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Well, it depends how you define "big tanks". About 4 months ago I was looking and this is the choices I found: 1. AGA: the biggest they make is a 180. Anything bigger is custom= big money. Would take about 8-10 weeks for delivery. 2. Oceanic: the biggest they make is a 220 I believe. Anything bigger is customs= huge sums of money. Up to the 180 is considered standard for them. They no longer make the 7 feet 200 gal tank as standard, but they now call it something custom so they can charge you much more. I believe they still ahve the 220 as standard, but cost so much more than the 180 it is not even funny. Anything above a 180 will take anywhere from3-10 weeks to get depending on availability from a regional warehouse. Custom tanks will take up to 10+ weeks. 1+2. Warranties: lifetime with Oceanic and I think it is 5 years with AGA (not sure on this). You would have to get their stand to be able to make a claim otherwise you better be prepared to hire Johnny Cochrane to fight it in court for you. They could pre-approve your DIY stand, but it will take a lot of doing to get it done not to mention time. You would have to take apart your tank, take it to a local pre-approved store/dealer for them to send it in and wait for their mercy to send another one back. This could take up to 10+ weeks!! :( The stand made by them for any tank above a 125 will cost you literally anywhere from 2 to 10 times the cost of making one that is far superior to what they make and with better wood. ??? 3. Glasscages.com: They make tanks much cheapper than the other 2 above. Made out of glass. They make a lot of custom sizes and shapes. Not very well known. Shipping is free if you pick it up at any of the places where they do shows. Typicly this is some state fair ground. They do come this way 2-4 times per year. They also make custom stands and canopies to your specs for fairly decent prices. Have never seen one of their tanks, but I'll tell you what I found from a couple of posts in RC (one originated by myself). The glue job on the seems is kind of slopy and the overflow boxes are made out of clear glass, so you see all the guts from the outside of the tank. They are extremely accomodating for drilling holes where you want them for close loops and such. As far as warranty, they guarantee it for life I believe (can't remember this very well though). The way it works is that you would either pay for shipping to and from their facility in TN or you could wait until the next time they come to a show for them to pick it up and then wait for the next show for them to deliver it back to you. This translates to anywhere from 2 months to a year+. Their stands and canopies and basicly whatever you tell them you want. They do not water test their tanks for leaks prior to delivery, but they claim neither does anyone else in the bussiness. 4. Tenecor: Makes acrylic tanks of any shape and size you want. If the set up is more than $1500 and you get it from some of the online vendors/dealers, shipping is free. Warranty is for life and goes about the same as number 1+2, but shipping to and from (this I am not so sure) is on you. They will fight you with tooth and nails on warranty work. If you want something they do not recommend, which is based solely on economics, they will do it but will make you void the warranty. Example: I want a 3" perimeter lip around the top with small braces, but make the top 1" thick instead of 0.5" like they would normally. This amkes the tank much much stronger, but they will void the warranty anyways. 5. Others: there are a couple of acrylic builders in the SE FL area, but they are more expensive than Tenecor and less well known. Also, their shipping can be quite costly making their tanks almost twice as expensive as Tenecor. Warranty varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. There is another glass place in NC. A guy in RC works there, but I don't know much about them. Do a search in RC if really interested. 6. Perfecto: Makes up to a 240 I believe in glass. No drilling whatsoever in any model. Don't really know much about them, but thatpetplace in PA is a dealer and are much cheapper than Oceanic. You could call them if you really want to know. Their tanks tend to be much taller than usual for the other manufacturers. 7. Custom local: I know a guy in the area that would build you an acrylic tank of the size and shape you want. he will do it onsite at your place and will get all the supplies. He built the tank that is currently used at the Baltimore Aquarium for the seahorse exhibit. The total cost will be much more than the Tenecor with delivery and all, but he tends to overbuild the tank. despite that, his labor is way too much to justify it. I know because I looked into it to have him make me a 12x4x3 tank (1080 gal) and a 400 gal sump/refugium under it. This will be in the future, so I will definately go with Tenecor then. Acrylic vs Glass: this is really up to you. I guess you have probably read all the arguments for one or the other. I could tell you something though. My 360 acrylic tank was place in the house by 4 people. 2 strong people could actually lift it off the ground and out it in a stand in a very unconfortable area (ask geofloors if you want to know :D ). If this was glass, I could not imagine lifting this tank off the ground with anything less than a forklift. ??? Hope this helps, Alberto

I think the idea of getting someone to talk about photography is great. I for one got this particular camera because of all the good reviews and features, but as someone that doesn't know jack about photography I feel as if I am getting 0.02% of my money's worth. It would be awesome to have someone that is very good at this to give some general tips and explanations. That is an idea for an upcoming meeting. Well, maybe I should let the "officers" come up with it on their own :D ???

