To Tang or not to Tang?

I have always been fascinated with the Yellow Tang, and wanted to get one. However, my tank is just over a month old, and has done it's initial cycle, as well as start growing unsightly algae, at the moment I have diatom algae, and green hair algae as well as some red hair which a very large turbo snail has been eating. With that being said, should I get a yellow tang, and let him decimate the algae, with my tank being so new? I have an emerald crab(very small), I bought 5 turbo snails, 4 small and 1 large.. The 4 small snails never did a **** thing until they died, meanwhile the 1 large snail has been an absolute beast and eaten all kinds of stuff on rocks. I also have 5 hermit crabs, and 2 damsel fish, both very small



My tank is 75 gallons, everything but the snails is thriving. So should I get the yellow tang and let him help me eradicate this green hair algae I'm starting to get? One other question, do turbo snails typically not do anything in your tank? Like I said, I bought 5, only one of them has done anything, and he was big when I got him.

ID Help Please!

Hello,



Posted earlier asking about some white snow flake looking growth on my live rock. Since then, I have seen more growth along with green algae on it.



Does anyone know what this is or how to go about identifying?



Tank Info: 1/4 mysis shrimp cube 3x week. Pinch of red pellet fish food everyday. 1 Tang, 2 Clown, 3 Damsels, a couple mushrooms and an anemone.



125G reef with 30G sump - ASM g-2 Skimmer

Levels: Temp 79-80.5

PH: 8.05

Salinity: 38-40



Thank you!

Anemone/Coral Compatability

I was wondering what Corals do you guys think would survive on this rock next to my anemone. Also this is my first anemone so I am new to their weird habits. Is it normal for them to close for 2 days and then open fully and looks nice until it decides to close again?

Bubbles on my sandbed?

Okay so I've made quite a few changes in the past couple of days and now I'm noticing bubbles in my sandbed...but only where the cyano algae is located. Not really sure what caused the bubbles or if it's a good sign or bad. Here are the changes I made.



- Increased my LED intensity and dropped them from 11 hours to 8 hours



- Added a frag tank. Nothing is in it just plumbed it into the system



- Upped the size of my return pump



- Replaced carbon and added gfo. I haven't ran gfo for a few months because I kept forgetting to order more



- Upped the flow in my tank by adding a new powerhead. I also reloacted the position of the old ones to try and get more flow on the sandbed



I've been battling a cyano outbreak for weeks now. My ro/di was bad and I probably did 3 water changes with pretty much straight tap water and didn't know it. Are these bubbles a good sign or a bad one do you think?

ICH, New Fish, and methods and head spinning!

Talk about feeling in over my head! I'm only a week and a half into my empty cycling tank and I'm already afraid adding any fish period in 3-5 weeks!! It seems like every fish might have ich or some kind of disease when they leave the LFS according to all these threads.



I picked up a 10 G QT tank yesterday to setup but it seems the TTM is better (got all the info I need so far from saltcreepette thanks again). I read people quarantine their fish 8 weeks no matter what but at the same time say use meds as a last resort.



I guess I'm still confused. So we want to QT our fish to make sure they are disease free, however if they do have diseases we want to use meds last? I think I've got that the TTM is for when they have ich but it also seems like you should just do it with a new fish no matter what (seems like it would add more stress than just a trip from the LFS).



I haven't started my QT because I don't know if I should if I'm gonna be using TTM. Am I right in that its best to have a full time QT running and let's say my fish has Ich, I can just do TTM to fix that disease? Or of there is no ich but there is velvet, I can treat in the QT to get them better?



I'm already stressed out and I don't have a single fish yet! I want to keep my DT as clean as possible from disease and chemicals.

gobies and vacuuming sand?

I am not at the point of adding fish yet and a goby is on my list, but not at the top. I am keeping sand for aesthetic purposes and plan to vacuum it with each water change. But if I have a goby that makes a burrow (or jawfish) will I be destroying his home? Should I avoid vacuuming near the burrow or will they just build it again after I finish? Just thinking ahead here.

coral hind grouper with ich

I've recently started a new tank and used base rock to keep parasites and hitch hikers down to a minimum. Well I felt the need to seed my tank with purple coroline and picked up a rock from Petco. My new grouper has ich I believe. My buddy had a new bottle of herbtana that I could use, so I'm giving that a try for now. Has anyone had luck with this before. He's been scratching himself for 3 days now. How long does this last and could the rock from Petco have had the parasite in/on it? Will this kill my fish?

Help!! High Nitrite / nitrate / ammonia levels

I have an Oranda and a black Moor. They started acting weird sitting at the bottom of the tank and really gasping. I recently changed my filter setup because the old one died. I think this caused a biological crash thus starting a new cycle. I went and got a liquid freshwater master test kit today and was shocked to find A nitrate level of 160 ppm and nitrite at around 1.0 ppm ammonia somewhere between .25 & .50. I was hoping it was swim bladder but after a week of constant pea shucking and making sure the filter was clean I figured it was something bigger. Can anyone tell me if there is a way of lowering these levels quickly and safely? I found and rescued these guys from an abandoned house. They were, as far as I could tell left alone with no food and no filter for two months if that is possible. That was a year ago. They've come to far to just let them them die without a fight. I Did a 25% water change today and plan on another tomorrow. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Meeting Sept. 11?

Hello All,



Last months meeting was pretty thin, we discussed having a house meeting in Sept. I am willing to host and am looking at Sept. 11 in the evening, say maybe 7? I'd buy a variety of soda and maybe some snacks. I'd like whoever that can make it to attend. I took a new job and am being pushed to make my classroom as hands on as possible, so, I am going to be adding some tanks but want/need help/opinions on how to make it as useful teaching as possible.



I'd prefer if everyone shoots me a P'm so I can get a headcount and estimate how much drinks/snacks to get. I'll respond with my address. Also, let me know if you'd rather meet at my house or in my classroom.



Hope your summer is going well!



Robb

algae help.

i have a 180g with a 75g sump. lately i have been noticing brown algae growing on the glass and over the sand and some green bubble algae as well growing on the rocks. so i decided to buy some algae to try to fight back the growth but i don't think its working. i changed the lightbulb to 1650 lumens (day white) and i don't think that is woking ether.



parameters.



salinity: 1.024

ph.8.2

ammonia.0

nitrites.0

nitrates. <5

phosphates.<10

calcium. (api) 420

kh(api).7



water changes every 10 days.



temp 78



lights in the main display go on from 8:30 to 8:30 with a 3 hour sunrise and sunset. and as soon as they go off the light in the sumo comes on until the next morning.



feed once a day. (2ice when ever i can). brine shrimp, pellets and algae sheets.



i have 4 tangs, 1 angel, 1 leopard wrasse, 3 clownfish, 2 shrimps a couple of news an frags.



any thoughts?

Protein Skimmer in 29g Biocube?

Hey all,

I was thinking of purchasing a protein skimmer for my 29 gallon Biocube. I've read that they are helpful, and while I'm not planning on relying on it to keep the tank super clean (still planning on doing all the regular water changes etc.) I think it might be a good addition. My question is, I've seen the placement of a skimmer on In-Tank in the 2nd chamber after the media basket. I currently have the media basket but am only running filter floss, no chemicals at this time. My question is, a protein skimmer is supposed to remove the pieces of food etc floating around the water correct? Would placing it after the media basket with the filter floss defeat the purpose? Isn't the filter floss going to catch most of the bigger pieces of detritus?



Thanks in advance!

saw this in a commercial today.

http://ift.tt/1qh8mxb



Just thought it was funny watching it and how it "self cleans". This couldn't possibly work and keep paramaters good could it? That and it's way to small for any fish to live in..

Neon goby "scraping" fish?

I just got a neon goby in my tank. I also have a green chromis which lets the goby clean him. The goby appears to be "scraping" my fish. Is he trying to hurt my chromis?

how much food?

Hey everyone could anyone tell me how many pellets I can throw in my tank. With 3 total fish?

Anemones-Back to the Basics

When I got a marine aquarium, I made it my goal to eventually create a reef system. I think the time is ripe to add the first addition to my currently reef-less system. A couple qestions about the nems........



No matter how hard I research, there's always conflicting information about anemone care. First off, what are the proper basic water conditions for nems? Are they similar to other invertebrates? Secondly, what should I expect from the anemone? Is it supposed to wander around or stay still? Should they somtimes detach and float around the tank? Lastly, what nem do you recommend and why? I'm thinking either a BTA or Haitian anemone, which is a kind of condylactus. Are there special care requirements for any anemone?



Tank stats: 90 gallon aquarium running for one year, asm skimmer in sump, two koralia 850 powerheads, monthly 40% water changes

Ammonia:0

Nitrite:0

Nitrate: 13-15ish ppm

1 yellow tang, 2 bangaii cardinals, 1 black ocellaris clown, 1 lyretail anthias

Thanks for responding to my long and noobish thread.

