Blog Comments

You can get a nice DIY kit from Aquahub.com for $50. I did a full write up about my experience here:
http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php...Top-It-Off-kit

$80 and 100 for te two float one

I was talking about the kit pictured above.

Like six bucks... but it increases your other expenses significantly. Lol

Maybe I should build one!

What does that cost?

Ya know... they all basically work the same with a small pump that's controlled by the switch. Double float switches (or triple... or quadruple) are better for redundancy and safety.

If you're not planning on buying a JBJ or hooking one up through a controller I would at least go for a double float switch to keep your ATO from overflowing your tank. The upside to a JBJ or one controlled by a controller is the reduced risk of it sticking and emptying your entire ATO into your tank and dropping your salinity quickly. Some people keep a float switch to turn the pump on, another to shut the pump off if the water gets too high (for instance if a float switch sticks). Some use a third to shut it off if the ATO water is running out. A forth... awww heck put it on the tap at the bottom of your mug. They have endless uses. :-)

Hi Steve. If you have not done so already, take the time to read through the great links Matt provided. Corals are sensitive creatures. Proper water quality and lighting is very important.

There are a number of different coral "dips" that we soak the corals in to help remove bad pests before introduction into the tank. With most coral dips, you don't want to keep the coral in the medicine for too long. Depending on the solution, usually less than 10 minutes. So the dip medicine would NOT be part of the 2 hour acclimation period.

I would recommend having your dip solution in a separate container with tank water. Once the coral is done acclimating to the tank water, then move it into the container with the dip. Once that is complete (based on the instructions from the manufacturer), move the coral into your tank.

Coral dip examples are CoralRx and Revive, but there are others. They can be found on many online retailers and some local-fish-stores should have something in stock as well.

should i add any types of additives to them while they drip??

one think i hear of is a flatworm killing drop?

any others

Short Answer: Acclimate it just like you mentioned. Drip for 2+ hours, then place it in the tank. Generally you want to cut your photo period back a few hours and showly increase it over the following weeks to help get the coral acclimated to your lighting as well.

Long Answer:
Here's a write up I did recently for people new to saltwater. For you, I would just focus on the "Full Reef Setup" and "General Marine Articles" sections. If you don't read it all, at least check out "Food and Nutrition for Marine Aquariums", "Reef Filtration" & "Coral Lighting".

Here's the post:
The best place to begin is with the end in mind. So that's the first step. Let's find out what kind of system you want to keep. Fish only, Fish and Invertebrate with Live Rock or Full Reef with corals ect. Let me run you through some pros and cons.

Fish Only - Cheapest setup. Biological filtration is more difficult because of the absence of live rock. Isn't as awe inspiring.
Extra Reading on Fish Only: Fish Only Setup
Fish Only Setup Checklist

Fish and Invertebrates Only with Live Rock - Live Rock makes biological filtration easier. More natural looking than Fish Only. Once you have seen a reef setup with corals the rock looks naked, not as amazing.
Extra Reading on FI/WLR: FI/WLR Setup

Full Reef Setup - More expensive. Addicting! (you can think of that as either a pro or a con... depending upon if you're married! Lol) Awe inspiring.
Extra Reading on Reef Setups: Introduction to Reef
Reef System Setup
Reef Filtration
Invertibrate Lighting Note: Corals are Invertebrates
Coral Lighting
Reef Livestock

Nano Tank Articles (less than 30 gallons)
Small Marine Systems
Small Marine Livestocking
Nano Reef Systems

General Marine Articles:
Water for Marine Use
Water Quality
Frequent Partial Water Changes
Marine Maintenance
Marine Scavengers
Macro-Algae in Marine Aquariums
Food and Nutrition for Marine Aquariums


Good luck!!!!

The isopod is harmless. No secondary host for it in tanks, shrimp will live a normal lifespan with it.

Forgot, mine are the 3inch or less ones. Never seen the lemon size ones but kinda want one now.

Stick it in a Pico vase and enjoy it. Minimal stuff needed, just make sure to top off daily. An airstone would be good enough for oxygen and a little movement/flow in the small volume of water. Desktop entertainment.

If you get the cute smaller one kind, you've got nothing to worry about. The rule I've heard is 1 conch per 2 sqft of sandbed. And that would be open sandbed, not one covered/smothered with rock that the conch can't get to. I think a small one would be fine.

In my 400g, I have a big fat one and two smaller cute ones. The big one is the size of a lemon, the two smaller ones are maybe 1.5" long.

I don't know how they will do with crushed coral. Never done that, I've always kept them with sand.

Congrats on spotting the isopod during "quarantine"!!

I would really think twice before buying livestock at that LFS again. I visited a Big Al's in Florida, great for equipment and supplied (pumps, food, tests, etc) but I had the impression that as far as fish and creatures go they're an industrial shop with too much volume to really care well for the livestock.

Now, that is a strange peppermint shrimp, almost translucent. All the peppermints I've seen before have very strong red stripes, the stripes are so red that the shrimp looks red from a distance.

I've got less than 2 inchs in my current tank and they are doing great.

ok great 2.5 inch crushed coral ok or do i need to add more?

Had 3 in my 65g

so the store i bought it from will not let me return it when i asked they said " sorry but all marin livestock is final sale"

What should i do with this now just flush it? that seem crule

Great photos of the offending parasite.

I had one on a peppermint shrimp a couple of years ago. I did not know what it was until just now. My particular shrimp lived for over a year with it. At the time, I did not think it was something attached, but rather a deformity. Interesting. I had other peppermint shrimp in the same tank and they never showed a parasite, as far as I know, the parasite did not spread to anything else.

That's a good question. If you can't see any on the livestock you are purchasing, you should be fine. It was obviously a hitchhiker and may have been a recent (isolated) case. Keep your eyes open with any purchase you make.