Need advice BEFORE I set up!

[Ericwm]

I remember somebody wanted a pic of it but forgot who.

[carey]

Nice looking lid! Mine works but isnt nearly as pretty. lol
Good job.

[Callen]

It was me! and Carey is right...it does look good! All of those parts came with the BRS kit?

[Ericwm]

Originally Posted by Callen

It was me! and Carey is right...it does look good! All of those parts came with the BRS kit?

Thanks. And yeah, everything I needed to do both sides of the tank.

[Ericwm]

Originally Posted by Ericwm

Thanks. And yeah, everything I needed to do both sides of the tank.

And enough mesh to cover a bunch more tanks.

[Callen]

Someone please tell me about auto top offs. I'm thinking I might need one. Came home today and the return was blowing bubbles. Guess we forgot to add water last night. My fish were not happy!

Please give me pros-cons on the various types. I looked on BRS and there are a lot of options there.

[Callen]

What are good shrimp to add and how many should I put in my 75? Is my tank mature enough? It has been running for 5+ months now

[Ericwm]

I can't tell you much about ATOs except that I want/need one. My 90gallon can only go 2 days without me topping off so if I go away for long I could be in trouble.

As for shrimp, I added a skunk cleaner to my tank after 2 or 3 months. It did great, my guess is you will be fine. I also like the fire shrimp, I have one of each in my 29 reef. I don't think it is how many you need as much as how many you want within reason. They scavenge for food but they still have a little affect on the bio load.

[Sniperhank]

The JBJ ato is great. Have mine paired with an aqualifter to slowly trickle water into my sump and keep things topped off.

[Callen]

Does saltwater go bad? I mixed my water last Thursday added a heater but didn't get to do the water change over the weekend. Nitrates were only at 10 so I didn't feel too rushed. Wondering if I can still use the water?

[Sniperhank]

I used to mix my water for a week just out of laziness. Also, isn't it past your bedtime?

[Callen]

Ha! I could say the same for you, Sniper! This the only time of day I get to catch up on the things I enjoy. The rest of the day is work and kids.


Thanks for the reply though. I won't worry about this batch of water.

[Sniperhank]

Ya, as long as it is covered and in a container that won't leach anything into it there won't be any issues...aka what we should be doing to begin with.

[Callen]

Please tell me what protein skimmer you recommend for my 75. I need to be very exact in telling my family what to get!

[Callen]

Ok let me put this another way: the semi-LFS recommended a reef octopus 110, which they conveniently sell. I looked online at BRS and there are so many I can't decide! I thought I read somewhere that you should buy a skimmer rated for a larger tank than you have. Am I making that up?

[Sniperhank]

Yes, one rated larger is a good idea. 1-1.5x larger is ideal. Don't go too big or it won't ever skim...I made that mistake.

[Callen]

What do you mean it won't skim?! If it is too big, it really won't work?

[Sniperhank]

Yeah, it requires so much to be able to produce skim and the larger ones need large amounts of protein to reach the bucket. To simplify it.

[Callen]

I just got back from vacation and this is how's sand looks! My mom came by and fed 1x day. Is this diatoms on top? And what causes the bubbles and brownish red along the glass? What is the remedy?

[Callen]

Oops. Here's the photo. I'm totally embarrassed by how dirty it looks.