FishWife

Ohhh! Really? Can't believe I missed it!!!

So... how has your background been holding up? I am revisiting the old "background" issue as I either remount my bowfront or go for a deeper, bigger tank. I'm curious to know why you didn't epoxy... couldn't find any? (That was my issue. I couldn't get anyone to give me a straight answer to "what kind to buy?")

Thanks!

So, I was surfing the net for ideas on aquascaping as I'm turning over the options of going to a 36" deep tank and seeing what I might DO with that and came across two links, one of which I now can't find. The first was an old website (2002) of a guy who was building a 650 gallon angled acrylic tank in his basement (looked sweet!) and had come from the Berlin school so didn't want to put sand in his tank. He hit upon the idea of using garf's aragocrete (my second link, here: http://www.garf.org/class.html ) on the bottom of his tank instead of sand. (There are no updates since 2002, and now I can't even google the page I was looking at... go figure.) THEN, I got to reading this thread on CoralForum.com: http://www.coralforum.com/forums/archive/i...hp/t-19990.html. They were questioning the content of cement mix, and the presence of aluminum. BEFORE I read this thread, I was thinking of using the aragocrete for a background when I remount my big tank (no matter what the dimensions ). I was not entirely happy with the egg crate treatment on our 175, but neither do I like to see pipes. I know, drill. But, I don't quite know where or how to drill a closed loop and the background is still an issue without pipes, so let's stay on these questions: 1) Anyone used/made aragocrete? 2) Think I could make a background of it if it IS safe? Inquiring minds want to know...

Yep, yep, yep. So, we had an old floating hydrometer (this is ancient technology) that we were attempting to use. It said we were right in the safe zone (a green section on a thermometer-like device that floats or sinks due to salinity). Just got Guy's refractometer. Sure enough: our display is .027 'cause the tank was "lighter" on salt than the bucket of water that we'd mixed and wanted to use for a water change. So, we've been topping off with salt (talk about walking blind). So glad we could check! Water change and cyno slurping will commence at 1100 hours tomorrow. Thanks, Guy!

Calling now, thanks. Note to self: re-up my WAMAS membership. You guys are the greatest!

They are very inaccurate. In my experience, they run high. I have a nano, and so salinity swings matter more than in larger systems. When we do a weekly water change, it's about 1/6 the volume of the entire setup. Having enjoyed the peace of mind of a refractometer, I'll never go back if I don't have to.

I'll take it, thanks. Too much hassle to go back and forth borrowing. I need to come to the first half of the meeting, and leave by 3 PM or so at the latest. Can we hook up there for sure? Please PM me your name and cell # so we can find each other at the meeting.

Can you PM me, or post here, with a price in case I need to break down and buy yours? PS Did you try focusing the numbers? Ours focuses like a microscope: turn the eyepiece. I can't read the numbers on ours either. Just so I'm sure I want it, can you also give me a link from the Dr. F/S website to the product you've got for sale? Is it this one ? Thanks.

That would be great, Jason. Two weeks SHOULD do it, or I'm just going to get a new one (used). How can we connect? Thanks anyways, Jason. Going to buy used: $25 for an extra is probably what we'd spend in gas going back and forth, and it relieves me of trying to put too much energy into searching. BUT, I SO appreciate the offer!!!

Anyone have a used refractometer for sale?

Thanks about the sale. It was touch and go, but we had lots of sustaining grace! Right about space behind any tank; I was thinking of that. More and more I'm persuaded to stick with what I have. Contentment is often the best recipe to a happy life! James: yes, you're right, my current tank is a big display; and I do love it. It's not yet sold, so that may be my answer: just upgrade the cabinet and get a canopy. That's the direction I'm leaning. I sure love my big tank fishies and anemones! Was SO SAD to tear it down. But, we need to wait for a few things before I can mount any tank, so this is all thinking aloud. Yet, it's good to have time to REALLY ponder; that way I don't kick myself later. I appreciate everyone's thoughts so much, especially about the fact that wider doesn't equal more lighting, whereas length does. Any more ideas?

Still in Gaithersburg; about 15 minutes north of where we were, Jason, in Montgomery Village.

Does ANYONE have a refractometer that they're not currently using that I could borrow for a few weeks while we continue to plow thru boxes? We misplaced ours in our move (we had to move so fast that someone grabbed the gray case and stuck it in a random spot) and have searched a bunch of places but still have many boxes to go through... We have been putting off a water change, but have a cyno bacteria attack as a result of the move and it's getting ugly in our RSM. Anyone?

This is a great idea; along with putting chairs where the tank will be to see if the depth would kill me. But folks: isn't a longer tank better for larger fish? Don't the like patrolling back and forth? I'm thinking of a clown tang, for instance, or a Christmas wrasse...?

