Recent content by tpro

Hi Victoria, Yes you can put live rock in the sump, they call that a cryptic refugia. If you really want good water quality I woul suggest a lit refugia w/ some mud on the bottom of your sump and various forms of caulerpa. The caulerpa will absorb excees nitrates, phosphates, heavy metals, etc...

You didn't mention if you have a sand bed in your tank, but if you don't put one in the best way to control nitrates. The sAnd bed should be at least 3" you need that dead space for bacteria to grow which ingests the nitrates and release as nitrite gas, which in turn bubbles out of your...

hey stonehaven, Down here in Florida they seem to be pretty available, you might want to try ordering some online, I have seen them out there.

Hey neap, You want to store the water in a big container like a plastic trash can in the dark for about two weeks before you use it, to eliminate any troublesome algae blooms and critters before you put it in your tank. Also run a small powerhead in the water to keep it recurculating while it...

Can you provide a clearer picture? One looks like a christmas tree worm, the other looks like a small fungia.

go to thesea.org for your icecap ballast on sale 660 for $159 w/ free shipping.Pc's run the ballast very hot it will not last. 4-4' vho actinics are great if they fit your canopy. vho bulbs just about anywhere they are all close in price.

Hey newbie, It can do many things , it can remove heavy metals and chemicals from the water and it helps the water look cleaner ,sparkling.Some people also use it to harvest beneficial bacteria(Peter Wilkens).

Idisagree w/ the opinion of lighting you don't want to have lights on the q tank dim lighting keeps a fish calm less stress and less heavy breathing in which ich attaches to the gills making it harder to breathe

Use a gate valve not a ball valve and secondly w/ the fluctuations in power and therefore water flow from the pump good luck you will flood .

bhb1034, Ok if you want to maintain coral like you said you will need more light. For your tank I recommend 660 icecap ballast (on sale right now through thesea.org for $159 + free shipping) w/ 2- 6' vho actinics. For metal halide lighting 1- 250watt iwasaki in the middle, 1-175 watt iwasaki for...

If you have patience your sps's will change color w/ your new bulb and you will like what you see.

Almost forgot the pc's run the icecap very hot I lost 2 icecaps in a year running pc's, but if you want to chance it go to icecap.com they will show you how to wire it up w/ pc's.

sgmorton, You could use the 440 for the fuge even though not necessary, I use a home depot shop light fixture w/ 4-4' grw lights for about 5 bucks each and my fuge is overgrown w/ life

reefreak, by raising the standpipe you limit the air mixing w/ the water flowing into the pipe therefore reducing the gurgling sound in the sump.

A 660 ice cap ballast and 4-4' vho's about 7 watts per gall for your tanks plenty.And very little heat from vho's w/ no need of a chiller.