Brian Ward

The 50/50 bulbs are usually 10k and actinic, but you can also get ones that are all actinic or all 10k. It all just depends on the light color you prefer. The actinic bulbs make a lot of the colors appear more vibrant. As far as time interval - I'm assuming you're referring to the recommended photoperiod for the tank? Most recommend no more than 8 - 10 hrs since algae growth will become a problem. ~Brian

Sounds like you're going to need a pressure-rated pump. I don't think a mag will do it - though a 24 might. Add up the total head pressure and look at the flow distribution graphs - don't forget to take into account the elbows in the system which contribute to back pressure. You might want to look at something more along the lines of a Reeflo Tarpon: http://www.reeflopumps.com/pressurebiaseduno.html

I don't mind loaning out tools just let me know what you need. I think you're going to have more problems than just getting it cut apart esp if there's no spare pipe in the middle. I'm happy to take a look if you want. ~Brian

I have a hack saw and a battery-powered circular saw. Also have a chop/mitre saw that I've been using to cut pipe if the piece is somewhat portable.

I've put the idea on hold for now. I'm afraid I won't be able to properly care for the fish while I'm waiting for the tank to be ready. If he still has her in a couple weeks, I may revisit the idea but I told him to sell her if he can find another buyer. Thanks for the suggestions and offers - I may still be in touch closer to the end of the month. ~Brian

Those corals are almost entirely photosynthetic so i'd probably only dose the food once a week or so. You'll have virtually no calcium use, so bionic part #2 won't really be necessary. bioinic part #1 keeps your alkalinity in check - you'll probably have very little use - water changes will replace all the minerals you need. Buy a test kit and test for calcium and alkalinity regularly. If you notice the values falling too quickly between water changes, then consider the bionic but you probably don't need it.

I read the same thing. The dissolving isn't a big deal since we all dose calcium and other minerals. The reasons given don't support crushed marble as being a bad substance - just the form it's usually found in. ~Brian It's $14 per 50# bag shipping included. We may actually need to have it delivered to a business location - did the shipping charge take into account freight to a residence? Most carriers charge more for this.

The system water is what I thought I'd need that I was missing. I'm inclined to take you up on this. Are you around Friday night or Saturday? Is there a particular HOB filter you'd recommend? My only real experience is with the Whisper filters.

So it sounds like I have a couple options here. Dave, definitely appreciate the offer, and I may take you up on that for a week or two while I get the QT tank ready. Are you around this weekend? Maybe we can do it Friday night or Saturday? On my cycling tank, I could pull a piece of LR and move it to the QT for some biological filtration. Once the ammonia level is down to 0 in the cycling tank would it be safe to do this? Ammonia being 0 is an indication that all the die-off has been processed, so the rock would only contain live bacteria, right? Since it would only be about 30 secs to carry the rock downstairs I certainly wouldn't expect any additional die-off. What would I use for mechanical filtration? Is it necessary with a bare tank and 1 fish? I've read canister filters are good for this purpose and relatively cheap?

If we split the order between our club and the Richmond club, I think we can get close. In order for that to work, pickup will need to be somewhere in the middle - like Woodbridge? Maybe someone could haul a few bags to the fall meeting for pickup as well? Any chance some of the local shops - Scales, BRK, F&F would be interested in stocking 10 bags or so? Only $140, and you could easily sell for $30 or $40/bag. I would volunteer to store for future purchase, but my rowhouse in DC just doesn't afford me the storage space of 2800 lbs of sand.

This is what I was thinking. He said he really can't hang on to it since she's too big for the tank she's in right now - came to him from a friend's tank that broke. So unless someone else can hold her for me, I think I'm going to need to let him sell her to someone else.

