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I noticed you plan to keep an octopus. I would suggest keeping him in a tank by himself. They can be quite mischevious. A good preventative measure to take is to cover the top of the aquarium and some of the sides with astroturf - when he finds his way out of the tank (and he will), they...

It is wonderful to be able to collect your own rock, sand and livestock. We do it often at the aquarium (just two weeks ago we scored 5 rainbow mantis shrimp and a couple of nice sized starfish), But you MUST check with local authorities. Many of the coastal areas are protected and you would...

They are not natural inhabitants of the ecosystem. They can and will impact the other lifeforms. Competing for food sources, possibly destroying food sources for other species, inter-breeding and diluting the gene pool of otherwise healthy fish populations (see another post here on North...

I've always assumed that a starter tank should be at leat 40-50 gallons. Anything smaller and you are tackling a more advanced system (i.e. your water quality control will have to be dead on as will your lighting, filtration, etc.). If you do start with something small I would keep it as a...

It should work. I don't know of any set formula to determine the size of your sumps (anyonw?), but 10G should be just fine for your 55. Devin

I didn't see how often you keep the light on in your tank... Besides adding the suggested snails or type of algae eater (both good additions!), you might want to make sure that your lights are on no longer than 10-12 hours a day. By cutting back on the amount of available light you'll do quite...

The debate over UGFs will never end :) If anything, they are an excellent and cheap start for a beginner. If you're looking to get your feet wet in keeping fish, it might be the way to go. That way you can get started in the never-ending learning process. Eventually, you'll get to a point where...

I don't know about stars, but they do make bio-balls. Could be very similar. They are an excellent addition to any biological filtration system you have. They are used heavily in marine systems, and I'm sure would be equally successful in freshwater. They are an excellent breeding ground for...

At the aquarium where I volunteer we keep a swell shark that was collected off the coast in Caalifornia. It shares tank space with a horn shark and a few starfishes and that's about it. As for $30 of food a day... not sure about that. We feed the shark a few large pieces of sardine every day or...

5 watss per gallon is a good start, but if you're gonna keep corals and inverts, I'd reccommend you aim for 7-10 per gallon. It'd be a wise choice to look into metal halide for your lights. Devin

You can use fresh whole sardines, squid and other bits of high quality seafood. Just chop them up and feed once a day or every other day (depending on types of fish). Another option is you can make gelatin cubes if you want to have pre-made stuff on hand. They're also a handy way to introduce...

If you added any type of coral sand then you might have some problems. It's designed for marine aquariums. Devin

It should be placed as the last stage in your system, so after the wet/dry. Devin

30 gallons is a bit small. If you can, try for at least 40 or 50 (bigger tanks mean more stable tanks). And as others have said, the lighting is VERY important. The tank will also need vigorous filtration and circulation. A good suggestion is 1-2 pounds of live rock per gallon of tank capacity...

She could always add in a algae scrubber to make up for extra nitrates :) Those are neat little devices I've just started looking into. Devin

I'd use packages of fresh frozen whole sardines and squid. Chop up and feed a few small pieces once a day or other day, they also like the "wings" from the squid. Devin

The biggest difference? Cost. And believe it or not, small tanks are not the way to start. They are death traps for fish. I would not have anything smaller than 40-50 gallons. tank and basic filtration is the same, although I would suggest using external canister filters, a protein skimmer is...

I don't believe that UV sterilization is the right answer (not to mention quite costly and unneccessary for freshwater tanks, IMO). If you have a overstocked tank the obvious answer is to remove some of the fish (hopefully to a new tank!), but if that isn't an option, why not added more...