Happy Labor Day

Hope everyone has a fun and SAFE Labor Day, :dance:

Time to give it another go

Well I'll be picking up a melanous fairy wrasse after work today. It's the end of August so that means I'll be getting another heater as well since septmebers can bring wild temp changes. I'm also thinking about grabbing some chaeto to see if my cleaning regime is lowering nutrients. Will a standard house light grow it?



My buddy offered to sell me his magnificent snowflake clowns, he told me he bought them for 400$, I offered 40$ lol but if I do I won't put them in for 2-3 weeks.



I also found another seastar in my tank, this one is black and is about 1/4 the size of the other one I found on the frag I got last week (went in the 10g not the tank I'm about to put the wrasse in) so far I've been able to keep everything alive except for fish -.-

stocking 5 foot aquarium help.

Hi,I am thinking of setting up a 60x21x19 (L,D,H) aquarium. FOWLR.



For filtration I want a sump with a Aquaone Protein Skimmer G224 and a refugium.The refugium will be lit 20-21 hours a day.I don't want it to be 24/7 as the bulb may overheat ect.



I want to use LED's for lighting.



I am wanting to use 60%:40% ratio for rock (dead:live)



Water changes really depend on the fish.I am thinking something like 25-30% every 3-6 weeks,or something like that.



Now,I am living in a small bungalow,so the very largest tank I could fit in would be a 5 foot,so no bigger.It will be in the wall.



Now I am thinking what fish I would like!I am using liveaquaria to look at different species,and seahorse aquariums. (Irish)



I like surgeonfish,tangs,angelfish, blennies,dottybacks/basslets, clownfish and toby pufferfish.I am not a big fan of wrasse fish.



Now,I can not possibly get a larger tank,so I know I am quite limited to the fish I can have in a 5 foot system.I also like lionfish and scorpionfish but I want fish that are more active,and that can't sting me lol!



So out of what I listed what would you suggest for me?I know there are LOADS of tangs,angels ect but I like 99% of each!



Thanks :)

Koi

I'd like to thin the herd in my pond before winter. I have several large koi to trade. LMK if you have a pond or a good home.

my sand is horrible.

I have a 55g with I believe 40 pounds??? Of sand. Tank is almost a year old. Everything I buy to help turn over my sand doesn't work out. Sand bed is 1-2 inches deep.

My sand bed is disgusting, it develops spots in the sand and grosses me out. I've had nassarius snails, which get eaten by my orange spot demon goby. Sand cucumber wanted nothing to do with the sand and instead lives happily in the rocks. Sand conch eats the daylights out of hair algae and hates the sand. I recently bought a sand star and 3 of his legs are broken off at his body, but he's still alive so I'll leave him be I suppose. What can I get to help turn my sand? I periodically stir it up and it looks beautiful again, but quickly turns nasty again. Advice? Parameters are good, fish are happy and healthy, just gross sand.

Going LARGE

Hi all, as I am pretty new here I just wanted to ask for some input on my upgrade. I Bought a used Marine land 265 gallon tank and stand yesterday!!!!! It was my 50th birthday gift to my self. :)



I presently have a 155 gallon flat back hex acrylic tank with a butcher block oak stand that I built. The stand weighs 3 times what the tank does- very elegant and very heavy. Any way as Tencore is out of business I have no idea what my 155 gallon set up is worth- I am only asking as I am try to offset some of the cost for the new 265.



My first question with regards to the 265 is should I cycle the tank with new SW or should I use my old tank water and then add the additional new SW. As there is 110 gallon difference would this be detrimental to my live stock?



The ML tank has corner over flows, should I run two sumps and a center return tank? So many ideas are going thru my head I just don't know where to start. I want to prioritize this build in an affordable way yet have a killer system. BTW, my present set up is in it's tenth year, I was told it is known as a lagoon reef- I like this tank I just need more room for my critters. Been reading a lot and I have come across what is known as "old tank syndrome" could this be a problem for me?



Any ideas? :beer:



Thanks

90 gallon predator tank inhabitants?

I have a 90 gallon tank laying around the house and would prefer not to do a freshwater tank... So a cool predator tank is on the menu.

I have only a few months experience with saltwater (90 gallon reef tank which is doing better since I got a Refractometer and got rid of the hydrometer).

My question is can I put the following fish in?

1 fumanchu lionfish

1 Picasso trigger

1 snowflake eel

1 blue spiny lobster

1 porcupine puffer

1 sea apple



The tank is going to be live sand. Some live rock and a fake reef.

Would this work? I know triggers can be picky against lions.... But hoping it won't be too much of a big deal.

The filtration system will be the same as my coral tank. Coralife 125 gal sump, external skimmer for 125 gal and a 9.5 mag drive pump

New to Reef Tanks and need some advice

Hi all, I have been reading up on this and am learning a lot, so thank you all for helping out. I am getting ready to start to assemble my tank in a few weeks and wanted to get some advise from you all. Here is a brief description of my setup, I guess my question is more do I need anything else and are there things I don't really need.



265g Display Tank (Located on first floor)

90g sump (located in basement) - My idea is to part it in 4 chambers - Socks, Skimmer, Refugium, Return with heater.

UV (Wont turn on in beginning and may only have on for a few hours a day)-is it needed ??

ATO

Apex Gold

RO Filter

Return Pump

2 - Power heads

3 - 2' LEDs

Tank will have about 200# of "Live Rock" and about 18 bags of sand



My biggest confusion is Reactors and Dosing. I know I wont need them till I add my corals but I would prefer to have everything set up now and ready to go. I know I read somewhere that I can set up dosing through my Apex but is that the way to go? Some people are telling me no way I would need a reactor, I know I will be getting different views from here but I am also hopeful that I will be able to come out of this a lot wiser.

Marine Aquarium advice.

Hi,I am thinking of giving marines another try.I have had a 15 gallon in the past.



I am deciding on getting either a 4 foot or 5 foot aquarium.Which do you think would be best?



Once I have decided I will start looking more into stocking it :)

Do these fish have special feeding requirements?

Hi there,

I was doing research on flagfin angelfish and lawnmower algae blennies,and many sites say these fish have special feeding requirements.Could you please tell me what they are?

Thanks :)

Sunday coming around

Good mawnin', TRT!



Coffee's ready for us early risers, and there's some ready to be turned on later. Let's have pancakes this AM! All kinds of offerings to don yours as you wish: VT maple syrup, blueberries, stewed local apples, peaches, nanners... I bet Dave sill cook some bacon crisp or half-cooked ;)



Both USC and Clemson were slaughtered this week. I'm not a fan for either, but we'll have a lot of sad folks around here. Wofford (pronounced like wawferd) lost to GA Tech, but not as bad as the two biggies in SC.



Lots of love and hugs and peace to everyone.

I finally setup my frag tank

I've been thinking about setting up a fragtank for a while but when I thought about having to drill the holes and redo the plumbing I always decided not to do it. Well the other day I just went for it.



I used to have the 40g breeder that is on the floor on top of the stand. I moved that to the floor and will use that as the sump. I added another 40g breeder since it would fit perfectly in the old spot. I drilled 2 holes for 1" bulkheads. I have one of my overflows flow into the fragtank and the other flow directly into the sump. From the fragtank the overflow flows into the sump. Currently I have the skimmer pump running and exiting into the frag tank but I'm going to move the feed pump to the sump and probably keep the skimmer outlet in the fragtank. Anyways here is the picture of it set up and working.







My fishroom is a mess the next picture wont be this cluttered

Need help picking out a heater for 10 gal

I need help choosing a good reliable heater for my ten gallon reef tank I purchased one about a weak ago a petco 100 watt but it started making poping sounds so I returned it and need help choosing a nice good heater for a ten gallon.

Upgrading Tank Size

Im upgrading my 30 gal to a 75 gal on thursday and Im pumped. I already have a plan on how im going to do it and im using pre mix water. how long before i can start adding inverts, fish, rock, corals, etc. thanks

Full siphon help

So I have a home-made overflow because I have no overflow boxes. My overflow consists of a PVC pipe that is cut to mimic the notches in an overflow and it is connected to the bulkheads in my tank. The holes are only 3.5" from the top of the tank (my fault for poor planning).



My water draining down my 2 drain pipes is loud (1" pipes). I thought I had it under control only to find a blockage on my return pump so I had very slow flow. Fixed that and now it's loud again.



I am thinking of going full siphon, since I have 2 holes. But I have 2 potential issues before I try this that I'd like advice on. First is no overflow box and second is the height of my holes being so close to the top.



