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Check out the sources I listed above to get a good understanding of the basics of a reef tank, there is far too much information to disseminate in a single post. You will get different answers from different people based on their experiences on how to best keep a reef tank. I strongly...

The amount of instant ocean used by the OP is 60 mg/l. The percentage of sodium chloride in instant ocean is roughly 80% by mass. The percentage of sodium chloride (NaCl) that the zebra danios are living in is 0.048g per liter. That’s an incredibly tiny amount of NaCl that won’t register on many...

The OP states the tank uses 60 mg/L of instant ocean. The sodium chloride content in so dilute in this concentration it would have no effect on the fish’s health.

The need to add trace elements (in this case in the form of instant ocean) stems from using distilled water which is virtually pure H20. Fish need dissolved ions in surrounding water to properly osmoregulate and thus survive. And yes, the OP is very likely in a laboratory setting, not a home...

There’s far more to the equation than that. For one, your tap water alone has enough trace phosphates in it for algae and plants to be competitive with bacteria. Secondly, your phosphates are not very low (IE in the order of 0.001ppm as it is many ULNS or those using chemical phosphate...

Instant Ocean is simply saltwater aquarium mix, not pure table salt/sodium chloride (NaCL). It provides a balanced mix of many other trace elements that corals, invertebrates and saltwater fish need to survive. Many laboratories use distilled or RO/DI in conjunction with instant ocean mix to...

Byron, I’m not totally sure if this is what you’re asking, but are you unsure that zero to very low levels of phosphate encourage cyano? The answer is yes. The distinction between algae and cyano/dinos is very important because algae growth will be limited by zero/very low phosphates levels...

Have you acquired these zebra danios from a biological supply source and/or using these fish in a school/work laboratory setting? Everything you seem to be doing or asking falls in line with how biological supply companies suggest zebra danios should be housed, which is the only reason I ask...

There are a lot of broad questions you have asked, and should, as a new reef keeper. Finding a good forum, watching bulkreefsupply videos or reading through a series of articles in an online reef magazine would be all good starting spots. As far as your particular system goes, it’s pretty small...

His stocking claims are supposedly made by square footage of biomedia needed for the measured amount of ammonia that a certain sized fish would produce. Again, he cites no sources for his data assertions. Almost all of his graphs and charts present data in a linear fashion, and as a data...

His guide on stocking Malawi cichlid tanks is wild. He advocates for not stocking aquariums based on inches per gallon or the similar (agreed) but rather by “cubic volume” that a popular YouTuber suggests (no scientific method here whatsoever by the way). He then goes on to suggest, by inches...

The thoughtful articulation of his articles concerns me because some hobbyists will stumble on his website, take it for face value and think they’ve found the holy grail of aquarium scripture. The parroting of false information that the author supposedly dislikes, is exactly what he is doing...

There isn’t a single one person in the aquarium hobby who has all of the answers nor can “scientifically prove with facts” every facet of the hobby. There are dozens and dozens of legitimate scientists studying the reef hobby and publishing their findings all the time in publications, none of...

I believe many of those comments to be likely fake. If a single person put as much time into that website as they did, writing the short(ish) comments wouldn’t be much of a bother to them.

I find the whole website an interesting case study. It obviously was made by a bright individual, with a lot of free time, an unusual modus operandi and a vendetta against something in the aquarium hobby. I think he should take a close look at his own psychology before trying to diagnose...

In some of the articles, he even employs tactics where he references psychological effects that would explain why doubters of his article’s methods exist.

Luckily there are lots of budget oriented RO systems on the market today, there used to be none. AquaticLife RO Buddy, LiquaGen and a lot of other portable or twist in style RO/DI units come to mind. Aquarium retailers and even big box stores like WalMart carry them nowadays for well under a...

I don’t often start a thread on any aquaria related forum I’ve used over the years. I am starting this thread to discuss a rather bizarre aquarium website. I hope everyone will skim through its contents (link below) and provide their feedback here. Truly a one of a kind, not in a good way. I...

Assuming you are using standard PVC or CPVC piping (like schedule 40 or schedule 80 for example) nearly any clear PVC cement or glue will do. Most are designed to be used in compliance with potable water standards and are food safe. Generally anything food safe is fish as well. As far as...

Yes, you can use any sort of biological filtration in a saltwater tank as you could in a freshwater tank, the nitrogen cycle works the same way. Again, saltwater fish are more sensitive to water quality so keep that in mind when you are considering what method(s) you’re considering for nutrient...

