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I think that triggers are among the most interesting fish you can own. Generally I agree with the excellent advice posted by others on the best choice of species.
Still, any trigger in a reef is going to be questionable. They may not touch your corals, but they will gladly eat any shrimp, most...
You should not need a center vertical brace, since the span is only 36".
However, you will need to frame up the plywood, since it will flex if used alone. In other words, build the frame for the stand out of dimensional lumber and screw down the plywood top to the frame.
This could be the case.
Installing a 1" Mazzei Injector might be quite a retrofit, since it's rather long and has threaded fittings at each end. You'll also want to use unions at each end, so you can take the thing out for cleaning.
Ideally when using a refractometer, it should be calibrated using a standard solution that is close to the SG of the water you want to measure.
That being said, it's not a major crises if you are using RO/DI water and calibrating the refractometer to 0.
This is because it's not going to make...
My choice would be the first option. MHs alone.
However, it's not quite that simple. The question is, what lighting do you like best?
Lighting is a very personal thing, and what one person likes is not necessarily what someone else would like. As long as your corals are getting enough light...
I do not understand your question. Please explain. Just about all electronic ballasts come "all together", in that you only need to connect the black wire to hot, the white wire to neutral, the green wire to ground, and the two other wires to the bulb socket.
My fixture pre-dates the one you mention, so directions on exactly what I did will not help you.
However, here are some general thoughts.
First you are going to have to take the fixture apart ans see exactly what you are dealing with.
On the older fixtures the company took a fixture built...
What Aqua Medic fixture do you have?
Generally if it's an older one, you will want to upgrade the whole thing to electronic ballasts. This can be quite a task, but will worth it, due to the electricity you'll save.
I did this to mine, and I'll post a full description, if it will help you.
Most likely it could go rignt in your tank and never cause a problem.
Just to be sure I'd run it through the curing process. Change the water, and run a powerhead in the bucket for a few days and make sure there is no ammonia spike.
By now, except for some bacteria, the rock can be considered dead. However, it's still quite usable. Use it as base rock, and add a piece or two of new LR to seed it, and in 6 months or so, the old rock will repopulate just fine.
That is correct. Rather than bothering trying to "fix" it, I recommend just going out and getting a refractometer.
Yes, a refractometer will cost about $60, compared to about $5 for a swing arm hydrometer, but it's the sort of thing you only need to buy once. Bottom line, there is a tank full...
If possible I would install the skimmer in back of or to the side of the tank. That way you can still use a large skimmer on the system. Yes, you could jam a small skimmer into the sump, but it would likely be too small and a pain to work on.
If you don't want to see an external skimmer, you...
I would do things a little different.
You went to a lot of trouble to get the old rock nitrate and phosphate free by cooking it.
IMO, there is no point to adding new rock and inducing a cycle, since this would undo a lot of the work you did.
I would get additional rock, but run it through...
The video do show a great tank, and it is done without a lot of high tech equipment.
There are several factors that contribute to this success. First, the person doing this is obviously very experienced. Second, the number and size of the fish is kept very low. Third, the massive amounts of...
If the shells are ones collected on the beach, I'd soak them in a solution of bleach for a few days, and then in several changes of FW, until you can't smell the bleach anymore.
If they are shells purchased from a shell shop or similar place, make sure nothing like lacquer or paint was used on...
Usually when you have a lot of fine bubbles like this you are sucking air into your pump from some place. Often this is a leak on the intake side of the pump. It also can be sucking air if the water level in the sump gets too low. Amother possible source is from a skimmer, but I didn't see one...
The simple way to solve this problem is to dilute your water sample with pure water (distilled or RO/DI) to extend the range of the test kit.
For example, the test kit you have only goes to 16dkh. You want to go much higher.
You add 8ml of RO/DI water to you 4ml sample. Then mix well, and use...
I wouldn't attempt to run a skimmer from the main return pump. I recommend you get a separate pump for that. It will be a lot easier to control the skimmer, and you usually want to connect a skimmer to the area of the sump where the "dirty" water from the tanks enters the sump.
As for the...
The sixline wrasse has got the have "world record" for trips through the over flow to the sump, and surviving.
I know quite a few people this hase happened to, including myself.