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You need to be testing for both ammonia and nitrite. Both need to be zero and stay there a few days before it is safe. The nitrite peak and fall usually lags behind the ammonia by several days. You could have ammonia at zero and still have leathal levels of nitrite.

Some people have luck with the emerald crabs, but many do not. Having a little bubble algae that you don't mind looking at is ok. That is as long as the conditions in the tank don't change to where it suddenly starts to take over the tank. I would recommend removing much of it manually, when...

The biggest problem I see in using dry base rock is that it will be hard to keep undesireable algae from growing quickly on it. If you start with real live rock, there are usually few trully bare spots. Wherever there is coraline algae growth or other stuff, the undesireable algae does not...

If there is no significant biting going on, I think I would leave them together for a while. Usually the larger fish is or will become a female that will bully the smaller male. As long as the treatment is not too rough, unmated pairs may either pair up or at least be companions. I was able...

Live rock has a lot of critters, but I don't think most of them are what you want to populate a DSB. The detrivore kits like the ones from IPSF, Inland, and others can contain the desired creatures. Also buying quality live sand (not the bagged kind with only bacteria) is a good approach. The...

1. Put saltwater in tank 2. Put dead sand, if any in tank. 3. Add live sand on top. 4. Let settle. 5. Add live rock. 6. Test for ammonia and nitrite daily. Ammonia will go up first, nitrite will go up, ammonia will drop to zero, nitrite will later drop to zero 7. Begin testing for nitrate...

Where is Fish Paradise? That is one I am not familiar with.

That place in Carrollton is called Saltwater Solutions. They are located on the southwest corner of I35 and Valwood Parkway. They are not impressive from a facility standpoint. They do have good fish and corals. They mark the prices of the fish on the tanks, but you have to ask the price for...

I second Bang Guy's answer. 1.025 to 1.026 is where you want to be. My LFS sells water that is lower so I have to doctor it a little to keep my SG up there.

While there are other anemonees that they also like, I also think you are better off using the bubble tip or Long tentacle, as suggested above, because they are the easiest to maintain. If you can't keep the anemonee healthy for more than a month or two, it won't do the clowns any good. They...

Is yours a DSB of fine grained sand? Do you have an established critter population in it? If this is the case, the less you mess with the bed, the better for it. If you do have algae that needs to be removed, carefully raking it off with your fingers should allow the critters to escape. The...

I also think that the water used for make-up/top-off and changes is critical. Very few people have tap or well water that is of adequate quality. Many will never succeed without the RO/DI. I get mine at the LFS. It is worth the money.

If you chose the Southdown to make a DSB, you probably did so because others told you it had the small grain size needed. Putting coarse grain sand in reduces the efficiency of the bed. As others said, the large grains stay on top, but that is the worst place for them. The larger grains...

Some emerald crabs help with bubble algae, but others don't. I think manually removing it is better. I have heard the "don't break them" statements many times. I try not to do so, but think that the small ones (BB size and under) would not contain any mature spores even if bigger ones MIGHT...

You have good answers listed above. I see so many items listed by vendors as reef safe that I know will kill some of the common inhabitants of many reefs. Is it possible to have a reef tank in which they are kept? Certainly. I think you have to read for yourself and be conservative. I...

If you just put in the live rock, you need to wait and keep testing to see if there will be an ammonia spike. It takes a few days at least. I bought my rock from The Marine Center and was very happy with it, but their Fiji rock is not fully cured. The Fiji rock is drop shipped and has been...

I agree. Many people have good luck with crabs and shrimp. I have not. I stick with snails and conchs now to stay "claws free". It will just depend upon your tank and your crabs. Keep an eye on them. Perhaps you will be among the many lucky ones. I hope so.

As mentioned in the earlier post, most Mandarins eat only pods. A 55g will probably not have enough live rock to sustain him for very long unless he eats other food like brine shrimp (not common for them to do that). A 55g is also pretty small for a young Powder Blue, and very small for one...

Will the tank be fish only or a reef? Have you considered a DSB? Few people use wet/dry filters with reef tanks. I believe the number used on fish only tanks is also dwindling. Many people who have wet/drys have removed the bio ball stuff and use them as expensive sumps. They do make good...

I have often heard of Polyp rock, maybe that is what it is. If so, it is just pieces of live rock that contain a number of polyps of some type. They might be Yellow, Green Star, or some Zooanthids. What is the benefit? It would be mostly aesthetic. They are considered easy or hardy corals...