Black Mammoth

Yeah, if you have the Dxxx (D200, etc) series, it has the motor built in to the body. So you can use older lenses and still have autofocus. Unfortunately for him, he will have to do manual focus. But this is the very reason why I got the D200. I believe that I had found some old film macro Nikon lenses on eBay for $100 - $200.

I see what you are saying. Can you just raise the lights when you get in to the frag tank? Maybe you can put some pexiglass under the lights and then remove it when you are done working?

Just be careful with the muriatic acid. I've used it before in other applications. Make sure you get some heavy gloves and a good respirator. I might be over protective, but it is very corrosive.

Not to sound like a jerk....but why don't you fix the splashing issue? Mine hover about 2 - 3 inches over the water. I would get splashing when I turned off my return pump and then turn it back on. But I fix the returns so that they wouldn't splash.

I believe so. Mine were black with blue stripes/bands. I would have to ask Sean about the scientific name as I don't know. The problem with those is that 2 of the 5 died after they got rid of the stuff. I think the didn't have enough to eat afterward.

I agree. I have at least 3 of them in my tank. Actually, I had one on one coral that RTN'd and it found its way on to another coral. They crack me up. I was excited to see that I had one.

I'm using the Aquamedic Kalkwasser Stirrer. it is working well. It has a drain like Steve described, but it is being pumped in to my sump...not just draining. I have a small pump that pumps RO water and bottom feeds the stirrer. Then it overflows/pumps in to the sump. It keeps the levels high. I have hooked up to my float switches for auto-top off. This is my first one and I've been pretty happy with it. I like the setup because I have a bit more control over exactly what is going in to the tank.

I found that the rabbit fish are hit and miss with that stuff. I had a Magnificent Foxface that loved the stuff, but I know that others that won't touch it. A vendor told me to use some Blue Knuckled Crabs. I got 5 of them and they completely destroyed it...and quickly at that.

Are you changing the bulbs or you going to a different type? If you are going to T5 or MH, then yeah you may need to do something. If you are changing the bulbs, I wouldn't do anything, especially with PC lights. If you are going to T5 or MH, then I ask the question....are you keeping any corals under PC lights. If you are, then you may want to put a light diffuser underneath the lights and slowly remove it over the next week or so. You can also start with less bulbs and turn them on slowly.

They have adapters that you can use. You might be satisfied with those results. This is the one I want....but it's $890 :( Nikon 105mm f/2.G ED-IF AF-S VR Here is one I'm considering and it's much cheaper, $480 Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX Macro AF That last one is the one SteveM on here uses with his Nikon. I think he has the D300 or D500. I use a D200. You may want to contact Steve on what he recommends. There might be an adapter that he has used that he can recommend.

I went large with a 325g and a 112g sump. I went with the best....Sean at F&F ordered me an A.G.E. tank. I have a build thread on here, but it is way out dated. I planned for the humidity and so far no problems. I built my fish room and that's darn near water proof. I also have an 6" exhaust fan on a dehumidistat to take care of the humidity. It is more money to setup and run, but I'm happy. I have a 96"L x 30"W x 26"T with Eurobracing. I can get to the sand bed if needed. There are some things I go back and forth on with the setup, but I'm happy with my purchase. I live in VA and made my tank energy efficient....so I haven't seen an electrical bill that I can't deal with.

I've been to both Fish World and Atlantis. Sometimes I stop by to look around. I haven't really bought too much at Fish World because it really isn't feasible. I wasn't very impressed with Atlantis. The prices seem really high and no one was really around. But then again, I've only been by a couple times, but when I saw $800 for a Picasso Pair, I was shocked. Maybe it was a misprint who knows. Fish World prices are on the higher side (not like Atlantis), but then again I've been spoiled by the great stores in our area But back to the to the original post. It's awesome to hear that you have a close fish store near you. I bet it's a pain to do anything being in between DC and Richmond. Find out what their QT practices are. We have some WAMAS vendors here that do a great job to ensure your fish doesn't die when you take it home.

It's real easy. Paypal help reveals the answers Here is the quick run down. 1. Go to My Account in PayPal 2. Go to history 3. Search your history for the past year (or whenever you subscribed) 4. Click on the ReefCentral item 5. When you look at the details it says it was a subscription with some number with a hyper link. It is something like S8-xxxxx 6. Click on that number and then click on Cancel Subscription. 7. Click on Cancel Subscription for a second time for confirmation. I did it just in case it was hacked. I'll resubscribe if it comes back.

