General Questions/Marine Set-Up 10/31/09 -Hello Team- <Hello Mark. I've read your query, and before I go on, I would like to know your water parameters, pH, dKH, salinity, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. James (Salty Dog)> I have a 55 gallon saltwater tank with about 30 lbs. of live rock, a standard Aqueon filter and an aerator. I had this tank for about 9 months now. It's been a ride, to say the least, but one that I have enjoyed since deciding to go 'salt' after growing up watching dad maintain a 30 gallon freshwater tank. I have a few general questions that may or may not have been answered on your site. Actually, I've done so much reading on your site over the past few months I'm probably confusing myself. lol But anywho, here are the ?s 1-How many pounds of live rock are actually needed for a 55 gallon setup? 2-The livestock in my tank consist of a 4" Foxface, a 2" cinnamon clown, a 1" yellow-tailed damsel, a 2" pink pseudo, and a 3" orange-spotted goby. How many more fish can I afford to add to this tank, as I would like to see as many species, colors, and variations as possible without overstocking. 3-considering the aforementioned question, I've had some deaths over the 9 months, and it seems that I cannot keep certain types of fish. I've had a raccoon butterflyfish, a hippo tang (that I REALLY wanted), a blue-eyed filefish (sorry I cant remember its specific name), a bi-color angel and a lemon angel that have all died in a similar manner over this time period. They all seem to look fine for the first few days to a week. It then appears that they either aren't eating or stop eating. They become lethargic or they don't swim much, almost as if they are becoming antisocial, and then, death comes. What is the problem with all of these wonderfully-colored fish? I've been told at the shops that the fish that I have are just "hardy" unlike the ones that have died. 4-I've read on here that using tap water with a dechloraminator is a good way to maintain proper pH and KH....or should I be using the RO water that's being offered at the shops? I've been taking my water to a few local shops to have it tested, and they've all been saying the same thing - -that the KH level is not high enough. What seems to be the problem? Is this the reason for the livestock deaths that I already mentioned? FYI, I do a 9gal water change every two weeks, and when I add the saltwater back in I add marine buffer and a standard dechloraminator. Should I continue to add buffer on a weekly basis? or should I add buffer to the tank at all? 5-Is cleaning the glass of the algae and growth a good thing or no? 6-When I bought the setup, it came with a standard fluorescent bulb for the size of the tank. As a 'youngster' I recall that this is ok for freshwater species. Is this the case for saltwater? I'd rather have the 'cool look' that comes from the 'purplish tint' of the UV lighting I see at the shops. How many hours should the light be on? I know consistency is the key with lighting. 7-I'd really like to expand and have a system with corals. Is this possible at this time? I know the lighting requirements are different, but what about compatibility issues with the livestock I already have in place, as well as any other issues? Please give me your critique. 8-the Foxface I has changes colors often (as I know that this is an indicator of its stress level, from what I have been told and read)...sometimes it's the nice yellow color that I see on the fish at the store, and other times it's the pale brownish-yellow color that seems to tell me it's stressed. At night, his whole body spikes up and he turns into a 'monster' (smile). Is this normal activity? What can I do to get the beautiful yellow color that I've seen at the shops at all times? 9-Do I need a powerhead and skimmer? I have a brownish algae (or something) that is covering the tops of the liverock, it looks undesirable, but I'm wondering is it just detritus or is there a circulation issue? 10-The temperature is around 76 degrees. . .I've read that an ideal temp. for saltwater is between 75-80, so am I within the right parameters? 11-in terms of feeding, I've been using TetraMin flakes and frozen greens. Is TetraMin better than the food that they are selling in these shops? It seems to give me clearer water, if nothing else. *I've also attached three (3) pictures of the tank, all taken in the morning when the light was first turned on (hence the foxface's spotted colors [smile] ) Thanks again for all of your time answering these questions. I really appreciate all the work you guys do. I'm on a budget but I do know that most times you pay for what you get when it comes to maintaining a healthy aquarium. I know the questions are lengthy, but you guys appear to be the experts in the field, and I figure I'd better ask all the questions at once :) -Mark, St. Louis, Missouri

I bet you haven't seen anything like this before!!!! SW sys. keeping in Egypt  -- 10/28/2009
Greetings crew, Abdo here
<Howdy Abdo!>
First, I just want to say that the shear amount of information and effort put into this single website truly astonishes me!!!! that's one hell of a remarkable job, and I have great amounts of respect for each and every one of you, true masters.
<Many hours, good friends make WWM the ongoing useful, evolving resource it is>
I have a 450L saltwater FO with a 70L sump, been running since August 2008, lightly stocked. I introduced some live sand and livestock, all of which I obtained locally (I live on the Egyptian north coast, obtained from the Mediterranean & the Red sea, nothing fancy).
<I have been to Alexandria...>
Now getting to the fun part, hope you guys aren't too shocked by this :)
Things here in Egypt are kind of tough for any one who sees an aquarium anything more than a glass box with water and goldfish, let alone have the slightest knowledge of saltwater aquariums :) I live in Alexandria, the 2nd largest city, population of 5 million+, and only 2 fish stores that deal with saltwater!!!! not to mention the painful lack of almost everything essential to run a tank and actually knowing what's going on in it.
<I live in San Diego, about 3.5 million people and we have three fish stores that principally deal in saltwater...>
Let me put it this way: it's been over a year now, I have measured PH, alkalinity, nitrates, any trace element or parameter ZERO times, the most sophisticated I got was specific gravity, with a hydrometer I truly doubt accurate. The only hopeful things are that I use Instant Ocean salt and I have a protein skimmer, besides the usual biological, chemical & mechanical filtration methods.
<Can work>
I've been going all this on guess work and anything I can observe, and one major thing also helping me keep everything intact is basically WWM <3 just reading so much and implementing what I can manage has made a huge difference I guess!!! :) THANK YOU
<Welcome>
Thank God till now I've had very few casualties and many of the fish I have now have been with me from the start. How I deal with problems is very one sided, meaning that I just assume (for example) that I need more calcium concentration, so I crush up some shells and put them in the sump, or I assume DOCs are becoming too concentrated so I add carbon (I usually look across the tank and see how yellow it gets at the far end), and so on. What usually makes me aware of potential problems is WWM, again hero of the day.
I have 1 Monodactylus argenteus, 1 red tomato, 2 four banded damsels, 1 common Mediterranean goby, 1 Aidablennius sphynx, 1 Aphanias dispar, 2 Moringua edwadsii (maybe), 3 unidentified herbivores, several hermit crabs, a conch, several Nerite snails, several coastal shrimps, 8 mussels, one oyster and one hair worm.
<Sounds very nice indeed>
To sum up, from all I read about other systems on the FAQs I think I can safely say that I'm in saltwater hell :) The purpose of this horror story is to ask for advice regarding what to do in such harsh conditions (besides leaving the hobby of course), any crude methods of detection? any thing I Could be missing?? any time bombs I can't possibly hear ticking??
<Actually... given your current success, obvious conscientiousness, practices, I think you're fine here. I was about during the beginnings of the saltwater hobby, and we had about as much test gear, supplements as you have... And far less knowledge>
I know it's a very big thing to ask, that's why I came to the best. If you have any questions I'll be more than glad to answer.
Thank you so much, on behalf of everything living in my tank :)
<Thank you for sharing. Life to you Abdo. Bob Fenner>

I'm still at a loss... SW maintenance   10/22/09 Thank you for taking the time to try to help. You have helped me before 7 yrs ago when I started up the hobby. Ill try to be precise and attach a couple pics. I moved 2 months ago and am unemployed recently so I'm having a hard time keeping up with my tanks needs(buying cheaper salt..instant ocean) I hace 135 gallon marine tank and a 10 gal refugium w a venturi skimmer which is collecting quite abit. When we set the tank back up, we seemed to loose all our frags and cleaner crew, but no fish. <... this system seems a bit... unkempt> I just did a 40 gal h20 change 5 days ago and will do another one (same amt) tonight. My halides are 6. Month old and I know my actinics need to be replaced. Also all my Caulerpa died. I have tons of brown algae and my fish all have cloudy eyes. <... clean your skimmer... the contact chamber... save up and place a unit of Chemipure or equivalent...> I have an orange shoulder tang, blue tang, six line and juv emperor angel..who seems like his color is blotchy and pale and is hiding a lot. <Water quality...> they all eat well (Nori and gel meaty foods) 2-3 times a day. I've had these guys for couple yrs and have moved 3 times w no problem. The sand has black slime and I just can't seem to get it right in there this time. salts at 0.22 , <... too low> dKH 10.0, cal 350, phosphate .02 and nitrates 15. No nitrites(checked just incase chemicals???) I hope this is enough info to steer me through this. <My friend...> I'd like to take sand out and replace or clean and can I scrub the rocks in a bucket of old salt water? (When I do the water change) and should I put fish in a 10 gal hypo salinity quarantine tank?thankyou and my email is XXX anjie <Where to start? Likely just simple maintenance: http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/maintenance/maintindex.htm Bob Fenner>

Re: Secondary Infection to Popeye  9/23/09
Oh My Gosh!!! Bob Fenner emailed me!! I couldn't be more excited if Tom Cruise came and had dinner with us! lol! I was very ecstatic to get your reply and called my friends (not fish tank owners) who really didn't get what the big deal was... If only they knew!!
<Now I feel like jumping up and down on a sofa... but don't think I'd let NicoleK go quite so stupidly...>
Seriously, I am so grateful to get your response and the links, which I have been doing my best to read through thoroughly (which can be hard-so much fun information, I get side tracked on all these other tangents...)
<I do wish there was some "easier way" to approach the mass of folks with so varying interest and ability levels with the subject material... We're thinking about more "introductory" areas, articles>
So interesting....I told you I have two test kits, from two different companies, right? Well, they both have nitrates in them, but I usually only use one set, because it is the kit that also has the pH test. Well, I had the other kit out and used their nitrate test-same exact bottles, same exact procedure, but gave a WAY different reading. So I did each one again, together, side by side, and sure enough, way different readings...
first (normally used kit) reading: Nitrates 80
second kit (not normally used) : Nitrates 20
HUGE difference, huh? So tomorrow, off I will go, make the 45 minute trek to my closest LSF and have them test with their kit. Will be interesting to see.
<Mmm, do check the "scales" of the two kits... I suspect one is Nitrogen as nitrate... the other total nitrate. See the Net for an explanation>
I'll feel much better if it is the 20. At least I can work with that number!
However, my Phos still reads at 5....
<Wow!>
Which leads me to my next question...
What do you think of the-Coralife Super Skimmer 125 Protein Skimmer?
<Is an "okay" product... not as inefficient as a SeaClone, but not as good as an AquaC or many other line>
I can get a slightly used one for 75$. Would you recommend second hand?
<I'd look about...>
How to clean? Dilute bleach and then let sit?
<One approach... Better to soak in a vinegar solution first if there is a good deal of carbonaceous (whitish) material stuck on it... for hours... Rinse thoroughly, then the bleach...>
Obviously, there would be no warranty, but it doesn't seem that the manufacturers warranties they are all that long lived anyway...
<Eh!>
My other question about a skimmer is that right now, I really am not ready to set up sump (maybe Santa?) but I do want a better skimmer now....so I need a hang one. (Do you like the Remora Pro?)
<Ah, yes>
Any way to convert it to an in-sump skimmer later, or is that just a silly question? So much to learn...
<Mmm, better by far to use an in-sump model>
Update on "Scout," my Clarkii Clown (or "our-friend-Scout" as my 2 year old daughter refers to him!)
Reading through the material you referred me too regarding unilateral exophthalmia. Definitely believe it started with trauma by me dropping the glass on him but then a secondary infection that he was more susceptible too due to poor water conditions and stress....But since it was not clearing up or healing, and continuing to ooze and not respond to antibiotics, I kept searching for a similar sounding case and found one that Anthony replied to and he recommended Fungus Eliminator (or Fungus Clear as it is now called) by Jungle. Called my LFS and talked to the same guy I discussed this with initially and he thought it sounded like a good plan since it has been almost 4 weeks and still not healed. I dropped the first tab in tonight (yeah, they sold it at Petsmart-very close to me). Here's hoping... And how long can these guys go with our really eating?
<?>
He will take a flake from me if I put in right in front of his mouth, but doesn't seem to see it floating around on the surface or in the tank. I know he can see with his good eye, but he just is not interested. I WISH he were a dog or a cat and I could just syringe feed him... (btw, I did try..he just spits it out!)
<Check water quality...>
I also am just beginning to piece together all the info on buffers and pH and alkalinity....There is a ton of info available on HIGH pH and LOW alkalinity, info on high alkalinity and low calcium...and ways to correct it...but I can't find reference to HIGH alkalinity and Low pH...is HIGH alkalinity really a problem?
<Can be, yes>
My Calcium levels remain pretty consistent in the normal range, so it's not affecting that. I have read you can drop your alkalinity by adding distilled water, but wouldn't that also drop my pH even lower?
<Better to use sufficiently buffered water, RO than distilled>
I can't get my pH to stay above 7.8. I switched to using Kent's Superbuffer-dKH for my water changes and top offs (I have a hood, so I don't have a lot of evaporation..is that bad?) It made no different compared to the previous product. Is there maybe another product that will raise just the pH but not the carbonate hardness???? May be a silly question that shows my true ignorance, but I got to figure this out, so any help..I would love!!
Oh, so much to learn, so little time!
<Take your time>
Thanks again, Bob and the whole crew at WWM! You are awesome!!
<Welcome. BobF>

Top water Scum 9/22/09
Hey Crew, Tommy here.
<Scott V. with you today.>
I have a 60 gallon with canister filter, saltwater, FOWLR setup. Ammonia at 0, Nitrites at 0, Nitrates around ten. HOB Aqua-C skimmer, a few powerheads, 1/4 inch deep of crushed coral substrate, and a twenty gallon refugium on the side that is above the 60 in position. Stocked with a small hippo tang, purple Firefish, African goby, and a maroon clown. 1 shrimp, snails, hermits. Up and running for 5 months now. My issue is the accumulation of the scum that floats at the top of the water. I seem to have a lot of this stuff. It builds up over 3-5 days after manually removing it, and I know it isn't healthy. First of all, what is it?
<DOCs the skimmer should be taking out.>
Second, how do you make it go away permanently?
<Skim it!>
Third, is there any equipment that will eliminate the task of manually removing this scum from the top? More skimming? Wet/Dry filter? Any help is appreciated.
<Your problem can easily be solved with a 20-30 dollar part from AquaC. It is the surface skimming box made to go with your skimmer. It will feed the skimmer this scum rather than the water below it.>
Thanks, Tommy.
<Welcome, Scott V.>

Re: Green Leather Polyp... still not reading...    8/27/09
Thanks so much for the information! As always, good instruction usually leads to more questions. First, thanks for the scientific name for my Coral (Alcyoniidae). This lead to some great information on your site. I have high hopes for this guy now! The stump did get really mushy and fall apart (I pulled that out, yuck!), but I left the little rocks in there since I really didn't know what to do with those. I have high hopes for this little guy now!
Questions:
1. Since this is a Coral (yes, my fish salesman said it was a "plant" and not a "coral" and I believed him) and my Chocolate Chip Starfish hasn't eaten him or shown any interest, do you think it is safe to put more coral in my 37 gallon or do you think he's just not interested in eating that specific coral?
<I think you should read a bit more before proceeding period>
I know that soft corals are probably out, but what about the hard corals?
2. Would a Dwarf Blue Leg Hermit Crab (or any for that matter) eat Coral?
<Perhaps>
3. What about my Scooter Blenny is "ludicrous?" On advice, I bought him to help with the brown algae in my tank. I'm guessing that was a bad idea?
<... read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/mandsysfaq2.htm
and the linked files above>
Thank you so much! I'm trying to do better and you guys and your site is so helpful!
<... you show no evidence of using it... Please do so. BobF>

Help! tank overtaken by travel/laziness SW Maintenance, Caulerpa Control 8/25/2009
<Hi Keith.>
I have always loved your site and it is my number one place to visit when it comes to my tanks.
<Thank you for the kind words.>
I have had a 30 gallon semi reef tank (polyps, mushrooms, leather coral, anemone) with 50 pounds of live rock, a cardinal fish and a clown fish.
I have two 10 gallon sumps, one has a large protein skimmer and heater, and the other has enough Caulerpa to fill a gallon size milk jug or so.
<OK>
I have been in and out of town and have had someone feed my tank each day. I have gotten behind on water changes and let's just say the tank isn't going to make the front of any magazine covers to say the least.
<No surprises there.>
Caulerpa has gotten into the main tank and over taken half the live rock.
<Daunting, but not insurmountable.>
I have more aiptasia than I have ever had. There is probably 60 or 70 individual ones I can see when I look in.
<Several methods of getting rid of these>
To top it off, my 29 gallon main display tank developed a crack near the top I noticed a few hours ago. Luckily, I had a 29 gallon corner tank that was empty in a spare room.
<Just not your day is it?>
For the last few hours, I have slowly gotten all the contents moved to the new tank. Through the process, I washed about half the sand and kept the other half. I also added about 20 gallons of RO water and have
my salinity correct.
<By washing the sand, you likely damaged some of your biological filtration. Do keep an eye out for ammonia spikes.>
I am not really sure how I can get this tank back to a respectable aesthetic level?
<Time to roll up the sleeves.>
What steps should I take to fix this issue?
Just so I don't seem lazy, he is what I think I should do, but want to double check with you first.
1. I probably need to take out each piece of rock and brush it down with an old toothbrush in a bucket of salt water and then quickly dip it in some RO water and then put it back in the tank? I know it will not get rid of all the aiptasia/Caulerpa, but it would be a start.
What is the best process of doing this? Should I dip it in RO water after brushing it and then put it back in the tank?
<For Caulerpa, the easiest thing to do is reach in and grab it out by the handful. Just get all of the green stuff out. The 'roots' are not roots, so they will not grow into more algae.>
2. Since I already have so much aiptasia, I would think it is time for a Nudibranch, which should have a field day with the aiptasia, but I know removing them can be a pain and it is a dangerous creature to have
in the tank if it starves. I know red leg hermit's are good, but I don't think they could make a dent in it. would a peppermint shrimp make a dent in it?
<Not a fan of Nudibranchs - only a few eat aiptasia. Peppermint shrimp can help provided you actually get a peppermint shrimp.>
<I'm a fan of injecting them with Kalkwasser paste. It kills them quickly>
3. I know I need to get my water levels back to normal. How often should I do water changes in the next few weeks? I know from a previous article on your site, that two 5 percent changes per week is a good idea to go by. Should I double that up until I see some progress?
<10 - 20% water changes one a week works well. You can go to 30 - 40%  once per week as long as you split it into two water changes.>
From reading your aiptasia page
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/aiptasia/aiptasia.htm
I am definitely going to get a peppermint shrimp, but what else would you recommend?
<I'm a fan of the Kalkwasser method.>
Any other ideas or suggestions. Sorry for getting lazy, I know ya'll have taught me better than that J Keith
<MikeV>

Re: My tank-update... keep reading, SW op.      8/19/09
Since I last wrote I lost 2 fish. The sandperch just disappeared a few days after my previous email. The next day the blue chromis
<The? Is a social species; won't live long or well solitarily>
was dead. I did not see anything wrong nor any aggression and both seemed to be eating ok so I don't know what caused their deaths.
The Gramma has been a pleasant surprise minding his own business and keeping his big mouth shut except at feeding time. I tried to sell the clown but at the time no one seemed to be interested so he is still there.
The citron goby is still not eating well.
<... live on live (mainly Acroporid) polyps in the wild...>
He seems to take a bite once in a while but he is really just wasting away. He has gotten more active and goes to the top once in a while during feeding but no enough.
I did some more reading as advised
<Yay!>
and was surprised about the number of people having problems with the citron eating. I really did not order him, I ordered a yellow clown but they had a mix up.
<All Gobiodon spp. share similar husbandry>
In any case it is frustrating seeing him turn into skin and bones. He was so nice and plump when I got him.
He doesn't respond to newly hatched brine shrimp which all my others go after like it was the greatest thing on earth. I will try to catch him and see if I can put him in a tank by himself to see if I can get him to eat.
Thanks
<Keep reading. B>

Re: Frenetic Fishkeeping - 7/16/09
Thanks Benjamin,
<No problem Deb, sorry it's taken me so long to respond; I was away from my computer too long!>
Will add carbon as you mentioned. I did check the water again, and everything is OK. Their is no indication of anything that is off in the tank.
<Then I suspect some sort of untestable menace here... are there any invertebrates, plants, etc in this aquarium?>
I did not use anything new or any type of chemical near the tank, will try another water change.
<Will almost certainly help>
DEB

Re: Frenetic Fishkeeping - 7/16/09
Benjamin,
<Deb>
Should the carbon go into my Bio-wheel or the filter?
<Either place should work, although a canister or other filter where there is 'forced' flow through the carbon is optimal.>
Thanks
Deb
<Benjamin>

Re: Frenetic Fishkeeping - 7/16/09
HI,
I followed your instructions, and I am happy to say that all my fish are doing well except for my NASO TANG.
<Glad to hear there is improvement>
She is swimming around OK and No heavy breathing but still will not eat at all. I put some flake in the tank with Garlic and she shows no interest, one fell into her mouth and she spit it back out. She has not eaten since last Wednesday. How can I get her to eat, or did whatever was in the tank mess her up for good. My husband and I feel so bad, is there anything we can do. Any advice would be so appreciated.
<I understand your feelings. Tangs tend to be especially sensitive, and sometimes they take a little longer to get over their shock than other fish. Since I'm writing this some time after your email: Is the tang eating now, or is it still showing no interest toward food? My hope, expectation is that the situation will have cleared itself now.>
Thanks
DEB
<No problem, Benjamin>

Re: Frenetic Fishkeeping - 7/16/09  07/23/09
Hi Benjamin,
<Hello Deb!>
Thanks for getting back to me.
<No trouble, sorry for the delay!>
My Tang still shows no interest in her food.
I thought I saw her pick at the seaweed once today, but it may have been wishful thinking. She is still swimming strong, and looks good, but her behavior is a little off, she seems to not want to be bothered by the other fish, normally she is pretty social.
<May still be stressed, or still noticing something in the water. Their digestive organs are especially sensitive.>
She does not look sick at all, I am so stumped???? I hope like you, that maybe she needs more time, but how long
can she go on without eating, today is a week?
<Although it isn't 'good' for them they can easily go a month without eating- provided they were in good health to begin with. A week or two isn't likely to kill the fish, but it would be good to have it eating again. Have you tried fresh algae or other enticing foods? Perhaps a few more water changes, time...>
Thanks again for your
advice.
<Again, no trouble. Hope this clears up.>
Deb
<Benjamin>