So my first question is can the siphon drain be put deeper by simply using a 90 and lowering it in the water so it's about 6" from the top of the other drain? Can the other drain, which should have a small trickle use a piece of my home made notched pipe to get some surface skimming. Below is a pic of the current home made overflow.









Basically I'd just cut a piece of this and keep it much like it is now, but only connected to one drain, adjusted to the water top depth, and capped at the end. My understanding is that the valve on my siphon drain will allow me to adjust the water level and hence allow the second drain to have very slow flow down it.



Does this make any sense? Or any other ideas? I really don't want to add overflow boxes now and I'm not sure they'd help much with the noise anyhow.

Just got my first clown :D what else?

I just got my first clownfish. It's a cinnamon clownfish. I was wondering what other fish I can add to go along safely with my new fish. I'm gonna wait a few weeks to make sure everything is okay

Biocube lighting

I want to switch from stock lighting to LED on my coralife biocube 29g. Not sure how many LED strips I need or what to get. Anyone have any advice on this? also could changing lights to LED stress fish?



Thanks

Getting into SPS

Hey reefers,

I recently transfered my 40 breeder to a 65g, and i really want to get into SPS. I currently have a 4 bulb T5 fixture, and if I would be able to grow SPS with the T5s. I don't think I can. I know that radions are very popular, but they seem expensive too me. Just want some help.

Too Hot!!!

My tank is 87 degrees! I'm not sure if my heater is malfunctioning or if bumped the knob when I was cleaning and re-aquascaping yesterday. I've turned it off but am wondering if I should try lowering the temp manually or let it drop on it's own? Fish look okay. Zoas and jasmine don't care. Toadstools and duncans look angry. Kenya's are a little limp but not completely closed down.

Feed dwarf seahorses

I am starting a five gallon seahorse tank and I wants to know what to feed thim. I've read a lot online about how you feed them live brine shrimp. And I also read that you have to hatch them yourself. But when I went to the LPS, they said you can just feed him anything if they are captive bred. Is this true? I would like help ASAP. The 5 gallon tank is under cycling right now. It's been cycling for about a week right now. It has life rock and plenty of stuff for the seahorses to branch on to

yellow tang a bully?

I've had my 2 clowns in my tank for 2 days now. First fish ever, my pet store told me to add a yellow tang because there peaceful full. I add him not to long ago and my clowns are afraid of him. The tang chases them up into the top right corner where my heaters at. Then the yellow tang will swim away the clowns come back down. And then the tang comes back and they swim right back up in that corner. Is it normal for yellow tangs to do that? I read online that tangs will chase your fish for a few days just to prove they don't wanna be messed with. Is that true or can anyone give me some advice?

LED string acting up

I built an LED system 2 1/2 years ago and all has been well until today. I have a 4 strings (2 blue and 2 white) with each string driven by its own driver. I also have a Typhoon dimmer wired in. The problem is one of my white strings is only firing up to about 10% power. I swapped drivers with the other white string and still the lights barely came on. That pretty much eliminates a bad driver. I did notice about a month ago that one of the lights in the center of the string was out but all the others in the string were lighting normally. That seems like a bulb issue with that one light. If it was a wiring issue (loose or disconnected) the whole string would go out because they are in series.



It is going to be a pain to take the lighting fixture in and out so I would like to get a good handle on what needs to be done before I pull everything apart.



Can somebody throw some ideas my way. I am thinking (hoping) that the dead LED is the reason. That is a relatively easy fix but why was the string running okay for a month with that LED out?

mushroom id

is this red cyano??

par meter test results

So our local club has an apogee par meter that a borrowed to test my tank. I have a 155g bowfront with 3 reefbreeder value fixtures. tank is 24 inched deep.

I have the blues set at about 75% and the whites at about 65%



I am getting mid 300's at the top of the tank and 90-100 at the bottom. I have a squamosa on the bottom that does good and various sps throughout the tank.

Should I be concerned that the par is so low on the bottom? I know par is different with leds but not sure whats ideal. I also have a gig anemone on the bottom that also does ok.



Thanks for any input.

Softie Lighting Suggestions

Ugh, lighting specs are making my head spin...



I have a 55g reef tank - the standard 48" long, 18" deep. I only have softies (but have thought about getting an LPS or two) and was looking to upgrade my lighting. My current led's are supporting them and some are growing, albeit slowly, but I'd like to see them thrive. With just softies, I was hoping to get away with something under $200 and have found a couple that have interested me but the specifics are making my eyes glaze over.



The two I thought were possible contenders were the Current USA Orbit and the Aquatic Life Edge LED's - both 48". Could anyone tell me if either of these would be a good choice or if they're a waste of money? And if they are good, which is the better one? Thanks for any help!

Help Please!

Someone Please help me, Tell me if you can a Peppermint Shrimp and a Niger Trigger live in a 90 gallon tank together. I have a problem with aptasia's and want the peppertmint shrimp for that.:confused:

__________________

Is BRW (bizarre reefin women) Club dead?

I lost my sig tag and have been inactive for a while, but if it's still going, I'd like to put it back in my sig ;)

Saturday, up 'n atem!

Good mawnin', TRT!



Coffee is ready. Scrambled eggs with cheese, cowboy taters, Texas toast and all kinds of fruit...nannners, peaches, APPLES!, blueberries. Now who will cook what meat for us?



Doug - looks like you got the healing powers with you on that foot. Try to keep it attached, though ;)



Perry! - What a mess at work. Hope you can enjoy your days off.



Off to Hub City Farmer's Market. Always a good visit, and today the flute ensemble that Bobbi plays in will be there.



Lots of love and hugs and peace to everyone.

Holiday SATURDAY!

Good Morning, Everyone! :)



Mostly sunny and hot for the holiday weekend. Painters coming back and hopefully finish up the house today. $hocking what a gallon of good quality $tain cost$ these day$. :eek:



Eating healthy this morning with bran flakes, raisins and nanners. Folger's to wash it down with, of course.





Sorta odd first football weekend. VOLS play Utah State tomorrow in a rare Sunday evening game.



Really busy past couple of days with work and then yesterday, started out here with county officials swearing in ceremonies; then to another county for a retirement luncheon for a retiring old friend and colleague; then on to a different county for another old friend's retirement party. Lots of handshaking, hugging and speechifying but a good day. :agree:



Breakfast for the Tiger Swallowtails is sipping sweet nectar through that long proboscis from the thistles in Cades Cove.







Have a Satisfactory Saturday!



Dick:)

allergies from fish tank?

My reef tank has been up and going for over a year now. Several size upgrades ending with a 90 gal dt and 30 gal sump. My kids allergies have been getting bad since June now. My wife is blaming the fish tank. Any thoughts would be great. I am leaning towards my 5 year old started daycare 3 months ago and started school this week.

BTA Split

So i was lying in bed this moring/afternoon and as soon as my tank light turned on i turn to see my BTA has split! First off i was amazed then i realised my poor gonipora got knocked off its pearch and he isn't looking too good, don't know if he will make it but still has green polyps so im hoping for the best.



You can see my BTA isn't looking too crash hot, i know part of being away for a 5 week holiday and lack of time has meant for some poor husbandry but i've got water mixing up for a big water change. Should i be hand feeding these guys since they have reduced in size now with some pieces of prawn? (shrimp)



Thanks

I feel stupid and my tank is great

So hi I'm new to the saltwater tank keeping stuff and I used a lot of advice and for a week now my 20g long has been..perfect. Except for day 1 and day 2 and a little of day three. Those days there was an algae bloom and after that I added 6 blue hermits and on day 2 and day three I added live rock, and here I am a week later looking at a beautiful little tank and wondering why it isn't cycling anymore both the hermits and live rocks are thriving and I'm so confused because I thought this was supposed to take months?? Advice? Help? Slap in the face?

Lighting combination enough for good growth?

Hello all,



Currently I have a 36" Reef Brite actinic LED fixture. I have had my eye on the ecoxotic Panorama. My question is, would a 48" ecoxotic paired with the 36" actinic be sufficient lighting for LPS and maybe a couple SPS (near the top)? my tank is a 55 gallon. Also, any experiences or other recommendations are welcome, as I am not settled on ecoxotic quite yet. Thanks in advance

Current USA Orbit Marine

Hi everyone,



I have a 40 gallon long tank and i am starting to get some soft corals (total newbie here). I am currently using an old dual zoomed T5 fixture that i believe needs to be upgraded soon.

I have been looking at the Current USA Orbit Marine 48-60" as it fits my budget (<$200) and has some nice features.

Now i know that some would favor upgrading to a T5 4 bulb fixture but the tank is narrow (48x13x16) so a fixture that wide will make it very inconvenient for maintenance and aeration of the tank as well.:rolleyes:



- I am planning to get mostly soft corals

Now the setup:

- the tank is only 16" deep and the rock work allows for placing corals on different heights

- The orbit light will only be like 2-3 inches above the water line



Can i get away with that light for growing some soft corals? i heard mixed opinions so a bit confused here.



