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Wow, never realized they got this big. I have only seen smaller ones.

We were perform close up inspections of our tank today, and found this weird alien of a creature in one of my caves looking like he was going after a poor hermit crab (good size hermit crab I have to mention). When it first was out, it looked to be almost 4 inches in length coming out of the rock (god knows how long it truly is). When we finally got the camera out to take a pic, he went back in after the camera flash (guess he does not like light).Makes me not want to reach in that rock again. Someone help me identify this monster that will now haunt my dreams!

Hi All, Much thanks to origami today who has been mentoring me with my fish tank. Also much thanks today because he provided christmas in september for me by showing up with a candy cane coral, a green star polyp and a hammerhead coral. I intend to eventually have my rocks covered with various corals, but I am trying to determine good coral placement. I have provided an image of my tank and where I have just placed my corals. The one I am most concerned about, is the placement of the hammerhead coral, because it supposedly has tendrils that come out that are 6 inches long that can sting other coral. As you can see, I placed it on a rock in the center that can (1) proved a place where the coral will not get knocked off, and (2) a place where (I think) will provide a little distance from other potential coral placements. Can everyone provide their ideas on this current placements? I really don't want to keep moving them around and want to establish their final resting place. Thanks All!!!!

I was told when your tank is cycled you do a 50% water change (I assume to get rid of all the nitrates)

Hi all, I think my tank is close to if not fully cycled getting a confirmation today. If that is so, I will be doing my 50% water change today. Does anyone know what would be a good combination for a cleanup crew? My tank is overrun with algae right now (picture does not do it justice) and really needs to get some hungry critters. Also does anyone know a good LFS I could pick these little guys? If I do my 50% water change today, is it safe to put them in immediately after? I am not sure which snails are best, if I should be putting hermit crabs in and if a small shrimp to deal with some waste would be good (maybe a peppermint?).

Is that a product like Dr Tim's? Is it available at LFS' ?

origami... I sent you a pm. Also, I have officially joined wamas membership... can you check if that went through? Thanks! Pez

My Situation: I setup a Red Sea Max 250 about 3 weeks ago. At first I was informed that I should keep all lights off and protein skimmer off. A week into it, I was advised to throw a couple shrimp in to accelerate the cycle process, which I did (2 table shrimp). after a week or so it appears the table shrimp had dissolved, but from my APC tests I really did not notice any differences with the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate levels (to be honest, I am not sure if I am judging the shades on the tests correctly. Yesterday I went to Blue Ribbon Koi and they performed a full test: Salinity: 1.020 PH: 7.8 Ammonia: .40 Nitrite: 0 Nitrate: 0 Phosphate: .25 mg/L Alk: 185 ppm GH/KH They mentioned that my ammonia is about peaked and that I may have about 1.5 weeks or so before the cycle is complete. Also they recommended I turn on my lights, which I have. I turned on my protein skimmer, but I am not sure if it is working properly (or I am just doing it wrong - I could use advice). Also per their recommendation, I bought 3 baby blue/green chromis, which I adjusted to the tank and released (they seem to be doing ok (noone floating). I have to admit I was not ready to admit fish in yet, but brk said that it would help introduce the bacteria for eating the ammonia and nitrites. At this point, my head is swimming as I am trying to do everything just perfect (the guy at brk said I am being too freaked out), but I am a bit of a perfectionist in things I get into. What I have been dying for, is someone to just come over... inspect things, advise me and put my mind at ease, as again, I am freaking out a bit. What I would like to chat about: I was wondering if there was anyone in the Leesburg area that could drop by and examine my setup to relieve some of my anxieties. I only need like 20-30 min of your time to help me out with advise on my current tank cycle, tuning my protein skimmer, if I need a chiller, my water flow, rock setup, light cycle, and overall condition of my tank. I could also use some advice in terms of things that I should add to the tank to improve my overall setup. I will by you a case of your favorite beer!

