barderer

Depends what kind of pistol. I have found once pistols reach a certain size they will start to attack ALL that ventures in front of their hole. Of course it also depends on what species of pistol.

yes and yes they are very peaceful.

Your limestone rock is "live" rock in the sense that it is a surface that is hosting bacteria. Which is the prime function of "live" rock. Its all about surface area. The reason coral based rock is better is because it has tons of little holes in it, thereby increasing the total surface area available for colonization. Also, different types of bacteria thrive under the various surfaces of the rock. Some prefer the conditions deep inside the rock. e.g. aerobic and anaerobic nitrifying bacteria. Coral based rock is also better in a reef system because it is made up of aragonite which is a less mature form of limestone. Aragonite has the same chemical formula as calcium carbonate but a different geometric arrangement of its elements. Aragonite dissolves at a higher pH which is why it is considered better in a tank than calcium carbonate (limestone). But this is primarily only a concern for reef systems. So long and sort of it is your texas limestone is the perfectly fine for a FOWLR system as it is alive and does serve the structure function. Its just not as "alive" as a aragonite rock. If you wanted to make it better, you could drill small holes in it, increasing total surface area. Nick

I believe the point is to remove any non rock material that is on the rock. Such as dried up detritus. But seems like a pressure wash with the old hose would be good enough for that. I am personally starting to become a fan of starting with dead rock and having total control of what goes into the tank.

why not just boil it? And then let it soak in water for a few weeks changing the water ever so often.

update: I have done some intense peppermint shrimp research and identified the species I have as L. wurdemanni e.g. the true peppermint shrimp. They love rock anemones. Most of the time what you get from the pet store is from Florida and they are L. rathbunae. The reason you see these is because they use lobster traps to catch these things, so they can catch 100's of them for cheap. Problem is, while they look like the rock anemone eating variety they rarely express any interest in them. So most of the time what you get from the store is L. rathbunae !!! And you wonder why your rock anemones are still there! So if you want some real deal L. wurdemanni let me know.

I like the hardcore look. No frills tank

yes there are still plenty available, my pm should be working now too.

My PM system is currently experiencing some issues so if you have questions please post to this thread for now. Or contact me at nckff %%AT^& yahoo.com. Replace %%AT^& with a @. (Avoiding spam bots) Nick

largest are about two inches. If you have a lot of good rock work the shrimp may be able to avoid your grouper, but I'd imagine once your grouper reaches a certain size it will eat anything that can fit in its mouth.

Hi all, Have a ton or peppermint shrimp for sale. timy pico sized ones, small nano sized and monster big tank size available. 5 bucks a pop, minimum order 3 shrimp. Thanks, Nick

sent you a pm days ago.

those are def tight.

k, where are you located?

I am interested as well but would like to see water params.

I am looking for a small fish to put in a 30 gal that has similar eating habits to a tang. E.G. eats macro algae. Any ideas? I was thinking tail spot blenny but I am worried about him nipping at SPS as my old bi color blenny did that.

could have been a bacterial infection. I had one nuke my acropora a few months ago.

dang I hate loosing puffers, the seem so much smarter than other fish.

so is it 4 or 8 heads? That is a big spread N

"uncomfortable", if someone invites you then why feel uncomfortable? your going to have to get used to going to people's houses to do trades. Great chance to meet people with a common interest and see another tank/ides. We aren't going to kill ya!

what is the salinity in your QT tank? You should be slowly dropping it down.

their prices are pretty steep. The have it at http://www.thatpetplace.com for 19. decisions!

Was just at aqua dome today and they have a lot of coco worms for 20 bucks. If you have wanted one for a good price now is the time. Got mine

Doe anyone care for Psammacora in their tanks. If so what type of lights etc? What are the care requirements? Thinking about giving it a shot.