Hob overflow kit

Im looking for opinions on a good hob overflow kit for a 20g tank. I know it'd be better to drill the tank bit I already have it set up and no where to keep my sand/rock alive long enough to get the tank drilled,plumbed and sump made. I plan to just use a 5.5g I have to make a sump/fuge. Basically I want to try and have a nano tank with everything it could possibly need to maintain a healthy tank with low maintenance. I appreciate any advice. Thanks

Kevin

40b led lighting

I'm planning on upgrading my 40b to a reef tank from a freshwater planted. My question is what are some good led fixtures that I could possibly grow some sps? I want to have it all planned out before I commit to tearing it down. I was thinking about getting the ai hydra 26s and don't want to really spend more than the cost of them. I appreciate any advice with this matter. Thanks,

Kevin

New reefer saying Hi

Hi everyone my name is Kevin. I've been keeping freshwater tanks since I was a kid but I'm now getting into the world of reefing. I currently have a 20g cycling and 6 other planted freshwater tanks. I really have one goal and that is to grow healthy corals and maintain a healthy reef system.

Anyone curious about detritus?

I clean my 10g every week. this is what detritus from a 10g looks like every week. probably only about 1/8th of this is the food I put in that didn't get eatin.







Your Welcome

A few ?'s for you carbon dosers

I'm gathering a lil information for a experiment I wanna try in the future. So I was wondering a few things about those who carbon dose.



How big is your system

Low med or high bioload

How much was your first dose

What are you currently dosing and how often

How long have you been dosing

Do you clean your sandbed and how

What do you use as a carbon source and why

Are there any advantages or disadvantages over this or that



Thank you for your time and effort!

Any way to replace apollo reef led?

I was wondering if I can replace a couple burnt out led's on the apollo reef solarblast LB fixture?

Hi all

Hello, just wanted to introduce myself. I'm Dave and I recently got started in the marine tank arena. I have a 135 gallon Seaclear tank with a 45 gallon sump. I also have a 65 gallon freshwater set up and a 15 gallon (salt) QT tank. I will post more detailed info of the marine tank soon. Till then....



Take care

Help! w/ Octo Reef BH 1000

Greetings guys and gals,

Just got my OR- BH1000 last night and after setting it up this afternoon, all I'm getting is white froth in the collection cup... which is filling up pretty quick. That is what I need help with. It is filling the collection cup pretty quick- full in about 1 hr.



Things I've done:

* Cut the intake tube to more towards the surface and skim the top water. the slits of the inlet guard is about 1/2" below the surface.



* Set the collection cup all the way up with a piece of bio sponge in the tube - slows the froth/water from collecting in the cup. The lower I set the cup the faster it fills up



I know there is a break in period before I start getting slime but I would like to have this figured out before night fall - Otherwise I will have to turn it off at night and while am at work.



PLEASE HELP!!!!

New mp40 quiet drive

Getting one next week. Can't wait. I'll post pics. Anyone have one yet?!

how should i feed my crab

Hello

i am wondering how should i feed my crab. any suggestion help. thanks

Whole sticky on cycling and I still have a ?

Hi Guys,

I started cycling my 125 gallon dual overflow tank with Live sand only on February 13th. 10 days only I added 100 lbs of dry rock that came from a small island or inlet off of Florida (lol... Love the rock by the way) on February 24th. My question is, (and yes I did read the sticky) Since I haven't put in any raw shrimp or anything else for that matter do I need to add amonia? Will running my system just with the Live sand cycle my tank all by itself even if it takes longer? I have not tested for anything since I've started (I know I should) Any help would be appreciated!

High Calcium

OK reefers, I have a potential issue that I have never seen in my 5 years of keeping a reef tank. My calcium has always run between 420 and 500ppm. Today, it is reading 580-600ppm. Is this bad? Maybe my test kit has gone bad? What do you guys think?

FYI: I only dose Reef Complete which is supposed to keep the calcium at a nominal level. I have been dosing this for about 2 yrs with no problems until now.

living rock

hi everyone im new to this forum. ive just started a 16 gallon tank about a week ago. so far ive starting cycling and i have about 3kg of live rock in there, i need to get more but its expensive!

i had a dig around and picked out the bits i liked the look of.



basically what i want to know is,



one of he bits of live rock i bought has a lot of blue colour on it covering a good portion of the rock. it looks as if its just the colour of the rock but im not sure what it is if anyone has any idea would be great.



two of the bits of rock i bought have red areas about 1" to 1.5" both look like its something on top of the rock but very thin like no idea what this is either.



lastly i have had it for about a week now and i have seen no signs of life in the rocks is this common or am i being impatient (im a very impatient person).



i will upload pictures of the rocks coloured bits when i get a chance.

Looking for a past member

Does anyone remember a member named deflatermaus? I haven't spoken to him in years. If you are him or know who he is, PM me.



I looked to see if there was a better place for this post and didn't see one. Admins please move this post if it's in a bad place.

hob skimmer

I'm looking for opinions on a fairly priced hob protein skimmer for a 20gal reef tank. I was thinking of the octopus bh100. If anybody has used this or has a better one they have used or currently using I appreciate any input. Thanks

Stocking plans

I'm in the beginning stages of my first fowlr tank. It's a 55 gallon with 1 watchman goby, 1 clownfish, 1 royal gramma, 1 orchid dottyback, and 1 blue velvet damsel. I plan on adding a mandarin goby, flame angel, another clownfish, and possibly one or two wrasse, is this pushing it?:bigw:

Saturday at your service

Good mawnin', TRT!



Coffee is ready. Oatmeat with raisins, chopped pecans, brown sugar and cinnamon to get you started. Hot chocolate, too!



Hack - Your wife does beautiful work on her cakes! I'm very sure that the various jobs you do are a big help.



Spills - Welcome to TRT and to the daily thread! C'mon back.



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

The 8th Annual Marine Aquarium Expo is April 18-19, 2015

Important Links :





Main Web Page: Marine Aquarium Expo





MAX 2015 Floor Plan: Marine Aquarium Expo





MAX Information: Marine Aquarium Expo





Schedule Information: MAX Schedule





Travel Information: Travel Info





Speaker Information: Marine Aquarium Expo





Opportunity Drawing: Marine Aquarium Expo (to be updated soon)

anthias compatibility

Ok I have a huchtii anthias and today I got a carberryi anthias which looks to get chased by the huchtii which is male and the carberry is female is it love or hate will she die

I REALLY need advice!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm going to try and keep this as short and to the point as i can!

I've had my 29 gallon tank setup for about 8 months.

Filtration is 2 canister filters.

No skimmer.

Never used RO water, only tap water.

I use good quality salt.

About 15 lbs of LR.

2 powerheads. One propeller and one shooting a spreadout jet stream.



Now, for the short story....



The past 2 months i've had a huge algae attack. At least 3 different types. Cyno being one of them even though i know it's classified as a bacteria. I only run my actinics now because i know algae love white light. Light hood is 1 month old by the way. The algae over took my tank so i had enough. i took out ALL of my LR except for 1 piece with some GSP on it. (Which also has some algae on it) soaked it in a mixture of peroxide and water for about 12 hours. Barely did anything at all. So then out of even more rage i boiled the rocks in a pan. Got most of it off but some rocks still have the green algae on them or maybe they are just stained from the algae??? Idk.



So now i have those rocks sitting in my ten gallon tank with fresh water in a dark room and a air pump for surface aggitation. Idk why im doing that.... Hopefully to get some of the dieoff out of them.



I just ordered a seaclone 100 protien skimmer and a 50GPD BARRACUDA RO/DI UNIT. They will be here today.



In conclusion my questions are, and please try to answer all of them :(



-Should i just ditch the rock i have and buy new live rock to put in my tank asap or dry rock? CURED OR UNCURED??



-if i do buy dry rock can i cycle it in my 10 gallon with the rock i have in my main tank with the GSP on it (remember also has algae) or is there another way to cycle it?



-will my fish and others be able to survive with no LR until the new dry rock is cycled?



-Will i notice any benefits or anything when i staft running the skimmer?(i have a few corals SPS and LPS)



-i have head canisters are nitrate factories but all my params read 0. Have not tested for phosphates but my question is since i am running a skimmer now should i take down my canisters? Will that hurt any of my live stock because im not getting enough filtration?



-Final question, am i doomed aka screwed?



Thanks in advance and if i wasn't clear enough on things please let me know!

Who has owned a red coris wrasse?

Who has owned one? And how was their temperment?

Lighting for LPS

Hello everyone.



I have a 55 gallon aquarium with Marine Orbit LED lighting. I am wondering if this is suitable for LPS corals. If not, should I add another light to the set up, or just do a complete swap.