Thanks all for the great advice... Finding this place is much better than some other forums I have frequented. The tank is currently 82 with the lights off, so I think before I get fish & coral I am going to have to invest in a chiller.... I am not sure why the tank is running at such a hight temp when he ambient temp is around 75. I find it hard to believe that the pumps are creating this heat, or maybe it it is the checmical/biological process in my tank generating the heat? All that being said, anyone recommend a chiller to use with a 65 gallon red sea max? I might have to look into craigslist or something to get an inexpensive used one (initial investment cost of the tank, rock, sand, water, etc, etc were a hit to the wallet). I am getting varied responses from different folks on if I should leave the shrimp in the tank to dissolve or take it out once the ammonia gets up... any input? Also right now I have mech and bio filters running, but I am wondering if I should enable the protein skimmer since I put the shrimp in there to rot?

Thanks! Should I have my lights on?

I just threw in my shrimp (got 2 and give them each a quick squishing blow). Currently I have my mechanical and biological filters on in the Red Sea Max, but the protein skimmer is currently off. Should I enable it, since a protein item is now in the tank? Also, do I just leave the shrimp until they completely dissolve, or do I take them out after a while?

No lights are running at this time... the tank is in a room with plenty of ambient light (room full of windows), but absolutely no direct sunlight. I have heard even with the aquarium lights off I will get this stuff?

Coral Hind - From what I have heard, I am going to have a mess of a tank after the cycle is complete (lots of different algae's brown, red,green hairy, etc) don't I want a cleanup crew to clean this up before I put a fish in?

Coral Hind - What is Prime?, and is bio-load some sort of product with bacteria in it? Being that I am taking more of the natural cycle approach, do I need to use that? I am hearing from some folks not to worry about the Ph right now. I don't think there is anyway I am close to a finished cycle... I am only at the 36 hour mark (30 since turning on the pumps). Can both of those aiptasia products be used while the rock is still in the tank? I really would prefer not having to pull all my rock back out. Also, how do I look for these little buggers? I don;t know if I have any, but I have heard that anyone getting live rock is probably going to get them. Last note: shouldn't a cleanup crew come before the fish? What would you recommend for a cleanup crew? I have heard stay away from any crabs. Surf n turf - Thanks! Sharkey - If my ammonia hits zero, then won't my bacteria die since they have nothing to feed off of? How long should I leave the shrimp in? Should the cleanup crew be added when the ammonia hits zero or slightly before (in order to have a consistent supply of ammonia/nitrate/nitrite to feed off of)? Skimming and manual cleaning I understand, but what is with the macroalgae? I might come back to you with some questions about the skimmer in the RSM.. I am not quite sure to where it should be adjusted and I am not quite sure how these protein skimmers work to begin with. In terms of phosphate control, what is used for that? a phosphate reactor? RSM said that its system should handle everything, is there other ways to handle phosphate? BTW that is one expensive quarantine tank! Origami - Thanks! Jon - Thanks, I have actually been on that blog, and am glad to see he is on this forum.

Wow! Lots of responses here Thanks all for the welcomes and great info! Coral Hind - What test kits do you recommend? Honestly I wish there was something other than these shades of color matching, because I don't trust my judgement on some of them (the nitrate test I can't tell the difference between the 2.0 and 5.0 shades). Also what is the best way to adjust the alkalinity, and should I be doing that during the cycling process? Also since i just added the water, could that be the reason? (Maybe the effects of sand and rock hasn't occurred yet?). Thanks for the link for the water paramaters. Origami - Will look into that.. Nice to know there are SW folks in the area Surf & turf - Thanks... I do have 1 single piece that is leaning a little bit against the back glass.... is that a problem? Zygote - Wow! Errr... you are the very first person who has mentioned this version of the trickle method... LOL. What test kits do you recommend? Honestly I wish there was something other than these shades of color matching, because I don't trust my judgement on some of them (the nitrate test I can't tell the difference between the 2.0 and 5.0 shades) BRK & MS are great... The lfs I was referring to was Vienna Aquarium (relocated to leesburg).. Will look into refractometer. Is atlantic peppermint shrimp different than a standard variety? Was vienna pulling my leg about them eating corals? Is this the best way to rid myself of the aiptasia? As for the algae cycle, from what I understand this occurs during the ammona > nitrate/nitrate > bacteria > no ammonia cycle right? from what I have heard I will go through a brow algae, then a red one, and then some of the stringy green algae and then the good purple stuff right? can I add them when the green stuff starts arriving or should I wait till no ammonia?

