Search results

Flower covered it pretty well, except for one thing. I am a professional biologist and, as such, I hold all life (even damsel fish) to be precious. It annoys the h.ll out of me when someone says "Hey, I sell those damsels for $3 and if they die, then who cares". You can be sure the damsel...

I would vote for a blue chromis. Very pretty, active and peaceful.

Talking about how many watts/gallon is pretty useless in reef keeping. A watt is a unit of energy consumed by the bulb, which actually has little to do with the usability of the emitted light. Much more important is the number of lumens, the wavelength and the PAR value of the light. These...

"2nd question, i do not have an RODI system. how absolutely necessary is this versus tap water, dosing with prime, and adding the instant ocean or salt mix? i know in some cases tap water will promote algae growth." RODI is, IMHO, very important. Every time you add tap water you add trace...

Quote: Originally Posted by silverado61 Here's an idea for a thread for us newbies. A glossary of terms. EG: Water parameters, Refugiums, Aquascaping, Diatom Removal and Algae Scrubber. Just to name a few. Maybe even a short Dictionary. Sounds stupid I know but some of us newbies feel stupid...

You are lumping too many things into this list. Let's focus first on hardware you need to set up. 1. IMHO, a UV sterilizer is a waste of $$$. 2. Instead of using a black aquarium background, paint the back of the tank in either black or blue. Then you won't have salt creep infiltrating...

Most of the beneficial bacteria in a tank are on the surfaces: the tank walls, rocks and the top layer of sand. There are very few bacteria actually in the water column. So, if you drain the tank but keep the glass walls of the tank, the rock and substrate moist you will be OK. If your...

Fish don't need light, except as an environmental cue. All living organisms live by cycles which are cued by some environmental event - light, or temperature for example. Animals who are deprived of such cues suffer emotionally and physiologically, so it is important to provide cues. I would...

Completely agree about using a refractometer instead of a hydrometer. However, using a refractometer is no guarantee, the can also be inaccurate. The only way to be sure of your water salinity is to calibrate the refractometer. You can buy an inexpensive calibrating solution that you put onto...

As folks around here will tell you, I am pretty old school, and prefer my FOWLR tanks with 1 lb of rock/gallon. I then fill the empty space in the tank with fish - what a novel idea

Don't go overboard with rock. 1-2 lb/gallon is fine. The tank may look a little bare at that level, but you will soon fill the empty space with fish, which is a good thing! Adding live rock may start a "soft cycle", but I never rely on that. Instead, add a cocktail shrimp from your local...

You should not change water during the cycle unless the ammonium levels rise too far. For a fish-only tank a sg of 1.020 is just fine, so you are on the right track. I am sorry that you are cycling with damsels for a variety of reasons. First, water conditions become harsh during cycling, and...

DO NOT GIVE UP!!!! We all have been where you are right now, and have gone on to enjoy this amazing hobby. Have you checked the pH of the qt? Hypo lowers the buffering capacity of the water, so that very commonly the pH is altered, and that is very stressful to the fish. Most hobbyists who...

Quote: Originally Posted by Mr LLimpid Both of my ocellaris clown, are mean and they are tank raised. The male will tail slap the top of the water the min. I take off the top to do water changes. I have to bag him every time or he will continue to bit my arm as I clean. Once he is bagged the...

Most of the aggressive, non reef-safe wrasses will not fare well in a 37 gallon system. However, there are a variety of really gorgeous reef-safe wrasses that would do fine. Take a look at the red velvet fairy wrasse, for example, or any of the flasher wrasses.

We need more information. What else is in the tank, are there any corals, has the fish's behavior changed, what are the water parameters? Then we might be able to tell you what is going on.

Sounds like you started your tank with damsels - too bad, they will become aggressive, even to the point of biting your hand. I think that any of the more aggressive wrasses, such as the thalassoma family, would be a nice addition to your system. They are active, very colorful and full of...

How large is your tank? Clownfish, while they have gotten great press (think Nemo) are actually pretty aggressive and territorial fish. It is often very difficult to introduce a second clownfish after the first has established its reign over the tank. A large tank with plenty of hiding places...

Use some fresh saltwater to rinse the 60 lb of live sand - this will remove much of the silt and any sulfur compounds that formed at the bottom of the bed (these can be very toxic when released into the water). Will you be moving wet/dry filter material (bioballs, or whatever) into the new w/d...

You are planning a reef tank, where there is little room for mistakes in design or execution since corals are not tolerant. Therefore, take your time. I know it is frustrating to see your magnificent tank sitting there, and nothing happening, but it will be great, eventually, if you take your...