Ooops, sorry about the double post back there
Thanks for the advice on looking around for more than one LFS but I think I have found them all already. There are 3 within 30km (about 18.5 miles) of my house, and this one is hands down the best. There are a few a bit further abroad that look really good, but they're not all that practical if I wanna buy livestock from them, so I tend not to go (over an hr's driving time). I think I will start making a bit more of an effort though.
What are the right janitors? I have several snail-looking things (they were in there when i bought my tank) and a very healthy brittle star population (i also have no idea how they got in there) and various other worms etc. Do I need to buy some specific janitors like shrimp? What do you all think about urchins as algae eaters?
I always thought there was no point running carbon in a marine tank considering that it strips trace elements out of the water (even the ones you want in there)?
BTW thanks for the link to the overflow box, looks like a great little piece of equipment!
I do have one more question though (sorry to be a pest) but if I remove my filter and just have a sump, how do I know whether my skimmer is doing a good enough job or not? It was pretty cheap (all I could afford at the time) and doesnt seem to collect much stuff. That being said, the bio-load in mytank is rather small, only having 3 fish and a few corals and inverts.
Thanks for the advice on looking around for more than one LFS but I think I have found them all already. There are 3 within 30km (about 18.5 miles) of my house, and this one is hands down the best. There are a few a bit further abroad that look really good, but they're not all that practical if I wanna buy livestock from them, so I tend not to go (over an hr's driving time). I think I will start making a bit more of an effort though.
What are the right janitors? I have several snail-looking things (they were in there when i bought my tank) and a very healthy brittle star population (i also have no idea how they got in there) and various other worms etc. Do I need to buy some specific janitors like shrimp? What do you all think about urchins as algae eaters?
IslandCrow":10lj4imu said:I'm a big fan of running chemical filtration in the form of carbon, mainly because I keep both soft and hard corals in a relatively confined space.
As for overflow boxes, even with the hang on back (HOB) variety, there is at least one that claims you will never lose a siphon, and after seeing the genius of the design (and owning one for almost a year now), I believe it. They're called Lifereef prefilter boxes (http://www.lifereef.com/siphon.html). They're a bit pricey, but well worth the investment.
I always thought there was no point running carbon in a marine tank considering that it strips trace elements out of the water (even the ones you want in there)?
BTW thanks for the link to the overflow box, looks like a great little piece of equipment!
I do have one more question though (sorry to be a pest) but if I remove my filter and just have a sump, how do I know whether my skimmer is doing a good enough job or not? It was pretty cheap (all I could afford at the time) and doesnt seem to collect much stuff. That being said, the bio-load in mytank is rather small, only having 3 fish and a few corals and inverts.