Dkh? Is that the general hardness test that they had on their 5 in 1 strip? Is that alkalinity? Forgive my ignorance.

Issue 1 - Test Kits I find it odd that I saw such a different reading on the ph level as my LFS. The reading of 7 vs 7.9 is major. As mentioned I used the API Saltwater Master Test Kit (using drops) while my LFS used the API 5 in 1 test strip. Is there a difference in reliability? Should I use the strips? Also my kit tests ammonia while the strips do not. The strips test General and Carbonate hardness while mine does not. I could use some recommendations on what I should be testing, and what are the best things to test with. Issue 2 - Ph From the previous issue, my LFS said the Ph is quite low. They recommended using marine buffer, but I am not sure if I should wait on that. From what I understand, the sand and the rock increase and stabilize Ph (is this accurate?) and since I just added my RO/DI stripped saltwater last night , that could explain the low ph and the PH could rise over the time of the cycle. Also, should I be changing anything since my cycle just started last night? Issue 3 - The Cycle I have heard from multiple people that some folks throw dead shrimp in their tank to kickstart the ammonia levels in their tank. As I understand it, the ammonia breaks down into nitrates and nitrites which feed bacteria (is this accurate?) My LFS guy said he never heard of that and that the live rock I got should shed and start its own ammonia cycle and he recommends against the shrimp. I have been hearing that the cycle of ammonia > nitrite/nitrates > bacteria > zero ammonia would be 2 weeks, some say 4, some say 6. What is the general consensus here? I have also heard of people performing multiple cycles to build up more bacteria/maintaining bacteria. The explanation being that once the bacteria eats all the nitrates/nitrites, if it is all gone they die since there is nothing to eat, so once the ammonia levels go down to minimal, he throws more shrimp in and kickstarts the cycle all over again. Can anyone comment on the validity of the bacteria dying off if the ammonia is gone? Is there a cycle guideline that covers every intricate detail? Issue 4 - Start Up Product The LFS that provided our saltwater said that since half of our rock is dead rock, we should use something called "Start Up" from a company called Prodibio. Here is the description: START UP together in the same package STOP AMMO START and START Biodigest. It allows to quickly start the biological filtration of aquarium and then introduce a few hours after the first fish. START UP NANO may be also used to treat a nitrite peak. START STOP AMMO is a product based on extracts of specific plants whose main property is to trap the nitrogen from ammonia. Biodigest START is composed of bacterial natural nitrifying, denitrifying and optional selected for their ability to quickly initiate the nitrogen cycle and thus to transform the ammonia into nitrites, nitrates and nitrites into nitrate nitrogen. START UP allows you to rapidly introduce third of your toughest fish in your aquarium (after 4 hours in fresh water after 12 hours in seawater). This seems counter-productive to the natural cycle process correct? Should I use this product? What are the advantages vs disadvantages? Issue 5 - Aiptasia I was told that if you get live rock you will probably get aiptasia no matter where you get it. Now one of the tricks I heard was getting Peppermint Shrimp which love aiptasia, but my LFS guy said that sure it does, but once it is done with the aiptasia it will go after my coral. That is the last thing I want! I have heard of injections you can use, but I don't think I am experienced enough for that. I also heard other methods which involve taking the rock out, but I have that stuff in there exactly as I want it, and I really don't want to take it out. Does anyone know of an easy method to get rid of the stuff before it comes time to add my corals? Issues 6 - Water temp At this point in time, our water temp is 80 degrees. Our house ranges from 73-76 degrees. At the time I added the water, I did not have a thermometer, so I was not able to read the temp then. How long will a 65 gallon tank adjust to the ambient temperature in a room? There is no direct sunlight on the aquarium (there is ambient light from a well lit room - lots of windows - again no direct sunlight). Issue 7 - Red Sea Max I was wondering if anyone here has experience with a red sea max (I have the 250). I was wondering what issues people may have come across and how they resolved them. I am also interested in tweaks people have made to the system as an example I have heard of people adding chillers, powerheads, phosphate reactors, UV filters, etc. Any input into this system and its shortfalls would be greatly appreciated! Issue 8 - The good stuff! After the cylce is complete, what are the recommendations on what to add to the system at the beginning. I have heard of snails and hermit crabs to get rid of the crap that will grow during the cycling period. Anyone have recommendations on which ones? Also how long till I can add corals and fish? should fish come first, or corals? Any input is appreciated! I think that is it for my questions, but any other tips and tricks for a beginner would be awesome! Thanks all !! Pez

