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I'm in! Snow or no snow, I'll just bring a mug of hot chocolate to drink while I slog through the snow on foot or by sled! Anyone have skis I can borrow? Hmmm...or acrylic snowshoes? Thanks, Eve, ahead of time for doing this!

Jenny, This equals out to about a QT time of hypo. for about 4-6 weeks, right? Just wanted to clarify. It really does help w/ ich and I've left mine in QT for 6-8 weeks just to be really sure. I 've read of others main tanks being infested as a result of not QTing or not doing it long enough. Take care of it at the start and the rewards are good and worth it in the end.

Djcerna, HI! I have Chaeto that I was just thinking that I needed to trade or pass on. We live in Gaithersburg and my DH works in Rockville. Would you still want some? Let me know.

HI! Being new as well the one true response would be to say it depends on the kind of fish you have as to what to buy. I will say the flat packs are generally a better buy but you could always do a price per ounce calculation to see if it's better deal price wise. Some of the more popular food items seem to be cyclopeeze, emerald entree, myisis shrimp and krill. Hope this helps.

LOL! I'll eat one if you do it first! After I make sure you don't get sick that is... You guys make me smile. Thanks. I'll go see if there are any more walking or repelling around in my tank. They were tiny! As small as a poppy seed with long string "arms" about the width of a hair. Too fine for my photo skills... So what would you all do: leave it or try to suck it all out? Where would they come from? I have not added anything new except the 5 free WAMAS corals from the workshop. But they were in QT for over a month!

Okay here goes. I just went to enjoy my daily tank time and saw a sight to behold. BUT was it a good thing or bad? Here's what I saw: On the side of my small mushroom rock there was a long, very thin,tiny (size of a strand of hair) white tube deliberately stretching, touching,'' Feeling"around. Then I saw it was attached to an orange "seed" about the size of a poppy seed. Looking even more closely, I see more of these seeds are on my base rock and floating in my water column! Whoa! LOOK at THAT! A tube reaches up from the base rock extending itself 2" high out towards my mushroom rock and proceeds to rapell itself UP the rock and into a crevice! My clown fish is eating them too! It's really excited that he can eat them and relishing them. He deliberately goes over to the rock, stirs up the water to float them, and then eats the seeds. All parameters are good, I do have a small Kenya tree that has shed 2 branches nearby, 2 snails, 2 scarlet reef crabs. Nothing else has been unusual. No one (fish) is sick. I did have ich 7-8 weeks ago but not since. So we are all freaking out because "it" looks so wierd. No photos as "it" is so tiny. Anyone want to guess? Help? DO I do anything??? Thank you!

Where's Walley's and what kind of cardinalfish and about how much? Thanks.

Thanks for the info. I'm working on upgrading my main tank lighting and getting equipment like a refugium, and skimmer. I'm trying to buy good used equipment from the FS boards. So far so good on all the remaining frags!

Do you have enough people asking yet? If not, add me on, please!

Rascal, Thanks for your encouragement on starting out as head knowledge is one thing but experience is a whole differrent kind of learning! As to the generous offer of book loans, could you Pm me so we can talk? Thanks! HI all. My levels have all been good for months w/ no spikes or drops. I really like my 55 gal. acrylic system even though most have not seen this type. It was bought from an Asian couple who were moving. They knew some things but am truly amazed that they didn't know other info. such as what to feed thier hippo tang ( which is recovering nicely from HLLE or their clownfish or that you don't scrub LR down to whiteness yet they bought really a nice tank system. Go figure.) The only item I currently add every other week is DKH buffer, alternate weeks of cleaning the filter pads, check nitrate, ammonia, PH levels weekly. SGH is usually 1-3 x week just because I like to do it. My flow seems to be great as there are 2 pumps flowing in a circular manner. I can see particles quickly going from 1 end to the other. I'm pretty sure 1 is rated as 200GPH. My bioload is reasonable in terms of fish. We have room for more but am waiting to add. We've thought about 1 more PJ cardinal ( have 2) or another clown or 1-2 purple or red firefish. We have a good sized hippo tang, 6 line wrasse, 2 PJs, 3 blue-green chromis,& 1 strawberry chromis. Right now the debate is for a starfish- blue linckia- or some more snails- or a shrimp of some kind. Does anyone want to throw in their $.02 worth? As to the corals they get feed 1x week w/ Kent phytoplankton and 1 cube of thawed cyclops with an occasional taste of myisis shrimp and another frozen food that I'm too tired to remember. In terms of a skimmer, my levels have been consistenly good so I've not been in a hurry to get one. My priority would be lights, then a fuge or skimmer. But if something came my way, I wouldn't refuse it unless it was a bad sytem. I, too, as a beginner would prefer a dual frag mtg. Then perhaps some of the issues could on the kinds and # of frags could be somewhat resolved. This could serve newer members too as a means of meeting others. That's all for now.

Please forgive for this off topic ? : where is BRK located? Has anyone tried Gaithersburg glass near Old Towne Gaithersburg and Washington Grove? In the past they have done/cut some specialty items for me outside of this hobby. Just an idea...

