Recent content by PB_Smith

it would have been better to add the trigger(s) last. How much of a size difference was there? Undulated triggers are often the ones who systematically kill everything else in the tank but they do tend to be more shy than other trigger types. You can have triggers together, but a rule of thumb...

Yeah, I removed the return pump, swapped the in/out connections and ran it in a 5 gallon bucket. The way I have my mini refugium tied into the tank with it's own pump I could probably turn off the main pump/filter and be fine for a day or more. that and circulation pumps/powerhead keep the...

Piranha, while cool and vicious looking with a reputation that is the tale of legend's, in captivity they are rather wimpy, nervous and an overall boring fish, IMHO. While it is true that a school can strip an animal rather quickly, if you looked closer it's a lot of skittish fish doing "hit &...

:thumb: I need to do the same with my pumps/powerheads. I ran vinegar solution through my main return pump and backflushed the chiller for about 4 hours the other day, big improvement in flow and chilling performance back to how it was when new. :)

what is happening is you are getting a vapor lock and it's causing it to restrict the flow. Increasing the hole size to at least 1" is also advisable. You don't need an overflow box, bot it makes life sooooooo much easier and avoids some potential problems. My system is drilled through the back...

unless you live within a few miles of the coast, you don't need the heater from May-October around here a chiller maybe, a heater, nope, LOL even with the chiller mine has been hitting 84 consistently. I have it set to turn on at 82 and off at 80, but this week it has been getting up to 84. I...

fish about the same as salt water, but inverts and coral are pretty sensitive to temps, especially coral. you can be safe with any South American fish in water anywhere from 76-86. they do come from the equator after all ;)

Those are sponges, pretty much harmless, no need to remove them and do dip.

IMO, YES! definitely overkill for a ten gallon. I imagine the reef keeper will cost more than everything in the tank.

what type of fish are you keeping? my little ten gallon of tetras and other south American fish stays at 85 and all is fine. most tropical fresh water fish can handle temps in the 80's easily, but check for your specific fish. 76 is the lowest recommended temp, so bumping it up isn't a problem...

:confused: only things I can think of is drastic temp change, drastic water parameter change or poisoning/contamination of some type. maybe stray voltage in the tank? and they had no signs of problems prior to this?

at that point you should have sighed and walked out. I can't begin to tell you how many times I have gone to a store, cash in hand ready to buy and left with nothing because of suspect fish. After being impatient succumbing to impulse buying and ultimately losing a tank of fish I had for over...

heater off or stuck on? how big is the quarantine tank? 10 fish is a lot to add to any tank at one time. Were they purchased from a local store or online? if a local store check and see if they had any issues with the shipment that you got the fish from. don't call and ask, go in and check...

Ok, just confused at your reply because all the pumps he mentioned are mag drives. by virtue of their design, electro magnets such as are used in these pumps have a "dead spots" where the polarity is essentially neutral and momentum keeps the impeller moving past those spots. If your pump...

what brushes and starting capacitors are you guys talking about? the mag drive pumps are electromagnet drives. There are no brushes, it is simply a coil of copper wire wrapped around a magnet whose polarity flips in accordance with the cycle of ac current. If it gets too hot and melts the...