Fixture Specs: 46 Watts (96 Dual Daylight/96 Dual Actinic LEDs, 192 LEDs Total)



Anyone had experiences with this fixture?



thanks

starting a white worm cultuer

so with all the talk of worms around here i had decided to start my own culture. finding a starter culture was actually a little difficult, not due to the lack of suppliers but that it is so hot nobody wanted to ship them. but i got one seller off ebay to sell me 2 8oz containers... well the shipping did take a toll on them just as i was warned. So lots of my worms escaped their containers and died in the box... they smelled pretty bad too, but some were still alive so im hopeful. i made my mix of organic peat moss and soil and dumped the containers in the center of the box but some were still on the shipping containers, so i sat them in the box hoping maybe a few would migrate over.



so as of right now the box is just settling down for now and i plan on feeding them tomorrow just havent decided what yet. i totally forgot to take pictures, so ill add some soon. also i want to add a fish oil or supplement to the food of some kind when im ready to feed them to my fish, but im not sure what kind or brands either.



if anyone has any suggestions please fill me in this is literally the first time i have ever grown anything as food

betta fish trouble(?)

i know this isnt reef topic, but i couldnt find a forum on this site for this...ANYWAYS... I have a ten gallon tank with a halfmoon double tailed dragon scaled plakat betta :arg: along with a sterbai cory, 4 ghost shrimp, and 3 neon tetras. the water parameters are perfect, no aggression in the tank whatsoever... its a planted tank with a filter and a heater. well one day the betta flared at the cory for a split second and one of his gills got stuck in that position! :( he is still the most active fish in the tank and eats like a pig, with no problems breathing. it doesnt seem to bother him, but it agitates me i feel like it takes away his beauty a little on that side. still a gorgeous betta. i got him at petco as a replacement betta. i wasnt planning on buying one there but he REALLY caught my attention and i had to get him (this means he is one of the most prettiest bettas ive ever seen cuz i dont like plakats that much). dos that have anything to do with his strange problem? is it life threatening? i jsut want to know what it is cuz really weird and never happened to my other bettas...

Nudibranch??

Bought a piece of pipe organ coral today and this little guy appeared after I put it in the tank (stayed hidden throughout the dip!). Nudibranch? I'm not good with killing things, would it be horrible if he stayed in the tank?

25 gallon stock list help

So my 25 gallon reef tank will be ready for fish and corals within a week or two.

I have a few questions regarding fish, corals, inverts & bio-load. The following is a list of fish, inverts & corals I want to introduce to my tank with time.



2 clown fish

1 pistol shrimp/watchman goby pair

1 cleaner shrimp

1 blenny

1 sand shifter goby

2 hermit crabs

1 blue claw crab

1-2 snails

Cabbage leather coral

Green star polyp

1 anemone ( hosted by clowns )



Questions:

1. Is this an appropriate livestock list for the size of my tank? I am willing to let go of one clown fish, blue claw crab and the sand shifter goby if needed.



2. What should I introduce to my tank first and why? (I do not think a CUC will survive in my tank off the bat... I think they will starve).



3. When I add the first livestock, how long should I wait before i introduce anything else to the tank? I want to create the appropriate bio-load that my tank can handle

is my pagoda dying? should i remove it

a week ago my pagoda started to look like it was shedding of some sort now it is begining to get holes in the tissue and fall off. should i remove it or just try to see if it will recover? also will it pollute the rest of the tank if it is starting to die? my tank paramaters are all good so its not from my water but alk was in the 11 dkh range which was about 2 ppm higher than usual.

Long finned clowns

Sustainable Aquatics,introduces long finned clowns. I'm trying to post a pic but it won't let me !!!!!

Sump Flow

So when I picked my return pump I based it on 4-7 x per hour turnover rate, but I did that based on my total water volume display + sump.



Recently I read a post where someone said it should be based just on the volume of the sump, is that right? I'm thinking it must be since I've had to throttle the flow way down with a valve to get it to the point where stuff will settle. This has made my pump/return line vibrate like crazy and the noise is annoying...



I'm thinking its time for a different (smaller) return pump, can anyone recommend a good QUIET pump for a 40B with a 20G sump? It will have about a 3ft head to reach the display



Thanks!

Had to go old school on a ETSS 1700 Skimmer??

So I just picked up a Etss 1700 Skimmer and will be using it on my next build for a 200-250 gallon system!! I like the old school downdraft Etss skimmers they have worked in the past and still work for me now as I am using a Etss 800xr for my mixed reef 75g and it pulls nasty dark junk from my 75g, and I like these models due to it being Plankton friendly!!

This skimmer came with a iwaki 100rlt just wanted some suggestions on how this skimmer has worked out for other Reefers who used this model? The person I bought it from told me that this skimmer came off of "BOB Moores" system!!! And I also purchased all the rock that also came from BOBs tank!! I personally haven't met BOB yet but would be homered to meet the Man!! Thoughts please on this model skimmer? ETSS 1700 I can post pics after a couple of more posts!!

I feel like such an idiot

So I've been buying corals and putting them in my tank for years. They start out looking really good and then slowly fad to a blah color. It happens over months though so I never really "noticed" it. I just assumed it was different lighting in the LFS and it just appeared to look different.



Anyways yesterday I bought a module to control my AI LEDs and I was playing with the intensities. I turned them up quite a bit and I really liked the color in my tank. I was worried about light intensity though so I started doing some research on lighting intensity. I then came to the realization that all my corals were turning brown due to too little light. I was running my LEDs at 45% intensity.



I can't believe it's taken me this long to realize that my once beautiful colors no longer look the way they used to. After reading thread after thread I looked at my tank and went "man everything in my tank is so brown looking". I feel like such an idiot :D

beginner starting sal water tank

So I have a 29 gallon tank that I have purchased. ( 30X12X18) I decided I want to start a salt water aquarium. I have been doing research and aware of the equipment ill need. Just want some input on if there is anything else that I will need, any suggestions, or something they would refer or recommend.



live rock

sand

heater

salt

protein skimmer

hydrometer lighting



also what are some specifications and considerations for having anemones in the tank?



thanks

10% Off With Code MACNA10

In celebration of this years MACNA conference, please use code MACNA10 to receive 10% off your order.



Sale ends 9/1/14

http://ift.tt/1jfL5cF





Normal exclusions apply. Please see the link below for exclusions and all the details.

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Plumbing my tank this weekend.

Hi everyone,



I have my new tank creation, 65gal predrilled with a 1inch drain and 3/4 return in the family room with my 40 to 45 gal sump/fuge in the wet room outside in my patio closet 28 feet away. I'm running 28ft of 1 inch for my drain line and 28 ft of 3/4 for the return line.



Should I leave it 3/4 the whole way, 26ft or make it 1inch pvc up to the tank as it goes into the 3/4 bulkhead???



I know I keep promising pictures to post and I will soon. Thanks

LED 26 bow front

Hey guys just wanted share this video of some LED lighting I did. Just was wondering if this will be good for coral. Its a small 26 bow front tank so I didn't think buying a $200.00 LED system would be any better. let me know what you think thanks.





http://ift.tt/1n4lCES

Labor Day Weekend Blowout!

We are continuing our Labor Day deals with a weekend blowout!



We've got a free T-shirt offer, a free powerhead offer and even a free automatic fish feeder offer from Neptune Systems!



Don't miss out on EcoTech's Sizzlin' Summer Sales Event (ends midnight Sunday EST)!



Don't forget to enter the final week of our API "August to Remember" Sweepstakes! There will be 3 winners this week!!!

New to saltwater and thank you

Hello TRT,

First off I would like to thank you Bcz I have borrowed a lot of what has been posted to get my first saltwater tank up and running. And successfully I might add. However, I do have a few questions about the setup I have chosen etc....

So the first tank I a 90gal (48x18x26). Has a rio 9.5 pump, Coralife sump (for a 150) and a Coralife skimmer (also for a 150). I have 2 LED lights. The first is a Marineland 48-60 Reef Capable and the other is a ZooMed 50 white LED (1 watt each) and 18 blue. I would like to,in time be able to grow skeletal and SPS, LPS Coral. Would this setup work?

I did do a water change a few days ago and some of the corals I have now aren't too happy (mushroom). I took the water to the store and they said my salt was low 1.020. I started adding salt slowly (Red Sea Pro and an Aqua Sea Refractometer). Am I on the right track? Missing anything?



I have another tank the same size and would like to do a predator tank, no coral live rock and sand.... What would be needed for keeping them happy? Stuff like lion, trigger, puffer snowflake eel. If at all possible.