Thanks in advance for input!

Vortech MP60 x 2 - $450 each

I have 2 Vortech MP60s that are brand new. I paid $675 each. They are currently on sale at BRS for $506



I ran each powerhead for about 48 hrs in my tank with only freshwater. I ended up not needing them for my setup. My loss is your gain. These are the best powerheads in the business.



Will sell each for $425 each or $800 for both.



Please don't offer less. This is a great deal and I'd rather keep them for backup or another setup than sell for less than what I'm asking. :)

Ca, Mg, Kh levels depletion

Got a question that's been bugging me. When I do my water change my levels are 440-480Ca 10Kh and 1400Mg. One week later my Kh drops to 7 and Mg drops to 1200 and my calcium stays the same. Why is that? I would think Ca would drop the most. All testing done using red sea pro test kits.

Any way to fix wave makers putting out DC?

I have three that are putting out various amounts of electrical current in the water.



Anyone ever fixed these?

Coralline Algae is good.....what about DEAD Coralline Algae???

So, I had to re-do my scape and install an LED retro on my BC29 and leaving the tank with only 2 inces of water for close to an hour resulted in all of my glorious Coralline algae that I was so proud of dying and turning white. I've cleaned it from everywhere but the back wall...It's still got a fairly good amount of white/dead coralline.



I'm wondering if this is bad, good or doesn't matter.



Also, I see that it's died on a few of the rocks...just little white spots of it. Not a ton. Is this anything to worry about?



Is there any way to get this to re-grow quickly?



Thanks to all!!!!





--I can provide pics if necessary. Thanks!!

[VIDEO] Which Parameters to Test and Why

Aquarium Test Kits: Which Parameters You Should Test For (and Why) in Fish-Only and Reef Aquariums



Which test kits or monitoring tools do you use to check your aquarium water parameters?

Which LED Fixture for SPS Coral in my tank

Hey Guys,



Can someone please recommend me a good fixture. Im ready to spend the money, but for something thats worth it.



Currently my aquarium is 3 month old. 150 gallons.



its 6 feet long and only 24 inches deep.



There is a cover on top that has space from glass top to the cover about 6 inches. So Can't have a hanging light, only the one you place on top of the glass..





Currently runnning the wackiest set up. Marineland LED, 2 Fixtures one is 48 inches and the other is 30. Also running another EDGE 48 inch fixture that has more lights than just white and blue.



This was done, because I had a fixture from my old aquarium, (30 inches) but wasn't enough. When I bought the new fixture (48 inches EDGE). It seemed like the aquarium wasn't bright enough, and the corners would be dark.



So bought another marineland 48 inches..



RESULT = 3 LED Light Fixtures running and the cause is heavy heavy algae growth..



Otherwise my chalice is growing at a tremendous rate..

Reef Octopus Water Blaster 7000 return pump

http://ift.tt/1FGZREy



Like new (but modified to valved union), used 4 months box included, unions / ball valve included / strainer intake screen included



all perfect, no flaws



pics in listing, active bidding, PayPal only. Shipping will be actual

and calculation tool in listing will estimate shipping.

Signature required, insured for sell price.

High nitrate after 9 months

Still have high nitrates

harlequin shrimp broken claw?!

i came back and saw one of my harlequin (male) has a hole in one of its claw will it be fixed?!

What kind of silicon to use for sump

Hey guys - I am in the process of building my 55 gallon sump in my basement. I have the glass panels cut and ready. What type of silicon do I need to have to seal the panels into the tank? What is the best way to set up the panels to get them to stay in place when applying the silicon?



What should I note when assembling the sump? Any words of advice/wisdom?

Fuge creature - ID

I have a video clip of this that i want to dig up too but some could prob just tell me what it is from my description.



It almost looks like a jellyfish , but tiny, and he creeps around on the glass, see through, with a boxy shape with sides indented a little bit. Moved slowly but never seemed to leave the glass....



I will upload the video in a few

white film, streaks on glass

Everyday my alk falls from 8-9 to 4-5. I have to add baking soda or a buffer to bring it back up. My calcium was stuck at 190-200, couldn't get it up to levels, but finally go it to 400 yesterday with calcium chloride. Now today its at 370. whenever I add calcium or baking soda, I get these white hard to remove streaks inside glass. Mag is 1400, ph is 8.2, I change water weekly with instant ocean reef crystals. Whats going on?

Phosban Media Question

Just a quick question. I couldn't remember how much media to use in my phosban reactor so just trying to remember.



I currently use the brown granule and started without just a little so the tank got used to it.



Last week i added a lot more so you can see the stuff move but not a lot.



This weekend i'm going to switch to the pellets due to nitrate levels.



Can someone tell me how much i use for the pellets? Is that correct that you need enough room for a good tumble effect??

RO vs. RODI

I have been researching prior to purchase both here and on other sites including vendor sites like BRS etc and I am getting more and more confused. Here are my specific tanks and also my expectations. Perhaps you folks can get me in the right direction.



I have a 95G fresh community tank that I put in for the wife, and, a relatively new SW 55G tank with 55lbs of live rock, a few fishes and currently a healthy diatom bloom. In both cases I want to move to pure-water for changes and top offs.



However, to save a few bucks to offset the cost of the RO or RODI unit, I want to replace my "spring" water service supporting our drinking / cooking water in the kitchen. It's one of those five gallon bubblers.



So the questions are as follows.



1. Do I only need the RO system to support the tanks and refill the five gallon bubbler containers?



2. Is DI necessary in your opinion? And if so, can you suggest a system that has the RO drinking output? BRS has a stage 4 at 75GPD but that comes with a pressurized tank etc that I dont think I require.



Looking forward to your comments.



Tom

20g reef tank build

I'm new to TRT and this is my first saltwater tank. I'm currently thinking of running an hob overflow box with a 5.5g sump/refugium but this is what I have now. Tank is currently in diatom stage due to having the light on the wrong setting and full intensity. Any thoughts/positive comments are welcome.

20gal standard

Fluval 205 canister with live rubble

Aqueon 700gph circulation pump

24" current USA sattalite orbit

20lbs live sand

20lbs live rock

Fluval 200w heater.

Will post pics later. Thanks

System tanks other than the display

A collection of threads that deal with all of those tanks attached to our systems other than the display. This will include sumps, settling tanks, live sumps (hobby refugiums), and true refugiums.



Building Refugium, Need Help!!!



To sump or not to sump? what do you do?



LR In Sump? Yay or Nay?



Is A Sump Necessary?

Threads about dosing.

A collection of threads that discuss advantages and pitfalls of dosing.



To those who say dosing is a waste of money or snake oil

Destroyed aiptasia! Finally

Finally no longer have any aiptasia thanks to my new laser :)

I used kalk to kill everything I could but I had some big suckers that I could not get at without moving 3/4 of my rock work. I ordered a 2000mw 2watt laser focused the beam and the sound of milk hitting a bowl of rice crispies was music to my ears. Snap crackle pop. No more aiptasia problems for this guy :) very happy

Quarantine Tank Troubles

:help: So im new to the hobby and am currently working on my quarantine tank. The problem is that the nitrate levels are too high. It's about 25 gallons with a simple cheap hang off the back filter. Their were very high amounts of ammonia and nitrite but i did a massive water change and that seemed to help. Its seems that no matter how many water changes i do the nitrate still stay the same. Any advice?:help:



-Thanks:fish:

Which Wavemaker?

Hello! I have a 55 gallon aquarium and I was looking to upgrade my wavemaker. Any recommendations?



I have two clownfish and an alveopora coral.



Thank you

Parameters check / SPS growth check

Hello TRT,



So i finally got my hands on some Salifert test kits and pulled the readings on my tank. Wanted to run them by you to determine if any adjustments should be made.



Calc - 450

Alk / DKH - 11.2

Phosphate - 0 (I am running a phosphate remover, should I remove it because it could be making phosphate too low?)

Nitrate - 2.5-5

Salinity - 1.026



Also, I have noticed that the tips of my thick branched purple birds nest is slightly white, I have heard this is growth, but just wanted some other opinions as well.



Quick Video of entire tank as well: http://ift.tt/1FEvGxT

Should I rescape my tank?

I am switching my 220g from LPS to SPS and am thinking I may need to rescape my tank. Maybe My scape is good and I should just leave it be. Tell me what you think. I just have the ability to do it now while I dont have corals in it anymore.



Heres what I want to achive.

1.) Pleasing look

2.) Good space for corals

3.) Good use of tank space



Heres what I am going for. SPS covering 90% of the rock and then having zoas on the bottom part of the tank.



