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Quote: Originally Posted by beaslbob FWIW api (and others) do read 4x more nitrates that some other kits. But the actual amount of nitrates is the same. It is a matter of what the kit is calibrated for. api is calibrated for the total nitrate ion, some other for just the nitrogen part. This is...

How can I make sure I don't get them? Keep freshwater fish:rotfl:

I keep a 30 gallon garbage can full of salt water for a month at a time with no problem. I use a spare water pump for circulation, and the heat from the pump keeps the water at about 75 degrees, so any time I need it the water is ready to go. As long as the container is open to air exchange...

Check that the system is actually a RO - Culligan makes a variety of whole house solutions, mostly utilizing carbon filtration and some selective deionizing carts. Find out exactly what is in your system, you may need nothing else, or you may need to add DI to eliminate phosphates, nitrates...

2Quills is right - lava rock won't contribute to the buffering capacity of the tank.

What was your source of ammonium? It got too high, I usually cut off ammonium addition when the level gets to 1. The very high levels you got may be inhibiting the growthof bacteria, but they will grow no matter what - nature abhors a vacuum. Just be patient. The green growth is just due to...

You need salt mix, a source of reverse osmosis/deionized water, sand and about 5 lb of live rock and another 15 lb of base, dry, rock (this saves considerable $$ since the base rock will eventually become live), a hydrometer and an ammonia test kit. Mix the salt in water until the hydrometer...

If you are absolutely determined not to have bristle worms you can buy inexpensive traps, but these worms are a valuable part of your cuc, so you may get excess waste accumulation, especially under rocks. I have never bothered with live sand, live rock is all you need IMHO.

You are making a mistake that many noobs make - assuming that a smaller tank will be cheaper and easier to learn on. In fact, the smaller the tank the more difficult it is to maintain. I have been keeping marine tanks for over 40 years, and have only had moderate success with a 10 gallon tank...

Tank organisms will come to tolerate almost anything, so long as the condition is constant. They can't adapt to change very well. After all, the ocean environment they evolved to live in is very constant. My tank in the office is always between 80 and 81 degrees, and everyone in there does...

Pickle brine should be no problem for a marine tank - it is just an acidic salt solution with a few spices sometimes thrown in. A thorough cleaning with water and then bleach should remove the spice residue, and you should be good to go.

The rocks can be fixed, literally. Go to a photography store and purchase some hypo neutralizer, Make it according to the directions, and soak the rocks in it for an hour or so, then rinse liberally. Hypo neutralizer will inactivate any bleach residue that rinsing did not remove. You could...

Quote: Originally Posted by 2Quills Procreation would be limited to income status for both parents at the time of conception. Any law breakers would be dealt with swiftly and harshly by excommunicating and dumping them on American soil. Oh wait.... Lemme get back with you on that. Are you...

Since you already have dechlorinated water in the tank you can go ahead and add salt. However, be prepared for the outgrowth of a variety of things during and after cycling - a burst of diatoms, algae, etc. This is because the tap water that you used contains silicates that will favor diatoms...

Sanger was profoundly anti-abortion, calling the practice "horrible". She strongly advocated for contraception as a way to reduce the abortion rate, but she was a product of her own time. In the late 19th and early 20th century eugenics was the ultimate word in science. Indeed, the...

Consider building a sump from an inexpensive tank bought on sale (usually about $1.00/gallon). There are plenty of plans online, but you should go simple. The additional cost would be for an overflow and a return pump. Still probably less expensive than a gaggle of HOB's, and certainly more...

Filtration in salt water systems is very different from what is used in fresh water. You can run a tank without the usual HOB filter, using just live rock and sand in the display. How much you go beyond that really depends on what kind of organisms you are keeping and the bioload. At the more...

To understand why the mantis shrimp is so great, read this.

keep your hand out of the tank, they are known for removing fingers.

You could do a Volitans in a 125, or consider one of the slightly smaller lionfish. Do be aware that your stock list will get much shorter (say goodbye to the clown, the damsel, and any crabs and shrimp you might have around). They make great pets - as with most aggressive carnivores they learn...