FishWife

Thanks!

Anyond know a website link? I can't seem to post under their news bulletins on the Vendor section. TIA!

Generally speaking, why don't folks use glass. We have glass tops for our used bowfront, and are trying to make pondnetting tops to replace them because... everyone doesn't use glass...? What's wrong with glass, especially since we're using Dan's Standard 8 and so oxygenation's not an issue. Afterthought: won't the glass protect from "environmental" stuff in rooms getting on the water AND keep fish in?

Adding our "wow's" and "welcomes" and also looking forward to pic's. We JUST got our tank stabilized after months of research and work: it's worth the effort.

Well, just to laugh at myself: you're all right. No, I didn't go on a flashlight safari, but seemingly just to reassure me, this morning when I woke up, on the topmost, front rock of my tank, I found a present: my largest pep shrimp had moulted, and his "birthday suit" was left in plain view. Tomorrow is bubble tip day.

Well... I'm wondering if they've gone over our/through the openings of our weir/overflow box... our water level has been high as we've been adjusting our tank levels... so within 1/4 to 1/2" of the top of the overflow box... like, down into the sump/fuge? There's nothing in there to eat them. Our aquascaping is open enough that I think I could see them if they were there... I could for a couple of days, but not, nada.... :( James: good idea. Do mushrooms/zoanthids do alright with softies like hammerheads and frogspawn? Obviously, we have lots of room right now... but am planning for the future. We will definitely (God-willing) be at the meeting. Looking forward to it!

right; we're in the "fish of the month" club... so, this is our fish for the next month, and we may wait longer. We fell for a pretty face and got a really sweet, small (1.5" big tops) maroon clown. We have spent a lot of money setting up (duh, I know... but we didn't budget for all of it) so we're not planning on adding *any* fish after the BTA for at least a month or two. (Thanks about aquascaping: we tried for three goals: minimal contact w/sand, open for water flow, and a series of ledges and platforms about halfway up the tank that also provided "shade" for those corals which like a little less light. We'll see!) OH! While I'm on livestock: we bought three peppermint shrimps to eat aiptasias (which they didn't) and can see NO sign of them. I know they're nocturnal, but... do most of you find that they're virtually invisible after a day or two in the tank? If not, we scratching our heads as to what could have happened to them. Any ideas?

Thanks all! We have one clownfish, so will do with moonlights.... The flow thing is interesting, thanks for the tip. 'Scuse my total ignorance, but how do they move? Like a snail, with a foot?

Hi all, We have ordered a rose bubble tip anemone from bluezoo that comes Tuesday morning. We have a couple of questions for those with experience. Ours is a 80g bowfront: A lovely six bulb, T-5 array fixture (thanks, Jason, pics soon!) hangs 5" above the tank, which is itself 23" deep. (The picture above was taken WITHOUT those lights on, so don't be fooled.) We want to put the bubbletip in the right place, light wise, so we think to put in center, right, about halfway deep in the tank, on the rocks you see pictured (on the rock right in front of and between the greenest and purplest ones on the right). Questions: 1. How high should our first placement be? Like... given our setup, is this half-way down the tank point about right? 2. How much will it be able to move to find its happy spot? Can it go pretty much anywhere it wants, climbing up and down the rocks, or is it important to try to get it pretty much right where it belongs right away?

I am looking for a recent thread (I think about wrasses) where someone showed a link to a netting w/coated wire frame that they were making for the top of their tank. I think it was a link to a thread/picture on Reef Central. Anyone know? I tried to search every way I could think of. We're off to Home Depot tonight and i really want to show hubby the picture and get a bom. TIA!

Thanks. Unfortunately, he's out of stock. (I emailed him.) Internet prices I found ($229 vs. $264) beat his by $35 and free shipping/no tax. I'd love to support an LFS, but for us it's both time (1 hr. drive) and money (have to figure gas). So... guess I'll order from the 'net this time and avoid the temptation of too many goodies at BRK. THX for all the replies, tho.

Where's the cheapest place to get one? Online and pay shipping? (If so, got a recommended cheapest spot?) or lfs...? BRK's website is down for revisions for dry goods... anyone know if they stock 'em? (That's quite a hike for us -- 1 hour -- but better than tons of money in shipping; we get to drool over corals that way. Ideas?

