inedukated

Before I set up this old tank I came across, I'd like to know if there is anyway to remove some of the scratches in the glass. I've heard from so many people that there's no way, and consider the tank permanently ruined. However, I spoke with a friend of mine who is a jeweler, who recommended I try cerium oxide or jeweler's rouge. Has anyone tried these before, or has attempted any other way to remove scratches? I was considering using 2000 grit wet-sand paper, then trying the cerium oxide/water solution to the glass, and finishing it off with jeweler's rouge and a buffer. Any suggestions? Also, I am assuming I will need to wash the glass a few times before I risk putting my fish and coral in the tank. -Ben

Get an RO/DI unit. It's a little expensive, but once you make about 20-30 gallons of water, you start to realize how much you'll save in the long run, and it only gets better the more you use it. I used to use tap water, and very seldom did water changes because I was afraid of all the chemicals in the water....but now that I have RO/DI, I change a small amount (5gal) twice a week, and I've seen tremendous benefits. Everything looks clearer and fish and corals look happier.

Dave's got first dibs.... he needs a mate for his beautiful male goby. If it's a HE fish, I'll gladly take it. -Ben p.s. I have a cinammon clownfish you can have, or yellow-tail damsels, both of which are EASY to take care of. I can also provide some green button polyps

Sounds good. You may want more sand, depending on how much of a sandbed you want. some will tell you 2lbs per gal of sand.... I usually say 2-3" of sand. 30lbs of rock should be plenty. Since its a smaller tank, shop around and get rock that's pretty. Nothing worse than big chunks of ugly base rock all throughout the tank.

I am at school all the time (especially w. finals coming) , and realize that I never seem to catch my tank when the lights are on. I want to extend the hours that the lighting is on, and wanted to know how long is a good amount. I currently have: actinics only - noon all lights - 1pm actinics only - 8pm lights off - 9pm Can I expand this to 11 hours instead of 9?, i.e. actinics - 10am, all lights - 11am.... thanks -Ben

I have a slight issue like this (1/8" towards front) on a 75 gal, and it hasn't been a problem yet. but it does drive me absolutely CRAZY. I agree w. steveoutlaw... probably best to fix it with shims. -Ben

OK, sounds like I need to get some pink skunks then... Now here's an ANEMONE question for you guys. I have a BTA that was doing great, getting bigger constantly as I fed it (since the clown didn't feed him). I switched lighting to T5, and gradually increased timing for a week until I was back to normal times. The anemone moved to the back of the tank now. He's getting plenty of light, and I can see him thru a little crevice, but he's facing the back of the tank. Now it may be picky...but I want to see him. I don't want him to face the back of the tank. It's been 2 weeks. Should I go after him? I know I should let him move on his own, but I'm afraid hes going to stay put, out of sight, and he's going to go unfed. Suggestions?

I run 6x54w over my 55gal with no problems... I'd get more if I could fit them. -Ben

Ok, I've had it with my cinnamon clown. He's terrorizing my tank, and practically harasses everyone except for the yellow tang (who doesn't take s*!% from anyone). I am going to remove him (and maybe the other one too, if I can get him out of the tiny corner he's forced to live in). Is there any other clownfish I can get that's friendly AND will actually FEED the anemone like their symbiotic relationship should be? true percs? clarki? -Ben

PM me. I'll be around both holidays.

You don't need it. Like bio-balls, they're great to help get you started, but with all that biological filtration you've got, you shouldn't have any problems without it. Many will also tell you that canister filters just harvest harmful bacteria and algae, so you're probably helping things out by removing it. JMO -Ben

I've got a big one lurking around my 55. She's fairly aggressive, but like mentioned above, she's pretty slow, and I haven't seen her catch a fish or another shrimp. I will comment though, that NONE of my fish go on that side of the tank where she lives. I have 6 fish in my 55, and they all live on the right side of the tank. None go near the banded shrimp. I haven't seen her nip at coral, but at night I see her roaming around the tank like she owns it. IMO, I say be cautious, but they're not extremely dangerous. -Ben

School ends for me on Dec 15, and I don't have anything going on until spring semester, Jan 22. (That's right....5 weeks off) If anyone needs someone to keep an eye on things...its not like I have a job or anything. -Ben

Will do... I am going to do some major reworking of the tank soon enough. I'll send you a PM. My clowns are terribly mean. Well, at least the bigger one is. The other is afraid of him too. He's also part of my tank reworking. Are there friendly clowns out there?? I originally had 4.... The key is to observe the interactions. If it works, fantastic, if they can't establish a pecking order, then you need to rethink the combination. Is there an easy way to get these guys out of the tank without having to remove all their hiding places?

I'm thinking about throwing her into my girlfriend's tank when she's not looking.... lol I will look for a good wrasse. When I first started out in the hobby a few years ago with my FOWLR, I had a wrasse that tried to eat everything... hermits, snails... I've drifted away from them since, but I need to realize that most wrasses are friendly fish!

