FishWife

Merry Christmas! We are so grateful for this group!

So... Pepco installs these? 'Cause Ercole doesn't...

So Ercole electricians came today and told us that the new norm (at least for Pepco customers) is to have a switch thing put outside on your meter box. Then, in a power outage, you go to your box, throw the main switch OFF, turn off ALL curcuits in your home, and then turn on your generator outside. THEN, you manually put on each curcuit inside your home as you need them (including the furnace, curcuits to fish tanks, etc.) We're going to research this option. I'll post here when I know more about prices, etc.

I had wondered about that, too, Chip. VERY clear, Dave. THANKS for the details and pictures! Now, one more question: how do you secure it to the clip?

We got some black worms last night. He ate one or two. This AM, he ate a few more after we turned off the flow. They don't live long in salt water, and he's not interested if they're not wiggling. I like the idea above, Dave: two questions... 1. Where to buy mussels in Gaithersburg (read: suburbs)? Do food stores have them? Asian markets? 2. I plan to use a clip like I do for algae: where do I "open" the mussel? Between the two shells as if I were to eat it myself, or partially smash it open? I just can't quite visualize it. Pics anyone?

Done! THANKS, Bruce.

I meant "gate valve." Toldja this was NOT my area. Dan steered me to an online store as well. We should be all set for plumbing parts. THANKS.

We're going to gravity-feed our Standard 8. Dan recommended using a check valve. We've never looked-- are they at HD in plastic, or is this an online only thing? TIA!

I know practically nothing about tools. Scott wants to be able to drill 3/4" or 1" holes in some of our sump tanks. Can anyone give me a brand name, model #, and exact information such that I can go to HD tonight and get him a drill and the proper bits for drilling glass? TIA as always!

My dad was visiting to see our new, first grandbaby. It was the first time he'd seen our tank. One of his first questions was, "What do you do when the power goes out?" (He's from New England.) I told him that we planned to run essentials off our car's inverter. The next day, he surprised us with a Home Depot 5700 watt generator. Early Xmas present. Now: we are about to rewire for our new 175. The electrician comes Friday. We have a gas furnace in the basement, the tank is on the ground floor, and we have a heat exchanger on the second (bedroom) floor. Questions: 1. Can we run our blower to our furnace off this generator if we get the electrician to install... something? A switch? 2. How much electricity (generally) does a system with two or three heaters, two Darts, a 4/250 metal halide fixture, and a DIY calc. reactor take? 3. How do you all who have generators hook up? Hard wired? Extension cords? Do share. 4. Where, in all this, does a battery back up come in?

Um... my CBB isn't sick; just new. I had read that they were finicky, and I was trying to be proactive since none of my other fish need live foods... Did I miss something? If all you're saying is "set up a hospital/QT tank," we have one, and have used it religiously, but the system is right now a little out of whack due to tank switchover, so all our equipment is being used weirdly. The water system is better in the weird setup... I think better than an isolation tank. If I see the CBB getting hassled, I will take him out, but right now it's the best for him, I think. BUT, thanks for all the details. I appreciate your time.

Three bags of sand and some fish food. Forrest, that would be GREAT. PM me and we'll see if we can get together on this.

between or near BRK to G'berg? I'd pay gas one way to not have to make the two-way trip. We need a couple of items for a tank start up, any time in the next seven to ten days. Anyone?

Do I need to stop flow to get them to eat?

Hi, We bought a copperband butterfly fish yesterday. The situation's a bit unique in that he's in a holding tank that is jury rigged, so it has one inflow that is pretty strong and hard to turn off (for feeding time, but we CAN do it). The tank is a 45 (4' long by 1' wide) with live rock (with aiptasia on it), a clownfish, an anemone, and a yellow-eyed Kole tang. The tang is definitely asserting dominance, but not hounding the butterflyfish yet. My first question is: what do they like to eat? I have read that we need to "coax." What does this mean in your experience with butterflyfish? I assume that we can't just assume that he'll live on aiptasia... Right now I have in the house: frozen PE Mysis shrimp, frozen Forumula 1, DT phytoplanktin, high-quality flake food, and algae sheets. TIA for your experiences coaxing butterfly fish to eat!

Piedmont Plastics is the place to go! Next time we build anything out of acrylic, we're going there.

No one has questioned the SIZE of the tank. I thought 'nems needed a pretty stable water supply, in terms of salinity, etc. Is the tank too small, or ok, do you think?

LOL: my first post referenced said thread. I read on the Internet that Sears has it. We're on the hunt! THANKS! I'm MOST wondering now about epoxy. I'm hoping that I can just press sand into it and have it stick to the foam. If not, I guess I'll try silicone to attach sand (a la the UK model); and in the end, if I need to, I'll figure out epoxy. I keep asking for a brand that would be reef safe and NOT putty, but so far no one can tell me what to get. Ahh, the trials of pioneers!

I PMd you.

Saw my answer on the DIY forum. THANKS for looking! (Wish I knew how to delete my own posts... is there a way for us peons?)

Hi folks.... We are trying to find proper acrylic glue... i.e. we're trying to build an overflow box from two pieces of acrylic and need to join them. Can someone please tell us what brand to buy and where we can get it (locally, if at all possible!!!!) Our clock is ticking because of our tank switchover. TIA! So GRATEFUL for this group!

That's what we're thinking we'll do now. GREAT minds! :-) Who around here could drill a couple of holes for us if we brought tanks to them?

Just FYI, everyone, I got Dan's silencer and my Standard 8 is now SILENT. I love it. THANKS for such great support on your product, Dan! I'm glad I asked!

My dad just bought us the 5700 watt on sale. It's a pull cord.

Right. And our system is nothing like stable right now. But, our QT tank is... so Scott says we're going to try a combination of all the above. I REALLY appreciate the real-life stories! Thanks for replying! Off to edit my blue zoo order!