True that! I was awake early this morning wondering how to get an 8' thru the rooms to its destination. Then I mentally added 36" to it and thought... hmmm... maybe but doubtful in my house. I'd have to measure. (Know what they say: measure twice, order custom tank once.) You guys are making me think about a deeper tank. Though, as I sit in front of my RSM (which, proportionally is a deep look: 24" wide and 18" deep) and look at the stand it's massive. This thing would look like a refrigerator on its side. Cool, but definitely something to think about. Mini-fuge is an interesting thought. Could I really put cheato in there (and a light) and actually HAVE a mini-fuge in each corner? See, my townhouse has the LR and FR as sort of a flowing big room with a wide opening between. The seating is such that the side of the tank is definitely noticeable from the side from the FR. AND, with a 3' depth, we surely WOULD watch the long view. So, whoever said "isn't front the important view?" is right for most settings, but not mine. Another way to handle the "I don't want to view the corner overflow" problem, I decided, was to flank a 6' X 3' tank with matching 18" wide X 9" deep bookshelves (the kind that bump out at hip height to a foot or so, and have cabinets, wherein I could store fish stuff out of sight) that would mask the first 9" of the tank from sight, but still allow viewing of the 27 remaining inches. What does a 6' X 3' run down there for cost? I can't find prices on their website.

Yeah... I hear ya. My bowfront is 29" tall... and varies from 18" deep at the ends to 24" deep at the center. It's a great tank, as I said. We always had about 5" of sand in the bottom to cover the closed loop, so the depth was effectively 24" for livestock. It really IS a great tank. But, I'd need to upgrade the stand, since it would be in my living room. AND it needs a canopy.... hmmm. Those 36" ftb depths are amazing... time to get out the tape measure again!

What do we all think of those corner overflows, aside from UGLY in the end-on view of the tank? Do they work or is it hard to get water into corners for surface skimming (my suspicion)?

I don't REALLY want to go over 24" for depth (front to back). It is a townhouse, after all. I have the length, though, and don't larger fish appreciate the length? The question is not so much aesthetic to me right now, although we will get to that. It's propagation/light at issue right now for me. 36" tall sounds GREAT; but I think James meant DEPTH. Assuming that it's a 24" ftb dimension, how tall can we go successfully? And, what kind of LIGHT do we need to penetrate down to clams??? (Do NOT forget the clams, best beloveds...) As for the 6' dimension, if that's what we all think, I still have my 175 bowfront. I love that tank! I was just thinking that if I want to get bigger, now's the time.

Oh, excellent point!

Hey, all We moved !!!! It only took 2.5 months to wade through the valley of the economic crisis and have our house close, then move 24 hours later. Sheesh! But, we're settled in a lovely townhome and now I'm beginning to eye a lovely 9' wide piece of wall. It won't be for months or years, but I'm determined to research the "perfect" tank before we put down a single $. So... donning my Eris costume, let me throw out what I suppose may constitute an "apple of discord." What do we all think is the right height for a tank that has sps's growing in the mid-to-top section, and lps's and ricordia down low AND AND AND clams!!!? (I have always wanted a clam. Every time I get close, I have to tear down/move/etc. Sigh.) Footprint of tank-to-be: not to exceed 108" X 24" (thinking that I might best like a 96" X 24" for the spot I have in mind). The question is really a two-parter: 1. What's the ideal height for the footprint? 2. What kind of light would be needed over your chosen height for the livestock types listed above? Lighting Perameters: I want to keep costs to a minimum in terms of ongoing expenses, so I'm definitely thinking of T-5's, predominantly, with maybe a couple of halide fixtures on moving mounts that would distribute the light over the tank over the course of a day, instead of needing to put them all along the tank full time. So, picture fixed runs of T-5's fore and aft, and a center row of tracks that move one or two halide fixtures back and forth. What do you think?

Hey there... We had ich badly last Christmas... 'member the "bathtub conversion"? It was awful! Anyways, we left the fish in hypo for four weeks by the calendar, and the live rock etc. for five. Our CBB had also a fungus infection and was in hypo and isolation for about 2.5 months! Then we assembled the DT and put all those formerly ichy rocks and fish into it. Never had the problem again. I do think that you can feel OK about putting fish that recover from illnesses in your healthy display tank. My feeling is that if you have a healthy reef operating, and there are no signs of disease, then the fish's bodies have done what God intended: healed. A healed fish is as healthy as any other fish. KWIM?

Well, this past weekend we FINALLY closed on our house! We have been WAY busy and WAY tied up in waiting and waiting for closing to happen. Then, finally, the bank said "go" and we went! The move went well for the tank. We didn't lose anything. (Some things were lost earlier. as you'll note when you see the pictures in a few days.) The only mishap we had turned out well. Our little Sparky (McCosker's wrasse) was seriously stressed during the move. When we went to bed, the tank was only half converted because of sediment in the water. We left the corals in a bucket and and the put the fish into the tank. Sparky looked VERY distressed. Next morning, tank was clear but Sparky was not where he had lain. No problem, thought I, and went on with aquascaping. Tip for all movers: I took MANY pictures/videos of the tank before we dismantled it. Even so, it was HARD to get the pieces of rock back where they had been. In the end, I did quite a bit of re-scaping, which turned out well. I hope to post pictures tomorrow. We've had this tank on hold for six months waiting to move... and it's lookin' pretty good and I'm looking forward to being back on the WAMAS site again.

Ditto. Four tank start-ups with this approach, plus sumps. No problems.

My stand is fine structurally. I was almost thinking of some kind of face lift for it, and then a canopy from scratch. The canopy from Oceanic is just a plastic shield. Thanks for the pointer to Bob.