Re: Frenetic Fishkeeping - 7/26/09
Hi Benjamin,
I have good news, my Tang is eating and back to her normal behavior. She is very hungry and is begging for food every time I go near the tank. Thanks for all your help it was greatly appreciated!
Deb
<Glad to hear everything worked out! Benjamin>

pH/Algae Issues =), SW op.    7/18/09
Hello to my Omniscient Fish Keepers!
<I wouldn't... didn't go this far... Heeeee!>
You all saved my fish (Red Hawk) months ago from a very persistent ich and very bad LFS advice, (Greenex) and now he's doing wonderfully in his 120 gallon fish palace. (He was the only survivor left) well, and the choc chip starfish. lol. But now I have a few other questions that I'm having issues with. Some I am in the process of correcting and want to make sure I am heading in the right direction.
I'm new to saltwater. And I'm battling a blue-green slimy monster. rawr!
=) It's not terrible yet, but quite the pain. A film develops over the glass within about 4 days and it's all over the rocks. Yesterday, some reddish bubble-like algae-like substance started appearing on the rock.
I've learned that my protein skimmer is a waste-of-plastic piece of crap that shouldn't even be allowed to be sold. lol. A Seaclone 150. After several months, I don't even think it's pulled a cup of skimmate from the water. So, yesterday I ordered the Remora Pro after some research and it should arrive in the next couple days. I'm hoping the results are as good as I read. Will the remora need any adjustments or just hang it and go?
<Mmm, not really... mainly a set and leave alone proposition>
With the tank being so lightly stocked, will it pull a cup each day, or should I expect every couple days for now until I restock?
<Will remove much more waste, nutrient>
(I want to correct any problems before adding any fish again) After installing the Remora, is there anything that I need to do in order to help eliminate this annoyance? The starfish tries to keep up, but he can only eat so much. (He actually does eat it)
<See WWM re BGA, general marine algae control>
I'm also having trouble maintaining a ph at the proper levels. It will be around 8.1-8.2 after a water change, but within a day, sometimes two, it falls back to around 7.8-7.9 and stays there.
<And pH and Alkalinity: http://wetwebmedia.com/marphalk.htm
and the linked files above>
My substrate, fine Aragonite, has fused in some places, so I know that it's falling possibly even lower than that and I just haven't caught it on a test yet. I use RO water for all my top off and water changes. I have recently purchased Kalkwasser after reading that it helps to raise and steady ph. (Have not started dosing yet) But I'm wondering if there is some underlying problem that I'm not aware of. I don't understand why it stays low when everything else in my water appears good?
<Read on!>
My water parameters are:
Temp: 81.5
SG: 1.026
PH: 7.7
<Too low>
Nitrate: 0
Nitrite: 0
Alkalinity: 4 mEq/L (Instant Ocean test kit shows 3.5 or higher is good?)
<Too low...>
Phosphate: 0 now (but there was a significant level, off the charts, about a month ago, learned it was most likely from frozen foods and not rinsing.
Purchased Rowaphos & rinse now and has been 0 since. suspect this might be cause of some algae as well.)
<And read re the use of chemical filtrants...>
I do a 5/gal water change per week and change the filter media (biochem, Rowaphos & filtration pads) about every 3-4 weeks. (Rena XP4) The tank is approximately 8 months old.
I don't overfeed, I think. I feed approx 1 tsp of brine shrimp to the hawk in the am. (Usually about 20 or so shrimp) He'd eat all day if I let him.
And a small pinch of flake in the afternoon/evening. I was reading about Mysis, will the hawk like that?
Sorry for being so long-winded. Thanks for your help! You guys rock!
Jen
<Read on! Bob Fenner>

What to tell my boss at work Bringing a 55 Gallon tank back. SW op. f'  6/28/2009
Hello,
<Hi.>
My boss has a 55 gal. that was setup a little over a year ago, by someone who claimed he knew what he was doing. This person was suppose to do routine maintenance and did so for a few months. Then he quit saying it was to far to travel, 45 miles each way.
<OK>
So the tank went down. My boss asked me, since he knew I have a 40 gal.
goldfish tank, if I would help him with his tank.
I told him I did not know anything about saltwater, but would look into it.
<Fair enough.>
The tank setup is 55 gal. w/live rock on a 1" bed of sand. A Emperor 400 power filter. A Coralife 48" 260 watt light, a heater and 3 small fish.
<What kind of fish?>
For the past few weeks I have been searching the web to learn. Three weeks ago I tool my 5 in 1 dip test strips to test his water. It showed the nitrate was higher than the
strip would go. I also found a deep six hydrometer in his cabinet and checked the salinity. It too was higher than the scale would go.
<Yikes.>
The water level in the tank was very low. The live rock had some green/brown slime covered with air bubbles all over it.
<Cyanobacteria. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/bluegralgae.htm >
So I started. First I found some Oceanic salt in the cabinet and mixed with 12 gal. distilled water and scrubbed the rock.
I then did a 30% water change with the same water/salt mix. The salinity is now 1.025. That's where we're at. Since I've been reading this and other sites it seems that he should invest in a RO or a RO/DI for the water.
<It does help, yes.>
He ask if he could just go to Wal-Mart and get the water from the Culligan machine.
<That will be fine.>
I told him I just don't know. Please help with this issue. He said he told the other guy that he
wanted some Coral in the tank but never received any.
<System is in no way ready for corals yet Will need more stable water parameters and a much more robust filtration system that what you have now..>
I am going to attach a picture so you will see what sad shape things are in.
<Picture did not go through.>
Any and all help, suggestions, will be greatly appreciated.
<The first thing is reading and learning. The tank has been neglected so it is going to take some work to get it right.
Either you, or have your boss start reading here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/setup/marsetupindex1.htm and start
reading the articles that are relevant to your tank.>
<MikeV>

Help please ? SW maint. f'    6/13/09 Hi Crew, <Howdy!> My name is Claire, and I am a completely newbie in saltwater aquarium. I began from scratch with my ex freshwater aquarium. Aquarium : 1.5 meter - 350l 2 Hydor Koralia 4 1 auxiliary pump 2 XP filters Rena Protein Skimmer BerlinX2 Turbo 2x2 T5 Life Glo (2 white for day - 1 full spectrum and + 1 blue for night) I had a lot of reading before beginning to buy anything (I am reading a lot more now). The aquarium cycled for 5 months now, after a lot of Cyanobacteria (I still have some): after microscopic exam of a sample of red and green algae in the lab, we saw cyanos, a few diatoms, and some nematodes. Then I put some Ulva in the tank, as somebody told me that they will compete aggressively with cyanos for photosynthesis. <Can> Three weeks ago, I saw something moving in the tank. After a few moments of observation, I saw something that I think is a decapod, but I am absolutely unable to identify the species, even after a few nights on the internet browsing every link of marine shrimps categories. Somebody in another lab told me that apparently the salinity of the aquarium is ok because these kinds of eggs can get out of dormition only if they find a correct salinity for the osmosis to work. So I thought the moment came to introduce something in the tank, and I went in a shop to have a look. They told me I could begin by a 2 or 3 mushrooms. So I bought a tiny piece of rock (10 cm long and 5 cm large) with what they told me were 3 mushrooms and came back gladly home with the bag. I made acclimation for almost one hour by adding one cup of my aquarium water to the bucket each five minutes, then put the rock with a tong and placed it down in the aquarium, with low current and dimmed light. Then I saw the temperature raised from 29 C to 31 C. I opened the canopy and closed lights, put fan on and added saltwater to the tank with dechlorinator. 10 minutes after, my skimmer went crazy, and the floor with covered with brown foam. I tested water and the results were: Nitrate = 0 Phosphate = 0 Calcium = between 380 and 400 ppm Carbonate = between 196,9 and 214,8 After 30 hours, temperatures went down at 29 C. I saw that what I suspect to be Zoanthids were suddenly present with something which I am almost certain is a mushroom. <One of your pix is of a Corallimorpharian...> I still do not know what was these "mushrooms" that I bought. And then I saw the worm, that I suspect, perhaps wrongly, to be a fireworm. <And one of these... as well as another type/species of Polychaete> I was for two nights on your site and I read almost all about mushrooms, Corallimorphs, invertebrates, but I humbly say that I am lost. I love animals and I do not want make them suffer or die only because I am dumb. <You're doing fine... not to worry> So I am really sorry for these "mushrooms" that perhaps you will be enough kind to identify; because, if they have only a digestive apparatus, that does not mean that they have to suffer. Thank you so much for taking the time to read me and to help, and thank you so much for your site, which is so full of competent resources Sincerely yours, Claire <Oh... Do keep reading, observing, sharing... and enjoying. Bob Fenner>

SW sys. improvement input/maint. f'   6/13/09 Hi crew, <Marc> I haven't bothered you all in a while, so I was hoping you could help me out. I have came to the point where I have to ask myself if saltwater tanks are for me, but before I jump off the roof, I thought you might shed some light on what I'm doing wrong. I have read your website, front to back with anything that seems to pertain to my tank. I've attached photos, I would love your advise <Advice> regarding anything that needs improvement. My big issues are, hair algae, cryano, and glass anemones. Also loss of fish, although infrequent, and the mushrooms in my tank don't to be doing so hot, please let me know if they look fine to you. Any constructive criticism would be appreciated. I have a 75 gallon tank. For equipment I have two Hydor stage 4's, a Hydor stage 3, a Remora Pro, an Emperor 400, a heater and 210 watts of T-5 lighting. (3 10,000k bulbs, 1 actinic). I have about an inch of sand <Mmm, I'd have more... here and or in a refugium> and 80lbs of live rock. For livestock, I have a Flame Angel, Lawnmower Blenny, Royal Gramma, 3 Green Chromis, a Serpent Starfish, assorted snails and hermit crabs, a Hammer coral, Frogspawn, Torch coral, assorted mushrooms and what I believe to be Kenyon Tree coral. I keep the lights on for 12 hours a day. I do a weekly 15% water change every week with tap water treated with prime, and Reef Crystals Salt. When my Alk needs adjusting I use Kent Marines SuperBuffer, when I need to raise calcium, I use Kent Marine's Turbo Calcium. My nitrates show 0, ammonia 0, ph 8, cal 400, Alk 9-10, specific gravity 1.025 and temp 78 degrees. For treating my issues (or at least the ones having to do with the tank) I have been scrubbing off the cyrano and hair algae with a tooth brush before water changes, and have been treating the anemones with Joe's Juice, and Red Sea's product. There seems to be a lot of detritus in the tank, I only feed the fish once a day. Half a cube a day, alternating between Formula One, Formula Two and Mysis Shrimp. I wonder if having all the powerheads aiming at each other is counter productive, <Better to arrange to form a vortex... best to have this reverse itself periodically> It seems like I only have flow in the middle of the tank. But I can't find a better way to place them without disturbing corals. I have customized the Emperor to be better suited for my needs. I epoxied outlets that go to the BioWheels, and removed the BioWheel. This way all the water is pumped through the 4 cartridges of carbon in the Emperor. I also fitted a block of foam to catch debris before it reaches the Emperor. It's a lot easier to remove the foam for cleaning once a week, I stole the idea from the Remora. Both prefilters (the Remora's and the Emperor's) are cleaned once a week. So with that, I hope you can tear apart my tank, and point out what I'm missing. I've attached photos to help you see what's going on in my tank, mostly the direction in which the powerheads are faced, and the customizing of the Emperor filter. Thanks again, Marc <Mmm... I'd look into using Spectrum food as a staple, adding a working refugium with RDP lighting, algal culture there, the DSB alluded to... Bob Fenner>

Keep your hands out of my tank Marine System and Maintenance. 6/5/2009
<Hi Edward.>
I would just like to take a moment and share my experience with you.
<Certainly.>
I have found no other hobby that excites and disappoints so often. 'Tis a roller coaster ride beyond match. And I do consider them pets, short of naming them...so far.
<Me too, though the rest of my family names them. The only one that seems to fit is "George" the Clownfish.>
My comment and general advice is this, keep your hand out of your tank as much as possible. I have found this to be the single most important principle to my aquarium. Letting nature take its course and allowing the tank to mature and stabilize is just as important as the research beforehand.
<We are in agreement.>
I have customized my own aquarium to minimize contact with the water during feeding and water changes. This means I let coralline build up for a while before inserting my hand to scrape it off.
<I leave one of those magnetic scrapers in the tank at all times, hand never has to enter the water.>
If something is on my hands or arms, I'd rather take the chance of contamination only once. My ill-educated excitement has led my initial fish overstocking to a select few by following this rule...survival of the fittest. I thought a mixed reef would be nice, but found that :chasing numbers" didn't allow me to really enjoy my aquarium.
<It is a common source of frustration. In the scant few months I've been a member of The Crew, I've answered countless emails from people stressed because their pH or calcium level wasn't exactly right.>
And while I may yearn for a colorific SPS dominated tank, I wonder how natural that really is? I can even survive the seemingly seasonal Cyano outbreak because I know as long as I keep up with regular maintenance and my hand out of the tank, it too will pass. It happens in the ocean, why such a big deal when it happens in our tanks.
<There can be some adverse reactions to your livestock by the presence of Cyano, but I agree. In my tank, Cyano loves a few particular spots on my back glass. As long as it stays there, I don't stress about it too much.>
But, I digress. Having found myself further from my original point I would just like to say that there is a lot to be said for natural looking reefs, even if their and result doesn't look exactly as planned.
<Thank you for sharing, and I do agree with you.>
Edward
<MikeV>

Re: frustrated... SW op., much reading...  04/27/09
Sara,
Thanks for your quick response. I guess that most of my problems resulted from listening to the guys at the LFS who have been in this hobby for years but apparently don't know anything about it. They only deal with it almost every day of their lives.
<Uh... not always. I worked at a LFS once myself. I have learned quite a lot since (through reading and experience), but back then, I didn't know much more than the customers coming in. Trust me tough, people don't necessarily learn a lot about keeping a personal home aquarium from caring for fish in a LFS. For one thing, the populations of these tanks are constantly changing as fish are brought in and sold. Secondly, the systems themselves are usually just very different (and often get many more water changes and are much larger in overall volume). Point is, yes, you have learned that you should not necessarily listen to "the guys at the LFS."
Maybe they know a bit more than the average Joe, but they often don't always know quite enough to help you. Then, there are also some who will just flat out lie to you... or just tell you what you want to hear. The
guys/gals who actually do know quite a bit about aquarium keeping are usually the managers/owners who avoid talking to people at all costs (note, this is a generalization-- there are exceptions).>
You'd think they would eventually pick up some of these lessons....
<You'd think they would... and many do in time. But many are young people just working a temporary job. Others are stubborn, some don't really like the job, some just don't feel like learning anything... some think they know it all already.>
The 3 Damsels were specifically recommended along with live rock to cycle the aquarium.
<I don't doubt that they were... but this was/is a *bad* recommendations.
Believe me, I try to tell LFSs workers/owners this as often as I can. But again, many are stubborn, think they know better... some just want to sell fish any way they can. Others are just ignorant and "loyal" to the old, bad "traditions" of the hobby. Cycling with damsels is one such old, bad "tradition" that people just don't seem to want to let go of (for whatever reason).>
They recommended only algae sheets as a supplement for the tang.
<That's fine/good... tangs do appreciate these sheets.>
They told me that as long as my nitrates remained nearly constant, I didn't need a protein skimmer.
<Uh, ok...>
They also said that as soon as all the system parameters stabilized I could add more fish. They were stable for months and still are (except for lowering the salinity to help the tang, which was recommended on another contradictory site). The stores and the internet are full of people that don't know what they're doing. So with all this mis-information floating around, I can see how I got sidetracked.
<I hope you don't think I was judging you in any way. I'm just trying to help you understand why things went downhill. Your tank is too small for a tang. It's almost too small for a dwarf angel. It's definitely too small for both! It is certainly too small for both in the same tank as 3 damsels. Overstocking is a *huge* problem in the marine aquarium hobby.
LFS workers, people on the internet, new people in practice... all, quite often, have a very poor idea on how to stock a marine aquarium. Most people will, at some point or another (usually in the beginning) attempt to over populate their tanks.>
So now I have some questions:
1. What exactly do you mean by "poor water quality"? If the water is clear and my water parameters are all good, what's "poor" about it?
<When we test for nitrates, that's only a "sign." The nitrates themselves aren't actually that harmful to fish. The presence of nitrates is just an indicator. Unfortunately, your water can be polluted with organics without
necessarily showing a lot of nitrates.>
2. I've heard that a dying anemone can "nuke" a system? Maybe that's the real problem I'm having? I'm starting to think so. If so, what can I do about it?
<This is quite possible (and a good example of the above). A dying anemone can be quite toxic (without necessarily raising your nitrates all that much).>
3. Do sea stars hurt or help water quality? I was under the impression that they helped it.
<Depends on which sea stars... >
4. I've heard "5 gallons per inch of fish". Is that acceptable? I have about 4.5 inches of fish with my 3 damsels.
<Well, the 1in of fish per 5g of water rule is a decent "rough estimate"-- but still very much a rough estimate. And if you're going to use it, you need to use the adult size of the fish you want to keep. Though maybe not
such a problem now, those fish will get at least 3x as big as they are now (if not bigger). Did I link you to this article already?
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/NotesLivestockingArt.htm>
That would mean that my tank wasn't and isn't overstocked.
<Overstocking isn't just about the size/number of your fish... there are other issues, like aggressiveness... again, please read the above linked article.>
Then what about inverts? They're not "fish", so do they count at all when performing this calculation?
<They can, yes... to what extent is often difficult to "calculate.">
5. Is a nitrate level of 20 a problem for tangs (not that I'm planning on ever getting one again, but I'd like to know what was so "poor" about my setup)?
6. What effect does complete darkness have on fish? How do they manage to do anything in the dark?
<They don't, they usually "sleep.">
Would a sea-star ever attack a sick fish in the dark,
<Yes, it's possible for some sea stars, but not most that we usually keep. The "green monster" is notorious for killing smaller fish.>
given that sea-stars are much better equipped to deal with the darkness and actually quite strong?
7. So, aside from getting a protein skimmer, what should I do?
<Just be patient, wait a few weeks... you might even consider a refugium, or growing macroalgae in your sump, etc.>
The water parameters are still as stated below and stable. I'm using a Fluval 305 btw. I'm especially worried about toxins and microorganisms from the dead anemone in the water.
<Water changes and running activated carbon in your Fluval should greatly help this.>
Thank-you again for your help.
<De nada,
Sara M.>

Re: stocking - nitrates - feeding 05/24/09
Hi Sara or another crew member,
Thank you for your response. I am just a little confused with some of your answers. I'm not sure if I asked the questions clearly or not. So if you could clear a few of them up for me. That would be awesome.  I understand your comment about the DSB and the Ph.  When you said that my tank was "about fully loaded at that point" - was that with the 2 Clowns and the Zebra blenny - the shrimps and clean up crew. As I did not have the 4 Chromis' at the time.
<Ok, I must have misunderstood then. If at any point, your tank had 2 clowns and 4 Chromis, then it would have (at that point) been fully stocked. If it only had two clowns, then no, 2 clowns in a 55g is not what I would consider "fully stocked" (unless maybe if there's a huge anemone in there with them).>
Maybe my mistake was not labeling current occupants and past occupants a little better.
<I was a little confused...>
I had mentioned that I wanted to get the Chromis' eating pellets and that I was using New Life Spectrum and Formula One and that the LFS had been feeding the Chromis' Formula One - You had said "just feed them that then". What - the Formula One?
<Yes>
I was already trying that!
<Oh, then I misunderstood... I thought you had said that that's what they *were* eating but that you weren't feeding them that. If you have tried what they were eating in the store, and the Spectrum pellets, and they're still not eating... then I think your fish are unhappy and/or ill. I would do a water change.>
I also asked you how to start removing the filter media from the two Fluvals in the hopes of lowering the nitrates. You told me to add "activated Carbon". Is that all I need to do? Reading your site - I thought that canister filters were nitrate factories.
<They can be if you don't clean them regularly. When I said use "activated carbon," I should have been more clear... you want to empty them out of whatever's in them now, then start using new activated carbon *instead* of what you're using now. Do 50% changes of this carbon every month or so.>
In my last e-mail I had written about the two Fluvals and what I had in them. Seachem's Seagel was one of them. I was also under the impression that the Seagel was a combo of activated carbon as well as a phosphate remover. You also told me to add a powerhead or two for circulation was that one or two MORE powerheads as I already have two as mentioned in my last e-mail.
<Sorry again for the misunderstanding, I thought you said you were planning to use your Fluvals as the only source of circulation. So if you have two additional powerheads, in addition to the Fluvals, don't remove them and that should be fine.>
I'm sorry to be a nuisance. And could you point me in the right direction in regards to stocking. What determines how to stock? Equipment - filtration -maintenance - amount of LR and the sand??? Or is it just size of tank.
<Please see here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/NotesLivestockingArt.htm>
Do ornamental shrimp and your basic clean up crew add anything into this equation?
<A *small* clean up crew, and one or two small ornamental shrimp is usually almost "negligible" when it comes to bioload....>
You had said that one more chromis would be ok - would it work if I got the flame angle instead?
<No... there's more to stocking a tank than bioload. Please read the article I've linked you to. There are some compatibility issues here too.>
And as for the bio-load - overload that was on advice from the LFS. This is hard when you are new at this hobby and not all advise is created equal !!!
<Very true! It is a struggle sometimes.>
Would be 4 chromis- 2 clowns - 1 bicolor blenny - a flame angle - 2 shrimp and clean up crew work with my system!!!!! I would really like to get the flame. Your help with these matters would be so greatly appreciated. Thanks again for your help!
<If you really want this flame angel, you could try it... just know that it's a risk.>
and have a super weekend!!
Patti
<Same to you!
Cheers,
Sara M.>

Re: stocking - nitrates - feeding -ScottV's reply 05/24/09
Hi Sara or another crew member,
<Patti, Scott V. today.>
Thank you for your response. I am just a little confused with some of your answers.
<Ok>
I'm not sure if I asked the questions clearly or not. So if you could clear a few of them up for me. That would be awesome.  I understand your comment about the DSB and the Ph.
When you said that my tank was "about fully loaded at that point" - was that with the 2 Clowns and the Zebra blenny - the shrimps and clean up crew. As I did not have the 4 Chromis' at the time. Maybe my mistake was not labeling current occupants and past occupants a little better.
<I would be comfortable with all of the above in a 55, but as Sara said, at this point it is near fully loaded.>
I had mentioned that I wanted to get the Chromis' eating pellets and that I was using New Life Spectrum and Formula One and that the LFS had been feeding the Chromis' Formula One - You had said "just feed them that then". What - the Formula One?
<Yes.>
I was already trying that!
<Well, you can continue to try other brands, just give it time or even swap them to flakes for a while to get them off the frozen stuff. I find that smaller chromis generally will try to eat and spit out pellets, then grow out of that habit as they get larger, eating the pellets.>
I also asked you how to start removing the filter media from the two Fluvals in the hopes of lowering the nitrates. You told me to add "activated Carbon". Is that all I need to do?
<Hmm, no. I think what Sara meant is to empty out all of the other media and use them (just one is all you need really) to run carbon. The other media in the things provide nothing that your skimmer and LR do not already.>
Reading your site - I thought that canister filters were nitrate factories. In my last e-mail I had written about the two Fluvals and what I had in them. Seachem's Seagel was one of them. I was also under the impression that the Seagel was a combo of activated carbon as well as a phosphate remover.
<Basically, you could run this instead of carbon if you wish.>
You also told me to add a powerhead or two for circulation was that one or two MORE powerheads as I already have two as mentioned in my last e-mail.
<They are not large enough, you need more flow. See:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/circmarart.htm>
I'm sorry to be a nuisance. And could you point me in the right direction in regards to stocking. What determines how to stock?
<Volume, compatibility, psychological crowding. Use the search tool at the bottom of any WWM page and enter "marine stocking" and you will find many articles and FAQ's with all the answers. More importantly research each addition re compatibility with others in the system and the system itself. There is no one magical answer here.>
Equipment - filtration - maintenance - amount of LR and the sand??? Or is it just size of tank. Do ornamental shrimp and your basic clean up crew add anything into this equation?
<These are all very basic, simple questions that can easily be answered with a few minutes reading WWM or buying a book like Conscientious Marine Aquarist.>
You had said that one more chromis would be ok - would it work if I got the flame angle instead?
<No, point in case. Read through WWM about flame angels and their compatibility in systems.  it is not a good idea.>
And as for the bio-load - overload that was on advice from the LFS.
<Well, I do question their statement re the chromis eating the pellets.  Did you actually see this?>
This is hard when you are new at this hobby and not all advise is created equal !!!
<Unfortunately it is not.>
Would be 4 chromis- 2 clowns - 1 bicolor blenny - a flame angle - 2 shrimp and clean up crew work with my system!!!!! I would really like to get the flame.
<Really, skip it, get a larger system first.>
Your help with these matters would be so greatly appreciated. Thanks again for your help!
and have a super weekend!!
Patti
<You too, Scott V.>

