Search found 113 matches

by DGabbs
Sun Jan 27, 2013 4:36 pm
Forum: Marine Tanks
Topic: Storing prepared saltwater
Replies: 6
Views: 981

Re: Storing prepared saltwater

Cool, thanks everyone!

I've got a mega water heat that heats my whole water change bucket to 75 in 3 minutes.
by DGabbs
Sun Jan 27, 2013 12:18 pm
Forum: Marine Tanks
Topic: Storing prepared saltwater
Replies: 6
Views: 981

Re: Storing prepared saltwater

I have Kent essential element that i dose sparingly. I don't have any "extra needy" corals or inverts so I don't tent to over do the dosing. But I do add an appropriate amount when i do FW top offs. I don't test for calcium and trace elements, but my reef and fish seems to be doing just fi...
by DGabbs
Sat Jan 26, 2013 10:55 pm
Forum: Marine Tanks
Topic: Storing prepared saltwater
Replies: 6
Views: 981

Re: Storing prepared saltwater

I figured 3 changes should be enough. I usually only do 2-3 gallons every 2 weeks anyways, and my water is crystal clear. I know its a small tank, but i heard of people not doing water changes for years... :shock: It is a pretty well established tank (Lots of live rock to water volume, cleaner shrim...
by DGabbs
Sat Jan 26, 2013 10:46 pm
Forum: Marine Tanks
Topic: Storing prepared saltwater
Replies: 6
Views: 981

Storing prepared saltwater

Hi Guys! I will be traveling abroad for 2 months and just had a couple questions about leaving the tank. Its a 10 gallon reef tank, with easy-care corals and some invertebrates/fish (goby, shrimp, snails). Fortunately i have someone who can feed the tank every other day, and do 2-3 water changes. Be...
by DGabbs
Wed Jul 18, 2012 9:48 pm
Forum: Brackish Puffers
Topic: Tank Setup Suggestions for F8
Replies: 25
Views: 3850

Re: Tank Setup Suggestions for F8

I suppose that you could get a slightly larger volume of water in an aquarium using crushed coral at the same hight above bottom glass than when compared with sand, because of the space in the crushed coral (Sand being smaller grains packs tighter and therefor needs more mass to achieve the same sub...
by DGabbs
Tue Jul 17, 2012 9:20 pm
Forum: Brackish Puffers
Topic: Tank Setup Suggestions for F8
Replies: 25
Views: 3850

Re: Tank Setup Suggestions for F8

Thanks for the great feedback guys. Puffers possibly nipping at leaves was one of the reasons I plan to use plants like the anubias barteri with thick waxy leaves. I'm still curious as to why other members here like RTR so strongly recommend sand - there must be some reason, right? Even if it is mo...
by DGabbs
Tue Jul 17, 2012 6:51 pm
Forum: Brackish Puffers
Topic: Tank Setup Suggestions for F8
Replies: 25
Views: 3850

Re: Tank Setup Suggestions for F8

Either of those substrates will be fine. Figure 8's do not sleep in the sand as suggested in the previous post. Your puffer will enjoy swimming around and hiding under the plants but if you plan to take the salinity beyond SG1.003 then your chosen plants will probably die off. If I was DGabbs I'd p...
by DGabbs
Tue Jul 17, 2012 6:26 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Puffer Caught by Crayfish
Replies: 9
Views: 1061

Re: Puffer Caught by Crayfish

Wow, thats sad to watch...

I wish i still had the video of my F8s destroying a crawfish. Next time i feed them a craw and take a video.
by DGabbs
Mon Jul 16, 2012 7:26 am
Forum: Brackish Puffers
Topic: Tank Setup Suggestions for F8
Replies: 25
Views: 3850

Re: Tank Setup Suggestions for F8

When buying live plants for F8s, be aware that it is possible to get a puffer that bites at them looking for snails. I was lucky enough to get one of these ones. LIve plants can be expensive and i had to throw out $20 worth of live plants after 3 days of having F8s. Sand is nice to have because puff...
by DGabbs
Fri Jul 13, 2012 5:36 pm
Forum: Brackish Tanks
Topic: Nitrite issue... I can't believe it
Replies: 8
Views: 1423

Re: Nitrite issue... I can't believe it

If your ammonia dosing was at all over 5 ppm, that could damage the nitrite eaters. 3 ppm is plenty for cycling, higher ammonia titers can damage the bacteria required for nitrite oxidation. That is a common error. Folks think that if a little is good, more must be better. It is not - it depresses ...
by DGabbs
Thu Jul 12, 2012 6:57 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Tank background color
Replies: 9
Views: 3120

Re: Tank background color

Pufferpunk wrote:I like blue.
+1 thats why i use and it really brings out base rock and the puffers white bellies and green/yellow.
by DGabbs
Thu Jul 12, 2012 4:58 pm
Forum: Brackish Tanks
Topic: Nitrite issue... I can't believe it
Replies: 8
Views: 1423

Re: Nitrite issue... I can't believe it

It went down to .25ppm today which is encouraging, but still not zero... I'll do a 50 tonight and see where that gets me. I put enough ammonia in the tank to maintain around 5ppm for the first few days. Thats usually enough for any fish that i have ever had, but then again these are puffers. I thoug...
by DGabbs
Wed Jul 11, 2012 5:50 pm
Forum: Brackish Tanks
Topic: Nitrite issue... I can't believe it
Replies: 8
Views: 1423

Nitrite issue... I can't believe it

In 12 years of cycling FW tanks I have never had this issue. I fully completed my cycle, confirmed cycle was complete by adding ammonia and then testing for nitrites and ammonia. They were both 0 after a day or so. A couple days later i added two figure 8 puffers, still very small and i have been fe...
by DGabbs
Wed Jul 11, 2012 5:35 pm
Forum: Freshwater Puffers
Topic: Building up my first FW tank
Replies: 83
Views: 9475

Re: Building up my first FW tank

Did you do the cycle? I seemed like we were talking about starting your cycle too recently for it to be completed already...
by DGabbs
Tue Jul 10, 2012 7:39 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Just got my new F8
Replies: 5
Views: 370

Re: Just got my new F8

Do you eventually take the empty snail shell out of the aquarium or let the puffer pick on it for a while? Even with the bigger than eye snails the puffers cracked open the tip of the snail shell and started chewing on the shell. There isn't much left of the shells, so i just buried them under the ...