One thing said clearly by Sanjay was that the type, wattage, and size of the ballast DOES NOT change the rating of kelvin in the bulb at all. I used blue line 400 watt e-ballast because they run pretty cool and save a little electricity per month. They also drive the radiums at the perfect color to my eyes and that was very important to me. I can also runt he 10K bulbs and run them at the color I like as well. Alberto

Yes, I have. Actually this is the reason why crush coral beds tend to turn into one big block of rock after a while int anks where either kalk or Ca reactors are run. I read an article about it a while ago, but can't remember where. I think I got it off a search in RC though when I saw my previous crush coral bed doing it. As far as the fluidised reactors in Europe, I really don't know. I correspond with a guy in England that has a fairly large tank and he has a reactor similar to the ones used here. It is a Koralith or something like that. He tells me those and the Deltec (spelling??) units are the most popular there. Don't know about the rest of Europe though. Alberto

Can and will happen, but too slow to make stable changes. I have read of people in RC that will palce about 20 Lb of aragonite sand or crushed coral in their sumps and it dissolves half by the end of the year. It is just not enough by any means!! I believe there was a thread in RC not too long ago about aming reactors with fluidized beds instead of the coarser media to amke it dissolve easier and faster. The trhing is that the guy that tried it reported he saw no benefit whatsoever from doing this. The only valid point would be to make it more efficient, but since the CO2 and the aragonite or crushed coral is so darn cheap, it defeats the purpose. I feed my Ca reactor with a MJ1200 I had laying around. Works great. It did take me a long time to get my CO2 adjusted because the needle valve I am using is pure kaka. I did noticed the unit does not keep up with the alkalinity well if I run the second chamber pH above 6.8. Once I keep it between 6.6-6.8 from the second chamber, things stay rock solid. Mine is a pretty big unit though. I use no other supplements whatsoever. Alberto

Well, I ahve tried several times to take pictures in the auto mode and they come out purple, too bright or dull. I can never get pictures, tripod or not, that come out cristal crisp like some of the ones I see in reefcentral. I ahve used the macro mode several times, but the end result is no better that without it. I guess I'll keep on trying. Alberto

While waiting for my baby to be born, I bought this camera thinking it would be great to take as many pictures as possible without having to waste money on film and developing. It has turned out much better than I anticipated. The problem is that recently I have started to try to take pictures of my tank and some corals and they come out like crap. I can never take pictures like the ones posted here and in RC. I always use the auto mode for the baby pictures and such, which is more than great for it. But, for the tank, I want to use the manual mode that allows one to set all the settings. The problem is I don't even know what they are or mean, so it is hard to adjust what you don't know you are adjusting. Is there anyone here with a similar camera that can walk me through the steps to adjust it to be able to take great pictures? Please be simple and to the point. I would really appreciate it. :D

I have the Ca kit. Here is the short version: 1. Add 1 ml of tank water to enough RO/DI water make a total of 12.9 ml 2. swirl to mix 3. add 6 drops of the little bottle's liquid 4. swirl to mix 5. add one purple tablet 6. swirl to mix well until it is completely dissolved and it all looks very violet color 7. fill up the little syringe from the bigger bottle to the top mark. 8. start adding it slowly while swirling until you get a deep blue/purple color 9. look at the syringe and see what number the plunger is in. Every division is 4. 10. multiply the number by 5.16 and that is your Ca level. Example: plunger at the 84 mark (84x5.16=433) Good luck, Alberto

As far as I know, yes. That is the only reason.

