Recent content by Brad McLaughlin

Acrylic will block your water flow unless your putting a bunch of holes in it. If there going in the main tank together I wouldn't separate them now. Better to make sure everyone's good in a small tank before you have to chase one in your main tank to get it out. Brad McLaughlin Tampa Bay Area

Soft corals only I would go led every day of the week. Much cheaper and looks good to. As for the filters I would like to know the gallons per hour. Assuming they both move enough water to properly filter the tank, why not add some valves to the return lines and use them both. Use the...

Hanks right your problem is your water quality and maybe the lighting. How long are the lights on each day. I would never recommend doing more than a 40% water change unless your fish were in danger. Changing that much water messes with your pH buffers and could shock and kill your fish...

Well to better put you in the right direction let's point out the rules of thumb. The bigger the tank the better. More water means any changes will take longer to effect larger tanks making them easier to correct. Water conditions can change drastically in small tanks. Besides having proper...

Send a picture of your sump. Either the outlet to your chiller or skimmer is draining close to your return pump line or your return pump doesn't have a 90 on it. Probably could be solved by putting a 90 degree pipe fitting on your return pump facing down but send a pic of the sump anyway so we...

When you get the guppies I'd get only the males. They are smaller so produce lest waist and have very colorful tail fins. Keeping all males will help prevent a guppy outbreak that takes over the tank. If your ok spending a little more you could get a rose line shark as a main fish. They are...

Pretty much anything water resistant can be used. If you get something less rigid you will need to install braces so it could cost you the same as getting a better material. Brad McLaughlin Tampa Bay Area

Changing your media can start the cycle process all over again since that's where it grows. Lower your pH levels with drift wood, Peet moss, almond leaves, or use ro water. Any one of these should lower your pH and get your cycle back on. Brad McLaughlin Tampa Bay Area

I agree the nitrate readings could be from the tap and the cycle hasn't started yet. Could also be if you got anything from the old tank in there then it has already grown. My best practice when setting up a new tank is to take a small peice of the filter from an established tank and add it...

Did you remove the carbon from your filter. Most of the medicines tell you to in the instructions but carbon can pull the med from the water slowing the process. Brad McLaughlin Tampa Bay Area

Hey, welcome to the hobby. Can you share your possible home locations. The size of the area or areas you want the tank will dictate how big of a tank you can get. Be sure to check for air vents blowing at the tank, power supplies, and if a window is near by. Vents and windows can cause temp...

You could find a bowl shaped rock and place it upside down on a water stone. Create an underwater island with a fresh air source for him and it looks allot better than the plastic ones you can buy. Brad McLaughlin Tampa Bay Area

Hey, welcome back to tank parenthood! Best thing you can do in my opinion is to decide your end result and work backwards. Some people want a large display fish with a few small mates, some want a mix of smaller colorful fish to give lots to look at, and others want a species tank. Find the...

I'm so glad to here you got a bigger tank! Only thing you may learn to hate about it is its depth. As you grow your hobby you will want a tank that's deeper giving growing fish more room to turn and for more room to aquascape. This tank will be good for a year or two. Let talk about your...

Trust me... most of us buy new our first time and never do it again. You can get a nice 55g full kit for less than 100 bucks. Just bleach any used equipment before setting up your tank. Brad McLaughlin Tampa Bay Area