Thanks, marine set-up reading   4/2/09
Bob,
<Jason>
I recently purchased your book, "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" and very much enjoyed it. My only regret is that I did not read it before setting up my system last year. Not knowing what I was doing, I probably made a few bad choices in equipment and livestock purchases. What I would like to do now is to try to improve the system with equipment additions that will have the most "bang for the buck". I was hoping to get your opinion on my ideas. I have a 110 gallon system with about 70 pounds of Tongo live rock, a few mushroom coral, and lightly stocked livestock. I have a wet/dry filter,
<Mmm, would convert this to a sump, refugium. See here: http://wetwebmedia.com/marsetupindex2.htm>
coral life skimmer (read bad things about this skimmer), and a emperor aquatics 40 watt UV system. Not knowing what I was doing while setting up the tank, I have about 3.3 inches of aragonite sand (20% was live sand). I've had a bad nitrate problem that I can't seem to reduce, despite weekly 20% water changes.
<Read: http://wetwebmedia.com/nitratesmar.htm
and the linked files above>
From what I understand, this is not enough for a "DSB" and too much for a pure nitrifying sand bed.
<Correct... see WWM re>
I've read different views on how much one should clean a sand bed via vacuuming. Given this level of sand, should I aggressively vacuum while doing water changes?
<And this>
Should I add more sand or remove sand?
<Ditto>
Also, I am thinking about adding two media reactors by NextReef for running Purigen and phosphate remover. Do you think this is a worthwhile addition?
<No... also covered/archived on our site>
Also, I've read some conflicting views on removing bioballs from wet/dry systems.
<... see mine... on...>
I am considering removing them, however the wet/dry Bioball chamber of the sump is not that large, and I don't know if it would benefit from having something in it's place (like a few pieces of live rock), or should I replace the whole thing with a refugium type sump?
<Covered>
Lastly, in your book you say that adding ozone should be one of the top considerations before other types of equipment (like UV). After reading a few articles that indicate there is a potential to poison your house with ozone gas, do you think that it is possible to add ozone to a standard skimmer without a lot of special equipment? Thanks so much for all your help!
Jason
<Keep reading Jason... the answers to all you posit above, and much more important, the rationale for their stances, is posted on WetWebMedia.com
Bob Fenner>

Two questions about a 60 gallon setup, 3/22/09
Hi,
<Hello>
First off - thanks for providing such a fantastic resource! I have a 60 gallon tank - all-in-one so it loses maybe 15 gallons to a wet/dry filter. I've got quite a bit of live rock (although I'm growing more and more convinced that some of it may not be particularly "live" - a little more on that later. I've got a yellow tang,
<Will outgrow this tank.>
one percula clown, one damsel, and a newly added Picasso trigger (3 weeks now).
<Will also outgrow the tank, and can be quite destructive,>
I realize that last choice may not have been the best one - particularly after I had just returned a very badly behaved lunare wrasse that decimated my snail and hermit crabs - but the store owner told me that the very small Picasso that I bought might leave the other critters in my tank alone.
<Perhaps for a while.>
So far, I've lost 10 snails, two emerald crabs, a brittle starfish (in a particularly gruesome death), and another percula clown I had originally had. The snails and starfish were clearly from the trigger as even the little trigger had no trouble flipping over my turbo snails and he completely tore apart the much larger brittle star.
<Fairly typical for a trigger.>
But to get to my questions:
1) the clown that died had what looked like thin red blotchy stripes along his flanks - three on one side and maybe two on the other. He lasted with these for a few days until his midsection got really thin and he eventually died. I have no idea what caused this and my Google searching has been in vain. It happened right after the addition of the trigger - so it is hard to imagine that it is not related. But the trigger largely ignored the other fish in my tank - even the yellow tang who is quick to use that rear blade if the trigger comes too close.
<Be careful here, when agitated the fish may use that blade on your hands if they are in the tank.>
So my uneducated guesses were:
a) the trigger intimidated the clowns from eating (definitely seeing this) and these stripes were brought on by malnutrition?
<Possible>
b) the trigger did attack the clown - but I just never saw it - and these are wounds
<Generally here you would see fairly distinctive bite marks in the shape of the triggers mouth.>
c) the poor quality of the water (despite water changes) from the loss of my snails and crabs may have lead to some form of infection?
<Most likely.>
I do have a good amount of Cyanobacteria forming in the tank...
<Nutrient control here, http://www.wetwebmedia.com/bluegralgae.htm .>
Any ideas? The problem is that the remaining clown had similar, but fewer, striping on his flank - but it seems to have cleared up somewhat.
<I would guess water quality related.>
The only thing I've been doing differently is feeding them more (to ensure that he actually gets some food) - but that of course is making my Cyanobacteria problem worse.
<Yep.>
2) My live rock turns green (from the algae I feed them), brown, and red (Cyanobacteria). The green and red really get out of control - and without snails, it kills my water quality.
<The water quality would suffer with or without snails.>
I realize the trigger should not be used in a tank with live rock
<Its ok with live rock, just need to be aware of its tankmates.>
- but is it harmful for me to flip the live rock over and rotate them around every two weeks or so? By
doing this, I deny the algae (and Cyano) on that side access to light (for the most part), killing it off, and then the clean side that was face down will accumulate algae until it is then flipped.
<This won't really work long term, as long as there is food for the Cyano it will grow.>
This is done in addition to weekly water changes of course. In addition to controlling problem algae, I thought it would also break up any territorial behavior from my fish by changing their environment frequently?
<Not likely, most fish figure out what is going on pretty quick.>
But perhaps there are negative effects of this - aside from it being a pain in the butt to do? I'm not at all convinced that my live rock is still "live" to be honest - as I think algal growth could adhere to any surface that I stick in this aquarium.
<The rock is most likely still ok from a microfauna and bacterial standpoint.>
When I received this tank from the previous owner, the tank was completely drained and
the live rock was covered with some dust - the previous owner said I just needed to add salt water and the tank should be fine.
<If the rock was completely dry then the rock is most likely dead, and perhaps worse carrying lots of rotting detritus that is adding to your algae problems.>
Is that true? Can live rock be left out of the water for a period without killing off the micro-organisms?
<If it’s kept wet then most is ok, but if allowed to fry out problems ensue.>
Thanks very much
Glenn
<Welcome>
<Chris>

Re: two questions about a 60 gallon setup 3/23/09
Thanks very much for the answers - a few follow ups please:
<Ok>
When would I know that he needs a bigger home? Purely based on his size or are there behavioral clues?
<By the time the behavioral clues come up there is often permanent damage done, but I would guess within a year or so it will need a larger home.>
One of the rocks has a nasty black patch on it - I'm guessing this is rotting detritus?
<Could be.>
But the rest are either brown, red, or green with algae or white (when left out of the light for long enough).
<There may very well be lots of dead material deep within the rock that is not visible.>
Since there is nothing more interesting growing on them (i.e. some of the purple live rock I have seen) is that a good sign that they are dead?
<More to it than that, many bacterial and small life also plays a part in live rock.>
My concern is that the fish seem to enjoy having places to swim through and hide in - I'd hate to get rid of something that could be useful for them even if it is not helping me with filtration. Of course, if it is making things worse, that is another story.
<Just needs a good cleaning, freshwater soak and a good scrubbing will be helpful here. With the addition of a little live rock it will become live once again.>
And if I do need to throw out the not-really-live rock, should I consider getting more?
<I would.>
Or with the trigger, and the lack of clean-up crew, should I just move to a fish-only tank? (Or get rid of the trigger)
<Well, the trigger will also need a new home eventually, but to me live rock will be very beneficial here.>
Thanks again!
<Welcome>
<Chris>

Re: Two questions about a 60 gallon setup, 3/23/09
Thanks again - please, one last follow up?
<Sure>
You mention the fwd and scrubbing - I've been checking around the web for more info for this, and have found a lot on "curing", but I think that is a different step than what you are asking me to take.
<Curing is for live rock where you want to save most of the life on the rocks, which in your case where the rock was totally dried out and dead there is nothing worth saving (hope this is correct). In your case its all
about removing dead decaying matter, where a good scrubbing and a soak, even can use a mild bleach solution and rinse well with dechlorinator afterwards would help. You will probably want to do this just a little at a time so you don't remove the entire biofilter and cause another cycle.>
As I understand curing is removing detritus from viable live rock before placing it in an established tank?
<Yes to a degree, allows bacterial processes to break down the detritus outside of the main tank while allowing most of the life to survive.>
Whereas what I may have to do is completely clean my rock to leave a porous surface for new microorganisms?
<Yes>
If that is correct, my concern is going to far in that second alternative - I had originally taken one piece of live rock that was completely black out and scrubbed it and dried it - and it turned completely white. Is that too excessive?
<Not in this situation where there is no life to be concerned with. Remove as much dead material as possible.>
And when you say a little live rock can make my rock viable again - how little? I've already got a lot of rock in the tank.
<Just a few pounds will do with time.>
Thanks!
<Welcome>
Glenn
<Chris>

Re: Two questions about a 60 gallon setup, 3/23/09
This all makes sense - but I'm just a little confused on the ordering, since you mentioned doing this a little at a time. Should I add the new live rock first, and then gradually (i.e. one rock a day?) clean the existing rock? Or should I clean the existing rock (again something like a rock a day) and then add the new live rock?
thanks!
<I would probably clean the rock first, then add the live rock, but it most likely will not make a huge difference either way.>
<Chris>

max number of starfish
Marine Newbie With Problems And Not Enough Reading 3/21/09
Hey guys, wanted to say first what a great and informative website you have.
<Thank you Erica.>
I'm new to the saltwater / reef stuff and really want to make sure I'm doing the right things.
<Makes sense to me.>
I started the tank about 4 months ago with live rock and live sand. I let this cycle for few weeks then introduced a few damsels. I later added a Scooter Blenny and Green Mandarin dragonet. After a week the mandarin died.
<Not surprising.>
Researching, I found this was probably due to no copepods for it to feed on in new tank.
<Would have saved you some money if you had learned this before hand and also the fishes life.>
After a couple weeks I added a clown (false percula, aquacultured, not wild) and a bubble anemone.
<Another mistake, not an animal for a newcomer to start out with. Most tank bred/raised clownfish will
not enter an anemone.>
Did well for week or two then the anemone started to shrink up and had moved itself under a rock cliff away from light and water flow. Again, going back to books and online believed it to have lost its zooanthalea <Zooanthellae> and needed supplemental feed.
<It needs the Zooanthellae to survive much more than the food.>
By the time I got some frozen Mysid shrimp it was already turning itself inside out.
<A goner.>
I pulled it out of the tank before it completely died so as not to contaminate my tank.
<A good move.>
My water quality numbers were all textbook levels for good water quality with exception of calcium levels - which I've read are only necessary for corals.
<Not necessarily so, pH, dKH, and calcium are all interrelated and one can affect the level of others.>
I started to notice some green and reddish purple algae growing and couldn't understand why when levels were testing so well.
<Could be coralline algae which is beneficial, helps to prevent nuisance algae growth in the area of the coralline growth itself.>
I purchased some additional cleaners (crabs, snails, cleaner clams,
<cleaner clams??>
shrimp, and a brittle starfish). Still no improvement to algae. Went back to readings which suggested this was all normal and ok and the reddish purple algae and lavender "spots" were a good sign of a cycled tank. Shortly after this, we noticed our Scooter Blenny was missing... never did find him.
<The Scooter Blenny is actually classed as a Dragonet, which also includes the Green and Spotted Mandarin Goby. These fish are more suited to a reef tank environment with plenty of live rock and a good population of copepods to survive.>
Also at this time one of the two scarlet crabs I had was lying dead and in pieces in the sandbed.
<Could have possibly molted and you are looking at the old skeleton.>
Over the next several weeks noticed more algae growth and 2 or 3 Blue Hermit Crabs dead. Water still ok. Talked to local saltwater store with no answers other than lighting might be issue so I converted to T5 set that has 2 actinic blues, 2 10,000, and LED moon lights with built in timer. Did a 50% water exchange and used distilled water this time instead of filtered tap with a dechlorinator. Scrubbed the tank walls, syphon vacuumed sand, and waited to see. After week or 2, ordered orange Linckia Starfish with pink tip Haitian Anemone.
<Why? Your track record for keeping animals alive needs to be looked at. Now you have another anemone that likely will not survive in your system with your present lighting. Is your LFS recommending these animals to you as easy to keep?>
Initially the anemone was placed on rockwork in well lit area with good flow. It walked itself to a side wall and up to nest on magnetic scrubber near top of the tank water. At present, the anemone has finally settled in corner of tank in the sandbed by decor fixture. It has really plumped up and seems to be ok for now. Orange Linckia consistently stays along top of waterline, not above but right at water line bent over backwards with 2 or 3 of the 5 legs attached to the wall.
<Mmm, has this starfish been exposed to air, taken out of the water, properly acclimated?
They are sensitive to sudden water parameter changes and exposure to air.>
Not having any prior experience, and as our brittle starfish stays hidden in the boat fixture, I'm not sure if this is normal or if I should be worried.
<Are generally nocturnal, and hopefully it isn’t a large brittle as they are known to attack/eat sleeping fish.>
I saw some discussions about supplemental feedings and wonder if I should try to add some Mysid for it or if this is just part of the adjustment phase.
<If it is a large specimen, do yourself a favor and return to your LFS.>
Any and all info you can give to let me know if I'm doing right by the fish and starfish. Also to note I did add a single green Ricordea with the anemone and starfish and it appears to be opening up and looks ok. Sorry to be so lengthy, but I wanted to make sure you had all the facts if any of it would matter in giving advice.
<Is helpful>
Also, what limits should I set with respect to total inhabitants (fish, inverts, corals, etc.) in my 65gal tank?
<Is all going to depend on the size of the fishes, keeping in mind that they grow.>
I have an Eheim multimedia canister filter, 2 jets, and a Berlin in tank protein skimmer.
<It appears that your major problem here is lack of reading/learning about these animals and the requirements needed for keeping such alive, including compatibility with other animals. I will provide some links for you, do read/learn about animals you may be interested in before making any new purchases, will save you grief and money.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marineSetUp.htm
A marine index to our information library is provided here.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/setup/marsetupindex1.htm
To help with algae control,
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/algaeconMar.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nutrientcontrol.htm
The following link is provided so you are aware of the requirements/needs for keeping anemones, and I
would not recommend keeping one until you gain more experience in this hobby, not an easy invertebrate to keep.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm>
Sincerest thanks and appreciation for your time,
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Erica Bradley

Protein Skimmer... new tank op.  3/19/09
Hi,
<Mitzi.>
I am pretty new to saltwater tanks. I have a 75 gal tank, my problem is I purchased a used Protein Skimmer and not sure it is working properly. I have a 200gph (new) pump on it, had to buy an additional air pump (100 gph) for bubble because couldn't get the one on the pump to work. It is bubbling but I'm not collecting anything in it other than what appears to just be water from bubbles that have bubbled over the top.
<What skimmer/pump is this? How old? Most skimmers really do have a "break in" period of at least a few days before they start to produce.>
I'm having a problem with the red-slim algae and green algae.
<See: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/bluegralgae.htm and the linked files above.>
In addition to the protein skimmer, I have 2 Koralia #2 turbo pump mounted to each side of tank for movement, a 9x3 turbo twist sterilizer with a 200gph pump and a 600gph pump in sump returning water
back to tank. I have a wet/dry system with bioballs.
<Well....>
All 3 pumps are in sump (sterilizer, protein skimmer and return pump). Is this enough water movement for
this size tank?
<Depending on what you wish to keep it can be, yes.>
From what i have read about it, it seems to be. My tank has been running for about 4wks. My live rock I purchased from someone who was moving and needed to sell their stuff. I have done 3-4 20%w/c and 1 50% w/c in the last 3 wks. Should I be doing anything differently?
<The only thing it sounds like I would do differently here is to remove the bioballs from your sump.
Your liverock will act as the biofilter, the bioballs will only really serve you as detritus traps, raising nitrate by letting the detritus sit there and rot basically. I too would go ahead and test your source water you are using for the water changes just to be sure. You do need to get the skimmer squared away too, do write back with more info about it. Then just keep doing the water changes and give it time.>
Please help.
Thanks
Mitzi
<Welcome, Scott V.>

Re: Suggestions...   skimmer sel., AquaC... pump for... gen. mar. maint.  2/26/09
Thank you Scott V. for your reply.
<Very welcome.>
Just found out about this site about a month ago, there is a ton of information on here. Thanks for referring to the other links. After more research, i agree with you and will go with Remora #2. Will put # 1, which has Maxi-Jet 1200 pump, on 55 gallon, and go with a Remora with a Rio 1400 or Mag-Drive 3 pump. One better than the other?
<The Mag for my taste.>
With being unable to install a sump right now, the Emperor 400 filter, should it stay or go. Would good canister filter be better?
<Not really in this case, with the live rock you will basically just be using the filter for running a bit of carbon. You already have the Emperor and it is just easier to replace the carbon IMO.>
I figure with the fishes, i need some kind of filtration besides skimmer?
<With the liver rock and a bit of carbon, no, not necessary.>
Didn't know that about sand sifting star. He, or she, is one of tanks first inhabitants. It is about twice the size as when first put in. Because of rock, it stays in about 1/3 of tank, in front. But if it is sucking the life out of sand, it will go. Will take to LFS and trade or give to.
<The real issue is it will deplete the live in the sand until it has nothing left to live on itself.>
What are other critters good at keeping sand clean?
<Nassarius snails and the microfauna that will populate the sand from the live rock. See: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/dsbbiomakeup.htm for other options.>
I test for salt, try to keep at 1.024, Ammonia, pH, Nitrites, Nitrates, Calcium, try to keep about 400. Anything else i should be testing for?
<Definitely carbonate hardness, I would test for magnesium too though. And I would raise your spg to 1.025 too.>
The Bubble Tip has been in tank about 5 months. It attached near bottom on rock, about half under a ledge over sand bed. It has never moved from this spot. The 2 Maroons have been in about a year. They were both about the same size at time. One has grown very little, about 2 inches. The other is now about 3 times it's size, female i figure, it now wants to keep all the sand blown away. Down to the glass. Like a bowl. I push sand back in and in short order, swishing and with mouth, she has her bowl again. Should i leave her alone?
<Yes, not much you can do if the fish wants to dig, other than remove the fish.>
The Anemone, it stays open for the most part, sometimes it gets in a ball, but it isn't filled out like at first. I hand feed it, once a week, a piece of raw shrimp about the size of a nickle. I was thinking of maybe feeding twice a week and soaking shrimp in some Zoe?
<You can, yes.>
Now to the 55 gallon. The rock i put in last week is doing good. No spikes at all. I've got some hitchhikers. After putting rock in i started hearing this clicking sound. I thought, oh no, sure enough, 2 Mantis Shrimp, that i know of. My first time to deal with these bad boys. I see now why Mr Fenner says with any size these would be the T-Rex of the ocean. They are bad to the bone!
<!>
Will have to get these out before adding any livestock.
Just a comment here. I think i have come a long way in this so far, but have so much more to learn, i thank you for your help.
<I am happy we have been able to help out.>
I have gotten a lot of compliments on my tank. Have had people come by, they see the tank, say, what's that, grab up a chair, sit in front of tank, they are just amazed, ask 400 questions, what's that, wow, look at that, is that alive. Now i have people come by asking, how's the tank?
As always, thank you for any suggestions.
<Welcome.>
Larry

Software review? 2/26/09
Hi there people, some time back I submitted an article to you entitled "Mbu for you?" and I am still very grateful for your inclusion of it on this great site. I am contacting you know to see if a review of an aquarium management software is something you would be interested in. I am part of the admin team on a forum,
www.fishkeepingforum.co.uk<http://www.fishkeepingforum.co.uk/> and the site creator and the development team is in the finishing stages of version 2 of Aquatrax. What he would like to know is whether a review of the software
would be something that you would support on your site? He is very keen to send you a free copy of it for you to have a play with in the hope that you will give it some coverage on your site and get global exposure.
Here is a link to the site
http://www.aquatrax.co.uk/
Many thanks for your time on this as I appreciate you are very busy.
Stuart Morse
<Mmm, will see if NealeM has interest or referral. Thanks Stu. BobF>

Marine aquarium program 2/26/2009
Hello all,
A software publisher is looking to have a marine aquarium management program reviewed in the pages of our august journal. If someone would care to have a free copy of the program to play with, on the understanding that a review would be forthcoming within, say, 4 weeks, please step forward!
The application is called Aqua Trax and can be seen here:
http://www.aquatrax.co.uk/
I do notice that it works on Windows only, and whilst sold in the UK, it has the option to run using non-metric measurements.
Cheers, Neale
<Neale, I for one would be up for that, writing it up for CMA.
Scott V.>
Sold to the man at the back. May I send your e-mail address along to our correspondent and have him contact you with serial numbers and whatnot?
Cheers, Neale
<Yes, please do.
Thanks,
Scott V.>

