Recent content by erasmu

I just finished a water change earlier this afternoon. While I did not have a stainless steel screw driver available yet, I was pretty successful in removing the bubble algae with a plastic fork, my fingers, and the siphon hose. I missed a couple of bubbles, but am pretty pleased with the...

Thanks for the link danmhippo. It was very informative, even if it does not give an easy magic solution. It will help greatly in dealing with this problem. Thanks again.

I have some starting in my tank too unfortunately. The best method I have run into so far is to siphon it out during water changes. Rub the siphon hose against the bubbles to break them loose and they get sucked away. Plus, if one breaks, most of what may be released is removed as well. I...

I think the stable 78 degree temperature might be a little better for most corals. I think a lot of people, myself included, even keep their reefs around 80. 75 may be a little low.

Most people now cycle their tanks with live rock rather than risking the lives of the damsels and then having the damsels that survive terrorize other fish that would be added later. The length of the cycle has to be at a minimum several days longer than the time it takes your ammonia and...

The salinity is high. I would suggest 1.023 to 1.024. The pH is way too low. It should be in the 8.2 to 8.3 range. It probably drops below the 7.5 you mention, in the early morning hours. That is very risky. Make your changes slowly though. Immediate full scale corrections can be as bad...

The tests you have run look ok. Do you usually have nitrate of 30 though? Has this recently increased to this point? I think your lighting should be ok for the upper portions of the tank with these corals. 24" down you would need to stick with softies and mushrooms probably. You show the...

I am interested in getting some Pipe Organ Coral. However, I have read (think it might have been Sprung and Dilbeek book) that bristle worms burrow into the red base and attack the polyps. Is this old info or still the current belief? I, like most, have added bristle worms to my tank DSB. I...

I agree that some more water changes would be best. What test results are you getting now? Was there any measurable ammonia or nitrite? If so, is it back to zero? I don't think the toxins can be measured, but some of these tests will let you know what is still going on in the tank...

Can you specify the light type, wattage, tank depth and size? How long has the tank been established? Do you add several corals at the same time? Are there other creatures in the tank? What are they and do they ever bother the corals? A lot more info is needed to figure out what is...

I had a small patch of Anthelia too. It was doing great until I added a pair of Percula Clowns and a tiny Hippo Tang at lunch one day. Next time I saw the tank that evening, the Anthelia was ripped out. I did not see the fish destroying it, but I thought it must have been the clowns. I had...

:? Thanks for the response. I have kept the same four powerheads running in the tank. Except for short periods during water changes, I run them all the time. Two are the Zoo Med type with the rotating heads. There is always a lot of movement of the Anthelia heads, but I never saw them close...

:( I have had a small patch of Anthelia polyps (about 12 stalks) for two weeks. It has looked great and been open wide. There were no fish in the tank, although there were several micro-hermits, snails, and a brittle star. Nothing bothered it during those weeks. Today at lunch I added a...

I don't know about the pinout difference. In fact, my bulbs are 4 pins in a row .... and 65 watts. I don't know how hard it will be to find replacements for mine. 55s and 96s seem so much more commonly stocked. Everything I have read seems to indicate that PC bulbs do not need to be changed...

I would recommend soaking the bleached pieces in fresh water for a day or two to get any residual chlorine traces out from the bleaching. More than likely they are ok, but I would be cautious.