Re: Teething Problems!  FAO Bob Fenner 7/31/05
Hi Bob, thanks for the reply and - I guess - apologies for not having
exhausted the web site for the corresponding answers prior to asking
questions.  However, I'm simply concerned about my setup after having spent
a LOT of time (regarding reading, setting up and maintenance), money and
effort trying to get things right and simply having things die on me or
seemingly fall ill.  I'm not 'playing' at the hobby and intend to persevere
until everything works out.  Anyway, I appreciate your time is precious and
thank you anyway.  Steve Morse.
<Steve, you had/have good questions... you will come to understand how "open-ended" they are with time... there is indeed a bunch to know, sift through (this is a polite way of putting this) re opinions, facts, baloney in the aquarium interests... The best way I have found of helping others become informed is to develop, encourage the use of WWM... perhaps books would be better in your case... along with joining a hobby club... Bob Fenner>

New Beginnings (Almost A Novel) - 07/26/05
Hey there,
<<"Hey there" back at ya! <G> >>
Thank you guys for being available and for answering any of my questions you really are life savers!
<<Glad we've been able to help.>>
I am new to keeping aquariums and have read many books, talked to many aquarists, read hours of information on most sites on the web...talked to other hobbyists and I can never get one straight answer to any one question!
<<Nobody's fault really...so many variables/opinions...  Up to you to read, listen and learn, and then use your good judgment... I'll do what I can to assist you in this process.>>
I underlined the main Q's to be clear.  I have searched though your archives for hours and a lot of my questions have already been answered.
<<Excellent!  You're already a step ahead of many.>>
I am trying to be as thorough as I can be.  If there is any other information you need please contact me. (at bottom)
<<Alrighty>>
I fortunately have the money to make a few mistakes but come on!
<<More than monetary consequences to consider.>>
I have a 75 gallon All Glass reef ready tank with undertank trickle filter, a Coralife Aqualight Pro 2X150W HQI/2x96W PC/3x1W Lunar light system, a Euroreef skimmer with an Aquazone-Plus 50 ozonizer and redox controller... I have- but do not have set up yet- a Coralife Turbo Twist 12x 36 watt UV sterilizer and a Korallin calcium reactor.  I have a 3-stage RO unit with a mixing tank in the garage (circulates and mixes -with one switch I can pump water into the house.)
<<Yes...no shortage of equipment...love the skimmer choice...>>
My temp has been spiking to 83 in the afternoons and I am ordering a AquaLogic Cyclone 1/5hp Drop-In Chiller before hooking up the UV sterilizer or adding any other livestock...
<<That's not "too high" in my opinion...my own tank reaches 83F quite often this time of year.>>
I have been leaving the glass tops off the tank with a small fan blowing on it as well as floating bags of ice to keep the temp down for now.
<<See...you've learned already <G>...much to be said for evaporative cooling.>>
I am not sure what my water parameters need to be at... as far as  PH, ALK, Temp., PH is 7.8, I have a lot of calcium (not using the calcium reactor and have not used the Purple Up I bought)<<shoulda saved your money>>, no phosphates and nitrites, and nitrates
are almost non existent.
<<Mmm, lets see...pH 8.2-8.6 (get your pH up), Alk 8-12 dKH, Calcium 350-400, temp (stability is key!) 78-82.>>
I run the specific gravity a bit low- just over 1.021 (I was told that this was a better number to aim for as it will slow the metabolism of any fish and cause less stress to all organisms.  Is this true?)
<<Hmm...haven't heard these before.  Some hobbyist will lower their salinity in fish-only (FO) systems to help ward off parasites and increase oxygen levels...but I prefer to keep salinity levels at/near those of natural seawater (1.025/026).  This is especially important to reef tanks I feel.>>
Ummm. I chart all tests on a regular basis...
<<Very good>>
This is a new tank and I initially used 8 small damsels to cycle the tank, <<an outdated and unnecessary method>> then used 60 lbs of Lalo live rock (LiveAquaria.com) to cycle it as well as cure the rock.
<<See...no need to torture the damsels...>>
The tank is now about 3 months old.  Yes I know it is not fully
matured but how do I get it matured correctly and safely with the live rock in it?
<<Patience my friend.>>
(BTW Damsels are a huge pain in my bum and I can't catch the little terrors, I am  afraid to put any other fish in there that they could pick on, am working on that though)
<<Another reason not to cycle with fish.>>
My father passed away a short while ago (he was only 44, I am 20) <<my condolences>> and while I was gone my tank fell apart.
<<Mmm, tends to go that way.>>
I had a green algae bloom on the glass and I ordered about 20 red legged dwarf hermit crabs, 10 dwarf zebra hermits, 15 Nerites snails, and 2 turbo snails. (live aquaria.com)  They  
cleaned the green algae off and polished the glass beautifully but now I now am developing a horrible red slime/Cyanobacteria population.
<<Try increasing water circulation within the tank (min. 10x the tank volume...but more is better.>>
My LR was doing so well and I was even seeing some really good coralline algae growth, but now it seems all the things that were there are just covered in algae. The hermit crabs are doing a wonderful job at eating the red slime- but it grows twice as
fast as they can eat it.
<<Your tank may still be cycling...best to wait this out before adding any more livestock.  Have a look here and at the associated links: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/cyanocontrolfaqs.htm>>
I don't want to put too many of them in the tank.
<<Agreed>>
I DO NOT want to use any of the chemical solutions although they seem so tempting.
<<No, do not do this.  So much else to be lost by doing so.>>
Would a Mandarin fish help eat the red slime?
<<Not at all...and not a fish for beginners by any means.>>
I am doing water changes and vacuuming out the slime off the substrate but it is so thick it clumps together and I lose a lot of sand, and I haven't brushed it off the live rock but am planning on doing so.
<<Sounds like you have a plan of attack.>>
I am down to 3 damsels and have a 3 1/2 inch Squamosa clam.
<<Yikes!  This tank is too young/unstable for a clam.>>
This is what I would LIKE to stock in my tank- a very peaceful tank... once it is  established.  A pair of harlequin shrimp (will they pick on other inverts?)
<<Specialist feeders (starfish), best avoided.>>
1 cleaner shrimp, a couple more clams (squamosa, and maximas- will they be safe from the hermits and the shrimp??)
<<Always a risk, keep the crabs/shrimp fed.>>
A fighting conch (maybe a queen conch instead)
<<This tank (and the sand bed) is too small for this creature.>>
The crabs and snails that are in there unless I can find a better way to destroy the bad algae.  
A striped Mandarinfish
<<Absolutely not...please.  You don't have the food support system (1 year+ mature refugium, established micro-crustacean population in the display tank (achieved by keeping if fishless for 6 months, minimum) to keep this fish alive.>>
Multibanded Pipefish
<<Another poor choice, best left to experienced aquarists and specie specific systems.  You need to do better research on your fish selections.>>
Maybe some firefish, a gold striped maroon clownfish, and possibly a lawnmower blenny.
<<The clown has the capacity to become a tyrant.  Not a fish for a "very peaceful" tank.>>
I would like to have a few lettuce sea slugs.
<<sigh... Will starve to death in a few weeks.>>
I like pumping xenia, Blastomussa coral- Blastomussa merleti, candy cane coral- Caulastrea furcata, button coral- Cynarina lacrymalis, Merulinid coral- Merulinid ampliata, and cup coral- Turbinaria sp.
Will any of these species not be compatible?
<<Mmm...better than the "usual" mix we see.  Should be fine, be sure to keep them spaced adequately apart.>>
Everything I can find say they are all compatible, and the most aggressive would be the clownfish and the blenny.
<<Yes...too aggressive for a peaceful tank in my opinion.>>
Is this too much for my tank? Do you have any other recommendations?
<<Exclude what I've recommended and maybe consider some pajama cardinals, and even a few green chromis.
The clam is doing so well I definitely want more.
<<I recommend you wait till you kick the Cyano.>>
I am just stuck in this spot and don't want to go further without knowing exactly what is  best.  Please please help me out.
<<Patience/restraint at this point...and keep reading/writing in.>>
Gosh I could hug you!
<<Mmm...wife might not approve but...what the heck!>>
Vanessa
<<Regards, Eric R.>

