DaJMasta

ATO is sold, the tank and T5 fixture are pending. Lowered a couple of prices for all of you cheapskates

In a tank that size, I'd say yes... just because especially only with fans for cooling, it will take quite some time for the effect to be noticeable on the overall temperature. That is a big tank, after all.

Most I've heard mentioned come from ebay. Cheap low power strips that are flexible... not sure how well they really work, but they could certainly grow chaeto (doesn't take much), but it would probably be a more effective nutrient sponge with more light.

Replied, ATO pending.

So I've got some equipment that I'd like to get out of my tiny apartment. All of it works well, and almost all of it is used. Here's a pic of everything and a breakdown of what's there and how much it is: 150W Coralife clamp on metal halide fixture - SOLD 36W Nova Extreme T5 fixture - SOLD JBJ ATO Setup - SOLD 15 pound bag of Seachem Onyx substrate - SOLD 7.5G Mr. Aqua Bowfront rimless tank - SOLD Aquaclear filter modified to be a HOB refugium - SOLD AquaticLife internal mini protein skimmer 115 - SOLD Kent blackwater extract, misc porous filter media (bio filter in freshwater tanks), small container of freeze dried bloodworms - $whatever each JBJ Nano Glo 4x1W LED Refugium light - SOLD I have somewhat limited availability during the day , but I can work a pickup time out - especially if you don't mind coming at night. I live in the city near 51st and Lamar, and thanks to not having a car I can't deliver anything to you. If you're interested in something, or many somethings, shoot me an offer and if it's good we'll make a deal. Drop me a line if you have any questions, I'll check back on the forums pretty regularly, but by email to robodude1010 at comcast dot net would work too.

Use your biggest cheapest pot to boil it all - then move it out to the sun to dry. May not dry real quickly in this weather though..... Chlorine bleach seems like a bad idea.... that rock is very porous and it is very toxic.

There are quite a few parasitic marine isopods... generally clearish with black eyes and pill bug shaped (pill bugs are also isopods). While I've heard of many that are fish predators, I don't know of coral predators - but it's certainly a possibility. This is the chuck's page that mentions them, there are a few additional links: http://www.chucksaddiction.com/hitchpods.html

This, though I'd say not all reproduce like mad either. I've had a few in each of my tanks and have never had an explosion of them. Some eat corals, the vast majority do nothing harmful.

Wouldn't be palytoxin, could be something else. Chemical warfare with zoas and palys produces a distinctive smell when the toxin is released, but it usually doesn't piss off corals much. If the tonga piece was not cleaned or boiled, then it could be ammonia, it could be built up chemicals on the surface.... it could be a lot of things.

That is a TON of rock (looks like my tank ). I would definitely try to keep it a little lower to the ground when you scape it out, maybe even drop some in the sump. Having space for corals and free swimming fish up top will be nicer to look at than trying to look around rockwork all the time, as neat as the tall caves and overhangs can be.

I still think the best method for variety and cost is to use primarily dead rock, but use a few pieces of nice looking pest free seed rock. Pest free can be hard to determine, but if it's from another aquarist's tank which is clean or is closely inspected you can determine a lot of what could be wrong with it. There's also the option of curing it a tub which would give you a lot more time to examine it for pests. Personally I like most of the hitchhikers I've gotten, and I think the biodiversity of some of the larger creatures that come in live rock is better for your tank than just going with all dead and whatever comes on frag plugs and stuff, but with enough additions it could get to a similar level. There's a risk involved though, and it's more expensive... no doubt there.

One of the pervasive myths is that SPS are more difficult to care for. In fact, there's little biological differentiation between SPS and LPS, so little that they are only categorized this way in the aquarium hobby and are diverse enough as groups that they can't accurately be described in terms of care level using those designations. That said, there are plenty of corals which generally follow with that rule, and with most of the SPS that are considered difficult to care for, it takes cleaner and more stable water parameters to bring out the full color of the coral, whereas LPS typically retain their color in less ideal conditions. This is a gross over-generalization though. Doing the reading is good, that should give you a good overview of what is needed. I'd say ask specific questions after that instead of just asking for general advice - you'll get better quality advice and more replies. As far as equipment goes, you'll need several major categories: Tank and plumbing Water circulation (powerheads, return pumps) Lighting Temperature control Waste removal (skimmer, refugium, algae scrubber, reactors, whatever) Then supporting equipment is something like: Water purification (RODI usually) Water testing Saltwater preperation Then before you add your main livestock: Live rock Substrate Clean up crew There's a lot of kinds of tanks out there and a lot of ways to go with things. If you want to keep corals lighting and flow requirements exist for each and should be heeded quite well - this is how they get most of their energy and release all of their waste. Have a plan for the kinds of corals you want to keep and the livestock you want in the tank before you put it together - do the research on what will eat or pick on what beforehand. And finally, just take your time. I wouldn't say there's a reason to wait long after doing your equipment research and making a proper plan, partly because it will take a while for the tank to get going. The first life in there will be your live rock, then a clean up crew of some sort. At that point it's usually recommended to wait a while, for some species quite a long time, before introducing them to the tank. It will take some time to get to a point where you can keep all of your parameters stable and having an established biological filtration system before you add other things is essential. Stock the tank gradually and keep a close eye on your parameters, as they say nothing good in a reef tank happens fast.