Thank you guys again for the info that has been posted. It has helped me a ton already.

Help with ACCLIMATION

Alright, so i used pre mixed salt water bought from my local pet store, its the same water that holds the fish in his tanks, but he takes it where he stores his cured live rock, he said to just let them sit in the bag inside the tank for 10 mins then drop them in with the water in the bag too, this morning one clown fish was dead being eaten by the crabs and one was just fine and well, but when we added them last night the one that died, seemed to be acting funny when we put him in the tank. So im thinking he was stressed or that he was sick when we got him. Whats the best way to acclamation the fish so this doesn't happen again

20% off Site-Wide!

We are having a 1-week site-wide sale at our livestock boutique, Marine Depot Live!



Enjoy 20% off all corals, crabs, snails, shrimp and starfish with coupon code 2COOL4SCHOOL



All corals are WYSIWYG and orders over $200 ship FREE!

How much room do you leave for frags?

So a friend and I are filling out a 265 gallon display with coral for work. We want our (well, work's) money to go as far as possible and bring in a lot of variety and color, so we're doing mostly frags. It will look silly at first, but I think people will enjoy seeing it grow in over time.



I'm trying to think strategically and long-term though. I want to make sure we're not putting things too close together so that they crowd each other out in a year.



Corals will be lots of SPS, maybe some encrusting LPS and a few zoas. LPS and zoas I feel pretty comfortable with, SPS is a new world for me.



Does anyone have any recommendations on, say, how many types of branching SPS, how far to set frags apart, etc?



Thanks TRT.

Dead clown fish

Well, last night i bought 2 clown fish, both are new fish and the only fish i put in the tank for the first time, one of them seemed normal but the other one just didn't fit in well with the tank, he just stayed in one spot acting funny, idk if he was stressed cause we did it right so they wouldn't get stressed when adding the fish, i woke up this morning, and all my blue leg crabs were on one of them eating him, it was dead, i checked out levels, there all good, the salt level was good, and the temp was perfect. If that didn't kill him, any ideas on what killed my fish? The other clown is still alive and well, but is it possiable maybe he was sick when i bought him? Or did the crabs kill him?

Help!

1 need advice im gonna try and make a long story short I took down my 75 gallon in wall tank as we were doing renovations to the back room I sold most of all the livestock except for some frags and my blue tang that iv had for over a yr .I put the fish, frags,live rock and sand in a 30 gallon temporary tank . this was 3 months ago I re set up the 75 gallon the other night I moved the equipment from the 30 back to the 75 I had the water mixed and then started to add new live sand and I was gonna use some of the sand from the 30 to seed it I did not rise the new sand and the water has been cloudy for over 24hrs with no improvement I have everything running on the tank I cant see a inch in the tank and the water seems really silky my issue is that I took all the rock and sand out of the 30 including fish/coral and put them in a bucket with a heater and pump I did this caz I was trying to beat the cycle as I was reusing all the water from the 30 as well but the tank will not clear and i don't want to put them in till it does what should i do?

Too early Friday

Morning all:wavey:,



All packed up and ready to put this 40ft land yacht on the highway pointed toward Auburn In.:banana:



Gonna grab grub somewhere down the road, so it's just coffee for now.



Will plan to check in later :wavey:



Hope everyone has a great day:)

A Whale of a story in NYC

From today's AP feed...........





NEW YORK (AP) — It's probably one of the Big Apple's biggest visitors. A humpback whale has been spotted feeding just few miles from New York City. The Wildlife Conservation Society has released a photo of the majestic creature off the Rockaways area of the city. Adult humpbacks can grow to 60 feet long and weigh 40 tons. The Wildlife Conservation society runs New York City's zoos and the aquarium at Coney Island.





It's probably trying to find Paulb's tank. :)

Is it safe to use a bent piece of aluminum as a crossbar

My 55 gallon tank crossbar broke and I heard I can bend a two inch wide piece of aluminum to make a crossbar. So I did it and it's been working so far. It goes an inch and a half across the trim where it's bent on both sides. But I didn't bend it in all the way flat against the trim so it's only grabbing by the edge of the trim on bothe sides. I don't think i measured it long enough so I'm afraid to bend the ends in more. The tank doesn't bow out anymore though. Should I remeasure a longer piece and make it flat on both sides or just buy a new frame. Or if it safe the way it is. I measeured the diameter in the center and the end of the tank to see how far it bows and it's only like an eighth of an inch. Let me know what's good thanks. I'll add a pic if I need to. I'm new to this site so gotta figure it out.

Help! Ammonia and nitrite in new tank!

Well, not mine, but this is for anyone who has a new tank with livestock, or a QT quarantine tank with fish and they are getting ammonia or nitrite readings. This excellent post will help you keep your fish alive and allay your concerns that adding Prime (Seachems dechlorinator and nitrite ammonia reducer) might be ruining your cycle. It gives info on how often to re-dose, and which meds interact negatively with Prime, which is info that is helpful especially for those treating in QT, and which would have helped me tremendously back in 2005.



It also explains why using dechlorinated tap water to make up your saltwater is a bad idea (and I'm not even talking about the subsequent algae issues....this is a whole nother reason!!!)



Enjoy!!!



http://ift.tt/1pcOVug

Test

This is Chad, just making a test as a brand new member might.

Attached Images

anthelia_flame.jpg (84.1 KB)

aqua illumination led light and ecotech pump for sale plus lots of extras

im getting out of the hobby after almost 30 yrs and I just bought new stuff 3 months ago I have the aqua illumination hydra the optional remote for programming the light I also have a vortech mp10w es plus the ecotech reeflink for controlling the vortech pump from your comp im also throwing in my new refroctometer and some reef roids this all cost me about a 1000 im asking 550 for the whole thing plus ill ship it free if u would like pics send me a mess on here or text me 270210723 names jeff

Anyone ever use LEVASOLE for Planaria?

So i was browsing the forums, and stumbled upon an interesting post over on ReefCentral, I KNOW, I'm loyal to TheReefTank however it popped up during my browsing...anyways, if anyone has been having problems with Planaria/Flatworms check this out, LEVASOLE is a Pig/Sheep De-Wormer, mind you the dose is VERY small and you have to follow it to a T otherwise you risk bringing armageddon to your reef. Guess this stuff makes Flatworm Exit look useless:look:



http://ift.tt/VRxSRC



Now I do not have a reef setup as of now due to moving/life, but it's nice to know for future reference should Flatworms invade my tank after Dips.

Nitrates trouble

So my wife calked me while I was out and about and said my corals looked bad.



I have some Xenia, toadstools, mushrooms, a Duncan, and some candy corals.



My nitrates tested high, so I did a 10% water change.



How soon can I do another water change? I have enough RO to do another 10% and started it mixing.



Is it ok to do 10% change each day for several days?

Rotating powerhead?

I have a 20 gallon reef tank that was established when I got it. It came with everything including coral but no fish. 2 weeks later I bought some inverts, and now 3 weeks later I'm looking to get my first fish. Coral and inverts are doing great. Colors great and my button polyps have went from 6 heads 5 weeks ago to 12 now. My star polyps have spread a little an my mushroom has gotten a little larger. My question is are the rotating powerheads any good? I have a rio+ 800 rotating powerhead and was wondering if it will be okay for a fish since it isn't constant in one place. The coral seem to like it and my turbo snails like to take a ride on it almost daily. Will this be okay for future coral and fish?

Breaking the myth about mixing clowns

I want to break the myth about mixing different clowns in the same tank. I have a 66 gallon tank that has been up for a year. I started my tank last July and decided to make it a predominantly clown and anemone tank.



I've always thought the Fire Clown fish are cute, so are the Pink skunks. I also like the variance in Ocellaris clowns, particularly the platinum/Picasso/snowflake.



After two months in when the tank became stable, I introduced a pair of Snowflake Ocellaris, Fire, Clarkii, and Skunk all at the same time. They were confused for about the first 8 hours. The next day I awoke to a peaceful tank where the all the clowns happily coexist. Off all of them, the Skunk and Fire are the two most dominant ones.



Despite having two large Riterri nems, the Skunks wouldn't let any other clowns but themselves occupy them, where the Fire clowns claimed all four rose bubble tips. Leaving the Clarkii and Snowflake clowns without nems to host in.



I did have one medium carpet at one point, which the Snowflake took to their liking, but the carpet hem was short-lived. So instead now, the Snowflakes host the electric starburst polyps, which started out merely 4"x3" but now spread all over the rock, and they occasionally hosting in the pulsating pink Xenia.



I have a small sebae anemone, which the Clarkii clowns remain uninterested but happy not having any to nem to host in, nor did they attempted to host my two large elegance corals.

What would you want to see in a new LFS?

