michaelg

As far as the powerpoint presentation, there wasn't one due to some technical issues. The club does have Justin's presentation on dvd from when it hosted MACNA. Anyhow, it was awesome that the workshop fell on this weekend and I was able to be in town. Really enjoyed seeing this tradition as strong as ever, and some new powertools being put to use. I enjoyed catching up with many old friends. Thanks to all who helped fill my cooler with frags to bring back to Albany. Thanks for a great day! Michael

Ali, Please also include me for one of the red ricordias. Scott- looking forward to seeing you at he meeting and catching up.

You can find black bulkheads easily. as mentioned, the piping will be covered in short order. You can get PVC primer and make it purple- don't know of anything black I would trust- except lockline modular piping is black.

Sean, Jason had sent me a PM before you, so I have to give him first dibs. If he doesn't want it, or doesn't show, it's yours. Hope you understand.

I have an ETSS 600 skimmer I can bring down, but only if someone definately wants it. $150.

Hi guys! Looks like I will be rolling into town that weekend as my wife has stuff at NIH to clean out. Dave- still in silver springs area? If so, can you hold frags for me until sunday if need be? I might be heading back here on Saturday night. I'm interested in any pretty corals- acropora, montipora, lps, etc. Won't be bringing anything down with me other than my wallet. I'll let you guys decide what I should take back- please make a list of corals you think should be spread beyond DC. My tank took a hit this summer during a heat spell (no AC in the basement)- so I need some corals. After which I bought a chiller- so hopefully that won't happen again. I see Justin is speaking- that's awesome. Maybe someone can bring a CD player to play his bands CD during the fragging. I'll be happy to get my hands wet as well and help wherever. VERY happy to see this fall tradition continuing. From Albany, Michael

Lots of people use miracle grow. Personally I have been using a 2 part that is made by Kent. The only place that sells it is aquaticeco.com (aquatic ecosystems). It is not expensive- a 16 oz bottle of each (makes 32 oz of media) for under $15 last time I bought it. I only make up about 100mls at a time and that lasts several months. They reason that the shelf life is longer keeping the viatmins and salts seperate. Definately vitamins in it- so there is more than a standard bottle of miracle grow.

not sure if it is what you would consider a lot for a feeding, but I have been growing my own phyto for years- Usually feed a couple cups 4 times a week to a 58G tank. I grow it super dark- totally do not follow the "rules for culturing it. I am fairly certain I derived a strain that is bullet proof and near impossible to crash. Don't feed clumps- they don't re-disperse well. If you are culturing it correctly, there shouldn't be issues with ammonia. Filtering it really isn't an option. Yes, you would need to vacumm line it, it would immediately clog up the filter, and probably rupture the algae cells. Centrifugation would be a good option, but not something most of us have sitting around the house.

If you are going to Salisbury- go visit Dr. Mac. He has a retail store.

I've been getting it from Buckeye field supply when I order replacement filters for my RO/DI. They have DI media as well and refillable cartridges.

Jean-Marie, I made a DIY fixture with one of these housings for a 150W. Get a socket from hellolights- get the more expensive one. You can not do it by simply modifying the existing socket. Some 150W bulbs might fit, but it is close and can easily break bulbs. I needed to clean out all the old "socket" with my dremel tool to fit the new socket into place. Then needed to snip the inside reflector a little to get the bracket- was easy. Drilled a couple holes to mount in the new socket, wire it up and you are done. I was very happy for the $25 it cost total. To mount it into the hood, I used the arm that holds the housing and drilled a hole through the top of the canopy and the used the nut to screw it into place. The fixture seals the light very well from moisture, and I never had any heat problems with it.

for reference, the pics with me and Eric B were when he was pulling out the baby corals from larval settlement. FWIW, when the DVD comes out, make sure to watch Dirk Petersen's presentation. It was incredible- the best talk I saw at the show.

I have to say that it is a bummer they are closing up shop.... They had so much potential for the area- and I like the guys a lot.

As far as southdown- the reef tank can get it in if they don't have it on hand. I found the same stuff under another name at walmart up here in Albany (from thread on RC). Some K-Marts have it evidently as well.

depending on how dense the coral is, it can also be from lack of light, but try the flow increase first. Is the tissue actually dying or is it just bleached?

