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I want a heater for a 55 gallon tank. I really like the ViaAqua Titanium (always wanted a titanium thermometer), but then I saw the Hagen E-series. Both seem to get good reviews. Can anyone with experience with either tell me about their experiences, or suggest something else?

I have an old Canon film camera that I'd like take tank pictures with. I'd also like to use it to take tank pictures at the local aquarium (so no tripods allowed). I am debating between the Canon 50mm and the 100mm macro lens. I know the optics are better with the 100mm, but it seems to me...

I bought a refractometer from Marine Depot a few years ago. It's worked perfectly---until this week. Now it seems to register only 1.021 for both of my tanks and fresh seawater. When I put pure water in, it does register 1.000 though. After looking at the instructions again, it says to...

I have a longnose hawkfish and a chromis in my tank, and I'd like to add an arrow crab I saw at the LFS. I know longnose hawkfish may attack/eat hermit crabs and ornamental shrimp, but what about arrow crabs? Am I giving the hawkfish a new tank mate, or dinner? :confused:

I just got a bucket of Seachem's MarineSalt from the LFS. It's a white bucket with a blue lid. To open the container, I'm supposed to tap an inside edge of the lid with a hammer in a counterclockwise direction, and then unscrew the lid. To close, reverse the process. The bucket makes 160...

I just used my Instant Ocean Hydrometer to test the water before a water change. It read 1.026! I used a digital scale to measure the correct amount of salt to pour in (I checked the scale by weighing a pile of quarters), and an air pump mixed the water overnight. Usually it reads 1.024 or a...

I was at the local Lowe's and saw replacement carbon and sediment filters for their home RO units. Is there any difference between these filters and what I buy at my LFS? Do the ones from the LFS last longer, or is it six of one, half of dozen of the other? :confused:

I have a CPR Bak-Pak skimmer which is about 5 years old, and lately it's been making buzzing noises. Otherwise it still functions fine. Does the whole powerhead need to be replaced, or do I just need to replace the impeller?

I have gone through three powercompact fixtures in about 6 years. Things are just fine until one morning I wake up and the light's off, and there is a burnt smell in the room. I assume that means the ballast burned out. The 48" bulbs in my kitchen are still going strong after 6 years. Do...

I have a 100 GPD membrane in my RO filter, and I usually output no more than 7 gallons of water per week. The manufacturer recommends changing the membrane every 2-3 years. Since I run so little water through it, will the membrane last even longer than 3 years? If so, about how much? Just...

I have an AquaC Remora Pro, with the Mag Drive 3 pump. One day the powerhead fell off the skimmer. I remounted it, plugged it in, nothing happened. Unplugged it again, plugged it back in, still nothing. I thought maybe the powerhead sucked in some sand or other stuff to gum up the works. I took...

I have a 37 gallon tank with a chromis, a longnose hawkfish, some mushroom corals, star polyps, and a devil's hand leather coral. I know that longnose hawkfish like shrimp and hermit crabs the same way I like pizza. :laugh: Keeping that in mind, what can I put in the tank to take care of the...

I just received a 65W PC bulb in the mail. When I tipped it from side to side, I could hear something rattling inside. I plugged the bulb in, and it works just fine. Is this something I should worry about? Should I exchange it?

Pretty soon I will replace the membrane in my RO filter. I make roughly 15-20 gallons of water per WEEK, so I assume a 35 GPD membrane will more than suit my needs. What I would like to know is what else would I be getting if I bought a 75 GPD membrane instead. Could I use it twice as long...

My girlfriend paid me a visit last week, and she brought with her a chocolate chip star. :D So far, I have learned that it eats brine shrimp pellets and freeze dried krill. Looking on the internet, it seems this will eat practically anything. What I would like to know is: how often and...

My tank is bereft of animal life except a Sand Sifting Sea Star--power failure. :( I used to have a cleaner shrimp in there, which prevented me from putting in a longnose hawkfish. Well, I would like one in there now. But what would eat the uneaten food? The hawkfish would eat any kind...

After the last power outage, my Sand Sifting Starfish was not happy. Part of a leg fell off, but thankfully it's regenerating. :D I was thinking about hooking up a UPS to my tank. The power supply in my computer is rated for 400 W. The heater in the tank runs 150 W but of course not all...

A friend has offered me some LR teeming with bristleworms. I have a sand sifting sea star in my tank, and I was wondering if it will eat the bristleworms. Or are the bristleworms too fast for it?

My Remora Pro came in the mail today. :D When I took the Mag Drive 3 powerhead out of the box, I noticed that the pump cover was held in place by four metal screws. Should I switch those out for plastic screws? Metal in a saltwater tank is generally a bad thing, right?

My old CPR Bak-Pak 2R needs a new powerhead, and I am thinking of just getting a new skimmer. :D At some point I will upgrade to a 75 gallon tank, which is the maximum rating for the Remora. Will this skimmer work effectively on a 75 gallon tank, or do I really need the Remora Pro?

I saw a rather nice looking Pearlscale Butterfly at the LFS yesterday, but managed to resist the temptation of an impulse purchase. :D I have a 37 gallon without any fish in it at the moment. It does have hermit crabs, cleaner shrimp, mushroom corals, star polyps, and a devil's hand leather...

My old but reliable siphon has grown lots of algae on the inside of the tubing over the years. It still works, but it's a little unsightly. Anyone have some tips on cleaning it?

I have had this small LEGO motorboat which my sister got from a Happy Meal sitting on my desk for years. Then I thought: this would look cool half buried in the sand like a shipwreck! There are no metal parts like prop axles attached to the plastic which might corrode, as least far as I can...

I have watched this slowly grow in my tank over the last few months. I compared it with the green algae pictures in Hargreaves' book, but nothing in there really matches what I have. The pictures there are describe filamentous, feathery stuff, or broad blades or bubble-like growths. What I...

After using a Tetra pH test kit and test strips for years, I have considered getting a hand-help pH meter. It seems like it's a lot less trouble, less cleanup, no caustic chemicals, etc. But after doing a little research on the web, I found that you have to keep the probe in a storage solution...