Heres the scape now. It is very steep and tall on the one side. I like the hight just because you can really tell how tall the tank is that way.

One issue I have is that the tank has a cost 2 cost overflow so I have to have my rock out away from that because light doesnt hit it currently with my leds. I am buying a MH/T5HO fixture to cover the tank and maybe once I do that light will hit that area but IDK.

Fast Serpent Star video.

Shot a couple videos of the tank a few weeks back. Thought I would share since it is Friday! First video is of my 10 year old Red Serpent star. He was one of the first inverts to go in my tank and he is the best. Always a big hit when people come over. Plus he is the reason I never find fish after they die. Unfortunately these were shot before the LEDs got installed so this is with my old VHO T-12 lighting.



Red Serpent Sea Star: http://ift.tt/185vtbK





Here iz another video of my Midas Blenni trying to tell me to go wit a BB tank lol.





175 gallon Oceanic Bow front.: http://ift.tt/185vtbM

Happy birthday to dobejazz on 2/27!

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



HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOOOOO YOUUUUU!!!!!!!

Finally FRIDAY!

Good Morning, Everyone! :)



Cold this morning but rising to 30f later. Wait a minute. That doesn't sound right. 30 IS cold! :D



Blueberry donuts for breakfast dessert......waiting for someone else to fry the bacon and eggs.



This has been a frustrating week due to the weather again. Heavy snow (7" here, up to 10~12 in some areas) shut everything down for a couple days. Hilly, curvy back roads and subdivisions kept people home though the main roads cleared fairly quickly. Getting to those main roads was the problem for many with cars in ditches, etc. Should improve for the weekend.



"The Prize". I have no idea what Crow has but it looks like a nice one. Maybe there's a treasure trove hidden in Cades Cove?







Have a Fabulous Friday!



Dick:)

Big bruce.

Hey TRT I have had a benggai cardinal fish for 4 years now and I'm

noticing signs of age.

He is my favourite fish, and he is pretty cool.

Also HUGE, but he is less active, staying still in one spot for up to

half an hour but still eating and happy.

So is this guy dying from old age or something else?

Also he has no physical injuries either. :)

Lighting options

I have a 75 gal tank ive had going for around a yr now, lots of fish and lots of corals and everything seems to be doing great. only thing I would like to know are some better lighting options, ive just had a cheap t5 4 bulb set up 2 daytime bulbs and 2 actnitic, then the moon leds. Ive noticed that with other tanks ive been seeing mines just not as bright or "Pop" as much and I was told I should go to the led's. What would be a good recommendation for led's with timers of course that wouldn't break the bank, would love to stay in the $200 range if that's even possible to do. May be wishful thinking. I just have a lot of great corals and I just don't feel like my lighting is doing them any justice. Also my moon lights are so dim you cant hardly even see in the tank at all, is that a normal thing or can I do a little more lighting at night with leds? thanks Jeremy

WTB: 60 gallon+ rr cube

Hello, im looking to buy a reef ready/drilled cube tank. Im looking for at least 60 gallons but most definitely be interested in something bigger. I'd also be in the market for a light fixture, stand , and sump for the setup as well, so a complete setup without livestock and rock would be ideal. Located in lancaster pa. Thanks!!

Help me determine the sex of my harlequin shrimps

the one of the left looks like female because online it says females are bigger than males and have pink spots on their belly

http://ift.tt/1Aev8dx

whats guys think

Help identifying a new thingy on LR

Hey everyone! I've got a question about something I know is alive, I just can't quite figure it out. It looks funky. It's bright red (pictures do no justice) and very wrinkly. There is a newer one peaking out, you can see in the photo, and I'm not sure what in the heck it is.



any ideas?



photos













thanks everyone!!!



PS I'm asking because the bigger of the two is detatching from its base and growing a second version of itself (trapper keeper south park kinda thingy)

STUPID.. fast spreading corals?

We've all heard of Xenia and GSP overrunning tanks. But I'm asking if there are any other corals that spread crazy fast and have potential to overrun a tank at a rate even close those two.

Pico 4 gallon SPS advice

Hello,



Recently I shut down my 55 gallon reef tank due to the fact that I am on a college budget and living at my parent house (will save large tanks for when I have my own permanent home). Currently I have an Innovative Marine Pico 4 tank and would like to know the possibility of growing SPS in it and any advice you guys may have. I will give the details of my tank below:



Upgrades:

- Replaced stock pump with higher output Eheim compact 600 pump

- upgrading to Aqua Illuminations Prime LED unit (waiting on release)

- Upgrade media Basket to larger size



Filtration:

-sponge

- activated carbon

- GFO



Additives:

- Zeovit Amino Acids, Pohls XTRA, Coral Vitalizer, Sponge Power, Coral Snow



Livestock:

- 1 snail



Do you guys think that once I upgrade the lighting I will be able to support SPS?

Since my only livestock is one snail my water quality is absolutely pristine. I have very slight amounts of algae in the corners of my glass but that is it. I only perform water changes for something to do, because there is no food or fish waste in my water to dirty it. I am willing to be consistent with water changes for the sake of Ca,Mg, Alk replacement. I am becoming bored of LPS and for the record, all my LPS are extremely healthy if that helps.



Thank you,

Daniel



P.S. I have been thinking of going full zeovit in my tank but face the obvious issue (no room for reactor). So you guys see any issue with me putting the Zeo Stones straight into my media basket and just shaking them every day?

Help! New 150gpd RO System Problems -50% rejection only

Hi,



I recently started using a new 4 stage 150gpd ro unit - I am on well water that is about 7.0 ph and 120-130 ppms on the .5 scale. Water is coming out of the membrane at 50-60ppms with new filters; membrane appears to be properly seated. This is not creeping tds issue it has been like this since i ordered the unit from Fountainhead. After filling 150 gallons I had to replace my dual stage DI & my 1st sediment filter which was absolutely caked in precipitated iron. I have added a dual stage prefilter to try and help extend the life of the ro units filters but ppms still come out of the membrane at 50 - I cant keep replacing filters & DI every other day -what can I do? This is a major problem for me right now as Im sure you can imagine! Any & all help greatly appreciated!! :) Thanks

Help! New RO system problems

Hi,



I recently started using a new 4 stage 150gpd ro unit - I am on well water that is about 7.2 ph and 120-130 ppms on the .5 scale. Water is coming out of the membrane at 50-60ppm with new filters; membrane appears to be properly seated. This is not creeping tds issue it has been like this since i ordered the unit from Fountainhead. After filling 150 gallons I had to replace my dual stage DI & my 1st sediment filter which was absolutely caked in precipitated iron. I have added a dual stage prefilter to try and help extend the life of the ro units filters but ppms still come out of the membrane at 50 - I cant keep replacing filters & DI every other day -what can I do? This is a major problem for me right now as Im sure you can imagine! Any & all help greatly appreciated!! :) Thanks

Urgent! Should i fix this immediately?!

Hi sorry for all uppercase title!



I was going to take out my 2 harlequin shrimps from my tank to add sand before I did I tested my waters and it was not in the level its suppose to be!

http://ift.tt/18rR7be

thats what it looks like its a little higher than the red area its suppose to be in,

also doees it take a while for the hydrometer to work? the first 5 minutes it was at 5 then rose to that

calcium and corals

I think I asked this question before but it was a while ago when my brain was overloaded with information!



I have a lot of frags now. Most are thriving and doing really great. I have one mushroom which is changing a bit. I'm not sure if it's starting to just change because it's growing or doing what a mushroom does or if something is wrong with it.

Most things I've read talk about calcium levels.



The guy in the FS sold me some additive but I haven't added it yet because I'm not sure if I trust his word. I hate putting ANYTHING in the tank unless I have to. I'm not sure why this schroom is looking weird but I have 2 others that have almost doubled in size and look amazing!



So all my parameters are good except the calcium according to what I read it should be 380 to 400. It's 300 to 320 Should I add additive?

How to glue frags to a rock safely

I've been picking up some small coral frags recently. I always look for the smallest ones I can find since my tank is small (36g). The problem is they are usually attached to small lightweight rocks. I have some snails that like to bulldoze their way around and occasionally bump a frag out of its place.



What can I use to glue the frags in place? I'm thinking of some glue and putty for different applications. Must be reef safe. I want to safely be able to glue a small rock into the reef. Something that I can use in my display tank that won't hurt my corals, inverts or fish.



I have a tube of something that came with my tank. It's an epoxy that's green on the outside and white in the middle. I guess you mix them together. But it smells really toxic and I'm scared to use it in my tank.

Sand or rock for shrimp tank?

