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Mike: There is a guy that posted here or in the cmas site (can't remember which right now) a few days ago selling some LR. Here is his e-mail. I was going to buy it, but I couldn't find the time to meet him and he wants to get rid of it before the weekend is over. It was pretty cheap. tungnf@hotmail.com Alberto

I also own the bluline ones and couldn't be happier with it. I don't know what the experience of RADIUM is with the Icecap 400 watt, but I have read multiple bad comments about them in reefcentral. Not one positive comment to them for what I ahve read. Maybe I missed the good ones or people are so happy with them that they don't post about it. Do a search and you'll see.

I actually read the article that is linked above recent;y and laught to no end. That is the most scientificly flawed artocle I ahve seen in a long time. The conclusion are none if you asked me. So, for the time being and until a better answer is given to the question of which salt is best, I will continue to use what I currently use. IO. ???

George: That is exactly the same guy I was thinking of when I saw this post. I just couldn't remember who it was. I had seen the post before and the pictures as well. Alberto

Nathan: Sounds like a good project. Having a large tank requires a lot of thinking in a totally different manner than having a regular size tank. You ahve to really think big. A tank like you are proposing could have some nice flow, light, livestock, and can be very efficiently done. You've probably heard my numerous pst about some of this stuff anyway. As far as the construction itself, I can't contribute anything because i don't know jack s.... about it. As far as the rest, I can contribute something. LIGHTING: I would seriously consider 1000 watt radiums. Sunlight supply now carries the appropriate ballast required to drive those bulbs to specs. I have seen a couple of pictures of them running and have spoken at leangth (will switch to it in a year) with people running them that had run just about everything else under the sun including it and they would not do it any other way. For 8 feet you are probably OK with just 2. I would start there and go to 3 if you feel greedy later on. FLOW: Now, you could ahve some major movement in this monster tank. I would drill or arrange for 8 x 2" bulkheads on the back wall. I would go with the 2" bulkheads because you can reduce it on the inside to 1 1/2" tubing and strainers causing less of a sucking action on the strainers and being much easier on your fish. Also, if you run 2" pipe to the pump and back to the tank to be reduced at the end on the outlet you decrease significantly the flow resistance and gain a bit more flow from your close loop pumps. If you spread them right, 3 x AmpMaster 3000 pumps for the close loops should be much more than plenty for it no matter what you are keeping. I believe in high flow inside the tank and slower flows thru the sump/refugiums. It allows for more contact time to the skimmer and the macro fauna in the refugium to do their job. That is just me. FILTRATION: I don't really know much about the mud you speak of and quite frankly you lost me with all the refugium/mud/trays. I would simplify things here and just get the biggest sump you have space for. Block a small area for the heaters, pumps, skimmers and such. The rest, fill with some LR, rubble rock, and all the macro algae you can get your hands on. Believe me, in 3-4 months there will be so much life in that refugium that you could grow a couple of whales int he tank!! LIVESTOCK: That is all on you man. :D Hope that helps. See my other post in the gallery please for the conclusion of this reply. Alberto

Tony: I have seen Jeff's (NAGA) work. He used to work for years for a company that makes acrylic work around here somewhere. I built a 750 gal tank for his parents. I have seen it. It looks good. Some stuff was a bit rough (edges and a couple of cuts), but very solid construction overall. He uses the same screen anme in reefcentral if you want to look it up and send him an e-mail. I don't have it on hand. As far as prices, he might be about the same as a Tenecor delivered at the end of it. Look into that too. Let me know if you want to know anything else. Alberto

Does anybody have their number? How about the address? Alberto

Mike: Do you have any contact info for them like where to send it, phone number, etc.? Although others may comment about your buying, using, returning the pump manouver, it is not going to be me. :D :D

