FuEl

New to marine hobby section or general reefkeeping section.

hmmm..wrong place to post..this section is to post reviews of products you have tried..not to ask about the products..read the pinned thread put up by AT at the top of the product reviews section.

Ok..thanks..hehe..managed to login as guest.

Hmmm....yep..the coralchips and bioballs are nitrate factories. However, high bioloads and poor skimming also lead to the formation of nitrates. Since you are keeping softies and LPS you should'nt be worried too much about the nitrates. Just keep your other parameters stable and provide sufficient lighting. Softies and LPS will do fine IME as long as nitrates do not exceed 50ppm. Since you don't have a sump, removing coralchips and bioballs could significantly lower your bacteria population which could lead to a sudden ammonia spike if you don't remove them slowly. You'll need to provide more surface area for bacteria to colonise like adding more liverocks etc. Another option you can consider before you battle your nitrate problem is to improve skimming and lowering your bioload. If these 2 factors are not tackled with, removing coralchips and bioballs will not be a solution to reduce nitrates.

Try cyclopeeze. If they don't eat it you might have to start them on live baby brine shrimp enriched with selcon.

Hmmm..don't remember coming across FAMA before. Where is it available locally? Is FAMA a short form for the mag or is it the name itself? Might want to check this magazine out.

Just got my sump tank & skimmer today..must thank a fellow reefer for helping me to collect as I was still sleeping.. Hehe..comes with live sand to speed up my tank cycling.

Now moved to lavender area....opposite the "Ren Ren Prawn noodles" at the other side of the road. Hmmm...denitrators are known to be troublesome...I'll never use one. Anyway...I still find tropical fish hobbyist one of the more reputable magazines around. Their articles always have substance! Just read their latest issue just now..some topics covered were octopus husbandry, Reef safe fish (part 4)(regret I missed the previous 3 parts).. snakehead infestations in maryland, betta brownorum, pirahna, and "freshwater barracuda". Been reading TFH mags since the early 1990's in my pri sch days & I have not gotten sick of them! Thumbs up for TFH!

Cut the phosphates and nitrates and the algae will go away. Try to avoid overstocking and overfeeding. Choose feeds that have low phosphate content. You can consider setting aside a small corner (maybe fence off an area of your pond to keep fast growing plants and provide reverse photoperiod for that section..if it is applicable to marine why not FW?). Plants will keep your phosphate and nitrates level in check and outcompete the algae as they can photosynthesize both in the day and at night. It will help to increase dissolved oxygen levels at night too. U.V does help..but it does not address the root of the problem. The turnover rate of your filtration also plays a part.

Just a little sidetrack...anyone here subscribes locally to TFH? My subscription ended few years back and have not renewed it yet...but now buying it from bookstores is getting rather ex..not to mention only a specialised few bookstores will have it. I bought the latest copy and in it was a savings certificate which charges only USD $28 for a WHOLE YEARS subscription! Oh my...anyone knows if this is applicable to the local TFH branch?

Saw the 2-3cm koles at RW but that was months ago....if got 2-3cm moorish idol then good..might be easier to wean or acclimatize? I dunno...I always have this feeling that when you get things small they adapt better..

Get a cloth or fine mesh bag and tie it around the output. Make the bottom of the bag touch the sump water to avoid splashing.

Hmmm..advice..dump the JBL testkits as they are known to be grossly inaccurate. Get reliable brands like salifert or mini-labour test kits. I have tried salifert..one of the best brands around. I will be trying mini-labour next..heard quite good reviews from other reefers.

Too bad there are no moorish idols the size of 1-2cm blue tangs.. Or are there? I've seen 2cm kole tangs before..but are there moorish idols so small? *Hopeful*

huh...my advice is valueless.. hahaha...jokes aside..omg..you have a colony in your tank when there is measurable ammonia & nitrites? Not too good news already...

Will do an update maybe tomorrow or few days later. Don't wish this to turn into a chat thread.

What test kits are you using? Your calcium and esp kH levels are unbelievably high! NSW has calcium levels of around 350-380ppm with kH levels around 6-8 depending on location. Most people try to keep their kH above 8 to minimise pH swings at night. kH levels of 8-12 are the norm for sps keepers. 20 is......

As long as you don't see the skeleton don't worry too much. If the sps polyps are extended it is a good indicator that it is doing well. If you notice rapid sloughing of tissue resulting in the skeleton showing rapidly, frag the sps asap above the receeding mark (frag it anywhere on the unaffected tissue area). Something like fighting a bushfire if you know what I mean. Tissue will slough off rapidly too if you place your sps too near a water jet (in this case you don't need to frag as it is not disease related). STN should recover once the coral has adapted to captive conditions or has overcome other forms of stress. If it gets worse consider other factors like water movement, distance from light etc. Hope you understand what I'm talking about. My english online seems to be getting from bad to worse...

Hmmm..just side note in case you all pamper your pet lions alot.. .try not to feed a lionfish more than 3 meals a week. Feeding a lionfish too often will lead to an earlier demise.

wow..first time I've come across such a pricey sump tank....but again it does look unique.

Worked in an aquarium before. I was asked to scrape of the silicon using sharp razor blades so that they could resilicon the tank. Starting it will be a little difficult. But once you find the correct angle to hold the blade it really is'nt that hard.

Should be going fishless for the first 2-4 weeks depending on how stable the environment will be. Considering NSW but not sure if it would really help to stabilise the tank. I was thinking of keeping a pet ribbon eel... But that would have to wait till my tank stabilizes. A ribbon eel slithering through miniature sps garden... Maybe it won't last..my tank is not covered and what if the ribbon eel goes into my overflow..or worse onto the floor.. *stops myself from thinking about fish*

No probZ! Enjoy your hermits! Zebra hermits look darn adorable when adult. Their massive harmless claws make them look like sumo wrestlers..

Have finally got things moving after I sort of procrastinated for some time. After clearing my old tank I kind of felt tired and was wondering if I should continue reefing. Oh well...even if it's for a few months it would do as long as I have something to keep myself motivated. And here...I present...my nano display tank! Still not tested for leaks & piping not done...I'm such a bum.. 6mm glass throughout with 2 inch side bracings. Dimensions of my this tank is 2ft (length) by 1.5ft (width) by height (9 inch). Yes it is 9 inches tall! I thought of going 7 inch..but oh well..added 2 more inch as safety factor. Lighting pictured is done by Dr evil with 4 Aquaz blue pro tubes. Definitely very bright as it managed to light up my whole living room at night. I don't even need room lights on anymore! Still have to get my sump. I'm still pondering if I should add a piece of mirror under it and go substrateless... Oh well...enough of blabbering..here's the tank. It will be a challenge to aquascape...

Me...playing through steam using a cdkey gotten from the internet. Have not tried condition zero yet..had no time to try it..but I will once I get my pay..