Should I get sand or gravel for tank floor for my small tank with two harlequin shrimp

harlequin molting?! normal?

hi i came back from class today to see a chocolate starfish flipped upside down and a harlequin shrimp under it at first i was like oh no the star fish crushed and killed the shrimp!but turns out one of the 2 harlequin i have molted is it normal, I read online on one site that they breed after molting so could they be breeding?

I think I made a mistake! :(

So yesterday I bought a neon dottyback, sight unseen. This is the first time I haven't really researched a fish before I bought it. I ONLY bought it, because my wife was with me, and insisted we bring that fish home, because obviously it's a very pretty fish. I assumed that Orchid Dottybacks were fine, so maybe the neon would be as well.



I get home, and read how it likes to attack inverts, shrimp, crabs, etc. I like crabs, I intended on buying a 100 hermits next week, and I'm assuming now that I have this guy, it will essentially be a buffet for him. Should I get him out ASAP, or see what he does when I add the hermits? If he can be peaceful, then I will be fine. If not.. I need to find a way to get him!

Video of my 180 reef, 180 Fowlr (some reef) and 125 Reef (mainly wrasse tank)

I have a few other fish now as well but this shows many of them. The scotts wrasse decided to hide for the video...



http://ift.tt/1aqIsGT

Switch to 720P HD. Roughly 50 seconds devoted to each tank.



Sorry about the baby soundtrack haha!



Achilles, PBT, Bl.Naso, D.Sailfin, & Purp tangs, Emperor, Queen, Passer angels, Red coris, exquisite, scotts & leopard wrasses and more.

Help with removing sand bed.

I am removing my sand bed because A.) I hate using a sand Vac so I dont. B.) switching to an SPS system so id like the nutrient control and ability to remove detris from the tank easier with BB. C.) I used to run BB and liked it better. D.) because of my lack of using a gravel vac over the last year and a half I started to get some PO4 issues as of the last few weeks and I am sure its due to the fact that the sand is now at its capasity.



Last night I did a 40g Water change on my 220g tank (270g system) I removed as much sand as I could. Its annoying because of the dead snail shells get stuck in the hose all the time...anyways my question are as follows



1.) How quickly can I remove the sand bed, was planning another 40g water change tonight to remove some more sand bed.

2.) How should I get the sand out from under the rocks? Should I just blow it out from under them with a Powerhead? I just dont want to stir up to much crud from under there if it would be harmful.



Removed a lot from the right side of the tank, the other half thats not in the picture is still sand.

These 4 coupons expire Saturday @ midnight

We just wanted to give you the heads up that some cool coupons will be expiring at midnight on Saturday so that you can take advantage before they do!





10% off AquaMaxx Filter Media w/ coupon DEAL1





10% off AquaMaxx Media Reactors w/ coupon DEAL2





10% off Brightwell Aquatics Supplements w/ coupon DEAL3





10% off Cobalt Aquatics Powerheads w/ coupon DEAL4

Moving livestock from old to new tank.

I'm going to break down my current tank and slowly move stuff over to my new tank. With that being said...



My new tank has been running for about 8 weeks and finished its cycle about 3 weeks ago. Ammonia and nitrites are 0. Nitrates are < 10ppm. Coraline algae has come back on live rocks... 2 weeks ago I added a couple peppermint shrimp and 2 very small blue legged hermits, all of which are doing ok. Peppermints are a nice red, hermits are seen time to time doing what they do... LOL.



Older tank Live stock:

small frag of red pipe organ

a decent sized leather (he's about 6 inches tall and about 5 inces in diameter when fully opened)

small duncan frag (3 heads)

small frogspawn (about 2 inches tall tentacles are about 3 inches long when opened)

2 clowns

1 blue green chromis

2 large turbo snails.



My question is this... as I said before I'm going to be moving my livestock from my older tank to this and break it down... how and when should I transfer my livestock (listed above). Here's the kicker... I don't think my clowns will made it through the day... :mad_3:... As I rushed out of the house this morning for work I noticed that me two clowns looked like they were "molting" so sitting here at work going nuts about my babies I've learned they probably have Brooklynella hostilis. So this has me concerned about everything else. I don't want to do this wrong and transfer disease to my new tank. Chromis seemed ok, but will check when I get home. I had a tank I was building for a refugium / sump but I'm thinking it would be wiser and better at this point to make it a QT tank. Thoughts / Suggestions??



TIA

Clownfish aggression

I have a 47 gallon reef tank with only two fish; 1 True Percula Clown, 1 Ocellaris Clown. Within the last few days the perc has begun attacking a large Hawaiian Feather Duster worm that is attached to the base rock at the bottom of the tank. They have been in the tank relatively the same amount of time and the fish had shown no interest in the worm until this week, but now he won't leave it alone. He bites at the crown every time it comes out and when the crown is retracted he attacks the tube. I have two theories as to why this might be happening: 1. He's trying to host in the feather duster and gets mad when he retracts. 2. He's trying to claim the territory in the cave-like area where the feather duster lives.

Either way my question is what can I do?

Would adding an anemone for him to host in pull the attention away from the feather duster? My tank is only 4 months old and I'm concerned about adding an anemone to such a young tank.

I've also considered stacking additional rocks over and around the feather duster to protect the tube but I'm afraid the clown will still attack the crown anytime he comes out. If he cannot come out, he cannot eat! He has begun only coming out after lights out, but last night the clown kept waking up periodically to go down and harass him. I cannot move the feather duster he has adhered himself to the base rock.

Alternatively if I remove the bully fish would my other clown become sad/lonely? They've been in the tank the same amount of time and they are bonded. They swim everywhere together, sleep together, etc. However the Ocellaris doesn't bother the feather duster at all.

The feather duster is beautiful. When fully extended he's the size of a small hand. I really don't want to loose him.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated!

RO DI during boil water advisory

This may have been asked sometime in the past and if so I apologize...



My town is currently under a boil water advisory and is expected to be for at least the next week. My top off tank is almost empty and I do not have any RO DI water in storage.



Is it ok to use my RO DI unit and use the water to fill my top off tank during this advisory?



Thanks

2 DAYS LEFT: Fish Photo Contest

Enter our fish photo contest for a chance to win a Vertex Omega 150 Protein Skimmer (a $399.99 value!)



PLUS the photo with the most "likes" wins a Vertex Algae Magnet



We are looking for amazing fish photos to feature in our next catalog!



Upload an image of your favorite blenny, angelfish, tang--or any aquarium fish you desire--for a chance to win a brand spankin' new Vertex Omega 150 Protein Skimmer .



Our staff of reefers will select the Grand Prize winner; the photo that receives the most "likes" will be awarded a Vertex Duplex Algae Magnet Cleaner .



We welcome all photo entries, although higher quality images (at least 8 MP / 300 DPI) that will look good in print are preferred.



If you have an incredible fish photo to share and would like to win some awesome aquarium gear from Vertex, ENTER NOW !

New here

Hi y'all! New to the forum and fairly new to the keeping saltwater tanks. The wife and I bought an established 14 gallon BioCube about a year and a half ago but had lost a bit of the coral due to letting the tank go. Getting it reestablished and it's flourishing nicely.



We're amateurs and hope to just learn and share with you all.



Current tanks:



BioCube 14, 1 clown and 1 damsel wih various corals

Fluval Spec V with 2 black clowns and a zoa (daughter's tank)

need advice on my 1st 10 gallon coral reef tank

hello im william and after almost a year worth of research i took the big step and started my first nano 10 gl coral reef tank. the tank had been cycling for 3 days so far and it only has one rock but plan on getting somemore this weeekend. i wont be putting anything else untill after 4-5 weeks just to make sure it cycles properly. my question is what kind of coral or mushrooms can i place in it with just a small led light. its from one of my old tanks. i plan on upgrading the lights but untill then what can i start off with?

**Coral for first timers**

I'm new to the hobby and I'm curious as to what type of coral would be a good easy starter? I'm kind of wanting to try something but unsure as to what... would like to see if it would work, and or how it goes....

Coral Banded dying

Well I don't know what happened at all, except maybe he didn't eat much during the times I feed the tank. My coral banded which I've had for a month is dying it seems. He molted 2 nights ago (the night of the 24th) for the 2nd time since i got him, I noticed him late last night barely hanging onto the rock. I removed him and placed him in a container with an aerator. His antennae are still moving and he is still pumping water over his gills but his shell is not hardened at all, which it should be after over 24hrs, and he is otherwise motionless. I direct feed him after I removed him from the tank but only ate one piece of frozen mysis. I have no idea why his shell hasn't hardened or why he is dying. Up until he molted, this guy was very active and territorial, sometimes chasing my clowns. kinda funny to watch because the clown seemed to antagonized by being just out of reach.



