on photography both in the reef, and everyday photography please PM me or post here. This is not a sales pitch as I am trying to pay back all of the wonderful help I get on this site. I will not bring up who I work for as again I don't want anyone to feel I am doing this to sell equipment.



Mod im cool with this becoming a sticky if you see the value, if not please edit title.

All white anemone ID needed

Can someone tell me what anemone this is:

Skimmer buster

Busted my impeller for my reef octopus 160. Looking for a place to buy one or a new used skimmer if you have one to sell.

Don't think I'll be buying brs rock anymore

So while I'm in the midst of this tank transfer/in wall build thing I took some time to hang out in front of my current tank and enjoy it for a little bit and discovered something...



I have a hair algae problem which I have been keeping somewhat under control until it passes but I did notice that the rock I bought from reef cleaners and the rock I transferred from my 125 has minimal hair algae on it however the rock I purchased from brs which is a combination of reef saver rock and tonga branch is LOADED with hair algae...



So the question has to be asked...is their rock loaded with phosphates or what?? The rock has been in the tank for a few months and before it went in it went through an extensive cleaning process which involved rinsing vigorously and scrubbing all in rodi water



So is this just a coincidence or have others experienced this???



Stewie

Loosing Coralline Algae

Hi,



I have a newer reef tank ~ 5 months old and am somewhat a newbe as well. I have a 125 gal tanbk set up and running with 100# of live rock from Figi and Bali. The pieces from Bali were more expensive because they have some nice coralline algae growing on them.



Unfortunately, I have just realized the coralline rocks are getting a powder white color where there used to be the nice red growth. I have lost more than half of the coralline algae in the DT but there is definitly growth in the sump.



I keep the water in great condition for all levels, 0 AM, Nitrate, Phosphate and ~450 for calcium. Temps are between 77-78...



Any thoughts to get the growth back? Hate to loose the nice color....



Thanks!

'Build Your Own' RO/DI

Howdy Folks,



I'm in the market for a new RO/DI system. I'm in Canada, and it seems all the good RO/DI folks want to charge an arm-and-a-leg to ship the system to Canada. BUT! I found a Canadian dealer, who is offering a sort of neat 'build-your-own' system. Basically, just a customizable RO/DI unit. Unfortunately, I have no clue what I'm doing.



Here's the website



I'll be using a standard kitchen sink tap as the source (not sure which option this is). I only have a 20 gallon tank, so 50GPD is fine. Pre-filters, inline filters, boosters and tanks are all lost on me. Totally unsure of the optional accessories.



Does anyone mind going through this 'build-your-own' thing and letting me know which options are worthwhile?



edit: or I just might go with this one because it's only $20 more than the base build-your-own model, and seems pretty beefy.

First SW Aquarium

Hello Everyone! I'm new to this hobby and I'm very excited. I just started putting my tank together yesterday and I wanted to share what I have and I'm hoping to get some advice that can help be be successful in this hobby. I'm located at out the Tampa/Brandon, FL area.



I'm calling this tank my guinea pig tank, so I can practice for the main show. I have ordered a 100 gallon DSA tank (48"x20"x25") but there is a problem with the company getting the top bracing so it's been pushed back until mid April, which is fine. I'm not in a hurry for it, but I did empty one of my FW tanks, cleaned it and now have it running as SW.



Equipment:

1 - 36 gallon Aqueon Bowfront

40 pounds - CaribSea Arag-Alive Reef Sand

2 - Hydro Wave Pumps - 425gph

1 - Current Orbit Marine LED

1 - Aqueon Pro Heater 100 watt



I currently have the tank set up and I used Instant Ocean to make it the water and I was too impressed. I had a lot of bi product or something. There was a bunch of stuff that never dissolved. I had the water heated to 75 degrees and there was a pump circulating the water. I gave it just over 48 hours to circulate and nothing, it never dissolved, so I tried to strain it as I filled the tank, but I think it's sand because my net was not catching it. I bought Rea Sea Pro Salt for future water changes, but I needed something to get the tank started.