New To The Marine Hobby, Need Additional Guidance 2/20/09
Marine Set-Up/Maintenance
Hi there everyone.
<Hello Amy.>
I am a real novice here and am on my 4th week of cycling my husbands new marine tank. This was his new hobby and since I am home more than him, I have kind of started picking up with the tank where he leaves off. We currently have a 75g tank with a Rena XP4 filter, Sea Clone protein skimmer (that's finally working), a Koralia #4 and #1 powerheads, all I know about the lights is that there are 3 kinds.( white or yellowish light, actinic and at night there are some little blue LED lights on) Sorry for being so nonspecific again more my hubby's thing, not mine and so far about 50lbs of LR and 2in bed of crushed coral and couple of inches live sand. We are slowly adding LR as we go along. We are planning on buying another 70lbs from an established tank that the owner wants to get rid of for lack of time to maintain it. We currently have no fish because it's not time yet, but do have a couple of hitch-hikers on some of our LR. 1 yellow polyp and 2 button polyps and a host of several snails and some bristle worms that were in/on our last LR purchase. My water has been looking great every time I test it. Nitrates 0ppm, Calcium 420, Ph 8.2, Salinity 1.024, KH 11dKH, now here is the kicker, my phosphates have been running high for the past week. Started out going up from 0 to .25 now today I am up to .5. I cannot figure out what in the heck is going on. I am running carbon in my Rena should I remove it? As I read today in an article by Joe Jaworski
(http://joejaworski.wordpress.com/2008/05/09/does-a-reef-tank-need-carbon/)
it states that not all carbon is made equal and that there is a Phosphate Free carbon available.
<Yes, there are brands that are better than others in this regard.>
I had no idea about such things. Live, read and learn. Is this accurate?
<To my knowledge, phosphate is used
<<Hi Amy,
A correction here in my reply to you. "Phosphate is used in processing all or most carbons" was meant to read,
phosphoric acid is used. Sorry for the typo. James (Salty Dog)>>
 in processing all or most activated carbon and the quality of post processing determines just how much phosphate could be leached back into the aquarium. Better grades of carbon made from coconut shells use steam for processing and should be phosphate free. An easy way to check the quality of your carbon as to it's leaching properties is to place a teaspoon of the carbon in a cup of distilled or RO water and let stand overnight. Then do a phosphate test on the water, if high levels are detected, look for a better brand of carbon. I use Chemi Pure for chemical media and have had no phosphate problems.
This product also contains a mixed bed of scavenging resins that remove dissolved waste also.>
Or should I just pull the carbon all together.
<Carbon will do more good than harm and will aid your protein skimmer in removing waste.>
I did have a diatom bloom the second week in the tank but it went away on its own
<A normal event in new set-ups.>
and the coralline is now spreading also. So I am really inexperienced here and am looking forward to being able to add fish in several weeks but worry about what to do about the phosphates in the interim.
<Do read here, and especially related articles/FAQ's
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marineSetUp.htm
An index to articles/FAQ's on our site can be found here.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/index.htm>
Thanks in advance for any answers and for your help.
<You're welcome, Amy. James (Salty Dog)>
Sincerely
Amy E. Cox

2/19/2009 Substrate and blenders do not mix, Setup, Maint., Stkg., Reading.
Hi,
<Hi Ram>
I have been looking up your site for any doubts I had about marine setups.
I have a peculiar problem, that's why I had to trouble you guys with a question.
<No problem, that is what we are here for.>
First I'll give you a brief intro to my tank. I started it about 3 months ago. it started as a 10 gallon, now I have a 50 gallon display tank and a 20 gallon quarantine. I have 40lbs live rock, a Weipro skimmer connected to a 800gph fountain power head,150w 14000 metal halide lamp, 6w uv sterilizer, two 1000gph Wavemakers, heater and a hang-on filter. For livestock, I have a couple of Perculas, 2 blue damsels and a yellow tail Indian angel (Apolemichthys xanthurus) in quarantine right now. i also have 2 orange sponges,2 red sponges, one purple long tentacle anemone, mushroom coral, finger leather,2 brain coral, plate coral, sun coral.
Ok sorry for the long intro but now I'll get to the point. I had a high nitrate problem which was not reducing no matter what so I looked up your website and read about DSBs. I tried to get fine sand at all the stores I knew but to no avail.
Finally, one store sent me 25kgs of crushed corals saying it is the next best thing, but then my nitrate problem got really out of control(accumulated detritus i guess) and i had a really yucky looking outbreak of brown algae. Now at this point let me also mention that I am from India and around here marine tanks are not so popular and stuff is really expensive compared to what we earn. so as a last resort I made the really dumb decision of powdering my crushed coral substrate in my blender.
<..Umm...>
I added this to my tank and i ended up with what looks like 50 gallons of milk in my tank and a broken blender. I waited 2 days, but the muck has not settled down. I took out all the water and am going to add new saltwater mix. All my equipment is now covered with a fine powder, and I had to move all the living creatures to a tub. I'm so frustrated at myself, I feel like killing myself. what i want to hear from you guys is that i am not the biggest idiot in the world and that the muck will settle down eventually and that I won't end up destroying two months of my salary. Have i really goofed up? Is there some hope left or shall I just give up the hobby(after 3 white spot attacks,3 electrical fires, numerous electrical shocks and now this. I'm literally on the verge of giving up. Please help!!! You guys are what kept me going for so long. I really need your support right now.
<Ram, no, you are not the biggest idiot in the world, and this is certainly not worth killing yourself over. You are making the common mistake of having too many things going on at once and you are trying to move too fast. When it comes to marine tanks, nothing good comes quickly, so patience is important. With a 50 gallon tank, you are limited to what you can put in the tank. With the list you provided, your tank is overstocked, and that is the likely cause of your nitrate problem, so you will have to reduce what you have in your tank. You do not mention how much and how often are you feeding and doing water changes, but you should be doing 10 - 20% water changes on a weekly basis. As to the crushed coral powder, continued water changes will get everything to clear up in time. As a reminder, please do be careful with electricity. One electrical fire is too many, let alone three. Please review where your electrical equipment is located and that it is well protected from water contact. Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/elecmar.htm for electrical questions, and here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/water.htm for information on water changes and substrate maintenance, and lastly here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nitratesmar.htm for nitrate questions.>
Thank You. <You're Welcome, MikeV>

Acclimation, Filtering, And Food for Anthias 2/17/09
Hi Crew,
<Hello Sam>
I am a bit confused about acclimating fish specifically those coming by mail. Most etailers give acclimation instructions. My problem is if I want to do a dip how does that work. Acclimation is getting the fish used to your particular setup in regards to temp, salt, ph etc. A fresh water dip is definitely a shock so what good is the acclimation if right after that
you dip the fish.
<Sam, all this is available on our site, just Google.>
Another question relates to mechanical filtering. I have an 24 gallon Aquapod which has one motor and the flow is through a sponge and it comes back to the tank as from a powerhead. If I add a hang on protein filter can I remove the sponge?
<Do you mean protein skimmer? Sure, you can remove the sponge.>
My last question (for today) is what to feed a Dispar Anthias. Is Cyclopeeze a good choice? Will it eat any other foods like flakes or freeze dried mysis?
<Sam, your tank is much too small for keeping one of these, but to answer your question, Cyclopeeze is a good choice as they are plankton feeders in the wild. This is not an easy fish to acclimate to prepared foods. Do read FAQ's here
<<James... Where? Dude, maybe you need a break? RMF>>
on feeding. Do search before writing. Answers to all your questions are available by just using the Google toolbar.>
Thanks
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>

New Setup,  SW maint.   8/11/08
Hi,
<Hello>
You guys have been very helpful with my new set up which I really appreciate. I have had my tank for about 6 months now and would like to ask you a couple of questions.
<Ok>
My system:
* 150G acrylic display tank with ~200 pounds of Fiji live rock and a small amount of live sand; Calfo style 60" overflow; return manifold with 12 outlets,
* 90G upper refugium with ~100 pounds of live rock (rubble, small pieces) with spaghetti algae, with 2 Lights of America lights
* 90G lower refugium with ~ 10 inches of live sand and spaghetti algae with 2 Lights of America lights
50G sump pump
* Octopus 200 protein skimmer
* Dart pump
* 3x250W 10,000K MH lights with IceCap ballasts
* RO/DI water
<Nice>
Water parameters:
* SG 1.024
* pH 8
<A little low.>
* Alkalinity 1.7-2.8
* NH3 0ppm
* NO2 0.05 ppm
* NO3 5 ppm
* Ca 440ppm
Fish:
* Yellow tang
* Powder blue tang
* Foxface rabbitfish
* cleaner crew (crabs, snails)
* I am planning on adding corals as soon as I resolve the two problems mentioned below.
<Sounds very nice.>
My first question is regarding the upper refugium: currently it contains small pieces of live rock (~100 pounds) and spaghetti algae however due to low flow rate of water I think that it became a detritus trap (the lower refugium and the display tank have a much higher water flow and are perfectly clean). When I shake the spaghetti algae and move the live rock, there are tons of small particles of detritus and dirty stuff. The refugium is full of all kinds of living creatures, such as small star fish, all kinds of warms, etc. However, I am concerned that the accumulation of detritus in the upper refugium will negatively affect the quality of water. What are my options? I am thinking about either getting rid of the upper refugium, or adding a powerhead pump to increase the circulation. But I am concerned that this always will be a dirt trap so I am not sure what to do.
<I would try the powerhead, keep the detritus in suspension until the skimmer can pull it out.>
Also, if I were to get rid of it, what can I do with the small pieces of live rock? Throw it away?
<Could, or just set it aside somewhere for a while till you find a use for it.>
Or should I turn off the lights above the upper refugium and just keep live rock and some filter media to allow growth of zooplankton?
<Could, but I think you will still have the detritus problem.>
Are there any benefits of having the upper refugium in addition to the lower one with deep sand bed (the idea was to have a second upper refugium which would produce food for my livestock and would feed directly into the main display tank without the pump chopping up all the plankton etc)?
<Different environment will encourage different things to grow, definitely not a bad thing, but probably not a huge difference from the lower refugium. Also for what it is worth, I would not worry too much the pump killing the plankton, most pass through no problem.>
If the lower refugium contains live sand and spaghetti algae what purpose should the upper refugium have and what should it house?
<More water volume is always a good thing, will tend to produce larger amphipods with the LR rubble. Some people will house shrimp to produce eggs and feed the tank, although be aware that they will hunt much of the little critters produce in the refugium.>
I am planning on keeping a garden type of coral reef with several fish.
Please advice.
My second question is about the nasty brown microalgae problem.
<Cyano? Diatoms?>
If I keep at least on of my MH lights on, the brown algae starts to cover all surfaces in my tank, such as live rock, sand, the walls of my tank. If I turn the MH off and keep a very low level of light, all the brown algae disappears. What may be causing this problem and how can I get rid of it?
<have you tested for phosphate? Silicates?>
I use DI/RO water but as long as keep the MH on the problem persists. The brown algae starts to form large air bubbles and keeps growing.
<Cyanobacteria is my guess.>
One thing that I have not done yet are water changes.
<Ah, start.>
Should I start changing water in small portions weekly?
<Yes, definitely.>
I have about 300G of water in the system.
<If you could do 10% weekly I think you will be in good shape.>
Thank you for your help,
John
<I would not do anything drastic until you start water changes, see if this alone does not improve your condition over a few weeks/months. Part of what is going on is just normal establishment of the tank, simpler, hardier life forms (Cyano) take hold first, usually outcompeted by more complex life over time.>
<Chris>

High KH level, using WWM  7/11/08
Hello again Bob. First of all I wanted to give you an update on my lionfish. He is eating great and constantly begs for food when he sees me in the room.
<Good, keep semi-hungry>
He will only eat freeze-dried right now, so I am soaking one small piece per night in Selcon and just got him to eat from the feeding stick. Now I am hoping he will eat other foods if offered in this way. But I come to you with yet another question and possibly a problem. I just picked up a KH test kit the other day and my test cane out to be 500 ppm!
<Mmmm>
All other levels tested good, PH is 8.0. Is this a problem and if so how do I go about lowering the KH? All tank inhabitants are great, all are eating and getting along just fine. Any feedback to this situation is much appreciated.
Thanks again for all your help, Shea
<... please learn to/use the search tool and indices... I don't have time to do for others: Here: http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/maintenance/index.htm
scroll down to Alkalinity... BobF>

Help! please! -Ants and Tanks! 5/10/08
Hey,
<Hello Sarah.>
I have an ant problem on my 20 gallon fish tank. The ants are laying their eggs under my filter and next to my light.
<Uh oh.>
I know that if we spray, we could harm the fish. We started vacuuming them up but more came back. We even threw the vacuum bag away outside. Is there anything that I can do to get rid of the ants?
<You will need to find the source, where they are coming in and seal it off. A good ant bait placed both inside where they enter and ideally outside where they are coming from will keep them from getting as far as your tank. I am personally fond of the Terro product line, very quick and effective. Couple this with your vacuum technique and your tank should be ant free within a few hours. If all else fails do not hesitate to call a professional exterminator.>
Thanks!
-Sarah
<Welcome, best of luck, Scott V.>

Dead Fish Removal, 5/1/08
Dear Wet Web Media,
<Hello>
My husband has a 40 gal salt water tank. He's traveling until Monday (4 days from now) and one of his fish has died. It's sort of under a piece of coral and I have no idea how to get to it nor do I really want to. Is it ok to leave it in the tank until he gets home?
Thanks for your response!
-Gina Keller
<Would be best if you could remove it, perhaps blow the body out with a turkey baster until it is in area where it can be easily removed. However if you do not feel comfortable doing this most likely the tank will be fine.>
<Chris>

New Marine Setup... gen. op.  4/23/08
Hi WWM, I have a new 50 gal tank that I'm setting up. I'm currently using a remora protein skimmer and an aqua clear filter with reverse osmosis water & instant ocean sea salt. I'm using live gravel/sand and live rock... Its been running over night and this morning the tank is still not clear yet. What do you guys think is the problem?
<Suspended sand particles most likely, will clear in a few days.>
The protein skimmer does create a lot of tiny bubbles, would that be it?
<Could be contributing to it.>
Or should I wait it out?
<Patience>
Help with your knowledge would be greatly appreciated. as you already know I'm new to this hobby. thanks
-Khoa
<Welcome>
<Chris>

Overcoming the Overstocking Urge!   3/12/08
Hi,
<Hey there! Scott F. in tonight!>
Great Site!
<Glad you enjoy it...We have some great people who do a fantastic service to fellow hobbyists worldwide!>
I've had my Oceanic 175 gallon bow-front tank up for 10 months now. I have about 150 lbs. of LR and 100 lbs. of sand in the main tank also, a 55 gallon refugium with 6" DSB with Chaeto and 50 gallon sump. I ultimately want to stock it full of corals. I have 3 - 250 w metal halide installed but only using the center one. I have two Tunze Stream 6101 circulating the tank.
I'm currently using a Corallife Super Skimmer Needle Wheel rated at 220 gal.
Is this efficient or should I get something else?
<If the skimmer is regularly producing skimmate, I would have no issues with it. If the skimmer is not producing, either tweak it until it does or replace it with a more efficient unit.>
Also, I'm having trouble keeping the nitrate low around 40ppm, I feed Nori about 4 sheets, 3 times a week and feed about 3-4 cubes of frozen mysis once a day.
<Continued good water management (including regular water changes, chemical filtration media, such as carbon, PolyFilter, etc) and careful feeding should do the trick. I assume that you utilize RO/DI water for source water.>
My other parameters, Temp: 78-80, Ammonia: 0, Nitrite:0, Ph: 8.2, SG: 1.025, Ca: 380 I do about 32 gallon water change every three weeks with RO water.
Right now my tanks has the following livestock:
(2) 1" Percula Clowns
(2) 2.5" Bartlett Anthias
(3) 3" Yellow Tang,
(1) 3.5" Orange Shoulder tang
(1) 5" Sailfin Tang
<That's a LOT of Tangs in almost any aquarium, especially a 175 gallon one! These fish eat heavily, produce copious amounts of metabolic waste, and need large amounts of physical space and water volume to live anything close to a natural life span. You will definitely need to find larger/other quarters for this collection, or you will continue to have rising nitrates and very unhappy fish!>
(1) 3" Midas Blenny
(2) 3" Diamond Goby
(1) 4.5" Magnificent Foxface
<Another nice fish, but gets quite large and my comments for the Tangs apply here, too.>
(1) 3" Hawaiian Flame Wrasse
(1) 2.5" Blue Hippo Tang
<Stop it with the Tangs, man. You're KILLING me!>
(1) 3" Rhomboid Wrasse
(2) Cleaner Shrimps
(1) Fire Shrimp
I have a feeling I'm overstocked and feeding too much.
<Ding! Ding Ding! We have a winner! Yes- you are WAAAY overstocked. All is not lost, however- I commend you on the first step to solving the issue- recognition that the aquarium is overstocked!>
I want to get my parameter down so I can start stocking the tank with corals.
<Good...Do rethink your stocking plan, and pare down (way down) your fish population. Keep in mind the large size that your Tangs will reach, and environment that they require to be healthy and happy. I would trade/return/find new homes for all of the Tangs and Foxface, with the exception of the Yellow Tangs. Although 3 of them in this sized aquarium is not ideal, it is a workable arrangement-in the short run.> Recently the
coralline just started to grow on a few rocks.
<Always a good sign.>
Also another quick question in my fuge the Chaeto just sit there, I've read that it's better to have it roll up into a ball and spinning. I'm a little hesitant to throw a powerhead it might fall and kick up the sand and be to hectic for the pods to reproduce. Currently I have baffles setup and water just flows over the stop of the Chaeto. I've notices some detritus on top of the sandbed. Should I be alarmed?
<The detritus is not in and of itself bad, but if allowed to accumulate, it could result in deteriorated water quality. Do siphon it regularly, and utilize some detritivorous animals (such as Starfish) to help "work" the accumulating detritus.>
I think the Chaeto is growing really well, I pull about half a 5 gal bucket once every month. Yet my nitrates aren't at 0.
Thanks.
<Well, you will see a decline in your nitrate levels with continued good husbandry, and a SUBSTANTIALLY reduced bioload. Make some stocking concessions and adjustments, and I'm certain that things will trend in your favor! Good luck! Regards, Scott F.>

New to marine tanks; op. 12/19/07
Hi to all! Great site! You all helped me a great deal a while back when I started my first freshwater tank! Thank you!
<Welcome, thank you for the kind words.>
All is perfect with it. (55 gallon). I even moved it 3 hours away and didn't lose one fish! Than you for all your help!
<Awesome!>
Now I really need help. I just acquired a used 55 high tank. It was previously a reef tank. He lost everything in a move. Didn't want to start over. It has not been run for a while. The sand was dry and had some dried leaves and bugs. I sifted the old dry sand that was in the tank from some dried leaves and bugs and such. Everyone I talked to said to re-use it so I cleaned it by running tap water through it and really mixing it to get the debris out of it.
<Will be fine assuming it was not exposed to any pesticides, herbicides or other outdoor chemicals while outside.>
It had been sitting on his porch for a while. I filled the tank with water that I dechlorinated and added an extra 15 lb. bag of "new" live sand over top of the old. I have a wet/dry system made by Sealife, a Rio 2500 powerhead for return, and a protein skimmer all running now. Salinity is within range now. It also has (2) 96 watt bulbs. One blue (actinic?) and one red.
<Red??>
There is also a pretty new Current light fixture that is not working. I am working on having that looked at. Tank filled on Sunday. Sand and salt added Monday. It has been 3 days since sand and salt. Salinity in range on third day.
<OK>
I am trying to do all my research in the best way to cycle my tank. I have been told so many things by so many pet stores!! All the websites tell me different ways as well. I don't want to spend a great deal of money on live rock, just to have it all die because I am not an expert in what I am doing. Nor do I want to kill fish unnecessarily.
<Agreed.>
I have been told to cycle it with 2-3 damsels only, but when the cycle is finished they become very territorial and I might have a problem adding more fish.
<Yes, damsels are good if you want damsels! Since you are planning a FOWLR, I recommend taking the biomedia out of the wet/dry and stick with live rock.>
Some are telling me to use live rock only.
<The way to go.>
Do I need to add chemicals to add live rock?
<No.>
Some tell me to just add it now. Some say don't add it until your tank is cycled!
<Add it now.>
I am so confused! I have always wanted a saltwater tank. I am aware that they are extra work to maintain.
<Depends, not always.>
I know I am not ready for a reef tank, but I really would like to at least attempt a FOWLR tank over a fish only tank.
So my questions are; Fish cycle or live rock cycle? If live rock is the way to go, could you tell me what the minimum I would need in order to cycle the tank properly without wasting too much money if it dies?
<I would start with 40-50 lbs or so and go from there. It is very difficult to actually kill live rock. I would suggest looking in your local classifieds/internet listings. Sometimes you can find great deals on live rock.>
I know that some will die off when I get it. Should I scrub it first?
<Not unless there is a lot of decaying matter on the rock.>
Should I keep it moist with a saltwater spray for a few days to remove any unwanted critters??
<Put it in the tank.>
Is my lighting ok for live rock? If so, how much lighting is needed daily?
<You will want to read through the FAQ’s on lighting and determine what bulbs you have in relation to what is appropriate as far as spectrum. The wattage you have will be fine.>
Also, do I need to add another powerhead in the bottom of the tank for the live rock?
<More circulation wouldn’t hurt.>
If so could you recommend a size/brand?
<MaxiJet, Hagen, Tunze. The Hydor Koralias are fairly nice also. Anywhere from a couple hundred gph to six or seven.>
Any chemicals prior to or during the cycle?
<No. Just keep your skimmer running and be prepared for water changes.>
Wow! I am really stressed!! I know you can help me!!
<Stop, relax, breath!!>
Thank you in advance!!
Raesunrae
<Welcome, keep reading to familiarize yourself with the basics here. Start with the link below, it will tell you what to do with the rock once you get it. Best regards, Scott V.>
http://wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_2/cav2i3/Live_Rock/live_rock.htm

Brown Residue, SW algal succession  12/5/07
Hi. I've been trying to set up a saltwater fish tank for a couple of months after switching from fresh water fish that I've done for many years. I'm taking my time and about a month ago I added 2 gobies that seem to be doing fine. A couple of weeks ago I started noticing a brown residue all over my live rock, sand, filter head, etc.
<Mmm, typical>
I've been testing my water the last 2 weeks (salinity, nitrates, ammonia) and everything seems to be fine. I live on a farm with well water, but the water isn't hard (no sulfur, very low iron). Thank you, I appreciate your time.
William Fisher
<Likely a combination of Diatoms, with some greens, perhaps BGA involved... Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/algaeasfriend.htm
and the linked files above... and be patient. Cheers, Bob Fenner>

Inherited saltwater fish tank--help! 12/2/07
Dear WWM crew,
My husband and I have inherited a saltwater tank from my brother-in-law who is moving. I am clueless about saltwater tanks, and my husband doesn't know much more. After doing some reading on your website, I have realized that we have a pretty big glass anemone and bristleworm problem. From your advice, it seems that getting a few peppermint shrimp will help to address both of these problems. I hope this is correct.
<They can, no guarantee. Bristleworms in general have a bad reputation that is undeserved. Most are beneficial to your system. An abundance of both indicates a problem with excess nutrients/overfeeding.>
To give you some background info, we have a 30 gallon tank with live rock (it's all grayish in color, no pretty coral) and the groundcover is this white gravel/sand.
<If it is too course and trapping detritus it is not helping your problem.>
I have noticed a patch on the ground cover that is bright Kelly green (algae maybe). The only living thing other than the worms and anemones is our clown fish. There was a snail, but he died about a month ago. (Maybe the bristleworms ate him? Or maybe the tank water is way off?)
<Likely died and worms are doing their job.>
I would like to really work on the tank, but I'm not really sure where to start b/c I don't want to lose our little clown fish- he is such a trooper- and I don't want everything I put in there to die. Do you have suggestions on what would be good next steps to take? Thank you in advance for your help.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Aring
<I would start by getting water quality readings. Either by a test kit and hydrometer or take a water sample to your local fish store, most will test it for you. Past that you should read through the FAQ’s on marine substrates, water quality, filtration etc. I would also highly recommend picking up a copy of Bob’s book The Conscientious Marine Aquarist to orient yourself with the basics of keeping a marine tank. You can email DiLagg@Hotmail.com for a great combo deal on this book. It is very much an enjoyable hobby, keep with it. Good luck, Scott V.>

