Recent content by aveda6

Funny, I was just looking at the media kit that goes in the back. It seems interesting. I've always had sketchy luck with media. I need to get more proactive with my water changes. I am not as frequent as I need to be. That's my number one challenge. For a while I was getting nitrate build up in...

thank you for the advice....I used to have a 55 gallon that was much easier to run than the 29 gallon. The system is so susceptible to minor fluctuations. Even when I do a water change the system doesn't respond well. The corals all close up overnight and don't reopen for 24 hours. That's...

Okay, thank you all. I ended up ordering the 360we. It looks really nice and with the gooseneck I can attach directly to the biocube which is a nice plus. Not the cheapest option I was looking at but I'm sure it will be a huge step up. I also took the glass cover off so we'll see if that...

Wow, I hadn't seen the Kessils before. So, fastrd400, would I hang one above the tank and then remove the glass cover? The HQI biocube doesn't really have a lid (it's just the glass top) so I assume just remove it and then hang the Kessil from a certain height. Do you know like the N or W...

Thanks...Yes, the halides produce quite a bit of heat. I run a chiller to keep everything perfectly level. I learned years ago that a chiller was well worth the investment (I used to have a larger 55gallon and struggled immensely until I bought a chiller). With that I never have to worry...

Hello, I am looking to upgrade my 150watt Metal Halide lights to LED and I'm looking for some advice. Currently, my set up is a 29 gallon biocube (the one with the metal halide kit). It's been up and running for many years but the lighting is slowly dying (the coolings fans have stopped...

Here are some of the latest pics. The quality is horrible but it's all I had available at the moment.

Fishy...Thank you. I will try and cut back on feeding and see if I can lower the nitrates a bit. They are low but not zero so that may be part of the issue. I feed a cube of frozen mysis (or similar) every other day but I'll cut back to one every three days and see how that goes. Sometimes I...

Hello, I inadvertently added Calupera to my display tank (the kind that has long strings and "bubbles" on the stems) and now I cannot get it under control. The roots are incredibly tough and wrap up in every opening within my live rock. I've been trying to keep it under control by removing...

The slower the better. I've always added fish first but that's because they have tended to be hardier than corals and can survive small mistakes early on. The corals aren't as hardy (although mushrooms seem indestructible) and I've lost more than one due to issues when getting the system...

+1 on the raw shrimp. I used that process and had no issues. No reason to stress out a damsel (or kill it) just to cycle the system.

Gdbyrd... Just a quick question that caused me to relocate the tank into the kitchen area from the living room. What flooring do you have in your living room? If you have carpet than I would be hesitant to put it in the LR as you will spill water at some point. I ended up putting mine in the...

Marinne.... I agree with your cost estimate. I was running through some of my costs (for a 29 gallon biocube): Heater: $50 Refractometer: $50 RODI System: $100 Live Rock: $7/lb x 40lbs (or so): $280 Sand: $40 Lighting: (came with Biocube but priced separately): $400 Salt: $40-80 Test...

kev...The first thing to keep in mind is that a saltwater system is much more expensive and takes far more patience than a freshwater system. I've had both and moved to SW from a similar beginning as you. I was bored with the FW and wanted to see what I could do with SW. As mentioned, you...

I also have the 29g BioCube and the evaporation is quite fast. When you do the water changes do you ever notice that the level of the water in the back is a bit lower than the front? My evaporates about 1 gallon in a week (give or take). If you're not accounting for that loss in freshwater...