Feather Duster

[Darlene]

Never posted before so I'm not sure what to do but I'm going to give it a shot. Anyway, I've got a 30 gallon that has been up and running for 8 months. It has a fluval 304-sand botom-live rock - 79 degrees, salinity at 1.024 and a 36" 110 watt high output compact light and a tiny power head for water movement. My question for right now is do feather duster shed their head for any other reason than stress? I've got two feather dusters and the one I just added two weeks ago is starting to lose it's head. I had my water checked yesterday and was told all was good. I don't have test kits at home so I'm not sure of all the numbers but they said everything was good. I've tried reading everything I can get ahold of but I'm not very good with computer so I have a hard time finding articles even when they are right in front of me. I never know for sure which button to push, so any and all advise is appreciated. Thanks in advance for any help.

some times feather duster's will lose there heads and move. they will grow them back, but it will take awhile. there could be a number of reasons why they do this

[Darlene]

Gregoryalln~thanks for getting back with me. When you say that they grow them back, but it will take awhile, approx. how much time are we talking? Without a head, how will I know if the feather duster dies? And will it do my tank any harm if it dies and it's left in there?

i doubt it will die, it takes at least a month, at least for me. and if it does die i dont think it would hurt much.

[Darlene]

Well it's the following morning and when I looked in my tank before turning on the light the worm was hanging out of the tube about 2" so I thought it was all over for him. When I turned the light on he moved back in but only about a quarter of an inch. So at least there's a little life but it doesn't look good does it. I'm getting very frustrated because it seems the more I read the more confused I get. I thought my tank was doing well and now this. Did I do something wrong?

[Charles Poole]

No, you probably didn't do anything wrong. Truth is, we all run into situations that we can't explain.

Gregory is correct when he says it will grow back. Keep in mind that Feather Dusters are filter feeders. So on an occasion, supplementing the tank with a small amount of Phytoplankton may benefit the little bugger. Be sparing though, as this guy won't eat like a pig, so a little bit every so often will be more than enough.

Also, feather dusters are known to shed their "feathers" after spawning. It is speculated to be intentional, as not to "eat" their own larva. So you may find a lot more of them in your tank in the future.

So in short, it is likely that this could be a positive thing, not a bad thing. Just be observant. You seem to have that covered, so sit back and relax, and buy some test kits.... :)

[Darlene]

Thanks for the advise. The worm is still hanging out of the tube with no movement. Can I assume that he has kicked the bucket? Everyone keeps telling me that there is a lot of trial and error in saltwater but I hate the thought of killing things (like my feather duster). You suggested that I buy some test kits, what test kits do you think are nessesary? I live just a few blocks from a LFS that I take my water into to be tested. Do you think it's still necessary to buy them? I went out today looking for books on saltwater fish and reef tanks but didn't see anything I was impressed with. Any recommendations on books? :doubt:

[Charles Poole]

Honestly, I think the net is a much better resource than most hobby level books. I have read most of them, and they are informative, but often outdate themselves rather quickly....

It is very possible that the feather duster, is either protecting itself from possible predation while regrowing its feathers, or it may be getting ready to "pop" out somewhere else. Yep, they do pull back into their tubes, only to re-imerge from another spot. They must somehow open another portion of their tubes, and start growing out that direction.

I do suggest getting some test kits, as without knowing your levels ( and many LFS do not have a clue what "good" really is), it is hard to determine if your water is really "OK". I work at a LFS, and I speak honestly, not trying to bash LFS... :)

Some of my favorite books are:

Aquarium Corals by Eric Borneman
Reef Fishes Vol 1 & 2 bt Scott Michaels

But again, with comparison to the information available on the net, most hobby level books are outdated in many respects... :)

[Darlene]

Sorry it took so long to get back but the wind had me kicked off line for quite a while. But anyway, thanks for the info. But I must have misled you on my feather duster. It has not pulled back into it's tube it is hanging out about two inches. And it doesn't look good. I do think he has died but I will leave him as he is until I know for sure.