Wow...there is a lot of conspiracy theories out there. Why can't people accept the fact that sometimes crap happens. I like the site and it was one of my favorites. As long as you could tune out some of the people, it was a great place. I hope it comes back. It was really nice to go to one spot to talk to a bunch of vendors such as Roger, Curt, etc.

Looking good! Pretty soon you'll have pics with a finished product before me!! LOL

Sweet pictures! Nice camera too! I just picked up a D200 really cheap from Best Buy....$499

Sorry, I have to say it. Here is the better information. You don't want to use a dimmer. They either use a rheostat or a triac. There are several problems with this. One of them being is that you can damage the motor. Restricting the flow isn't a good idea either. The problem is that when you do that, you put extra resistance on the impeller (FYI if this was setup differently, that could damage the motor). Anyway, putting the extra resistance on the impeller could (usually does) damage the impeller. What you want is a variac, but it really isn't cost affective. Trying to modify the speed is going to a pain and not cost effective. So what are your other choices? Well why is the flow a problem? Is it pushing everything around? If so, you could just diffuse the stream. My guess is that would work well for you. If you have too much turnover or flow, you could go with a wave maker. You could also combine that with the diffusing the stream concept. You could also aim your stream in a way so that it doesn't have a direct flow problem. For instance, you could aim it towards the surface.

Just by the sounds of things, it sounds like Marine Velvet is your culprit. How you got it, etc....I don't know. Pictures would probably help. Do you quarantine? If so, are you using hypo salinity? Velvet thrives in hypo. This is all a guess by what you mentioned; pictures would help.

I usually buy mine from Dr. Foster and Smith when it is on sale. I usually end up paying around $38 or so for a 160g bucket. However, Sean at F&F did a group buy a few months ago for about $35 a bucket. He had a bunch left over and he still might have some. However, I'm not sure what the going price is.

Oh OK...I didn't realize it was just a small section. I misunderstood what you were saying. Well it sounds like he's trying to make good which is good to hear. However, it shouldn't be the case and hopefully you'll get that in a reasonable amount of time. It's interesting you didn't get the insert for your overflow to cover your plumbing. One came with mine. Maybe they forgot. Well I'm glad that you are satisfied with the tank. I wished that you were 'blown away,' but at least you are generally happy with it. Obviously it didn't live up to the hype :( Anyway, I'm glad it is in and I'll be back checking out more of your progress!

I imagine that it would kill the corals. My understanding that the beneficial bacteria will still thrive in this environment. The worms, starfish, and feather dusters probably wouldn't make it either. When I got the rock, it had quite a bit of aptasia. I was thinking about leaving it out to dry to turn it in to base rock and then re-seed it. Sean recommended that I didn't do that because aptasia will shrivel up in the rock and try to find the moist areas and still live on. So you think that they are gone, but they've managed to stay alive. Whereas, the high salinity is everywhere and they can't escape it. Like I said earlier, this is probably isn't an option for him. I think it's a good option if you are 1.) Can remove all the rock for 2 weeks, 2.) Starting a new tank, or 3.) You want to add new live rock. FWIW, I left mine for WAY longer than 2 weeks because I got caught up doing things. Although, I did notice that all of the aptasia was gone after 2 weeks. In just in case, because of my lack of keeping the rock in a good state, I reseeded the rock. A little Bio-Spira, rotting shrimp, and vodka should help out

Wow...just wow! I don't know what to say. 1st I'm glad to see that you got your tank. And overall it looks pretty nice. 2nd I can't believe the seams that you got. I don't want to sound like I'm gloating, but your good silicone pic looks like the worst one on my tank...maybe. I don't know what is happening with them. I had hoped that your frustrations would go away (like mine did) after getting the tank. I know that it is going to look awesome by the time you get done with it. Your overflow box is different than mine. I have adjustable weirs and I don't have that U section cut out. But then again, I didn't get a rimless tank. Again, I'm sure no one is going to be looking at the seams when your tank is done :D As long as they hold, which they should, no one will notice.

Prove it! We need pics

Joe's Juice works very well. The problem is that if you don't find all of them, they'll come back. So you will need some type of biological control to help. Here is something that works GREAT. If you can take the rock out, put it in a bucket of water with 1.040 salinity with a heater and powerhead. Do this for about two weeks. I also suggest nuking as many as you can with Joe's Juice before putting it in the bucket. I bought a bunch of LR from someone on here that had quite a bit of Aptasia. All the aptasia is gone. I got this tip from Sean @ F&F. It worked great for me because I was setting up a new system. If you don't have the ability to take the rocks out, then this probably won't help much.

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