I don't have a skimmer yet, but I was thinking about ordering the Reef Octopus BH-1000 or 2000. Since this tank is not reef ready, I need something to hang on the back. Is a skimmer considered mechanical filtration?



Since this is my first tank I'm not trying to throw on a bunch of equipment, I"m trying to keep it simple. This will be a fish only tank, but my DSA 100 will be full blown reef.



I was thinking about getting a Fluval 306 canister filter to help out mechanical filtration and using it to house additional media. I have read that canister filters can be a breading ground for something, forgot what, but I rinse my filters out once a week anyway so it would not be a problem to keep it clean.



I don't have a testing kit, and I'm going to get one in the next few days. I have also placed an order for 25 pounds of live rock. I didn't want to cram too much in the tank because of it's smaller size.



So now I'm waiting on the rock, going to get a HOB skimmer, and a testing kit. What else should I get or do I need?



Questions:

- Why was there left over debris from the Instant Ocean mix?

- It took about 12 hours for the sand to settle (next time I won't add and then fill the tank, I will only add a few inches of water until everything is settled) but now I have a lot of stuff floating around in the tank and I don't know what it is. Since the tank has not even been running for 24 hours, I can't think of what it might be.

- Should I get some type of HOB or Canister filter to help clear the water up. Right now there is nothing and I understand that is why the tank has flaring debris.



Any other comments, or questions feel to let me know.

Pretty awesome coral timelapse video

The name is slow life and its pretty sweet!

http://ift.tt/1dqTyMm

Broken branch on Birdsnest.

Got to cleaning glass this morninh and I bumped into my Birdsnest....broke off a brach with 4 or 5 offshoots.



Will that piece survive on it's own?



I don't have a lot of experience with SPS.

TIA

Oyi, it's Saturday

Good mawnin', TRT!



Wakey, wakey, kids. Coffee is on. Pancakes with VT maple syrup for breakfast. Oranges and nanners for the fruit choices. Who will fix the meat group?



Rain and thunderboomers today. Spring is starting again ;)



This afternoon I'm going to hear/see Peter and the Wolf at Chapman Cultural Cneter http://www.chapmanculturalcenter.org....uYDa898P.dpbs :blob:



LOts of love and hugs and peace to everyone.

Happy birthday to firsthesitation on 3/29!

And here's the Official TRT Chorus® to sing......



HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOOOOOO YOUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!

live rock question

does it matter if small pieces of live rock get cover in your substrate reason i ask is my goby keeps digging holes and he covers some small pieces of live rock i have

I'd go fishing with this guy

I'd love a tour of his store........and his presentation is impressive, imo.



http://ift.tt/1gMiGxI



He's a big fan of Oceans Motions wave makers. On one of his videos, he gives an in-depth breakdown of them.



The video gives a good showing of different lighting methods and equipment.

Aggressive Percula Clownfish

40 Breeder build

40 Breeder, cycling at the moment.

Equipment:

40B tank, 20L sump

Lumentek Pro 180 led fixture(ordered just waiting for them to ship)

Vortech MP10

Vertex Omega 130 skimmer

40lbs. Reef safe rock 10lbs live rock

60lbs Carib Sea Live sand

Inhabitants once everything is good and stable:

Various LPS and Softies and maybe some SPS(thinking about trying for the first time)

Pair of clowns

Purple firefish

Blue reef chromisx2

Flame Hawkfish

Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse

Banggai Cardinals x2

Why do Inverts die do fast??

4 or 5 times now I have added snails, hermit crabs, emerald crabs, and other cleaner pack items. I acclimate them very slow in the dark with drip acclimation. I have taken several hours. I introduce them to the tank and they are dead within a day or two. I have not added much other than damsel because I don't want to kill off a lot of expensive fish. Can not detect any voltage in the water either.. I am not an expert, but have had other tanks with no issues and have somewhat of a clue, I hope. ANY IDEAS????? Starting to have algae issues.



ph 8.2

Nitrate 0

Nitrite 0

Ammonia 0

Phosphate 0

Calcium 400

Copper 0

Salinity 1.016 (It got a little low on me. Usually 1.022

Temp 73.6



90 gallon overflow with 20 gal sump, protein skimmer. cycling 900 gph

Lighting 54 led and 2- 48 inch actinic lights

Using RO water

85lbs live rock



Thanks

Craig

new tank advice

Im looking to start a new tank and seem to be running into a bit of trouble. I personally love the JBJ rimless 30g but dont want to spend that much..does anyone know of a tank like this (square rimless) that is more affordable?

