Recent content by heath

bcarp- the canister filter has two different functions- one is mechanical the other is biological. you do not want to rinse any biological filter with tap water (ie. the blue bioballs). the foam filters and biochem zorb serve as a mechanical filter- mainly to remove excess particulates from...

great- thanks guys for the confirmation (that's just what i wanted to hear!) that was my suspicion- but i haven't been able to find a juvi- info or pictures of these fellas. i'm very excited about this lil' fish :) heath

hey- if you are rinsing the media, you should use aged saltwater- you can rinse the actual canister with tap, to rid it of the sludge that accumulates at the bottom. cleaning time can vary depending on your bio load- do you have a foam insert in the canister? this should be cleaned about every...

hey all- i've got a brain buster for ya- have any of you seen a baby gold stripe maroon clownfish? do they develop the gold markings as they mature? i've been in search of one for a bit, and saw 3 babes at the lfs- thing is the stripe is white (they're less than an inch total in size)...

IME- aggressive, i had one (ended up giving it to a friend...aren't i nice? haha), it was the only fish that would peck my hand whenever i did tank work, and it used to do this maneuver where it would shoot up from the bottom of the tank and nail a fish in his belly- my sharpnose puffer was...

it can happen- my porc puffer hides from visitors, but responds to me, even when i'm just sitting on the couch- i can 'wave' at him, and out of the rock he pops- just like a puppy- all excited. my foxface is the same! makes me feel so special :p funny fish i tell ya- heather

hey- i think i know that store- 'aquarium center' in md? i was planning a visit after work today :D i got a 'free' tigertail cuke on one of those damaged corals- worth the purchase as long as it looks salvagable- i wouldn't go buying one that has a lot of mucus developing though... heather

REFRACTOMETER! i'm a big fan- it might cost ya around $100 or so, but absolutely the most accurate- you'd be amazed how the swing arm and floating devices vary, each time! plus, with the amount of time i broke the dang floating ones- it was well worth the investment! plus, its fun to look...

in my experience, with a dsb and a lunar wrasse- my clean up crew is minimal- i have a few starfish- one sand sifting, one red knob- about 10 large turbo snails, who are able to avoid being munched by the lunar (can't say this for puffs or triggers, though) anyhoo, in terms of algae blooms, i...

hey- its best to thaw and then dump out the excess water- it just adds more waste to your tank- and as mentioned, its always good to soak your foods in addn'l vitamins- zoe, selcon, vitamin c...etc. heather

i've even taken a 'sick' day from work for my tanks when i battled a bought of ick on my 72g. hey- we all have our priorities!

i had a white-faced tang (A. japonicus) that would get marks similiar to your blue whenever it scraped up against the liverock- looked like a dark shading on his side. it would take only a day or two to heal, it should begin to shows signs of healing immediately if this is your case- it doesn't...

speaking of remora skimmers- can any of you help me out with a few problems mine is having- first off- it never creates any DRY foam, a lot of wet skimate is emptied out everyday, but my sealclone on my 30g works better, i hate to say! also, the prefilter skimmer box won't stay on! there's one...

domino damsels are anemone fish too, make sure you do your research and pick out a clown/anemone that the damsels will not take to, otherwise you'll have 4 fish fighting over the anemone. for example, carpet anemones will host dominos and clarkii clowns both ... heath

one the flip side of the coin... dominoes are extremely agressive, mine is nearly 4 inches round and competes with two tangs only a little larger than he. i don't know if your setup could last forever...need more specifics about tank size, but if you get a juvi trigger and have the domino in...