I'm interested in getting the Queen Angel from tygger. My problem is that the tank for it isn't finished cycling yet and I have heat problems (tank is running about 85, probably need to replace the mag12 with something else). I have an extra 120RR that is currently empty, as I am building the stand, etc around it so I'm thinking I could keep her in there until the main tank is ready? Or am I trying too hard to rush into this? What is the minimal setup I'd need on the empty 120 in order to house the angel for 6-8 wks until the display tank is ready? Is this a viable solution? I have 2 tunze 6101s I can use for circulation, but plumbing a sump isn't viable. What would I need to add for filtration? Could I move one of the large pieces of live rock from the cycling tank to the empty tank without having chemical problems? I'd appreciate any help you guys can provide. And if this is just a bad idea in general, then let me know that opinion as well - tygger would prefer to give the fish to a wamas member, and I'm definitely looking to have one in the next couple months so it seemed like a good match. ~Brian

I think there's some guys in the Richmond club that may be interested in this. I saw a similar discussion on RC and sent them a message: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthre...hreadid=1217164 Is there still any interest in trying to get together a buy of this stuff? If someone in Woodbridge took delivery, splitting between Richmond and DC wouldn't be too bad?

www.nano-reef.com is one of the best resources for examples. www.nanotuners.com, as mentioned has a ton of mod parts. If you wanted to run open-top and upgrade to a HQI, I've seen beautiful SPS nanos: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/totm/index.php This is a recent shot of a softie/mushroom tank I love (an Aquapod 24): http://www.nano-reef.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=32585 though I liked it better a few months ago: http://www.nano-reef.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=29184 or http://www.nano-reef.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=27712 ~Brian

I absolutely love Scales. It's the LFS I virtually always go to. Store is clean, bright, and has good levels of dry and live goods. They have a standard selection of fish, but are more than willing to order anything you want. I talked to Won about some fish I'm interested in - he has one of them in quarrantine for me now, and told me that he doesn't have great luck with the other 2 I was interested in. Frequently those species won't eat when they come in, but he was certainly willing to order them for me. Their quarrantine and husbandry practices are great - doing hypo treatment on all fish when they come in and ensuring everything that makes it to display eats. Even the Scooter Blenny I got from them ate frozen immediately. He had some mandarins a few weeks ago - absolutely huge and beautiful. I talked to him about some corals I was interested in a while back and he informed me that the particular type I was looking for was under import restrictions and very difficult to get (wall hammer or anchor vs branching). I had a problem with customer service only once (out of 10+ trips in the last 8 mos) - at the time, there were very few staff in the store and it was close to closing. The guy I was working with was more than willing to pull any livestock from the tanks for me, but when I started asking questions, he admitted he was a freshwater guy and didn't know the answers and went to find someone that did. On many occasions I've discussed the contents and size of my tank in order to find suitable tankmates from the fish they have in stock. They know the correct husbandry practices for each species on display, and will certainly discuss it with you if you ask. I've always appreciated the honesty and openness everyone at the store has regarding their stocking, what fish they bring in, and their willingness to help. I hope this store is around for a VERY long time, and even more I hope they expand to a second location inside the beltway

hmmm... i'm not sure what will really work for you then. you might look at 1 mh in the middle and some t5s of varying lengths front to back. i dont think you'll get enough coverage from a single reflector to light the whole tank.

I think I'd try to fit 2 pendants in there. Not sure if 2 of the luminarc minis will fit, look at the PFO and IceCap . I think for your situation finding 2 pendants that fit will get you the most light.

Figures 16 and 17 are the relevant ones for you. They basically show that you will get OK coverage at either 9" or 12" height. 6" provides much higher PAR rating, but only covers an 18"x18" square. At 12", you will get decent intensity in a 12"x12" square, with the light degrading as you get farther away from the center. You will need to remember this depending on what you're keeping, as softies will probably keep best around the perimeter of the tank, while SPS will need to be concentrated in the middle. Your other option, I believe, would be to buy 1 of the Luminarc minis and continue using the spyder reflector on the other half of the tank until you can afford the 2nd Luminarc. Everything depends on your goals for the tank. ~Brian

Links to multiple articles about everything: http://www.reeflightinginfo.arvixe.com/articles.htm This one analyzes the Luminarc III: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/mar2003/feature.htm Part 2: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/july2003/feature.htm Part 3: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/mar2004/feature.htm If anyone else has better articles, please chime in.