Hi Drew- I love books, so getting some new ones in an area I don't have any is a treat for me! I will drop a line today with an e-mail to reach me at and give an update. I am still seeing RPI stuff through my old account, but it is going to get shut down soon. Michael

The biggest bang for your buck will probably be Saturday and stay for the banquet. Haven't made public who the special guest is (I don't think anyways), but it is really awesome! Something that has never been presented at a conference like this before, and truelly cutting edge. Sunday, though will have the raffle and a lot of vendors might drop prices on what remains so they don't have to haul it back. The speaker line up both days is fabulous (I know- I arranged for the bulk of it!). Friday night will be really good as well though, but the day program will not be as full as the other days. This program was designed to have something for everyone, and should be A LOT of fun. Michael

I mailed out the S. Michael 1999 marine fish book yesterday. Spent the previous few days looking through it with my daughter and explaining the codes in it as to which fish would be good for aquaria. Now we just need to get something similar in the hands of the (new) aquarist! Next paycheck I will try to get the other 2 books I mentioned (the cato book is $$$), and have them sent directly to you. Hopefully you will be done with them by MACNA If anyone else can help, I'm sure Drew probably still needs the rest of the books on the list??? Michael

I would run a common sump and if possible 2 different return pumps. Would plan it as suggested for potential quarantine issues, but just putting in a couple air lift tubes will do wonders- simple and cheap. Not sure how you would locate the frag tank lower than the sump, but if you wanted to, you run a pump from the frag tank to the sump - but then need some sort of overflow in there to drain back to the frag tank. Would not try to match pump flows- that is a definate recipe for wet floors. If a frag tank forsee, might consider a "raceway design". Calfo has some diagrams in his books and JB from New York made a real nice one (pics on RC).

wow- any detailed plans on making it work? Looks like a basic carlson design, but given the nice way it fits on the tank. Ever consider making these as a side business?

water/moisture does become an issue with time, so you need to coat it with something. I have used white glossy- recommended, IMO, and a blue marine (which helped with the yellow appearance of 6500K bulbs). Even with lots of alluminim flashing or whatever, you need to protect against moisture. Same could be achieved with an epoxy/ other clear finish, but if you want it to last a long time, definately coat it with something.

Well Jean-Marie, JB was one of our speakers last summer for the special dig WAMAS did- and his presentaion was the bomb!!!. FWIW, Sanjay, who has a new article in the advancedaquarist online mag (at reefs.org), who has been a wamas speaker and will come bakc next fall, ----- and all of sanjay's articles are worth reading for the diehards in lighting...Dana Riddle also has some interesting articles, as do a few others. funny that folks are just finding JB's stuff. If anything, this is a testament to the value of your local reefclub. \

Two-month summer internships are available for field assistants to help NOAA and UNCW researchers with a project on coral spawning, larval culture, coral settlement and Diadema recruitment. We will be hiring up to four interns for the period of August 1 to September 30, 2005, to work in Key Largo, FL, on the above topics. Successful applicants must be SCUBA certified with a minimum of 30 dives, including some experience with night diving. Applicants that have been in an AAUS type dive program will be preferred, and all applicants will have to satisfy AAUS scientific dive program requirements (diving medical exam, CPR, first aid and DAN oxygen courses, and DAN insurance) at UNCW. Applicants with good small boat handling skills, including US Coast Guard or Power Squadron type boating courses will be favored. The assignment will include spending up to one week at a time camping and working on the offshore Carysfort lighthouse, with minimal facilities (no running water or electricity but a gorgeous view) helping with the culture and settlement of coral larvae. Interns must be able to lift objects in the range of 50 lbs, and to be able to help lift heavier objects. Interns must be good team players, and able to adapt to a demanding and at times unpredictable work schedule for the two-week larval period. In addition to the above requirements, applicants must have a B.S. in a science field (preferably marine biology) and some experience with research. Monthly stipends of $1800 plus lodging (shared housing) will be provided in Key Largo for the duration of the assignment. To apply, send your statement of interest and resume to: Dr. Alina Szmant, Center for Marine Science, UNCW, 5600 Marvin K. Moss Lane, Wilmington NC, 28409 or by e-mail to: szmanta@uncw.edu. <mailto:szmanta@uncw.edu.> For questions, please call Dr. Szmant at (910)962-2362 or (910)200-3913, or Dr. Margaret Miller (305)361-4561. Positions will be filled as qualified applicants are identified. ******************************************************************* Dr. Alina M. Szmant Coral Reef Research Group UNCW-Center for Marine Science 5600 Marvin K. Moss Ln Wilmington NC 28409 Tel: (910)962-2362 & Fax: (910)962-2410 Cell: (910)200-3913 email: szmanta@uncw.edu Web Page: http://people.uncw.edu/szmanta ******************************************************************

Eric and Howard. If you can, please mail them off directly to Drew. I bought Scott Michael's 500 + pocket book at the meeting from Dr. Mac, and will see if I can pick up another. Personally, I need some fish books for my library, so don't mind at all (and funny that I have more trouble finding healthy fish than I do corals). Some one in the club must have the burgess books????? FWIW, anyone concerned with the return of their books, Drew will be here for MACNA as one of our speakers. These are the two I will try to find: Cato, J. (et al). 2003. Marine Ornamental Species: Collection, Culture & Conservation, Iowa State Press. Fenner, R. 1999. A Fishwatcher's Guide to The Saltwater Aquarium Fishes of the World, Wet Web Media.

The simplicity of that is awesome- only kinda tricky part is tapping the fittings, which isn't difficult at all with PVC as the plastic is pretty soft. Good find.