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Just a little tip I'll throw out concerning Emerald and your common red and blue legged hermits. Don't add them to a new tank. WAIT, these little buggers will eat a lot of your coralline algae. It can easily take 4 times as long to get good coralline algae growing in your tank with them present...

If we're only talking a rock or two here there is nothing to worry about. There will be plenty of bacteria on the other rocks to take care of any little bit of ammonia spike that would otherwise happen. I'd obviously brush off any obvious stuff from the outside of the rock since there is no...

BTW, I'm not preaching QT to anyone. That has to be their choice. Some people who do QT might put a fish in a small tank for a couple of days to watch them. Better then nothing and gives you a chance to see if anything develops. I'll just help with recommendations from time to time on different...

So far I can honestly say NO. I'll qualify that by saying no signs of ich, velvet or other fish decease, no aptasia or majanos, no type of known coral bugs. Basically there is nothing in the tank that I know of that wasn't put there on purpose by me. Honestly I'm not that worried about any type...

Corals, fish, rock, sand, etc. Basically anything you would put in the tank that has been exposed to another tank or water. You actually don't need to treat anything really although I do use several different dips on corals. If you wait 8 weeks (fallow) before introducing any non-fish to the...

Yep, got to agree with the bad "bonuses". Forgot the pesky parasites like Ich that come as "bonus too". Seems most of the "free" stuff that comes on and in the rock is bad for the tank and causes untold grief down the road. But non-the-less it's always cool to identify the stuff. Carlo

Several choices. Throw the rock in the oven for 30 to 60 minutes at 400 F will kill everything in and on the rock. This is my preferred quick fix for rocks. This can make a little mess in the oven from the water dripping out of the rock. Put some tin-foil under it. Alternately, boil some water...

For what it's worth with the phosphate test if you get any color change at ALL you have to much phosphates in the tank. The thing with phosphates is that the levels in a way are unimportant because their are organisms in the tank using much of it as fast as it's being produced. So even if you...

I've got a 26" green carpet in one of my tanks with 3 or 4 other types of anemones. Thus far it's only eaten a couple of small chromas but non of my prize fish. One of my larger clarkies (4") has made it his house. It's funny watching him dig into the mouth to bunk down for the night. In the...

We totally agree on that! It's the guts that matter. Carlo PS And changing or adjusting the flow restrictor to match the membrane and keep a 4:1 ratio.

Just wanted to clarify something so you don't get the wrong impression. A "breeding tank" is really just a name for a common tanks size and setup. If you use the tank as your main display it's not a "breeding tank" anymore but a "display tank". Here's a mini "article on breeding" quoted parts...

Actually from a bacteria standpoint there is very little difference from dead and live rock. Unless you get your rock shipped in salt water almost all the bacteria itself will be dead upon arrival. It doesn't take long at all for the bacteria to die off. But it really doesn't matter. Once you...

I agree with you Phil on using your eyes and viewing the tank for sure. Much information can be gained from doing this. Cold water and 70 psi will definitely help a lot. The cold water causes the pores of the membrane to shrink but the very, very good water pressure still makes sure the water...

That would sound about right but I'd target at least 9. BTW, I keep my tank in the 8 to 9 dKH range. (add to target 9 allow to drop to 8 and dose again). BUT most people aim for 10/11 dKH (and even higher) which gives them more wiggle room. The thought is that higher alkalinity allows better...

Yea, that's a perfect use of the in line TDS meters. Phil, I didn't realize you lived in Deptford. I just moved from there back in March. I remember you living in Turnersville back in the BBS days when I lived in Bridgeton. Deptford had some bad water (reef wise) for a city but overall the TDS...

That's about 7.3 dKH which is still on the low side. 8 or 9 dKH would be more ideal. At this point you've got the idea so just use the calculator here to figure it out. http://reef.diesyst.com/ Carlo

Kent sources it's membranes from multiple parties including Filmtec and GE. They are rated at 92 nominal to 96 max rejection rates where Filmtec are rated 96/98 with the exception of the 100gpd membrane which you should never purchase for reef use! They of course rate the entire RO/DI unit as...

Sounds like it might still be to high. If you turn off your return pump, water will still overflow for a minute or two down into the sump. Make sure with power off you are roughly one inch from the top of the sump. This way you never get an accidental flood if power is lost. Then after...

Keep in mind brine shrimp are probably the worst food source available. You would never want to rely on brine as the only food source. I like to think of brine as a treat just like a bone would be for a dog. You wouldn't expect the dog to live on bones alone but they make for a nice treat. Carlo

Darn eyes playing tricks on me again. Totally missed the 55g tank. Well now it's safe to say a RO/DI unit will pay for itself. Otherwise the post is pretty accurate for the person with only a small nano tank. :) A great way to buy is used if you happen to find one available. RC seems to always...