Cal - 450

Mag - 1280

Alk - 9.8 dKh

Ammonia/Nitrite - 0

Nitrate - 0

pH - 8.0

Phosphate - 0

Temp - 77

External Skimmer Advise for 150G tank

I'm looking for some input on adding a skimmer to my 150G tank.



It probably needs to be an external skimmer. I just don't have the room in my sump to add an internal one.



(On a side note, why are external skimmers more expensive then internal ones? And that's before you even factor the return pump into it...)



Anyways, I was looking at the "Super Reef Octopus SRO-2000EXT External Protein Skimmer". But it's a bit pricey. After adding a quality feed pump, it would be well over $600.



Maybe the Reef Octopus Classic 200EXT 8” Recirculating Protein Skimmer?



I don't really know what the difference between the classic and the sro lineup is...



Thoughts? Perhaps something else?

Hola Reefers

New to the forum but not to reefing. I had a one time three tanks in the house from 20 - 125. Sold them all off or gave them away during a divorce several years ago.



I decided to get back in the hobby and have recently put together a Coralife Biocube 29. It sits right outside my office door at home so I can watch it all day!



I used cured LR from a LFS and everything is looking great so far. Got a CUC from Reefcleaners.org on Tuesday and they are going to town. Love watching them work!



Just wanted to say hi and thanks for all the great info here!

Video of my new friends

http://ift.tt/1BzP9T8



My new friends. They came in separate bags the watchmen went in first and pistol went in about 15 minutes later as soon as he touched the sand he started digging in the front of the tank and within five minutes the watchmen came out and this is what happend. They never laid eyes on each other before. Just amazing!

Thursday

Good morning all! Coffee an donuts and bagels are on the table.today is just catch up with things at home day and with a little snow all day,just an inch or two. Enjoy your day all!

Stronger than silicone?

I bought a acrylic baffle sump system for my 20L. Its great, it has all the stuff I needed including the sock holders. They (sock holders) are require to be siliconed in w/ included lower brace. My question is will silicone hold up over time with me wiggling and giggling that sock in and out of there every 3-4 days? If not what should I use? ECO-BOND?



Right now (old sump) I use a Magnus over the top version and its 1 piece so no issues there.



Glass tank, acrylic baffles/sock holders.

My 75 gal mixed reef tank, year 4+

http://ift.tt/1A927zR



here is a link to my reef tank video on you tube, enjoy!

Starting over...in a sense

So as a lot of you read, I was ready to quit on fish. Well my whining rant is done and over with. My surviving maroon clown is holding onto life and SEEMS to slowly be recovering. And I do mean slowly....



Sad thing is by sticking her in the DT, I've destroyed my 7 of 10 week fallow period in there. But on the bright side, the 8 frags in my coral QT can head over to the DT now since I will have to start over with going fallow anyhow. :dance:



I had taken out most of my rock in my DT to cook since I was having an algae issue. It sat out in my basement for about 2 weeks and dried out quite a bit. I took all of it and stuck it in a rubbermaid tub with a heater and powerhead. After only one day, it stunk to high heaven! I left it in there almost two weeks and went to go change water (yeah should have done it sooner) and the stink was gone and the water was crystal clear where it had been grimy before.



I also had broken down my QT since it had become cloudy and a little grimy for the next set of fish. So all of that equipment was cleaned and stored. I have since added new water to this tank and took the rock out of the rubbermaid and put it in the QT to revive my bacteria. I did put one of my rock structures back in the DT since it appeared all my die off (not much to die off) had occurred. DT is fine in that regard.



I had previously been using just two koralia 1000 GPH powerheads for the QT pointed at the surface for agitation. I went and bought me a 400 GPH HOB with two filter media slots in it. This looks like it will do WAY better at surface agitation and keeping the QT clean. I will empty the carbon once these become live and I need to treat any future fish. I'm still using one of the koralia's mid tank for movement, my tunze ATO and will remove the rock once I'm ready to put a fish back in.



So if this clown makes it, I will fatten her up in the DT and put her back in the QT for treatment. I was against copper before, but I'm reconsidering doing preventive treatment on all future fish along with paraguard. (not at the same time). I still plan to employ TTM and prazipro. I will defeat these nasty diseases until I can fight no more!!!! :angry:

Haitian anemone

coral life t5 30 " actinic 120 v and coral life 10000k 120v t5 dual bulb on a 37 gallon tank , is this enough light for a Haitian Condy anem ? My last one didn't do well it I'm sure it was Bc of water quality and feeding

Strange little slug-like creature in my chaetomorpha

My tank has nothing in but live rock, live sand, and a clump of chaeto at the moment - it finished cycling a long while ago but I've not been able to get my RO setup installed to do a water change and get things ready for some livestock yet (ready now, going to set it going in the morning and do my water change in a couple of days).



I was just looking at the tank and cleaning the glass and I noticed this little slug on my chaeto happily wandering around. Is he a friendly critter or should I be removing him?



I took a picture and thought I'd got it, then put the chaeto back in the tank and have now realised that it's not even remotely in focus, and he seems to have wandered off now so I can't get another, but here it is anyway:

.



Also, not the right sub-forum for this but tagging it on incase anyone knows: I'm running a Fluval C4 hang-on filter, and recently it's developed a lot of salt creep underneath the hanging part on the outside of the tank, can anyone think why this might be? Is it likely to be cracked somewhere?



Thanks!

Storing premix saltwater - mystery sludge (?)

I have a 55g plastic drum where I will make up 50g of saltwater to use for water changes. After 6mos of making saltwater coming and going thru this plastic storage drum, the side and bottom of the drum has caked-up a light-brown substance.



This storage drum has about 20-40gals of premix saltwater at any given time. the drum has a lid, the saltwater is not heated. the only thing in there is a water pump to keep the premix saltwater randomly moving around. saltwater exits by gravity thru the bulkhead seen in picture.



Any IDEA what this stuff is?



Here a picture INSIDE THE DRUM after scrubbing the sides and the bottom. The bottom is only like 2inches deep right now, with the sludge settled on the bottom maybe a 1/4inch thick:

30 gal sump build

Hi everyone! First time builder of a 30 gal. three chambered sump here. The dimensions are: 36"L x 12"D x 20"H. which will be divided into thirds evenly. I have read a ton and seen even more pictures on homemade sumps. Still, after all that, I still have not figured out three things.



1) In what order should the chambers be? I have thought of this: Chamber 1=entry from tank to sock with the skimmer in it. then 3 baffles over/under/over. Chamber 2= Refugium with live rock, live sand and algae. then 3 baffles over/under/over. Chamber 3=return pump and heater. Sound about right?



2) Baffles. Correct glass thickness? Distance from bottom for the unders and distance apart they should be for bubble traps. I believe the overs are determined by the skimmer level, which mine is 7-7.9"



3) inflow and outflow pipes. using rigid pvc. both sides will have valves. outflow to tank will have a check valve. Is 1" inflow to sump and 3/4" outflow to tank sufficient? and lastly....how far into the sump water should the inflow to sump pipe sit? 1" Im thinking?



4) what type and wattage lights are sufficient for the refugium?



Thanks!

Hammer coral question?

I have a nice green hammer coral. I have had it for about 4-5 months now. last week I noticed he seemed to be smaller aka not extending his hammers out. One other observation I noticed is that some of his hammere are extended longer like 2 inches further than "normal". I have made one change to my tank. I added active carbon in a Media reactor to help cLear the water and help water chemistry also. I have noticed a raise in the po4. Anything else needed let me know.

Fish Disappearance

So this morning I noticed my dottyback was missing. Pulled apart the rocks and everything and couldn't find it. I'm thinking he went carpet surfing :cry:. Or could he be in the sand? Checked water params, nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia are zero, ph 8.0. I didn't check behind the tank yet. The tank is mostly covered except for one little gap. I'm not sure how he could've pulled himself through that though.

Acropora Experiment

So I have been having issues with keep SPS and decided to do a an experiment. I bought an acropora colony a really good size one and will be using it along with a blue digitata and another red SPS, I will be feeding the tank a bit heavier than normal, three times a day and seachem reef plus as a supplement. I will be taking daily pictures and weekly parameter checks. I will be testing CA, ALK, PO4 and NO3.



I haven't test the parameters yet BUT I will be in a short while. I currently added 20ml of seachem reef plus and fed the tank with a blender mush. I also acclimated my new acropora as i normally do and even did a lugol's dip (its not from my normal LFS so I had to do it).



