bigJPDC

I wouldn't have purchased that rock if it was truely covered in aptasia, but if I did, I'd take the time and scrub it or cook it before using it - why put yourself through that? probably the #1 answer when somebody posts about aptasia is to get a CBB or peppermint shrimp.

Bob, where do you come up with these ideas? I was pricing out a T5 rig for somebody and saw that ReefGeek is also selling 'all you need are screws' kits with SLRs which is just incredible. No more wiring mess for me on the next tank.

This show started out with the best illustration of the coral lifecycle I have ever seen, with animation. I was bummed the storm made the HD dish flakey so I had to watch it in SD. Then we got to the global warming part, of course - must have been produced by the same tree huggers who made Plant Earth. There was a section where 'scientists' couldn't figure out how the reef had come back from the devastation brought about by the rising sea levels, and how the reef had moved to its current location from a place that is now covered in 190 feet of water. They even sent in divers who 'risked their lives'. That lunacy makes sense if you view the rising ocean in the Al Gore inspired 25 second video, instead of the 18,000 YEARS it actually took to rise since the ice age. The idea that any organism can't adapt to a seasonal change of millimeters is just lost somewhere I suppose, especially if you want to believe that man is destroying the world and being 'green' is the answer. All of that put me to sleep so I didn't catch the end. lol jp

Wow $39 and it's attached with zip ties? I wonder if they take the time to rub off the price tags from Home Depot on those parts too.

Hopefully you are using a refractometer for your measurements. Only changing 10% might not even raise your salinity, even at 1.027. What would be better is a larger water change with something closer to your 1.021 - like 1.023. Even that might take two or three rounds to get to 1.023, then you can repeat with 1.025.

I am all about the ATO. Here's what I have on my 20L - drilled and used a nylon screw to attach the float switch bracket and fed the water line through gutterguard on the AC70. I have since hacked the bracket back so that it is flush with the AC70. On the crappy 10g I used to have, I just attached that same bracket to the hood. You can see it's just held in place by the light rack. HTH, jp

where did you get those double rigs? I am guesing you have room for two SLRs under each fixture?

wow - so 220 more gallons is 9 days straight, plus sump volume?

how long until Jason rigs up some kind of submerged low voltage tin-can coral propogator in his lion tank? Wouldn't somebody on RC have tried this if it really spurred growth? I can see those defective Koralia's that leak voltage now being sold as a premium.

this is an awesome question Tree, I would love to hear from the 'experts' on. If the goal is to maximize growth, which maximizes the sucking of nitrates and phosphates from the environment, then there has to be a tipping point. Basically now at every bi-monthly water change I rip apart about half of my chaeto (I'll guess at a ball of 5x5x3") and toss it. If I should be leaving the mass intact than I will happily change my routine. jp

I found ones similar at WalMart in Leesburg and the chaeto growth I saw was incredible.

I really like the way you set up that tank Jason - good luck with the feeding thing, I know you'll get it.

you are cracking me up. when I feed the rbta krill I break a small section off and just toss whatever I don't feed it. Most of the time I get one thick krill and then 2-3 halfs of other krills so it helps me select the best one. I don't think it's good to thaw and freeze that food - you could do a one time chopfest and store the chunks in a container so you can just get one at a time each time. You're gonna have to learn the whole hand-feeding thing for when you get that eel anyways, the lion will give you practice. HTH jp

thos shrimp are fearless, which might explain why I see so many of them at the grocery store behind the fish counter. Boiled up a couple of pounds this weekend - yummmy!

my cleaner shrimp comes at my hand with all those antennae a-flappin' and creeps me out while I am trying to move frags around. I know exactly what you mean about the tidal wave.

Exactly - a mix is always a good thing. It will come down to how much DIY and $$$ you want to invest too. Slow flow through the sump using your return plumbing for lots of skimmer and media reactor contact time. Rockin closed loop with lots of jets and a powerful, efficient pump. Powerheads for any dead spots or to be more precise. jp

Nice posts Bob and Mystic.

With that tank being so tall and narrow, don't you almost have to go with a rockscape like a christmas tree, otherwise you block a lot of coral real estate below?

those frag plugs look like rice krispies.

looks good man, I like the rockwork. Whatcha got for lighting?

the rock looks fine, I'd just arrange it so you have space to run a mag float around all the glass and maneuver tongs down to place corals and avoid those razor sharp eel fangs!!!

very cool st9z - congrats!

Get that eel! How high is that thing? You could teach it to eat from your hand at the top and the whole thing would be visible. Aquatic World in Leesburg has eels. Jason the eel wrangler.

Is that why everything at PetSmart is of such high quality? I think you are forgetting that this is a niche hobby with very few competitors in terms of equipment, sorry. I thought that space for equipment dictated whether the skimmer goes in the sump or not. In my livingrooom setup I could never use a recirc. We have another one of those logic vs. emotion arguments here guys, and it's not going to get anywhere, again. ETD wants facts to back up a choice of technology, which may not exist. You'd have to set up identical tanks plus a control with the only difference (in every environmental variable) being the skimmer type - and then monitor for a significant length of time and then determine some criteria for measurement. And then do it ten more times to get your results. Or, just give it a shot and see if your zoos get bigger. James I wonder what would happen if you went back to the in-sump model and cleaned it more often - just think if they got bigger again.

yeah baby - get the eel!!!