rsarvis

1) I'm not a big fan of hoods, so I'm trying to avoid getting one, but maybe I'll have to in the end. Can someone describe a sample DIY setup using either T5s or MH? What's the cost difference on the T5s and MH? I've noticed some people in other posts switching from T5s to MH, any particular reason (if you're reading this...)? 3) I have a sump (35g? not sure) with a G3 skimmer. why do you ask? 4) Just has to be able to pump up 5 feet and maybe a couple hundred gallon per hour, something that i can just drop in a tub of water to pump up into the tank when i need to, or maybe circulate water in a tub, though maybe i'll just get another maxijet for that. i guess i'll prob get a mag pump for that, since people seem to like it. sorry to be so obtuse but what's a retrofit?

I've read a whole lot on here, in books, and online, and I still have no idea... What are your thoughts on the following? 1) Lighting fixtures. I'm slowly setting up a 180g (72x24x24) reef tank, in which I'd like to grow corals, probably including some SPS eventually, but not necessarily a ton of it. My original plan, based on aquarium store recommendation, was to get something like the Coralife Aqualight Pro (3x150W MH, 4x96W PC, 4x1W Lunar) (see here). This seems roughly equivalent to a fixture by Orbit (here). Any recommendations as to brand? More importantly, I'm wondering what my other realistic options are. a) those two fixtures above are propped up several inches above the top of the tank, and I'm wondering if it will be blinding to someone sitting on the couch viewing the aquarium. Moreover, I'm not a huge fan of the shimmering look, I could take it or leave it, might even prefer the non-shimmering look; what do you recommend in the non-metal halide area? Any comments pros/cons would be very helpful since this is a large chunk of change I'll be throwing down. 2) Power Heads. I was going to go with 3 SEIO 500 gph for circulation, but they're a bit bulkier than I'd like (though most others I've seen are even bulkier). Are there any good quality power heads that leave less of a footprint? Any recommendations on cost/quality, too? Anyone know anything about the quality of these Maxi Jet 600s? Hard to tell size just from a single picture on the web, even with the dimensions. 3) While I'm here, might as well ask for recs on an inexpensive but quality pump to use here and there, not in the tank itself, just whenever i want to take large amounts of water in and out or transfer from various buckets and such. Thank you all...

Ah, okay, I was guessing that might be the reason, but I didn't know one way or the other. Yea, I used freshwater (just doing what the book said!). Thanks for your quick answer!

Hi there, I have a brand new set-up (plumbed by the aquarium store folks). Following the advice in the book I was reading, I filled it with water and turned on the pumps to make sure there weren't any leaks. Everything seems to be running fine with no leaks, but I noticed that the protein skimmer just isn't producing many bubbles at all. Is this normal when there's nothing but plain water in the tank, or is this a problem needing fixing? Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

[sorry, reposting this as a main topic, 'cause i didn't get much response when i tagged it onto the end of an older thread] can ya'll tell me the advantages and disadvantages of using either a water filter or municipal water? right now, i'm leaning toward not using a filter and just dechlorinating and dechloraminating (is that a word?). i know fairfax county does free chlorine part of the year and chloramine the rest of the year, should i still worry about both year-round, or just in the switchover months? do i need to find out how much of each is in the water, and if so how do i do that? also, i read that fairfax is planning to start (not sure when) adding ozone to the water to enable it to decrease the amount of chlorine/chloramine added to the water. what do i need to know about ozone? thanks.

Also, if going with the municipal water option... I was on the Fairfax water people's website and they say they're planning on moving to adding ozone and reducing the amount of chlorine/chloramine used. do i need to worry about the ozone at all?

can ya'll tell me the advantages and disadvantages of using either a water filter or municipal water? right now, i'm leaning toward not using a filter and just dechlorinating and dechloraminating (is that a word). i know fairfax county does free chlorine part of the year and chloramine part of the year, should i still worry about both year-round, or just in the switchover months? thanks.

Hi, I'm a newbie looking for a little help. I am planning on buying a 150gal aquarium (hopefully tomorrow!), but I'd like to hear some pros and cons on dimensions. There are two tanks I'm considering now; one is slightly taller, deeper (front to back), and shorter (left to right) (48"L x 24"W x 30"H), the other is long but narrower and slightly shorter (72"L x 18"W x 28"H). What do you all prefer? Is one easier to maintain, easier to aquascape, easier to make look good, easier to keep certain types of fish/coral in? Is it simply a matter of taste? Any thoughts and advice would be helpful. Also, does anyone have any comments on Annandale SuperPets? That's the place where I was looking at the two aquariums. I'll check out Wally's, too, since I live between the two. Any thoughts would be appreciated, including other stores that might have more options or cheaper prices. Thanks!