AbelaJohnB

In regards to light.... if all you're going to have is fish, you could probably get away with a 20-30 dollar tube lights. Don't have to have anything special... but it's always nice too. Later.

Howdie. Anybody ever had (or have) any experiance with bat fish? I'm looking at getting on. Sorry, I do not recall the exact sub.species. It is one of the more/most common ones. It's been in the pet store for about a month, and I've been going in twice a week, so I know this sucker is heathly. I have him on hold until the first, so I've got another week or so to observer him. It is presently about 4-5 inches high. The other critters in the tank that I am thinking of putting it is are: Squirrel Fish Sailfin Tank Crabs Giant green mushroom brittle stars The tank has been setup for about 1.5 years and is very healthy. Anyway, any thoughts on these guys?

Hey Ira. Typically (here in the USA) you have to figure $20/per gallon, to setup a viable salt water system. Unfortunately, for a heathly system, neither your filter nor your lightly will be sufficient. At the very least, you'll need a Protein Skimmer. The most popular (and what I consider the best) is by CPR Aquatics, and it's called the "BAK PAK". You can get it from large mail-order sites (right now) for about $119usd. (130 for the reef one) A good source for this would be here or here (which has both for 119 ) I would also highly encourge you to (instead) purchase their product called: "CY Series Wet/Dry Filters w/ skimmers". You can read about it at: http://aquadirect.com/catalog/filters/cpr.htm about 3/4 of the way down. These things rock! I just spent the last two days (and have one more to go) setting up a new tank. It is a 60 gallon tank (fish only). Not only did I use the CY192 but we attached an extra 'sump' to it, along with a 1100 gallon external pump. We custom made a 'over/outflow' into the back of the tank (non-glass), with two 1 & 1/2 drains. One into the sump the other into the CY192. We are going to have two return tubes back into the tank. One on each side of the tank, so we do not have powerheads in the tank. This is typically not a good thing, but we are hoping with the extra flow-rate that it will make up for not having powerheads In regards to lightly.... well, let's just put it this way.... money is the only limit to lighting! I've seen guys lay down 1000+ for lighting.... it's just crazy. Buy what you can afford, than just be careful what corals you put in there. I'd love to share more, just let me know.

Hey Eden. Identifing these things is very difficult. (especially without a photo). There are hundreds of subspecies that make it darn-near impossible for even the most knowledge guys (minus hard-core marine biologists) to know exactly what sub.type it could be. Best bet would be to try to find a photograph of one that looks like it, on the internet. try: http://www.google.com/imghp Later.

Sorry, missed this question until just now.... For me, it is a bit more then a hobby. When I am in town, I work at the #1 Aquarium store in Northern California. Couple hundred takes with fish from all over the world. Everything... fresh, brackish, salt, popular and rare. I've got a few thousand tide up in my systems... mainly salt-water and reef. I done fresh-water, but only the odd-ball or exoctic stuff... And, when I'm not on the road I typically have a large amount of reptiles in the house.... everything from 2 feet to 20 feet snakes.... lizards, frogs, and the like. Never, never, have anything with more then 4 legs though.... Although, I am trying to find one of these: http://www.johnabela.com/images/pets/ta ... ypygid(hon).jpg So if you happen to find any, please, let me know!! I cannot find them over here in the USA. Importation seems to be an issue (through pet stores), so I'll have to either do a private dealer or by-pass the normal methods. Eitherway... that is one bad-looking little dude! Later.

Hey eden, I went by today and talked with the guy that developed that sucker (the in-take refuge).... he said you could probably get it mail-order from the East Coast... but, then as we were talking, it hit us that it would be 110voltage, and we -think- you use 220 over there (right??)... so, that squashed that idea... But, we came up with a solution Get a hard-pastic 'juice jug' (like you make ice-tea or that kids drink in).... then drill 6 holes near the top, with a 1/2 inch bit. Then drill another 6 holes about 3/4 of the way down. If the juice-jug is a good one and has a handle on it.... just set it inside the take and throw your next injured fish/invert in there Best solution we could come up with. Later.

LOL.. wood in tank stains glass... that is a classic question :lol: Are you sure you bought 'pre-treated' wood, and not that reptile crap? (or even worse, something from your yard!) I've only found one way to counter this.... First, buy the 'pre-treated' wood. (this means they've already washed it *cough*) Then, let it sit outside in the hot sun for a few days. Then, get a BIG pot, fill it with water, bring it to a boil, throw you wood in, and let it boil for a few hours. Then, throw it back out into the sun. Then, let it sit in the pot (with fresh water) for a few days and see if the wood continues to 'leak'. If it doesn't toss it back into the tank. If it does, repead the above If repeating doesn't work... go buy a new peice of wood! I had a South American Cichild tank for a couple of years, and while the take was developing it's system (before fish where added) I had a peice of wood that I had already 'boiled' a few times (before I ever put it into the take, as I always do this with new wood) begin to leak into my tank. Totally pissed me off. But, I really, really, wanted this particular peace of wood, because it looked really good in the 'natural tank' I had built. Anyway, the moral of this short story.... sometimes you just have to use wood in the fireplace!

Hey Eden. First, don't worry about it!! Very rarely is algae a problem. I'll-be-it, ugly at times, but rarely harmful. I've had dozens of tanks where this "think green algae with bubbles" appears. I do one of things: Add another high-power-jet (with air) Buy a tang (any tang should do the job), unless you have sensitive marine creatures Let it grow Reduce the time my fillament light is on (but watch closely the other critters to make sure there is no induced shock) Buy a squire fish (same disclaimer as above), unless you have other -small- fish As Warren hinted at... check your nitrate levels and do a water change, if necessary! My favorites of the above are: Check water quality, and, Let it grow!

Hello eden. First, to address your issue. There is not really anything you can do. A burn (of this degree) should not greatly affect it. You might find that the tenticals will stop growing, but even if this does occour, it shouldn't greatly affect it. Just keep an eye on it, that it keeps eating. Perhaps hand feed it some fresh/frozen food (Forumal 1 or 2, if you have that over there). And, if you'd like to take an extra step, get a sphion and go buy some plankton (pet store should have this... if they are any good) and direct-feed it. Lastly, as Deleatidium suggested, go buy yourself a heater-cover ('heater condom', as I call them). Well worth the money, if you are going to do a invert tank. Another option, would be to invest in a submergable heater (if that isn't what you have already) and lay it horizontally (lengthwise) about 10 inches above the floor of your take, and about 10-12 inches from a major underwater jet/pump. And, if you have the extra coral, you can always surround the heater (with the condom) to prevent further tank-mate damage. It may sound like an extreme, but if you are serious about your marine tank, and like most serious marine people are, you're going to have a few thousand dollars invested in a nice marine take... a simple 45-50NZD's to get yourself a heater-condom is a drop in the tank. (pun intended) Anyway, just keep an eye on your new friend... make sure the other fish do not start attacking it's damaged tenticals (which they will be able to do, as a burn typically damages their barbs)... if this happens, isolate the poor thing until it heals over. Later, and good luck!