Pet Forum / Aquaria / Marine Reef / January 2004

I just looked at my new pump more closely (3-MDQ-SC)
and I noticed two oil holes... Found in the "manual"
that I need to drop some oil every 6 months to keep
it going... Is it normal for all other pumps of that

Can anyone ID this snail? I was told it was called a horny snail but I can't
find any pictures that match it. Recently this one came up beside a turbo
and it killed it, as shown in the pic.
http://members.shaw.ca/kellydarwin/fish/snail.jpg

I have a 55 gallon that has been up for 5 months all this reading seem to be
confusing me. I have read that you should leave your skimmer running 24x7
and I have also read you should only run it a few hours a day. So which is
correct to keep from over skimming, how do you know if ...

I purchased what I was told was a torch coral, but I am pretty sure it
is a hammer coral.  A torch coral has anemone like tentacle where the
hammer and the one I have has little hammer like endings on the
tentacles.

Dear Group
I have 110gal tank with Ratz trickle filter/sump system, protien skimmer,
calc reactor, 2x150W MH & 2 Blue Tubes - 4 power heads gives total internal
flow rate of around 1400gal/hour (too high?!)

I have been using the 2 part buffer from Kent Marine but am having a little bit
of a problem. I am trying to get my calcium level up from 350 without raising
the alkalinity any higher. I was told that the "A" part of the buffer system is
basically the calcium buffer and that the "B" ...

Is anyone else able to do a google on A.B.A.?
I wanted to look up something I saw in there recently but for some reason, I
can not browse to Alt.Binaries.Aquaria
It just isnt listed as an option to search through.  I could have sworn I've

I moved around some rock yesterday and found two different white things.
1) They look like fuzzy little volcanoes, really small cones with a hole in
the center. There was one that was bigger it appears they grow wider around
the base as they get larger, they have the look of cotton.

I collected some interesting rocks and some clam shells from the beach
today. I boiled them three times, changing the water each time. Should this
be enough to make them safe for the tank?

My alkalinity is around 5.5-6 meq/l on the salifert kit.  I know it is
on the high side, but will it cause me any problems.  My tank is a 46
gallon with 45 lbs live rock, a false percula, a small hippo tang
(which will be given a new home when he gets larger and a hammer

Hey guys,
I've got one of these skimmers in a sump for a 250g tank at work, but the
Rio 2100 gave in.  Any suggestions for a different pump or should I simply
replace it with another rio?

Can anybody suggest any good links for researching iverts and/or fish. I
have several reference books but can rarely find enough information on the
species being offered by local suppliers. I would like to know as much as
possible about each species before introducing.

Happy New Year to all from the Carney family...............
Chris Carney
www.exotic-aquatics.com