Hi all! I am new to the community and last night was the start of our (my wife Huly just joined as well) Reef Aquarium adventure! A couple weeks ago, we were privileged to be able to get our hands on a Red Sea Max 250 (65 gal). We figured the all in one setup would be good for rookies to the saltwater game and allow us a little leniency in our inexperience. We have been talking to a million folks and reading articles, blogs, forums and books. The only downside to that of course is that everyone has their own way of doing things (frustrating for someone looking for straight answers). I setup the stand and the main tank along with the hood. While the systems itself is very cool and sleek looking, their instructions could use a bit more details and diagrams for those of us that are rookies with this equipment and don't fully understand their relationships (a youtube vide of a tank setup would be even better). Frustrations arose (specifically around the installation of the skimmer), and I cursed red sea max several times, but in the end, I got it done. My wife and I are from Leesburg, VA, and we found a jewel of a place in Catharpin, VA called Blue Ribbon Koi (apparently well known on here) who were extremely knowledgaeble and were great folks to talk to about my setup. Given that we were initially setting up the system and I wanted 40 lbs+ of live rock, we took a trip up to That Fish Place in Lancaster, PA (yeah about a 2.5 hour drive) where we were able to pick up about 40 lbs of live rock and about 30 lbs of dead rock (some really cool pieces) for about 300 bucks (they have a big summer discount going on). I already had some sand (2x40lb bags of CaribSea Ocean Direct Live Sand + 5 lb bag) from the guy I got the aquarium from. We ran out to Marine Scene for a buttload of 5 gallon tanks of RO/DI saltwater and some RO/DI freshwater (for top offs and other necessities). I thoroughly hosed down the dead rock till it ran clear and stacked the dead rock at the base and the live rock on top (girl at that fish place said no need for rinsing the rock as the stuff that comes off helps with the cycling of the tank. I hope that by stacking the live on top, that it seeds the rock below it. In the process of the stacking I made sure to create lots of caves and swim throughs so that my fish have a big playground! I took the hose again and thoroughly rinsed my live sand for about 10 min per batch making sure that I was scooping through all the sand and hopefully getting rid of all the dust and any fine particles or whatever else should not be in there. We put the sand in the tank making sure to spread it fairly evenly throughout the tank and all around the rocks. I then started process of filling the tank with the saltwater.... this thing takes a lot of water! The proceses of filling the tank of course swirled the water (though I was spilling the water on the rocks trying to avoid direct pouring on the sand). after all was said and done we had...... a nice milky tank! LOL... Where did our rocks go? The tank cleared significantly after about 6 hours, so I kicked off the pump leading through the filtration section and the pump that leads through the heating section of the tank. I did not turn the skimmer on, becuase I figure there is no protein to process and I did not turn the heater on because the water was already around 80 degrees (still is after about 12-14 hours). The tank has really cleared up and the pumps seem to be doing their jobs. One thing that I did not mention, is that while I did keep the carbon bag in the red sea max filtration system (after rinsing of course), I replaced the contents of the biological bag (some sort of chalky white cylindrical objects) with a bunch of little chunks of live rock with a larger piece sitting on top of that bag. This has been recommended by a few folks I have talked to. As of now, the tank has been running with the filtration pumps since about 4:00am this morning (was up due to a long night of work). The tank looks good and I performed my first set of tests.. I also took some water in to a LFS to confirm my scores. Here is what I got from my Coralife Deep Six Hydrometer: Specific Gravity/Salinity PPT: 1.025 to 1.026/34 Here is what I got from my API Saltwater Master Test Kit: Ammonia: 0 to 0.25 Ph: 7.9 nitrite: 2.0 nitrate: 20 Here is what my LFS got from using API 5 in 1 Aquarium Test Strips: Ph: 7 (way off from what I got) nitrite (NO2): 0 nitrate (NO3): 20 General Hardness (GH): 60 Carbonate Hardness (KH): 80 I am going to compile a list of questions and concerns I have in my next post, but for right now, here are some pics of the tank: