bigJPDC

you mean the 'clowns' that post the same 3 pictures of their elegances over and over again and claim the US is killing the reefs? Ya, OK. The coral forums seem to bring out the trolls there for some reason. I don't like the asthetic look of the ones that Sean has right now, but I know he wouldn't sell them if he didn't think they were good to go. I'd go over your tank specs and parameters with him before buying.

I'd put quotes around that - Eric did some 'research'. Over on RC Eric's 'project' email thread gets tossed into every elegance question and it's a good read now when you take recent events into account. There were two elegances at F&F lately, only one the last time I was there and they did look good. I got mine from there on 12/15. It started like this: Then eventually moved to this: And now stays in this kind of condition: I target feed it every day and it does eat, I'm just not sure if the polyps will ever extend. It seems to extend more on days when I dose iodine but I am very hopeful. After I get my nano established for a few months, I may relocate it so I can give it more attention. jp

I wish I could get nitrates down to 15, but then again, I really don't have any problems, not even with algea and I usually test right around 10-20. As long as nitrites are at zero I think you just manage nitrates as your tank load dictates. Anyways, i had two peppermint shrimp, maybe I still do. I only caught glimpses of them if I shined a flashlight into a cave and saw their antennae flickering, and haven't even seen that in about a month. The shrimp were a bust at $15 for both, $60 would make me crazy. Maybe in a nano where they couldn't hide. jp

pour in a cup of vinigar if you want to see bubbles. It's also rumored to be a way to break the skimmer in. jp

I'd be interested to hear if this would work on a fish tank or not. Could it really be this easy, or in the case of the eyeglasses are they relying on you covering the entire lens with the filler? http://cgi.ebay.com/Eyeglass-Lens-Scratch-...VQQcmdZViewItem jp

I'd be all over this if anybody has a connection for the liquid scratch stuff. I scratched my tank with the mag float the first time I ever used it. I would not want to try polishing the glass while it is full or replacing a piece once it is dry. jp

A couple of times a week I use Kent dkh buffer and liquid calc, following the directions on the bottle, and swear I see new purple spots after each time. fwiw, I have seen numerous negative posts on RC about pu. jp

Hey Zac - thanks for the comments! I actualy had a Melev CL built and tested, then saw the underground spider at an LFS in Leesburg and redid everything that weekend. On a bigger tank you could move the outlets farther in from the glass and shield them with live rock so the viewer would have no clue. I have them positioned just far enough in to allow the mag float to clean behind them, and the outlets are not glued so I can turn them or replace with different parts. The black is just some plastic spray paint, I forgot which kind but I think it is not the Krylon fusion. Recently I've noticed some specks have been chipped off so I wonder if the snails or CBB are pecking at it when they clean. The best part now that I have circular flow is when I feed a cube of mysis and watch the CBB chase the food around and around the rock as the flow takes it. He's getting smart now though, he waits in the front for it to get blown at him instead like a grizzly at the salmon stream, which is also fun to watch. There was some debate when I was building it that all the nozzles wouldn't fire, but they rock. Food doesn't have a chance of settling on this substrate. good luck, post pics when you build your CL out. jp

Hey Jason - I've been posting on that other fish board the past year or so, new to VA and WAMAS. This CL is designed to provide flow to the lower parts of the tank, sand and rock, my return goes to a SeaSwirl to get the rest of the water column moving. It is all 1/2" down and in the tank, but 3/4" hose before that. No worries about 90 and 45 degree bends if you use hose, and a ton quieter. I fought with my CL design for a while before I switched to the hose and didn't even bother with a ball valve. It's a straight Melev copy except for the outlets being at the sand level. I will be redirecting the outlets to form a circular flow around the tank permineter, like what you do with a pool. I'm interested to see how you put yours together. If you were going to sleep in the same room, I'd focus on soundproofing whatever you put the pump in, since there will be noise from that and other equipment. jp

