amc23

Does anybody have the number of a handyman or plumber with experience sealing leaks on aquariums? I have a steady leak from my overflow bulkhead and have no idea how to seal it. I am not an avid DIY person, and am looking to hire somebody who has dealt with similar problems before. If nobody knows a professional but would be willing to come to Rosslyn to help me out with this, he would be generously compensated. This is not an emergency leak yet, but I am getting tired of putting a new towel down every couple days to catch the steady drip. Thanks! Alex

Thanks for all the help everyone--when I meant reef-safe my concern was both with the corals I have as well as the hermits and snails. I realize the lion is a danger to the inverts and not the coral, I was just wondering if anybody had opinion about dwarf lionfish being small enough to generally leave the hermits and snails and larger shrimp (3 inches) alone. Also, I will add one to the list-Newton's wrasse-this one is also more for inverts but I wondered if anybody has had one that decimated his/her cleanup crew. Thanks again everyone, I figured this would be a good weekend to post because everyone would be home :0) Alex

I have a reef aquarium but haven't put a whole lot of money into my corals, and while I love some of my simple larger pieces (hammer coral, sun coral, Duncan, some nice zoas and a big colt coral), I have found that I derive more enjoyment from watching my fish. I have therefore decided to push the envelope on reef-safe fish and if I lose a few corals or a few inverts, I am willing to accept the losses and try to incorporate coral and invert types that the offending fish will not or cannot eat. With that in mind, I am deciding which risky (Reef Safe With Caution) fish to add to my system. Can anybody give me any suggestions about the fish I have mentioned below or give different suggestions. Also, any tips on coral that these fish would be most likely eat or not eat would be helpful. Of course every fish has its own personality and taste, I am just talking about "general" observations. Thanks! Alex MajesticAngel Regal Angel Queen Angel Emperor Angel Lemonpeel Angel Dwarf Lionfish Spanish Hogfish Copperband Butterfly or Margined Coralfish (Chelmon marginalis)

The back is glass, and I am not sure yet what color I am going for. I am pretty much open to anything--thanks for the heads up on epoxy, that makes sense and i will make sure not to use it. Do others agree with the use of the superglue on glass? And does anybody know of a reason why zoas wouldn't work? I think it would look very cool, almost like a living garden, but worry that it might take too long for the zoas to spread, although I guess if I am using super glue I can put several frag disks on and see if they meet in the middle.

I had never thought of using zoas, don't think I have ever seen that. Would be pretty dramatic. Do you think the best way to get them started would be to put a flat rock with lots of zoas right up against the back wall and hope they migrate up?

Any suggestions? I want to epoxy something like galaxia to the back wall and have it spread so the backdrop looks alive. If anybody has already done this and wants to add a picture it would be much appreciated! Alex

I will try that this week, thanks for the advice! Alex

It is a gravity feed, which is why I think the balance of water in the aquarium vs. sump vs. overflow might change the intensity of the flow coming down after the pumps have been stopped. All of my pumps and the skimmer are on the same powerstrip and i turn them all off by turning off the powerstrip so the food doesn't get sucked up (also to get a break from the sound, which is pretty loud). I never had this problem until a week ago and am pretty baffled. Alex

I have an AP701 Deltec skimmer and I have had all kinds of trouble finding the proper levels for inflow, outflow, and air intake--for days there won't be any skimmate and then all of a sudden, overflow. I have been trying to make very small adjustments recently to find a perfect level, but ran into a new frustrating repeating issue. When I turn all of the pumps back on after a feeding, I immediately get 2-3 inches of water pour into the collection cup. I feed twice a day, which means i now have to empty the collection cup every day and it makes it impossible to find the correct adjustments for the skimmer. Any thoughts on why this may be happening? It all started one day after I floated several new purchases in the tank, which perhaps displaced too much water into the overflow and sump? Alex

Success! I moved some of the rock and coral around and two days later the anthias were out and the Powder Blue has left them alone (for the most part). he keeps them on their toes but they are now eating and swimming freely at all hours. Thank you everyone for your advice. Alex

I have had 7 blue green chromis for about 8 months and just lost my first one last week. They really sparkle under the metal halides, will follow your hand if you wave it in front of the tank, and have never been aggressive in my experience. As for the shrinking schools, I think maybe they just have a short life span and shouldn't be expected to live for more than 2 years, and if you have 7-10 of them, you will lose 1 or 2 in the first year. At $7 per fish, I don't think that is an unacceptable loss. I feed 1-2 times per day and have very good, but not pristine water conditions. I have been very very happy with the chromis and definitely advise any novices (like me!) to get a school given a large enough setup. Alex