Although most experts in their own house will agree with Pez's statement, and to a degree I also agree with it, there are lots of people using UV and ozone and have still great success in their tanks. A few weeks ago, I ahd some ick in my tank (not like it has left yet ??? ) so I started to e-mail a few people. Come to find out more people than I thought are actually using it. They had a hard time with the fish, so they added UV and over time the stuff went away. Their corals are still doing very well and some of them are even online frag sellers with their own web site and such. So, if the coral's food is being killed, they must really like cadavers. One guy I know of in Tampa even makes some massive size units and uses them in his tanks. His rationale is different though. He says he doesn't ahve a problem with the fish. He had his water analyzed by a friend of his that is a marine biologist and compared to water collected off shore a few miles close to a large reef area in FL. He said he was petrified to see what actually is thriving in his water. He stated 98% was not the good stuff and 2% was. He was continuosly feeding DT and also rotifers if I remember right although I might be wrong on this. Just realying info I ahve read.

You would have to post this in hte gallery for people to be able to post picture replies.

David et al: What I did learn as far as reflectors is that they are very inefficient as I thought. From looking not only at the spread, but at the intensity of the spread it is pretty pathetic what we get out of the bulb and to the water. Remember, all of those mesasurements were at the surface of the water and not deeper inside the water where the corals are. The best distribution and intensity were given by the Diamond LumenArc III reflectors. They are big (12x12x8) and the cheappest place I found them was for $82/each (reflector + mogul socket specially retrofitted) direct from Diamond, but they are worth it I think. For example, I was debating adding 2 more 400 watt halides to my set up (20K bulb, PFO reflector, and e-ballast would have cost me $600+). Instead I could add the reflectors to my current set up and double the spread and almost the intensity as well of the ones I already have not to mention I don't have to use more electricity. :D I am seriously considering them and may be ordering them soon. If any of you would like to order them together and save on some shipping, let me know. Alberto

This was my third meeting and by far the best of all. The talk was very to the point and simple to follow. It did answer a huge question for me about reflectors. I took a couple of pictures and will try to post them later today when I get a chance. By the way, my warmest pad on the back to the officers for organizing such a kick *ss meeting. Alberto

I had been trying to log on without success. I ahve had a lot of problem with my computer lately, so I wasn't sure if it was the computer or the server.

Scott: I was wondering if you have any pictures. Any pair of fish costing $100 I ahve to see. Also, I am forwarding this message to the tang patrol so they can come and do a cavity search on you for having 2 tangs in a tank less than 1 million gallon with a 6 trillion gayillion gallon sump :D :D Shame on you man :p

Just find a local refrigeration/heating place that deals with air conditioners. That is what it is for all practical purposes. No shipping required this way. :D

Hey, sign me in for a couple of them as well. Can I come by monday night and hand pick mine from the lot?? :D :D :D

I am in Owings Mills, MD. Right outside of Baltimore about 5 min from the aquarium center.

This sucker is going into the trash this saturday if nobody comes to get it or wants it before then.

Give me a call tomorrow nite after 7 PM so we can figure out where and when. If I don't answer right away, leave me a message with your number and I'll call you back. I am in the hospital until saturday morning. 443-904-4244 Alberto

Well, I called sea of green and they no longer carry them. I ahd called a couple of other hydroponic places and they all seem to ahve dropped them a while ago. Don't know what the story is. I guess I will ask Sanjay saturday of he has a cheaper source for them since Diamond directly is quoting me $82 each. Alberto

George: I'll give them a call. Thanks for the link. I actually had e-mailed Sanjay and he jsut replied last night. The article has not been published, but he will discuss the results in the upcoming talk. I guess I'll get my answers there. From what I ahve been told by other people that has had access to the results, these are supposed to be far and above all other reflectors in the market allowing more light spread and gathering than the PFO reflectors. Alberto

Was the study that Sanjay Joshi was making about compring the different reflectors ever published? Link??? I am considering the lumenArc III reflectors and wanted to see what he had to say. I guess I can actually asking him directly if I don't find the article. Any cheap sources online for these? Can't find them cheaper than $150 each and I need 4. Alberto

Actually I did that for a little bit before I went to med school. I used to be a respiratory therapist before I went to medical school and used to cover the sleep lab once in a blue moon. Those people don't make me tense. They are the ones with the problem, not me :D :D :D The ones that make me tense are the ones that stop breathing for minutes. Now, that is a problem. :p

Mike: 3:58 Am and you are replying. Are you working the corner with the girls? Just working your suave debonair mojo?? :D I am trying to get a website with info on fish by name. I'll post again if I find something. Alberto