HI all. I am glad that all are trying to make good suggestions and work it out. I, too, had been reading many hours and read many posts prior to joining here. My Tank parameters have been fine w/ PH 8.0 as usual, ammonia & nitrites @ 0, Temp was a little low but since has been corrected to 82-84, the sgh was @ 1.21 but has been upped to 1.24 w/ a partial water change w/ RO H2O from Cbashaw (THANKS CHRIS!). The Monti. is still alive and seems to have stabilized. It will be refragged Sun. Everything else is fine and doing well. Just for reference, I only have about 7-8 frags of 2 zoas, 2 kenya trees, a soft one of some kind, the monti and a mushroom that no one wanted. Before taking any of the frags I asked about their degree/ level of care and refused any that were to hard for a beginner. I wanted to try the moniti. Dave and I both discussed/agreed that I could try. He knew I was going to do my best and he knew I was a newbie. We discussed parameters. He agreed to help if I needed it. I am still happy about receiving the frags and would still take the ones I have all over again given the opportunity. They have enhanced my enjoyment of the tank, given the excuse to visit my 2 favorite LFS 4x this week, and have given a much needed reason to just sit, relax and watch. My children have been fascinated with them and are also learning some coral care/facts. My 10 y/o son went w/ me today to the LFS. He amazed me by IDing some corals and fish. He made suggestions concerning our tank, asked some good ?s, and expressed his wish for a Xenia frag. Rascal, thanks for the site recommendation. If you have any books you wouldn't mind loaning out, I'd be glad to read them! Dave, Thank you for encouraging me to try. I would like another frag in the near future. This one, I think, just had a very bad, stressful day, but I may never know until I get home to heaven and can ask God why. . We both knew the risks. The forum was the means to ask the ?s. Thanks for helping me reach a goal. Could WAMAS have a 2 track frag mtg.? 1 for beginners with easier corals fragged specifically for them while another 1 runs for more advanced? The cafeteria was big enough to do that. The seminar could have an ID part, an acclimation part, and a care aspect. Just a thought. As to the # of frags taken by whom, I'll let you all work that one out! That is a great white shark ? to me and my preference is not to be eaten. Again, Thanks for all your help.

HI! It's now been taken care of! Thanks for your quick response and willingness to help.

I am sorry for you. I was asked if I wanted these. I asked ?'s to those who offered if there were others who wanted them. I took only the easier ones that were directly offered to me and the ones that were NOT WANTED AT THE END OF THE MEETING. Perhaps next time you could do something differently like preaarange trading. There were many posts beforehand on who was trading and selling. In the meantime I am, was, and still learning. You have to start somewhere. I was already reading and had decided what direction to go. But that doesn't mean I know it all. I will always have ?s to ask and am willing to risk asking the seemingly dumb ones to confirm knowledge accuracy. Again, I am sorry you missed out. You knew it was a frag meeting. What more can I say except come next time and ENJOY it?

Thanks for the ?'s! I don't have the levels in front of me but will post tomorrow. It is in my 10 gal QT tank w/ live rock, no fish- awaiting to be put into my 55 this weekend after I know there is no more Marine ich. The salinity in the main is 0.19 while QT is 0.21. the temp is 82 in both . I currently have 2 small (!)but strong desk halogens shining on them. (I know you all are currently, problably, groaning! It's all that I had available to me. I am getting new lights for the main tank shortly. Hopefully a 36" MH w/ 1 175 w HQI and 2 65 W CFs and 3x bluemoom Leds... Is that enough light? ) I have no skimmer but H2o quality was not a previous issue. H2o was added - about 1 gal- to ensure a full tank. I have put in Kent Marine Phytoplex and Essential Elements since Sat. I have the Seachem Reef Dip. Would that help? Most of the outside skin is gone. ( so sorry, Dave!) I had a small piece break off in transit and that 1 is doing fine. How do I frag it? In terms of acclimating, it was floated for an hour to adjust the 2 temps. and then quickly super glued to a small rock. Let's see what else.... The other frags seem to be just fine w/ no slime from the start. The water flow is good through out the tank w/ some frags under the flow, others towards the lesser flowing areas. The filter uses a foam sponge,biomax cylinders and carbon @ a rate of 100gph. I could forward photos if anyone is willing to let me . I've taken them w/ my cell phone ( okay, I know, get a real camera, but they came out REALLY nice! and show details) and I can forward them. Don't know how to upload them here. Any other suggestions or ?'s ? Any tips or helps for how to acclimate better next time? Sorry for the long post. Thanks again for welcoming me and helping! You all make a newbie welcome.

HI! I am having the same issue. I paid w/ Paypal about 2 1/2 weeks ago. I'm still listed as a "BB" member. Meanwhile, I want to buy lights and other goods from the FS/WTB board and can't. Can someone help? Thanks!

HI all! I did recieve a frag from Dave (?) Magurda (THANKS!!!!). But I forget which is which. This one is hard, looks like deer antlers and is reddish "skinned". Since bringing it home it has begun to shed some of the outside "skin". which leads to the ? of why? Is this due to stress? Will it die or recover? There is no slime. Just it shedding the skin and seeing the bare white "skeleton" underneath- especially on 1 branch. other branches are fine.Should I dip it w/ meds like the bottle at the raffle ( Howard gave me one. Thanks again!) Does this spread to tohter frags? does it kill of this 1? How do I feed these frags? I have been putting in kent essential elements -1x- since sat. and 3x fed myisis shrimp since sat. and today added some phytoplanktons. All frags look good except that pronghorned 1. Can anyone help? Dave? Howard? Gastone? All you expert reefers? Thanks ahead of time!

Is anyone going to be doing this soon? I thought I had seen a post ( somewhere) inviting for a food party. I would like to go and have a food party...

New to all the corals too... so I asked several there what they used. Many said they used the super glue gel!! So I tried it. It does work fast- w/in 5 minutes from taking out of bag and mounting to putting in the tank. I have 1 softie giving me some mounting problems. I've tried 2x w/ no luck. ( any suggestions? I've just finally gently stuck it into a crevice. It seems to be staying for now...) All the other larger corals are fine and happy. Hope this helps. FYI Safeway carried it here in Gaithersburg.