T5HO or LEDs?

Im thinking about a cheap lighting solution for a 29 gallon lps, sps (mostly just montis) tank. T5HO are so much cheaper but I'm afraid to buy it then regret iyt when I buy an LED fixture after all of my montis have browned out. If I have to get LEDs which ones are the most affordable? Im thinking the Evergrow IT2040. :fish::drool::thumbup::help1: :trout2:

lfs around the dells

Are there any stores worth checking out in the dells or on the way to?

Red Cyano

Will red cyano grow under blue lights? Or do they require white light to do so?

210 to 300 dd in wall build

So the time has come and I finally had a chance to get some work done on the in wall build today



Here's the 210 that will be transferred







The 300 dd will go in the wall directly behind this tank as it backs up to a spare bedroom that we don't use



Here's the 300 in that bedroom







The wall in that room and the Great Dane pup photo bombing lol







The gypsum board...NOT PLASTER like I thought off with studs







Temp support in and studs out







Doubled up 2x10 header in place







header done temp support is out but after that pic







Doesn't seem like much done today but all my friends bailed and I was working by myself so is what it is



Plan to hopefully get the stand and maybe some more wall bracing above where tank will be(if needed) tomorrow



I am only going to transfer 3 of the sols to the new tank and I'm adding 3 400 watt halides and using the sols for actinic supplement and for off hour viewing when halides are off



Rest of the equipment is as follows

Mrc mr2 modded skimmer with iwaki md 70 pump

Reef octo sro 300 skimmer as well

3 300 watt heaters

125 gallon sump in basement

2 reeflo blowhole 1450 for returns

Misc dosing equipment and reefkeeper controller

4 wp60 powerheads

1 mp40 power head

Reeflo hammerhead 5800 gph on a closed loop/spraybar under rocks



Will use all rock you see in first pic plus I'm sure I will have to add some

Using 120-150 lbs of tropic Eden sand...don't want it very deep at all just enough for a goby and to cover the bottom



Anyway thanks for looking!! Will update as soon as there's progress



Stewie

newbie buying new tank.

Her guys, I'm buying a salt water tank and was hoping to get some tips on transporting tank/fish and live stock from existing house to my own :). The tank is 3 year old with fish and live rock. From what I've researched it's a good idea to change the sand. Apart from this I really don't know what I'm doing.. Not sure if it's as simple as grabbing as much existing water as possible. Getting it back to temp... Then throw the fish in??? Any help would be greatly appreciated... Tank comes as full set up so I believe I will have everything needed for my new hobby.. Thank you so much in advance to anyone that can help me in anyway..

Cheers lads and lasses

Reef It Simple—Your First Reef Tank

We are kicking off a small series that we like to call "Reef It Simple", focusing on how easy reef aquariums can be, while helping you to make informed decisions as you progress in the hobby.



READ THE FIRST IN THE SERIES —> Reef It Simple—Your First Reef Tank



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• Which Clean-up Crew Critters Should You Have in your Reef Tank?


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• EcoSystem Aquarium Balling Method: A VERY Economical and Effective Way to Maintain Ca/Alk/Mg


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• New Life Spectrum AlgaeMax: 9 Different Seaweed Varieties for Your Tangs!


• How to Install an Aquarium Overflow Box

What is REALLY in your fish food???

What do you guys think about this? Have you heard of this?



http://ift.tt/1pkkdwd



I mostly feed mysis and the food I use (Ocean Nutrition red and green flakes) have one of these questionable ingredients in them.



At the aquaponics store I go to they sell organic fish food pellets. I wonder if my fish would go for them.

