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You may not need to run a powerhead full time. Try using it to blow off the macro algae, and then remove it. Just getting rid of the dirt once and awhile may be all you need.

I should state up front that sandbed depth is are area where you almost cant go wrong. It's possible to use no sandbed at all (bare bottom) to over a 4" deep sandbed. My personal preference is to use either just enough to cover the bottom, or go with 4" of sand to get a working DSP. I feel 1...

You have a bit of a problem here. Obviously the fans are in there to keep the fixture and it's components cool. If you try running them at a lower speed, you'll get less airflow and more heat. This is not what you want to do. It may be possible to replace them. For that, I recommend you look at...

I'm not too much of a fan of using baking soda, baked or not baked, to attempt to control alkalinity. Before you try this, make sure your other water parameters are good, especially magnesium and calcium. If they are not good to start with you can add "tons" of baking soda, and get very little...

I would also add MH fixtures using 250w or larger bulbs and that don't use electronic ballasts. A traditional coil and core ballast uses about 50% more electricity compared to an electronic ballast. Over one year, the savings in electricity will more than pay for the more expensive electronic...

Yea, I know the feeling. Right now is not the time to spend a lot of money on your reef, if you have to worry about that next paycheck. I will say this about equipment in general. Always buy top quality. It need not be the most expensive, and there are many quality manufacturers out there...

First let me say that I'm not trying to play "beat up on the new guy". I want you system to work out well for you, so I feel I should point this out. In addition to the lighting, and assuming you want to keep corals, you tank is set up using a lot of methods that would be considered almost...

While a lot of things will eat coraline algae, I don't know of any that can really control it. You'll need to do what everyone else does, and scrape it off the front glass, and every place else you don't want it. If it's on something removable, and you don't mind killing everything else on it...

Yes, stray voltage will trip a GFCI. Most likely you have a powerhear, heater, or something else that has a power cord going into the tank, that is causing the problem. To diagnose, uplug everything, then plug in each device and see if it creates any stray voltage. If it does, it's most...

For the size tank you are doing, and wanting something decent, but not outrageously expensive, I'd use a MAG 3 or MAG 5 pump. They are good all around pumps, and don't cost too much. I use a MAG 3 on my 30 gal reef with good results. The MAG 5 might have to have it's output flow cut back a bit...

The price on the CPR overflow isn't bad, just be sure you like cleaning up from the floods it will produce. And yes, I'm quite serious about this. I had a larger version of the series, and it did everything i mentioned in my prior post. I did forget to post a link to lifereef (off site) -...

Well, the price is right on the sump, and the return pumps are ok. However, I can not recommend any CPR overflow. They are impossible to clean, tend to trap air and cause floods, and tend to break. Get a better overflow. If it were a larger tank I'd recommend a Lifereef overflow, but they cost...

What you can do is obtain a typical small computer UPS, and a SPDT relay, plus a few other parts. You wire the relay so that it controls the outlet on the UPS. Set it up so the relay disconnects the UPS's outlet when there is main power available. Then when power fails, the relay will no longer...

You could paint the overflows with paint, as mentioned above. But why? The whole think will get over grown with coraline algae in a few months or so.

PVC pipe and fittings will easily take this type of pressure. However, my question would be what exactly are you trying to build? How will it function? Usually for an auto top off, it's much easier to mount the FW container above the tank or sump and just let gravity do the work.

As pointed out a reactor or canister filter works out best, but placing a bag as you describe will still work. It will just take longer to get stuff out, and you might have to use more carbon, and change it more often.

If you are really worried about hardwood floors, in addition to all the other advice, I'd recommend getting a new tank. A used tank could have some damage that causes a major failure. The tank is one of the less expensive items anyway. I have also seen a few installations where the person put...

I've used XM and Hamiliton and prefer tha later. I've not used the others, so I can't rate them. I suspect this is true for most people. If you tried all 4 bulbs, and ran each one a year, it would take 4 years to try them all. So take the results of your poll with "a grain of salt". You may be...

Interesting charts. They will provide you with a basis to select something, but where they are lacking is in the area of reviews. They don't tell you how well they actually work. This is especially true for the skimmers. A bit of a rant here. These guys seem to pride themselves in getting a...

Before you do anything else, you want to try and figure out why your fish died in the previous system. You don't want the same thing occurring again. Then before you set up the new tank, figure out what you want to keep in it. If at all possible, use a tank other than a standard 55. That size...