Recent content by bingo

If it is a 10 gallon glass tank, it is a little extra tricky from what I hear. The glass on a 10 gallon is so thin, many people crack them. It can be done, just a little warning :-)

As far as quality and performance, you can't buy a better overflow than a Lifereef. They're worth the few extra bucks to sleep well at night and not have to worry about a flood :-)

Yeah, if you get a Mag 2400 for $30, I would just keep it, that's a steal if it's in good shape. I actually got a good price on one, and it's running on my 75. I have it split to 2 returns, one is running my UV, and it will soon feed my refuge and a chemical chamber module on top of that. It...

I would agree that you should either get a different test kit, or compare your results with a LFS. I want to say 700ppm is beyond or close to the solubility limit of saltwater, so it would at least start to precipitate out of your water.

I ran a Mag 7 on my tank for a while with this overflow without any problems. If the flow is too slow, bubbles will build up in the tube and break the siphon, but I never had that problem. You might be pushing it a little with the Mag 5, but I don't think it will be a problem. There is...

It sounds like diatoms to me. Those usually grow from silicate in your water. They are also part of the long cycle during many tanks for the first 6-12 months. More powerful lights can accelerate the growth at first too. I would buy some RO/DI water from your LFS for a while and see if that...

Nope, many people don't run a UV at all. I like having one, but it is by no means necessary.

I wouldn't consider that a ton of light for a 75 at all. What K are those halogens? I haven't heard of many people using those. Most people say they get too hot and they are the wrong color spectrum.

Anemones are generally not recommended as they are difficult to care for long-term. If you are going to get one, go for a bubble-tip anemone. Since you don't have a ton of light, I would feed it every other day or so. When healthy, you can just give them silversides, shrimp, clam, etc. and...

I have probably 2-3 times the number of snails I started with a year and a half ago in my 75. They breed like crazy for me. You won't really get snails with live rock, maybe the occasional one, but most will die off in transport. Even with as many as I have, they don't give me any problems...

I really don't know why you had problems with the water height. Were you running your outlet tube below the water level or above? My model has a hole drilled out on the top of the outlet tube, so it doesn't matter if the outlet is underwater or not. I'm just not sure if they changed the...

Believe it or not, but I just picked up a TF100 a month or so ago. Top Fathoms are actually built by me in West Michigan, so I'm a little partial :-) I have mine running on a 75 gallon, and it's powered by a Mag 7. From what I've heard, these skimmers work much better with stronger pumps than...

I second that vote :-)

I don't think that it's all that difficult to keep the waste down in a FOWLR. Just get a good substrate, and lots of live rock. You will want a good skimmer too, either way. You could always just lightly stock a reef tank, you're just a little more limited with your fish selection in a reef...

OK, what you need to do is bag up those fish, and bring them back to the pet store and tell them to hold on to them for about 3-4 weeks. Your tank hasn't cycled yet, and when it does you have a good chance of killing those fish. Once you test 0 for ammonia, nitrite, and close to 0 for nitrate...