Water Chemistry Question

Hey TRT,



I just started mixing my own salt. I am using Reef Crystals due to their reputation. I have an 8 gallon IM Nano that was started about 3 months ago. My questions is:



I have dKH of 6 and calcium of around 360-380 in my tank right now. I have only done a 1 gallon water change with the Reef Crystals water. However, I tested the reef crystals water that I mixed for 10-12hrs and I am getting the same numbers (around 7 dKH and 380 calcium. I plan to keep a couple of clams in my tank and I'd like to know the best way to raise those numbers.



I have zero coralline algae and I'd like my calcium to be around 450 and dKH around 9-10.



Here are the results for today's test:



salinity: 1.025

ph: 8-8.2

ammonia: 0

nitrite: 0

nitrate: 0

phosphate: 0

dKH: 6

calcium: 360

magnesium: 1600



All test are done with year old API test kit except for the Mg (RedSea kit).



Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Bacteria Bloom Question

ok last week i went away for 4 days my brother watched the tank and fed as i told him to do i came back to a full blown bacteria bloom the tank was very cloudy since then ive done multiple water changes hooked up a HOB with filter floss and added a phosban reactor ive been pulling some real bright brown colors from the floss and my skimmer its been about a week now and it has gotten a lil bit better but its still somewhat cloudy all tests are reading 0 and i dose elemental reef building all fish and corals are doing fine, today i did notice a lil bit of red algae on the sand how is this possible my phosphate readings are 0 and my phosban reactor has been running for about a week i cut back the lights and reduced feeding also. anyone have any ideas what i should do?

pvc piping

any one know what type of pvc pipping is ok to use in a reef tank thks

LED Build - Layout Discussion

Hey all,

About to pull the trigger on the LEDs for my 90. Everything is setup and ready. Now onto the lights and cooking the rock. RapidLED has a 90 dimmable kit layed out like this:





I'm concerned about coverage a little with this layout. My LEDs will be about 7" from the water. I can get some low profile heatsink from heatsink USA and get a bit more space. How do you think this looks?







Thanks for any input!

The best thread you'll open all day

End of the Month Sale



Get 10% off orders $99 & up + FREE shipping on orders over $175!



Enter coupon code MARCH2014 to save some sand dollars



Some exclusions apply / See website for details



—> HURRY! SALE ENDS MIDNIGHT MONDAY! <—






MORE MARINE DEPOT NEWS

• Which Clean-up Crew Critters Should You Have in your Reef Tank?


• Coral Frenzy Reef Pellets: The ULTIMATE coral food now in pellet form


• A Beginner's Guide to Pico Reefs


• The real deal about eels: feeding, care and compatibility


• EcoSystem Aquarium Balling Method: A VERY Economical and Effective Way to Maintain Ca/Alk/Mg


• Hydra Aquatics FR-45 BioPellet Reactor: It's all about the tumble!


• Hydra Aquatics Twist Water Flow Accelerator: Get something for nothing!


• Nano Fish: Small Size, BIG Personalities


• Tunze Nano Osmolator 3152 Product Review


• New Life Spectrum AlgaeMax: 9 Different Seaweed Varieties for Your Tangs!


• How to Install an Aquarium Overflow Box


• My First Saltwater Aquarium (at home): Part 1


• Hamilton Technology Cebu Sun: A Tried-and-True Lighting Combination

Selling Saltwater Setup 60 gallon

well the setup is the 60 gallon tank with stand, canister filter, HOB protien skimmer, t5 dual coralife light fixture, LED light fixture, 65 lbs live rock, green zoa polyps, kenya tree, oarnge zoa polyps, venus flytrap looking polyps, green frogspawn, 5 star polyps, lots of pink and brown mushtrooms, few green mushrooms, few leather corals 2 tan 1 white and 2 other tan ones, sand to cover bottom of the tank about 3-4 inches deep, scooter blenny, angel fish, clownfish, niger trigger, neon dottyback, 7 nassarius snails, many "other" snails, few tiny starfish, 2 emerald crabs, 2 peppermint shrimp, coral banded shrimp, 3 turbo snails i believe thats it. and i would like to see 800 out of it since i have much more into it.