New Beginnings (A Slightly Shorter Version … I Think?!) - 07/28/05
Howdy, again.
<<Hello Vanessa>>
Dang it Dang it Dang it.
Okay so to clarify... I am down to one damsel now- because I have caught them and returned them to the fish store- they did not die.
<<Ahh...very glad to hear this.>>
It is a very frustrating process to catch them.
<<indeedy>>
I was planning on having more of an invert/pipefish tank in this 75 gallon and using the overflow area for a refugium (which I was told was possible once I figure out what exactly that is.. .hmm.)
<<Not sure what you mean by using the "overflow area" of the tank for a 'fuge?  If referring to the overflow chamber, then no, this is not suitable/large enough.  The "pipefish tank" is a doable project.  The pipefish will fare much better in a species specific tank properly set up and maintained, but I'm still hesitant to recommend this fish to a beginner.  Many folks drop out of this hobby due to frustration and disappointments which largely come from biting off more than they can chew in the early stages.  Not to mention the needless loss of aquatic life.  If I can't sway you from waiting to try this fish, I implore you to research, research, and research some more before beginning.>>
There is one great fish store in my area (not the one that sold me the damsels) that is very natural- and uses all biological filtration, no skimmer no nothing- and his tanks are beautiful.
<<Yes, can be done.>>
(I snooped under all the tanks.)
<<tee hee>>  
I was not planning on adding the pipefish or a striped mandarin until the tank is mature- in the far future.  Do you think if it is mature that it would be possible to keep them, without the clown fish of course?
<<Yes, with previously stated caveats on knowledge/experience...and with the addition of a large, mature, fishless refugium.>>
I love maintaining and spending time caring for my pets, so effort is not something I lack- I am very willing to do the work.
<<Excellent!>>
I don't have a regular job so that is what I spend my day doing.
<<Lucky you <G>.>>
I have two dogs, a Bichon Frise and a Chinese Crested Hairless, a Sun Conure, a yellow rat snake, two Bettas, a hermit crab and an antiquarian!
<<Mmm...and a rather Catholic taste in pets too.>>
I have much patience! I have a man after all!
<<Ha!...um, er...should I be offended? <BG> >>
(I sound  like a child begging for a new hamster. Ha Ha. Back to the subject.)  I was researching on seaslugforum.net and they suggest that Elysia crispata will survive if it has the right macro algae including Penicillus and Halimeda, and Bryopsis for juveniles.  Also that it may be certain amphipods it feeds  
on... so if I were to start a refugium and add some shaving brush  (Penicillus) could I keep them alive?
<<I've seen these critters placed in tanks of hundreds of gallons in size and "bristling" with all types of algae, only to shrink and disappear in weeks to months.  It's easy to suggest something will live if given the ideal environment, but the reality is these class cages we keep are rarely ideal.  Do some more looking/reading and make up your own mind...but these animals are best left in the sea in my mind.>>
I have added a Valenciennea puellaris (and 2 Hawaiian feather dusters-  Sabellastarte sp. as well as a cleaner shrimp) and plan on that being the only fish in the tank for a long while.  If the one blenny is the only fish in the tank does it count as fishless?
<<Actually it's a goby (and a better choice for a reef tank than a blenny in my opinion), and NO...this does not count as fishless.  This little guy will be very efficient at sifting the micro-fauna from your sand bed.>>
I know that harlequin shrimp eat starfish and need to be fed them regularly which many people find unethical but I think it is the neatest thing, I actually had a friend that has one in his tank  and he loves it.  But would it be possible for my tank?
<<A possibility with proper diet, yes.>>
He won't kill any other shrimp or clam?
<<No guaranties here...>>
So on your recommendation- no clown, no mandarin, no pipefish, no conch, no clams.  Back to square one for me. LOL <sigh>
<<Many more suitable choices to be had...and much enjoyment in learning about/searching for them.>>
The clam is doing very well though! But okay. No clams.
<<For now anyway...>>
I was also attempting to breed phytoplankton which is not working so well for me yet, and feeder shrimp in a separate tank to use instead of frozen mysis.
<<Mmm...would probably not got to the trouble here and stick with commercially prepared fare.  Your choice...but I suspect these shrimp are not true marine species and as such will be lacking in nutrition/require supplementation.>>
I also bought Marine Snow for the feather dusters and the clam.
<<Not suitable...live phytoplankton and/or a mature refugium to feed these.>>
I will be adopting a 200 gallon tank (that has completely fallen apart and nobody even feeds it in that house, it is a horrible shame that they are so lazy- they even wanted to clean it out and put 'river fish' in it instead- a 7 year old established tank!!!!) So as soon as I can find the manpower to transport it to my home I will be setting up a fish only tank in that.
<<Sweet!>>
I  will be adopting a longhorn cowfish with it- which is a miracle the thing has not died and poisoned the few remaining badly damaged fish.
<<Agreed...but does not have to "die" to do this...the release of toxin can also be stress-induced.>>
The rest I will be giving to a guy who wants to rehab them.  I have to drive two and a half  hours but I have been doing as much regular maintenance as I can to 'save' it.
<<Admirable...the fish thank you...>>
Anyway I'm rambling...
Thanks for answering my last email so quickly, Mr. Eric R. I'm sure my husband would prefer I not hug you either!
Vanessa
<<Um...do we have to tell him?  EricR>>

Tank Crashes...A Problem Worth Stressing Over? 8/21/05
Thanks for the previous answer.
<You're quite welcome!>
I have some more questions. I've had a
marine tank for about two years. I started with a 120 litre and didn't do
very well at all until I found your website and started following your
advice. Since I've been following your advice, I haven't had any fish die and the corals I have all grown noticeably.
<Well, we'd love to take the credit- but it really was YOU who is responsible for your success...But we are happy to have played some small role!>
Two weeks ago, I moved everything into a 155 litre tank with a sump that's just big enough for the filter, heater, skimmer and pump, maybe 30 litres or so. Everybody seems to have settled in nicely so far. From reading through your website though, I'm a bit concerned, maybe some would say paranoid, that I might be heading for a tank crash at some point in the future. Even if it's years away, I wanted to get some advice on how to minimize the possibility. As you will
see, my tank has too much life in it, if anything, so I'm not planning on
adding any more livestock, and maybe I'll have to remove some.
<Removing livestock from an overcrowded tank is definitely the preferred method for dealing with this situation.>
Firstly, I do 15% water changes weekly at the same time as vacuuming what
gravel I can reach. I don't test all my parameters very often, but when I do, ammonia, nitrate and phosphate are all zero, and salinity, alkalinity, and calcium are in the recommended ranges. I don't know exactly, but I think I've got at least 40 pounds of live rock and its all been in there for over a year. The tank is run at 27-28 degrees centigrade and I run it that high because I had a few temperature spikes in summer, and its easier to keep the tank warm than the room cool in the temperatures I get.
<I can understand that. Just bear in mind that the warmer the tank is, the more important it is to maintain stable water parameters through careful husbandry.>
That reminds me of a question unrelated to my tank - I can't figure out why it is that my corals survive at that temperature when reefs bleach from increased sea temperature even though the sea is still only around 24-26 degrees? Haven't my corals had to adjust to a higher temperature faster than those in the ocean?
<Quite possibly. Keep in mind that there are a lot of other possible contributors to bleaching events, even though temperature is the primary suspect. As mentioned before, stability of environmental parameters is critical.>
Anyway, the corals I have are: Isophyllastrea rigida, Acropora (which has
only been in the tank for two months), 2 different Lobophytums (one of them might be a Sarcophyton), a small Sarcophyton that is growing from the stump of one that died off when I had a temperature spike, corallimorphs, Zooanthids, and a Goniopora. Is this a bad mix in the long run?
<Well, the possibility of allelopathic competition is very real, and potentially problematic. This is a rather unnatural mix, with corals from several different environmental parameters sharing a relatively small body of water. This being said, lots of hobbyists maintain such "garden reefs" with success, but for real long-term success, very careful attention to husbandry must be given. Water changes, use of aggressive protein skimming, chemical filtration, and good old common sense all play important roles. It would be ideal, but somewhat unrealistic, given our human nature- to maintain displays dedicated to just a few species of corals which are natural found in similar niches in the wild. Granted, we're talking about a glass box here, not the ocean-but anything that we can do to make captivity easier on our animals is a good thing!>
If its not, then which of the corals I have would go together?
<Well, the real question that you should ask yourself is "Which ones do I WANT to keep?", an then revise your stocking plan accordingly. Once you've decided which ones you intend to dedicate your display to, there are lots of books and resources on the 'net to help you find out which corals occur together naturally...>
Also, I think that the first two have high light requirements and the rest medium light, is that right?
<That is a bit of a generalization, but it may apply...>
and if so, I've got my rocks built up so they slope upwards to the
back of the tank, and the lights are set up with a 140w 14000k compact
fluorescent light at the back, and normal fluorescent that are 20w and 25w actinic and 25w of 14000k at the front and I can't move where the bulbs are - is it feasible to put the high light corals at the back top of the tank about 10cm from the 140w light, and have the lower light corals further down the slope underneath the normal fluorescents, but still getting a reasonable amount of light from the 104w?
<It certainly is, and is probably a good idea.>
With this amount of wattage, is 13 hours of light a good
amount each day?
<Sounds fine to me...at least 10 hours is good, IMO>
And when it comes to feeding the corals, I used to use a phytoplankton
substitute but I haven't for a year or so. Like I said before, all the
corals have grown noticeably: the zoanthids have gone from nothing to cover about 30 square cm of rock, the Isophyllastrea rigida I got free as it was almost totally bleached and now its brown and purple and fluoresces green under actinic light, the corallimorphs have tripled in number, and the Sarcophyton/Lobophytums and Goniopora have grown too.
<Good to hear.>
From reading on the subject, most corals need more than light to survive so I was wondering what you think they might be getting, or are they slowly starving to death?
<Well, many corals can survive for months or sometimes years at a net deficit from lower lighting and nutritional deficiencies, so it's hard to say. Yes, feeding can help compensate somewhat for lower lighting regimes, but only to a certain extent. It's so important to study the animals that you intend to keep and plan your lighting an environmental parameters accordingly.>
I feed the fish frozen Mysid shrimp and a bit of bloodworm, whitebait, and prawns sometimes - could the coral be eating the juice that comes with the food?
<Certainly possible. DO, however, be careful when dispensing foods, to avoid getting too much of the packing juices into the system. This stuff is absolute phosphate-laden fuel for nuisance algae!>
With the Goniopora, it was the first coral I bought, before I knew that 99 die for every one that lives, but its been in the tank 18 months now and I'm certain both the base and the polyps have grown (not just in extension, the tips on the end are much longer).
<Good to hear...you are right about this coral's less-than-perfect survival record in captivity. G. lobata, in particular, has a very spotty record.>
When it was in the 120 litre tank, it had two 30w 10000k fluors and a 30w actinic, two Percula Clowns living in it, and it was sitting on sugar fine crushed coral which had quite a bit of nutrients built up - I vacuumed it every week but if I disturbed it too much
it would cloud the water. The clowns have been living in it for six months or so - will they have a negative effect in the long run and if so, do you think they would migrate to an anemone if I got them one?
<It is possible that they can cause problems for the coral in the long run. There is no guarantee that these fishes will end up inhabiting an anemone. Many are captive-bred and reared, and have never even encountered one! Besides, anemones require very specialized husbandry, and should ideally not be kept in smaller systems with corals, IMO.>
The polyps extend fully with the clowns in it but sometimes they retract on a side if they get rowdy. Also, I've read that Gonioporas should be placed on sand and that's where it is, but why is that?
<G. stokesii, in particular, goes better in the sand. Not only does placement in sand keep the coral from getting injured, it also may benefit the coral by providing nutrients and dissolved materials found in the sand bed.>
The fish I have are two Clown Gobies, two Perculas, Flame Angel, Lawnmower Blenny, Bicolor Blenny, a blue mandarin (which has stayed fat for six months and eats some normal fish food), and also a coral banded shrimp. All the fish get along but do I have too much for a 155 litre tank?
<You're pushing it. I would certainly not add any more fishes.>
And how important are clean up crews?
<They are no replacement for good husbandry. They can help you, of course.>
My LFS doesn't often have hermit crabs so I've only got two, and I've got a few snails, two Brittle Stars as big as my hand, and a Blue Linckia Starfish. The blue starfish has been there ever since I converted to marine, but sometimes it seems to lose skin on a leg
and that part of the leg goes white, it has recovered every time so far but is that a worrying sign?
<I thought you just had a couple of questions...This is starting to look like "War and Peace" here!>
I also use calcium carbonate powder and liquid calcium to keep the ph up,
can that lead to a crash in the long run?
<Not if it's used as dictated by proper testing...This information is extensively discussed on the WWM site, as well as in books like Anthony Calfo's highly recommended "Book of Coral Propagation".>
And finally, is there anything else that can build up over a few years that can cause a tank to crash?
<Many possible things...far more than I could even begin to touch on here. Suffice it to say, common sense, careful planning, regular maintenance, and overall good husbandry will prevent such traumatic events from becoming a reality. Tank crashes are really rare events, and are not an inevitable thing. In several decades of aquarium keeping, I have never had a crash, nor do I personally know any other hobbyists who have. Don't go crazy worrying about this type of thing, but do practice good husbandry regularly.>
Thanks for all your help and for setting up such a wonderful website. Its
the best there is and I don't think I would have stayed in the hobby without
it.<Glad to hear that! Sorry to be a bit general on some of these responses, but many of your questions are answered in much greater detail right here on WWM...read away. Good luck! Regards, Scott F.>