The title says it all. What would you want to see in an LFS which would make that the place that you always go to for all of your aquarium needs?

Creating a power outage plan

As hurricane season and blizzard season approach, I'm looking to create a power outage plan for my 20 gallon. (Freshwater 12g plan is to put a battery powered air pump in, wrap with blankets, hope for the best) I'm hoping to be able to create a plan to sustain everything for a minimum of 48 hours. I know that for this time period, oxygenation, water flow, and temperature control are important. I have purchased 2 battery powered air pumps. I plan on keeping at least 5 gallons of salt water on hand. Although I'm not a fan of additives, I've read that a bottle of Prime is a good thing to have on hand as well. I think I may look around to find a lower powered circulation pump to use for some water movement while still being energy efficient. A lot of the reading i've done on this issue seems to come from people from warmer regions, where cooling down is the issue/ice is the solution, not heating up. When we lose power, we lose heat to the house. Last year we had an indoor temp of 42 degrees at one point, so running my heater is a must. A generator is not an option for me, and I am not very tech/electrical savvy. So far my plan is to buy an inverter that can hook up to an automobile type battery, but I don't know what type I would need to supply enough power. (And I am hoping to stay under $200)



Any input/advise on this plan? Or care to share what your emergency plan is? Success or failure stories? Anything would be appreciated :)

cycling questions

New here and after a long time of lurking, I had to open a thread. I have a 100 gallon tank that I tried cycling with dead shrimp. My ammonia stays at 0.5 ppm no matter what. After 2 weeks with the shrimp, I added a 4in mininitus grouper and small green brittle starfish. After 1 week with semi heavy feeding, my numbers have stayed. I used tap water for the initial fill and it has the same ammonia reading. I've got 90lbs of base live rock and 5lbs of cured live rock. 2in sandbed of white beach sand from FL. Refugium has 5in sand bed with same sand and caluerpa aelge with a 24 hour light cycle. I'm seeing diatoms in refugium. Fish seem to be happy and hungry. Also I have many bubbles in the refugium sand, with no discoloration.

Suggestions on my 75g 25sump build?

So I just built my 75g 1.5 month ago and this is what I have so far!!

Equipment: 2 AI Sols led, 1 nova evergrow, Etss 800xr with Iwaki 40rlt, 2 mp10, fluval sea mp4 return, 25watt uv (plumbed in left overflow), dual 2" overflow, coralife 1/6 hp chiller heater!! Sump does have 3-4" of Fiji mud!!

Live stock: blue tubs zoa,other Zoa's later I will need help to ID?, pink sea fan (gargonian), pink finger leathers,green polyp toadstool, green frog spawn, Condy nem, and other corals I need help with ID?, yellow tang, frostbite clown!!

Is my cycling done?

It's been already 9 days I've been cycling my 10 gallon nano. I have 10 lbs of live sand 10 lbs of rock and used ro/di water. I've had ammonia at 1ppm and stay at .5 ppm and till today is at .5 ppm. My nitrites never spiked but my nitrates are at a strong 20ppm for the past 3 days. What should I be expecting next?

Hate algae? You'll love this sale!

Hate algae? You'll love this sale!



We are offering 15% off reverse osmosis systems, cartridges and accessories with coupon code PRELABORDAY



Best of all, when you purchase your reverse osmosis system from Marine Depot, you'll automatically receive 15% off all your replacement sediment filters, carbon filters, DI cartridges and membranes FOR LIFE.



HURRY! Sale ends TONIGHT 8/28 @ midnight!

Weird Growth on Rocks, what is it?

New reefer here, my first tank is up and running. Got some strange growth on the rocks. I got these rocks from an established tank that someone was breaking down, put them in my tank and started noticing these things. Any clues as to what they are?

Lighting Recommendation

Hi all! I'm a new member to TRT, my name is Candace and my husband and I have had a 29 gallon biocube hqi for about 4 years and we have recently upgraded to a 100 gallon.



Since we've never had a tank this big, we are stumped on what to do for lighting. We will eventually be moving all the coral over from our smaller tank, we have mixed coral (and a clam). Our new 100 gallon (with 20 gal sump) has 2 48" 54 watt high output T5s but I think we still need more light than that (without breaking the bank). We also need blue lights.



If you were me, what other lighting would you add?



Any help you can give would be fantastic.



Thanks!

Candace:help:

Hi Reefers I'm Brandon only reefing for 7yrs!!

Hi, my name is Brandon I was born on the island of Guam located in the Pacific Ocean! I have loved The ocean since I was kid and continue to do so. My little system is a 75g 25sump almost done with this build and almost ready for my next!!



Happy Reefing to all!!

Transporting fish over 2-3 hours in tupperware?

Is it safe to transport a fish in a tupperware container for 3 hours max? Is there enough oxygen exchange with the lid on it? I would assume so since they get shipped in sealed bags for many many hours. I'm just wanting to confirm that it will be okay.

99% off Red Sea salt!

Check it out.



http://ift.tt/1sK0gzu

Buy a Neptune Apex Gold, Get an AFS Free!

Neptune is running a special for MACNA! Buy an Apex Gold and get an AFS free! This only applies to orders placed during the promotion period (8/29/14 - 8/31/14).



See the blog for all the details!

http://ift.tt/1mYERzq

55g build

I guess I should probably introduce my tank and myself. I was a freshwater hobbyist for just over three years before deciding to try my hand at a reef aquarium which I have now been doing for just over a year with some succes and some failure. My tank specs are:

55 gallons

15 gallon sump

cone protein skimmer rated for 100 gallons

793 gph pump from the sump

I have about 1500gph in the tank total

LED LT fixture with cree lights

HOB filter with heavy metal absorbing pad, GFO (I am getting a reactor for this stuff however), and activated carbon

I run filter socks with a sponge pre-filter for mechanical filtration

Nitrates: 0ppm

Nitrites: 0ppm

Ammonia: 0ppm

Phosphate: 0.1ppm

calcium: around 450ppm

DKH: around 10

Temperature: 75-78

about 150 pounds of live rock throughout the system

True deep sand bed in the sump

Lighting Recommendations

Hi all! I'm a new member to TRT, my name is Candace and my husband and I have had a 29 gallon biocube hqi for about 4 years and we have recently upgraded to a 100 gallon.



Since we've never had a tank this big, we are stumped on what to do for lighting. We will eventually be moving all the coral over from our smaller tank, we have mixed coral (and a clam). Our new 100 gallon (with 20 gal sump) has 2 48" T5s but we obviously need much more light than that without breaking the bank.



If you were me, what other lighting would you add?



Any help you can give would be fantastic.



Thanks!

Candace:help:

protein skimmer/cycle question

This might be a stupid question but I'm new to this. During the cycle period, did you guys protein skimmer remove a lot of waste? Mine has only removed some dark green waste when I added the sand and that's it. Besides that it's just been fizzing like a soda this whole time. I started my cycle with dry rock and live sand on Monday (4 days ago). I cured my rock for 2 weeks before. My nitrite level, I just checked, is around 0.5ppm

Free AFS Automatic Feeding System

Neptune Systems knows many aquarium hobbyists won’t be able to make it to MACNA this weekend and felt it just isn't fair we can't all take part in the deals and specials that go on at the event.



So, this year they thought they would create a promotion that the entire USA could enjoy!



If you purchase a Neptune Systems AquaController Apex Gold System from Marine Depot from 8/29-8/31, you are eligible to receive a FREE AFS (Automatic Feeding System) so you never miss a feeding again!



"I'm sold! How do I get my AFS?"

• Buy a Neptune Systems Apex Gold AquaController System from Marine Depot from 8/29/14 to 8/31/14.


• You will need to provide Neptune Systems with a digital image (photo/scan) of your receipt from this purchase. We actually email you a receipt, but you can also view your order history on our website.


• You will need to provide Neptune Systems with a digital image (photo/scan) of the QC label on your purchased Apex Gold System.


• Head over to Neptune Systems’ website to register for your free AFS. Although the unit itself is free, you must pay a flat shipping fee of $16.25 to have your unit delivered via UPS Ground service.


• Your AFS may take up to 30 days to arrive.

Remember, this offer is only available if you purchase your Apex Gold System between 8/29-8/31. Questions? Give us a call toll-free at 1-800-566-FISH (3474).



Terms & Conditions: You must purchase your Apex Gold between 12 am 8/29/14 and 11:59 pm 8/31/14. You must submit the promotional form and pay for shipping of your AFS on Neptune Systems' website by 9/30/14 to redeem this offer. Free AFS units will be shipped to addresses in the USA only. Only one offer per household and/or email address will be honored. This offer is not valid in areas where it is not permitted by law.

New Fish!!!

