Recent content by pwilk20

Could the heat of the three 96w PC cause them to go bad prematurely? The PSL hood has only one 3" fan. Is that enough? The bulbs get very hot. There is no room to add another fan :( . I am leaning towards building a new hood. If I do, should I stick with PC or VHO? Paul.

Thanks james, wish I knew about PSL would have never bought that crap :evil: . Anyway, would there be any benefit in going with the Icecap660? It goes for around $160 while my Workhorse ballasts are around $40. This large price difference makes me feel like the Icecap is far superior. Anyone...

I have a problem. I`ve been running my new PC lights (PetSupplyLiquidator.com) for about 3 weeks and already the bulbs (catalina brand) have developed dark spots! Can anyone recommend a better brand 96w PC? Straight pin or square, I`ll just change the endcaps. Could it be the ballast causing...

Cool :D Paul.

Gerald, Liverocks.com are great! I am through 2 weeks and my tank looks exactly like yours :fadein: . I also have these thin and long tenticals coming out of the rocks. They extend across the sand picking up particles, and then every 15 min or so, I can see the animal spitting out the sand...

As soon as I finished typing my reply, I glanced over at my polyps. There he was, a nickle size crab picking on the colony! :evil: Well, I got my answer, crabs are bad! Stood up to 2 am, managed to remove 5 of the critters :twisted: . There is still something making a clicking sound, mantis...

Well then, I guess time will tell :? . I`ll keep a close eye on them :twisted: . Thanks, Paul

Hi, are crabs dangerous to corals? My liverock (from Liverocks.com :D ) came with some small crabs and numerous other critters. Yesterday I purchased a pumping Xenia and some yellow polyps. I am now worried that the crabs will damage my corals. Should I get rid of them? If so, what`s the...

Ok, no shrimp then. I`ll try to go without lights for the rest of the cycle. Will this cause the good algae to die? And if so, will it eventually come back? Paul.

Hi, I started my cycle 4 days ago. Kept the lights on for 12 hrs. Now my beautiful rock from Liverocks.com is turning brownish. Is this normal? Should I leave the lights off during cycle? I`m afraid to loose the gorgeous purple/redish algae on the rocks. :cry: One more question. Should I add a...

I had the same question. Before knowing the differences in salt brands, I purchased the 200 gal Instant Ocean mix. The LFS charged me 69.99 + tax 8O :evil: . Then I found out that it contained heavy metals :evil: . I did not want to put it into my tank, so over 70 bucks down the drain. Now I...

OK, checked phosphates = 0 :D Ran some carbon through the container and it took care of the odor and taste :D Paul.

I have been making RO water and storing it in a 35 gal Rubbermaid container. The container was purchased brand new, I just rinsed it with hot water and started to trickle RO into it. Well, I am concerned because the plastic has a strong "rubber-plastic" smell to it. I tasted a cup of the RO...

After staying up half the night, I did come across a few successful long term DSBs. One is doing well for 9 years and another ran for 18 years 8O :D . Low bioload and annual recharges of the sandbed seems to be the way to go. As of now I am 99% set on a DSB, unless someone talks me out of it...

Ok, I was all set on doing a 4-5" DSB, until I read the horrors of hobbyists with DSBs. I understand that no matter what one does, the sand bed will crash in about 4 years. It will release phosphates and the algae will grow out of control 8O . I really like the look of sand over bare bottom...