A wavebox can be a way to get a huge amount of flow without just cramming in more powerheads. I believe Mark added an MP40 recently too, maybe he can vouch for specifics, but I know that it's a powerful and well regarded powerhead. If your rockwork isn't too tall in the tank and you keep the flow relatively parallel to the bottom, you can deal with a higher flow pump without ripping the flesh off of anything. Still you may need to make sure there are lower flow zones in the tank for lps and the like.

Not too difficult to get to, I can probably come by on saturday, but I'll let you know for sure in the next day or two by PM. Don't hold them on my account, but if they're still there I will be interested.

Where are you located? If you're close enough I'd be interested in some of the SPS...

NPS gorgs really need to be in a NPS tank... High flow and suspended food pretty much constantly (I've seen 4-7 feedings a day), which means heavy filtration equipment at the very least. If you want to try to keep it though, try supplementing what you're feeding with phyto and a meaty very fine food, like oyster feast or some of the smaller coral blend foods.

If you're willing to meet me somewhere in austin I'd be interested in the forest fire digi, the unknown yellow acro, and the ora bottlebrush. I don't have a way to get to roundrock, otherwise I'd certainly pay you a visit

Any herbivore blenny should be fine, maybe they can be irritants but I would say most blennies don't even eat meat. That said, the info I see says the blue and gold is a herbivore, you sure it's not damage from irritation or damage from skirmishes with other tankmates? EDIT: Apparently what's commonly called the blue and gold blenny is different from the combtooth blenny. Combtooth blennies make up quite a number of species and are larger and not necessarily herbivores. Make sure the ID is correct and you've actually got a combtooth.

I doubt you'd be able to get rid of them all, but there's a chance - a natural starfish predator the harlequin shrimp. If you have other starfish or critters with tube feet I doubt they'd be a good idea (they eat the tube feet), and I'm not exactly sure whether they eat brittle stars.... but with a little research you should be able to tell. A lot of people don't keep them because their diet is only starfish, but it could help solve your problem. That said, I don't know for sure whether it would work. There are chemical options like a copper based ich treatment, but that will essentially kill any mobile invertebrate and could be bad for corals, so it is by no means a reasonable option. If you can't keep the numbers down I'd gladly take a few - I have some regular sized brittle stars but none of the mini ones.

I got my two at RCA and they were the first fish in the tank and survived since then including a move (though that's just under 5 months now I think). No secret to acclimating, I don't think I even used the drip method. They haven't jumped. I feed the tank maybe 4 times a week with a varied diet. Generally, the available chromis are tank raised and are extremely hearty. What parameters are you running? Specifically: salinity, pH, temperature.

I wish you luck on the tank, but that is rather heavy stocking and I'd be lying if I said I thought everyone in the tank would make it. I would reconsider the airline though, all that bubbling will end up splattering a lot of salt and organics (like a skimmer) on whatever is on top of or beside your tank. If you go with a power head of some sort, you get the increased air to water interface that you get with the bubbler (at least, if the tank surface doesn't have a skin), but you also get some more circulation around the rock, which reduces debris collection somewhat and makes better use of your rock as a biological filter.

It will keep them alive but they probably won't be fully colored. If they're in the top half or so of the tank they should do just fine, the bottom half may be a little low for some types of zoas, especially if the bulbs are old.

-1. Bad advice. You must account for water back siphon in the event of a power failure. If you only have a sump that can handle your equipment and nothing else, be prepared to flood your house. Well I didn't mean ignore that.... It's a good point though.

Big enough to fit your equipment is all that you need, that said having extra system capacity is a benefit and having space for a refugium or other goodies down there is always good. So you only need one that will fit your equipment, but I would recommend the largest standard sized tank that fits under your 55g. Standard sized tank just so that it's cheaper. If you're going with a premade sump of some sort, I'd get one with a lot of capacity.

Most of your 'filtration' will happen in your live rock and as long as you have proper flow. There is no need to use an external filter of any sort in most marine aquaria. That said, nutrient export in terms of a skimmer, a refugium or other place to grow chaeto or other macroalgae, or regular changes should be suitable replacements for mechanical filtration. You can run stuff in a reactor to help with certain compounds building up, you can run something like chemipure to keep several of them in check, and at times it is appropriate to run carbon in an external filter.... but these probably won't be necessary on your 55g. Having a sump helps because you have more space to fit everything (skimmer, fuge, etc) but also more water volume, meaning any waste or toxic chemicals which may get into the water are more diluted. It also helps oxygenate the water and can be useful for quarantining certain critters you may find.