General advice on a 90 gallon reef tank 7/23/05
First let say that I am very impressed with your website. I have read a
moderate amount on salt water tanks and their inhabitants. Your site is
informative, with a casual approach that invites readers to explore your
site and it's information. I like that very much.
<Thank you>
My questions are general in nature. I have a 90 gallon tank with the
following equipment, 4 - 96 watt power compact bulbs, 5 gallon HOT
refugium, 200 gallon capacity wet/dry filter with built in skimmer, 9 watt
UV sterilizer, and power heads that turn the water over about 25 X / hour.
The system has been running for about a year and a half. My water
parameters are generally good except that my nitrates are some times as
high as 60ppm. Temperature sometimes fluctuates between 79-81 degrees. I
add Kent liquid reactor on a daily basis as well as reef supplements on a
weekly basis. I know that I do not change the water as frequently as I
should, because of time constraints. However I do clean out the bottom of
the wet/dry filter every time I change water.
I have approximately 150 lbs of live rock and two inches of aragonite.
Live stock includes; all soft corals, colts, mushrooms, leathers, polyps,
and zoos. I have 9 fish in the tank, Kole tang, Yellow tang, Copperband, 2
percula, 2 yellow tail damsels, six line wrasse, and a Pseudochromis. Many
invertebrates.
Some problems, the Copperband has ich almost all of the time, some times
it has spread to the Kole Tang. Even when this happens, all fish are
healthy.
<A precarious balance>
When I add any type of shrimp they disappear within a few weeks.
<Mmmm...>
When new smaller snails are added they tend to disappear as well.
<Methinks you have a crustacean visitor>
There is a blackish algae mat that is present on the aragonite sand. And a hard to
see blackish growth on the upper level of my live rock.
<Another yin/yang aspect of your set-up, maintenance... You might want to convert/use part of your wetdry sump to a biological filtration use... a DSB, perhaps a lighted refugium...>
It has taken some time to accumulate the knowledge to manage a reef tank.
I don't feel like I am completely understand all there is to know.
<No one does>
This is one of the reasons I am writing you this e-mail. In reading some of your
responses and comments, it seems that you have a wide knowledge and
experience in salt water.
<We have been about... in earnest, for pretty much the history of marine aquarium keeping>
What are your recommendations and thoughts for the system as a whole and for the specific problems mentioned.
Thanks for any help, comments, or suggestions you can give me.
Dallas
<I would add a sump or modify (slower flow, add a light) your current wetdry... to having a deep sand bed and live macroalgae... simple statements... but will try to provide rationale if you'd like. Bob Fenner>

A mystery... some nitrates, removing undesirable "worm", Aiptasia 7/14/05
Hello all.  It's been a while.  I have two questions.  But first, to give
you a picture:
90  gallon
570 watts of a mix of 10,000K day and actinics
20 high sump under cabinet with
Turboflotor skimmer
UV sterilizer
Incoming water
Chemi-pure
All in first chamber
In second chamber, live rock and Chaetomorpha (with tons of amphipods)
In third chamber, live rock
In fourth chamber, return 1800 mag drive
Chambers make "S" shape as water snakes through Plexiglas walls
Above in the 90, 120 lbs live rock, crushed coral substrate (vacuumed
thoroughly weekly), 2 power heads at 300 GPH each.  Half manifold for return
flexibility.  Fish:
Purple tang
Blue tang
Ruby-headed fairy wrasse
Hawkfish
Mandarin
Sailfin blenny
Coral beauty
2 clownfish
Royal Gramma
Corals:
Kenya tree
Xenia
Button polyps
Green star polyps
Chemistry:
PH 8.4
Salt 1.025
Nitrite 0
Ammonia 0
Nitrate 10
KH 11.5
Calcium 350
Husbandry:
20 gallon water change weekly (RO water)
Sea chem advantage calcium and Sea chem Alk supplements
Monthly clean of sump
I think I gave enough information.  My question is, I went to a more natural
filter system and my nitrate went up.  When I had tons of biological and
mechanical filtration through the tidepool wet-dry, my nitrate was zero.
Any suggestions?
<Mmmm, no, not really... Your set-up, stocking looks good to me>
I don't want that to get out of control.  
<I would not sweat the ten ppm of NO3>
I cannot bring
it down even with my cleaning and water changes...what can I do?  I tried
the Chemi-pure hoping it would help but it hasn't.   My second question is I
have noticed this thing that looks like a flatworm.  I have been watching
him and it seems to be eating my pretty coralline algae.  It is oval, maybe
1/4" long and less wide.  It is the color of the purple coralline algae and
also on top centrally (not all the way to the edges) are numerous slits like
gills.  So I finally had decided I want it out and I spy it and go in with
tweezers expecting a mushy thing but it was stony!
<Best not to squeeze such animals... but to gingerly vacuum them out>
I couldn't get it
removed even with metal tweezers!  Now what?  Will it eat all my coralline
algae?
<Doubtful>
I'm sorry I don't have a picture.  O, one more thing.  My LFS dealer
told me that in order to get rid of those pesky rock anemones (atipsia?) I
could take Kalkwasser, mix it to the consistency of whole milk and with a
syringe squirt it on its disc.  They are then supposed to disintegrate.  Is
this true?
<Is one approach... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/aiptasia/aiptasia.htm
and the linked files above>
Thanks in advance.  Thoroughly enjoying this hobby.  Awaiting
your next book.  When do you expect it.
<Perhaps a few to several months>
Thanks to your other Reef Inverts
book, I was saved from buying a blue Linckia starfish and starving it in my
aquarium.  I was to buy it the next day.  But I went home and looked it up
in your book.  The information was great!   Thanks again!  Renee' Dodson
<Outstanding... do keep reading, enjoying... taking all in stride. I wish you well. Bob Fenner>

Fish Stocking and Reef Keeping
Anthony, Thank you for your reply. First I would like to say that I am definitely not averse to being an educated consumer.
<understood and agreed>
I love my tank and all the inhabitants and I am trying to provide a good environment for them.
<I certainly believe this to be true as demonstrated by your empathy/care to seek shared opinions>
I do a lot of internet research, and I am mostly uninformed.
<no worries here... we all are learning and evolving <G>>
Thanks to your website and others I am learning.  You are correct about my LFS stores, they leave something to be desired. I live in Atlanta Ga. and there isn't much to choose from. I go to a store that I feel is one of the best I have found in my area because they only sell marine fish, however I sometimes feel my knowledge exceeds theirs and have been dumb enough to listen to them from
time to time.
<alas... this is an all too common feeling. We'd all like to be able to got to our LFS and feel like we have found the experts! Its rather anticlimactic when you realize that person could be your in the store that day>
I would like to clarify my fish sizes as well. My yellow tang was one of the first fish I had, and had a disease when I first got it. I was able to eradicate whatever it had (to this day I still don't know what it was) and it has done excellent for 2.5 yrs. The regal blue tang was purchased about 1.5 yrs ago and was a tank raised baby.
<hmmm... somebody lied to you, bud. There are no tank raised blue regals tangs. At best, they are just now starting to bring in larval reared wild caught specimens (French researcher through ERI of LA). These are still extremely limited in quantity and rather expensive. Sounds to me like some crook sold you one of the all to common dime sized Philippine imports. They wholesale for about $4 and retail for $15-20. Some stores will gouge this price even higher>
It is currently 2.5 inches long. The Naso was also a tank raised baby and was purchased within the last six months. It is also about 2.5 inches in length.
<I really would like to hear more about your source for these fishes (or the source of the fibs:) ). Perhaps your LFS really is buying off of ERI. But ERI does have exclusive rights on the patented technology for harvesting and rearing this "product". Interesting>
All fish get along wonderfully and swim together constantly. No harassment has been observed at all.
<I understand my friend... but it doesn't change the facts. You have had your yellow tang for 2.5 years and as young as it was when you bought it... it was still at least six months old. Perhaps older. A 3+ year old yellow tang should be larger than 2.5 inches! It isn't because like so many it has been packed into a smaller aquarium. They grow slower, stunt and die for it. Now the real problem isn't the yellow tang in the 55 gall. No worries here (although it is a minimum). The problem is the Naso that gets 18-24 inches and the Blue Regal that hits 12"+. These species don't and can't grow slow in the wild. They all mature quickly. In the confines of a 55 gall for several years... the inevitable happens.>
I am planning on getting a 180-200gal tank 2 years from now, and felt that these fish would be fine for now because they are slow growers.
<they are slow growing because of the tank size bud. Just like snakes, sharks and anything else in the wild. Just look at a creatures lifespan. A tortoise that lives 100 years old might take 15-20 years to reach sexual maturity and 20-25 years to reach full size. Why? Because it is consistent with its lifespan. Now your yellow tang that can live over 10 years, needs to reach sexual maturity and defend itself in its prime. "Prime" adult size is not age 8 when the fish is 2 years away from dying (if it makes it that far in the ocean!). As a rule, mother nature does not plan for the aged and decrepit to produce the bulk of a given population. And so... these tangs grow fast, mature fast, and breed young by design! Easily reaching adult size in less than 5 years. Really closer to three years old. Aquarists don't like to hear it... but it is what it is. And a 2.5 ", 3+ year old tang is stunted... and it will not likely realize its full lifespan for it. Best bet here would be to keep smaller tankmates and remove the regal and Naso>
I hope I am right about that. I will also be utilizing the ecosystem filtration system on the new tank.
<I do not subscribe to the methodology but have seen some that worked well>
All I have to do now is get everything I have to live another couple of years in the best environment I can possibly provide.
<understood. We do the best we can. No more fish though please>
How many water changes do you recommend I do, and after that what should my schedule for water changes be since I am not doing enough because of the crappy skimmer?
<weekly water changes and do get a better skimmer ASAP. It is one of the single most important pieces of equipment for the marine aquarium>
How often should I use kalkwasser?
<test your calcium and determine the daily need (X ppm) to be supplied with X gm of kalkwasser. Daily will ultimately be the routine at night (small portions)>
Should I use it for all top offs, or should I just monitor the calcium level and use it accordingly?
<the latter my friend>
Do you recommend more substrate?
<over 3"-4" if you want denitrification. Else, no worries>
You said you didn't recommend 1-3 inches but said something later
about 4 inches. I was thinking of adding some natures ocean live aragonite, would you recommend this?
<yes... and sugar fine is better for the grade>
I really want to succeed with my reef tank. Is the ecosystem reef supplement I add once a week beneficial, or should I stop
using it.
<it does not compare to weekly water changes>
I will definitely stop using the turbo calcium. My LFS recommended
I use that for calcium. I was using a liquid calcium supplement but, stopped when they recommended the turbo cal.
<they are the same ingredient and your LFS needs to study the Ca/ALK dynamic a little better>
I have been using turbo for over a year I'm sure. I really appreciate your time and like I said before PLEASE
HELP!!!!
<you'll be fine my friend... keep reading and gather enough to make an informed and intelligent consensus. There are many ways to have a successful marine aquarium.>
P.S. I also have three power heads in the tank for circulation in addition to the return pump which is 500gph.
<you will need 2-3X more flow once the tank goes reef. Best regards, Anthony>

Nature's Way (Starfish)
As you people had suggested earlier... my Mandarin Goby passed away yesterday.
<Sorry to hear that. These fish are quite a bit more demanding than most people think.>
You were right... 90lbs of liverock isn't gonna be enough for the little guy.  Next time I am in Big Al's, I will mention to them so that they don't sell these cute critters to people without the food available.
<It would be nice if retailers could be a little more forceful in discouraging the sale of these fishes to unsuitable environments>
Just as I was opening my tank to fish the body out... my cleaner shrimp grabbed him and dragged him under a rock (lil twerp!).  So I then witnessed my pistol shrimp and cleaner shrimp tugging on opposite ends... pistol shrimp won.  I had to move several rocks to get to him... and then I had to fight off the wrath of Trigger (my pistol shrimp) who fired his 6 shooters at me 5 times.  That was kinda cool.  Would my pistol and cleaner shrimp dispose of that tiny body without it polluting the tank?
<Hard to say, but they could probably do the job, along with the other creatures that reside in the tank>
I did remove him. So... was hoping you could give me a suggestion on two or three nice colorful fish that will get along well with my critters as listed below...and that won't feed on my starfish.  Any favorites??
<I am very partial to many species of blennies and gobies. There are a lot to chose from, they generally stay small, come in a variety of colors, ranging from bland to outrageous, and are quite adaptable to a variety of environments. Do a search on the wetwebmedia.com site for gobies and blennies- lot's of info to be found here!>
One last thing... if something happens where my starfish bites the dust...is he ok left in the tank if I can't find him???  Will he pollute the tank???  I'm asking because he curls up into a little ball and climbs into my live rock... and if that's where he dies... I can't see away to get him out without cracking the rock open.  What's your suggestion?
<Well, if you have access and can dispose of the deceased animal, great. However, in a well-maintained tank, Mother Nature (and the animals that reside within the tank) will often break down the animal without so much as a measurable dip in water quality. Obviously, good protein skimming, regular water changes, and sound husbandry techniques must be employed so that your tank can handle such incidents. Take care! Scott F.>

Long-Term Success
I have a 45 gal reef tank, with a 5 gal sump; wet dry, Berlin skimmer and about 100 lbs. of live rock.  Salinity is 1.023.  I also have an Eheim 2213 with surface extractor.  I just have Ehfimech in the Eheim.  I do a 5 gal water change every week.
<Great to see this volume of water change!>
I have metal halide (175 W, 10,000K) lighting.  The tank has been up and running for 10 years, and I have an (at least) 10 year old tang and brittle star. I have flourishing soft corals that have been in my tank since I set it up.  My banded coral shrimp is 8 years old.  Water looks crystal clear.  I add 1/2 tsp. of  Seachem reef builder and reef buffer every week in the make-up water (distilled). I have very thick encrustations of pink coralline algae.
<Sounds terrific! Nice long-term stability!>
I have not tested for nitrites/nitrates in years. (actually, I haven't done any water tests, [except for salinity which I do with each water change] in years) .  All that being said, would my tank be "better" if I added ozonation to the skimmer?
<Ozone is a benefit, however, many successful aquariums are run without it, however. I guess my attitude is, especially with a successful long-term tank, "If it ain't broke...">
Am I running a risk of something bad sneaking up on the tank because I don't test water parameters?
Thanks, Tom
<Well, Tom, I think that you hit it on the head. Despite the fabulous long-term success you are enjoying with your system, regular water testing of basic parameters can help you spot "trends", both good and bad. For example, an increasing nitrate level or declining pH can give you a warning about potential problems. Granted, you don't want to just shoot for "X" nitrate reading, or "Y" pH, and neglect the "big picture", such as how the tank looks! I mean- the animals will tell you quite a bit. Do monitor water parameters, and do continue to observe your tank. Keep up the good work! Regards, Scott F.>

Just A little Patience!
RE: My Mandarin Goby.... mysis or other foods?  not familiar with that. Is this something I can get at Big Al's (for example?), what is it exactly?
<Mysis is a small shrimp that is an ideal fish food. You can purchase them frozen, freeze-dried, and can even acquire live ones in your refugium over time! They are high in protein, and some brands are enriched, offering up to 60% protein! They are available frozen in most aquarium shops. You also should try to acquire and cultivate some amphipods for your mandarin. These are also a favorite food for them, and offer good nutrition>
My 90 gallon tank has tested for .25-.50 for ammonia...I have put in DETOX 2 in my canister filter and it appears to be lowering a little... I imagine it might take a week or so to reduce back to 0??
<Depends upon your husbandry practices, bioload, etc. No set time table. You can speed things up with large water changes. Also, check for the source of the ammonia (excess uneaten food, a dead animal, etc) and eliminate it. Detectible ammonia in an established tank is neither normal nor tolerable for most animals>
I understand that any ammonia isn't good... but would that small amount be incredibly harmful???
<Yes- it can be quite toxic to some animals, even in small amounts>
My tiny boxfish bit the dust the morning after I noticed the
ammonia.... but everyone else seems to be lively. Is DETOX 2 a good ammonia reducing filter agent?
<I am not familiar with this product. Again, I think that large water changes and a review of husbandry practices are in order>
Are my fish / invertebrates at a high risk of harm at those ammonia levels?
<I'd have to say yes to that>
Another question...  if I am using a chlorine reducing agent for new tank water (my 20 gallon  hospital tank), does it matter if I used hard or soft water???  I don't have any fish in there right now... just wandering if I made an error using soft water.  Is it as simple as, if it tests fine for nitrates, nitrite, ammonia, and pH... is the water good to go for fish??
<As long as it tests negative for chlorine, chloramine, etc.! Most tap water is fine for fish, with some preparation, however, many tap water sources contain high levels (from an aquarium standpoint) of nitrate, phosphate, and silicate, which can all contribute to algae problems, particularly in reef systems.>
Assuming my bacterial problem is gone with my butterflies... I don't think there is any signs of infection or irritation on my other fish. I have examined closely.  I guess one thing to point out is that when my tank lights first go on, my mandarin goby is about 2/3 covered in white stuff (assuming sand?).  Within an hour, it is almost completely gone.  For the remainder of the lights on period, he has the odd white speck...I have looked and studied real closely... and the specks are in different spots each time and appear to be just sand deposits or a little bit of algae...sometimes it is flaky and brushes off when the goby hits a current...nothing to worry about????
<as long as you're convinced it's just sand...>
So... with what appears to be healthy fish, I am planning on just letting what I have sit for about 6 weeks or so to make sure what I have is healthy before acquiring anymore fish... good plan?
<It's a good plan, but I really think that the better way would be for the tank to sit without fish for that period of time. Not what anyone wants to hear, but I think that it's the best course of action!>
If this ICH or skin bacteria problem I had doesn't show any signs
on my existing mandarin goby, shrimp goby, or my two clowns... should I assume it is safe to introduce new fish in a month after they have been quarantined for 21 days????
<If these fish are showing no signs of the disease after a month in quarantine, and the tank has been running "fallow" for the same period of time, than I'd be comfortable in adding the fishes back in, waiting another week just to make sure- and then you could add new fishes (after quarantine, of course). You just cannot rush this process, IMO, or you'll end up right back where you started. It's so much better to take it slow for a month or two, and then you'll be rid of this scourge for a long time to come. Hang in there- you'll be so glad that you did! You're almost there... Regards, Scott F.>

Nano Reef
Hello again,
<Hi!>
I have an A-Life 7 gallon tank that I have had since January. It is using a Rio 600 for filter circulation. Filtration consists of a sponge filter. a Poly-filter, and a bag of carbon which is replaced once a month. It has 10 Lbs live rock and a live sand bed.
Tests as follows:
pH: 8.10
<A little low. Needs to be 8.3-8.5>
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 0
Phosphates: 0
Calcium: 570
<I would test this one again...maybe with a different test. A level this high is next to impossible without causing a precipitation event>
KH: 5 dKH
<8-12 would be better>
Temp: 80
SG: 1.025
Lighting is a 27 watt 1/2 10,000k and 1/2 Actinic, set for 12 hours.
Tank inhabitants:
Pulsing Xenia
Green Mushrooms
Purple Mushrooms
Orange Ricordea
Frogspawn
Blastomussa Coral
Feather Duster
Star Polyps
Yellow Polyps
White Pagoda Coral
Pink Zoanthid.
<IMO, you have a lot of stuff in a 7 gallon tank. Do you have fish also?>
Here goes: I started the tank with the Green Mushrooms and Xenia. They thrived for a while and I slowly added a coral or two at a time. Recently, my light burned out and I bought a 2 lamp fluorescent hood and was running a 9 watt white and a 9 watt blue.
<Any lighting change can have a negative effect.>
After 25 days of this the replacement bulb came in and I replaced it. Around the same time I replaced the filter pad with a poly filter. The animals are still not looking good after 2 weeks. I slowly increased lighting from 8 to 12 hours, no change.
<Well the 570 Ca is a concern and so is the 5 dKH. On top of that, there have been fairly substantial lighting and filtration changes. All of these can and in all probability will impact coral health.>
The worst looking are: Blastomussa, Pink Zoanthid, purple mushrooms, Pagoda, and the Star Polyps. The star polyps are still coming out, but they are looking thinner and not as plush as before. The Pagoda hasn't even been coming out. I have been adding phytoplankton every other week, Iodide once a week,
<Are you testing the iodine levels?>
water changes once a week. The pulsing Xenia is, however growing fast and actively pulsing, better than before. I have read all throughout your site and I am leery of doing anything drastic due to the tank's small size. The KH has always been low, but I am adding Reef Builder to slowly raise it. Any recommendations to making this a more successful reef?
<Get a bigger tank!>
Are there supplements I need to add? Do I need to feed anything more than I mentioned?
<Personally? I don't play the supplement game. I only add calcium and buffer. Feeding? check out Wetwebmedia for suggestions on feeding the corals in your care.>
Thanks for your help, Michael
<You're welcome! David Dowless>

Changing Substrate
Hey Crew, hope things are well for all.
<Fabulous. Life is good!!>
I've spent the last few weeks planning to change a friend of mine's 29g tank from crushed coral over to a deep sand bed and wanted to run my ideas by you guys for whoever would like to toss their opinion on it. He is looking for something with less maintenance believe it or not he had paid for service on this small tank....I told him I'd take it over for just the cost of supplies...I thus decided to change it over to a 5" deep sand bed.  I figured now was great time to do so because the tank only has one inhabitant anyway, a tomato clownfish (and a few misc. snails).
<Yep! That will make things easier.>
Here's my plan:
---I'm going to drain a large portion of the tank into a large Rubbermaid container and place the live rock (only one very large piece) in it.  In a 10g I will place the clown and snails, including a small powerhead and heater.
<I'm agreeing so far...>
--If all the water doesn't fit from displacement, I will drain the rest into buckets. I will also have about 25-30% new water, premixed, in case of accidents---daydreaming, bad aim, butterfingers, etc..
<So far so good...>
--I'm gonna remove the crushed coral to a separate container and add the DSB.  I will then start to refill the tank with the bulk saved in the large container (I like to use plastic wrap to keep the sandbed surface disturbance to a minimum, has worked like a charm on other tanks).  
<I think I'm following you on this last point. I like to add the live rock to the tank first and then put the sand in to anchor the live rock. Then add water by placing a bowl or similar item into the tank on top of the new sand and pour the water directly into this bowl. After the water gets to a certain height, the bowl will no longer matter.>
I'll place the crushed coral in nylon or filter bags and place as many as possible in the tank to help seed the sandbed and help hopefully save the tank from having a major cycle.
<Sounds like a winner to me! Very well thought out. I have one suggestion...I am assuming that the DSB is new sand not live sand. In order to keep the sand from clouding the tank, wash the sand and let it soak in water two or three days. Then pour off all of the water and add the wet sand to the tank. You should probably use fresh salt water for the soak. It's no messier than adding it dry and you will avoid the dust storm. The dust cloud produced will only last a few hours at the most. If the DSB will be made of live sand there's no reason to do this.>  
--Finally, I plan to top off with any needed extra water, ensure parameters, and introduce the livestock back into the aquarium followed hopefully by a "happy ever after" moment.
<Hey-hey-hey! Sounds like a workable plan. Naturally you'll want to test the water for a few days but I really don't think the tank will cycle. Add new stock slooooooowly.>
Thanks for taking the time to read and critique, Ryan A.
<The pleasure was all mine. I'm glad to see you've taken the time to think this through. Experienced aquarists know that's the best way to avoid unexpected problems/complications. Good luck! David.>

Dying tank!!!!
Hi guys,
<whassup buttercup?>
I have a 155/gal bow front mini reef that has been up and running for about 4yrs.  I run 6 96watt power compacts, two of which are blue. Berlin skimmer, sump filter with live rock, UV sterilizer, and I use a Kent Maxima RO/DI for all water that goes into the tank.  
<you didn't ask my opinion on it, but... the UV is doing more harm than good here. I assure you that it is weak at best under most applications for disease control (needs a bare bottomed system, heavy carbon/ozone water clarity, polished prefiltered water, etc to have a prayer of working). It IS however, probably killing a lot of good plankton for your corals>
Chemistry as
of yesterday:
PH:  7.9-8.0
Alk:  4
<Hmmm... that pH is scary low for a daytime reading (no doubt drops much lower at night)... And... is that ALK in meq/L? If so, very fine. If not (in dKH): frightening>
Ammonia:  0
Phosphates:  1.0
<Doh! Algae farm... even more evidence of how poor Berlin skimmers can be. Do consider if you are getting dark daily skimmate every day here. If not, may I suggest a better skimmer>
Nitrite:  0.22mg/L
Nitrate:  10mg/L
Ca:  480mg/L
<too high to almost even be believable. Are you sure of the accuracy of the test here? Over 450 you run the risk of a crystalline precipitation of carbonates. Very unlikely to stay safely for long near 500 ppm. Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/Anthony%20pics/understanding_calcium_and_alk.htm >
Salinity 1.024-1.025
We do 25% water changes 1/wk.  
<awesome!>
Residents include:  Sail fin Tang, Mandarin, Xmas wrasse, 6 Line wrasse, Fairy wrasse, Yellow Coris wrasse, 8 clown gobies about ½ inch each, Percula clown, yellow spotted watchman goby.  All fish are less than 2 inches.  
<except the tang, I assume... all fine while the tang behaves>
Clean up crew consists of about 150 hermit crabs,
<Doh! and not so live sand for their activities <G>>
1 emerald crab and 20 turbo snails.  I feed the tank two cubes of frozen mysis/day and Spectra Vital 1/wk.  
<cool>
The tank has been thriving up until about a week ago.  I mean it really looked incredible. Now, my frogs spawn and hammer corals won’t open at all. They’re slimming or disintegrating.  I’ve already completely lost two frog spawn heads.  Mushrooms looked shriveled, polyps won’t open up either.  Brain corals, trumpets, and plate corals seem to be fine.  I also noticed a bit of red slime algae on the sand.
<it looks to me like you may be having a pH and alkalinity issue... perhaps mitigated by high calcium dosing. I'm guessing that you use liquid calcium instead of dry (kalkwasser). If so, you are having a common experience that the mfg conveniently forget to mention: Calcium Chloride impart chloride ions that accumulate in time. After a year for most people (on monthly water change schedules) or longer for those with more frequent/larger water changes (dilution of chlorides) the buildup causes depressed alkalinity and can even crash a tank (causing a precip/snowstorm). The key here is dilution and target chemistry of pH 8.5 by day, 8.3 at night (never lower!), 8-12 dKH ALK and 350-425ppm Caclium>
On 11/4/02 we added two 175watt metal halides and started to leave the lights on longer.  Previously we only had the lights on for 10
hours/day.
<more than 10 hours metal halide light can be dangerous. But don't back off abruptly either. Shorten by 15 minutes daily until you reach 9-10 hours>
Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated!!!!!  We’re desperate! Thanx for your help! Kristie
<best regards, Anthony>

Dying tank!!!!
Hi Anthony,
<Cheers, my friend>
Thanx for the info.  
<my pleasure>
The Alk in my tank is 4 meq/l.  
<very well... no higher though please>
I'm having a lot of trouble getting the PH up.  Not sure why.  
<as I described in a previous e-mail, it can easily be from the use of liquid calcium products (imbalance of imparted chloride ions). We had a reader reply after he read your post realizing he had the same situation. You simply need to do several large water changes to resume balance, and then dose simply with kalkwasser (at night) and baking soda by day. Heavy aeration would be helpful too>
My Berlin skimmer seems to be working fine,
<if that means you get 4-8 oz of coffee color skimmate daily, then I agree that it is working fine indeed. Else, yours is like most of its kind... finicky, inconsistent and unreliable. Too common with such skimmers. Any tank that has fish in it that are fed several times weekly, if not daily, can easily produce a full cup of dark daily skimmate>
however; what type of skimmer do you prefer?  
<Depends on budget and willingness to make adjustments. Good mid shelf skimmers require minor adjustments a few times weekly. Top shelf skimmers require very little adjustments and still produce very consistent skimmate. Euro-reef and Aqua-C get my votes for two of the best>
Also, what's the best salt,
<Instant Ocean for a staple... Tropic Marin for top shelf>
test kits,
<Hach or LaMotte brand>
and additives to use in the tank?  Every LFS recommends something different.  
<the reef fundamentals are kalkwasser (calcium hydroxide), iodine and some sort of alkalinity booster (baking soda alone is usually fine)>
Let me know what you think. Thanx, Kristie
<My "Book of Coral Propagation" gives over 200 pages to basic reef keeping (husbandry, water quality, etc). A 450 page book. Do look it up on Amazon and beyond to read reviews and see if it might not suit you. Else, you certainly can rely on weekly water changes as a very good stand-by for dilution of bad elements and replacement of trace elements. Best regards, Anthony Calfo>

Mystery Creatures/Macroalgae/Mysis!
Dear Crew,
<Scott F. here today>
I've checked the 'hitchhiker' and other sites for this animal that appeared on some new live rock. I don't know if they are  polyps or an anemones. The center is hard (calcium?) from 4 to 6 mm. diameter surrounded by a number of 1 to 3 mm. points of hard material. Crystal clear, colorless tentacles about 7 to 10 mm. long emerge and detract from the periphery. At first I thought they were Aiptasia but they have no "neck" and the center portion does not retract when disturbed. I don't want any undesirable stuff in the refugium that could migrate to the rest of the system. Can you help?
<Really hard to determine from here, especially without a picture, but I'll bet it's some kind of anemone-but don't hold me to that. Perhaps you could forward a pic that Anthony or Steve could review to help identify this animal They're working their collective butts off, along with Bob, on a new invertebrate book, and may have a good idea as to what these creatures might be!>
By the way, the Gracilaria, Chaetomorpha, and Ulva are doing well but the Ochtodes (blue ball) disintegrated in a couple days. After only 3 weeks, the mysis are very plentiful and already feeding the show tank.
<That's terrific!>
Should I be feeding the mysis? They have lots of algae and some surplus food and detritus coming down from the show tank. Howard in Wisconsin
<Yep- I'd let nature continue to do the job! Sounds like everything is going well. Keep up the good work!>

Re: Scooters
Hey, thank you so much for my reply- my LFS owner was amazed at my tank...not bad for my first one... as for question 1. I'll try the mysis shrimp, for #2,the rock the anemone was behind moved-honestly not from me-One of the profs. here put an algae in, and I wanted to make sure the anemone wasn't hurt, and this created an incredible piece of display, so I'm leaving it off- the anemone is
still covered on top, but not the viewing side-
<Well- as long as it's healthy and happy...!>
And with coral fragging in #3, I'm going to find some plastic ties this weekend- but I guess I wasn't clear-even if these don't expand/contract they're ok to use?
<Should be fine- the idea is to constrict the coral. Plastic/nylon thread should work okay>
Thanks again, and I apologize for other hobbyists who take their problems out on you-
<Thanks...The beauty of this site is that everyone's opinions and concerns are important...some are certainly different from ours, but that's what makes life interesting. And to help others in this awesome hobby of ours is truly rewarding for everyone here!>
don't get discouraged-all thanks again- By the way, the profs here at the college in the bio. dept all want a 125 tank- one's a Dr. of invert biology, one's discovered 5 sp. of freshwater suckers and has an amazing 125 aquascaped fresh tank across from mine, one is an algal specialist and water chem specialist, and my advisor is a Dr. of ecosystem dynamics- it will be a work of art.
<Quite a group of talented people you can consult with!>
In case you haven't seen, the ocean art expo in Okinawa has opened the largest aquarium in the world- I believe 1.7mil gallons- 2 whale sharks and all- it's a cool idea, but they really should be free- anyway, as for me, I'm going to grad school for coral reef conservation biology.
<Good luck in your future endeavors-I'm sure that your passion for marine life will serve you well your career!   Scott F.>

Re: pH, Xenia, Lighting, Reefing
Hi again
<cheers>
So they don't really rely on blue light for photosynthesis and use other colors of the daylight spectra as well?
<most popular corals get too much actinic in captivity and all MH lamps over 10K have been shown to contain excess blue regarding PAR activity in corals. Blue is necessary... just not to excess>
If I use only daylight lamps (6500K) the corals can still survive even if the water is pretty yellow though.
<the yellow color is only a problem for some aquarists that have a blue aesthetic preference. Corals live naturally in shallow daylight flooded water with the exception of some deeper species.>
So blue lamps are for aesthetic only.
<not only... as above>
I was thinking of putting as many blue lamps on my tank but now a change of mind.
<you can enjoy  a lot of blue light on a tank as long as you have enough daylight too to keep corals alive. 20K Radium halides would suit you well... no actinics needed either. Very blue white light>
And also can deep water corals survive in Daylight lamps only?
<yes... if we are talking about 7500-10K daylights>
My pH is still low though. I have read in WWM FAQ's pages about aerating the tank water to increase the pH. If I aerate my main tank during the night would the pH increase?
<likely yes... but aerate at all times... not just at night>
My pulsing xenia is still the same. What I did was I sprayed it with fish meat. I took some tank water in a cup and mashed the fish meat in the cup. Then I filtered all the chunks and feed it to my corals and fishes. The remaining liquid in the cup is what I sprayed onto the xenia. Is that ok?
<yes... all seems reasonable>
Iodine source?
<a little>
I'm thinking of using kalkwasser for my maintain my
calcium and to increase pH.
<that is highly recommended!>
And baking soda for alkalinity. Is that combination ok?
<yes... and you may not need much baking soda if you have enough aragonite sand in the tank and use kalkwasser faithfully. Let your test kits guide you to dose>
Or leave the baking soda and look for other buffers on my LFS?
<no need... some of these buffers have too much borate in them>
For now I still don't have the kalkwasser, what could be other ways of increasing the pH of my tank to save my pulsing xenia.
<do try the aeration and baking soda>
Thank you very much again. Mr. Anthony and sorry for giving you a lot of questions.
<no worries at all my friend. It is our pleasure to help>

Moving On Up!
Thank you for the help.
<Glad you found it useful!>
I have been over feeding lately in an effort to fatten up my tang. I am setting up a 125 gallon bowfront that will be my new reef tank (I am just waiting on the stand) and the home to all my fish.
<That will be a much better home for all of your fish! Very cool!>
I have a Clear for life Uniquarium and I have only found There small not very efficient skimmer to fit in the hole in the back.
<I am familiar with this skimmer, and yes-it really is not that efficient, but I guess any skimming is better than none at all.>
I have not tested for oxygen. Do I need to? 
<Sure, it's good to know the dissolved oxygen reading, but I wouldn't go crazy worrying about it. If you are using brisk circulation and have good area for gas exchange in your tank, you are probably okay (unless you see your fish gasping at the surface, or displaying some other obvious form of distress-then you need to figure out what's up and take immediate action).>
In a reef tank what are tolerable levels of nitrate?
<It does vary, depending upon what types of animals you keep-and who you ask! I say that you should really shoot for 0 nitrate in a reef, but I have seen beautiful reefs running at 10ppm nitrate, too. Some aquarists are actually experimenting with adding nitrate for coral growth...The debate will never end! I really think that you should simply look at your tank and animals to see how they are doing, rather than shoot for a "magic number". I'll bet that the animals will be noticeably healthier and happier at a lower nitrate level, though! A low nitrate level in and of itself does not mean that you have perfect reef conditions! There are a lot of other factors, as you know. However, nitrate does give you a good feel for the overall water quality in your tank, and lets you know if your husbandry practices (i.e; feeding, H20 changes, etc.) are up to par.> 
I do about a 10 gallon water change every other week. I am using tap water my RO system is not set up yet (problem??).
<Not always. If you have high quality tapwater (most of us don't) free from impurities, like nitrate, silicate, phosphates, etc., then RO may not be needed. However, the high quality water that RO delivers gives you a great "starting point" for optimal water quality in your system. Even more important is the practice of water changes. You are doing better than most hobbyists with your current regimen, but you may even want to kick them up a bit. I like conducting two 5% water changes a week, and I clean my protein skimmer at each change. Yep- it is a chore, but it can be done very quickly and efficiently once you establish a routine. Give it a try, and I'll bet you'll be even MORE successful!>
Thanks again Scott!!
<And thank you for visiting us again! You're doing great! Keep it up!>

Follow Up Questions-Reef Growing Pains!
Scott,
Thanks for the info! The Wet Web page is great. I read large parts of it before even starting this project. It really helped me come into this with 'informed consent', if you will.
<I'm really glad that you find the info. here useful. You can't believe the knowledge of the guys I work with! These people really care, and I think we have some of the best information available right here on this site!>
My two Tangs are a Hippo and a Coral (about 2 inches long, each). I do plan to move up to a bigger tank over time and your input regarding tank space and lifespan is helpful. Gives me a good excuse to expand.
<See! The reef you have today will be the refugium of tomorrow! It's great that you are planning larger quarters for these fish in the future- they will be much happier/healthier in the long run!>
?'s:
Should I do anything to remove the diatom bloom? I can 'vacuum' floor and rx with the siphon during my next H2O change. Anything else?
<I wouldn't go too deep into the substrate, but you could attempt to siphon the stuff on the surface. Problem is, until the root cause (i.e; source water, excess nutrients, etc. is addressed, this will just be a temporary (and frustrating!) exercise! Do make sure that you're employing the aggressive protein skimming and regular (if not, increased) water changes that we talked about before.>
I haven't been testing for phosphate or silicates. I will. Can you recommend a good test kit brand for overall H2O quality? I've heard folks complain about some brands and complement others. Your take?
<I really like the Salifert kits myself, but the best kits, IMO are LaMotte (expensive, but quite good). Still other people like Aquarium Systems Sea Test line. My suggestion is to try one of these brands, see if you like it, and stick with it for a while>
What's a good snail/crab to gallons ratio? I don't plan to add any more fish to this tank so algae control will fall on the snails and crabs (though the tangs do a great job). I do hope to expand the coral population. Should I increase the size of my cleaning crew (right now, 4 hermits and 4 Turbos in a 30 gal.)?
<Well, there are as many different formulas for "how many" grazers as their are reefkeepers! I think that most of the suppliers that sell these animals have "kits" for different size tanks that usually are about right. I personally like Trochus, Strombus, and Nerites snails-I've had good luck with all of them. Heck, I even like the herbivorous hermits, but some of my fellow reefers feel that they can irritate and possibly topple corals. I have not had this problem, though.>
How much 'gunk' should I be getting from my skimmer (a Bak Pak)? Mine foams into the cup continuously and I get a 1/4-1/2 inch of watery green slimy goo daily. I also get a good coating of slime in the center tube of the cup and on the cup cover. Below you mention 'a cup' per day. Should I expect my skimmer cup to fill in a day (at the current rate, getting a full skimmer cup would take 5 days to a week)?
< Ideally, a cup a day would be great, but if you can manage a few cups a week, that would be good, too. Be sure to clean the neck and cup several times a week (labor intensive, I know, but no one said this hobby was easy!), because the buildup of drying organics in the neck of the skimmer actually inhibits foam production. Annoying, huh?>
Finally, how often should I feed? I've read daily, I've read every three to four days. I'm alternating flakes and frozen and feeding every other day. I also mount a lettuce clip with a 2 inch strip of dried algae every few days (it only last a couple of hours). Too much? Too little?
<I think daily- actually twice daily feedings, very carefully monitored to make sure everything is consumed within a few minutes-works fine. Tangs are active grazers and need to feed continuously for proper health. Unfortunately, they are also good waste producers! If you feed carefully, and change water twice weekly (5% per change), I think that you can mitigate this problem. Don't starve your fish! But do use common sense when feeding them.>
Cheers, Bill
<And best of luck to you, Bill. I think you're doing great! Keep on top of things, do check the water quality (both at the source and in the system) and take corrective action as necessary. Hang in there! Scott F.>