My original thread:

http://ift.tt/1am8P0u

Mirror really does help with my aggresive Coral Beauty

I added a Coral Beauty a couple weeks ago and she has been a model citizen.....up until about 4 days ago. She decided to go all seek and destroy on the two firefish. didn't bother any other fish, only the red firefish. I had heard about using a mirror to try and "distract" her, so I decided to give it a try. I got 2 mirrors about 5x3 and put one on each side of the tank(75g) The results were immediate, I had a Coral Beauty that was glued to the glass for about 48 hours. She has now calmed down a little, gone back to grazing on the LR and such, but every time she gets to one side of the tank, she doesn't hesitate to let her reflection know whos boss... all the while....swimming right past the firefish like they aren't even there. I would definitely recommend anybody trying this if they are dealing with an aggressive fish. It may not work for everybody or every fish, but its dirt cheap to try (or free) and has worked wonders for me.

[New Video!] Maxspect Gyre XF130

Maxspect Gyre XF130: Unrivaled Flow, Quiet Operation and a Bevy of Cool Controllable Settings



We demonstrate how to toggle between modes and adjust the settings of the new Maxspect Gyre XF130 in our latest video. Check it out!

Weird Thing

I have a weird thing growing in my aquarium. Somebody told me it might be bubble algae, so I googled it. It doesn't look like bubble algae. I've only had my tank for about a year, and I havent added anything new to it in several months. It came out of nowhere..Ii can't get a good photo of it, but it basically looks like a thick, dark green blanket with bubbles under it. The bubbles are slightly visable through the "blanket" and some of them are floating above it on a string of... green stuff....

Temporary epoxy

Does anyone know of or use any sort of temporary epoxy? Looking for something just to hold corals in place while light acclimating.

Fish suggestions??

Anybody have any suggestions for beginner marine fish??



I currently have 2 common Clowns, a orange spot Goby, a BTA & 3 Halloween crabs.



I have a 65ltr tank which has been running 3+ months now.





I'm after a black/white/orange theme :) Struggling to find hardy, non aggressive/very mildly aggressive fish.





Was looking at Emperor Cardinals however I've heard they can turn nasty??

GetTankedAquariums

I have been unable to contact Garry at GetTanked Aquariums.com for 2 weeks or so. Phone, email, and website no luck. Does anyone know if he suddenly fell ill or went out of business?

Testing the waters

Just some more numbers for all you stat people out there. I like to always keep tabs on everything so here are my results.



Red Sea Coral Pro (2 weeks of use, 15 gallons each water change)

Mag- 1290

Calc- 430-440

Alk- 9-10

Phos- .02

Ammonia-0

Nitrite-0

Nitrate-60



Instant Ocean (4-5 weeks ago after a water change)

Mag- 1470-1500

Calc- 350

Alk- 8.9

Phos- .5

Ammonia-0

Nitrite-0

Nitrate-20







Instant Ocean (Nov-Dec Results)

Mag - 1500

Calc- Didnt test

Mag- 1350

Phos- 1 >

Ammonia-0

Nitrite-0

Nitrate-60





Salinity is 1.022-1.025

Bacteria bloom?

So a few days ago the tank was looking nice so I figured the hell with it, and bought 3 frags of pulsing Xenia and the LFS gave me a chunk of GSP for free. It was very cheap, like 2 dollars a frag so I'm not really too concerned about it. But my issue is the day after I added it the tank got really foggy and its progressively getting foggier. The GSP hasn't opened up and the Xenia appears to be like ... Melting ? Again not too concerned but it'd be nice if I didn't kill another coral. The tank itself is about 3- a month old, with live sand and the live rock I got from my old tank. I had upgraded from a 20 gallon, using the same water and rock but the sand was different. I added in my clownfish and my scooter blenny and they've been doing alright. Is it possible the tank is cycling again? Or is that exactly what's happening lol. I didn't have a choice but to get a new tank because the old one had a leak and it had to be done but I am realllyyyyyyyy not Into making my fish suffer because that's just cruel. Here's a pic.

30 Gal Sump Build

Hi everyone! First time builder of a 30 gal. three chambered sump here. The dimensions are: 36"L x 12"D x 20"H. which will be divided into thirds evenly. I have read a ton and seen even more pictures on homemade sumps. Still, after all that, I still have not figured out three things.



1) In what order should the chambers be? I have thought of this: Chamber 1=entry from tank to sock with the skimmer in it. then 3 baffles over/under/over. Chamber 2= Refugium with live rock, live sand and algae. then 3 baffles over/under/over. Chamber 3=return pump and heater. Sound about right?



2) Baffles. Correct glass thickness? Distance from bottom for the unders and distance apart they should be for bubble traps. I believe the overs are determined by the skimmer level, which mine is 7-7.9"



3) inflow and outflow pipes. using rigid pvc. both sides will have valves. outflow to tank will have a check valve. Is 1" inflow to sump and 3/4" outflow to tank sufficient? and lastly....how far into the sump water should the inflow to sump pipe sit? 1" Im thinking?



Thanks!

Getting the Maxspect Gyre XF130 and Bubble Magus Curve 5 Tommorow

Got a nice bonus for my year end review and I'm getting the Gyre tomorrow and the protein skimmer! My question is where should I put the Gyre, I have my return on the right side of my tank and my HOB overflow, on the left side not completely to the left. Should I place going towards the return or towards the overflow?

PRICE DROPS: AI Hydra TwentySix (-$100) and FiftyTwo (-$50)

GOOD NEWS!



The price of the best-selling Aqua Illumination Hydra FiftyTwo just dropped $50 (now $549) while the AI Hydra TwentySix received a $100 price reduction (now $299).



Both lights, available in either black or white, are in stock now and include FREE SHIPPING within the contiguous U.S.



http://ift.tt/1DUocIt

Sun lit reef?

I have a spare 3.5 gallon tank that I kept as a holding tank for my evil pep shrimp. Well now that he's gone I'm wondering what to do with it. It has a led light on it but not one suitable to grow any kind of coral. I was wondering if you could get by with placeing it near or in front of a window and it get enough light to grow some types of coral that don't require much light. That may be a stupid Q, but hey, I'm just curious. I'd rather not buy a light since I'm saving up to buy a 125gal tank when we move. But I'd like to do something with it since it's kinda just there. It already had water in it with rock and sand. All cycled. I know with natural sunlight you get more algae but I don't think it would be that bad on that small of a tank. Thoughts?

Hello everyone! New to the hobby - Western MA

Hey there!



My name is Jerry and I'm somewhat new to the marine life. A few years ago I started a saltwater tank that ended disastrously. Eventually I broke the tank down and got rid of everything.



Now I'm back and determined to make this work. I have a 55 gallon tank with a 10 gallon sump. I wanted to really get to know everything about my tank so decided that the best way (and least expensive, really) would be to build it from the ground up. I built my skimmer out of 4" pvc pipe and stands about 2 feet tall. The skimmer has 2 wood air stones attached to an air pump and a 200 GPH water pump for the water intake.



I built an overflow system with 1" pvc pipe and I used a ball valve on the intake and on the return. The water pump on the return line is 500 GPH.



I just purchased 25 lbs of base rock and plan on buying another 25 lbs of live rock at my LFS. I plan on having a 2" sand bed in the display tank and a 2" layer of crushed coral in the refugium (don't know if this is a good idea, but we'll see!).



I haven't added any water to the tank yet because I want to wait for the base rock to be delivered. I'm really excited about how the tank is coming together slowly and look forward to being a part of this community!

Par38 bulbs????

http://ift.tt/1wdP0gl



Would this bulb work for my 10 gallon reef tank? I'm only planning on having softies and maybe some lps, the dimensions are 20 long, 10 wide, 12 deep,

What do you think of this MH fixture?

Note: The seller posted a picture of a model with Compact florcents and is only 4ft long. In the discription he explains but I emailed him anyways and he confermed that the fixture for sale is new in box, 72", and uses t5ho's



Click Here To View Link



I had a catalina fixture about 4 years ago when I was in the planted tank hobby and it was nice and worked well but it was just a 4x t5ho



My main concern is can this fixture run Radium bulbs I dont know how to tell. It says it has an electric ballast.



The other fixture I am considering is the Hamilton Cebu Sun, its 1170.00 I know this one is proven to work well but it is bulky and ugly but if it works it works but if the other one will get the job done just the same id rather save the 400$

MH Questions - Help Me Understand

Ok I am confused what allows you to run a Radium Bulb in a MH...Is it if it has a Magnetic ballest instead of electric or the other way around? I dont really get it to be honest.

