Search results

You could benefit by reading up on DSB's. You could do a search on DSB and deep sand bed. More reef keepers are having good results with them. That means at least 4" of very fine sand (not crushed coral) covering the bottom. There is little benefit to going deeper than 6". It would take...

Unless the flow was hard enough to injure him, he is probably just annoyed. I assume that this was a brief time when the flow was directed near him. Certainly you should not keep a strong flow aimed at him. Make sure your powerhead intake is covered by sponge or something. Powerheads have...

I like Power Compact lighting. For a 55 (48") you could get new JBJ fixtures 4x65w=260 for between $250 and $300. Search ----, just check seller evaluations carefully. Mine came with the factory warranty (which I used when one bulb died after 4 months). 260 watts will allow you to keep most...

I would think there is no reason why cycling with ammonia would not work. However, many people use live rock in their reef tanks. To keep as much of the live growth on the rock alive as is possible, you want to keep the ammonia low. You certainly do not want it to go from 0 to off the scale...

If the clam is attached only by its own filaments, it can move if it feels it must. However, I would think it wise to peel back about 1/2 of the GSP closest to the clam and move them to a new location. The remainder will continue to spread, but thinning once in a while should not be too...

I have difficulty believing that bristleworms would ever eat healthy sleeping fish. From my experience, they ignore healthy live organisms. I keep my clam on the sand. There will usually be one or two worms underneath his shell. I know because I remove him for feeding every couple days...

I think clams are easiest to keep on the substrate. There is no way enough light will reach the substrate in your tank with that amount of wattage. If you wanted any chance at all, the clams would need to be just below the surface. Unfortunately that is not easy to do without bowls of sand...

Kalk can be dosed continuously or through the night when the pH would otherwise drop. The key is dose or administer very slowly. You cannot dump any significant quantity of Kalk water into a tank without altering the pH enough to stress or kill the inhabitants. I dose at a rate of 65 ml/hr...

Here is a link to an article by Dr. Ron Shimek. I believe he is the best authority on the subject of DSBs. You want only very fine sand. http://www.rshimek.com/reef/sediment.htm Here is a link to a sand depth calculator. You want to end up with at least 5". I found that I needed about 20%...

If you mean size of the sand particles, smaller is definitely better. You want very fine sand for a DSB. However, DSBs are not very effective on small tanks (<30g) because of the glass effect (too many small sand dwelling creatures will not go near the glass).

My tank is a 55g reef. It was setup in early April of 2002. I have a 5" DSB. I have had as many as four small powerheads in it, but currently am using only two Maxijet 1200s because they seem so much stronger. I have 260w of Power Compact lighting. I use no protein skimmer and have no sump...

If the live rock has been in the water eight days and all the readings are zero, I would say the rock is cured. Moving it to the real aquarium should not start anything, but I would test three days before beginning to add hardy creatures.

You certainly don't need a wet-dry filter, but most people that set up reef tanks seem to like to have a sump. That requires an overflow. I run my tank without a sump, but I keep the bioload low and have multiple powerheads in the tank for current. What is that reverse flow filtration? Do...

You need water test kits for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Your cycle is done when both ammonia and nitrite come down to zero and stay there for a few days. Do not add any creatures before the cycle is complete. You can cycle with live rock alone. If you want more bacteria growth (and...

I think with careful stocking, no sump is necessary. That is the way I run my tank. Nitrates are still zero after six months. As you mentioned, it is a lot quieter than with the normal overflows and return pumps.

I have heard of crosses, but don't know if the reports were accurate. They may have been just slightly different colored individuals. If you are trying to get a pair to breed, why would you consider one of each type? Your odds of a successful pairing would have to be much lower. If there are...

Five days after using the Chemi-Clean, the corals have recovered and look normal. I lost about four individual mushrooms, but some on both rocks recovered. The loss of all the fish was a major blow, but the tank now looks great for one with no fish.:(

The polyps, both the Orange Zooanthids and the Yellow Polyps seem to be improving. One of the mushroom rocks has improved a little. At this point, I have lost the four fish and expect to lose the other mushroom rock. I think all of the other corals and assorted inverts will make it. It is...

I have an update with bad news on my tank. Yesterday two days after treatment, my fish were distressed. Both Maroon clowns showed a cloudiness in their eyes and some of their skin. Their breathing was labored. My Hippo Tang was also breathing hard. My Royal Gramma was hiding and has not...

I use 1 capful for a 2-1/2" Crocea Clam every 3 days. I put him in a small tupperware container with the DTs. Any DTs that are left after 45 minutes are dumped into the tank after I return the clam. I have not seen any of the algae you describe. My clam is doing well.