Questions From Turkey
Hi to all the team,
<Hello! Scott F. here for you today!>
One of your fans from Turkey, Great book and Web site, looking forward to your new book. Thank you all...
I have 2* 55 gallon aquarium connected by the sump of 20 gallon. one of the aquarium setup as reef (9 month), the other one(3 month) as a fish only , I have more than 140pounds of live rock in total. I have turbo flotor 1000 as protein skimmer in the sump but no other filtration, I use Ionic and carbon once in a while. All is fine now considering that I lost most of corals during the heat wave this summer, I will have enough money to buy a chiller :-(
<That is very frustrating!>
All my settings are stable and 0 ammonia and nitrite and about 20 nitrate, not bad considering that I use spring water that has 3.5 nitrate naturally, I guess I have to also buy a RO unit soon but so far no great problems.
<A good investment, yes!>
Not an emergency but I have several questions;
I have 2 " sand bed made of 1/2 sand 1/2 Carbo plus mixed. The sand is very much alive. When I look from the glass there is gas bubbles in the sand, is this nitrogen gas that is processed nitrates by bacteria. 
<It certainly is-a sign that natural processes of denitrification are taking place>
I use the granules from Kent for Nitrate reducing bacteria.
<I'm not familiar with this product, sorry.>
I have Coco worm over 8 month and it looks fine but it does not grow its tube. No new development of its hard tube. The calcium reading is 450. I have the tube on the live rock just under a ledge. Do you know if it is ok that it is not growing its hard shell. Do you have a suggestion on the placement of the worm?
<Growth of the tube can be slow. As long as the animal is fed regularly and looks to be healthy otherwise, I would not be too worried. With regard to it's placement, you can either place it in a few inches of sand, or between rock/coral rubble.>
We start to get frozen food from US Formula One, Two and whole the range. I believe the company is Ocean Nutrition.
<That's correct. they make fine foods!>
How do you offer this to the tank, they seemed to be packed in a gel. So far after I leave it in a glass of water to defreeze, I mash it with a fork otherwise it stays as a cube gel. Does this sound right?
<Yes. I feed it in one of two ways: The gel-based foods I simply cut/chop into pieces (of the correct size for my fish) with a knife while still frozen (be careful!) and feed by sprinkling them into the tank. With the more "meaty", non-gel foods, I let the thaw in a cup of cold water, carefully rinse out the excess juices, and feed the pieces to my fishes with a toothpick (labor-intensive, I know, but it works or me) or small wooden dowel. I don't like to let the packing juices into my tank- they are a huge source of nutrients, and can lead to algae problems if simply dumped in. On the other hand, you could experiment with target feeding small quantities of this juice to your heterotrophic corals and your coco worm>
Thank you in advance for the answers.
Murat Ozturan
Istanbul-Turkey
<and thank you for stopping by!>

Reef Growing Pains
Bob,
<Scott F. here tonight>
A couple months back, you were nice enough to provide me with some basic advice regarding tank setup. I followed your schedule as best I could and things seem to be going well but I have a couple of questions.
The data: 3.5 month old 30 gal reef tank w/ 30 lbs live rock. Kalkwasser for replacement. Temp right around 80 and doesn't vary more than a degree. Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate have been 0 for the life of the tank (I thought that I was mis-reading but the LFS tested and concurred). Aquaclear 402 and 802 for circulation and a Bak Pak skimmer. Inhabitants include several Turbo Snails and Hermit Crabs, three Green Chromis, two Percula Clowns, and two Tangs.
<What kind of tangs? Please note that a 30 gallon tank is simply too small for two tangs for anything approaching their natural life span. Hopefully, a larger tank is in your future?>
For coral, I have a small colony of Button Polyps, a small colony of Daisy Polyps, and a 2.5 inch high Colt Coral. Wildlife was added in that order and over the last couple of months.
Questions:
Lighting - Was two 30 Watt NO FLO bulbs (one actinic, one 10 000K). The last wildlife added was Colt and Daisies. Looked good for a couple of days but then didn't extend well. If sunlight hit the tank, they came out so I suspected lighting. Ordered a hood with two 96 Watt VHO bulbs (one actinic and one actinic white). I was sure I'd loose the corals waiting for the new fixture so I've rigged up two old FLO that add a total of 60 Watts. Will the new fixture be `too much' light? I've read 3-5 W/gal but this will be 6.8. Will the new fixture be too much of a shock - should I acclimate my corals?
<No- I don't think it will be too much light, but your thoughts about acclimating the corals to the new lighting are outstanding! Do read Anthony's excellent article on this subject at wetwebmedia.com/aclimcoralslight.htm for more details on how to do this.>
About the same time as the addition of the Colt, I noticed a heavy layer of brown `dust' accumulating on rocks and bottom (this happened before I jury rigged the additional light). I did a water change and this stuff was everywhere. Filled the water column; corals were shedding slime coat like crazy. Is this a diatom bloom? 
<Sounds like it is.>
My tank had cycled from brown to green algaes so I thought that I'd passed these stages and this is certainly different from the attached algaes I saw previously - it is easily brushed away by a passing fish. What is it?
<Definitely an algae bloom. Do look at the FAQ's on wetwebmedia.com for tons of advice on identifying and controlling carious algae>
Have I caused it (overfeeding? incorrect lighting?)? Any advice on eliminating it?
<Well, the causes of nuisance algae are usually source water, phosphates, silicates, and nitrate. There are a number of ways to combat these nuisance algae, ranging from utilizing RO/DI water for top off and as a base for mixing saltwater, protein skimming, careful feeding, and just overall good husbandry (i.e; water changes). The cause of most diatom blooms is impurities in the source water (i.e; silicates), which can be removed with a good RO/DI unit. A protein skimmer pulling a cup of dark, yucky stuff a day from your tank will be a huge benefit as well.>
Finally, water circulation ... Am I moving too much water (powerheads are rated for 270 and 400 gph? 
<I don't think you are moving too much water>
What is your take on wavemakers and reduced flow at lights out?
<I frankly like the idea of leaving the flow at all times, unless you are trying to duplicate a specific environmental condition, such as surge. Plus, leaving the powerheads on all of the time is easier on them, IMO>
Thanks for your time. Bill
<Any time, Bill. You'll be okay if you keep reading and learning. Don't be discouraged. You are making some really astute observations and I know that you'll take the right actions to keep your system running well. Good luck!>

It all started with shriveled mushrooms...
I have a 50 gallon FOWLR tank, with a few mushroom rocks and two feather dusters thrown in. It's in my office, which means I don't get to give it nearly as much care and feeding as my home reef tank, but it does pretty well with some hardy fish. About 1 month ago, I noticed some odd effects. It started with the mushrooms, which had done fine until then, shrinking badly. I have 4 40W NO fluorescents, and the mushrooms had been fine for a year, but they all shriveled across the tank. They did not die, but they still look very small. I thought I had a water quality issue, but everything I thought to test - ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, pH, phosphates - all looked normal. The temperature is kept stable with a chiller and heater combination.
A week or so afterwards, I had a brittle green starfish die. I had never actually seen one die before, so I didn't know what was happening at the time, but when the bristles started falling off, and the body expanded and cracks appeared, I knew what was happening. A week after that, one of the feather dusters left its tube - I didn't even know they could do that, and I assume it's only under severe stress. This week, the second one did the same. I tested the water quality again, everything looks fine.
<Unfortunately, there are many things that we cannot test for.>
The fish are fine (or at least look it), the shrimps and crabs seem fine, the other green brittle star and chocolate starfish seem fine. The mushrooms are still shriveled, but alive. The LFS has no idea what could be wrong. Any ideas?
<Nothing definitive, but I can prescribe a course of action; water changes and the use of Chemipure and Polyfilter.>
I don't relish the thought of doing continuous massive water changes, but not knowing what's wrong makes it hard to proceed. Arthur
<When in doubt, do a water change. That is my motto. -Steven Pro>

moving reef
Hi guys, I am moving a reef aquarium from a 75 gallon tank to a 125
gallon tank, they are both in the same location my question is this, is
there any specific way I should make this move, do I have to acclimate
each and every piece of live rock , coral, etc? Also the new reef has 4
AquaLine 10000k MH lights and the old tank had 240 watts of compact
florescent, do I have to cut down on the duration and ease them into the
new lighting? Any help you can provide on this subject would be greatly
appreciated Thanks for
your time James Keenan
<Please read through this article/"complete answer": http://www.wetwebmedia.com/movingaq.htm and the associated FAQs files beyond (linked at top)... And the few articles on light/lighting placed on our root web re the subject. Bob Fenner>