Well my cycle on my tank is finally done, and after work today I'm gonna pick up some fish, i need some advise, i want 2 Ocellaris Clownfish to start off with, but i hear from other sites and forums that if you add them first, they will kill all your other fish when you add more. Is starting with a pair of clowns a good idea or should i add them second to the tank, and add a flame angel or a goby first?

Is a 15 gallon tank impossible? Seahorse

I have been researching seahorses for a while and I really want to give it a go but only have a 15 gallon tank with a power head filter which I can adjust to a low/very low flow but all the information I have read has said that my tank is to small for a average size seahorse and way to large for dwarf seahorses is this true or anyway to fix this problem without buying a new tank any info will help thank you. :)

ati sunpower keeps tripping my electric!!

Hi there..



Wondering if anyone can help..I really hope so!



I have an ati sunpower unit, I've needed to set it up quickly due to hammer coral not getting enough light. It has 2 plugs,1 with 2 bulbs and 1 with 4 bulbs.

Yesterday I plugged them in and my electric tripped out,so I figured circuit overload. Moved them to be plugged in a different socket and it worked fine for the whole evening.

This morning I then went to plug them back in, put morning 2 plug lights in and fed the fish,half hour later I went to plug the remaining bulbs in and pop it tripped my mains switch again! It was on the whole evening yesterday?!

Is this that my electric supply can't support the start up or is this a fault in the lights?

When I first got them they worked fine when I tested them,but I couldnt get them pit up right away,so they were sitting for several months..could it be as simple as a bulb on way out? Would that cause it?

I'm completely confused after they worked yesterday..

Any ideas?

Thursday stepping up for service

Good mawnin', TRT!



Coffee is ready. Let's see .....what shal we have...Whole wheat French toast! Dave's VT maple syrup or peaches. Hey, maybe some want both ;) Nanners as a chaser.



Perry - Hahaha on your fully equipped $200 boat. I'm sure you'll have fun one way or 'tother.



Jeff - Thanks to your detailed description of your attire, we should be able to spot you. Got lots of shiny quarters ready?



Off to Civitan. More planning for our annual golf tourney.



Lots of love and hugs and peace to everyone.

Happy birthday to salt creepette on 8/28!

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



HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOOOOO YOUUUUU!!!!!!

Hello im Paul

well im Paul from Sydney Australia. i got into fw tanks a few years ago but was dissappointed in the look of the fish and switched to SW. i had a very basic fish only tank for about a year untill i had a major crash in the tank and switched to reptiles. My wife wanted another SW tank after visiting the local aquarium and we went out and brought a standard 4 footer the next day. it didnt take long to fill that up considering i live within 20 minutes drive of 7 local aquarium shops so we decided we need a bigger tank. i just finished building and setting up a 4 foot by 3 foot by 2.5 foot tank and now we have lots of room for more stock.

Sponges!

Something I noticed about my live rock is that over time I realize how many sponges have appeared in and around the rocks.



The most common I seen is a pale, white-colored one that normally just encrusts rock. It's very frail to any firm touch. Sometimes it branches out, normally deep inside the rock work where I cannot see it.



Another kind is black and never branches out. It's black in color and seems to have little hairs on it.



Another encrusting is yellow, appearing in patches in crevices.



Finally and most recently is another that looks identical to the black kind, but it is the color of Coraline algae.



Tell me of sponges, friends. I'd like to know more.

40 Gallon Stocking List

Hello All, so I have decided on a final stocking list.



This is a 40 gallon breeder. with 35lbs of live rock.



-1 neon goby

-1 Flame Angel

-2 Clownfish

-1 royal gramma

-1 firefish



How does this stocking list look?

46g New Tank Build - Germywa

My best friend runs her own aquarium maintenance service and one of her clients moved and couldn't keep his tank so I got the contents. (2 clowns, some mushrooms, Zoas, and some live sand and live rock.



I converted my FW 46g to salt, gave away the fish, shrimp, and plants. I scrubbed out the canister filter and replaced the pads. I cleaned the tank till it was pristine.



I premixed my SW, added an old unopened bag of not-so-live sand. She placed the rocks after I'd done this without being able to see since the tank was a milky white. The rocks were dry base rock she had stored in her garage which we rinsed first. They had previously been washed and dried in the sun before storage. We then added the sand from the previous tank after rinsing it in NSW. The tank is starting to clear up.



Pic: (can't post pics yet, but will edit this once I reach 5 posts)



After reading through 59 pages of the Reefkeeping made easy thread, I'm starting to think I've made a huge mistake. I don't know much about saltwater but I had supplies left in my garage (aka fish closet) from when I wanted to start one years ago. So really, I don't know what I'm doing and up to this point I've relied on my friend. She is old school, her family business is my LFS and I'm wondering if maybe I'm doing things the hard way.



I have no problem with water changes and vacuuming the sand but the sand from the old tank, even after rinsing was dirty. Now I'm thinking I should remove the rock, figure out some way to raise the rock so I can get water movement underneath the base of the structure and vacuum the buhjeezus out of the sand so I don't continue down a very wrong and very dirty path.



This tank won't have a sump or overflow but I'm wondering if I should ditch the canister filter and get flow from pumps and a skimmer instead.



P.S. she is also having me dose the tank with bacteria from a bottle. I've never used that stuff on FW, I just seeded new tanks from old ones.

Hello I'm Jeremy

Hello,



I'm new to SW tanks and came upon your "reefkeeping made easy" thread in my googling. I have always been a FW guy and have kept SA cichlind, african cichlids, fancy goldfish, planted tanks, and tropical mixed tanks, but most of my time in the hobby has been spent breeding bettas. I was formerly an officer for the International Betta Congress and the California Betta Society.



My best friend runs an aquarium maintenance business and one of her clients is moving and couldn't keep his aquarium in his new office so she gave me the contents and I converted a 46g to salty goodness.



I am here to learn all things salt so that I don't kill any critters. Realistically, I know I might but I'd still rather not!



Off to start a tank build thread.

How long will a packaged RO membrane last?

So I have a coralife RO unit, and ever since I switched to the fancy spectrapure membrane my water out of the membrane was 1:1, and no one could figure it out. Finally I decided to buy a new membrane in case the old one was faulty. But between the time I ordered it and got it, coralife had a "duh" moment and emailed me where there integrated flow restrictor was ( in the flush valve). So I calibrated it at FINALLY it works with the spectrapure membrane. Dropped from 4ppm to 1-2 ppm.



Anyhowzen, what do I do with the new one? Can I store it?



Thanks as always,

Helen.

New to Reefing, Cycle question.

I have just started my first saltwater tank on Monday (20 gallon long). I had cured my dry rock for 2 weeks prior. My question is how often should I do a water change during the initial cycling process? I know after the cycle a regular 10% every week or 20% every two weeks is acceptable. Is it more frequent during the cycle period?



Mike

Hey Im Michael

...or Mike, or Crackjar, or Sunshine...Originally from Oakland, Living in the Mile High, I'm a Bartender and soon, going back to College, so again, a Student:arg:. I was first introduced to Reefing when i was little, my Dad had several tanks in our house, but his favorite was the Oscar Tank (scary watching those things eat goldfish), and go figure, mine was the Reef. After several years in my psychotic early teens, i had my first tank, which I lost time for after about a year, and left it for my Dad, which was soon torn down as he had to deal with my two younger sisters and I. Years later, that bug truly bit me and bit me hard, and now i'm on my path with 2 tanks, a 60G Cube, and a 7.5G Cube. But thanks to a very expensive Girlfriend:funny:, and relocating soon to Southern California for School, both Projects are on hold. The 7.5G is currently a Planted Tank for the time being.



I have many Hobbies and Intertests: Snowboarding (since the age of 4, competitive for 6 years, then Terrain Park Supervisor @ Buttermilk Mtn. Aspen/Snowmass for 7 years), Wakeboarding, Bicycling, Paintballing (played on MOD, CO Yard-Dogs, and subbed in on what was then Miami XSV, starting a new team soon hopefully, So-Cal People let me know), Art/Graffiti, Cars and Sportbikes (miss my R1:bawling:), MotoGP, i'm a Foodie, and of course, Reefing.



Thanks to TheReefTank I have learned much more about everything involving Reefs than I knew before, plus some that my Dad didn't even teach me, I'm grateful for all the information here and the people who also love this wonderful hobby. Can't wait to learn more and progress with my Projects and share them with everyone here! Cheers Everyone:beer:!

Heniochus butterfly in a 70 gallon?

Can a heniochus butterfly go in a 70 gallon tank?

Win Carbon, an Algae Scraper and a Master Test Kit!

This is the final week of the Marine Depot/API August to Remember Sweepstakes!



When it comes to prizes, we saved the best for last!



This week we are going to have 3 prizes and 3 winners. Each winner will receive all 3 prizes.

