'Ric

I have a 54g with a 15g sump on the 7th floor of a highrise. I wasn't worried about the weight in this concrete building, but I think my heart stopped a couple weeks ago when the return bulkhead fitting on the bottom of my tank broke off in my hand and water started gushing out. As I fruitlessly tried to slow down the flow, I couldn't help but think of 54 gallons of water running under the wall into my next door neighbor's brand new carpet, liability, etc. Luckily the water only drained from the overflow cavity and not all 54 gallons. Much of it also went into the sump, which came close to overflowing. When I fired everything back up after bypassing the return, the sump showed it was almost two gallons low. Once when we had a long power outage, my 15g sump filled up to within 1/2 inch of the top. So, I put my Mag 7 return pump on an UPS - only the pump and nothing else as I want it to run as long as possible off the batteries before they are drained. NONONONONO! The tank should be perpendicular to the joists, so that it spans over as many joists as possible. You don't want all its weight on just a couple joists. Also, if the joists are perpendicular to a party wall it is also probably a bearing wall. The 40psf live load minimum (30psf is alowed in some cases) is calculated uniformly across the entire tributary area of any given structural member. Using a stud finder is a good idea, though. A tank really should be treated as a point load if it crosses perpendicularly; maybe actual psf if it is longitudinal. I run my power to two different outlets, but I haven't bothered to check if they are on two breakers or the same one. So far no trips though. 'Ric PS That article linked above is a pretty good one. It sounds like it has fairly right without doing any math.

It will be fine! The fact that you have the vertical boards being compressed directly by the horizontals above and below is ticket. Problems happen when people who don't know much about structures nail their boards just lapped together, unwittingly relying only on the nails to transfer the downward load from one board to another. If they at least cut the verticals full height they will have some support, but only point supports (spaced the opening width apart) on the glass bottom. Another common mistake is not "triangulating the forces" to resist lateral loads. Picture this: A rectangle can become a parallelogram without any of the sides changing length. BUT, if you put a diagonal piece from an upper corner to a lower corner, it can

Submitter: Eric Mucklow, 'Ric Location: Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, New Orleans Camera: Fujifilm E900 Subject: Whatcha starin' at?

Does a Peacock Mantis Shrimp or a Purple Spot Mantis Shrimp tank require a lid? Is there a risk of them climbing out or jumping? I would hate lose a toe!

That sounds like a good idea, but the particular rock they're on is a huge single rock I got to make a cave/platofrm out of. Maybe it would be safer to drain down the water in the tank to that level since it's relatively high in the tank. I'll think about that one while I hope for an easier solution to come along...

Ok - now I have a problem: I've sold a half of the anemone, but I can't seem to coax either half to move or let go of the huge rock they are on. I tried both powerheads and ice cubes on their feet, but nothing. I put a plastic jar over one last night in the hopes that he would move into it, but nope; he just sits there gripping the rock. I even tried to get my fingernail under his foot, but that's a non-starter, too. How long does it take for it to let go with the powerhead on it's foot? More than 15 minutes or so?

I had a pair of Banded Coral Shrimp that would take half the arms off my starfish. I don't think Sexy Shrimp would be capable of doing harm to snails since they are so small themselves. But, they might fall prey to something. I had eight in my tank, and am now down to one. I have no idea what is happening to them. They did fine for quite a while; even when mush smaller.

I need something to eat sponges - I have a bunch growing in my tank that I don't want.

Good News! After my last reply to this post, my Green Bubble Tip Anemone (GBTA) SPLIT! Pics are in the Auction forum where I put one of the halves up for auction. I started at only $7, which is what you could expect to pay for one of the cheaper Hatian/Condy anemones. Here's the link: http://www.wamas.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=16299 The pics don't do the colors justice. Maybe it's the time I took the picture? 'Ric

This may or may not explain the moving around, but he split! I put pics in an auction post to sell off 1/2 of him: http://www.wamas.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=16299

Until I got a BTA, my clown hosted (as best he could) in my little 2" Galaxia, fyi.

I was watching the Slit to Split Demo on BTAs and was wondering how long it takes them to heal up and be their "roundish" shape again. Also, does the same technique work for Ricordea and or Mushrooms? 'Ric

Read up at WetWebMedia.com, especially this article: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/...oa/anemones.htm The BTA (Entacmaea quadricolor) To quote Bob Fenner in this article: "In any given field of endeavor there is a certain "best"... Mohamed Ali in boxing, Tiger Woods for professional golf, myself for king of procrastination... For large species of anemones, the choice hands down has got to be the Bubble Tip Anemone or BTA for short. This exemplary organism is relatively hardy and adaptable... not too large for most hobbyist sized systems, accepting of a wide range of readily-available foods... And there's more! It's been serially reproduced in captivity via vegetative/asexual fission ("fragging"), intentional and not, in good numbers... dropping its price appreciably... and to top it all off... it's a good looking addition to "reef quality" settings! As with all large anemone species there are caveats re mixing it with other Cnidarians (though this can be done) and unfamiliar fish species, as well as providing adequate lighting, filtration, feeding... These we'll cover in turn here. Know though, that Anemones, albeit none easy to keep, this one is hands-down the species most likely to do well when taken care of properly. " There is good news, too: While the Rose BTA's are expensive, other colors are not. Some green and purples go for less, and in general, "Rose/Pretty Colors=more, Brown/Tan=cheaper" - people periodically sell BTAs on this website for much cheaper than a store, so just watch the For Sale/Trade listings. True, the Haitian anemones are cheap, but if it dies and pollutes you tank? 'Ric

I have heard that the beneficial ingredient in garlic is very unstable and breaks down quickly. It's better to get some fresh garlic from the grocery store and press it yourself. 'Ric

Any left? I could use some more. I rearranged my sump and made more space. 'Ric

Thanks a ton, Chip. The ice cube process worked after about the 5th ice cube. I finally got him off of the base of the torn and moved the worm rock he was on away. I recently cleaned out my return pump screen, so the flow was greatly increased around him. He probably moved to a less "windy" spot under the torch, I am guessing. I redirected the inlet a little further away from where he had been happy all this time in hopes that he will stay there. He's still on my worm rock, but I hope he'll move on his old rock, because I don't know how long the little worms can last with a foot covering their holes. Thanks again for the advice! 'Ric

As the title says, when I turned on the lights to my tank today, I found that my BTA had moved off the rock he had been on since I got him. He's now parked under a torch coral on a red worm rock. I am afraid that once they both inflate for the day cycle he'll sting the torch to death. Should I try to move him somewhere safe??? Are there any tips or tricks to coaxing him to let go of the rock he moved to? 'Ric

Clams and Red Mangroves also help remove Nitrates, but you need a lot. At best I think they cam just help lengthen the period between changes.

First, is 300gph really necessary? Is that a Mantis thing? Second, the only way to slow the speed of water down while keeping the flow is to spread it out over a wider plane (perpendicular to the flow.) Maybe you could make a plenum perferated with lots of little holes, or a long slot or something?

Lemon juice also works. If you need a syringe, my cat is diabetic so I have a bunch of them (if the fact they were used on a cat doesn't bother you.

WOW!! THAT'S A HUGE TANK!!!

On a side note, I'm in the process of building a DIY radiator for my tank so I can put the lid on it. It

From where did you order the Dwarf Seahorses? I might be looking for some at some point too. 'Ric