Re: Maybe Aiptasia and something else… Update... now, mar. maint.  11/20/2007
Hey Mich... thanks again!!
<Hi Jason... Welcome again!!>
I got rid of the Proclear skimmer. I got a super deal on a Berlin. The Proclear is several years old and I am having the worse time trying to tune it in w/o getting micro bubbles. The Berlin seems to be the best skimmer that will fit in my sump as well as being a reputable product.
<Ahh, upgrades are good!>
So beneficial food huh??
<Yup!>
Good deal, those "Scuds (Gammarus shrimp) or Mysis shrimp" they seem rather peaceful and just scurrying about the rocks.
<Oh they are peaceful. They are detritivores. And your future fish will find them tasty!>
Believe me I'm taking my time. I don't plan on adding any corals or fish until the middle of January or so. This will give the system 2 months to acclimate itself.
<Excellent!>
Now on to my lighting. I have a PC 260 watt, w/ moon lighting. I have been running actinics 11 hrs, daylights 9 hrs since start up. I have some noticed some live corals, looks like some polyps, on a couple of rocks.
<Good!>
Should I continue to run the lights like so, or should I cut back the timing b/c of the algae bloom?
<I think I would continue to run the light as you have been. The algae is a normal part of the cycle. If it gets bad I would increase the frequency and quantity of your water changes.>
Well that’s it for now. Thanks for the valuable info again.
<You're welcome as always. I'm happy to share. Mich>

No Questions… But a Story... mar. maint.  11/2/07
<Hi Bridget, Mich here.>
Just thought I'd share.
<OK. Got any chocolate you can share as well? I could really go for some right about now!>
I have 14 aquariums
<Severe MTS (Multiple Tank Syndrome)>
and have been pretty addicted since I was about 8 yrs old.
<Admitting it is the first step...>
Most of my tanks have guppies, I breed 4 lines. I also have 2 Calico Oranda's that I adore, my grandson's favorite. 7 blue blushing angels and 1 electric blue hap (cichlid) for disposing of the bad guppies.
<Yikes! I'm a good guppy! I'm a good guppy!>
Multiple bottom feeders. Really like fancy/exotic Pleco's
<I am woefully ignorant of fresh water fish... but I do know what guppies and bottom feeders are!>
We set up the salt tank (our first) about 2 yrs ago, it was hubby's tank and I've let him enjoy and kind of stood back on it. WE started with the breeding pair of True Percula's and a long tentacle anemone. They have done well and thrived as well as our 3rd fish the Coral Beauty. That's all the fish we have in the tank at this time, due to that darn Green Brittle star.
<Yes, they are quite predatory... Also called the green death for good reason.>
3 Hawaiian feather dusters. Hubby's cheap about some things and he built most of the reef with lace rock and has added a few select pieces of live rock here and there.
<I am a fan of LR.>
I can honestly tell you that my interest in the tank was minimal until he got that live rock. Now I find myself constantly in front of the tank. There's just so much going on all the time.
<Yup. I spent many of hours just staring at the live rock... Be cautious who you tell that you enjoy spending time looking at rocks... people will question your sensibilities.>
We have a few pieces of coral, we've started adding it over the past 6 months or so. Those don't thrill me nearly as much as the live rock does.
<Yup.>
Their names tend to come and go in the memory banks. Just recently purchased something called a green plate coral. He's interesting, has this big mouth that opens up at feeding time and these little feelers that reach
out and grab the food and flipping it into his mouth. Kind of looks like the electric green Ricordea mushrooms we have (4).
<I see how you might say that.>
We also have some LPS coral that came in on the live rock, looks like Aiptasia, with a yellow ring around the red mouth.
<A pic would help to Id this...>
This I've noticed is really active at night and expands probably quadruple its daytime size.
<Hmmm...>
It's far away from anything it can hurt just to be on the safe side.
<Likely a good idea!>
2 other corals that slip my mind on names, kind of generic looking plant type's that wave their hands at the food, dancing something.
<Pulsing Xenia?>
We have about 6 or 7 of the red hermits and one black and white striped hermit.
<Am not familiar with the black and white striped... perhaps it is green and white striped (Clibanarius sp.)?>
I can tell you my personal favorite out of everything in the tank is that striped hermit. He is just the most amusing animal out of all the tanks. I sit in front of the tank and he finds me, comes racing up and "plays" with me. I pretend I'm scratching his back and he rolls his shell around at me against the glass. I stop and he tries to climb the glass to get closer to me,
<Heehee! I'm very glad that this animal is giving you so much enjoyment! Your connection to this animal is truly the reason to keep aquariums.>
he'll also run up and down in front of me waving his little claws at me.
<Don't you wish you could know what he was thinking?>
I can honestly say that I was hesitant to buy him, he's nowhere nearly as colorful as the reds.
<Color is not everything.>
But I'm really glad I did.
<Very good.>
I can honestly say that I would be happy with 100lbs of live rock and him. Nothing else.
<Heehee! Would be a wonderfully low maintenance system!>
The fish are fun and we love our anemone’s (long tentacle, rose bubble
tip and the little flower)
<Oh this is not good. You should not be mixing multiple species of anemones. Please see here and many related links in blue:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/anemcompfaqs.htm >
and corals. But it's the live rock that really grabs me.
<It's amazing the life that is present here. And if you had a microscope you'd be even more blown away!>
Take care
<Thank you, you as well.>
and thank you for all the help you do.
<We are happy to help.>
I am on your site by the way looking at your books and I do plan to purchase them.
<You might want to check out the daily Q&A's... Bob has been posting some bargains on his books there:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/daily_faqs3.htm >
Too bad the posters aren't in book form that would be fun too.
<I would agree with you there. Thank you so much for sharing your story Bridget. I do hope you share your passions with your grandchildren as they are the stewards of the future. A wonderful story! Thanks again, Mich>
Bridget

 

Re: No questions… But a Story... mar. maint.   11/5/07
> <Hi Bridget, Mich here.>
> Just thought I'd share.
> <OK.. Got any chocolate you can share as well? I could really go for some right about now!>
Chocolate yuummm
<<One of my favs!!!!>>
> I have 14 aquariums
> <Severe MTS (Multiple Tank Syndrome)>
Yes very severe
<<A common ailment!>>
> and have been pretty addicted since I was about 8 yrs old.
> <Admitting it is the first step...>
Lol you're too funny, this was great to wake up to this morning, has had me snickering to myself all day.
<<Laughter is a beautiful gift! Happy to entertain!>>
> Most of my tanks have guppies, I breed 4 lines. I also have 2 Calico oranda's (fancy goldfish with the outside brain looking things on the heads)
<<Genetic mutations gone wild!>>
> that I adore, my grandson's favorite. 7 blue blushing angels and 1 electric blue hap (cichlid) for disposing of the bad guppies.
> <Yikes! I'm a good guppy! I'm a good guppy!>
LOL snicker
<<Heehee!>>
> Multiple bottom feeders. Really like fancy/exotic pleco's
> <I am woefully ignorant of fresh water fish... but I do know what guppies and bottom feeders are!>
> We set up the salt tank (our first) about 2 yrs ago, it was hubby's tank and I've let him enjoy and kinda stood back on it. WE started with the breeding pair of True Percula's and a long tentacle anemone. They have done well and thrived as well as our 3rd fish the Coral Beauty. That's all the fish we have in the tank at this time, due to that darn Green
> Brittle star.
> <Yes, they are quite predatory... Also called the green death for good reason.>
He's going back to the pet store in the morning
<<OK.>>
> 3 Hawaiian feather dusters. Hubby's cheap about some things and he built most of the reef with lace rock and has added a few select pieces of live rock here and there.
> <I am a fan of LR.>
> I can honestly tell you that my interest in the tank was minimal until he got that live rock. Now I find myself constantly in front of the tank. There's just so much going on all the time.
> <Yup. I spent many of hours just staring at the live rock... Be cautious who you tell that you enjoy spending time looking at rocks... people will question your sensibilities.>
> I will heed this warning, lol
<<Wise!>>
> We have a few pieces of coral, we've started adding it over the past 6 months or so. Those don't thrill me nearly as much as the live rock does.
> <Yup.>
> Their names tend to come and go in the memory banks. Just recently purchased something called a green plate coral. He's interesting, has this big mouth that opens up at feeding time and these little feelers that reach
> out and grab the food and flipping it into his mouth. Kind of looks like the electric green Ricordea mushrooms we have (4).
> <I see how you might say that.>
> We also have some LPS coral that came in on the live rock, looks like Aiptasia, with a yellow ring around the red mouth.
I had the description wrong on that, it has a red ring around the
yellow mouth and is on this page on you site, first picture, candy coral?
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/stonycoridfaq.htm
<<Mmm, the block where candy coral is mentioned is in reference to a different picture. The top pic on the page looks more like something in the family Dendrophylliidae than the family Faviidae. But could be wrong. Perhaps yours is a Balanophyllia? An image here:
http://www.poppe-images.com/images/image_info.php?picid=929380 >>
> <A pic would help to Id this...>
> This I've noticed is really active at night and expands probably quadruple its daytime size.
> <Hmmm...>
<<This behavior is more common of the family Dendrophylliidae than the family Faviidae.>>
> It's far away from anything it can hurt just to be on the safe side.
> <Likely a good idea!>
> 2 other corals that slip my mind on names, kind of generic looking plant type's that wave their hands at the food, dancing something.
> <Pulsing Xenia?>
Yes one pulsing Xenia, and one dancing hands xenia, the dancing hands is much more active.
<<Mmm, never heard of a dancing hands xenia... Perhaps the more active one is xenia and the other might be anthelia?>>
> We have about 6 or 7 of the red hermits and one black and white striped hermit.
> <Am not familiar with the black and white striped... perhaps it is green and white striped (Clibanarius sp.)?>
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/hermitfaqs3.htm
this page second picture, he never ID'd it
<<Mmm, sorry, many possibilities...>>
> I can tell you my personal favorite out of everything in the tank is that striped hermit. He is just the most amusing animal out of all the tanks. I sit in front of the tank and he finds me, comes racing up and "plays" with me. I pretend I'm scratching his back and he rolls his shell around at me against the glass. I stop and he tries to climb the glass to get closer to me,
> <Heehee! I'm very glad that this animal is giving you so much enjoyment! Your connection to this animal is truly the reason to keep aquariums.>
> he'll also run up and down in front of me waving his little claws at me.
> <Don't you wish you could know what he was thinking?>
You want the honest truth he's probably telling me it's his tank,
<<He very well could grow to be the boss!>>
although today I was playing with him and he flipped upside down and
exposed his tummy, coming about halfway out of the shell. I wouldn't
think exposing himself like that would say that he's being aggressive.
Maybe submissive?
<<Perhaps, generally is with out 4-legged animals, but... don't know with a hermit crab.>>
> I can honestly say that I was hesitant to buy him, he's nowhere nearly as colorful as the reds.
> <Color is not everything.>
> But I'm really glad I did.
> <Very good.>
> I can honestly say that I would be happy with 100lbs of live rock and him. Nothing else.
> <Heehee! Would be a wonderfully low maintenance system!>
> The fish are fun and we love our anemone’s (long tentacle, rose bubble tip and the little flower)
> <Oh this is not good. You should not be mixing multiple species of anemones. Please see here and many related links in blue:
> http://www.wetwebmedia.com/anemcompfaqs.htm >
Yes I know, the long tentacle was purchased and the other 2 were hitch hikers, we keep them far apart right now, the flower is only about 3/4" and I don't think it'll get any bigger, we've had it about 4 months now.
<<Time will tell>>
> and corals. But it's the live rock that really grabs me.
> <It's amazing the life that is present here. And if you had a microscope you'd be even more blown away!>
> Take care
> <Thank you, you as well.>
> and thank you for all the help you do.
> <We are happy to help.>
> I am on your site by the way looking at your books and I do plan to purchase them.
> <You might want to check out the daily Q&A's... Bob has been posting some bargains on his books there:
> http://www.wetwebmedia.com/daily_faqs3.htm >
Darn already bought the one on Amazon, couldn't find any others, grandbabies are due any minute so got to run for now but will check back and see if I can get the other books.
> Too bad the posters aren't in book form that would be fun too.
> <I would agree with you there. Thank you so much for sharing your story Bridget. I do hope you share your passions with your grandchildren as they are the stewards of the future. A wonderful story!
Isn't that the truth!!
> Thanks again, Mich>
> Bridget
You have a wonderful day
<<Thank you! Wishing you the same Bridget!>>
Bridget

Help with white slime...  10/2/07
Hello. I have a problem I have set up my saltwater tank and it has been running about 2 months. It is a 50 Gallon with Berlin style sump I made myself. The filter sock and sponges keep getting clogged, almost on a daily basis, with a clear to white slimy substance.
<Interesting... and frustrating>
I am also seeing what looks like clear strands of slime on the live rock and walls. When I first noticed it I did a 25% water change and have been doing 10% every 2 weeks. It has not seemed to combat the problem. I am running 250 gallons per hour through the sump, and I am using 2 Maxi-Jet 1200 power heads. I am getting good skimmate from my skimmer and am still scraping the aquarium and cleaning the filter sock and sponges almost daily. I have searched your site and the only things I saw close was maybe a biological bloom, but they were for freshwater. What else can I do to fight this? Also, should I be brushing the stringy "slime" off of the live rock?
<Well... most all new systems go through definitive "stages" of apparent development/unfolding (evolution if you will)... with some, due to available nutrient, light, other conditions, a dearth of competitors, predators... an earlier start, predominating due to prevailing circumstances... Often these are NOT desirable life forms as here... the question/response really becomes/is, "What to do that's appropriate" to re-set, upset the dynamic/s here to favour the types of life you'd like? You can just skip ahead and introduce some life form/s that can/will supplant the mix of Protozoans/Thallophytes/sponges that the mess you currently have is likely mostly made of... (which is what I'd do), or you can try to change some chemical/physical property/ies to damage the equilibrium present that is favoring them... Or even, the most extreme, poison the system and start again... What other life have you installed? Do you intend to add? I'd like to chat this over, and suggest you go ahead with something that is most likely to survive, overcome the current mix. Bob Fenner>

Pale brown clinging dust in my saltwater tank   10/21/07
I have a 135g saltwater tank that has been up for about 8 years. It was originally a beautiful reef tank before I had an explosion of Aiptasias which dominoed into a total tank wipeout of my corals.
<Yikes!>
I kept the live rock and fish going but had this brown clinging trash appearing. Frustrated I started over with a fish only with fake coral and some live rock (4 yrs ago) I took the original sand and tried filtering out all this brown dust like waste. To this day I cant get rid of this , I take out all the decor and clean it from time to time but this clinging fuzzy crap keeps coming back. Water changes don't seem to help so I quit trying that. My water parameters check out fine and I use RO as that is how I make a living. I'm looking at starting over with new sand and everything but I don't know if that is a necessary expense. This stuff settles to the bottom when you scrape it off the glass and rocks and clouds the whole tank . It looks so unnatural and doesn't look like diatoms or any other algae i read about. What is this and do you have any ideas on what I should do?
Thank you
Jason Henderson
<I wonder what is "dust" is exactly... Do you have access to a microscope? Do you imagine it is biological, abiological? Algal? I might try a diatomaceous earth filter (likely a LFS about will rent you one) in the short term to try and screen most of it out... But if this is something live, replacing it with more desirable competing and/or predaceous life is the route to go... Again, really need to know "what" it is... Adding a live sump/refugium, with purposeful, lighted macro-algae, a DSB there... will likely be my further suggestion. Bob Fenner>

Re: Marine Systems...The Need To Read – 10/11/07
Hi Eric,
<<Hey Mickey!>>
Thanks for your valuable advice.
<<My pleasure to give, mate>>
I will be deploying an external skimmer very soon as I am aware this is a must really.
<<A very useful and valuable bit of kit, yes…might I suggest you have a look at the offerings from AquaC (http://www.proteinskimmer.com/productsnew.htm)>
As for the brown coral sand will this eventually go away? Or do you think it will only be eliminated by using RO water?
<<If your tap/mains is the source of the silicate then yes, will require an RO/DI unit>>
Once again thank you so much for your help.
Micky
<<Happy to assist. EricR>>

Questions... SW maint.  – 10/04/07
Hi Mr Fenner,
<Kamal>
Many thanks for the advice and prompt reply. I have checked my water quality and they read: ammonia at 0.0, nitrite at 0.0, nitrate at 10ppm, Ph at 8.3, gravity at 1.022 (should I drop this to 1.020?).
<Mmm, no... I would keep this nearer to seawater strength... Read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/spg_salinity.htm
and the linked files above>
I'm hoping that my water conditions aren't the reason for the problems with the raccoon and flame.
<Are at least a contributing influence>
I have removed the raccoon from the main tank into my quarantine tank as advised.
<Good>
Yes I will be investing in a larger tank soon when my LFS has a sale on next month.
<Good>
About my filtration, if I wasn't upgrading to a larger system what kind of filtration would you recommend? A sump?
<Mmm, yes... and for you to read: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marsetupindex2.hthttp://www.wetwebmedia.com/marsetupindex2.htm>
Final question: I have noticed these white things attached randomly all over my tank, what are they?
<Could be a myriad of things... A photo might help>
I tried taking them off with my magnetic algae remover - and I found it to be a challenge to do so.
Thank you my friend.
<Keep reading Kamal, you'll do fine. BobF>

Some questions... w/o looking first, reading  10/3/07
Hello All!!
Quick run down I am still battling the blue green yuck after the heater disaster it is receding though!! Yay me! I was looking at the tank and thinking I want to take the crushed coral out. There is 15 lbs of it in there mixed in with the Arag Alive (60lbs) I think I need the buffering but the sand fell right through it and to top it off now I have the cyano I am assuming from detritus. I also wanted to add a few critters down the road and wondered if that particular substrate would pose a problem for them. The tank is 55 gallons. current occupants 5 Astraea snails, 3 blue green Chromis, a camel back shrimp, and a chocolate chip starfish.
I really need something to help turn the substrate over. I am open to suggestions however let me list my wish list first and see if maybe you have a compatible recommendation.
Percula clown
Royal Gramma
Blue Hippo Tang
Lettuce Nudibranch-
<... none of these>
I haven't been able to find much on compatibility of them
<Posted on WWM.>
And I really want a sand dollar.
<Not here>
Haven't been able to find much on them either.
<Keep reading>
I also love the coral beauty but realise I probably wont have room for it.
would all of the above minus the coral beauty be overstocked?
<...>
So I was wondering #1 can you mix star fish?
<Posted...>
I considered a sand sifting star or 2 but didn't want anything that might bother the chip.
Also will I need to remove the crushed coral? And how? I considered sifting it out but am leery of doing anything that might bother my little critters in the sand. Should I simply add some sugar fine sand until I cover the coral? Seems to me that would just trap all sorts of junk in there but obviously I am not am expert so thought I would ask. Another consideration, I was thinking of adding some maiden hairs to the tank. Also what about sea lettuce? I really love how it looks and seems so beneficial. Also one more thing. In which order should I add these things to make it a smooth transition for everyone? I should also point out that there are no corals in the tank only about 30 lbs). I would like to add more of that also and yes I realise it will be a full year with all that QT'ing) before I will have all that stuff in it. Patience is a virtue right???
Thanks again to you all! You have helped more than I can even tell you!!
Melissa
<Have just skipped down. Learn to/use the search tool, indices... BobF>

Oil on top of water maybe from yellow head jawfish?? Iodine article almost complete. 9/13/07
Bob and or crew.
<James>
Sorry for the delay on the iodine article. I have had a summer of tank issues as had my associate (mostly temperature fluctuations but also the following question). I have lost some frogspawn colonies and his corals have seen better days with a dramatic temperature shock when the heater burned out attempting to maintain tank temp on a cold night with a fan left on from the hot day.
<Yes>
Before going away I prepared some frozen food for my mother-in-law to feed the fish. I used the usual thaw and decant the pack liquid method and thought I did a reasonably good job of removing the excess pack juice and oils. Upon return there was a layer of oil on surface of the 24 gallon tank (the 75 gallon tank cleared up much easier). I first blamed the food as one brand of frozen matched the general consistency and odor/color. This was discarded. It has been two plus months and the problem continues to persist.
Despite skimming the oil off with a plastic container and letting the top layer drain into the cup the oil continues to return. I parted ways with the Condylactis anemone (to reduce tank load) and have increased the frequency of small water changes. Temperature fluctuations have been a big issue all summer with inconsistent air flow and 5 degree F temperature swings sometimes occurring despite my best efforts and abilities to keep the upstairs air conditioned or windows open when conditions allow. Could the oil on the top of the water be from the jawfish (stress response perhaps)?
<Mmm, no... Could be from another endogenous source but much more likely from an exogenous... Simple cooking oil use, aerosol in closely contained indoor environments very often entail such coatings... Can be an important impediment to gas exchange... I'd keep wicking off with plain, white, non-odorized paper towels...>
Bob, please send me an email with some contact information to send the iodine article.
<Oh! Can send along here as an attachment or my personal addr.: fennerrobert@hotmail.com>
Writing it has been a struggle to keep it both an easy read yet stay true to the science behind the halogen family.
<Ahh!>
My associate has done the testing and is less than impressed with the test kits thus far.
<Heee!>
One of his former occupations was water testing in an environmental lab. Again, sorry for the delay.
Thank you.
James Zimmer
<No worries. Bob Fenner>

Aquarium Cleaning Magnets...Which Ones Are Safe To Leave In The Tank? – 08/03/07
I have been looking into magnetic cleaners for cleaning everyday tank build up.
<<Wonderful devices>>
Of course I checked with/through your wonderful web pages first.
<<And...?>>
A little concern.
<<Oh?>>
You mentioned in one of the FAQ's that there are some magnets that shouldn't be taken out.
". . .Most aquarium magnets are safe for leaving in a system... but not all. I would pull these out when not in use... Please have your brother contact us re water chemistry checking, use of Polyfilter... as moves to correct the situation. Bob Fenner>"
I have felt to use it every day or at least every other, it would be more convenient to leave it in.
<<Indeed, and there are some brands that are very safe/designed for such use...is what I use. Please take a look at the “Algae Free” and “Magnavore” brands. I have a pair of Algae Free Tiger Shark Float magnets that have been in my tank for “years”>>
Somewhere else it was mentioned that not all magnets are made out of steel.
<<Tis true>>
So steel magnets are not good right? Or wrong?
<<Steel magnets can be fine as long as they are “sealed” from exposure to the water. Keep in mind that virtually all “submersible” pumps contain metals>>
Can you please tell me what to look for as far as what they are made of, or maybe even brands that you know of that are good or which are hazardous to the corals?
<<Any of the cleaning magnets from the two brands mentioned will serve well. They are a little pricier than most others, but... There are other brands that are/can be safe as well, but these two brands are the best in all aspects, in my opinion>>
Thank you as always for your never ending help.
Trisha
<<Always a pleasure to assist. EricR>>

Help! My tank looks like a plantation! 8/1/07
Hi y'all :)
<Hello there>
After a 30% water change due to a faulty Ph probe and associated calcium depletion, things in the tank are back on track
<?... previous corr.?>
and the livestock and coral are all fine. And except for this one teensy problem, I'd say tragedy averted. But there is, for the lack of a better term, cotton growing on the bottom of the tank. I added another 2" of Aragonite and this is on top of it. It just started yesterday. July was a bad month for me, but it's after midnight here so I'm crossing my fingers this is common, harmless and removable. Thanks so much for your help. Lisa
<... Is likely an opportunistic algae et al. population growth... taking advantage of the new substrate, lack of competition... If all else is balanced... enough competitors, nutrient export... all should be fine. Please peruse: http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/maintenance/index.htm
Bob Fenner>

