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How long have they been closed? Did anything bother them (fish, crabs, powerheads,or hands)? Lots of times a powerhead can come loose and shift a little. A stream of water may now be hitting them that previously just missed. Closing for a day or two after some irritation is common. Assuming...

The trickle filter with bio-balls or things like that is definitely not needed or recommended. However, using it as a refugium/sump can be fine. The setup you built would determine how good it can be. Definitely do not use filter media in it.

Is it new? Is it in different light than it is used to? Any crabs crawling over it? Was it open 24 hours ago? One day of being closed is no big deal. If it was moved or upset greatly, it may stay closed for a few days. I had some green star polyps that I was sure were goners. Then hours...

Caribsea sand is prewashed so the amount of rinsing you do is up to you. I used the sugar sized Aragamax on my tank and did not rinse it at all in order to save the fine sediments. I think this is good, but be warned that the less rinsing you do, the longer it takes for the tank to clear...

Is the server still being worked on? This message board seems slower than ever the last couple days. Other sites, including SWF's Reef Packages load quickly. Drop outs and fail to posts are also common on the message board.

Bigger snails do eat more. If they are the right type, that may be the algae you want to get rid of. I had six large (1-1/2") turbos for a while after my 55g tank cycled. They cleaned up most of the algae very quickly. Some other small snails helped. The big ones continued to cause problems...

Small clear glass looking bubbles are probably air or other gas. It is very common for patches of algae to produce them. The bubbles by themselves should not be a problem. Also, a DSB can produce some bubbles as well. I haven't seen those yet, but have heard they are normal as well. Keep an...

Try not to be discouraged. A lot of things in this hobby don't go as smoothly as we would like. If you used the pre-packaged live sand, that is not a tragedy for the tank. The sand is good and has bacteria, you just need the critters. Normally they will come off of live rock, if it is in...

When most people recommend the use of live sand, I believe that most are NOT talking about the pre-packaged sand that has the live bacteria. True live sand has bacteria and a variety of desirable creatures that will be helpful in your sand bed. The pre-packaged sand only gives you a head start...

Generally a DSB means one that has been set up with very fine sand and stocked with assorted pods and worms to keep it in good condition. Use of crushed coral and large sand grains defeats the purpose of the sand bed and prevents it from working properly. Also keeping types of fish or...

You might check the magnesium level. I would be very careful about adding iodine. In fact, I don't really think you would need other supplements if you do regular water changes.

If you are continuing to add live rock, make sure that it is fully cured or else assume that the tank will recycle, so you need to keep all livestock out. If you add cured live rock gradually, you may never see an ammonia spike or very high nitrite. IMO that is just fine. The only way that...

I don't like additives in general. I dose with Kalk and presently don't add anything else. I would hesitate to keep adding the things you have. These sediments under the rocks, are they just fine particles of sand or something else? Your sandbed may be just on the edge of the depth for a DSB...

For a new reef tank I feel the DSB approach is definitely the way to go. If done correctly, it will produce a near zero nitrate level that will help keep undesirable algae down and keep corals happier. Changing over an established tank is a lot of work. I just did mine last Saturday, but I...

Was the live rock and live sand added four weeks ago? If so, your basic cycle might have occurred before you put the shrimp in. Depending upon the size of the shrimp, the bacteria in the live rock and sand may have been able to handle the load. You could put a couple more shrimp in and...

There are some other threads active at the moment concerning DSB and converting them. Search for those and read them. I recommend reading the method suggested in this link called "Sandbed Swap". I used it last Saturday. <a href="http://fishwhisperer.homestead.com/articles.html"...

Assuming that you are not among the fortunate ones whose Home Depot stocks Southdown Tropical Play Sand, you can by it at a higher price at most LFSs or order online. <a href="http://www.purearagonite.com" target="_blank">www.purearagonite.com</a> This site I listed seems to have good stuff and...

If you are going to put in a DSB I would recommend reading "Sandbed Swap" in this link <a href="http://fishwhisperer.homestead.com/articles.html" target="_blank">http://fishwhisperer.homestead.com/articles.html</a> I used this approach last Saturday and have been very happy with the results. My...

Are your anemonees staying in one spot or moving around? If they are still wandering, your new corals will be at risk. If they are stationary, the suggestions made by others are good. It would be very disappointing to see your new addition injured or killed by one of the anemonees. Good luck...

The reason that some people suggest brushing off the rock is to remove some of the sponges that almost never survive. These will be a big portion of the die-off in your cycle. A really high ammonia level from die-off can cause more die-off. Since you have already put the rock into the tank, I...