The Concientious Aquarist by Robert Fenner It is geared primarily towards marine tanks, but has tons of useful information that applies to freshwater (all things being equal, they're not that different anyway). Great stuff and some of the most beautiful pics I've seen. Devin

I like to mix the cube with a bit of the tank water, swish it about and dump it right back in. Devin

In marine tanks, methylene blue is a good tool in fighting parasites. It's mixed with freshwater to create a dip for the sick fishies. Maybe it can be used in freshwater as well? I'd like to know. Devin

Oh... and to throw more fuel onto the fire.... The 25G tank in which I have my AquaClear filter (w/o the biowheel), is also using an undergravel system! Start the lynching. It's been running strong and beautiful for just about 8 years now (taken down only once for a move). Devin

Not trying to cut anybody down, and I am doing my best to avoid the whole argument of pro/con bio-wheels.... I am actually neither. I could honestly care less! I avoid all of the debates regarding hardware because when it comes right down to it, whatever works for your tanks is fine with me. I...

My power filter (hob) works perfectly fine without the use of a bio-wheel. I'm not sure the same can be said in reverse. That's all I meant. If anything, I'd call a bio-wheel a filter accessory. Devin

They're not standalone, more of a supplement or addition to your existing power filter. Devin

Coral sand is used mostly in marine tanks and will increase the pH levels in your tank, possibly to harmful levels. There are a number of other sand choices available (at the LFS, etc.) that might be better for your fishies. I believe there are a few other threads going on that are dealing with...

Don't know about the fishless cycling - never done it. For feeding, I've recently been playing with how much and when I feed. The last several weeks I've given a single algae tablet for my 25G, and one algae tablet with a good pinch of flake food for the 40G. I feed once a day in the morning. I...

A biowheel is a cylinder shaped object that you can put into the power filters (HOB variety) that supposedly create an environment that is friendly to good bacteria and therefore the tank. Personaly opinions vary on their use. I have used them in the past, but do not any longer. Most on these...

My guess is your cory. Possibly the unknown catfish. On my tanks I notice they like to lay eggs mid-morning. It took a couple of weeks, but I finally saw them (my cories) in action. Devin

the problem isn't so much that the fish are being taken from the wild, it is the method in which they are caught... The best way is to hand collect the fish, best for the animals/breeding and the environment. But many large quantity collectors add cyanide and other chemicals to the water in...

Alien Anna beat me to it. But coral sand was my first thought as well. Unfortunately, I do not know what can/should be done. I'll assume that over time the pH might drop some, or you might want to do more frequent water changes for awhile, or think about using some of the products that are...

The fish will be fine without a light, but I once had to go without light in one of my tanks for nearly a month. It was next to a window that received lots of light (also grew plants in the area). After awhile the colors seemed to fade, particularly on my red-tail shark and swordtails. So, not...

Today I get to start on my new tanks... 2300 gallons of glorious marine and fresh water! The local community college has a public aquarium and I signed up for a class which is basically taking care of the tanks. It's at Orange Coast College here in California...

Not sure of the internal workings of aquarium heaters. It is very possible that some fuse, thermistor, or whatever they use, blew inside. Power outages have a tendency to do that to electronic components (I fix em for a living). Set the heater to a high temp and see if it turns on, if not, more...

Submerge the whole thing in the tank, cover one end of the tube with your thumb, stick it into your bucket/pail/whatever (make sure it is lower than the tank), then let go.... But airborn is right.... practice. Everyone gets their own technique eventually. Devin

Provided your water looks good and has good test reults, it really isn't anything to worry about. It's something that happens every so often, extra protein in the water...blah, blah... science... Generally, there are a couple things to do. You've already done the water change, you can increase...

I'm with lordmoose... add a few more females or move one of the males to another tank. I've always had luck with a 2 or 3 female to 1 male ratio. It really did help in keeping the fighting and nipping down... Devin

Be sure to have some nice music playing and set the lights a bit low.... nothing like setting a mood for egg laying! :lol: Devin

Is it possible that she's matured to the point of laying eggs? My albino cory will get a bit fatter and I know it's time for some egg layin'! I've seen her do almost daily egg laying for two weeks straight once. It's possible yours is getting ready to burst? Don't discount the idea that she's...

Your tank is a bit small to have a red tail shark in it. Those guys can be very aggressive and need a bit of their own territory. They will work in community tanks, but I'd say 20G-plus tanks (just a quick off the top number...) Devin