Selling Saltwater Setup 60 gallon

well the setup is the 60 gallon tank with stand, canister filter, HOB protien skimmer, t5 dual coralife light fixture, LED light fixture, 65 lbs live rock, green zoa polyps, kenya tree, oarnge zoa polyps, venus flytrap looking polyps, green frogspawn, 5 star polyps, lots of pink and brown mushtrooms, few green mushrooms, few leather corals 2 tan 1 white and 2 other tan ones, sand to cover bottom of the tank about 3-4 inches deep, scooter blenny, angel fish, clownfish, niger trigger, neon dottyback, 7 nassarius snails, many "other" snails, few tiny starfish, 2 emerald crabs, 2 peppermint shrimp, coral banded shrimp, 3 turbo snails i believe thats it. and i would like to see 800 out of it since i have much more into it.

Greetings from the new guy

Hi there y'all. Name's LabBoy and I just got bit be the reef bug. I'm a total salt newbie, though I have kept fw tanks for a couple decades. In filling out the profile I picked novice, though I am in fact a marine scientist. Heh. Maybe some day I'll be able to keep the deep water corals I actually study, but for now, I'll keep it simple.



Luckily I read the reefkeeping made easy thread after I set up the tank, but before I added any livestock, so I managed to avoid wasting money and killing things.



So, the tank. I have a tiny little ecopico 5 g desktop tank. I added 2 of their blue strip LEDs and changed to a carbon sponge in the filter thing. It's got about 1" of black live sand, and one large (compared to the tank) lr. About 4-5 lbs, I guess. It has been up and running for about 4 months. For most of that time its sole occupant was an emerald crab, added after the first month. Now that the uglies seem to be over, I have added several new pretties, adding a few at a time, then waiting a few weeks. Current stock: emerald crab, snail, several blue leg hermits, 1 zoo colony (orange), 1 paly colony, 1 small acan (2 polyps originally, 6 now), a Xenia, a ricordea florida, and a branching hammer (as separated as is possible in a tiny tank). It gets weekly 1 gal water changes with reef chrystals and rodi, vacuuming the sand each time (with a nifty home-made micro sand vac made from a 100 ml serological pipette).



Everything is doing very well, no losses, and there is pretty good growth on everything.



So that was a long way to say "hi, and thanks for the education".



No questions this time!:beer:

JBJ 30g rimless

Just looking to see if anyone has one they are willing to sell or know of anyone who has and is willing to sell. Thanks!

GTB anenome doesnt eat

Ive have my anemone for about a 3-4 weeks now and not really sure it has eating anything. Will it eat any kind of frozen food from a baster?



Also have seen it go through many stages of being deflated and shrivled up. Some days looks great others like death ( stretched out , closed up, laying on side)



Any help would be great

Hands in the Pot

TGIF all! So, I'm seriously considering this:





http://ift.tt/1fsKLoA



Anyone have experience with these types of Polyps, and, are they really "easy" as listed on the care level?



Thanks!

New tank diatoms/algea problem

Hi, I just recently started my tank. and like most people was stuck using tap water in the beginning. I know the tank has to go through the cycling process. I recently purchased a portable 50gpd RO/DI system and have done about a 30 gallon water change so far. My question is should I rinse my rock off to get rid of the algae/diatoms, also how many water changes will it take to get the bad tap water out. ( tap water had a TDS reading of 107-115). Thanks in advance.

New 75 Gallong Reef Tank

Just started a new reef tank. Been up for about 5-6 weeks now.



75 Gallon Tank (reef ready)



1 Hydor Koralia wave pump 1150gph

1 Triton 3000 850 gph pump

Eshopps psk-100 protein skimmer

Eshopps rs-100 sump

Ehiem thermo control 300w heater

70-75lbs live rock

80lbs live sand



Currently in the tank are:



3 clownfish

1 long tentacle anenome

1 cleaner shrimp

2 snails

a few small crabs

So what's wrong with a little dirt?

I feed both black & white worms almost daily.

I sometimes end up with particles of soil and peat moss in the process. I try to avoid it, but them i wonder sometimes if a little 'dirt' is good for the water. I'm sure it has bacteria and possibly other essentials that my system might benefit from.



