Moonlight and Kalk...

[Ef3s]

Hello. I have a 36 bowfront FOWLR with a 55watt compac flo and 18 watt flo and 1 watt moonlight.

I have it set up 1 hour 18 watter....10 hours 55+18....1 hour 18 watter....4 hours moonlight...darkness....

DO I need some sort of pitch black before the moonlight comes on...?

Or will I be receiving the usual response of "ITS FOWLR NOTHING YOU DO MATTERS..!"

ALso, I have read that calcium should be added to help coraline and beneficial algaes grow...Is this true? IF so can I add the supplement directly or do I need to use some sort or KALK or reactor As I have read a few comments about...?

ANd for 3rd.... I have always thought that hermit crabs grab new shells when they have outgrown their current ones....all of the hermit crabs I have have an identicle shell that seems to be of multiple sizes? Did the lfs put the crabs in these shells or do they grow... perhaps stupid question...

 

[cindre2000]

For lighting- NOTHING YOU DO MATTERS, bwahahahah, not really...

That lighting schedual is fine, I normally leave the moon lights on all the time, I don't think the fish/coral mind too much.

Calcium addition will help the coraline algae if there is not enough calcium in the tank. Just concentration on keeping it high to make the coraline happy. A two part supplement is the way to go; a calcium reactor uses solid media that you break down with CO2, you will only need that with a heavily stocked reef tank.

Yes hermits switch out shells. Probably the hermits all came to the store with similar shells and the LFS only had those shells in the tank. Just get some more and in a couple of days you will see some hermits in different shells.

 

[Ef3s]

Where can I get bigger shells for them...they all seem to be hanging out like they have already out grown them.....

ALso, one of my Turbo snails was upside down, sucked into its shell laying on the sand with a hard circle piece covering its hole. I thought it was dead so I took it out of water for a min...it came out started crawling so I put back in the tank and it was fine....

What was it doing? I have never before in my tank seen a snail on the SAND upside down...

 

[cindre2000]

He fell down and could not get back up.

hehe,
reminds me of that commercial with the old woman....

Turbos and Astrea snails usually cannot right themselves when they fall over. So, he was probably stuck. The hard circle is his trap door which he closes to protect himself.

As for larger shells- go to the beach or pick some up at a craft store. Thats what I do. Oh, that and wait for the hermits to kill my snails...