Okay, so its a good thing that I skipped the u.g. filter because I am using living sand. I was confused under what circumstances they were needed for, thank you for clearing that up.

Thats good to know about the filter, my husband and me don't like the one we have now and we're talking about replacing it anyway. I had no idea of exactly what to look for when looking at the numbers and what not, thanks for that advice.

And protein skimmers make life a little easier for me and the fish? I think I got ya. I'll start making plans for one of those.

I'm feeding them frozen cubes, not a whole cube about a third or less of the cube, and they do their best to eat it all, ha. If I would have known it was so risky for the fish I would have gotten them later! I figured as much though, and have been keeping an eye on them, they <i>seem</i> to be doing okay. They're swimming vertical, color is good, eyes are bright. I sure hope they stay that way! Should I be cleaning the sand or would that damage the whole process?

And I have about a 2.5 lb live rock with the live sand and flourescent lighting. I figured that I could always invest more once my tank leveled out and the fish were settled in okay.

And the book, I always feel so guilty for buying expensive books, but I know I would enjoy it and I'm sure the fish would too. I was suprised to see that there wasn't more material about clown fish, they seem to be very popular. While I'm writing this, I was searching and came across the same book, minus the breeding and what not, for only $20, so I don't know what I found before!

Thank you for all your help!

ok sorry to interrupt the conversation but since were talkin about water levels and such i figured this would b a good place to jump in. To save my life i CANNOT figure otu what is goin on..... i think my test kit might be expired, my nitrate readings were about 30-35, took it to my lfs and they said it was fine, around 10-15. Not quite the optimal zero. But my readings stand as so... new nitrates - 0, ph, 8.1 ( a little low), nitrites 0, ammonia tad above zero, temperature of mostly 78 but it does spike at about 81 on hot days, calcium is about 480, i think my tank is going through a crash. The past 3 weeks have consisted of my nem changing color to a clear/ white color and moving to hte back of the tank for no reason, my xenia pretty much dieing, my anthia looking like a skeleton with scales........ i dont get it, im doing 10 gal water changes weekely, my skimmer is pulling out plenty of shit, the water is clear, same light cycle, still same diet ( every other day varying from mysis to brine shrimp w/ spirinula (sp)) , all my other fish look and act healthy as a horse. My zoos and clove polpys are out like normal, zoos actually look like they are thriving........ help??

http://aquariumwatertesting.com/

I swear by these guys.......you only need to do this test maybe twice a year....but its worth the 40 bucks. The results are DEAD ON. There is no guessing. its a lab and they test it with computers and spectrometers. it doesnt get any more accurate than that. Blue.......it sounds like your live rock may have copper? 480 in calcium is a little high. Mine stays around 350-400 and I have a couple of new sps colonies. :) I know this sounds stupid......but it could be your light.....They dont put in (quality) bulbs with ebay fixtures, which was my concern about buying one. A friend of mine in the local reef club bought a fixture on ebay, and loves it. But he had to buy all new bulbs for the beast.....because the ones it came with sucked. which could explain your bleaching and die off. a lot of xenia doesnt like halides. as you know....i have 300 watts of vho....well it thrives in my tank......took a rock full of it to the lfs.....and its all dying under the metal halides. theres a ton of variables....just gotta test one at a time. Look at the bright side though blue......at least your not losing $45-$60 half in frags. I got an ORA blue ice millipora frag from a guy in the local reef club.....he paid 95 bucks for an inch.......I bought a 2 inch piece from him for 20 bucks. :) hell of a deal......If I ever lose it im going to cry,

I will use the turkey baster tomorrow and try to run down to the store and buy some hermit crabs or the snails. Would it be too risky to add a shrimp or would he be in jeopardy just like the fish?

And thats a tough fish you have there! I read an article recently about caring for cephalopods, and the author bought a small octopus and was afraid of him escaping, he bowed the tank lid with so much weight. The next morning the octopus was gone and he gave up searching his home. A few days later the author decided to clean the aquarium and found the creature hiding in some component of the undergravel filter! Although I don't know if the octopus survived or not.

Today while out running errands I found a small book on clownfish, and was on sale, haha. It explains about their natural history, their care, and had some good advice. Unfortunately it was published in 1998 so some things were a bit outdated but it had a wonderful explanation of a protein skimmer. I also read that maroon clown fish are recommended to be kept solitary, so could a single marroon clownfish and the occerlaris pair I have now coexist together? I would add the marroon clown later, but I was wondering if the pair I have would try to be overly dominate and harm the marroon clown or make him miserable.

And I like the light. Does a lumen bulb essentially provide 'moonlight' or is that just the type or brand of the bulb? My top priority is creating as much of a natural environment as I can, and I like the idea of different types of light. I realized today when reading my book, that another use for the powerhead is to create something like an ocean current, adjusting it so it moves the water in a certain way. Mine is just kind of dangling in there blowing bubbles! And I also read that in smaller tanks its better to make a lagoon type environment, thats another thing I will change once I get the opportunity. I'm also looking for something that has a dimmer switch, its only for a moment, but I don't like how my fish are frightened when I switch the light off. I have a friend thats an electrician, so I'm sure I could work something out if the light I like doesn't have one.

Again, thanks for all your help and advice! I am listening.