Recent content by Aggie04

We had a bit of a storm come through Houston the other night, and the power dropped for almost an hour at my apt. About 40min into the outtage, I checked on my tank things didn't look good! The pisto shrimp which is always hiding (haven't seen him since I got him... dang he got big!) was...

Hi all, I am thinking of upgrading my tank size to a 125 (from a 29). Obviously a big step. What do you think of the 125 size? It is 5' long, 18" deep, 25" tall (isn't funny that reefers think of "deep" as the front/back, not the water depth?). I have a good opportunity for a 125, so that...

I am in luck. My girlfriend no longer needs a 10g she has. My plan: Use the 10g as a sump/refugium. It has a light already. I can use my cannister filter as a pump (right?), so all I need is a hang-on overflow box. Put some macro algae in the sump. Any suggestions on what kind to put...

Ok, feed the tank first to make sure it handles the new load. On the skimmer, how long does it take for the bubbles/foam to make its way to the top of the funnel? It hardly seems to be collecting at all in the funnel, bubbles just pop inside of it, barely above the water surface, without...

Update: I have plenty of brown algae (diatoms?), a couple small red-legged hermits, 4 small turbos, 3 medium turbos, and a brand new CPR Bakpak. The skimmer and 3 medium turbos are new today. I was thinking about taking out the bio-filter medium in the CPR and putting some macro algae in it...

I am using RO/DI for all my water changes. The tank started with about 50% tap water, which likely had a hand in creating the problem.

My tank is new (30g) with cannister filter, 40lbs live sand, 20lbs live rock. Will be FOWLR. About a week ago I noticed some brown algae stuff collecting on the sand surface and rock. It kept getting worse, and I got three hermit crabs and four small turbo snails this weekend. I also did a...

Ok today I made a few discoveries. The first was obvious, and not so welcome. Brown algae spots on the sand. I blame the tap water (about 60%, the rest is RO). Should I just let it continue to sit? Or should I do a water change with some more RO water? The second discovery was three...

I believe I was thinking about the Orchid vs. the purple dotty, I didn't know they came in just "purple", but the choice is obvious! Here is another thought. My girlfriend is about to have a spare 10g. Should I turn it into a sump, instead of getting the skimmer (which could be added later)...

Ok here is the plan (as of now). Recall this is a 30gal, 40lbs live sand, 20lbs fiji live rock. Let tank cycle for another 3-4 weeks. Sometime I will get a Bakpak 2r skimmer. I will also probably get a little more live rock and some non-live to create more hiding places. The proposed fish...

Should I be doing water changes while this thing cycles, or would that just slow it down?

I just added 20lbs of liverock to my new 30g. It is starting to look like a real aquarium! I tested my water, and everything was dead-on except alkalinity, which was way high. As I understand, this is ok because the liverock will help bring it back to acceptable levels. Now it is time to...

I will buy my liverock tomorrow, probably. Fiji rock at $3.99 a lb, I think that is a good price (from what I have seen around town). About how many pounds should I get for a 30g (fish only)?

Also, should a protein skimmer be a definite investment? If so, how soon (during cycle w/ live rock or once I have fish)? It seems that everyone raves about them, but never mention cannister filters as worthwile investments. I have a small powerhead that does 150 gph, and I assumed my...

Should I use the lights on a regular day/night cycle while starting this thing up? I have been so far (two days).