Also, about the test kits. When I take it to the store they test, amonia, ph, nitrites and nitrates. If I were to buy kits, are there any other besides these that I should get? When they test my water I stand there and watch them put in the drops and then watch for the color changes. If they are holding them up to the charts and the colors match, could they still be doing something wrong? I don't mean to sound like a penny pincher but I never in my wildest dreams thought that switching from freshwater to saltwater would be so expensive. So when I can cut corners, I will. But I don't want to if it is something of importance.

I looked at your tanks, very impressive. After looking through things I've decided that on a scale of 1 - 10 on the knowledge of saltwater fish and reefs I am about a minue 100!!! So much to learn. And I'm not real good with the computer but I've tried reading everything I can find. But unfortunately, I can't find a whole lot. Any suggestions there would be appreciated also. Thanks again for all your help. :)

[Charles Poole]

No problem, we all started out at the bottom of the info scale... :)

I would suggest an Ammonia test kit and Nitrate test kit.

Ammonia will let you know if your cycle is complete, and if you are feeding to much at one time. Nitrate will let you know if you are over feeding in general, and give you a rough idea when to perform water changes.

A phosphate test kit is also a good idea. Keeping in mind that if the test kits shows any phosphate at all, then algae problems may not be far away.

If you are planning on keeping hard corals under intense lighting, then a good Calcium and Alkalinity test are a must. With time and heavy growth with hard corals or coralline algae, Magnesium may also be of concern.

Here is a link to some excellent articles on Water Chemistry and reef tanks. They can get a little Technical at time, so feel free to start a new topic with any questions you may have. :)

Article index for Randy Holmes-Farley PhD (http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=102605)

[Darlene]

Hey, thanks again for your help. I have to admit, I'm getting very frustrated. But it's my own fault. I switched from fresh to saltwater without a whole lot of thought. I'm a trusting soul (too much at times) and when my LFS told me it wouldn't be that big of deal, I took their word for it. And I also bought whatever they told me to, never thinking that there could be any other way. I've started going somewhere else now and I was told yesterday that my filter (304 fluval) isn't very good. That I should switch to a HOB emperior. I also had a protein skimmer on that the new place told me wasn't necessary and to take off, so I did. I was also just reading about lighting and now I'm not sure if I have proper lighting. They use all these words and abbreviations that sometimes I don't have a clue what is being said. If there is one thing I've learned over these last eight months is....saltwater tanks are awesome but there is a whole lot more to them than meets the eye. I want to have a good set up and learn to do things right but from now on I'm not buying anything until I hear or read it from a few different sources that it's the right move. The next thing on my list to buy are test kits. Is there any certain product that is better than another? Thanks again for all the help. I'm sure you will be seeing a lot more of me now that I've figured out how to post my questions. There's always something going on in my tank that I would love to have explained. Thanks again. I really appreciate the time and effort you put in to helping the little people! :lol:

[Condiman]

Welcome to CoralForum Darlene you have been given some excellent advice and one more thing read my signiture. I only know of a few LFS that have honerable people and Crlkeep is one of them but most of the others fall into the catagory of my signiture. Dont be afraid to ask questions because that is what we are here for.

[Darlene]

Yes, I'm finding that to be true about the LFS. I don't think the ones I was dealing with were trying to be dishonest, I just don't think they are very knowledgeable in the field. I did go back in today and bought a box with four different test kits in it. Even got them on sale! Yea!

So, what's your opinion on the fluval 304 for a 30 gallon. Do you agree that I should switch to the emperior? And what about the protein skimmer, do you think it would be helpful?

[Darlene]

Yes, I'm finding that to be true about the LFS. I don't think the ones I was dealing with were trying to be dishonest, I just don't think they are very knowledgeable in the field. I did go back in today and bought a box with four different test kits in it. Even got them on sale! Yea!

