Achilles Tang

Nope you don't really need a chiller for FOWLR tanks. The only thing you have to note is that increased temperatures = higher metabolic rates. So the fish will eat more and poop more. It may increase the pollution in your tank. Colder water is usually recommended to lower metabolic activity and it also has a higher dissolved O2 content. Corals benefit more from colder water. Another point to note is that your SG meter needs to be calibrated for different temps should you be doing water changes as the SG changes according to temp.

Cleaner fish are a species that are best left in the sea. I kept one alive for as long as a few weeks... and then it died. I must have killed several till I read that they are recognised as a species which do not thrive at all in the aquarium. And taking them from reefs actually impact them as fish will move away from reefs without cleaners. I don't think they are a recommended method to control ich outbreaks. Please, everyone, don't buy cleaner fish and tell the LFS why not. Thanks. Achilles

Jellyfish needs a species-only tank. Best to put them in a tank like the Orb, where there are no sharp angles. Not too much bubbles because they will get buffeted. Powerheads are a no no too. Depending on species, most are plankton eaters. Only the big ones with long drifting stinging tentacles are fish eaters. The small ones with the flower like tentacles are plankton eaters. Don't try keeping one because you will kill them.

Hey Hon, What's up with your new reef tank project? You got the keys to your new place already right? Are you gonna do a fish room also? Tell tell tell!

Never heard of it. Got a pix? How do you use it? In quarantine tank? Does it contain copper? Reef-safe?

I imported it from Florida Aqua Farms. Yes, flourescent tube 6500k is good enough.

You need to feed the rotifers with Phytoplankton... or yeast. But be careful if you do that... you might spike the water with NO2. If you feed phytoplankton, they will actually help to clear the waste products in the rotifer culture before they before food for the rotifers... Rotifers need to be enriched before feeding them to your reef tank. FYI I imported my cultures.

Marc Weiss products really are questionable as they tend to over-sensationalize their products in the labels and lack real content analysis. Some people swear they work... some tests show they are nothing more than water.... like MarineSnow! Worthless and expensive! Oh well.... can someone who has tried it comment?

Here's a shot of the airline hose inside the cap with the additional bigger hose securing it. Here's the reason why you need the airhose to be longer inside because you will get unhatch eggs that could end up being sucked up as you drain the live nauplii into your net.

I have a mated pair of CBS and cleaner shrimp that give birth to shrimp fry every fortnight! I have some pictures to post up! As for crabs! I kill them when I see them! They are known to be killers especially of featherduster worms, helpful bristleworms and even small fishes when they sleep! Only one or two species of crabs are reefsafe (ie. only eats algae).

Oh you can import it but it's too much a quantity to use... and you really need a very cold freezer. I believe the optimum temp to prevent degrading the quality of the frozen algae cells is -4 degrees. I bought mine in a little small tub from Reefworld. I wouldn't dare to think how they must have melted the whole lot to pour into the little chilli tubs (like those used for chicken rice!)... so I bet the nutritional value has degraded a lot. And a little bit lasts a very long time. I suspect the shelf life is only about 4 months. My little tub is more than a year old and I barely scrapped 10%! I wonder why I keep it anymore! You only need a little bit to scrape into a glass of tank water and stir till it turns light green. I turn off my circulation for one hour to let it get absorbed by the clams, corals, sponges or other sandbed creatures, then resumed circulation and filtration. Put too much and you get nuisance algae. It rapidly becomes organic waste in the tank water... as it is already considered dead plankton cells to begin with. Make sure you turn your skimmer on! I think the way forward is to culture live plankton as it won't degrade water quality and may actually improve it!

Sure... but now till like 2 weeks later I think... my new tank project is taking up a lot of space and my house is a big mess... Later...

ICH!!!!! I would try to catch the sick fish and put it in a floating cage... so it's easy to take out and give it a 2 - 3 min freshwater soak (with or without Malachite green) a few times daily till the ich parasites are gone. You are probably using Methylene Blue. I see you are also using food soaked in garlic juice... which is good. Stress is also a major factor in ich attacks... your fish's defence systems are down... so they get infected. So are your fishes feeling insecure or fighting? Try to rectify it.

Me? Just about all the well known ones... oh i stopped going to the one at Chinatown... damn inconvenient to find transportation back ie. cabs. And I think the quality of their filtration system sucks... i see a lot of dying livestock in their tanks.. that was about 1 year ago... dunno how are things now? Worth a visit? <_<

Iwasakis 6500k? So you want to go for high PAR? Luckily you have in mind to get 3 x actinics or everything will look very yellow! Why don't you get a HQI fitting instead? Seems like the colours of 10,000k HQIs are very pleasing. Just my opinion.

