What brand of synthetic sea salt should I use?

There are many kinds and I would simply suggest using whichever one you are comfortable using. Personally, I don't agree with hobbyists or manufacturers who claim that because a salt has more of an element than another that it reigns supreme. If you are running your tank properly with a protein skimmer, these 'extra' elements with be exported with some of the bad stuff. I have used INSTANT OCEAN for almost 15 years!

The water level in my tank or refugium is evaporating. What do I do?

You will never get beyond the point of having to add fresh R/O or D/I water to your tank. While you will notice the evaporation, keep in mind that the salt does not evaporate or leave the system. Top of the evaporated water with R/O or D/I water ONLY!!! Never use tap water or salt water!!! Tap water has phosphates and other bad stuff that you never want to have in your tank. Try to save a little money by using de-chlorinated tap water will open the door for many kinds of bad algae. Salt water will be used ONLY when performing a water change! Adding salt water for evaporation will drastically change the chemistry of your water. This could cause severe stress to the tank and it's inhabitants! Stress causes disease and even death!

Is there any maintenance routine that I should follow?

A water change of about 10% the tank volume is recommended weekly. Always try to match the water you will be replacing with water close to the same temperature and specific gravity. Always try and siphon as much detritus out of the tank when taking water out. Change light bulbs every 8 -12 months. While sometimes it is difficult or even impossible for us to tell that the spectrum of our bulbs has changed, they generally do after 8-12 months and is one of the leading causes of nuisance algae. Periodically remove pumps and water hoses to inspect and clean. I would even make a log of all things done in the tank.

Can I run carbon in my reef tank?

Yes! I run carbon once a month for a week. This ensures me that my water remains crystal clear and gives me the peace of mind that any contaminant that might have gotten into the tank is also being absorbed out.

When should I turn on my lights and how long should they stay on?

I have my lights set on a timer. Since I get home later in the evening, I have the lights set to come on 2 hours prior to my arrival. That way the beauty of my tank can be seen by me when I am at home. My lights stay on 9 hours a day.

I love seahorses and triggerfish! What should I do???

Get 2 tanks. Never put seahorses or any docile animal with other aggressive fish. They will either be picked on by the aggressive fish or starve to death because they can't get to the food as quickly.

Do I need a chiller or a uv sterilizer? Do I have to purchase a generator or some battery-operated pumps??

No! But always consider your overall investment. What are the costs? What is your investment in the tank? How much would you loose if a heater stuck, the A/C went out while on vacation or if your tank experienced a bacterial infection that might have been spared by the use of ultra violet? How much would you loose if there was a power failure that lasted more than just a few hours?

If my tank begins to smell, can I use aerosols in the near vicinity?

No!!! If the tank smells, carbon is used to absorb both discoloration and odor! Air pimps and return pumps can pull the aerosol into your system!!!

What if when feeding, one fish rejects the food? Should I keep dumping different foods until he eats?

No! Keep the health of the fish that are eating. What you will want to do anyway is to feed a variety of foods at different feeding times. Perhaps the finicky one will eventually find something that he likes and you wont run the risk of damaging your ecosystem with by over-feeding!

I have a sick fish. Should I medicate the whole tank?

No!!! If you can, remove the fish and treat in a different tank. Perhaps the ONLY medication that I am currently familiar with that I would treat a sick fish in a reef tank is Prazipro by Hikari. Prazipro can also be used as a dip. Most others can cause serious damage to the biological filter even though manufacturers suggest that they do not. KICK ICK is a great preventive. Don't expect it to kill ick!

Are there any saltwater bacteria that is harmful to humans?

Yes! If you can, use gloves when inside your tank. They will serve a couple purposes. They will protect the tank from anything potentially bad that you may have on your hands and arms while protecting your hands and arms from any potentially harmful bacteria. A few people die every year from bacteria that they were exposed to in aquariums!!

Do I need to know anything about the fish, corals and their placement in my tank?

Yes! You need to know the compatibility of the fish with other fish. Also, there are many fish who find expensive corals to be a very appetizing meal. Make sure that you place corals with sweeper tentacles with plenty distance from other corals that they may harm. Some corals actually use a chemical defense to harm or kill others. Keep them properly spaced! All saltwater fish and corals are NOT suitable for life in captivity! Make your choices wisely!

My water temperature fluctuates more than a couple of degrees in a 24 hour period. Is this harmful to my fish and if so, what can I do?

