Recent content by mikenegue

Thanks for the advice on shrimps - I think I will get a skunk cleaner shrimp. Is a sea cucumber or starfish advisable as a detrivore/sifter for a newbie? And returning to my original questions...

Speaking of shrimp, what kind of cleaner shrimp would you suggest I get? Does it really matter? In other words, don't they all do the same thing basically?

I've read through that thread actually, and I was actually looking for something a bit more specific to my needs. In particular, I'm interested in others' experiences with buying fish, not corals. So any advice would be extremely helpful (especially as it relates to Jeff's or Aquatic Outlet in...

I've got my FOWLR tank up finally, and it's in the process of cycling (ammonia peaking, zero nitrates/nitrates yet, pH 8.1): 60G SeaClear Acrylic 40lbs. 1-year-old live rock from hobbyist 5lbs. assorted live rock from Jeff's 40 lbs. dead base rock 4-5 inches, 150lbs. dsb Whisper Power Filter...

Does it make a difference whether live rock is purchased from a store (which procured it somewhat directly from the ocean) or from another owner who had it in his/her fish tank for some time? I'm trying to seed some dead ocean rock and dead sand with some live rock. I assume that live rock...

Based on many of your comments, I've decided to use both types of sand available to me here at the local Southern California Home Depot: crushed marble and silica-based sand. I have kept the two types of sand separate, laying down the brown silica sand in the inner portion of the tank and...

ok, I've physically gone to (after phone calls got me nowhere) the local Walmart, OSH, Home Depot, Lowes and Target stores... and all they have the same Quikrete Kiddie Play Sand (silica-based). Home Depot also has the Crushed Marble. Any other suggestions? Just go with the Quikrete or...

what do you mean by "properly seed their bed"? is it a matter of the right source of "live sand" or the quantity of it or the method by which you apply it to the sand bed?

Does anyone else in the LA area have a cup of sand that I could borrow to seed my dsb? thanks...

I was being sarcstic about the "prisitne beaches" in Southern California. Does anyone have any comments on where I can get some cheap sand for a DSB? What are the drawbacks of using Crushed Marble? Is Silica-based sand proven to be inappropriate for aquarium use?

Basically the acrylic tank has two holes drilled on the bottom of it, with plugged gaskets filling both holes. The Lifeguard filters are disconnected and have since been thrown out because they weren't functioning. With a DSB, it doesn't seem as though I would be able to access these...

I'll go check out the "local" Walmart (they're in short supply in the LA area as well -- but they just opened up a new megastore in Crenshaw with a great lot of hoopla). Are there any other stores to go and check out for a cheaper alternative to the Carib-Sea? I am a bit short on cash, and I'm...

I went to the local Home Depot, and they had two varieties of playsand: 1) Crushed Marble (from calcite ore) 2) Quikrete Silica Sand Which is preferable for a DSB? Do I have any other options here in Southern California?

I'm planning to do a simple salt water FOWLR tank. It's actually for my wife who wanted a Nemo-fish and a few others in the cast. I don't think puffers will do well with some of the other fishes, so I'll limit it to a clown fish, yellow tang, regal tang, and maybe one or two more fish. Does...

lol, manny... how about we each drive 1,500 miles and meet halfway -- I will give you a cup of Southern Cal sand and you give me a cup of Miami sand? we'll definitely get some biodiversity that way!