So, what's your opinion on the fluval 304 for a 30 gallon. Do you agree that I should switch to the emperior? And what about the protein skimmer, do you think it would be helpful?

[Darlene]

Sorry, my computer hiccuped!

alot of time LFS dont know anymore than the average hobbist does. reef keeping advances everyday. and it can be hard to keep up, specially while trying to run a store. the problem is that some store's will just make up what they dont know, and other stores will just say whatever it takes to make a sale. if you arent sure then ask us on the board before you do something. you will get the right info, and probably quite a few good options/facts that the lfs didnt even give you

[Darlene]

So, what do you think? Is the fluval 304 sufficient for a 30 gallon reef or would it be better with something else. Also, should I put the protein skimmer back on?

[Charles Poole]

I like to run skimmers, even if it is only for the incredible amount of aeration they provide.

I say yes to the skimmer. As far as the Fluval goes, be prepared to clean the filter sponge often, as saltwater tend to clog filters rather quickly. Once a week is a good idea, but twice a week would be better.

I run 2 skimmers on my 125 gallon reef, and no other filters. Just powerheads for circulation in the main tank...

[Darlene]

I never knew that was a possibility, to have an aquarium without a filter. And as I told you before, I've been going on what they tell me at the LFS. But since getting on here have been doing a whole lot of reading and found out that they were totally off base on a lot of things. Such as the filter. It has been running since July and has not been cleaned. They told me not to for at least 6 to 8 months. I have been doing 10% water changes every other week but that's about it. Bought the test kits and my results are PH 7.8, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 20. So what do you suggest. Where do I start? I've been told not to do too much at one time because it upsets the tank to much. So what steps would you take to get my set up, and my schedule of maintenance, where it should be? Also the skimmer I have is the Prizm by Red Sea. I was told it was a good one for my size of tank (by guess who) but I didn't care for the noise. And from talking to people it didn't sound like I could ever get it to do what it was suppose to. Always having air bubbles even when it was turned as low as it could. I feel funny constantly thanking you all for the information, but I really do appreciate it. So....thanks a lot!! :)

[Charles Poole]

I run a sump so that I do not have the problem with bubbles from the skimmers. It does seem to be a common problem for many of the hang-on models though.

Your pH is at the very bottom of the safe zone, so I would suggest running the skimmer and not worrying to much about the noise just yet. As far as the bubble coming out of it goes, you may try a sponge in the output. There may also be way to reduce the bubbles by cutting back on the intact flow a little bit. But that could be tricky....

In our captive reefs, we often experience pH swings. but the bottom line should be 8.0 and an upper limit of 8.45. Most problems with chronically low pH are due to CO2 accumulation in the tank. To check for this problem, take out approx 2 liters of your tanks water and test the pH. Then run an airstone in the 2 liters for several hours, and recheck the PH. If the pH goes up by .2 or more, then you need to increase aeration.

Either reconnect the skimmer, add an airstone, and/or increase surface water movement and make sure that the air is not trapped by a hood or canopy. If the CO2 is aloud to escape the water only to be trapped near its surface, you will still end up with the same problem.

Skimmers are by far the most effective means of aeration next to the risky use of ozone. The incredible amount of surface to air gas exchanged provide by skimmers is the cheif benefit of running one IMHO. :)

[Darlene]

I do have a glass top over my tank but there are openings in the back. Is this enough to let the CO2 escape? I know you said that the skimmer is my best bet, and I will put it back on if I have to. But if another powerhead or like you mentioned an airstone would do the trick, I'd rather go that route. Well, I think I would. I've never used an airstone, their pretty noisy too, aren't they? My only concern about noise is that the tank is in our familyroom where everyone watches TV and they complain about the noise. But like I said, if I should put the skimmer back on, I will. But first I will do the ph testing to see if that is the problem? If the airstone doesn't raise it, what then?