The medium I use for the white worms is garden soil....baked prior to use to kill off mites, grubs, etc. and peatmoss. I try to buy the PM from Canada, where there's less acid rain from the U.S. coalfired power plants. {haha}.



Seriously, I think I'll just not worry so much if a few tiny chunks of soil go into the water. My gut tells that [in moderation] it just might be a good thing for the system.



RSVP

Dave

Turns out my SG has been around.......1.040!!!!

When I originally set up my tank, I took a water sample to my LFS to check out how the parameters were doing. I was told my salinity was a little low, so I've been topping off my tank with saltwater.



HOWEVER, apparently the device I'm using isn't working correctly. It's been reading around 1.020, so of course I've just been adding more and more saltwater to compensate.



http://ift.tt/1o7FGLx



When I purchased it, I didn't realize it was measured in Brix, which I guess many home-brewers use to determine when their beer/grapes are ready to harvest. I had to convert it, and I did so using both an app and a table I found online (http://ift.tt/O4X0A7). This leads me to believe that the refractometer was just busted all along, because it was still reading 0 on the scale when I calibrated it with fresh water.



All my fish have been doing well, so I'm glad I caught my error in time. I realize I got very lucky, although I've lost a few frags of coral. All my tests were coming back good.



Moral of the story: always double check your equipment's readings.

Upcoming seahorse tank...would love input

Tank is a 30 gal half moon. Height is 26 1/2in



Hey everyone. I am going to be starting a seahorse tank. I have 2 other saltwater tanks and been doing this for a few years. Always wanted seahorses but waited to get a feel for everything. It took me almost 2 months to decide on a tank... I have the tank right now and its empty because Im having a custom made stand done. I have LED lights that came with the tank that should work out just great Anyways, Im stuck on a few things. I want as little to no live rock in the tank. Was considering a canister but the LFS (hes been in it over 20 yrs) while Im glad he gave his opinion..... he doesnt know a lot about seahorses and admitted it he said a HOB would be great. I would prefer the tank to be closer to the wall anyways.



So at the moment, which would you recommend?



Next is going to be a chiller. If Im going to do this, I want to do it right. Ive done tons of research, been stalking these site as well as the other sites mentioned. Some say just use frozen water bottles and others say get a chiller or dont use one. Even though the lighting is very minimal on this tank, I want to make sure Im covered.



Lastly for now, if I have to go out of town for a few days. Would you recommend having someone feed them OR get a automatic feeder?



TIA

just signed up

Hello I just signed up to this site, and was wanting to to say hello, to everyone..and maybe ask a few questions. But, I guess either I don't know where to start this thread or something..because when I try to start a new thread it says I don't have permission. can you help me out with this?

New to Saltwater

Hi I am new to saltwater. I have a custom 70G acrylic - 125 wet/dry w/modified sump (wet/dry inside 20L glass tank), running a CADLights Pipeless Protein Skimmer, Green Machine UV Sterilizer.



We used live sand and about 80 lbs of live rock (both natural and Real Reef). Have typically cleaner package and a coral banded shrimp. Started with two Sebae Clowns and an anemone. One Sebae brutally beat up the other. Removed the aggressive and returned to store. The other healed and we began to put in other fish - Desjardini Sailfin and Blonde Naso - every got along okay. Added two pajama cardinals, a diamond goby and a yellow watchman goby. Pretty sure that the clown killed one of the cardinals and violently attacked the yellow goby. The yellow goby died yesterday I believe from the harassment. We took the last Sebae clown back to the store because he was being aggressive towards everything in the tank, including snails.



My diamond goby also died but we didn't see the clown attack him at all, so not sure what caused his death. Interestingly, my Desjardini Sailfin Tang is now protecting the rose bulb anemone and what looks like looking for the sebae clown. Is this normal? We got a percula clown to replace the sebae clown and the sailfin won't let him near the anemone.



We have lost a lot of fish this week. So we are pausing for a few weeks. Will the pajama cardinal that is left be okay with no friends? or should we get him another cardinal. He stays in one corner and is eating but won't come out to swim the tank.



Sorry for so many questions.

It's Friday. Wheeeee!