Then check out Sanjay's analysis of the III. I think 36" is the max spread, so see if you can mount the reflector high enough to get the full spread and if the PAR rating on the edges is sufficient for you.

I'd go with 2 minis.

So I discovered the problem was the sand being in suspension in the tank and not having filter media small enough to trap it - so it would go straight through the sump for the return pump to pump it back into the water. I managed to rig a filter on the return piping and as of this morning, everything was quite clear - including the water in the sump. I'm going to try and get some live rock this weekend to begin my cycle. I had the weirdest dream about getting fish for this tank last night! I must be getting anxious. Hopefully I can add some fish by the end of October.

You're not alone. I'm fighting this in my nano, which is probably even harder. There's no room for a skimmer or reactor and the fish that are recommended - tangs and angels - are too big for the tank. I am running a fuge, I have run a skimmer in the past but had a lot of problems with my water levels. I scrub and siphon, and water change, and I've ony ever used RO/DI water. I've increased flow, reoriented my power heads multiple times, but still cannot find a positioning that keeps the detritus in suspension so it can be filtered. I've done tons of CUC with little to no luck. My emerald crab disappeared. I've ordered a couple fish that are supposed to feed on it - a yellow pygmy angel and a court jester goby. I think I'm going to start dosing vodka. It will help fuel the bacteria that process nitrates - the other nutrient HA feeds on: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-09/rhf/index.php#10 Good luck to all.

I'm working on closed loop design now as well, so I'll let you know what I've discovered. 1- for information on closed loops, look at the discussion forum at www.oceansmotions.com it's not very active, but the company makes closed loop devices, thus the discussion forum is only about closed loops. Look at this post specifically: http://www.oceansmotions.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=546 it's a pretty good design, and the one I'm planning to use, though I will likely do over-the-back instead of drilling my tank. 2- exactly how much flow you design the closed loop for depends on what you're interestd in keeping. an lps and softie tank will want significantly less flow than an sps - 15x vs 50x, so this needs to be considered. If I remember right, you're doing a budget tank at the moment, so I'm guessing lps and softies are what you're focused on since they are easier and less demanding equipment-wise. 3- from what I've read, 2 1.5" intakes with 2 3/4" outputs for each of your loops are probably about the right size for the loop with your mag 24. I'd probably have the return pipe match the size of the outlet on the pump, then use a T under the sand and reduce the output from the T to 3/4" - that way the flow should divide evenly between the 2 outlets. If you try to do multiple outlets from a single run of pipe, don't forget to put an additional length of pipe at the end of the run with a cap on it to provide back-pressure for the last outlet. 4- the mag 24 is probably too much flow for the uv sterelizer, run the sterelizer on the loop with the 8 - I'd say 1 1.5" intake ad 1 3/4" output on that one. If you'd like a brief physics lesson in fluid dynamics, PM me and I'll send you some basic info on how pressures change when you change pipe size. 5- the only reason I know of not to run the mag pumps for your closed loops is that ive heard they are known to leak, so most people only run them submerged (though I'm having no problems with mine) and they generate a lot of heat. I went with a Sequence pump for my loop, and I'll probably buy another for my return pump. I've heard good things, so figured I'd give it a shot. I haven't hooked up the pump yet, so I can't give you a review as of now. I hope that helps a little. Everything is very trial-and-error in this hobby, so good luck! If you have more questions, I'm happy to toss ideas around. ~Brian

Biocubes are good, as are nanocubes. I really like the look of the cadlights: http://www.cadlights.com/product_info.php?...;products_id=34