[Paidbychrist0825]

the glass hood , if right on top, is not enough to let proper air flow across the water surface.

[Charles Poole]

You need to get the air above the water moving. Even with the opening, it is getting saturated with CO2. A fan directed into this opening at one end, may help to push the air across the surface and out the other side.

A powerhead with a venturi with the tube located outside the hood, may help. But the fine air bubble problem will likely be as bad or worse than the skimmer problem. Without air movement above the waters surface, the increased surface to air gas exchange will not be effective.

An airstone will introduce new air to the tank, and help push old air out of the hood. This may also create a problem with air bubbles in the tank.

That is why a skimmer is really the most logical, and effective choice all around. It may take as long as a week or two, but usually the bubbles will die back. I run an airstone driven skimmer in my 20 gallon tank, and get a few tiny bubbles here and there, but not to any great extent...

HTH :)

[Darlene]

Charles - As much as I hate the thought I will hook back up the skimmer. I had it on for a good four months and was never sure if it was doing what it was suppose to. I was told that I should adjust it so that there were no air bubbles going back into my tank or it would defeat was it was suppose to be doing. Plus I never got anything in the collection cup. I read through the manual a dozen times trying to figure out exactly what it should be doing but it never was clear to me. :? I have the Prizm by Red Sea.

[Charles Poole]

I wrote an article on adjusting protein skimmers. It can be found in the articles section. :)

Adjusting Your Protein Skimmer (http://www.coralforum.com/reference18.html)

You can also follow the instructions in the article in reverse. Ie. turning the air up until bubble start to flow into the collection cup, then slowly turn the air bleed down until the bubbles are not falling into the cup with any speed. But this is risky ( can remove to much water to fast, and make a mess on the floor), and often you end up turning the air bleed back up in a short while.

This is not an uncommon thing really. Many skimmers can be very tempermental. I have not used the Prizm model, so I can't really offer specific advice. I do run 2 Red Sea ( Berlin Classic ) Skimmers and 1 Red Sea ( Berlin Airlift 90 ) skimmer though. Had great success with them.

The air bubbles returning to your tank do not in any way affect the performance of the skimmer. Not sure why you where given that information, but I will say that it is incorrect. :)

[Darlene]

Thanks again! I've read the article and will be setting it back up this afternoon. I'm sure you'll be hearing from me if I have any questions. Thanks again for all the advise. :)

[Zack]

Keep us updated!!!:)

[Charles Poole]

No problem. Any questions you may have are always welcome and encouraged... :)

I often update my articles in response to questions from others. So fire away. :)

[Darlene]

Well I've got the protein skimmer hooked up and it looks like my tank has a real bad case of dandruff. I'm assuming these are just little air bubbles. But I'd have to turn it so the valve is closed before it gets to the point of having no bubbles. I read through the manual again and it says that there shouldn't be any bubbles coming back into my tank. I've read the article "adjusting yur protein skimmer" a couple of times (these things just don't sink in easily for me) and it sounds like I'll be needing to make some minor adjustments in the beginning. Do the air bubbles ever go away completely?

[Charles Poole]

Most likely they will not completely disappear. They should however become few and far between.

The bubbles are the result of surface tensions from DOC's in your water. It may take as long as a week for them to completely subside, and as long as the tank isn't fogged out by them, they shouldn't pose too much of a problem. If the problem persists, then I will help you by contacting the manufacturer and getting their input as well. :)

They may look a bit annoying though.

I noticed you are in Ohio. Me too. Ever been to RMS Aquaculture?

[Charles Poole]

What is the exact model of Prizm that you have?

Prizm
Prizm Deluxe
Prizm Pro
Prizm Pro Deluxe

[Darlene]

The bubbles aren't too hateful, just look like dandruff. What did you mean when you wrote "surface tension from DOC's in your water"?

