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When something goes wrong in my tank, the test kits come out. I'm not waiting to ship water for test results, not even overnight. While you can get your water professionally tested, it doesn't absolve you of the responsibility to keep test kits available for when things go awry.

I second that. Although I may not get the copper, as I go to lengths to ensure copper never gets anywhere near my system. Otherwise, get them all. You'll want some on hand in case anything goes wrong after your initial cycle, and the CA, MG you'll use frequently if you end up keeping SPS, clams...

I'd check to make sure you're stable before doing anything else... however after a stressful reef caring day, you may want to put the ice cubes in a glass, pour the vodka over them and dose yourself!

Yeah... we all have those RTFD moments... glad it worked... just monitor it for awhile to make sure nothing is affected by the swings, and keep checking pH to make sure it remains stable.

I got home from work today and did my daily tank inspection, and I noticed something that looked like a small sponge floating on the top of the water. I netted it out and realized upon further inspection, that it was a piece of expanded cat food. There is NO logical explanation for this, so I...

Ah, ok... in that case, you could try vinegar or seltzer, or if you want to be more cautious, just aerate the water with an air pump. Here's an article with some cause and solution fixes: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-03/rhf/index.php

There are buffers that will drop pH, but you'd be better off determining why your pH is high and trying to adjust for it. Are you dosing 2 part? Other additives? What substrate are you using? What is your current pH and what did you use to test it? Are you dosing Kalk?

I agree... 55 is a nice freshwater size, but makes a poor reef tank, a 40g breeder is nice or if you can handle just a little more width that the 55... a 75 is even nicer. I'm a couple of towns from you, let me know if you need any help when you start building up.

The sump has a chamber for the overflow which contains the Urchin skimmer, it flows into a small refugium area wit some cheato and a bunch of live rock rubble, then flows into the return chamber. I'll probably need to rework the sump a bit when I get a bigger skimmer for the tank, but that's it...

I have an interesting idea for a low energy chiller, but it requires that there be a hard line to a water supply and drain. If anyone has this type of setup, let me know and maybe we can work together on a prototype.

I've had really good luck with poly pads in the past. They'll also change color and give you an indication of what may be in the water.

Also, was the salt bucket completely closed? If it was in the garage and got some sort of rust in it...

I have a hard time believing that the salt would cause all of this, but it's not impossible. Have you checked your levels? Ammonia, nitrites, nitrates? When did you last change your bulbs? Are you using RO/DI water?

I had this skimmer briefly and you should be careful with it. I had it dialed in pretty high and drained about 5 gallons of my tank in a couple of hours. It's a bit finicky and can go from nothing to overflow in no time flat.

Well, I just got finished running water tests and we're looking good! Ammonia - 0 Nitrites - Trace amount showing, but I don't really trust AP test kits. Nitrates - About 20ppm I may hold off a bit longer for fish to be sure about the nitrites and give myself some time to pull the nitrate...

Exactly... it's actually the park of the embryo casing that provides the nutritional value. The only reason to grow them any larger would be for a larger fish that needs to be transitioned from live food. This becomes more difficult and requires additional cultures.

Would you really enjoy your tank if you didn't get to take care of it? That's half the fun of the tank!

Lighting can be very personal and is as much opinion as it is science. Take a look at other people's tanks and see what you like, then ask them what bulbs they use. This will give you a good idea. Keep in mind, that the higher the rating (i.e. 20k bulbs), the more blue they will appear, and...

Here's what I want to know..... What would your weekly water change on a tank like that be? Do they make a Mag Float big enough? Do you need to be a certified diver to clean the sandbed?

Good luck... let me know if you need any help with it, and let us know how it works out.