Help my reef tank! Alg. cont.  – 07/30/07
Hi. I have had brown slime algae in my reef tank for a while now. I bought red & green algae. Now I have brown slime algae & hair algae. Can you please help me???
<Shore. Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/algaeasfriend.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Stable water temperature? SW speculations on a return from HI snorkeling...  6/21/07
Aloha Mr. Fenner!
<Howdy!>
I just got back from the Big Island and Kauai, where I spent ten days snorkeling to my heart's content.
<Bet you have a nice tan!>
I want to ask you a question that's been on my mind for some time. I have read, over and over again, on this site and in your book how important it is to keep the water in one's aquarium at a stable temperature, and that stability is more important than achieving a specific temp.
<Mmm, yes>
The reason given is that the enormous ocean environment provides a stable temperature, which our livestock is inherently accustomed to.
<Agreed>
So, on to my question: I have noticed in years past, and again on my recent trip, that when I snorkel, I encounter patches of colder water, and then patches of warmer water, in the same general area, while I'm observing species that I have in my tank at home. What do you think?
<You are certainly correct... Particularly on the Big Island, there are zones where much cooler freshwater is intruding from "Pukas" and cracks in the rock... having traveled from higher elevations... this presents a difference in osmotic pressure and density as well as a varying thermal regime... Yet the life there appears healthy to me>
Are these temp differences I notice more subtle than I realize?
<I believe so... Maybe one way of putting this situation in perspective is to realize that the motile animals (do note the difference in species make-up and abundance in these areas in the way of not-so motile and attached biota) do move in/out of such zones (near the land, surface)... and that they are in good shape to begin with... and I'd speculate that the mixing in these areas is to their advantage in avoiding predation...>
I have been very curious about this, as I do struggle to keep a stable temp in my tank in my south florida home, especially in winter months.
By the way, I was struck by the incredibly strong currents in the ocean!
<Heeeee! More than Tunze and Hydor powerheads?!>
I have four power heads in my 130 gallon, and I fear they are woefully inadequate!
<Ah, yes... a useful lesson>
I appreciate whatever comments you have to make, and continue to enjoy and learn from this site, so thanks!
Elise
<Thank you for sharing... I do think "constancy" is an important aspect of our successfully maintaining a small part of a captive sea... but it is only one area of concern/influence. Cheers and a hu'i hou! Bob Fenner>

How To Clean Sand & Rock w/o Clean Up Crew 6/20/07
We have a 72-gallon tank w/about 60lbs of rock. We just got our first fish, a sunset wrasse (about 4 inches). It's totally cool! My understanding is he'll eat crabs and probably snails. <Possible> Assuming that's true, how do I keep my rock clean of algae? As always THANKS!!!!
<Same way you would with snails and crabs, water changes and limiting nutrients. Scavengers are over-rated in the control of nuisance algae since they don't actually remove any of the nutrients that are fuelling them. They help but ultimately controlling algae is done by the tank owner.>
<Chris>

Water change bio-filter & Ca/alk question   5/14/07
Hey guys-
<Wes>
    First off, as always, thanks.  I do believe I have read all the relevant FAQs, but I could be wrong, there's a lot on your site!  :-)  
<Oh yes... and much more to go>
Couple of quick questions (hopefully).  For my SW tanks, I use tap water (gasp!) mixed in a Rubbermaid container.  I am in the habit of doing 10% changes once or twice or weekly (40 reef, 50 FOWLR).  I have been immediately replacing the water taken with tap water (gasp!) adding a few drops (aprox 2mL) of AmQuel +(will switch to regular am-quel next time around), and then slowly adding in salt.  The water is constantly being aerated and there's a powerhead mixing up the solution.  The water usually is heated and stays around 75-80 degrees.  I'm a relative newby, but this seems to be working well and allows me to do frequent small changes.  My question is if the container constantly has SW in it, has a biological filter developed?
<Mmm, maybe a bit>
My tap water does have trace amounts of ammonia from the faucet, but it is undetectable in the Rubbermaid after AmQuel and storage (even overnight).  Is this because of dilution, bio-filtration, or the am-quel?
<Or out-gassing likely>
Would it be a good idea to put any amount of substrate in there for bio-filtration to build up, or would the widely varying chemicals and salinity wreak any chances of life?
<I would not change your protocol>
Getting rid of extra chemical additions would be nice.
    Next, I have been dosing Kalk overnight to maintain pH and keep my calcium and alkalinity up (in the reef only).  I have no troubles keeping calcium at 400-440, but the alkalinity has suffered.
<As it will with sole Kalk use...>
  When I started the tank, it was around 130ppm, now it's staying around 90.  I was wondering if there is something askew because I use tap water to make the Kalk, or if calcium might be elevating and precipitating out the alkalinity
<Bingo>
though I have seen no snowstorms and no precipitation is noticeable on my powerheads or the like.  I was wondering if it would be a good idea to drip a pH raising alk supplement (SeaChem reef buffer) nightly while monitoring until the levels fall more into balance and then switching back to Kalk.
<Yes. Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/calcalkmar.htm
and the linked files above>
Wes
ps--  I have to mention that every time I email you guys I have to resist asking a million more questions than the ones I planned.  Time for more reading!  hazah for WWM!  HAZAH!
<Heeeee! "Hey, I didn't get a huzzah out of that guy in the corner... Watch your sphincter!" (Mel Brooks', Blazing Saddles). BobF>

Sandstorm In Tank/Lack Of Info 4/4/07
Hello there fish Gods,
<No gods here.>
I have a 135 gallon salt water tank that is aprox 2 years old. 50 lbs LR, aragonite bottom,  Porc Puffer, Fox Face and a Coris Wrasse. The Porc and Foxface (Kai and Krueger) are inseparable, they even sleep together in the same cave. the Fox Face presses himself against the puffer and camouflages himself to look like him (so cute!).
I have a few snails, can't tell you how many as they do become midnight snacks for Kai the puffer. My problem is the amount of "dust" in the tank. I realize something is really munching my rock but I need to get rid of it. The tank, rock, hardware, coralline, heater is COVERED in dust.  I did see a looooong white ugly wormy thing about 3 inches long with a million legs about a month ago,
<What was the actual leg count?:)>
may be him?  There is the occasional clicking sound at night but have not seen any signs of a Mantis.
<Could be a Pistol Shrimp.>
If I do manage to get rid of the menace, any ideas on how I can get rid of the dusty film?
<Shirley, I would like to more on your maintenance practices such as water changes, vacuuming of sand bed, etc.  I can then assist you better.  James (Salty Dog)>

A Couple Problems... Algae ID/control, crustacean external fish parasite... Reading  2/18/07
Hey WWM Crew
I have just a couple of questions that involve a couple problems that are currently going on in my tank.
<Okay>
For one, I believe what I have growing on my aquarium glass and gravel is brown diatom algae. From the look of the pictures, I really think that is what I have.
<Very common... and not a worry>
Almost positive. Now, my tank has cycled a month ago, and I really only  barely noticed it on the gravel. Now, it is starting to really spread. It is not  serious, but sure will be unless I start cleaning it. It is mainly on the front  cover of the aquarium glass, and is slowly spreading across the front end of the tank.
<Almost always "cycles out" on its own in time...>
I wasn't sure how to get rid of it, I figured if I scrubbed it off, it  would spread, if I wiped it, it wouldn't easily come off, and if I used a  syphon, it wouldn't get any off.
<Mmm... not Diatoms...>
I am looking on how to get rid of this stuff. I  have about 6 snails, including 2 Margarite, 2 astrea, and 2 Turbos, along with 3  red leg hermits, 4 blue leg hermits, and 3 Nassarius snails. I have seen all of  the snails munching on it, but I don't feel as if these little guys can do such  a big job. Any suggestions or tips?
<Yep... Read... re algal ID, Control: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/maintenance/index.htm
scroll down...>
Second, I noticed a small organism hanging on my fish a few times. It was on my clown goby 1 in the center of the body, and another on the tail. It fell off,  and jumped right back on.
<A crustacean... was it summat like a "Pill bug?"... An isopod then...>
My goby has not had many signs of distress though, but  not sure what it did. Now it has hopped onto my Flame Angel,  sitting on the back fin just hanging on there. I am not sure whether to put  them into the Hospital tank or not, because I don't know what to treat them  with.
<See WWM re Isopods... I'd physically remove it/this...>
There is only 1 that I know off, and have not seen any crawling in the  tank or more than one on the fish.
<Mmm... if/when you read you'll understand a bit re these organisms life histories...>
I know it would be hard to identify w/o a  picture, but it is very difficult for me to get a good picture with the type of  camera i have, and the way my fish move. All I know is that it has black beady  eyes, and you can see inside of it. It looks almost like a fish fry. The  Flame Angel is not acting funny atm, but looking for quick advice.
<Search, read>
Third, there was the strangest looking thing hanging on my live rock. I had no idea what it was, but I sent a picture to fish geeks forums and nobody really said much. Now it has fallen off and I cannot find it anywhere in the tank. I figured that it broke apart, or the hitchhiker crab I have took it, since   every piece of food I drop in the tank he snatches, so he doesn't bother anyone,  and he hasn't yet. Unfortunately I cannot find my picture, and when you respond I  will easily send a picture back so you can identify what it was. I was  afraid it was an egg or some sort, or maybe even has to do with the parasite on  my fish.
<Not likely... but can only guess... vague descriptions yield vague speculation...>
If you can answer any of these it would be greatly appreciated, but I am   confident you guys can help me out, you have before.
From A Happy Hobbyist
Joe
<Read on Joe, read on. Bob Fenner>

Fungus/algae help needed. SW   2/13/07
Hello,
<Hi there Greg>
I have a 480 gallon swim only
<?>
with live rock saltwater tank.  I have looked all over the net to find out what is wrong with my tank.  There is an almost translucent jelly like fungus/algae growing in my tank on the live rock and covering the sand bed.
<Ahh... a mix of organisms... decomposers and algae most likely>
The tank has been up and running for around 6 months now so I am sure it is cycled but can not for the life of me figure it out.
It looks almost clear, a bit milky maybe.  Feels like a gelatin.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.
<Would be neat to look through a microscope or two... Is likely "natural" decomposition product/resultant... You can "speed up" its unfolding to other life forms... by increasing aeration/circulation... filtration... You do have a good skimmer I hope/trust... what do your water quality tests tell you? Have you read on WWM re? I would. Bob Fenner>

Re: fungus/algae help needed. SW maint.  Just needs to search, read...  2/14/07
I have 2 giant octo
<? Not familiar...>
skimmers in sump on the system, all parameters are great.
<Subjective evaluations are of no use... numbers, values please>
I cannot seem to keep any snails or inverts alive in the tank but the fish are healthy.
<... something amiss with the environment...>
  I thought maybe some ammonia or nitrate or even phosphate problem but they all test at 0.  Perhaps a small electrical current getting
into the tank?
<Please... follow instructions instead of writing us... read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/toxictk.htm
and here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/snaildisfaqs.htm
and the linked files above... Bob Fenner>

Algae ID Question 2/1/07
Hello,
<Hello Jason>
About 3 days ago, I noticed one piece of live rock in my aquarium had a opaque white coating algae I suppose)
spreading over a portion of it, the portion has been spreading very slowly (still about the same size).
<May not be algae at all, possibly coralline growth.  A pic would help.>
Also, my maroon and gold clown fish has some similar "stuff" on his underside and the edges of his fins are a little bit tattered.  I have been dosing SeaChem Stress Guard to see if it would help, but it hasn't shown any sign of doing so.  Also, I am not sure if it would have made all of this occur, but I was in the process of transitioning from tap water to distilled.
More or less when this began, and it all kind of popped up overnight.
<Don't think so.  Is your newly mixed seawater clear when you change water?>
Also, the clown shows his normal activity level, still interacting normally with the purple tip sebae.  Any advice you could give me would be highly appreciated.  Also, my Nitrates had been let get out of hand were ~160ppm,
<Howsie wowsie!  I hope this reading is total nitrogen and not NH+4>
they are no down to ~60-80ppm after 1 water change with distilled water and daily top off (I use SeaChem Reef Trace, on a side note, what size dose should I use for 1 gallon of water?
Bottle says 5mL per 20 gallons twice week, I top off daily very close to 3/4 gallon I also buffer pH, Alk, and Ca).
<You should treat the entire tank, not the top off water.> <<RMF would NOT do this... better to make such changes, as always, through gradually changing water through change outs>>
Please tell me what I am doing wrong, as I have another water change planned,
<Planned?  I suggest on a regular basis 10% at least every two weeks.>
and if there was something I was doing wrong, my guess would be with the water.
<My guess is not enough maintenance/water changes.>
I doubt it matters but I use Reef Crystals as my salt, and have a recently (about 2 weeks, maybe 3) set up sump-refugium with Chaeto and miracle mud.
<This will help much in lowering the nitrates.>
I also run a mechanical filter with a polypad, super activated carbon, and Purigen.
<Overkill, stick with one product.  I'm a fan of Chemi-Pure.>
And of course, a skimmer (CPR hang on).
<You didn't mention the size of your tank.  The CPR may not be enough
skimmer if you have a large tank.>
Sorry for the long rambling message.
Thanks again,
<You're welcome.  James (Salty Dog)>
Jason

Clear Slime in New Tank 10/24/06
Hello,
<Howdy>
I have been reading the postings on your site a lot lately and I really have found a lot of useful information.  Thank-You.
<Welcome>
For my current concern I have seen a few items that appeared at first to be close but nothing that really matches what I am seeing.
I have an AGA 92 gallon Corner pre-drilled with a MegaFlow Model 3 sump filter and a mag-drive 9.5 pump, Coralife Super Skimmer 220, 40 watts of 8000K light over the sump (at night), a 96 watt 36 inch and 65 watt 24 inch light(s) elevated 4 inches above the tank (during the day)  {one hour of overlap in the morning and at night}.
This tank has only been setup for 3 days.  80 lbs of dead sand and 20 lbs of live sand,
<Mmm, would have held off on the LS for a few weeks>
30 lbs of dead rock and 10 lbs of live rock (cured at the LFS - no visible coral and no visible live stock) in the tank.  Few small pieces of live rock in the sump (probably less the 1/2 lb. I plan to add purchased algae once the tank is more established.
<Good>
Live rock and live sand added about four hours after the tank was setup (temp 78 and salinity 1.021).
<Mmmmm further... would have waited on the LR as well... and would raise your spg to 1.025.>
Depending on which advise
<advice>
you take I could have been early or right on time but I have four damsels in the tank (after setup for 36 hours so they have been there for about 36 hours).
<.... more Mmmms and waiting>
Water parameters have been as follows, which I wouldn't think are too surprising for a new tank.
After one day:
Ammonia  1.0
Nitrite  .25
Nitrate 0
PH 8.2
Salinity 1.021
Temp 78
After two days:
Ammonia .5 (+)
Nitrite 0 (+)
Salinity 1.021
Temp 80
After two and a half days:  (I recorded this test as I thought the second reading seemed strange this early and because of my main concern below.)
Ammonia 1.0
Nitrite .25
Salinity 1.021
Temp 82 (This is what prompted me to move my lights to four inches above the tank.)
I am still trying to get my temp to settle at about 78 but this morning it is at 82 (obviously too high but that is part of why we wait a while to put any valuable fish in the tank).
<... do research before buying... patience...>
I have moved the lights from right on top the glass to four inches above, completely shut the heater off, and left the glass cover-door open My room is about 68 degrees.  The 9.5 pump is suppose to use 93 watts and the skimmer's pump about 32 watts (if I read correctly).
<Mmmm, not all converted to "waste" heat...>
I didn't think that I would have heat problems with almost 115 gallons of total water volume, but I guess I am still learning.
<You're in good company here>
This morning I noticed a fair amount (two patches totaling about 8 to 10 square inches) of clear slime (about 1/4 of an inch thick) on the under side of my dead rock (live rock is setting on top of this dead rock).  Before I even researched my reaction (I still don't know if it was right or wrong) was to remove this slime (it felt much like a jelly fish but this was obviously not what it was - just trying to be descriptive).  Now I am wondering what this might have been and if it is anything to be concerned about?
<Mmm, nope... likely bacterial, fungal mix... no need to react>
The four fish seem to be doing fine.  (Again, they are just there to cycle the tank.)
<And possibly infest it with parasites...>
No algae (that is noticeable) growing anywhere (nor would I expect it yet).
<A few more days, couple weeks...>
I have read about some corals releasing a clear slime if they are stressed but I don't have any corals and this slime was on the bottom of the dead rock. (But, not the part that is actually touching the sand.)
I have read about some speculation that there my be a clear slime algae but it seems too early for really any algae.
The fish do not have any noticeable slime on them.
Could this be a build up of some kind of bacteria this fast and with the water pattern seen above?
<Yep>
In the past 12 years I have cycle one other large saltwater tank and one large freshwater tank and I don't recall having ever seen a substance such as this growing in either of those tanks (ever).  But, they were both without sumps and were setup with under gravel filters, which were still very popular at the time.  And, neither of them had any live or dead rock, which of course the freshwater wouldn't have had.
Again, I would really like to thank-you for any help you might be able to provide and for you site in general.
James Wilson
Louisville, KY
<No need to do anything other than be calm, careful re feeding at present. Bob Fenner>

Fish Not Growing 9/23/06
Hi,
<Hello Krystal>
I have had a 120 gal SW tank for a little over a year now.  I am currently running a wet/dry filter system with a 1200 gal/hr main pump, a Euro Reef RS100 skimmer, a Arctica chiller and a 10 gal refugium that I built myself.  I have a female Watanabei angel, a Halfback Mimic Tang, a pair of Percula Clowns, and an Orange peel Dottyback.  All have been in the tank for over a year except the angel who was introduced in December of 2005.  My question is, that none of my fish have grown at all.  I do weekly 15% water changes with RO water and my parameters are good. 0 ppm ammonia, 0 ppm nitrite, 0 ppm nitrate, ph around 8.2, and KH between 8-10.  The fish are fed at least once a day, most of the time more and a little algae in the tank to munch on in the mean time.  I was wondering if you could shed some light on why they are the same size as the day I bought them.
<I'm sure they are growing, you just do not notice growth on a day to day basis.  I suffer from the same syndrome.  Friends of mine that haven't been over in a month or so, will often say, "Boy that False Lemonpeel has sure gotten big."  And to me, it seems he hasn't grown at all.  Feeding good quality frozen foods and adding a vitamin supplement such as Selcon's, will help speed up the growth
process.  James (Salty Dog)>

Of Cats and Fish 8/23/06
Hey Guys
<Hi>
I have 4 cats and as anyone that has had cats knows that cat hair is everywhere and as it seems also to be in my fish tank! <Yep, I've even found whole cats in mine before, that did not go well.> Now I mean it is not a lot but enough to notice and I mean it is everywhere! <Not sure I understand, a few strands here and there are no big deal, if you have hair balls in your tank, that is a problem.>  I make sure to keep the water that I am adding to the tank during water changes up high or away from the cats but when I go to put it there is a layer of cat hair on the top of the water! (ITS IN THE DAMN AIR lol) <Need to get the container covered, preferably with a loose fitting top so there is still O2 exchange.> But I was wondering can this cat hair be harmful to my fish(10 gallon, 3 bronze Corys, 2 skirt tetras)? <Can be, is biological material and does add to the bioload/nitrogen cycle of the tank.> I mean I think it won't and after a while it ether gets sucked through the filter or settles to the bottom, but still I would just like to make sure!!
THANKS
P.S. ......is my tank overstocked......(I am new to this)
<It all depends on how much is in there. Keeping it all out is impossible, but limiting the amount is important.  Also, hair can be tough on equipment, jamming up the pumps and shortening the equipment's lifespan.  Best to cover everything as much as possible.>
<Your stocking level seems fine, but I would not add any more fish.  Also, in future correspondence please spell check your message before sending, it takes too much time to correct before posting.>
<Chris>

Cyanobacteria/Control  - 08/15/06
Hi crew,
<Hello Mohamed>
I have a problem with brown slime algae.
My nutrients are low.
Nitrate 0
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Phosphate 0.05
DI water used only for top off. TDS reading 2.
Magnesium 1190, busy getting it higher
Calcium 440
KH 7
Temperature from 26 to 27,5 degrees in a day.
I do get a bit of sunlight on the tank.
What are the possible cause and solutions, please?
<Read here and above links.  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/bluegralgae.htm
James (Salty Dog)>
Thanks
Mohamed.