New to TRT, could use some help

Hi TRT, I have a 10 gallon soon to be reef tank, all I need is the lighting and I was wondering if this light would work

I can't post a link so it's a

E27 54W LED Aquarium Coral Marine Reef Grow Light Fish Tank Lamp Bulb PAR38

It's from eBay





And if I got one would I just need one? And do I have to have a gooseneck clamp because they can run pretty expensive, help would be greatly appreciated, thank you in advance

Nano tank first start

Greetings from California, reef lovers :fish:

I want to start my first reef tank, i'm pretty much sure it's going to be a wonderful and long journey.

Before i start i have some questions to ask. Probably those questions have been asked many times, but if you don't mind i want to ask again.

First thing on the agenda is a tank. I'm going to buy a tank 20-30 gallons, what is better: glass or acrylic? And which is a good place to buy it (i made online research already but wanted to hear from pro)? Also i wanted to ask about average height of tank which i described above with light, i don't have much room at my place, so wanted to make sure it would fit in the place i reserved for it.

Another question i wanted to ask is skimmer + power pumps + filter. What do i really need? i've read a lot of information on the internet, but i'm still a little bit confused, some people use all of these, others just filter+pump, i saw some people use only a pump. If you could clarify it a little bit for me, it would be great.

A heater? Which one is a good choice for a tank i want?

Live sand and rocks, i checked online and it's pretty expensive, where do you guys buy it?

All help is much appreciated. I'm going to share my future results here as soon as i start. Thanks in advance for your help.

Cleaning saltwater tank

In my 10 gallon tank when cleaning it should I keep the water there in a bucket and pour it back in when I clean it or would I be safe with mixing water and instant ocean and fill the tank with that

New tank

Hello refers, need some advise, I have a 75 g tank that is been up and running for about a month and 1/2 , looking to add few softies, parameters have been good for the last few weeks, except phosphate shows at 0.25 but I read that is not unusual on API test kits, I'm I good to go? ,currently I have 3 damsels , clown that is lost in the overflow box that is built in to the tank, and trying to figure out how to get that f?DF;$$ out:mad:

Thanks in advise.

mp 10 with weak magnet

Hello. Recently I purchased a mp10 for my reef tank with 1/4" glass, which it says in the instructions it is rated for that thickness. When I went to tinker with the pump today I realized that the magnet was very weak and when I tried to adjust it, it wouldn't stick. I read through all the instructions, is this just a fluke or am I doing something wrong? I love the slick design of the pump, but my tunze 6045 has an incredibly stronger magnet.

lighting opinions needed

I'm almost positive this has been asked before but I cant find it

This will be for a 125G tank....



I just recently got back into the hobby, I had a 29G reef tank and a 125G that I took care of. but that was back in 2007...sold everything when I went into the military and I missed it so I came back



but im having a hard time trying to decide what to do with my lighting situation, currently I have this 72" AquaticLife T5 HO and Lunar Light Fixtures (I haven't posed enough things yet to put a link in it)



I chose this because of the built in timer, I know I can grow the easier corals with it but I would like to eventually get into some SPS.



I know this limits me on what I can do in the coral dept and I know me....im going to end up wanting something different in a year (if I even make it that far)



so heres a couple options I came up with....but since I came back I don't know a thing about LED's in aquariums with corals and when I was in it before all I was told was "metal halide for corals"



I am trying to decide between:



4pcs-AquaSTAR 165W LED Aquarium Light Full Spectrum Dimmable

that one is on ebay if you would like to look





and



the reef breeders photon 60







Of course the first one is $650 and the other one is only $400 so based on that I know there has to be a difference but is it going to be noticeable?



If anyone has any other recommendations I would definitely be open to suggestions!

Anyone here freshwater dip fish?

Just curious as to if anyone else does a freshwater dip to new fish before going in the aquarium? For anyone who does not know, it is simply placing a fish in freshwater for 30 seconds up to a minute or 2. This theoretically can cause osmotic shock to any parasites that are on the fish. In 10 years with my big tank running I have never put a fish in the tank with out a Dip first. Have seen bubbles come off the fish more then once and sometimes the gills. Never seems to bother the fish if all the water is the same temperature. BIG KNOCK ON WOOD HERE but never had Ick once. Never used a quarantine tank.



Now I am not claiming anymore science here then osmotic shock theory. See lots of threads about people with fish disease. Wonder if others with some more education on this subject could chime in and help out.



So, anyone else do the dip? See people dipping corals but no talk about fish.

Saying howdy with my 150G reef

I've been a lurker here for a bit.. thought I'd finally join.



I have an Oceanic 150G reef tank.



I've had it since..hmmm...2002 I think. So 12 or 13 years now.



Here is a pic I took just now of it. (It's due for a cleaning this weekend.)







I'm kind of getting my "second wind" for the tank. I'll explain...



For the first several years, I had lot's of pretty fishies, some easy to maintain corals. And..hmm.. maybe 50 lbs of live rock. Don't really remember how much. I didn't buy it all at once, added to it over the first few years.





I had looked into RODI units for water changes, but back in the early 2000's, those things were expense, and I could buy "ready to use" salt water for 40 cents a gallon.





Yes.. 40 cents a gallon. Why spend (at the time) almost a grand making a RODI system, when it cost less than $20 for 40 gallons of salt water??





For that same reason, I never had a skimmer. Again, why? Skimmers were expensive and didn't work as well as they do now.. and water was super cheap.



Life was good.. the tank was good.





Then 2008 happened.





I'm on the gulf cost, and in Sept 2008 when Hurricane Ike hit, I lost power for 13 days.. and lost 99% of the tank life.



The only thing that survived was one (of 4) pajama cardinals, one Sea anemones, and some crabs. Everything else died...





In 2009 I started to build it back up.. but I had lost the desire. I put a few fishies in there, nothing complicated or "heavy".



To be honest, I had really been thinking about selling it.



Water was no longer 40 cents a gallon. Now it's like $1.50 a gallon. Jeez. That 40G of salt water that USE to cost less than 20 bucks, was now costing 60bucks.



And I was tired of doing water changes... manually emptying and refilling the water. After a decade+ of that, was old.



Water changes use to be every 2 weeks. Now.. was going a month.. then a month and a half.. then would realize, wow, I haven't changed the water in 2 months.. *sigh*, better do it this weekend.



blah.. I should just sell the thing...





Then.... I was at a friends house who very recently got into reef tanks. And he had a RO/DI unit!!!



He pointed out that many things have changed in the past decade. And I should do some "fresh" research..



Which is how I found this place.





Soooo... I recently (with the help of my friend) built an RO/DI unit in the corner of my "man cave".











So now, water changes are a fraction of the cost and a breeze to do.



So now, I'm looking a skimmers. And the 50000000 page thread FutureDoc has on them...

Clownfish attacking Hawaiian feather duster

I have a 47 gal reef tank with only 2 fish; 1 true percula clown and one ocellaris clown. The two fish were introduced a week apart both at the same approximate size. They've been in the tank 3 months now and have bonded. They swim everywhere together and sleep together at the top of the tank near the HOB filter. I also have a large Hawaiian feather duster worm that has been in the tank for nearly the same amount of time. The worm lives at the bottom of the tank at the base of some rocks. The clowns have never paid any attention to the worm until the last few days. The true perc has begun bullying the worm biting at the crown any time it comes out and even biting at the tube when it is retracted. I think the problem is that the clown has decided it wants to claim the cave-like area formed by the rocks where the feather duster is attached. The problem is he is attached. He has attached his tube onto the base of the rocks. Is there anyway to remove/relocate the feather duster without hurting it so that the clown will leave him alone? Any other thoughts on why the fish might be doing this or what I can do to stop it?

Biocube 29 build

First Reef tank 11 Days in Ammonia - 0 Nitrite - 0 Nitrate - 15ppm Ph - 8.1 SG 1.024

Great Barrier Reef corals eat plastic???

Saw this and thought i would share - http://ift.tt/1zEEr7y



if this is true then maybe acrylic tanks are bad for our corals.



Thoughts????

Is this Corraline?

Hello TRT,



Quick question for you. In have some "what appears to be corraline algae" growing on my new rocks which have been in the tank for about a month.



Was curious on others opinion as to if it is corraline or something else. It is not cyano, and does not come off with a toothbrush.



The reason I ask is because I am used to corraline coming in splotchy and then filling in, but maybe that was just my past experiences.