Temperature fluctuations of more than 2 degrees in a 24 hour period can definitely cause stress and fish death. If you have your heater set to 77 degrees and the warmth of your home causes the temperature during the day to reach 82 while the night time temperatures drop to 77, you can adjust your heater to 80 degrees. If your temperatures creep regularly beyond 85 degrees when the heater is set below that, you might then consider purchasing a chiller after eliminating the possibility of heater failure.

I have bristle worms and I keep hearing a popping noise in my tank. Is this good or bad?

Bristle worms are effective in the removal of decaying matter in the tank whether it be from un eaten food or from a small fish dying behind the rocks in a hard to reach area. But they can also multiply rapidly and do some damage to coral tissue. They also have tiny spines that HURT when handled so be careful! That popping noise could either be a pistol shrimp or a mantis shrimp. I don't have a problem with the pistol shrimp but the mantis is capable of doing some severe damage to your fish as well as to you. They can release their claws with the velocity of a .22 caliber rifle and literally rip your finger off! The peacock mantis has a well-deserved nickname...the thumb splitter! The .22 caliber release is more than capable of breaking your aquarium glass. A few companies make products for the purpose of trapping bristle worms and mantis shrimp.

What are aptasia anemones? Are they harmful?

Most reef tanks will undoubtedly have some from time to time. A product called JOE'S JUICE has been a highly effective method of killing these nuisances. Tropic Marin also has a great product called ELIMI-APTASIA. Peppermint shrimp and copperband butterflies have also effectively eradicated these anemones that are capable of growing big enough to harm or kill your expensive corals and even fish. Just keep in mind that every peppermint shrimp and every copperband butterfly won't be reading the same books that we are reading regarding their appetite for aptasia. Its all hit and miss! This means they may or may not eat the aptasia.

I have a brown film covering my live rock and my substrate! What do I do?

These are called diatoms and most new or maturing tanks will experience this. Stir the substrate and brush the rocks. Keep nutrient levels low and the diatoms will fade away.

I have this red/brown slimy stuff over my rocks and substrate. What is this?

Probably cyanobacteria. I have sucessfully gotten rid of this nuisance using a product called RED SLIME REMOVER and CHEMI-CLEAN! You may also check your water flow in the areas affected. Sometimes simple measures such as placing a power head in these areas will take care of the problem!

I buy my saltwater at my LFS. I keep my salinity at 1.026. Their saltwater is 1.023 and their tank water is 1.025. Problem?

When the water that you purchase is used for small water changes and the specific gravity of the water being purchased differs slightly from the SG of your tank, changes in the overall SG of your tank will be gradual and will not affect the inhabitants. But if it is something that will worry you, you might consider purchasing a small box or bag of salt to raise the salinity of the water you are purchasing or some extra R/O or D/I water to lower the SG. As for purchasing livestock where salinity differs, this is exactly why you will acclimate slowly. You will be hard pressed to find a store or even a friend who's tank parameters match yours exactly!

How often should I test my water?

Test it as often as you'd like. Eventually, your inhabitants will alert you to any need for testing. Definitely test if you notice anything unusual!

There seems to be a film on the inside of my glass. How do I clean it?

There are several items available to clean the algae on the inside of the glass. This includes scrubbers or sorts as well as magnets that will allow you to do so without getting wet. I highly recommend the MAG-FLOAT.

I have this green hairy stuff growing rapidly over my rocks and substrate! What is it?

Hair algae! Be prepared to find anything and everything that might eat it such as black turbo snails, lawnmower blennies, rabbitfish, etc. Pull rocks out and scrub regularly with fingers crossed that it goes away and stays away. Once this algae gets a good foot in your tank, controlling it becomes lots of work. Even once critical parameters that caused it are corrected, it is still very difficult to get rid of. You may even need to take the rock out of the tank and place it into a container with a lid so that it receives absolutely no light for a month or so. The best defense for this algae is proper water maintenance!!!

I lost power to my tank and the water in my refugium overflowed! Why did this happen?

This means one of 2 things. Either the refugium had a water level higher than necessary or the refugium was too small for the tank that it was filtering. When setting up a tank and refugium, always test it by shutting off the power to see where the refugium level stops and make adjustments to protect you from this disaster. In some cases, you should also have an anti-siphon hole in the return line to stop the back-flow in case of a power failure!

Can I mix 'softies' with LPS?

Yes, but make sure that they are kept at a distance from one another and that you are 'mixing' these types of corals in a tank 75 gallons or larger. Many corals put out an allelopathic toxin to kill neighboring corals. Some of these toxins have been known to kill laboratory mice in less than an hour!