There isn’t a whole lot of concrete data on spectral shifts on LED’s, there is plenty of evidence that intensity does decrease over time. Their wear life in measured in multiple years though. 50,000 hours of use is considered time for LED replacement in reef aquaria for example. Dimming, thermal...

I’m a bit perplexed by the notion that any inherent differences between aquariums of “rich” and “poor” need to be pointed out. Everyone’s situation is different. Income, interest level in the hobby, living space, priorities and ultimate goals are different across the board. To generally...

Your options for “predators” are about nil for a 40g tank. There are lots of unique, carnivorous or oddball species that would make interesting additions though. Fuzzy dwarf lionfish, hawkfishes, anglers/frogfish/scorpions/stonefish, Valentini and Sharpnose puffers, small filefish species...

As others have already pointed out, plants use light across different spectrums from approximately 400nm to 700nm. As for your original question, in growing plants only in the red spectrum, this is possible, albeit not ideal. Chaetomorpha utilized in reef aquarium refugiums is often illuminated...

What does it say about sealed containers?

Deanasue, Shipping with methylene blue is sometimes done because, purportedly, it can help with ammonia poisoning and or/ anti-bacterial properties . A lot of old timers used to do this but it seems to have fallen out of favor. The University of Florida Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory did some...

How are packages normally handled in your building? Do packages go to a leasing office and are signed by staff there or something else? For anything that requires a signature, drivers will sometimes go the extra step to contact the person on the billing address via phone (DHL has done this for...

Agreed, many of their products last forever. The Rena Filstar is also good. Eheim has taken a step back in quality to some degree in the last decade or so. They are having some things made in China and are fiddling with once excellent quality things (like Jager heaters) to be cheaper and more...

I’m really partial to Eheim canisters, they’re the only ones I’ll ever use. They last forever, I’ve been using one continuously since 1999 (with no repairs or replacement parts). I really think they are one of the only (if not the only) external filters made correctly in terms of media...

In case anyone was interested in learning more about the nitrogen cycle in depth and how it is not as simple or linear as we think, (IE NH3-N04-N03-N2) check out an older article on here on Reefs.com. While it is geared towards reef aquaria, the same process happens in freshwater aquaria. As...

I am a home hobbyist, have had fresh and saltwater tanks since the early 90’s. I am an executive chef professionally, but have a rather keen interest in the science that happens in our home aquariums.

There’s really no need to convert to freshwater, unless you really want to, they still do very well in a little salt. I think the term “lightly brackish” best describes a lot of species we keep in low salinities (up to 1.005) but in fact don’t ever inhabit brackish waters in the wild. For...

Short of testing a species preference for dissolved 02 or redox levels, there really is no reliable way of saying what is adequate or not. We can only give vague references like “highly oxygenated waters”. Trying to quantify which mix of filters and air stones provides certain oxygen levels...

For my take on air pumps in aquaria read this recent thread here. In a nutshell, they are effective but misunderstood. As far as flow is concerned don’t worry about numbers or GPH flow rates. These are a broad ranges and a number of variables come into play. Even in reef aquaria where extremely...

For the lump just monitor closely, you’ve already tried melafix to no avail which would have been my suggestion. As for the the puffer, Dichotomyctere ocellatus is purely a freshwater species, it has never been collected in brackish waters in the wild. Icthyologists confirm this species is...

Beantown Aquatics, in Massachusetts, is an extremely good vendor of all African cichlids. In fact the owner only sells African cichlids and is extremely knowledgeable on the subject. Beantown is a small, hobbyist owned business that I believe operates out of a home (I could be remembering wrong...

JuiceBox52, If you have soft and acidic water and are looking for a biotope from Asia I’d consider trying to replicate a slow moving or still backwater. Think shaded streams, blackwater pools, stagnant creeks etc. Water flow, or really the lack of it, seems to be an overlooked aspect in...

Martin6562, You are already past 1/4 full marine conditions at a SG of 1.007 (Natural seawater is 1.025/1.026 SG). Going up to 1.012-1.013 isn’t going to do much if the lump is indeed caused by a bacterial infection, which we aren’t even sure about. If the lump was caused by a bacterial...

I am using that exact same stand as we speak right now. It is Aqua Culture brand. It feels plenty sturdy to me. Off the shelf aquarium stands are not a marvel in engineering, but this particular one doesn’t feel too bad. It currently holds two 24” long aquariums, with room to spare if you may be...

Just a note on air pumps and water oxygenation: Yes, air pumps do oxygenate water. Their lack of surface agitation has nothing to do with how they perform. Via diffused aeration, in our case air pumps in home aquariums, oxygenated bubbles dissolve oxygen into the water column simply by mixing...