A Fishy Inheritance
Dear Bob,
<Scott F. her with you>
I inherited a 75 gal tank from my too busy in college son; he shipped the whole mess to me three years ago and I have been trying to sort it out ever since.
<Hope that he doesn't go on to grad school!>
I need, as much as possible, to have a maintenance free set-up, and I don't have space for all this wet-dry stuff. Please tell me what I need, plainly and simply, to provide a happy and safe habitat for the following:
1 large maroon clown fish
1 blue/yellow demoiselle
1 purple tunicate
3 peppermint shrimp
1 pencil urchin
several (?) spiny stars (hidden in a rock)
1 cucumber (3 inches) black&yellowish with little thorns - I guess he's still in there, buried someplace (?)
6 teeny hermits
30-40 lbs live rock, some with little white cotton-like sponges (?)
I recently added the urchin, hermits and cucumber (stupid me) to try to reduce the nitrates (20-40), so I'm really not sure if I still have the hermits and the cucumber.
There is about 3-4 inches of shell/gravel on the bottom, (looks yucky below the top layer).
The only filtration are two largish, back of the tank style filters - one is a millennium w/ 2 charcoal filters; the other has two BioWheels which turn, now that I've removed the charcoal filters.
I chemically treat the water when I add/change water, and I have been using Instant Ocean. There is quite a bit of brown and green algae on the glass & rocks, and lots of purple stuff on the rocks. 
<Sounds like Cyanobacteria-you probably have a high nutrient load>
I just recently bought a light - it is not a plain fluorescent, but rather a special bluish type.
I guess my next purchase needs to be some type of skimmer; additionally, the fellow at the aquarium shop said I should buy a special bio filter filled with sand, (for $100.00) that hooks on the side of the tank.
<Probably not the best choice>
I have had thoughts of repatriating these fish, since I am so overwhelmed with trying to figure out what they need. Please help!
Sheryl Barnes
< Well-you'll need to a bit of work to make things easier. Although there is no such thing as a "maintenance free" tank, you really should consider a simple sump which can be nothing more than an aquarium) and the installation of a protein skimmer. Then, consider replacing the coarse gravel/shell with some live sand at about 3 or more inches of depth to increase nitrification. With regular water changes and a well-functioning protein skimmer, you'll see a dramatic decrease in algae and nitrate, and get just a bit closer to that impossible-to-achieve goal of a "maintenance-free" aquarium . Please check the site at wetwebmedia.com/marine/setup/index.htm for lots of setup ideas. Good luck!>

Re: new reef tank issues
Hello Craig.
<Hi Steven,>
I do not have a secondary tank to quarantine the damsels. Will a small uv sterilizer work? I am told it will eliminate the ick, but will also damage good organisms. 
<No. Will kill Ick in water column but cannot circulate all the water in all the various crevices and such...so Ick will remain as long as there is a fish host (which the UV can't cure either). You can purchase a pretty nice QT set-up for the price of an ineffective UV.> 
How long should the light be on ? 
<Your main should run for twelve hours, it has corals that need the light. You can keep a QT for fish bare and dark (with a few plastic plants and places to hide). Do scrap the UV idea, it won't eliminate Ick>
Can I add corals such as brain, clams, torch, etc. with ick in the tank once it
has completed cycling? 
<The Ick will not affect any other aquarium inhabitants but fish. Please keep in mind that Ick could come in on corals and rock kept in systems housing fish, so are to be QT'ed too.> 
The only residents in my tank now are some snails, a couple crabs, and some things (polypus I think) growing on the live rock.
<No worries there.>
If the tank is without the infected fish for 1 month, will that be the end of the ick life cycle in the tank? I appreciate your ongoing help. Steve.
<That is the life cycle. There are some particularly "virulent" forms that may persist, but if you read the links to disease, you will realize that the month fallow should be spent improving the conditions that led to this spike of Ick in your marine environment. To prepare for returning fish perhaps you should look into some cleaner shrimp and gobies to get after any remaining stress related outbreaks. You can check them out at Aquaria.com, or any of the other livestock sponsors of WetWebMedia.com. Sure hope this helps! Craig>

disaster ! (Oh oh... tank on the floor)
<< Hi Pam....I don't like the look of this already....>>
The word "leak" is not a word a fish owner wants to hear, but today it happened to me. Not my 55gal reef, but the 30 gallon Rubbermaid bucket next to it! And God only knows how long it's been leaking onto my brand new wall to wall carpeting! I noticed during a water change the carpet felt wet well beyond the tank. And upon further inspection, well, you know the rest. I just finished tearing down the tank. All that's left is about 60 pounds of LIVE sand!!! Living now anyways, that's my dilemma. The fish and inverts are okay for the time being, (I hope). I transported them to a 30 gallon tank with all the rock, about 70 lbs of it. I hope they can handle this cramped home while I rip out my carpet, ugh!! So, what , or should I say," how" do I keep my sand alive? If I pile it into a couple buckets, I would think it will smother and die. Please advise me! Thank you Pam
<<Ah, how about the new Rubbermaid container or larger more durable container you will be replacing the old leaky POG with? It needs the same conditions as all the other stuff so maybe a larger Rubbermaid container? It needs a heater and circulation, maybe transfer some of the LR in there to give the fish some room or combine it all in a larger container. That's the best I can do from here! Sorry for sure to hear about your leak. Craig>>

tank crash - need some suggestions
Good morning guys,
There probably isn't much that you can do to help here, but I wanted to see if any of you had suggestions to minimize the damage from a disaster that I had this weekend. I woke up on Sunday morning to find that a reverse suction had developed in my in-tank overflow, pulling tank water down from the tank and into the sump. Near as I can tell, a power flicker - which woke me up - killed the return pump, causing the sudden reverse suction. Water was flowing through so fast that my only option was to bail from the sump as quickly as possible to minimize floor damage. Long story short, a 75 gallon tank was left with about 2" of water above the DSB.
<Yikes!!!>
I moved all the corals and livestock down into the remaining water. I had fortunately just set up a 30 gallon for a baby Undulate Trigger, so I netted him and stuck him in a 5 gallon bucket while I bagged, acclimated, and moved everything over to the 30 gallon, including all the LR (very, very tight fit).
<I imagine.>
I mixed new SW, refilled the 75 while trying as best as possible to match the water conditions. Once stable (~12 hrs, late the same night) I slowly moved everything back. All the corals seem to be doing ok, but mobile inverts and fish are dropping like flies. I know this is to be expected with them having been moved between 3 tanks in 24 hours, but is there anything that I can do at this point to minimize additional losses?
<Nothing but keep things as stable as possible. They probably incurred fluctuations in pH, temperature, and salinity despite your best efforts and are now suffering the consequences.>
(Amm/nitrite/nitrate = ~0 ppm, sg = 1.025, pH = 8.3)
Thanks so much for any input, Jason
<My biggest concern would be to address the plumbing issues so this could never happen again. Good luck! -Steven Pro>

fish (complete with... ich!)
hey mister <<Hey...>> I have 150 gallon fish only tank I have the white spots (ick)? <<One of a couple of possibilities.>>
I've been told to use copper medication what's your thought? <<I wouldn't do that on your main display system - will probably cause more trouble than it is worth. Please read the following URLs and beyond - there is really quite a bit to the answer that would take me years to write - what, with it already being written and all...
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/parasiti.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/quaranti.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/parasitf.htm >>
I have dog face puffer shows teeth a lot any guess why? <<Because it is proud of them??? No, I don't have a good reason for this - it's hard to know the motivations of fish sometimes.>> I also have a 20 gallon reef tank with red bacteria phosphate? <<Uhh... ok. Here's some more reading for you:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/bluegralgae.htm - please read this page and the FAQs beyond. Much information is waiting for you there. 
Cheers, J -->>

new tank and cured live rock
Hi everyone- <<Hello... JasonC here at your service.>>
Hope you are doing well. <<I hope so too.>>
I was hoping you could answer a question or two for me. <<I can certainly try.>>
I am in the process of setting up a 125gal FOWLER. Nothing but sand and live rock right now. Main tank has about 5" DSB. Also a 40gal refugium with only sand right now, 25gal sump with Berlin Turbo skimmer and some mechanical filtration a bonded filter sleeve on an eggcrate shelf), 500 Watts of CF( six bulbs are 8800k and two are actinic blues). They are on 12 hours a day.
I just added 200lbs of the "Home Depot" sand A.K.A. Southdown sand, last week. I skimmed off all of the foamy crud that floated up to the top and waited a week while the rest was skimmed out or settled to the bottom.
I then added the first 30lbs of live rock that I have had curing in a tub for a few months.
That cleared the water up even more.
There is now a dark brown algae that is slowly covering the sand bed. It has tons of tiny bubbles holding onto it and the bubbles will even pick some of this brown stuff up and float it around the tank. Do you know what it may be or what I should do about it? <<Sounds like diatom algae, perhaps mixed with some Cyanobacteria [BGA]. More circulation would help... although in most tanks, this is a phase which will lessen to a degree. In the mean while, constant cleaning/removal will help.>> I tried siphoning it off but it came back. <<Is the way of it.>> Is this part of the process? <<Yes and no... the Southdown sand is particularly dirty and not really easy to clean prior to addition to the tank. You are experiencing the trade off.>> Should I consider leaving the lights off for a while? <<That would help as well.>> Would this be a good time to add some sort of an algae eater? <<There aren't too many things that eat this type of algae.>> If so-what would you recommend? <<I'd add some more powerheads.>>
I have had a successful 55gal Fish only tank for 5 years and have never had the bottom covered with this stuff. <<Well... I'd venture a bet that you never used Southdown before either ;-) >>
Also- I just ordered another box of Fiji pre-cured rock from FFE. After I clean off and rinse the rock, I was planning on the regular curing process in a tub. <<Well... as long as this tank is fish free, you might just cure it along with the rock already in the tank. If the rock comes out of the box especially stinky, then perhaps cure it separately in a Rubbermaid bin.>>
Should I leave it in the tub and let all the dead stuff decompose there or now that I have the main tank set up, add the rock to the main tank after the majority of the dead stuff has decomposed and let the nitrates build up a bit? <<Well... that will teach me to read ahead before I answer... check the above.>> I am thinking that adding it to the main tank may help with building up bacteria but it will also mean more work for me( bigger water changes). <<Not any larger than normal - you do have a protein skimmer on this system, yes?>> Would this help in getting the DSB going? <<Yes.>> Just looking for your experienced opinions.
Thank you again, in advance Dennis
<<Cheers, J -- >>