I bought a custom myreefcreation unit from a guy in RC. When I finally set it up, it leaked in 3 spots. I fixed those and then I couldn't get it to stop leaking around the top. I replaced the O-ring, and played around with the screws and it was only 4 hours later that I finally got it to stop. Now, I wished I had not tried to set it up at 10 PM because that put me at going to be at 3AM to get up at 5AM. Not fun at all. :( :( I actually put my Ca reactor on top of my sump unlike most people that put theirs on the floor. I figured if it ever leaked or broke it would make akll the water go back to the sump. Alberto

Well, after more disaster management, everything seems alive. The only thing missing is one of the new lettuce nudibranch I added a couple of days ago. Then again, I haven't seen it since then anyways. The only piece of equipment is the mag 18. I guess I need to get another pump to replace it, but this time I will get something much smaller for the same job. This has to be the funniest thing I ahve read in a long long time. :D :D

Well, I woke up this morning, walked the dogs, went into my main office where most of the high deals and major planning of my life occurs: the bathroom in front of the stair to the basement where my tank is. As I got into some heavy thinking, I realize that there was something odd. Everything was very quiet. Why can't I hear the gurgling of the overflow in the tank? I pinched that thought, did some quick cleaning (I know it is a lot more than you wanted to know), and ran downstairs. As I walked into the basement, I realized a couple of things: the water is completely calm, the carpet is completely soaked, there is no noise from the equipment in the garage, and the freaking tank has overflowed!!!! I run to the garage to check the equipment and notice a few more things: the garage floor is completely full of water, the sump is bone dry, and all the pumps are dead (iwaki 100 for skimmer, iwaki 30 and iwaki 40 for returns, AmpMaster 3000 for close loop, and mag 18 for the UV filter). I run back inside to check the circuit box and both of the 20 amp dedicated circuits had tripped. I take a step back, take a deep breath, and go into mental DEFCON 5. First things first. Why did the tank overflow in the first place and then drain all 70 gal of water from the sump? I get a ladder and see what happened. One of the 2 bags of ChemiPure I had added a couple of days ago to "try them out" had been sucked into the overflow box's drain pipe and blocked it off completely. It is a 1 1/2" pipe for god's sake!!!! I take the thing out and proceed to go to the garage to dry out all the stuff, which is now soaking wet including the wires and plugs for most thigns. I first checked the status of the living things in the tank. The fish seemed to be swiming around, the temp had gone down to 78 from 80 baseline (not bad at all), but the pH was 7.91 from a baseline of 8.1 at night (likely the Ca reactor had backed flow into the sump). After I was done with the drying, I proceeded to put 30 gal of salt water I had just made last night into the sump to at least be able to run the return pumps. That is if they were not all burned from running dry for god only knows how long. I reset the circuit breakers I started to plug things back up one by one to make sure if I came to something that was still wet inside I wouldn't cause fire or electrocute myself in the process (or both). All pumps except for the mag 18 worked fine. Everything worked. Lights have not come on yet, so I can't comment on that. To say I was angry, sad, and other things is a huge understatement. 12 years with fish tanks and this was my first disaster. The worst part is that it was something that stupid that I should have seen it coming a mile away that caused it. We are back in bussiness now, but I can tell you I have learned a lot of things here, most of which I will apply when I re-do the entire thing in one year after I move. I also believe I didn't have much worse problems because I had taken so many precautions already. This is what I have learned and a lot I already do: -put all your ballasts as far off the ground as possible. -do not have anything electric touching the floor. -make sure all the plug-ins are off the ground and at least have a u loop before them in case they get wet. -cover all electrical plug-in with some form of plastic so water can't get to them -have at least one separate pump connected to a different circuit. -place all electrical connections on GCFI -place all electrical connections in the opposite side of the room where all the pipes and water connections are and place them off the ground -make it a habit of checking ALL equipment for function and performance once in the AM and once in the PM. This I have done religiously. -have a spare pump, timer, and heater available -always keep some saltwater made for a water change -have a wet/dry vac available. At least know the neighbor that has one. -have some towels available that you use for the tank only. - do not place anything that you won't mind loosing on the same floor as the tank and equipment is ever. Yes, I mean ever. My computer's hard drive could have been completly toasted! I am sure there is a couple of hundred tips I could write here, but I need to go back to damage control. I guess this proves we are not bulletproof afterall!!!!!