Good mawnin', TRT!



Coffee is on. Bagels and scones of call kinds....sweet and savory. Jams from Dave's wife, cream cheese from whomever. Nanners, of course!



Rain, rain, rain today and tomorrow. Guess we need it, and will send the extra to SoCal.



Lots of love and hugs and peace to everyone.

Higher ph's, oxygen injection vs kalk/limewater

Hit 8.77 before the lights came on today... (could be partially because of the week old scrubber, but it has minimal growth) But I've started running 2 canisters in parallel with soda lime.



Odd thing is, nothing seems to be negatively affected.. Growth seems to have accelerated quite a bit..



Anyone have any experience past 8.5?



I'm wondering if perhaps 8.7 with kalk/additives is indeed different than oxygen injection. After all you're not exactly raising the ph in the same way.. And there's more oxygen in the water. (which is always good)

I continue to be impressed...

By the customer service we recieve from the manufacturers in this hobby. Collectively, It's actually better than Nordstrom. I had an elbow spilt on my Kalk stirrer, 2 years old. Emailed twolittlefishies to ask how to order a replacement. Here is their reply:



Dear Helen,



Easy- just send us your shipping address and we will send you two replacements.



How awesome is that!

http://ift.tt/1iGkOpb

Caribbean sea life collector direct

Thor shrimp

My sexy shrimp have babies every other Wednesday.



whats the best way to try and grow them out? I think my corals and fish are having a feast Thursday morning :doh:

looking for janss pipefish

Anyone know where I can get a pair?

newbie seeks advice

this weekend i am getting an established 29 gal complete setup including live sand, live rock and a cpl small corals and small fish , 50/50 lights, the guy im getting the tank from will help resetting it up, but any advice about this this topic would be greatly appreciated, never cared for a saltwater tank before i am very new, thanks in advance

Mud

Tell me your thoughts good or nad on using mud in a refugium

My lfs owner says to just fill the sump with live rock and let it be and that is how he runs his in the store

Just one sps?

I have a mostly softie tank and I want to add just one sps to create a high point in the background. Now, if I just want to ad an acro, will I have to worry about dosing kalk calcium and calcium reactors to care for just one sps in a 65 gallon. Will it get it's calcium needs just from doing water changes with reef crystals?

Plan to remove aiptasia, good or bad?

I have an abundance of aiptasia growing in my reef tank. They are pest anemone and are killing my Kenya tree, I believe. I have a tank that houses a trigger, would I be-able to put a rock in there just covered only with aiptasia for him to eat? Then I could just put the clear rock back in my reef tank? A good idea or horrible idea? They are in two different rooms and do not use the same filtration, if that might effect it.

April's meeting

Hello everybody

We are thinking about having the next meeting sat April 26 at 4:30.

How does everyone on here feel about that? Time and date can be changed if you feel we should do it during the week let me know.

Thanks Jeff

BioCube LED Question

I just got I biocube 14 and it already came with one blue LED light strip and has a spot for another strip. Should I get another blue or a white. Which will be better for coral

What size overflow?

I have a 40 breeder and a large refugium about 50 gallons I believe, with 2 mag 7 pumps in refugium. (May only use one most likely) but my question is what size overflow should I use? I've researched and from what I can tell the overflow gph must exceed that of the mag pump (7 as in 700 but I read they only do 650 possibly) I just don't want to order the wrong overflow and have an actual overflow or my sump to run dry. Plus I want it to filter a good bit of water obviously haha. In case anyone's wondering, I had the sump on a 125 previously. But there's no waaaay I'm selling it ever because it's awesome, so I'm going to put it on my 40 breeder... Please help! Thanks :dance:

Need id of hitchhiker snail

Hi.

I just discovered this strangelooking snail thing in my tank.

It does not seem to have a normal shell, but some strange thing covered with what almost looks like tiny soft-coral like stuff as you can see forom the pictures bellow.

It has 2 feelers in front and this tube-like nose/mouth stuff in front. Anyone know what this might be?



Thanks a lot!



