Coral Hind

That's some nice peace of mind to know that they say it is strong enough for liquids. Let us know how it works for you.

Very nice. I've always preferred the laminar flow over the random pulse flow that some people like.

The platinum arowana is actually a freshwater fish. The one pictured above is the Male Masked Angelfish, Genicanthus personatus. You can get that one for only $20k.

I would try to call the company and find out how thick it is or if it was designed for liquid storage. There is a good bit more pressure with water than if it is with dry goods. I've seen similar containers made for dry goods split open when filled with water.

I also see asterina starfish in the pics. Some are harmless but some can eat zoas and other soft corals. Just keep an eye on them.

The red and white things look like tiny Vermetid snail which create a hard calcium based tube that they live in. They are filter feeders. The green stuff looks like a macro algae similar to Chaetomorpha.

You are a little confused on the term "auto-resetting" or "latching" of the GFCI. The auto-resetting does not automatically reset after a groud fault intiated trip. It only keeps the power on when power is lost and then restored. If you have a non auto-resetting portable GFCI and you had a temp power failure when the power goes out it opens the circuit and when the power comes back on the GFCI would remain off until you manually pushed the reset botton. In wall GFCI's are mostly all auto reset types. The portable ones are different because of safety concerns. It helps to prevent power tools left in the on position when someone unplugs the cord from unexpectedly running when power is restored.

Welcome to the club! Your plans sound good and I think the two 2040's would be fine. For corals my preference is BB unless you have fish that need sand to live in.

There were probably high levels of toxin released from the flatowrms that you couldn't measure which killed the corals. Using large amounts of fresh carbon can also cause the pH to rise quickly depending on tank size and amount used and that can stress corals out. After a couple really large 50% plus water changes it whould be fine to start the rebuild. I say go for it.

This can be normal. Some will come out right away and others will hide for two weeks while they heal. If they don't come out in another week you might want to move some rocks so they can get light.

Tap the sides of the cap to help break the seal. Use a strap wrench like Rob A mentioned. Using silicone grease on the o-ring will help to prevent that in the future.

Wet a paper towel or rag with vinegar and lay it on top of the brace. Let it sit there for five minutes or so as it dissolves the calcium. Then wipe clean.

The tapping of the rock does work but it takes about five or ten minutes of tapping. Just hold them upside down and tap until they start to fall out. If this is a really delicate rock I would not hit too hard as it could damage the rock. Bright light seems to make them move faster than low light from my experience. They will try to walk to a lower light area.

I would pull him and place it in the sump or another tank for a month until the new fish settles in then place it back in. Or find it a new home.

He said he was going to have portable GFCI adapters on the items plugged into non GFCI outlets so things will still be protected.

I agree!

That sounds like a good plan. If the light fixture has a built in GFCI cord cap then you are fine plugging it directly into a non GFCI protected circuit.

Correct, not the controls so much as the ballast and fixture. A powerstrip might make things worse so I wouldn't try that. I would plug the light into a stand alone portable GFCI device and then directly to a regular non GFCI outlet. If this tank was at the house I would say don't worry about even using a GFCI on the lights but because of where that tank is at and liability concerns I would try the portable GFCI. That way if it does trip only the lights go out. Make sure to get one that is "automatic reset" like these: http://www.marinedepot.com/Tower_Inline_GFCI_Cord_Set_with_Single_Connector_%2818_inch%29_GFCI_Extension_Cords_Grounding_Probes_Surge_Protectors_for_Saltwater_Aquariums-Tower_Manufacturing-TW38018-FIMIGF-vi.html http://www.homedepot.com/p/Tower-Manufacturing-Corporation-2-ft-In-Line-GFCI-Triple-Tap-Cord-Automatic-Reset-30338024/202510257

This was a common issue when T5's first came out and a topic that was brought up often here on the boards. With the switch to LED's I don't see this issue much anymore. I'm surprised your electrician didn't know it was the type of lighting, probably not the switch, that tripped it. Lighting ballasts, both MH and T5, can cause nuisance tripping of GFCI protected circuits at start up because of the ballast's capacitance properties. Some T5 fixtures have MOV's which can also cause a tripping condition. T5's can also cause a trip after it has been on for a while because of the static bleed off from the bulbs to the grounded fixture. Some filtered power strips using MOV's can also cause a GFCI to trip when an item is powering up.

That's a great idea!

Congrats on having the anemone host the female clown. That is always a cool relationship to have in a tank. She is just securing her dominance role. Totally normal and a good sign they are bonded. The male normally does a little twitch or shake after she charges him.

Sure, it can be made water tight that way. However, I would not inform the general group that it is fine to install the bulkhead that way as the pressure is then moved from the flange to the threads and nut whick is much weaker and known to crack and fail.

I've never heard of that product. Sounds like a great idea. Thanks for sharing!

It looks like a surface tracking issue between the hot and ground. Some conductive contamination or water on the surface allowed a short circuit condition to happen. The green coloring suggest moisture and oxidation. Loose wires on the back or loose connection with the outlet's fingers normally looks different that what you have. I would replace the cord cap on the de-humidifer and it should be fine. PM me or post up a pic of your panel or the model info of the panel so I can see is an AFCI is available.

When I lived in a dorm I just used an old black sheet and taped it tight on the back. You could get a black or blue corrugated plastic sheet and just taped it to the back. I have white sheets of it on my tank which I got at Lowes but you can order colored ones of the internet. http://www.wholesaleartsframes.com/corrugated-plastic-sheets/?gclid=CJ_B1uPU2b4CFesDOgod2ygAFw