I am from Dayton but I have never heard of RMS Aquaculture. But then again, I didn't know there was anything other than Jack's Aquarium. Pretty sheltered, huh? But I have found one other place since then that is a warehouse and it's pretty cool. I've also heard that there is a really neat place over in Columbus but haven't been there. What part of Ohio is Geneva?

[Darlene]

I believe it's the bottom of the line, plain old Prizm. It still cost me over $100 but I'm sure if I knew what I was doing I could have gotten a better model for the price I paid. But with all the other expenses I had when I was switching to SW I was trying to watch my pennies. If only I had to do over! :lol: How many times have I said that with this computer. Oh well, I just have to keep reminding myself that I'm in for the long haul. Whatever I experience now (good & bad) will help me out in the long run.

[Darlene]

Oops! Meant to say "How many times have I said that with this aquarium". But I've been having such problems these last few days getting kicked off when trying to post my replay that I guess it was a "Floydian slip".

[Zack]

But I've been having such problems these last few days getting kicked off when trying to post my replay


What you mean? Is this an issue with coralforum or your internet connection?

[Darlene]

I have not a clue. I know computers about as well as I know aquariums. So what does that tell you! :lol: I'm working on a new laptop which is set up wireless and our server is roadrunner. So I don't know if it's roadrunner, laptop, the wireless system or what. But I really don't think it's a problem with coralforum. Even though that's what my husband blames it on. But I think that's only because he doesn't want to have to mess. I've talked to roadrunner numerous times and I've gone through the help service with Linksys wireless. So the last thing to do is talk to HP to see what their opinion is. Unfortunately, roadrunner blames Linksys and Linksys says it's roadrunner. But I'll get on, read what's been posted and then will type out my reply. Then when I go to send it the comuter will go read slow and then a screen will come up that says this page cannot be open. So where the problem is, got me. :? But like I said, I really don't think it's coralforum.

[Charles Poole]

OK Darlene,

According to Red Sea, you should have a water flow control valve on the intake tube of your skimmer. It should be approx. 2 inches from the air bleed intake line. Turn this so that it restricts the flow of water going into the skimmer. After the bubbles start to slow down going into your tank, make your air bleed adjustments. The water flow valve should do the trick. :)

[Darlene]

Hey, I think it's working as it should!! When I had used this skimmer before I tried adjusting the valve every which way and it didn't matter. If I turned it down enough so that there weren't a ton of bubbles then after an hour or so it would quit drawing water completely. But since I've set it up yesterday it seems to be doing a lot better. The bubbles are there but not a whole lot and they are very, very tiny. Like I said before, look like tiny pieces of dandruff. And it has already gotten green nasty looking stuff up in the collection cup, so I'd say it's doing what it's suppose to. Yea!!!! I think I had trouble before because the tank was so new. Would that have made a difference. Well thank you for all the help. One down (getting the skimmer up and running) and a million to go! Thanks again!!

[Darlene]

Ahhhh!!! Just as soon as I sent that last reply out I looked over at my tank and it is filled with bubbles! I thought at first that the bleenie had kicked up sand but that wasn't it. It's bubbles and lots of them. I'm assuming that it's because I just fed the fish. Would that be the reason? I don't understand why it would do that but I did read (wasn't in your article so I'm not sure where I saw it) somewhere that could affect it. Is that true?

[Charles Poole]

Yes, new tanks are often much higher in nutrients and DOC's than established tanks are. They do not yet have the biological maturity to handle a lot of the "nasties" in the yet.

I am glad to here it is working as it should. I am sure you will enjoy the benefits of running a skimmer... :)


And it has already gotten green nasty looking stuff up in the collection cup, so I'd say it's doing what it's suppose to. Yea!!!!

:banana: :chuggin: :banana:

[Charles Poole]

Yes, feeding the fish will cause the skimmer to act a bit erratically for a short while. This is normal, and it will subside in a little while. Sometime turning the skimmer off for an hour or so after feeding will help reduce the affects of surface tension changes due to feeding. :)

[Darlene]

But will I have to do any adjustments or anything if I turn it off when I feed them? Does it do the tank any harm when the skimmers goes crazy after feeding or does it just look bad for a while?

