Specific equipment questions regarding my new 45 gal reef tank.
- Thread starter ColbyWade
- Start date
lpsouth1978
New member
The pictures are pretty hard to see so ID will be difficult to get 100%. That being said, I am 99.8% sure that is a bristle worm. They are useful hitchhikers and will eat uneaten food, detritus, really anything left around.
tjm9331
New member
You will want to wait until your tank is fairly established before introducing an anemone, they don't like fluctuating parameters and are not likely to survive in a new tank.
I personally would wait about a year before adding one but others might think 6-9 months is long enough to add one.
I personally would wait about a year before adding one but others might think 6-9 months is long enough to add one.
My tank is between 78-80. As said above, I don't start worrying until its a few degrees higher.
77 Is perfect, don't fret it. Your heater might be set lower but either A) It is lying to you about where it is actually heating to, or B) Ambient temperature is keeping it around that mark, and other things are increasing it.
I have one heater that is set to 78 and it kicks on higher then that, and I have another set to 80 that kicks on lower then that. This is partly why I am in the camp of having a heater controller to make sure they shut off if temperature rises too high.
Heaters, powerheads, pumps, reactors, lights, and pretty much anything you plug in and then put in the water will add heat to your aquarium.
One time I forgot to plug in my heater-controller and left my heaters off overnight, with my apartment AC on full blast, and when I woke up the temperature had fallen from 78 to 74 F. Apartment ambient was something like 68-70. (I try to keep it colder, but the damn building is too hot). The powerheads/pump/skimmer/reactor in my tank kept the temperature up.
77 Is perfect, don't fret it. Your heater might be set lower but either A) It is lying to you about where it is actually heating to, or B) Ambient temperature is keeping it around that mark, and other things are increasing it.
I have one heater that is set to 78 and it kicks on higher then that, and I have another set to 80 that kicks on lower then that. This is partly why I am in the camp of having a heater controller to make sure they shut off if temperature rises too high.
Heaters, powerheads, pumps, reactors, lights, and pretty much anything you plug in and then put in the water will add heat to your aquarium.
One time I forgot to plug in my heater-controller and left my heaters off overnight, with my apartment AC on full blast, and when I woke up the temperature had fallen from 78 to 74 F. Apartment ambient was something like 68-70. (I try to keep it colder, but the damn building is too hot). The powerheads/pump/skimmer/reactor in my tank kept the temperature up.
lpsouth1978
New member
Give them some time, they will start to explore a LITTLE. Mine have been in my tank about 2 months and still spend most of their time near the corner the host in as well. This is a natural behavior for clowns, they will stay pretty close to whatever is hosting them, be it an anemone, coral, or corner of the tank.
lpsouth1978
New member
My clownfish have been in the tank for 5 days now, but they have stuck to the left side of the tank the entire time. Any idea why they arent exploring any?
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Out of curiosity, which lights did you end up going with? There was some discussion early on, but I couldn't find that you said what you actually got. The reason I ask is there is A LOT of "disco ball" effect in that last photo (AKA color separation), so I was curious which lights are being used.
I went with the AI Prime. I have two of them. I've noticed that a little, and also a rainbow on the ground next to my tank. I wonder if there is something I am doing wrong.
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lpsouth1978
New member
Your not doing anything wrong. This is common with LED's, some are worse than others. This is one of the reasons many people prefer the Kessil A360, it has a VERY tight cluster of LED's and does not really cause the "disco" effect. I actually made a diy diffuser for mine (when I had them) using a piece of acrylic and sign stand offs from amazon. Super easy, and did a great job. Now I have the Hydra 26 HD's and did the same thing for them. I still have shimmer, but not the color separation.
Also. if you have a lot of surface agitation, it will intensify the disco effect. If possible, reduce the surface agitation and it will improve.
Also. if you have a lot of surface agitation, it will intensify the disco effect. If possible, reduce the surface agitation and it will improve.
lpsouth1978
New member
That depends on what you need it to do. If you are looking to reduce phosphates than GFO or phosguard. If you are worried about heavy metals, odor, or other contaminants, you would use activated carbon.
lpsouth1978
New member
I wouldn't bother if there is no need for it. I would not use polyfill in a reactor. You could place it in a HOB filter if you have one, ore use a filter sock when using a sump. You have to change the polyfill and filter socks regularly, or they only add to the nitrates in the system instead of removing them. I change my filter socks 1-2x a week.