Clickable images for larger versions:

Plywood Build - 300 Gallon Reef

Hello everyone, as many of you may have heard of or seen a plywood aquarium and wondering how to build one, you're reading the right thread. I will answer any and all questions and respond to all opinions and this thread is posted on Reef Tank, Reef Central, and 3Reef. I have been in the process of constructing a plywood aqaurium that is going to be eventually a reef tank. Now first of all there are many different ways to build a plywood tank but I'm going to share the things I did so you can get some ideas to go off of as the materials everyone is available to varies. I'll start answering some questions some of you may have:



WHY BUILD ONE?

I currently have a 90 gallon reef tank made by Oceanic a long time ago. I believe the tank is pushing 10 years old and I've had it for 5 with the 1st year it being a cichlid tank and then the past 4 years being a reef. I've always had a passion for fish in general and especially saltwater fish. Unfortunately, saltwater fish get quite large and espcially in a reef aquarium the selection of fish is limited and you can't keep as many as a typical freshwater or fish only tank. So having only 5 fish in my tank (flame angel, squamipinnis anthias, blue hippo tang, desjardini sailfin tang, yellow tang, and a marine betta) kinda disappointed me. At times the tank looks empty but with adding more fish the whole ecosystem could crash so then I had the crazy idea of buying a bigger tank of about 300 gallons and reef ready (pre-drilled). I quickly found out that option was not in my budget and quite expensive as the cost was easily a few thousand for just the tank and stand. Being creative and a little stubborn I wouldn't take no for an answer so I stumbled upon a plywood aquarium on the internet made by King of DIY on YouTube. I was interested in the idea so I gave it a shot because building a plywood tank is challenging but in the long run cheaper than buying an all glass tank. In reality, most people only look at a fish tank through the front panel and maybe the sides so I figured why have glass all around the tank when I'm not even going to see through all the parts? So I decided to have plywood on the sides I didn't want to see through which was for me the back.



THE FIRST STEP?

Many people have different methods of building a plywood tank such as to build the tank or stand first. I have seen lots of cases where the plywood "box" was built first then the stand but I thought that would be not logical because once the glass would be put on it would be extremely heavy to carry and also it would just be sitting on the ground. I didn't like that so I build the stand first because I had a fixed space in which to have the aquarium and the stand should slightly be bigger than the tank so that's the route I took. Stand first then tank second.



WATERPROOFING THE TANK?

Many people want to make a plywood tank but are confused on what to use to make the plywood waterproof and be strong enough to hold water. To waterproof my build I used a two part epoxy called Pond Shield which was almost $300 for 1.5 gallons which was more than I needed to cover all the wood. The rule of thumb was to have a 40 mils thickness of epoxy to achieve waterproof properties which meant numerous coats. Pond Shield has very specific instructions on how to use their product but the pros of it are that it has almost no odor, easy to appply (I recommended with rollers and brushes for seams), mix, and can go on a variety of material from wood to metal. The first coat was very thin because the wood absorbed the epoxy so then i added a little heavier coat 24 hours after it so it cured and dried. Then on the third coat I applied fiberglass over all the seams and epoxied below and on top of it so it stuck and gave more structural support. I added 3 more coats after that for a total of 6 coats which is about the amount needed to have 40 mils thickness.



I'll answer more questions such as the filtration, glass, overflow box, glass, braces, and anything else you guys are interested in. Remember, this thread is on The Reef Tank, Reef Central, and 3Reef to get it out to more people. If you are going to start a build you can message me if needed and as I like to say,



Happy reefing to all, and to all a goodnight! :funny:

Radion gen3 day 1... I have a nightime schedule question

Hi, I ran my lights and noticed that they went off at 1am... I want to use the moon phase option, do I need to set up night time schedule points and will they strengthen and weaken depending on the moon phase? As scheduled right now (started with high color preset and tweeted it to be in the middle of high growth and high color) it didn't seem to have anything at night. Thanks for the advice in advance

uk based marine forum

is there a uk based reef forum not that this one is bad but you all seam from the states not thats a bad thing but i am from uk so was just wondering

Red Sea Coral Pro or Reef Crystals

If you had to choose between Red Sea Coral Pro and Reef Crystals, which would you choose and why?