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I agree, the new Tunze streams do look nice. My thought though would be that if you are not in a rush to replace your existing Vortex, wait and see how these work out for others. Remember, there are often initial problems with a lot of products. You want to make sure that there are none before...

Yes, I do remember the problems they had at the Camden Aquarium due to, at least in part, NJ waters not containing a lot of exotic livestock. Most of the stuff I collected years ago, was in tidal pools, or in the "back bay" area behind the barrier islands in south NJ. The water there gets...

It's got to break your heart to tear down a larger reef and have to make do with a smaller one. but that's the way things work out sometimes. My thoughts would tend to lead to not use a deep sand bed with a jaubert plenum in a 55. The take is only 18 inches high, and the typical 2" plenum with...

I don't doubt that play sand that is made from aragonite would work in a reef system. However, my thoughts tend to think in terms of cost verses benefit. In other words, you'll save some money on sand, but it's nothing compared to what you'll spend on a reef system. Just consider what you...

I was wondering if anyone collects and maintains a tank containing SW livestock native to NJ? Granted, there are no coral reefs, but many areas of the state have salt marshes where some of the smaller "bait" fish live, and there are easily several other species of snails, shrimp, hermit crabs...

Part of the problem is that little neck clams purchased at the grocery store usually have been shipped on ice, and that's going to do some damage to them, especially since they can't breathe. In addition, as pointed out by others, is that they are filter feeders, so they don't get a lot to eat...

How any bulb looks is somewhat subjective. Also, how any tank looks with any typical bulb, be it 10000K or 13000K to 15000K or even 20000K is often a matter of personal choice, although you do need to consider the needs of your livestock. Keep in mind that many manufacturers tend to be "very...

It's been many years since I used ozone, so this is from my memory, which is getting older and may not be reliable. When I did a water change, the ORP reading would drop quite a bit, about 100 - 150, as I recall. The tank would normally run about 400. This isn't really a problem, it's just that...

This is one of the main problem algaes. It's a mess to look at, and few things eat it. Successful control of any problem algae is all based upon control of nitrates and phosphates. Just because your test kits read 0, don't think for a moment that there is not a problem here. Nitrates and...

Personally, I'd never want to completely trust a float valve. If you can, install a bulkhead fitting higher than the float valve, and plumb it to a drain. That way if the float valve sticks in the open position, you don't end up with a flood.

Black worms are similar to tubifex worms, but they are much darker. Also, tubiflex worms usually are collected in some really foul water. This makes black worms preferred. They can only live a few min in SW because they are native to FW. Since they are a FW animal, I wouldn't want to feed a...

The advice on feeding mandarin gobies is correct. Usually they do need a supply of pods generated by the reef system itself. However, I have been able to sometimes get individual fish to take frozen blood worms and live black worms. You might try those foods. Be careful feeding live black worms...

I've been away a few days, and am just now able to respond. Yes, I agree that not every one can afford, or wants a large tank. However, I do not consider my posts to be "close minded" at all. I am simply telling people that there are serious limitations to a 5 gal tank, especially when used...

What warmer waters off the coast of CA? The costal water is very cold compared to what you find off the NJ coast. The problem is areas in places like San Francisco Bay, where the water tamps can get a lot higher. The main problem was C. Taxifolia, and I believe they have eradicated the...

I hate to even think about all the "exotic design" type tanks I have seen, and how nice they look from an artistic standpoint, but are very limited, and sometimes almost useless, from a practical stand point. I see this latest example as no exception to this, and stand by my original post. Yes...

Since you are tearing down the tank, and just want to remove it, and you don't need to keep the tank functional, I have found the best way is to siphon out as much water as possible. Then get a small shovel, like you see kids using on the beach, and shovel out the sand into what ever container...

The distance for MH placement isn't that exact a science, especially since the bulb is only an inch or so from the reflector bottom. I was just going to eyeball it.

I would be a "little unsure" about a DSB bucket myself. While I would agree that a remote DSB is a good thing, I'd want something with a lot more surface area than a bucket can provide. As for Anthony Calfo's book, while he's great on coral fragging and propagation, I tend to disagree with...

In my opinion, these type of aquariums look interesting, but only hold 5 gal of water. That's on the small side, even for a nano. In addition if you set it up as a nano, you are going to have the "real thing" in the tank, so why detract from it by having bunch of "fake coral"? If you want a...

Due to having a tempered glass tank, I'm just about forced to use a HOB overflow. (Oh for the day I get rich, and can afford to replace the tank with a larger reef ready one. :) ) The first overflow I used was a CPR overflow. I found that it had many problems. First, the long narrow U siphon...