• API Reef Master Test Kit


• API Activated Filter Carbon


• API Doc Wellfish's Algae Scraper

CLICK HERE TO ENTER



Registration for Week 4 ENDS at 11:59 PM PST on 8/31/14.



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

Tough tang decisions.......

I am considering buying a kole tang and a yellow tang. The plan is to introduce them together. I really wanted a blue hippo but they are so sensitive. I have a 150 gallon tall tank and I was wondering what everyone's thoughts were on my plan??? Also I have been looking to order them through saltwater fish.com....... My lfs is 90 min away..... Thanks!

Beginner Looking for stocking advice-FOWLR-30g

I started my thread over at another forum but you guys seem a little more active in the marine section :)



Cliff Notes:

30 gallon tank

fluval 206 cannister(I know...I Know...it is being cleaned bi-monthly)

30lbs live rock

30lbs live sand



Has been up and running about two months, started cycling with the live rock and sand, added a dead shrimp for good measure. Never got a nitrite spike, got ammonia and nitrates through the roof and it has since read zero ammonia for about a month or more now. Nitrates in the 5-10ppm range.



Current stocking:

six line wrasse

banghai Cardinal

1 peppermint shrimp

2 snails

A scallop hitchhiker



Questions:

I'm going to the fish store tomorrow to pick up some more live stock, i'd like to get a couple more snails, and a few more peppermint shrimp. I also need something to clean my sand with, what would work well for that?



My wish list of fish is a black/white clownfish, and I'd love a flame angel but I have concerns about the aquarium size. Live aquaria used to indicate a 30g was fine but has since upped it-what gives?



I know I need to stop the stocking of fish at 4-5 and that is fine with me, I just really want the other two fish to be active, unique looking, colorful fish(i know black and white clownfish doesn't meet colorful, but they are really cool looking!)



Throw some thoughts at me!



Thanks,

Red tail triggerfish in a 70 gal reef tank?

I was wondering if i can put a red tail triggerfish ( or a different triggerfish) in a 70 gallon tank with corals.

Local forum down?

Looks like local version of PNWMAS is dead? No new posts on Tapatalk since Tuesday and clicking link on browser link gives a big fat error saying it doesn't exist.

Testing conundrum. Who knows the science?

Ok so while I sit here waiting for my tank to cycle I've been reading and thinking a bunch. If I'm not mistaken, transferring "established" tank water does not transfer the beneficial bacteria only live rock and live sand.



That being said, if the bacteria doesn't live in the water column, hoe and why do we test the water column for said bacteria?? Wouldn't we need to scrape the rock?



I'd like to know the science behind this one!

What did you envision?

It would be so easy to spend hours upon hours just looking at all the tank pictures on this site and even around the web. From rock design, coral placement and even fish selection, all our tanks differ in so many ways just because of the person who sticks their hand in the water



My wife and I have as much stress in our lives as the next, so when I finally decided to make the move to saltwater I had a couple of things in mind.



#1) I wanted a basic tank, without a lot of maintenance or worry.



#2) I wanted a tank that was busy for the eye. That meant a lot of rock and a bunch of tiny things that you only saw when you were really looking. It wasn't about coral or fish as much the small cuc that wondered around on the rock. I wanted to stare at my tank and relax as opposed to seeing a few nice fish and moving on.



So the question is, what did you envision when you put your tank together and did you achieve your goal?

Cadavers, shells, skeletons, take it or leave it.

Taking out a shrimp skeleton out of the tank, suddenly realised that many of my cerith snails shells where empty.



Bit annoyed really, i took them out as well, and wondering if others do the same, if its better to leave them there, for any reason at all, or like me i like to know that if its there its alive.....



The same goes for the shrimp skeleton should i leave it there to be food for critters or is it good maintenance to take it out.



In my refugium i like to keep it mostly orderly , but leave the little bits there, just in case disaster, and your main shrub dies or becomes prey to what ever , you still have , small bits to pick up with. Learned that one very quickly and saved me from ordering again.







I should point out that my tank is a no hermith zone, they've clean me out too many times of snails and then kill each other out. So i only have snails, urchins, conch, serpent star, starfish, and other cleaners that don't prey on one another. Emeral crab are the only ones i have. And never seen them attack any of my snails.



I write big for my iphone friends

Red fire shrimp

I picked up a pair today, both in the same tank at the store.

I have put them in my tank and they both seem to be going at each other for a particular cave even though there are a couple more caves around...



I thought by buying both from the same tank they would get along somewhat...

MACNA 2015 in DC!

Hey all..



I know there are a few other locals from the DC area on TRT but I wanted to get the word out about MACNA 2015. It's being held in our nations capital. Welcome all!



http://ift.tt/1wDx6bM

Hi! I'm Chris (chrisfrat)

Hi TRT! I'm Chris, and I am nowhere near as funny or creative as Helen :D



I'm currently a high school student at Boston Latin School, now 379 years old, the oldest public school in America. I seem to be the one of the only active TRT members from MA, unfortunately...



I love reefkeeping, and I hope to be able to continue to do it for my whole life, or possibly get into a field like Marine Biology when that time comes.



I only like crabs with butter. I like camping, hiking, surfing, and snowboarding. I've been to a lot of the most spectacular places in the country, including: Grand Canyon, Zion NP, Olympic Peninsula, Mt. Hood OR, Yellowstone NP, Yosemite NP, Muir Woods, Joshua Tree NP, Florida Keys, Grand Tetons, Great Salt Lake, Big Sur, and Hawaii. I'm sure I'm missing some.



I currently have two reef tanks set up, a 90g and a 40B. The 90 is on its way to becoming an SPS dominant reef, and the 40B is its younger sibling, with mostly softies and a few LPS. I like to think of myself as somewhat of a lighting guru, but then I see what others know and realize I've still got lots to learn :)



Reef on!

Tangs!

Hello again everyone! So I have been doing a TON of research on tangs for awhile now. I am having such a hard time deciding which tang to start with in my 150 tall reef tank. I really like the kole tang, I am also looking at yellow tangs however I have heard they are not a good tang to start with because they become aggressive. I really think I should only have two tangs due to the size of my tank but I'm really not sure...... Looking for some advice...... Thanks!

Hi! I'm Katie

Hi everyone!

My name is Katie and I'm very new to fish keeping.



I got my first saltwater tank as a gift in May. It is a 14 gallon biocube, I have a couple fish, but I'm still learning a lot. I'm hoping this forum will be an awesome learning tool for me.

Chocolate chip star fish possibly eating other live fish???

Has anyone experienced a star fish eating other live fish in the tank? This is the second time i have went to bed with all fish doing great and woke up in the morning to have found my CCS eating one of my fish. As of right now i have a 75G tank 3 damsels, 1 tomato clown, and a anemone, and 1 decorator crab. Both fish that i have found him eating were 2.5 in tangs.

Royal gramma in hiding

Hey guys, I have a royal gramma I just brought home from the fish store on Sunday and she has been in hiding under the live rock pretty much the whole time. I have seen a glimpse of her here and there but I was wondering if there is anything special I could do for her to help her feel more at home. What do you guys think?

Wednesday wake-up!

Good mawnin', TRT!



Coffee is ready. Let's have oatmeat again. I put peaches in mine, but there are nanners, too. If oatmeat isn't your liking, we have bagels and muffins, too (we aim to please here).



Dick - You travel right when you take photos. The guy in yesterday's photo was way too overloaded. Bet he didn't get the better photo, too. Hope you're feeling better today.



Doug - how's your foot?



George - nice portrait of you and your two rotties!



Off to work. Lots of love and hugs and peace to everyone.

Happy birthday to steemboatwv on 8/27!

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



HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOOOOO YOUUUUU!!!!!!!

My clean-up crew, your thoughts

Hi all,

So this is my current cleanup crew for my 300ltr tank.

I got these guys yesterday and want to know if you think I should add anything else, or have more of something, or even if you feel I have made the wrong choice.



2 cleaner shrimp

2 peppermint shrimp

4 snails

4 hermit crabs (red legged)

1 emerald crab

1 other crab I can remember the name, it's white with brownish spots, it has claws but also two arms with spoon like hands that it uses to catch food. Also loves to perch itself on coral.



Anyways what's your thoughts?

Cleaner shrimp skin?

Hi,



Today i woke up and saw what i believed to be one of my shrimps dead near my live rock. It looks like the insides were sucked out and its only the skin left. I initially thought it was dead but have done some research and apparently these guys molt? The only trouble is, the antenna things that shrimp have are also with the skin...



I didn't think these were shedded too?



And before you say count your shrimp, I have 2 cleaner shrimp and 2 peppermint shrimp, the peppermint shrimp shot off behind some LR and i can't see them, I can see both cleaner shrimp however.



I put these shrimp in yesterday.



Many thanks