Dana Riddle was at CMAS a few months ago and briefly touched on this since he was doing some research and testing on them himself. For what he had to say, I think they are going to be a huge thing, but it would really be a couple of years after introduction if not more before we can safely say how well they are working. I would not go out and start saving to buy my first set when they come out, not would I hold off from buying whatever lighting I ahd decided on now in hopes of getting that instead. As far as the cost upfront, it is certainly going to be another huge aquarium equipment rip off. LED technology is so cheap is ridiculous and unlike aquarium MH and VHO bulbs is available already. I do look forward to it and let's see what happens. It would be nice to be able to put a panel over my 360 with 4-500 of these lights and get tremendous colors and growth from my SPS with no heat and cheap electric cost not to mention no more bulb replacing. :D

Well, I guess Geofloors and I posted some pictures in another site of what the snow left behind. Here is the link: http://www.reefaquariumguide.com/forums....t191266 I just got finished loading my neighbor in his wife's SUV to take him to the hospital. Our roofs andgutters are overflowing with ice that apparently has made its way through the walls too. He was up in a ladder hammering the ice away when huge chunk about 15 lb big fell on his head leaving a nice 2.5" long cut with plenty of blood to spare. At least he made it down the ladder before he passed out and had to be carried inside by me and another neighbor. Dumb son of a gun. We'll make so much fun of him that he'll probably end up moving to keep a shred of dignity :D :D (that is all in good fun for all of you already thinking)

For those with the interest of getting better pictures, check out the attached link ot a recent article in Advance Aquarist. It is rather long, but it may be helpful to some. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2003/feature.htm

Pez: No, valves don't leak at all. I presume as time goes by and it hardens from the CO2, it will get brittle. Maybe 3 years down the road?? By then, I will ahve the 1000 gal tank with a 6 feet tall dual reactor :D :D :D

Lowes????

What do you want for the hippo tang??

Depending on what kind of hosing you are using for your output, you could use a number of things. The hose coming out of my reactor is small enough that I actually put a small airline plastic valve. You know, the little green ones that they sell at petco or just about any place. $2 for like 6 of them and works like a charm. Have not touched it since I put in 7 weeks ago. Alberto

My god man, if you are going to be doing that around the tank equipment at least be more careful :D That was pretty quick, but I am sure you've been told that before.... :D :D :D Jost kidding man. It's all in good fun :p Alberto

Premium aquatic is a re-seller and Champion is the distribuitor. No other places sell them that I or anybody else in RC knows about. What I don't understand is why Champion doesn't get more of these things on stock. They run out within a couple of weeks of getting them back in stock, go without them for months making a wait/prepaid list, and then get some more to go on the same swings in a couple of weeks. Alberto

:D :D I could not agree more. I am biased in my opinion, but it is 100% subjective. I like the Blueline e-ballast. I run 4 with radiums and love the color. I saw radiums on PFO, PFO HQI, and on e-ballast before I bought them. I prefered this one over the other due to the light color and other minor reasons (doesn't get hot at all and it is a bit softer on the electric bill-not by much realy). Alberto

Can you post a list of the hardware items and the livestock? Please add prices so it cuts down on writing messages asking about it. Pictures would be very nice as well. Alberto

Well, for the 4th time someone wants it. They are supposed to pick it up on saturday. I will re-post if it doesn't work out. Alberto

OK, so I take it nobody wants it. It is going out this week unless someone contacts me today and for sure wants to come get it. Alberto

Tonite's meeting should be a good one. They have Scubadude (from reefcentral and reefs.org) talking about large scale propagation and greenhouse making.