Maintenance/Stocking  - 07/30/06
I was wondering if you could give me some feed back regarding my current saltwater set up/maintenance routine.  I think I've got it set up pretty well thanks to all of your advise and, I have done  some changes in the stocking to align with your recommendations.  Here is what I have.  55 Gallon tank with canister filter that has a gph of 200. Every Sunday I do a 10% water change with Catalina Water
<What is Catalina water?> <<Is a natural seawater supply company located in California RMF>>
and clean the filter. During the weekly cleaning, I change 1 of the 3 different medias in the canister (Sponge, Floss, Carbon). I have three power heads that turn 175 Gallons each one on both sides facing each other cutting the surface of the water and one in the middle cutting the service of the water as well.  I have a Prizm Skimmer that I clean weekly and spend about an hour adjusting after each time I empty the collection cup ( I will be getting an Aqua C Remora when Funds allow).
<Will be a worthy improvement>
During the weekly change I add Iodine and buffer. There is about 50lbs of rock and several fake corals etc.  The water is testing zero for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. The temp is 78.5 and the sg is 1.023.
The current critters are as follows: 3 Chromis,2 Tank raised Perc. Clown, 1 Royal Gramma, 1 Six Lined Wrasse, 1 Coral Beauty, 1 Coral Banded Shrimp and various snails and hermits.  The lights are timed to go on from 9-9 I feed Spirulina flakes in the morning at 7:00 with just the room lighting on, I also add 3 Clips of Seaweed Salad
<Going overboard here with three clips, one is plenty.>
throughout the tank that are removed at 4:30 Pm. At 4:30 its frozen time and I rotate between Brine Shrimp, Formula 2, and Emerald Entree.  
<Watch the amounts you feed, feed only what they will eat.  Start with small amounts and only add more if the eating
frenzy is there.>
At 8:00 I feed Spirulina flakes again and some Marine Gro or Ora Glo ( Royal Gramma's Favorite).  Because of the CBS I have decided not to get Cleaner Shrimp and was wondering if I could add a Cleaner Goby or 2?  I also want 1 Banggai Cardinal but am not sure if this would be pushing my luck.
<You are close to your limit now.  Let well enough alone, give the tank time to season would not add any more fish.>  I have done a lot of work and still due to have this awesome tank and would not do anything to hurt my current fish.  Thank you so much for the feed back and please let me know about the Goby/Cardinal and if you would change
anything with the set up/feeding/maintenance.
<Read here and related links on maintenance.  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/maintenance/marineMaint.htm
Thank you so much for all of the help you give and the money you save.
<I don't save any money, broke, but thank you the same.  James (Salty Dog)>

Many Thanks from a SW beginner !   7/24/06
No questions here just typing a quick thanks to the crew. I’ve learned more in a couple of weeks of reading WWM posts than I have in all of my previous trips to the LFS. I have not had any issues escalate to problems with my 29g marine tank since finding this site   Future plans include turning the 29 into a sump for the (for now) stand-less and lightless 55 along with the purchase of a few more inverts (shrimps , clams and hopefully corals) . I love the site !! Keep up the good work.
<<Well thanks, I like it too :).>>
Tank setup (for cut & paste purposes later on)
Hardware:
dbl bulb N/O fluorescent w/ 1 50/50 and 1 actinic bulb, 35 lbs of LR, plenum, 2" of coarse aragonite, 3 " of Seaflor reef sand, SeaClone 100 skimmer, & HOT Magnum filter.
<<You should really look to upgrade your SeaClown’ skimmer.>>
Livestock:
Black Clown, Orange Clown (My reading suggests true perc, no behavioral problems thus far), scooter blenny, 4 bumble bee gobies (drip acclimated over 3 days to 1.021) ,6 - 8 red legged plus 1 scarlet hermit crab, peppermint shrimp, a dozen assorted snails ( my next bit of reading will involve gastropod identification) manageable amounts of nuisance algae and roughly 35-40% LR coverage of various coralline algae types.
<<Are you culturing ‘pods for your dragonet?>>
Supplementation:
regular applications of SeaChem pH 8.3 marine buffer, reef complete, reef builder, reef advantage calcium. Weekly 15% water changes and trips to LFS for the use of their free water testing .
<<You should invest in your own kits.  Why all the buffer?>>
Feeding:
1 to 2g /day of enriched froze brine shrimp.
<<Brine shrimp, especially frozen, is junk nutritionally.  I’m glad you love the site.  Keep coming! Lisa.>>>>

CA: how much is too much article    7/20/06
Bob or whoever
<Howdy>
Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the recent article "putting on the brakes how much is too much". Gee the pendulum is swinging back?
<In constant motion... sometimes a bit more oscillation than others>
When I first started back in 76 I had many many problems until I read Robert Gasser's 1979  
article "some old (or are they new) thoughts on aquarium keeping" FAMA (or something like that LOL) basically Leiden aquarium techniques. Tried it it  worked
and I never looked back.
<Ah, yes>
I went through a similar process in 2002 when starting my current 55g mixed reef. Finally (again) settled down on much the same techniques yet am
constantly  flamed and told how wrong I am.
<Heeee! A thick skin can help... a prudent mind even more>
Yet we have a local here who has a giant clam and SPS corals in a 75g with  3 4' 2 tube shop lights.
<Can be done>
I have had fish, soft corals in my 55g for over three years using  4 2 tube shop lights, silica play sand, silica and lava landscape rocks, an in  tank
refugium, filtering the water with 5x water flow through crushed oyster shells, tap water, no water changes, no heater or chiller (the tank is in an air  
conditioned room), no skimmer or any filtering other than the oyster shells and plant life (macros and coralline).
Fish include a yellow and blue regal tangs, two clowns, purple Pseudochromis, Banggai cardinal, yellow watchman goby, and coral catfish.  Clowns are
2",tangs , cardinal and purple Pseudochromis 4", coral catfish is  6-7" According to various message board you would get the impression I am doing  
many things "wrong". Yet things are thriving. I attribute that to the in tank refugia with heavy macro algaes. For instance, my tap water is reported to
have  30ppm phosphates
<Yeeikes! Dangerous to drink>
and I have measured it at 5ppm the max of the test kit. Yet nitrates and phosphates are immeasurable with the aquarium pHarm**** test kits.
<No wonder Al, Joel and co. sold! Those lucky pugs!>
Calcium basically stays at 400ppm and alk at 6 dKH. I do buffer the  alk up to 9dkh with baking soda. And, if I get carried away with the baking soda,  
I do have to bump calcium back up with calcium chloride.
<Good>
Mag is in the 1200ppm  range with no buffering.
Over the past 4 years I have noticed that macros in refugium have made a come back with less emphasis on DSBs. But then that does not surprise me.   I
went through a similar experience back in 79.
<Me too>
Glad to see an article like the one you posted. I feel newbies would have much better with Fw and marine aquariums if more such articles were available.
<Agreed>
IMHO simply balancing out the aquarium with plant life right from the start is the key to success. Everything else is secondary to that basic  fact.
Bob Beasley.
<Thank you for proffering your input. Bob Fenner>

Re: CA: how much is too much article  07/21/06
Bob (or whoever)
<Bob>
Would help if I got the email address right. LOL
Bob
Bob (or whoever)
Thanks for the reply and excellent as usual.
Would not bother ya again but my ignorance makes me ask: reference:
"and I have measured it at 5ppm the max of the test kit. Yet
nitrates and phosphates are immeasurable with the aquarium pHarm**** test kits.
<No wonder Al and co. sold! Those lucky pugs!>"
I am confused?  Inside joke?  Who is Al and Co (aquarium pHarm****)
<Al Abrevaya and partner Joel were the old owners/friends of AP...>
Or did you mean their test kits should have measured something.  
Woops I meant unmeasurable not immesurable. Gee that is a big difference. LOL.
Bob  
<I understood you to mean the former. Cheers! BobF>

Algae & copepods, mar. maint.   7/16/06
Dear Mr. Bob Fenner
<Rachel>
How are you? Hope everything is fine there. I have a slight problem in my tank at the moment. Everything went smooth for about 3 - 4 months now but suddenly my algae on the back and side walls of my tank disappeared due to no particular reason and there is a huge growth of copepods population in my tank. I see my Butterflies and my tang eating them now but there is a lot of growth. My green and brown algae have disappeared from walls which I never clean. I only clean my front glass and also my skimmer doesn’t pick anything up lately. It’s working fine but the collection of dirty water is almost nothing. This whole thing was a gradual but quick process. I recently checked my water parameters my ammonia is undetectable and nitrite also is undetectable but I didn’t check for nitrate as my kit is expired and also my pH seems to be higher
<Numbers please... not subjective commentary>
as I use 4 teaspoons of Sodium Bicarbonate every other week to maintain my pH but because of the higher pH value
<Won't raise beyond about 7.8...>
I stopped doing this for just about a week now. But I do a 25% percent water change every month and my fish seems to be doing alright and they eat fine. My tank is an 80G tank with a lot of live rock, one 4” Klunzinger's Wrasse,
<A neat species>
one 3.5” Bannerfish, one 3” Auriga Butterfly and one 3.5”, Hippo blue tang.  I am worried about this situation. Do you think it’s because of the higher pH value my Algae died?
<Possibly related>
Or is there any other reason for this algae death, copepods population growth and the change in my skimmer’s collectables? Please help me. Thanks, best regards,
<Mmm, in a word "succession"... changes in chemical make-up, availability of some/less nutrients, population growth of predators, competitors... not necessarily a problem... Such changes/succession are a universal characteristic of captive systems. Bob Fenner>
Rachel

Becoming a discouraged fishtank owner... New type of hobbyist? Further introspections into the nature of the truth... scarce can I name salvation but fearful thunder echoes in mine ears  7/10/06
Hello Crew,
<Christy>
It seems like I read and read and read all day long about marine tanks, but still I fail. Everyone gives me such different advice. I just don't know what to do anymore.
<... Mmmm, study... from the general to specifics... determine what are facts from "opinions, advice" (a difference modern media are rapidly losing)... Understanding the science, underlying principles will enable you to go forward with clarity, confidence>
I've had my 25 gallon saltwater tank for about 4 months now. Its a marineland eclipse
<Proper nouns...>
with 36watts of actinic lighting.
<A small system... mis-lighted. Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/setup/lighting/actinicfaqs.htm>
30 lbs of liverock. About 1.5 inches of sand. For the first 4 months, with all of my reading, I did not know that you're supposed to pre-mix the water 48 hours
in advance. For the past two weeks I've been premixing the water now. I do water changes once a week, syphoning the sand very well. Last week I tested
the water and the ammonia was about 0.25mg/l nitrite 0 and nitrate 20. I'm now switching to 10% water changes twice a week. I feed the fish once a day,
alternating between brine shrimp and bloodworms,
<... what are you feeding here. What livestock?>
soaked in garlic elixir supplement.
<Just like in the wild...>
I also did not understand until recently the importance of keeping the Ph at 8.3, it had been 8.0 up until a week ago. I'm now adding a buffer more regularly,
<Mmm... 8.0 is not a problem... how you may be adding the buffer is>
and checking the Ph everyday. After cycling, my first fish, a royal Gramma, he died of starvation.
<Not surprising, given the food items listed...>
I then purchased a black and gold damsel and two blue green Chromises. I was told they would get along, but they did not. Both Chromises died after about a month. About three weeks ago I purchased a cleaner shrimp who is doing great! He has shed three times
<Too much stress...>
already, and has gotten huge. I gave away the damsel because he was too aggressive. I then bought a few purple mushrooms which seem to be doing
well. I then brought home a pair of Percula clowns. The female did not do well from the start, and died about a week later, from I believe
Brooklynellosis. Now the male clown doesn't seem so well. He acts healthy and eats a ton.. but he has weird marks on him, looking similar to how his dead
wife looked in the beginning. Sorry for the load of information, but I just don't know where to go from here.
<Mmm, "back to square one"... You could really use a "guru", unless you're quite given to learning through reading...>
I want a colorful tank and to eventually upgrade my lighting and be able to have hard and soft corals.
<Mmm, your tank is too small...>
I would like a small orange Linckia seastar,
<Way too small for this>
a green clown goby, and a small hippo tang.
<And this>
I don't know where to start. Should I keep adding invertebrates like more mushrooms and feather dusters? Or should I just stick with trying to keep a
fish even though they all keep dying? What colorful reef safe fish do you recommend in a 25 gallon that will be hardy?
<... Get thee to a local marine hobby club... join, visit with other hobbyists, go on "tank tours" visiting their homes... read one or three good, complete marine aquarium books. Your haphazard, "listening to everyone" approach, buying things and tossing them in will not work. Immerse yourself in a systematic manner here, or go on to another interest. Really. Bob Fenner>

Mar. maint. mostly... few questions    7/1/06
Bob - I read your book and found it to be very helpful in getting me started in the right direction.  I have also spent many hours on the website and find it very valuable.  You and the crew at wetwebmedia are providing a wonderful service and it is greatly appreciated.  I am new to saltwater tanks and have a couple of questions for you regarding my new set-up.  I have a 90g tank with one overflow,
<Two would be better... am sure we agree>
180lbs of live rock, & DSB of aragonite.  I installed 4 x 96W PC lights (two 96 watt Dual Daylight 6,700k/10,000k and two 96 watt Dual Actinic 420nm/460nm.  I have a 30 gallon sump with an Aqua C EV180 skimmer, and  a 500gph mag-drive return pump.  3 MaxiJet 600 powerheads are in the main tank.  I intend to stock the tank with a couple of  fish (clown pair, hippo tang), 2 cleaner shrimp, snails, and hermit crabs. In addition, I hope to keep some LPS corals, mushrooms, and leathers.  With this set-up do you think I have adequate water circulation?
<Likely so... could be increased>
Should I switch one of my actinic lamps to another 6700/10,000k lamp?
<I would, yes>
On another matter, my house uses well water.  I tested the water and found it to have about 10ppm of nitrates,
<Yeeikes... I hope/trust you're not drinking, cooking with this>
so no surprise my tank is also testing the same.  I am considering the need for a RO unit, but don't want to spend the money if the nitrates are low enough not to be problematic.
<They are a health issue for you, your captive aquatics>
My tank just got done cycling and now it seems to be (hopefully) finishing an algae bloom (diatoms).  I tested the water for phosphates and it was 0.  Again, thank you and your crew for being of such great assistance!
Dan.
<Mmm, welcome. Phosphates like the popular label "terrorists" are a fluid measure... likely your present algae are taking up what is available... Bob Fenner>

First Salt Water tank... for sure    6/14/06
Hi,
I am in hopes of guidance because after someone recommended your website I was amazed of all the answers... too many.
<Not possible... they are indexed, there is a competent search tool...>
My problem is that I decided I finally wanted to start my first salt water tank and the Local Pet Shop recommended for ease to start with a Reef and
add fish as I go along. SO that is what I am trying to do.  I truly love the look and am sure I will love the hobby.  Part of the problem is that I went
into this not realizing that this would be such a money pit.
I shopped and shopped and now have the following set up.
* 145 gal Acrylic Cube type Aquarium 36" wide x 30" deep by 30" high.
<Very tall... hard to light, get your arms (hope they're long) into...>
o The tank is plumbed underneath the back overflow inside the tank
<?>
* 30 gal sump (no filtration or internal walls, simply a tank
* ASM G2 Skimmer
* 150lbs of Live Rock
* 100lbs of Live Sand
* Gen-X PCX 40 Pump
* Tunze Stream 6060 Pump
* 250w Pendant Metal Halide
* SCWD current switching device
* Kent Marine Aquadoser 5: Float switch and auto-refill
* Rio 2500 powerhead pump
* UV Sterilizer (not sure of make or model)
The main problem is that I got 100 different directions.  Since I am a total rookie, I wanted first to master the easy way to do the reef and then play with it as the previous owner did.
<No shortcuts here... you need to learn what you're doing...>
I had a guy come out to set up my tank for me (Recommended by the Local Pet Shop) The guys told me that I had no filtration going on so he recommended that I put bio-balls in my over-flow. He hooked up my UV sterilizer and I put in about 200 bio-balls in the over-flow (didn't make a dent).
The guys that sold me the tae told me that I shouldn't use a UV Sterilizer or the bio-balls.  The guy that sold me the Skimmer told me to use the UV sterilizer.
I am totally doomed!
<I wouldn't go that/this far>
I picked up a book (Natural Reef Aquariums, Tullock)
<Know John well>
and it just provides a lot of suggestions but not for my particular case.
Can you help?  If I don't do the bio-balls what filtration am I using?
<Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marsetupindex2.htm See the blue file names? These are links... read the ones on filtration>
If I don't use the UV Sterilizer am I more likely to get sick fish?
<Whether or not... see WWM re UVs...>
  I thought the UV sterilizer was an easy answer to a possible complicated problem.
<Is a useful tool, not a cure-all by any means>
Needing help.  BTW, how do I become a member?
<We don't do/have memberships... by participating, reading, writing... you are>
Michael Grose
<Take all this a bit at a time Michael... not hard, but involved... can, will become engrossing, but needs your giving/taking. Bob Fenner>

Re: High Nitrates in a Fishless Tank  6/5/06... barnacles, alkalinity, sw maint.
Lisa,
<Mmm, Bob this time>
Back again.  It has been a while, I wanted to test the water and just watch and wait to see if I could get it together.  
<Okay>
The water I have been changing faithfully once a week between 5-7 gallons in a 55 gallon tank and a 29 gallon tank.  
<Sounds about right>
The 55 gal. has no fish still, just the live rock and inverts which seem to be doing very well.  The Caulerpa is thriving as well as all the inverts.  The sponge is growing and the feather dusters are fine.  We do seem to have a lot of barnacles.  Is there such thing as too much?
<Mmm, can be... Cirripedians can be pests/parasites to fishes as larvae...>
I just do not like. Going on 12 weeks now after losing all fish... The Nitrates were high and now seem to be stable at 20 ppm (tap water registers 10ppm)  We do not see a lot of waste in the media of the Fluval.
<Canister filters can be problematical... transient pollution sources>
     Ammonia sometimes shows 0 and sometimes goes up to .25  The nitrites are always 0.  The PH is what really fluctuates.  The last check was between 7.8-8.0   It always seems to drop.
<A lack of buffering, restoring chemical make-up... Alkaline reserve>
  I am checking the PH on the new water that I am changing out as it is low and actually raise it high to balance out the low PH of the tank.
<Good... but need to check the alkalinity, not simply pH>
What other suggestions could you recommend.  I am leery of starting over until certain all the water issues are corrected.     
<Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/marphalk.htm
and the linked files above>
The 29 gal.  has live rock and 2 damsels.  The water registers 80ppm nitrates,
<Way too high>
  0 nitrites, 0-.25 ammonia and Ph also fluctuates low in this tank as well.  Any help is greatly appreciated.
Sandy
<... please learn to/use the indices, search tool on WWM... A link/beginning to nitrates: http://wetwebmedia.com/nitratesmar.htm
Bob Fenner>

Sandbed maintenance 5/14/06
Hey guys,
<Hello>
I just want to say thank you for all the problems you have helped me solve in the past. I have noticed that my sand bed is disappearing. I have a 55 gallon and I bought 3 20lbs water packed AragAlive Bahamas oolite to start off. My tank is about 1 yr and half old and now my sand is starting to diminish.
<Common occurrence, dissolves over time, helps buffer the water.>
If I need to add more sand I would like to get the finest due to the natural look of the ocean bed I love and my sand sifting creatures. <ok>  Would I have to get the water packed Arag alive or can I buy the dry packed sugar sized sand?
<The water packed stuff is no better than the dry in my opinion.>  How much should I add at a time and will this screw up my ecosystem happening on the sandbed?
<Add a cup or two a week, this allows sand bed creatures to migrate to the top without getting smothered.>
Thanks
Joe
<Anytime>
<Chris>

Something about BGA, green algae, marine aquarium?  - 05/13/2006
tank 3 weeks old now covered in green hairy type stuff, gradually being taken over by black slimy stuff (all on live rock ) am a newly obviously ! the wife says scrub the rocks clean what do you think? just added 2 clown fish all doing well apart from assetics
thanks
t
<Is this English? Are you a non-native speaker/writer? Have someone look over your mail before sending... Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/algaeasfriend.htm and the linked files at top...
Bob Fenner>

Brown algae   4/30/06
Dear WWM Crew:
<Yo!>
I have a two year old reef tank/mud refugium system.  Four weeks ago, I went on vacation for about a week and left the tank in another's care.  
Since our return, there has been increasing proliferation of brown algae - previously we had none visible.  All tank specs are in order
save for nitrite level at 0.2 mg/l.  Any suggestions on how to deal with the algae?
<Sure: http://wetwebmedia.com/avoidingalgaeproblesm.htm
and the linked files above>
Separately, I have been told that the mud in the refugium should be replaced every couple of years save for a small amount off the original
mud that was in the tank - do you share this view?
<Yep, posted>
Is it possible that the bacteria levels in my tank are low resulting in problem above?
<... not likely>
Finally, I have tried on a couple of occasions to grow xenia and have had no luck.  Realizing they can be temperamental, wondering if the
conditions I maintain for the benefit of other corals makes it more challenging for the xenia?
<Can>
Thanks in advance for your advice.
SPL
<Keep reading. Bob Fenner>

New and don't know what to do!  4/30/06
We started a 65 gal saltwater tank about 3 months ago. My husband was in a local store that had several reef and saltwater tanks that were beautiful. We asked questions and finally decided to purchase equipment to get ours started. Unfortunately, I think these people were more concerned with us spending money than making sure we had correct info for proper care of our tank and fish.
<<Sadly, this is often the case.  That is not to say that they don't care... just that they often don't have the time or quality help to do better.>>
Our first fish after getting our tank started were 3 damsel fish, only one survived. He was fine for about a month and all levels were fine so we purchased (under the supervision of the store helpers...HA!) a yellow eyed tang, a blue hippo tang, and a  Naso tang. I have read since that we should only have 1 tang with our size tang so I realize we have a problem here.
<<Only one tang, and at that... only the yellow eye is even OK by itself.  The hippo and Naso quickly get way too large, even if they are the only tang in the tank.>>
Anyway, all was well for close to a month. Then we started developing red slime algae at a pretty fast rate. Around the same time I noticed that the yellow eyed tang was throwing himself into the sand almost constantly. He also seemed to have a pale spot forming on his nose spreading between his eyes and toward one side of his face. I went to a different fish store that specializes in saltwater fish and they said I should treat for parasites and leave the red algae alone until the parasites were treated. We changed the water, took out the filter pads and started treating with Chem-Marine reef safe because we have xenia and a few polyps. That was about 3 days ago. The first two treatments I over treated by a couple of teaspoons, and discovered my error and now am giving correct doses. Is this harmful?
<<Treatment should never take place in a display tank.  In order to make treatments "reef safe", the manufacturers often reduce the dose to the point where it is not effective.  Also, the rock and sand in a display can absorbed medications, reducing their effectiveness.  Last, but not least treatments can be harmful to all of the beneficial critters that live in live rock.>>
Well today my domino damsel died. He seemed perfectly healthy up until now. My yellow eyed tang is acting normal, I think! He hides alot but seems comfortable with the other fish. He seems to be shy mostly when we humans are near the tank. However, his white spot is growing. I have read about hole in head disease, parasites, ich....I don't know if any of these things resemble what my fish has.
<<It is probably an abrasion or other injury.  If the fish is healthy and well fed, it should heal on its own.>>
There are no white dots, no red dots or holes. The white area doesn't appear to be a "hole". I can't get a great look. He always hides when we get near the tank. To top it all off my blue hippo tang (at about the same time as the yellow eyed tang developed his white face) has a place where his fin starts at the top of his head. It looks like his skin was rubbed off of the very first, uh... bone?.. The person I talked to at the store seems to think that this is what happened. I don't know.
<<I agree that it sounds like a scrape, but it is a bit of a coincidence that two fish have this.  Do keep an eye on it.>>
We hear so much different info that I don't know what do or not do, and who to trust. I think fish store people are only interested in making money. They don't care what happens once we get our fish home. Help!!!! I want to get this tank stabilized with a good bit of coral and a few fish. What should I do? A lot of the info I have read on your site has been helpful, however, I am so new alot of it is foreign to me. If you could give a reply soon that would be great. Thank you, John and Amy
<<Please write back with a description of your system, including the size of the tank, the type of filtration, amount of live rock, how much and what kind of sand, what kind of lighting, skimmer and water movement you have, and the levels (not just "good or OK") for all of the parameters you test for (especially pH, Alkalinity, Salinity, temperature, etc.).  Also include a brief description of your maintenance procedures, including the amount and frequency of water changes, feeding, etc.  With that information, we should be able to zero in on any problems.  Best regards.  AdamC.>>

Fish life spans  - 04/24/2006
Hi Bob,
Thanks for your reply - I'll look at the website later - I'm currently browsing the reefs.org site mentioned in the back of your book.
<Also very worthwhile>
If I could just ask one question - why is there so little information on expected life-spans of different species anywhere?
<Such data has been compiled for a few species... by public aquariums... and can be calculated for many more by some perusing, math with data presented on fishbase.org>
Best regards.
Martin
<Bob Fenner>