Thanks for the responses-I have tried to scoop him out but he is too fast. I can try rearranging the rock and the mirror trick. For the future i thought I might put any new fish in a hang-on container in the tank so the Powder Blue gets used to them being there? Any other ideas? Thanks Alex

I have a Powder Blue tang that has recently become very inhospitable to new tank members. Two months ago I introduced a mandarin dragonet and a big pink square anthia to the tank, and the powder blue immediately went after the anthia and chased and nipped it until the poor thing succumbed about a week later. He has always left the dragonet alone. I yesterday brought home a pair of smaller Evansi anthias, thinking that because they were smaller and a pair, he would leave them alone. Nope. The anthias acclimated well and came right out of hiding at the first feeding and the Powder Blue ignored the food (never happens) in order to terrify the new pair. For a day now he has been hanging around their hiding places waiting for them to come out so he can bully again. I am obviously very frustrated as the tang is a beautiful fish and I don't want to get rid of him. 1. Is there anything I can do to save these two new anthias? 2. For the future, any recommendations on adding my next fish? Thanks everyone Alex

Tried to add photos but the files were too big. How do I shrink them for uploading purposes? As far as the noise in the sump, I have considered attaching a PVC pipe or even some kind of netting to the wall which the water flows over. Rather than hit the water, the flow would hit this pipe and theoretically trickle down into the water for less of a splashing. Does this sound like something people have done? Alex

Thank you all for taking the time to provide descriptions of your techniques--I am going to take a few photos tomorrow and upload them. And if anybody thinks they can apply any of their own solutions on my tank once they've seen the photos, let me know. Thanks! Alex

Has anybody done creative work in their own tank to lessen the noise in the overflow box and sump? These two waterfalls are deafening in my living room and I am at a loss. Rather than experiment with several different options I have considered, I'd like to pay somebody for his/her time (and materials of course) if there is a handier person than I willing to help out. Please let me know if you think you might be able and available to help some time in the next 2-3 weeks. I live in Rosslyn near the metro. Best Alex

I'm in Rosslyn VA just across Key Bridge. Thanks for your help before, very much appreciated Alex

Awesome, thank you everybody for your quick and thoughtful responses. I will surely sign up for Wamas and add my details pronto! Best Alex

I have a 167 gallon reef tank with live rock, 7 blue green chromis, one racoon butterfly, one powder blue tang, one gold spotted rabbitfish, one flasher wrasse, a mated pair of percula clowns, pair of fire shrimp, pair of skunk cleaner shrimp, and a reef cleanup crew. I have a few questions that I think would benefit many new reefers-answer any that you feel strongly about, and thanks! FEEDING 1. Which of the following do you use, and what is/are the best product(s) on the market for: A.) frozen cubes B.) flakes C.) pellets D.) seaweed (for tangs/herbivores) 2. If I am not up to making my own mash of vitamins and fresh seafood etc, but would like to drop a treat in every now and again, what seafood is safe to buy from Whole Foods and is there any preparation besides cutting it to the right size? 3. Is there an automatic feeder that people are happy with for short vacations? 4. How much (in number of frozen cubes) would I feed 3 large fish (3-4 inches) and 10 small fish (1-1.5 inches) each day, assuming i can do a feeding at morning and at night. SUPPLEMENTS 1. I have a doser for Kalkwasser Mix (lime water)-what else do I need for the invertebrates and eventually coral? 2. What are good brands to buy? 3. How do I dose them? 4. I know I need Iodine for sure, what is a good brand and how do I add it and how often? CORAL Just getting into coral and I have 2X250 metal Halide lights and 4X54 T5 lights and good water flow. Any suggestions on how to begin? My water perameters are all good (calcium just getting to 400 now and nitrates very close to 0) 1. What are an ideal few species with which to begin? 2. Do i have to decide between doing LPS or SPS or can I do both by separating aggressive LPS from the acroporas, etc? 3. Are most zoas and mushrooms a threat to SPS? Thanks so much for all of your help, I really do appreciate it. Hopefully in a few years I can give back to some helpless rookie. Best Alex