Recent content by Ken2001

Hey Pandor, I've had a pinktail for about six months now in my 75 reef. I got him in anticipation that I'd be moving up to a 150 (which is currently sitting in my garage, waiting for setup). He's the fish with the most personality in the tank. I've never seen him bother shrimp (coral banded...

I've had an 800 meltdown (not to the point of spoiling the water -- it just failed and when I opened it to get to the impeller, I discovered it was overheated and the sealant had begun to melt/deform). I've had two 2100s fail, again not melting down to the point of spoiling the water, though...

Button polyps are often introduced to tanks on live rock that has been shipped in boxes minus water. So obviously, some small button polyps can make it if only wrapped in moist towels. The question is how many survive this treatment, and whether some varieties are better able to do this then...

Got any extra starfish hanging around that you don't want? Can you regularly get/afford Linkias or other stars to feed them? I have heard of people who live near the ocean harvesting stars to feed their shrimp, but you may face aclimation issues with those stars. I've never read or heard...

At least for some of the carribean staghorns, the difficulty of getting these is compounded by the fact that they are extremely difficult to culture and raise. For some reason, they are not at all easy like many Indo-Pacific SPS such as acros and monti's. The appear to want different...

Cool. I've never read or heard anywhere that clams could damage corals. Also, I can't really imagine how they could hurt your acro, unless they were some kind of mussel that just outgrew and covered your acro. Unless you see some kind of damage associated with them, I wouldn't try to remove...

One thing to keep in mind is that the regulations governing carry-on have gotten pretty tight lately. Flying out of Boston recently, I wasn't allowed to carry on a flask of bourbon. The reason given by the security checkpoint is that no liquids are allowed to be carried aboard. I've also not...

I think I found Garry's secret to keeping the Moorish Idols alive. The latest issue (Jan 2003 of Tropical Fish Hobbiest (no Garry, I still haven't been able to find your two mags yet) has an article on New Life Spectrum foods in which they feature MI's kept alive for over a year on the food...

I'd look to keep it around 80 - 82. Flipping the hood lid up when the lights are on is a good idea, or you could put some spacers between the hood and the tank to allow a little airflow to keep the temps from going too high. If you do this, keep an eye on evaporation of your water, as even a...

For those of you that use internal overflows, do you have internal standpipes within the overflow (durso, etc)? Curious, since I'm in the design stage of my 150, which I'll be having drilled soon. For those that don't use standpipes within the internal overflow, how bad is the noise? Best...

Unless they are really big screws (like railroad spikes!), and/or you have a small tank, there shouldn't be a problem. Like Danmhippo said, you added extra iron to the tank is all. I guess you could say you've joined the crowd that adds extra additives to the tank. Rust won't be a problem...

Haven't been by the bookstore yet -- busy today w/ Christmas shopping w/ the family. Hoping to swing by tomorrow and see what's up then. Ken

One other thing to think about is asking your LFS to order something special for you. They absorb the cost of shipping to a degree, since the special order comes in with other orders, so it may work out to be cheaper if you are talking only one or two items, then ordering it online. Another...

Without a picture it's tough to be absolutely certain, but I'd bet money that your shrimp is pregnant. Pregnant peppermints are a good thing. Though it's unlikely they'll make it to adulthood (although it is possible, with the right setup to raise and breed peppermints), the baby shrimp make...

I had pretty good luck with a Bluehead Thalassoma for about two years - I never noticed it pick on any of the snails, hermits, or emerald crabs. However, I did notice that peppermint shrimp disapeared in short order (within a couple of weeks). I never experimented with smaller shrimp after...