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If at all possible get rid of the damsels. As far as angles go, many of the dwarf angles, Centropyge species, can be reef safe. It's always a bit of a chance you take though. Some are model citizens, others are "rotten to the core", still others start out fine and turn bad later. You never...

You can still have an ATO system. You can either build a nice looking "box" to put next to the tank, and put the ATO water supply in there, or you can locate the water supply remotely, and use a powerful diaphragm pump, something like this (offsite link) -...

I'm really surprised you need 600w of heaters to keep the tank at the temp you want. For years I ran a similar setup, and a 250w heater did just fine, and the tank was in the basement. Of course, such an arrangement will work, but I think it's a lot more than needed. I do like the idea of...

You have two problems here. The first is you want a larger sump. The second is the damsels. To replace the sump, all you need to do is turn off the return pump, drain the water level in the tank down below the overflow, and then drain the sump and replace it. Retain the water drained for...

Unless you have extraordinary conditions, like keeping the tank in an unheated basement or garage, you should size a heater at about 2 to 3 watts per gallon. In other words you want about a 75 or 100 watt heater. That should be all you need. The old "rule" of 5 watts per gallon was way too much...

I'm not a fan of trickle or wet / dry filters on a SW system. The problem with them is that they are very good at the reduction of ammonia ->> nitrite ->> nitrate. What ends up happening is that this creates a massive nitrate buildup over time, and this in turn leads to massive algae problems...

I purchased my Remora from one of those "big-time" internet stores, Marine Depot I think. I'm sure you can find one locally if you call a few stores. OTOH, a few mouse clicks and a little bit of data entey get the thing shipped to your door in a few days, and sometimes at a lower price.

I wonder.... This is pure speculation on my part... People do tend to use a lot of scented candles and other such stuff. They do put things into the air, and a reef, especially an open top one would be a wonderful place to collect anything in the air. People also tend to have a lot of guests...

That's the key factor. The tank is going to be a FOWLR system. For a system like this all you need is enough light so the fish can see to eat. You could use a NO fluorescent light system, like they sell for FW tanks, or even a couple of shop light fixtures like they see at Home Depot and the...

Actually, I'm from Pennsylvania, just across the river. I'm interested in NJRC because most of the LFS stores I visit are in NJ, rather than PA.

I would have mixed feelings about a feedback forum. Yes, there are advantages in the area of letting others know how a transaction worked out. However, there are also a bunch of downsides. Here are a few of them... 1) It's an open invitation to a massive flame war. This is just not good on a...

I've got to agree with Hawkeye. An Aqua C remora pro or urchin pro would be an excellent choice for a 55 gal tank. I'd go with the pro models, since they process a bit more water, but are not that much more expensive. While we are on the subject, get yourself a better pump than ab Rio for your...

I guess I'll have to take your word for it for the time being. At about $50 a copy, I'm not about to spend that much to see a small section. Perhaps you or someone can scan the relevant section, and post it.

I would have to disagree with your statement, especially "If it is a reef tank he absolutely has to." You only need to supplement Ca and Alk if they system consumes them at a faster rate than water changes, alone, can replenish them. Now if you have a reef system really loaded with corals...

Regretfully, this is the age we are living in. Not much you can do about that. In the future, if your going to hold something, get a 20% non-refundable deposit, up front. This commits them. Yes, it's tough to do business that way, but it's necessary sometimes.

I have not used that specific pump. I have used similar ones. They work by squeezing a soft plastic tube, similar to airline tubing, and that forces a small amount of fluid through the pump. Now the big problem you have with this arrangement is that sooner or later the tubing is going to fail...

I would also consider the nitrate and phosphate readings to be higher than I'd like. Not terrible, but lower would be better. I also agree that ammonia should be 0. However sometimes this is the test kit, so get another brand and test again. However, the best test of all is how is the...

You would solve the power consumption with what you plan, but it's still going to need maintenance. Think about this carefully. Do you really have the time? If you figure a full time job is going to be 40 hours a week, and a full load of courses, 15 credit hours, is going to require about 45...

Everytime I see a fish being sold for an extremely high price, I have to wonder if the store is really trying to sell it, or do they just want the exposure for having a fish that expensive? Sure there are people that might buy the fish on a "money is no object" basis, but unless your system is...

Do you have a source for this? I'd like to know more. I tried to do a search on the net and didn't get any good results. Thanks.