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We either need a picture or a more detailed description to help. What size are the bubbles? Are they all the same? Are the bubbles hard or just a rock or shell that they are on? Have you seen bubble algae? That is the first thing I think of when someone says green bubbles. They start out...

I don't think that question has a clear answer. Any amount of ammonia or nitrite is cause for concern. How long it takes to cause death depends on so many things. What types of creatures are exposed to it? Are they diseased? Are they stressed? Are they overcrowded? Healthy fish of many...

Sumps are optional. They are one good way of handling water circulation. They also give you an unobtrusive location for protein skimmers, heaters, etc. Decide first of all what equiment you will be placing in the sump and allow plenty of room for it and possible additions you might make...

Hair algae is usually the last on most creatures lists to each. Anyone that claims their animals love to eat hair algae is either mistaken or very fortunate. I think you will have to get your nitrate down very low to win the hair algae battle. Crabs may help a little, but they have their own...

I don't know the numbers for those devices, but I think what you need is good water movement. If you have no stagnant areas, and your corals are swaying in the currents, you have a good start. I also like to see heavy action at the surface to increase gas exchange and aid cooling. If your...

A 10% water change is a good start, but I suspect that afterward your nitrate will measure very close to the same. 80 minus 10% is still 72. Check to make sure you are not overfeeding or doing something to increase the nitrate. A 5" sand bed should be able to easily handle the nitrate from...

What kind of angel is it? Some are very unlikely to hide or act timid, while others may avoid confrontation. Do you have a lot of water motion? Do you have a powerhead angled toward the surface to increase gas exchange? Do you have any fans that blow over the tank or remove heat from...

They should be ok, but I think you would benefit from having another one or two powerheads. A 55g could easily have 3-4 depending upon their size. If you don't want them all in your tank at once, you have a spare which is handy for mixing water or Kalk or a quarantine tank or ...

You already tried the right approach so your yellow tang may be trouble. Can you create several caves or hiding places that the coral beauty can fit in, but the tang cannot? If the beauty has a few secure spots, he may be ok. If he survives long enough without severe injury, the tang may lose...

What is 2-3 degrees warmer than it should be? Are you talking 80 or 86? Reef tanks are often kept at 82 or even 84 degrees for the benefit of the corals and fish. Much above 84 may be pushing it, but I think a stable temp toward the high end is much prefered over a variable one near the low end.

Read Dr. Shimek's info on sand beds. The more you know, the better. If you have the sand populated with the appropriate creatures, and keep it that way, there is no reason to have problems with hydrogen sulfide or solidification. The creatures continuous turn the bed over at a safe rate that...

I would no longer recommend using CC in any tank anymore. Some people do well with it, but I feel they would do better with sand.

Start testing the ammonia and nitrite regularly. When it gets to zero for both components and stays there for two weeks, it is safe to add hardy corals or fish SLOWLY.

If your existing sand is good fine grained stuff, you should keep that. As mentioned you want to it gently, but also not too much at a time. If you add a 1/4 or so, the critters will have no trouble getting through to the surface of the sand. If you add an inch or more, you run the risk of...

They will be in the freezer cases of the LFS.

Don't use the plenum. With a DSB you shouldn't need it. Plus with that small of tank, you don't want to waste another 1-2" inches. I would also be afraid that the burrowing fish could expose the plenum. That could cause a problem. People who are successful with plenums have them covered by...

As everyone has already told you stick with one tang. The group of medium sized ones would be an awful lot of fish for that tank even if they got along. Adding them all at once would be major overload. It is either the Perculas or the Maroons. Don't do both or the Perculas will probably be...

Back when I had a fish only tank I had a snowflake. I fed silversides or krill twice a week. I had a plastic rod with a toothpick rubberbanded to the end. I impaled the food and then waved it in front of his nose. At first he might be scared or annoyed, but in any case he will probably bite...

If those are the bristle worms most of us are thinking of (I believe fire worm may be the more correct term?), I agree that you should be glad that you have them. I purchased some along with other critters for my sand bed. Only the larger ones are risky (not to the tank) for bare hands. You...

Have you had the Southdown for three months, or the algae problem? 80 lbs for a DSB would mean a pretty small tank (20-30g), or do you not have a DSB? What is your nitrate level? High nitrate is fertilizer for algae. If the DSB is doing its job, it should be near zero. Any chance you are...