Phos - 0

Nitrate <5

Brandon's new 125

About a week or so ago my wife called me while I was at work with interesting news. That there was standing water in our basement and it wasn't raining. So I thought a pipe broke since its been so cold here. So I left work and went home. When I leave in the morning it's still dark out and no lights on in the house so everything appeared normal. When I got home I hit the basement for a couple hours with a shop vac. When I got the water up and the insulation in the ceiling down i noticed the pipes weren't leaking and it appeared the water was coming from the floor right near my fridge. When I get upstairs I hear the distinguished sound of a mag drive running dry. When I look at my tank it is half empty. The bottom had developed a leak and been draining all night. The leak appeared to be coming from the bottom panel. This is where panic mode kicked in. I freaked. My 110 was finally getting to a point that I was happy with. Everything was growing and everyone was happy. Minus my red bug problem I was happy. Now I was watching everything I worked so hard for just sitting there with no home.



So I began immediately tearing down the tank. I got all of my fish and corals out and scattered them between buckets and totes. When all the fish were out i began pulling out the rocks. Finally after about 4 hours the tank was empty. Now i had nowhere to put the corals. I couldn't put them in just any tank cause one piece was about 12x15. So I left everything in my dining room and began getting all of my equipment out. If I ordered a new 110 it would have taken over a week to get in. So my wife said to call around to shops and see if anyone has a four foot tank big enough. After calling around the closest thing I find is a 150 (48x24x31) which would have been awesome but it was nearly a grand for the tank and stand. Ugh. My day is plummeting. Then my wife remembers she has a 125 in the basement at her shop. She told me I can set it up in the living room. So off to the store I race to get the 6ft tank and stand.





When I get the tank in it's a trip to Homedepot. I rushed this build but I got everything I need in one trip at Home Depot :D

After a few hours I have the corals in the tank and a Tunze 6095 for flow. I was up most of the night making water but I got it all filled. The next day I added the rest of the water and turned the beast on. Everything worked perfectly. Well as perfect as about 10hrs of winging it can be.



More to come.

Large amounts of red hair algae!!

Over the past couple of weeks, the red hair algae in my tank has spread rapidly!!



Its over 70% of my LR and on the glass. The Goby seems to be keeping up with growth by cleaning the sand.



I only have lights on for 8 hours a day maximum.



Any body have any tips on getting rid??

Liverock Not Fully Cured?

So my rocks are still shedding what I believe to be is detritus. Is this normal after a year? Is this an indication my rocks aren't fully cured yet? When testing for Ammonia, Phosphate, and Nitrate this is the results:



Ammonia: 0

Phosphate: 0.25

Nitrate: 0



My rocks were originally in my 40B for 11 months before I upgraded to a 75G and went bare-bottom.



I do weekly 10G water-changes. I also use bio-pellets (need a better pump). My Skimmer is rated for 180G.



Could this be the reason why I am unable to keep SPS and no growth with my LPS?



What can I do to get my parameters inline, I really want to start getting SPS but every time I do they STN out. Any help would be great.

On the blog: Filter Media Guide, SPS for Beginners and MORE!

We've been working harder to keep the content on our blog fresh, so we thought we'd do a quick post to share some of the cool stuff we've put up lately in case you missed it!





Filter Media Guide: Carbon, GFO and BioPellets







SPS Corals for Beginners, Part 1







Aqua Medic EcoDrift Controllable Pump: An Affordable Way to Create Waves in Your Reef Tank







T5HO: Proven Lighting For Your Reef Aquarium







Remove Chloramines with your RO/DI Filter System







Q&A Series #9: What makes a "good" protein skimmer?

PVC question

So as far as plumbing goes, I'm running pic pipes to and from my dual overflows in the corner of my tank. The pvc that runs to and from the overflows are not glued, it is one long pipe for each of the flows. If I glued them I wouldn't be able to take them out. I was wondering if that would be a problem leaving them unglued and just hammered into place, or if they will leak?

I quit fish altogether

So long story short. I started my 90G tank in August of 2014, went through the normal cycle, added fishes, hooray for me I'm a hobbyist. Then a few months later, disease struck because of no QT, lost 3 fish and rehomed the other two to begin my fallow period.



Started a cycled QT at the same time and after that cycled, proudly put in two maroon clownfish that I was able to bond and they spent a happy six weeks on QT (only med was prazipro). On Saturday I started TTM with them (backwards yes, but I planned copper originally and changed my mind). Monday morning I notice a little white film on top of the small one's head and Tuesday morning he is dead. Monday night he looked fine so I thought. His breathing appeared a little rapid, but seemed normal like it had the last 6 weeks. Larger one was breathing a little slower but also what I had observed for 6 weeks.



Carcass showed nothing else on the outside. No film, tears, cuts, abrasions, rot, no nothing except a dead fish. Transferred the living one to the new bucket today and now she won't eat. Breathing is appearing to be a bit quicker than last night. I'm using an airstone and pump rated for 10 gallon tanks and the water was made up over a week ago.



It seems I have a few options. 1. Watch a fish die in a bucket to keep DT clean. 2. Put fish in DT that will no doubt contaminate my DT. 3. QUIT GETTING FISH ALL TOGETHER



I'm beyond frustrated at how I did it wrong the first time, tried to do it right the second time and am still getting blasted with issues. Starting to think a tank full of just corals will be sufficient (a lie but an option I'm heavily considering).



I don't know what to do or where to go from here. I hate looking at my LFS's tanks knowing they are throwing caution to the wind with QT'ing and they get to watch all their beautiful fish swim around. D***ed if I do, d***ed if I don't it would seem

10 gallon reef lighting

http://ift.tt/1w8Fw62

Would this work on my 10 gallon reef for softies and maybe some lps

questions about cleaning and changing tank water

I have a 10 gallon saltwater tank with currently 2 sexy shrimps. there is a filter, and one decent size live rock. I have some questions:



- There is some debris on the floor would it effect the shrimps?

- When should I change the waters? if I need to do i change all of the water?

- When should I clean the tank

Lets Talk MH - Thinking Of Switching

I have been running LED's over my reef tanks for years and at one point saw decent growth however I have been doing a lot of reading and I am starting to question this and thinking of moving to MH/T5HO



Heres what I want to achive.



220g Reef / 30g Frag tank

Mainly SPS but other corals as well to fill in areas

Great Growth

Great Color



So I have been making upgrades to my tank to prepare for an SPS tank. Added things like a doser, frag tank to grow out SPS, and am removing my sand bed.



I am thinking of running 4 T5HO's 2x ATI Blue+ 2x Coral+ and 3x 250W MH 20k Radiums. This will be over my 220g. For the frag tank I am thinking of just running a single MH over. beings its only 12" deep I am debating on just using a 175w MH but may just get another 250w not sure what would be best.



I am running 4x AI Hydra 26's currently and I just dont think they are enough. They are NEW and I could sell them all to cover the cost of switching. I am not looking forward to the $ of bulb replacment but we are making more money now and the added cost shouldnt cause an issue.



I am looking at a 72" Hamilton Cebu Sun Metal Halide + T5 HO Lighting System for the 220g and then trying to find a used MH for my frag tank from someone.



Any other nice Fixtures out there that I should take a look at?

TRT , Cabin Fever, count to 10.

Hey guys and gals.





I'm sure that we [Southern Vermont] haven't had the most severe winter in decades, or the 8' of snow in Boston, or the -40 windchill in Indiana, but we're living the life as it is given us. We've had cummualtive nights of double digit sub-zero, folks on the West Coast have survived ungodly wind and rain; folks in Texas are begging for rain...you should catch my drift. This is a tough winter.



I think it's fair to say that for the majority of us, life experience and years has given us the opportunity to invest/enjoy/share our experiences with the facinating world of marine aquaria. Take a moment and think of of the folks who don't even have a home! We've got one with a fish tank!



What I'm getting to is the fact that cabin fever is in full swing. We are spending a lot of time indoors, 'cause it's jtc to be outside. Inherint to this incarceration is frustration and the need to vent, but the venting may not be for the real reason [as stated above.. I left the f out].



OK, so we should all be on the same page now. Let's focus on The Reef Tank.



For many, and this includes me....The Reef Tank is a place where we visit daily. Some of us actually start our day with TRT. It is as good for some as that first cup of coffee to start the day. When you add coffee to TRT, it's really the elixir to what might ail you, really.



That was a segway to the point I'm expressing today.



As many of us, due to cabin fever are close to being on the edge so to speak, we are much more like to fly off the handle, lose it, R U Kidding me, wtf, etc.,

I suggest you take a step back.....count to 50, re-read what you type, especially if the subject might be the least bit controversial, or against your view, and then send it.



Our forum is special...it's unique - trust me I've been North South East and Central....we have a gem here in the TRT forum.



I'm asking you to do your part to be mindful & respectful of your fellow reefers.



If we were all the same, the world would be a pretty boring place. Let's find the good in thought and action here and apply it to our love and dedication to this very special hobby we call Reefing.



Think about what have here!!!!



Spring can't be that far away.



Dave