Maybe one of the privileges of being a member of the Singapore Reef Club is that we may teach culturing and also share plankton?

Hey spiff! Looks about right time to frag! Remember to bring me little frag each when I do my tank warming party!

Hey roger, found this info for you on how to culture brine shrimp... explains everthing! Took this off the brineshrimpdirect website! What are the guidelines for hatching brine shrimp cysts? Salinity - 20 - 30 parts per thousand (ppt) salt solution or approximately 1-2 tablespoons of rock salt per quart (or liter) of water. This equates to around 1.015-1.020 specific gravity. A 20% (or around 1/2 teaspoon per quart) concentration of Epson salt or magnesium sulfate can be added to further buffer the hatching solution. Temperature - Optimum temperature for a 24 hour complete hatch is 80-82° F or 26-28° C. Lowering the temperature would result in a longer hatching time. Do not exceed 30°C. Light - Illumination is necessary to trigger the hatching mechanism within the embryo within the first few hours of incubation. Maintaining a light source during the entire incubation period is recommended to obtain optimum hatch results and for temperature control. Aeration - Constant aeration is also necessary to provide sufficient oxygen levels for the cysts to metabolize and hatch. A minimum of 3 parts per million dissolved oxygen during the incubation is recommended. Strong aeration will not damage or hurt the brine shrimp cysts or nauplii. pH - A starting pH of 8.0 or higher is recommended. If pH drops below 7.5 during incubation, add a teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate or a pH buffer to raise it above 8.0. Stocking Density - 2 grams per quart or approximately one level tablespoon of cysts per quart is recommended. A higher stocking density will result in a lower % hatch. Hatching Cone - Flat bottom hatching vessels should be avoided. Cone or V bottomed containers are best to insure that the cysts remain in suspension during hatching. Be sure to thoroughly wash the hatching cone with soap and water and allow to air dry between uses. How do I harvest the baby brine shrimp? To harvest the baby brine shrimp or nauplii, simply shut off the air and wait a few minutes for the shells and nauplii to separate. The shells will float to the surface and the live nauplii will go to the bottom of the cone towards the light source. Once separated, the nauplii can be siphoned from the bottom or drained from the bottom of the cone through the air tubing. Should I rinse the baby brine shrimp before feeding? Yes, definitely! The warm incubation temperatures and metabolites from the hatching medium create ideal conditions for a bacteria bloom. Rinsing of the baby brine shrimp or nauplii in a fine mesh net using fresh water is sufficient before feeding to your fish.

Nice tank Picasso! Any specs to share?

Hi again, A new topic, this time on live plankton culturing to feed your reef tank. I just like to do a poll to see how you guys feed your corals.... oh.. please exclude brine shrimp culturing as plankton culturing.... what I mean is phytoplankton and zooplankton.

They mainly get their nutrition from photosynthesis... but their polyps also capture zooplankton and to a lesser extent phytoplankton. Baby clams under 2 inches get the bulk of nutrition from feeding from the water column... they eat phytoplankton. I put my baby clams in a container with Instant Algae till the water is a light green... and in a few hours.. the water will be clear!

I think most LFS have them... I think the LFS at Serangoon North Ave 2 has them... petmart, rainbow etc.

Both items are the same price!! Around $1300 each!

Pls lah Phang... beauty is in the eye of the beholder! Everyone's tank is setup in their own special way so no need to be paiseh... I tell you, there are even better tanks than mine out there! Here's how to post: Just click on the IMG button to link to a photo that's on a website already or you can attach a graphic file below by clicking on the browse button and then attach and then go! It'll appear... but try to keep your images below 800 pixel width or for those who have small monitors will have to scroll a lot horizontally! Good luck!

Paiseh... no lah.. dun say like that! I just want to share my love of the sea to all... I think my message would be "Enjoy the hobby but learn to preserve what we have!". Last time, went I go fishing, I use to throw my rubbish like plastic bags and bottles in the sea. Now I will scold my fishing kakis who do that. My hobbies are expensive but I get a great sense of satisfaction from them... compared to 'cheonging' at pubs last time... 3 x a week = $x00 x 4 weeks = money stupidly wasted! Come to think of it... I could have bought gone for many dives or setup many tanks with that money! Sigh!