Well, I was actually thinking about getting a flame angel. I am just afraid of nipping at corals, or eating zoa. It's not that big of a fish either, and looks fancy. Honestly, I am looking for an eye-opener. The clowns aren't so colorful, my chromis blend into the background, the blenny looks like a rock... the only fish that stands out is my tang. But yes, an active swimmer. Another question, perhaps I should start a new thread: I noticed my coral banded is like 4-5". He's huge. What's sad is that where he hangs out (left side of the tank), NONE of the fishes go there. I've heard that they can eat the fish right out the water, so maybe that's why they are avoiding that side of the tank? Only my tang has the guts to go over to that side of the tank.

I'm looking to get another fish for my tank. I have a 55gal. I currently have: Yellow Tang 4" 2 Cinnamon clowns (2" each) 2 Green Chromis (1.5" each) Lawnmower blenny 3" Plus tons of cleaners, coral banded, peppermint, hermits, snails, stars...etc I REALLY want another tang, but I know that it's probably a bad idea. Can 2 tangs work out in a 55 gal tank? Any fish suggestions? I'd like to get something reef-safe, of course, and that would be beautiful to look at. -Ben

Your rock probably still has micro-bacteria on it, so you're not going to be able to see it. It may not have the "critters" on it like you want, but they come naturally with time and correct parameters. Step 1) Patience. Do not rush out into anything, keep checking your water parameters (get a test kit - Ammonia Nitrate Nitrite pH for starters). I'd wait a month or so before you even consider getting new fish Step 2) Read & Research. The board is full of so much useful information. I honestly don't know how I didn't kill everything in my tank prior to joining. Also, post any questions you have. Is your tank covered? Eels love to jump out of tanks and dry out and die on your floor. This MAY explain why the previous owner did not fill the tank up all the way. Just a thought. I'd say keep the rock. It's not worth throwing out, because all rock, including "dead" rock, can be "reborn" with bacteria and critters....and coraline algae will just come with good water and good lighting. -Ben

Here. How to Drill a Tank Good ol' Reef Central. -Ben

It's just a drill bit for a regular cordless/corded drill. Similar to a regular hole saw bit, just shiny diamonds on the end... I think they're $10-15. I'd offer to help, but I've never done it before, because I am too afraid. lol... plus I think my tank is tempered. :(

Nah, you're not overly stocked. Most will tell you to drain the tank completely, but I don't think removing the sand is required. You can siphon out the water into tubs (get lots of them from walmart) and place your rock with them as well as your livestock. Hook up a pump just to keep the water form going stagnant, and perhaps a heater. BRK stocks diamond-bladed hole saws, and I am sure you can find them other places. I'm not an expert on actually drilling the tanks, but I can tell you to keep it moist as to prevent it from getting hot, and you may want to pick up a small 5.5gall tank or another sheet of glass just to practice on first. I'd hate to see a 125gal tank get ruined. If done right, it can all be done in a day. -Ben

Sure. I have one on my 55 gallon, because I was naive to the wonders of a pre-drilled tank. You purchase an overflow box that hangs on the back of your tank. Overflow on eBay It basically consists of two boxes, one is inside your tank, the other, over the back. The box inside your tank sits below your water line, so tank water fills it. It comes with a u-tube, in which you use to create a siphon between the two boxes, so water flows out of your tank into the second box. This box has a send line that goes to your sump. In the link, you can see the outside box has a hole in the bottom to run pipe/hosing between it and the sump. In your sump, you'd have a return pump that puts water back in the main tank. Now honestly, if you have the ability to, I'd get the tank drilled. But if it's decently stocked, or if you are unsure whether it's tempered or not, I wouldn't bother draining it to drill it. An overflow works fine HOWEVER if you ever lose suction in the u-tube while your return pump is working, you will overflow the main tank. It's never happened to me yet. keyword..yet. I hope that helps -Ben

I only walked by briefly on my hunt for a new heater, but they looked AWESOME!!! definitely stop by and check them out!

Ok, so I looked at my fish tank last night before bed and noticed the temperature was 74 degrees (not the usual 79.5). Upon inspecting my heater, I realized the heater (Visi-therm 250w) had completely shattered in my tank. So of course I panicked and kicked up the heater in the house to make sure my tank didn't plummet to 68deg.... Anyways, I emailed Sean at F&F at 12:30AM last night/this morning asking if he could help me out. I don't get out of school until 6:30-7 on monday, and didn't know if I'd make it by 8pm. Not only did he respond to me by 1AM (Yes, 30 minutes)...he offered to stay late in case I couldn't make it by 8pm. Long story short, I ended up buying a Finnex ultra-compact heater, and he still hooked me up on that. Sean, thank you. You and F&F rock. -Ben

Ditto... Don't rush into anything, research everything, and always post if you have any questions. Everyone here is more than happy to steer you in the right direction. Welcome! -Ben