[Charles Poole]

It shouldn't do all that much harm, but I would suggest cutting back on the feeding amount a little while you skimmer is breaking in. This will give the skimmer a chance to effectively "catch-up" with your system.

You should still feed during this time, just cut back enough to allow the skimmer to pull out more nasties than your system is used to dealing with on a normal basis. After about a week, slowly begin raiseing the amount you are feeding until the skimmer seems to not be affected as much.

Careful to avoid over feeding. Although once the skimmer is fully integrated into your system, it will provide a little "safety net" against inadvertant over-feedings, it will not help if the feedings are way in excess of your systems biological capacity. Sorry, there is no well defined way to calculate this amount, other than making sure your fish have plump bellys, and everything looks good.

This is where the DNLR ( Does Not Look Right ) syndrome is developed.... :)

[Darlene]

I've been doing this eight months, I mean feeding my fish, and I still don't know if I am giving them the right amount. I feel pretty confident that the fish are getting what they need but it's the other critters (shrimp, snails, hermit crabs) that I'm not sure about. When I feed I just put tiny amounts in at a time and watch the fish eat it. If they eat it all I drop in a little more. I do this until I see that all of it is not being eaten and then I stop. I only feed them twice a day, morning and evening. I do vary what they eat, so I'm assuming (there I go again) they are getting what they need. I read once that it is very rare that things go wrong in a fish tank because the fish are underfed. Probably because feeding time is the most enjoyable to watch. But I am concerned about the shrimp, snails and hermit crabs. Do I need to put in extra food for them?

[Darlene]

I have another question. This one has to do with my little button polyps and lighting. I am new to this forum stuff so I'm not sure if I should post my question here or if I should start another thread (is that the right word?) I just took a look around and I'll try posting it in the forum for us newbies. Any advise on using this forum would be appeciated also. Thanks again!!! 8)

[Charles Poole]

When in doubt, start a new "Thread"... :)

As far as feeding goes, the crustaceans you have will likely eat anything the fish didn't. They will aslo eat algae, other micro-organisms, fish "poop" and many other things that you do not even recognize as food.

On occassion, I see no reason not to give these little buggers a treat. Just take the same care not to over feed the tank. The best time to ensure that the crustaceans get more of the food than the fish will, is to feed them at night. Long after the lights have been out. This is when they feel the safest from predation. It will also give you a chance to spot any "nasty" critters that are generally considered undesirable in our reefs. Ie. Mantis Shrimps and Large "Fire" Bristle Worms.

*** Small bristle worms are not only common, but very neccessary to the health and maintenance of your reefs sand beds. They pose little to no problem to healthy organisms such as corals and fish. So don't panic if you see loads of them moving about after hours. They are just looking for a good night club... :) ***

[Darlene]

You wrote that small bristle worms are very neccessary to the health and maintenance of your reefs and sand beds. What if I don't have any bristle worms. Everyone I ever said that to told me that was good, but they never really believe me that I don't have any. And I could be wrong, but I would be really, really surprised. I watch my aquarium so much that I think I would see one or two if they were in there. Even at feeding time I never see a one. I even take a flashlight at night (with red paper over it) and look around to see if I'm missing anything. I don't watch TV but believe me, I make up for it by watching my tank. But if I don't have bristle worms, is that a bad thing? I've got narsarrius (sp?) snails and a sand sifter, will they do the job?

[Charles Poole]

What type of sand sifter do you have? A sleeper goby?

These are not the most ideal animals to have where a healthy functional micro-fauna filled sand bed is concerned. They will eat the little critters faster than they can reproduce.