FWIW, I used a Mag 9.5 external for my CL, and am happy with the noise level and flow as well. I would think that the 24 would give you a jacuzzi! jp Forgot to add that I think the first question should be - how big is the tank and what is your plan for number of outlets, plumbing diameter, etc.

ka-bang! jp

LOL you are the King! They have two of them, and at an awesome price. Just have to tough it out on 66 tomorrow, and yes, I will reward myself for the journey with a frag or two. thank you! jp

Hello! I've been dying to mod my Octopus skimmer and hate the idea of spending so much on shipping costs for the gate valve from the online places. I've tried the basics - HD, Lowes, Tractor Supply, local hardware store - without success. Before I bite the bullet, is there anywhere in the northern VA area that sells these? I've been known to drive pretty far for something, so let me know. And if you have one you don't need anymore, then let's PM about it. thanks, jp

What a bummer my picture didn't come in. Once again, if you use hose barbs and the vinyl tubing, you just loosen the hose clamps and wiggle the section you want to re-do off. Use unions around the pumps so you can remove and repair or replace, and ball valves to leave everything in place while you do so. There really isn't a lot going on if you look at it, but you should always be thinking about maintenance when designing your layout. jp That's a mismatch in the amount of water you are hitting it with and the amount it can drain. Try dialing back what your return pump is putting in the tank. Also, things will quiet down once you get a nice saltwater slime coat on your plumbing. jp

Because the MegaFlow bulkheads on my tank are hose barbs, I used a small length of the plastic tubing in between the hard plumbing. It would make me really nervous if there was a hard connection to the tank. I know I've bumped and moved things around as I workd on the sump, and it also dampens vibration and noise. Disregard the red oval, I had a leak here at first, but have since replaced it. HTH jp LOL, obviously this is a dry fit - don't forget hose clamps!! jp

In fact, I love it so much . . . jp

I love that CBB avatar!!

back at ya, hope to do it in person someday! It's too bad you can't make the site as 'lame' somehow for lifting your picture, or post in their customer comments or somthing. That action is so weak it speaks to them not having the business sense to know better. jp

Not negative at all or my intent, maybe my wording seemed unintentionally confrontational - just wondering what your answers would be, especially the one about the taxes and how much you thought a picture was worth. I really don't know if it's worth a $25 frag or $1,000. It's an interesting debate since it is your picture and you want to negotiate compensation, but your intent was not for commercial use and you do not intend on reporting the generated income from it. I absolutely think they should compensate you or at least give you artistic credit for the picture but all my hypothetical follow-up questions are valid in terms of a message board discussion. jp

All of the mentions of taking the store for some type of compensation are really interesting to me. What kind of store credit are you thinking that picture is worth, and will you obtain a legal sales document for the transfer of rights and report it on your taxes as income? Will the retailer then be able to sell that picture, or is it a one time useage fee? Do you know what WAMAS paid for all the pictures in the banner or did an in house photog take and assemble them? jp

I'd say that is a perfect match, by using the background but seriously, how much did this save them? Couldn't they just take a picture of their own stock if they were a retailer? jp

Nice! I like those blues right under the giant copyright symbol. jp

Hello! New to WAMAS and the Virginia area, wanted to check in on this thread. I'm not sure about either one of these listings in the Leesburg area. I've gone out a couple of times and have not found them, not sure how old these are but if they do exist I always like to check out a new LFS. Using the phone book I have even driven way the heck up to the Winchester Aquarium and Pet Center - lots of livestock, junk for equipment and pricey. Pets Etc. Aquarium Services Prospect Dr SW Leesburg, VA 20175 (703) 777-2807 Total Pets 1047 Edwards Ferry Rd NE Leesburg, VA 20176 (703) 779-7692 Off of Edwards Ferry Rd. in the shopping mall across from Target there is a store called Aquatic World, with a great display tank and good service. They were great about ordering me the sand I used for my tank, with prices lower than DF&S. I think everbody here knows that Sean at Fins&Feathers in Ashburn is the man, he should have his own forum here. thanks, looking forward to contributing here. jp