badguitarist

it would be a bit of a project but you could tear out the brace and silicone in a glass brace, just a thought!

if it were me I would skip the ceramic bio media as the rock and sand will be doing the same thing. Running carbon and/or a phosphate remover would be the best choice if you decide to use the canister filter. Carbon can really help clean up the water in a mixed reef display where corals are letting out all sorts of toxins.

I am going to Maui in january. For those of you who have been what are the endemic coral species most likely to be encountered snorkeling? just so I know what I'm in for, Thanks, Kyle!

i would imagine it would be so diluted and carried away so quickly it wouldnt make any difference

does he have a topic yet?

Man Im glad I'm still young and free. good luck with the frag tank.

nice job, the tank looks good. I do have a question as well: What model of Octopus skimmer is that and how do you like its performance? (my skimmer got a crack in it and now i am looking into new ones.) Thanks

well thanks for the input everyone

Thanks for the input and if you find anything let me know. Octopus is one of the other brands I've been looking into so that is a definite possibility. Thanks, Kyle

I am looking into buying one of these skimmers from marine depot for my 40 gallon tank. I am having a very hard time finding any reviews on them anywhere online. I'm wondering if anyone has any experience or input with this particular skimmer. Thanks. Heres a link for anyone interested: http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~SearchStr~recirculating~action~view~idProduct~CU08106~idCategory~FIPSISSIHT~category~Current_USA_Fission_Recirculating_Skimmer_150_gal._(with_pump)_24_inch_x_4.75in_Saltwater_Aquarium_Supplies_Protein_Skimmers_In_Sump_Spray_Injection_150_to_350_Gallons~vendor~.html

I still have them. For anyone with a fish only tank they do a great job of cleaning up any uneaten meaty foods that fish such as triggers, puffers, eels and other messy feeders let drop to the bottom

yea they are cool I just don't have the room anymore.

I have two six inch arius seemani aka shadowfin shark, that are free. I moved and dont have room for the tank they were in anymore. For the uninformed they are a catfish that is born in freshwater and over the course of their life moves out to saltwater, they are in a brackish tank right now. but they would do great in a fish only saltwater tank. I could even gradually up the salinity of the water if someone was interested. email me at badguitarist@Hotmail.com. if you are interested. I live in Corvallis.

dont worry its not a stupid question. I wouldnt be worried as i have bred and kept many a lizard and never had a problem using a tank that had reptiles in it for fish/corals and vice versa.

coral propagation and or the biotope aquarium sound awesome

definately Calfo or Fenner although all of those people are very knowledgeable those two definately have my vote

the only problem with dipping them and then adding them back to the quarantine tank is that your reintroducing the fish back into a possibly "infected" tank.

freshwater dips can definately be a very usefull tool in ridding animals of parasites but they are not always nessesary and as your thread suggests down right scary if you've never done one before. I rarely do them unless i feel the fish needs it. for example: parasites such as worms and flukes are erradicated very effectively by freshwater dips. Having worked at a petstore for 31/2 years you learn to appreciate them for quickly and easily ridding animals of parasites that are not normally that easy to get rid of. as far as acclimating just make sure the water is the same temp and same Ph (this is where a high quality Ph test comes in). If the quarantined fish is otherwise healthy though Theres rarely a need.

Yep, the joys of keeping tropical fish! Well at least this time it was a small crack. Last time it happened someone dropped a 2X4 through a 55 gallon freshwater tank. I think It's incidences like those that separate the true fish nerds from everyone else. As far as the wrestling teem owing me a beer, I think they owe me about a dozen, or on second thought a fifth of whiskey sounds pretty good!

Yes as the title says my tank cracked. Honestly I don't need help, I've got it under control. I'm mainly just griping. As it turns out I was looking at my tank today and noticed a lot of water on the floor and a very low sump. After investigating i found a six inch crack along the top of the back panel. Well as most of us have done before I went into what I like to call "turbo work mode" AKA fix the problem as fast as i can. Well, as I'm working on the tank one of my room mates comes home and asks what I'm doing. After telling him he gets this sheepish look on his face and fesses up. Apparently last night after I was asleep my room mates coming home from the bar got into a wrestling match and slammed into the tank but in the condition they were in weren't able to figure out that something was wrong. Honestly I was pretty pissed at first but all in all theres some things in life that just aren't worth getting upset about so after my anger wore off I just had to sit back and laugh about it. I've got the tank drained about a quarter of the way and have some silicone on there so hopefully it'll all be patched up in the morning but only time will tell. As a side note the reaction my sister got when I called asking to borrow a Hair dryer was pretty funny. So if anyone else has any stories similar go ahead and share them I could use a good laugh after that whole ordeal.

i agree about the belly. As far as local goes Dale gets them in over at the Animal House, I know his saltwater is lacking but hes always been fine for fish just not so hot on inverts. Im sure hed order one if you asked!

Impur I am not arguing that silica sand doesnt work, I am arguing your point that Aragonite wont dissolve in salt water. Aragonite will dissolve at a Ph over 8.0 (http://www.aquabuys.com/page/aqb/CTGY/z2i), right around where we keep our saltwater systems at. yes i do agree that calcium reactors/ two part mixes/kalkvasser are important if you have a large population of fast growing stony corals (as most of us do). but the fact is, homeboy, that aragonite does dissolve in saltwater fish tanks. i have to add sand every year to keep up with the amount that dissolves into the water column, and not just a bit, Im talking around 60 pounds every summer. so please go to the link i provided above to answer any more questions you have about sand dissolving in a reef tank. thank you for you time, Please note i am not trying to argue or pick on anyone I am just trying to set the facts strait for anyone reading this, I will not reply to anything else on this thread unless i feel it is constructive. One last message to anyone who reads this, only let your ego be as large as your knowledge of the aquatic sciences!! Have a good day everyone!!!

aragonite sand will buffer your tank, as aragonite dissolves at a lower Ph than crushed coral. It will release buffers into the water as well as calcium. Anyone whos run a tank with an aragonite substrate will tell you every few years you will have to add more. so you see some sands actually do buffer your water and help stabilize the Ph. As far as buffering capabilities of silica go i have no clue.

the instruction manual that came with my tds meter said under 20 ppm is normal. my well water is at about 80 ppm and after running it through brand new membranes on my ro unit it was down to about 7ppm. hopefully that helps.

i sent you a pm.