Depending on the age of your system, it could be a while before you start seeing a population boom of these micro-fauna. If you feed a little bit at night, after the lights have been out for a few hours, you may see them "pop" their heads out of the sand. Also, see if you can look up at the bottom of the tank. I have seen dozens of worms and other critters this way, that would likely never have been seen otherwise.

[Darlene]

My sand sifter is a starfish. At least that's what they told me he was. He's a pretty cool starfish. Hopefully he's a good thing.

When you wrote "not the most ideal animals to have where a healthy functional micro-fauna filled sand bed is concerned" what exactly is a micro-fauna?

I am not able to look under my tank because it sits on a piece of insulation which is on a piece of plywood down inside my stand. I have looked in after the lights have been out for a while and I have never seen anything unually yet. But you are saying that if I do, it's a good thing?

[Paidbychrist0825]

micro fauna are the little dudes that live in your sand, like certain pods, some worms, and stuff that lives in sand in general, but you dont noticde usually.

[Darlene]

Hey thanks for explaining! As you can tell, I still have a whole lot of reading to do. One of these days I'm going to be able to read these pages and know exactly what's being said. At least I hope so. Thanks again!

[Paidbychrist0825]

you will. we all start out going"huh? what does that mean?" we all start out knowing reletively little. think of it this way: my tank is up, and stuff is actuallt alive in there :)

[Darlene]

Yes, it is up and things are still living. My plan is to keep it that way. And thanks to all you folks on here I just might be able to do it.

[Charles Poole]

Here is an article by Dr. Ron Shimek on Sand beds. After you read it, post any more questions you may have. He will tell you in this article that a Sand sifting Sea Star is not a good thing for the health of the sand bed though. :(

Dearest Mudder.... The Importance of Deep Sand. (http://www.rshimek.com/reef/sediment.htm)

[Darlene]

What a good article. I'm sure you said it before but I talk to so many people that I can't keep it all straingt, but do you have a deep sand bed? I've got about 2", do you think I should add some more? He also talked about the size of sand, and a mixture of different sizes and how some live sand is good and some is not. What's your opinion on these? Also, with a deep sand bed is it okay to get in and clean the sand that is against the tank, just so it doesn't look nasty? Or would this disrupt things too much? And the star fish has to go. :cry: I tried overlooking it but when he puts it in capital red letters it was kind of hard to miss. Is there any other star fish that is hardy and reef safe? Thanks again for all your help.

[Charles Poole]

The Blue Linkia Starfish is supposed to be reef safe. They are known to carry parasites with them from the wild, so close inspection of the stars underside is a must before purchasing one.

I have been reestablishing the DSB in my 125. I made a rash descision to remove it over a year ago, and regret it very much. The DSB in my 20 gallon is approx. 3 inches of mostly coarse sand, but I have 20lbs. of fines sand getting ready to go into that tank in the next week or so. :)

I think a mixture of mostly fine to medium grain sands with a smaller portion of coarse sand would likely be the most ideal... :)

[Darlene]

Thanks again. Right now I only have about 2" of all fine but have been wondering if I should add another inch of somethng a little bit larger and just mix it in. But I'm not doing anything until I can get my nitrates down. They aren't looking to good.

[Charles Poole]

You may find that the sand bed is the source of your extra Nitrates.

If it is not functioning properly, then it will likely turn into a nutrient sink, thereby releaseing the very same things you would expect it to be reducing. I think that adding some coarser grained aragonit sand to your sand bed would be a wise and beneficialy descision... :)

[Darlene]

Chuck if you were to add more sand would it need to be live sand. I've heard people talk about just getting some kind from a place like home depot. What's your opinion? Plus, how would I go about adding it now that my tank is already set up? The thought of moving all my rocks doesn't thrill me, but if it will help I'll do it. Both my feather dusters, my emerald crab and one of my other snails, not sure what kind it was have died :( . This has happened over the last two weeks. So I'm up to doing whatever it will take to keep what few things I've got left alive.