A Marine (Water Quality) and a Freshwater (Discus Injury) Question - 04/22/06
Hello, and many 'thank you's' for all the wonderful help you've provided me over the years!
<<Howdy...and you're welcome>>
I have two concerns that call for your brand of expertise:
<<Alrighty>>
1) My 55gal reef tank has quite a layer of 'scum' on the surface and has had quite an algae problem over the last week or so and 2) My discus is breathing better and I'm wondering if he's going to keep on keeping on or what.
<<Okay...lets split these queries up and tackle one at a time, shall we?>>
Reef details:
I recently (3 months ago) moved from having very good water (20ppm total hardness strait out of the tap) to having very hard water (340ppm out of the tap).
<<Mmm, indeed...though should be a moot point if you are filtering your tap water before use>>
Our area is also home to a very large phosphates mine-I don't know if this could effect the water supply, but I thought I'd throw it in just in case.
<<Ah yes, there is likely a huge excess of phosphate in the ground water>>
Until about 3 weeks ago I hadn't had any problems.
<<Building up in your system over time>>
Then I got a slight scum on the surface that lasted a couple days and went away...for a week...to be replaced with a worse scum for 3 to 5 days and went away...for 5 days or so...to be replaced by the current scum layer which continues to get worse as the days go by.  My surface skimmer is drawing just fine, I have about 780gph turn over in my tank, and my skimmer is only producing about 1/2 cup of dark skimmate every day.
<<Hmm...is curious that the surface skimmer can't handle/remove the "scum">>
I'm replacing 2gal. of top off daily that is filtered through a PUR-tm faucet filter.
<<Ahh...herein lies the problem.  This filter is inadequate for your needs, it is neither designed nor intended to filter water to the quality you need for your reef tank.  It may have proved adequate with your previous tap water supply, but it seems obvious you need something with "more power" now.  Do look in to either an RO/DI or Kati/Ani filtration system...can make all the difference here>>
I need to replace the 10000K 250w MH as it is around a year to year-and-half old.
<<I doubt these are your problem...probably even have a few more months of useful life to them>>
I also have 130w CFL super-actinics that are about 3 month old.  I have about 15 sm. snails of varying types and about the same number of sm. hermits.  The bioload is 1--3" Coral beauty angel, 1--2 1/2" Yellow watchman goby, 1 Fire goby, 1--2" Ocellaris clownfish, 1 med. coral banded shrimp, 1 pr. skunk shrimp, 3 peppermint shrimp, 1--2" sea hare (not the normal species...smaller and bright green).  Soft corals include: sm. Stolonifera, 8 anthelia polyps, and various mushroom, Xeniid, and Kenya tree frags.  I also have a 3" bubble tip anemone.
<<Ugh...you were doing so well up to this point <G>.  I hate to see motile invertebrates housed with sessile invertebrates...especially in a small system such as yours>>
Discus details:
During the move (three months ago) the largest and most hale of my four 3" discuss managed to make a dive for the floor during transfer from the transport tank to the show tank.
<<Ouch!>>
From that point on he's been sickly and dark, and his gill covers have been unevenly distended.
<<Likely suffered some physical trauma>>
His right was hardly moving and the left was always twice as open as the other discuss.  Well, four or five days ago he started hiding in the back and got really dark...trouble signs...and I was about to separate him to his own hospital tank, when, two days ago, I noticed that he was back up front, lightening up, and HIS GILLS WERE BOTH WORKING!
<<Yea!>>
Well, he's kept a better color, though still not his best by a long shot, and he's still using both gills equally.  Do you have any idea what happened?
<<Specifically?...no...but it's obvious he suffered injury/stress from the fall to the floor...and appears to be recuperating nicely on his own>>
Thanks for both helps.
Branon.
<<Cheers my friend, EricR>>

... SW over-stocking, learning about Dominos  4/21/06
Hello there!
I am sorry to trouble y'all, but I can find no definitive answers anywhere about a couple of questions...
I am fairly new to the saltwater hobby...about 4 months.. I have a 46 bow front reef tank.. that is about 3.5 months along...I cycled it with 4 damsels..2 dominoes, 2 yellow tail...who made it through just fine by the way.. lol I then added some Nassarius snails, some red and blue legged hermits...couple of bumblebee snails....then a frilly mushroom rock...l8r a couple of emerald Mithrax crabs...which btw are all doing fine...then I added a yellow-eyed tang.. my favorite fish...and a royal Gramma...Everyone was fine for a couple days then the tang and the Gramma started to get spots.. as I did not have a q.t. tank set up yet...which I know do. I had to treat the main tank with reef safe ich attack....treated for 3 days and the tang died. after getting some discoloration by the gills and towards his tail. the Gramma will be dead by the end of today.. and the 2 dominoes have it now.. what do I do??
Nathan
<Please read on WetWebMedia regarding ich, quarantine, treatment, stocking....  All that you are asking is already out there for you to use, in articles and FAQs....  These are *living things* in your care, please study their care requirements.  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/index.htm .  -Sabrina>

Impressive but You are not a Jedi Yet (More Research/Reading Needed) ... mar. maint.  - 04/19/06
We set up a 55 gallon marine aquarium four weeks ago.
<Sounds fun.>
The salinity is good.
<”Good” is relative, be specific in the future.>
The temperature is about 78 degrees. The PH is 8.2. The ammonia is zero.
<Nitrites? Nitrates?>
We started with some live sand, a live rock, and after the first couple weeks we added  three little damsels.
<Uh-Oh, even if we exclude the aggression…..what about disease introduction, did you quarantine?>
The nitrite level has not spiked and the nitrate level remains at zero.
<It appears your nitrogen cycle is complete if the levels have not spiked with in the 4-weeks (30-Days) you should be in the clear…should be.>
We have the regular tank lights on between 12 and 15 hours
each day and are getting some algae growth on the sand.
<Normal.>
My first question is; why haven't the nitrate and nitrite levels changed?
<Every tank is different, some nitrogen cycles are quicker than others. Did you add an ammonia source? Was the LR cured or un-cured?>
One of the damsels (a white and black striped one) has developed some tiny
white fuzzy dots.
<Sounds like marine ich (cryptocaryon), search WWM re:.>
He is a very aggressive
<Very is putting it lightly..>
little fish and I think he may be sick
<Sounds so.>
even though he eats well and is quite spunky. My second question is; What kind of problem are these dots, and how do I treat them? My little yellow damsel  and the blue one with the yellow tail are just fine for now.
<See above.>
Sincerely,
XXXXX@XX.com
<Adam J.>

Holy Moley-Yes Folks Aquariums Need Maintenance To Function……  - 04/19/06
Hello,
<Hi Dan.>
     I have very high nitrate levels in my 55 gal. tank.
<Uh-Oh!>
  Can I get rid of these levels by using a combination of Aquarium salt and Cycle?
<Huh? No……?
  I don't want to, but if I have to I'll do the water changes,
<What? Not wanting to do water changes. Sir, excuse me if I sound bold but if you don’t have the time to do at least weekly (ok maybe bi-weekly)….then you should not own any type of aquaria.>
the only question I have about the water changes is...How long do I wait after refill to start again, assuming I will need to do more than one water change to bring the levels down?
<Read WWM re Water Changes for your answers my friend. I will say a few consecutive daily water changes (10% to 25%) over the next week.>
Thank You,
<Mmm-hmm.>
Dan C.
<Adam J.>

Re: Holy Moley-Yes Folks Aquariums Need Maintenance To Function..  - 04/19/2006
I'm sorry I didn't mean I don't do the water changes at all, what I was saying was if I have to I will do the rapid water changes.  I read where you
can reduce the nitrates in the tank rapidly by doing a 60% reduction, filling it back up to 80% capacity, then doing a 40% reduction, filling it
back up to 100% capacity, then doing a 20% reduction and again filling it to 100% capacity.  This is the water changes I was talking about,  I own two
tanks and have had them quite awhile, so I'm very careful of my levels in both tanks.
<Okay, sorry for the confusion. I don't like to perform LARGE changes in one swoop, I would perform 25-30% water changes, but do about 5 of them, one a day or one every other day over the course of the week or two. Also find the root problem that are causing these nitrates to be so high.>
Dan C.
<Adam J.>

Marine Set-Up/Questions    4/8/06
Hello,  <Hello Randy>  Thanks in advance for all of your help and dedication to our hobby. It's greatly appreciated over here.  I read over the site all the time.  
My main question is this:
Will I be able to sustain this tank indefinitely on my current setup?
I have a 46 bow reef setup, with 50-60lbs of established live rock and some hardy soft corals.  It has been up for 3 months.  My filter is a Emperor 400 (changed monthly) <Weekly would be much better>.  Also, how bad on the fish/reef is the debris blow out when turning the Emperor back on after cartridge changes. <Not good to let this get into the system, just adds to nutrients and nuisance algae growth.>  A Seaclone skimmer that works decent, once I got it adjusted right (but does have quite a bubble problem).  I plan I getting a BakPak soon (I know it's not great either but better and I got a line on a used one) <Much better than the SeaClone>.  1" pink Fiji bed.  1 power head for additional circ..  RO water is used.  
  -My fish are as follows: 2 Yellow Tail Damsels, 1 small Green Chromis, 1 Yellow Watchman Goby and a Coral Beauty (will he eat a cleaner shrimp or a peppermint-for Aiptasia?) <No, but why ask after the horse is in the barn>.  I am mostly concerned about the longevity of the Emperor 400.  Is it enough with my given live rock?  <Yes> If not, what filter setup do you recommend? <A big improvement would be to replace the Emperor with a hang-on refugium.> I don't have a lot of room for a sump below and I am weary of a hang on tank overflow losing it's suction <Yes, they can be problematic>.  At a later date(8-12mos), I will be able to move the stock to a different tank(65 gal) while I get this tank drilled (if necessary) to guarantee a crash free system (if possible).  What maintenance schedule do you recommend for my setup.  Also could I add a False Percula Clown or two to this setup or am I maxed out on my fish?  <You could add another small fish.  Tank maintenance info easily found on the Wet Web Randy.  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/maintenance/marineMaint.htm  In future queries please do a spelling/grammar check before sending and no
abbreviations please.  James (Salty Dog)>
Thanks again,  <You're welcome.>
Randy

Newbie Marine, Livestock and Maintenance    4/4/06
Good afternoon!
<Good Night….I’m Sleepy, hehe.>
I am working on setting up my first SW tank.
<Congrats…>
I put the water in it this week, and am testing out my equipment. I will be ordering my LR (70 lbs.) and LS next week. I am looking at setting up a peaceful/community tank with some soft corals.
Here are my specs:
   55 gallons tank with overflow (not drilled)
   26 gallon sump, usual capacity will run about 13 gallons
   I will be including a fuge in my sump.
   In-Sump protein skimmer (Turboflotor 1000)
   Overflow and 3 powerheads/wavemaker for water movement
   Orbit 48' Compact Florescent 4x65W  (dual actinic/dual daylight with lunar lights)
   I will be installing an auto-top off system and aerating my replacement water for a week before use.
<Sounds pretty good but do keep an eye on that (I’m assuming) syphon overflow.>
   I am also setting up a 10 gallon QT, and hope to start cycling this soon.
<A bit small, be sure to monitor it closely as things can get out of hand quite quickly.>
   I plan to quarantine new arrivals for 1 month.
<Yes 30 days minimum.>
I would like to be ready to order my first fish as soon as my QT is cycled,
<…Not to mention the display.>
but wondered what would be the best order to introduce them in.
<Let’s see………>
We plan on (I say "we" because my kids picked out what they wanted and have already picked names for some of them!):
<Cool.>
3 blue/green Chromis (Larry, Curly and Moe)
  2 False Percula Clownfish (George and Gracie)
  1 Firefish (magnifica) (Twitchy)
1 neon gold goby
And maybe 1 blue dotted watchman goby.
<All potentially good choices.>
Through reading your site, I find that Clownfish can be rather territorial and that Firefish don't do well in quarantine alone.
<Generally speaking……….>
And the Chromis, although the most docile of the bunch, are still damsels.
<Quite true.>
Should I QT the Firefish and the gold goby together?
<No, your QT is to small.>
Should the Clownfish go in last?
<Along with the Chromis.>
And will the watchman and neon gobies get along?
<In this size tank, they should…but again they are individuals.>
Two other unrelated questions: for circulation, I will have my overflow (roughly 300 gph), and the powerheads, which alternate through the
use of a wavemaker (one at a time). They are rated at 160 gph. Would it be better to have at least one of these going at all times and
<I think you will be fine either way, just have them aimed at each other to create turbulent rather than linear flow.>
having the other two alternate, or is it o.k. to alternate them like this? I know my tank should turn over between 5 and 10 times an hour.
<I prefer more turnover for reef tanks, 20+ to be honest.>
To cycle my 10 gal. QT, a friend let me put the sponge from my Whisper Power Filter in her aquarium. How long should it be in her
tank before I can use it to cycle my tank?
<A few weeks, though keep in mind if you need to medicate during quarantine you will likely kill any beneficial bacteria, which means you will have to compensate w/ H2O changes.>
Thank you very much! I have found your site to be extremely helpful.
<Thanks.>
Pamela Trang
<Adam Jackson.>

Marine Set-Up/Newbie Difficulties    4/3/06
Hello,  <Hello Dennis>
Thank you so much for your website; it's been an invaluable resource.  
<You're welcome.>
I've been looking through the FAQs and as of yet not been able to come up with an answer to my aquarium woes.  I'm hoping you can provide some much needed assistance.
My partner and I have recently setup our first marine aquarium (it's on it's way into it's third week and is 95% through the cycle process).  We did a
lot of research before hand and thought we were well prepared for the trials and tribulations but I've started to think otherwise.  We've both had
freshwater tanks in the past and were very much looking forward to moving into the marine domain.  Now that our tank is up, we're consistently putting
literally hundreds of dollars a week into it and I'm not sure we're doing it right.  That's where you come in. <I've entered>
We have a 45 gallon tank with a Penguin Emperor HOB Bio-Wheel dual pack, Activated Carbon filter, a Fluval 350 canister filter (added after the
fact), a CPR BakPak II protein skimmer (also added after the fact), two power heads, a self contained UV sterilizer, 75 lbs. of Arag (sp?) live sand
(works out to about a three inch substrate) and 14 pounds of live rock.  We test the water every two days and we clean the HOB filter every other day
and the Fluval on weekends.  <So far so good.>
We put the tank together by the instructions that were provided by our local pet store and all seemed well for the first week:  The tank sat for two days
to run through as recommended and then we added Damsel fish for the break-in.  (PLEASE, if you have any influence over aquarists at all,
encourage people to use fishless cycling.  It's so much more humane and it's easier on both your tank and your conscience.  <Do not understand you here.
Damsels are hardy and can withstand higher ammonia levels.> Unfortunately, we didn't find out about fishless cycling until we already had our damsels in the tank so we've been fighting with that since we started . . . but I digress.)  So far, the break-in seems to be going OK.  At our last test (04.02.2006) the
NO2 was 0.3 and NH3+NH4 was 0, KH was 11 and Ph was around 7.7 (KH and Ph were both normal on 03.31.2006 when we tested and we think it's a decorative ocean rock that we put in yesterday to give the damsels a bit more hiding spaces that caused the KH an Ph to go haywire.  It's a calcium dead coral
rock and we believe that's what shot the KH up so high and dropped the PH. We looked it up on the web and everything we could find suggests that it
isn't a major problem and will eventually return to normal after things have settled).  <Yes, will take time for the system to age and stabilize.>
The main problem right now is our skimmer.   When we started the tank out, it had a SeaClone SCPS100 skimmer that was working fine (this was before the Fluval was added to the system) and we were pulling out about a half a cup of skimmate each day.  Then we got the canister filter and set it up putting in ceramic prefilter, activated carbon, PhosBan, a resin contaminant remover (I can't remember the name), bio mass and a polishing pad into the filter trays (in that order), hooked it up and started it running and suddenly the skimmer stopped working.  <It stopped working because you have other nutrient removing media in the system.  I wouldn't   use carbon on a continual basis if you have a skimmer, wasting money.> It was producing tons and tons of fine bubbles in the reaction chamber, wet bubbles that would fill the collection cup to almost overflowing and it was dumping tons of the micro bubbles back into the aquarium.  We started
looking things up on the web and found your site among several others that said certain chemicals added to the tank can cause problems with the
skimmer.  The only additional chemicals we'd added were the PhosBan and resin filter media.  <These should not cause this.> So we removed those and replaced them with activated carbon packs.  So the Fluval is working now with prefilter in the first basket, activated carbon in positions 2, 3, 4 and biomass and a polishing
pad in positions 5 & 6 respectively. Once we got the new chemicals out of the Fluval, we shut the skimmer air flow off for twenty four hours as the SeaClone website recommended.  When we turned it back on, it was still producing the same fine bubles, not pulling any skimmate out of the water and still dumping the bubbles back into the aquarium at a fairly rapid rate which, again, stressed the fish out. <New skimmers will put bubbles into the tank when new.  The plastic has to age, usually two weeks.>
At this point, we were sure the skimmer had broken so we went out and bought a new one, the new one being Coralife Super Skimmer.  We got it in and got
it hooked up but it was jury rigged in that the Skimmer really wasn't designed as a HOB skimmer (I've found multiple testimonies to that fact on
the web - unfortunately, they were found after the fact). When we turned the skimmer on, it did exactly the same thing as the SeaClone, <It would with the carbon addition.> only it did overflow.  Again, my thinking was that it wasn't functioning because of the manipulation I had to do to get the thing on the tank.  
This time, we hit the net for some much needed research (we had relied on the recommendation of the pet shop owner for the first two skimmers) and
found some pretty good reviews of the Bakpak skimmer and settled on that after returning the Super Skimmer.  So we purchased it and it is now hanging
on the tank.  But when we turn it on, we get the same micro bubbles we got with the others and there is no skimmate going into the cup.  <In searching
skimmers you should have come across info regarding new skimmers and their traits.> Well, there is something going into the cup.  The cup still fills rapidly with water, but unlike the other two skimmers, it isn't clear water.  The water is sort of a dingy murky yellow colour which tells me the skimmer is pulling SOMETHING
out at least but I could be wrong about that.  It also runs for a bit returning clear water to the tank and then it starts dumping the fine
bubbles back into the aquarium (I believe this is because it takes time for the micro bubbles to work their way up to the outlet through the CPR Bio
Mass). <You are probably injecting too much air into the column which can cause this.  Do email CPR for suggestions here.>
As I've said before, these bubbles stress my fish out never mind the fact they make the aquarium look like it hasn't been cleaned in a month.  At
this point, we're putting antibiotics in the tank to treat one of the damsels for Pop Eye (Stripe, he's a great little fish that has just been a
wonderful trooper through this whole cycling thing but unfortunately fell victim to the stress related complications that often afflict fish used for
cycling aquariums (another valid reason for fishless cycling)). <Do not agree here.  Did your dealer ever mention quarantining new arrivals so you
do not have to treat the whole tank?  Not a good idea medicating the entire aquarium.> For information, the skimmer was producing the bubbles and the collection cup was filling before we started using the medication.  We've been doing that for the last four days and our fifth and last treatment will be put in
tomorrow morning.  We're planning on putting new activated carbon in both filters in on Tuesday.  <The medication will be close to useless if you
didn't remove the carbon and shut down the skimmer prior to medicating.>
Needless to say, I'm at my wits end (not to mention the bottom of my banking account - the SeaClone was $100.00 and the Bakpak was $250.00) trying to
figure out what's happening with our skimmer. <Nothing is wrong with your skimmer.> I don't want to leave it off
for fear of harming the fish. <Will not harm fish.> I can't turn it on and leave it on all the time because the cup fills so rapidly <Again, too high an air input to the skimmer.> and I don't want to risk it running over and flooding my apartment.  I've made all the adjustments I can find on
the web and have ordered the surface skimmer and bubble trap for the Bakpak (it hasn't arrived yet).
So my questions are: 1) could the Fluval be causing these problems 2) if it isn't the filter, could the addition of the resin remover or the PhosBan
have mucked <Not mucked up, aided the skimmer.> up the water so that the skimmer can't do it's job 3) will it
ever get back to normal or should I plan on breaking the tank down and starting over or 4) should I just be patient?  <There you hit the nail on
the head.  This hobby requires much patience and do practice it.>
That last one is a pip; since this is my first marine aquarium, I'm stumbling in the dark which is making patience a bit difficult.  I don't
want to hurt the fish and I'm afraid I might be overprotecting them instead of leaving the ecosystem to repair itself.
Any advice would be helpful.  <Do search Marine Set-Up on our site, read that and related articles/FAQs.>
Warm regards,  <Thank you, James (Salty Dog)>
Dennis

Marine Aquaria; Lack of Research, Over-Stocking, Not Quarantining…..same old, same old  3/30/06
Thanks for all the articles,
<Quite welcome.>
but I'm not finding the answers I need.
<Hey Crew?!……We’ve heard that before huh?>
I'm a beginner at this, have had my tank almost a year and I'm having problems.
<I’m here to help.>
I have a 90 gallon fish only tank with an under gravel filter with 2 - 802 AquaClear powerheads
<Ooh….UG is probably the utmost worst possible way to filter marine aquaria.>
I am running copper.
<Mmm…I would not do that in the display, read WWM re.>
I do water changes religiously every two weeks, as my nitrates will run very high (100ppm).
<I blame the UG plates, read WWM re marine filtration, at the least you need a protein skimmer, I would suggestive rock but with copper in the system…..>
My salt water advisors/fish store sources here are limited, and all but my source in original advisor in Orlando want me to change to live rock, and other filter systems. I have recently added a used Magnum 350(date 2/22/06).
<Sorry to be negative but aside from UG, canister filters are also one of the poorest choices for marine filtration.>
Otherwise have had  no problems keeping Am 0, Nitrites 0, Ph 8.2
<100ppm nitrates is a big problem….need to be 20 or less for an F.O. tank.>
Presently
1 - Male Blonde Naso Tang 7"
1 - Yellow tang  4"
1 - Blue hepatus Tang 3"
1 - Dwarf Angel Coral Beauty 2.5"
2 - Ocellaris False percula clownfish (had 5 to start - 3 died late last year)
<You are grossly overstocked here dear, the Naso alone has a potential 21” size….and copper is not my medication of choice for surgeons to say the least.>
Most concerning presently are my Coral beauty, and hepatus tang which are scratching. Gill Flukes?
<…Could be a number of things including Cryptocaryon irritans: marine ich…..>
I've treated the tank once forgot what it was called/did not write it down, got it from my local advisor/fish guy who seems to be too busy for me and can not find any meds locally)
<Read WWM re: quarantine, any medicating needs to be done there not in the display.>
for this when only the hippo was scratching, now both fish are scratching regularly. What can I do?
<First you need to get control of your water quality through water changes, and other means of nutrient export such as the protein skimmer mentioned above….then you should identify the disease of any (the critters may just be suffering from poor water quality) and treat accordingly, read WWM re…>
In the last two months I've added a number of fish with problems.
<I would discontinue with the addition of livestock, the tank is overstocked as is.>
I know these places I buy fish from do not hold them before selling them - in one day out the next.
<This is not a good practice by the stores…..but even more prudent, it is a good reason for you to quarantine.>
2/10 added Square Anthias - believe it was the coral beauty nipped at him, but things were looking happier after a couple of days for the anthias, but the yellow tang stopped eating, 4 weeks later anthias died, yellow tang started eating again.
2/28 Added a blue filamented wrasse
3/6 my Royal Gramma Basslet of almost 8 months died in a 4 day time frame
3/7 anthias dead
3/14 Wrasse dead
<Water quality and overcrowding are to blame, and possible disease form lack of QT.>
I'd like to add a few more fish again,
<You don’t have the room nor is your tank ready to accept any new livestock by any means.>
royal Gramma again, will research for others, but will take any suggestions you can give me.
<Well you mentioned you liked our articles, after reading your query I suggest you continue to read them.>
This sure can get frustrating!!!!! Lots of info on your web site searches, can spend way too much time trying to get specifics
<Well ma’am it is evident from your mistakes that you have not searched our site to thoroughly, if you had, you would have avoided many of the mistakes you had made. Other than that we would love to hear any suggestions you have regarding spending to much time and making it easier on you, the reader.>
Know this may be a lot to ask but do so appreciate your time and knowledge.
<Anytime.>
Brenda Crabbe
<Adam Jackson.>