Hi. Well, as you saw in the loop on leaking bulkheads, we're right about here now: Tonight, we'd love to go buy a sequence dart pump for a 4' wide, HOB closed loop with three outflows to souse the tops of the rocks above (top half of the tank) with good strong turbulent flow. We're thinking of three to four inflow spouts: one in each back corner (so, four feet apart) and one (maybe two using a three-way L pvc fitting) in the middle, pointed across the stream of the right spout (as you face the tank). Here's a crude diagram, lookint from the top: The line is the back of the tank. The first 3 X's are flow into the tank. (Ignore the small dotted line; it isn't there, really... it's just holding the silly "X"'s in place 'cause the software's fighting the program ). The "O" is the flow out to the closed loop pump over the back of the tank. __________________________________________ X.......... \___O________/ X X..............................X Questions for the committee are two: 1. What size pipe? 1"? 1/2" (We used 1" and pinched back to 1/2 45-degree elbows at their ends in our manifold under the sand that you can see sticking up.) (This time, we plan to prime and paint. ) 2. How strong a flow? Like, in gph. We need a pump to deliver thru 3-4 outlets... directly towards the upper 1/2 of the rocks above. What's a good gph for water to go whizzin' past corals? (Oh, we plan LPS and a few SPS's.) TIA!

Dang; we forgot that. Too late for the return, but vis our NEW QUESTION above about adding flow via a closed loop to the upper half of our water column, how long does it take for the primer to "cure"... and then likewise with the black paint... oh, and where do you buy said paint? TIA!

OK; I'm back from a busy weekend! Here is the REST of the story! Sorry Tracy, you lose... ... it's our return. Our bow had two drilled bulkheads: 1" and 3/4" that we chose to use for outflow. The above manifold (featuring the Fisherman, Scott) is our return (and yes, we did put a siphon break). Behind the black wall (daring, let me tell you to pain my den black!) there's our engine room. To answer above questions, the return is part of a two-part tank system to be. We have the den, backing up to our mudroom, backing up to our kitchen. This "engine room" has now taken over our mudroom. So, go with me behind the wall... Above is the mag 24 driving up into a T. One end is capped. It will eventually drive the return to our kitchen tank. The T goes off to the bow above (left) after passing thru a ball valve so we can dial it down, 'cause, of course, the mag 24 is way to much inflow for our 900gph outflow thru the two drains. Below is Scott putting live sand from Steve's old tank into our refugium. STINKY and GROSS! Then, we hooked up Dan's Standard 8 and let it go to work on that green sludge: Eight hours later, voila: And here is a wider view so you can see the handy shelf for the future calcium reactors, kalk stirrers, etc. of the future... To finish off this series, we added a UV sterilizer above the skimmer compartment: (just takes it in and then puts it back into the fuge) and organized our plugs and such with two labeled gfi strip plugs. All VERY tidy: Meanwhile, back at the bowfront display: 1. Add sand... wait.... 2. Aquascaping, and our one clownfish (hard to see): SO NOW WE HAVE A NEW QUESTION: we're thinking of how to get strong flow to the upper half of the tank, where we plan for corals to live. We're thinking a closed loop with outlets in the back two corners, pointing 45 degrees down and in at 45 degree angles, and then a center outlet. If our goal is turbulence, and we want to avoid a wavemaker, how strong should our driving pump be for outlets two feet apart for colliding flows. (And, I guess, what diameter pipe? The manifold above is 1" pipe, just to give you an idea of scale.) TIA!

HOORAY!!! WHAT a relief! You could use a good break.

So... now I'm confused again. We're building a two-tank system. This is our reef tank; later we'll do a FOWLR tank, so I don't feel like I need a whole lot of fish. People are telling me, seemingly, that there are several "last fish" to add. Here's my wish list so far: We have a maroon clown, so she will be the first fish to go in. Then: we need a cleanup crew. --Snails (any to avoid?) --Crabs (I guess Redtipped Leg Hermits are a favorite?) --Peppermint shrimps (starting with 3-5) 'cause I know we have tiny aiptasias on some of our live rocks. We did kill the big ones, but we want them ALL gone. --There's already a bristle banded starfish in our rocks, too. THEN: We want... --One to four yellow tangs (I think; unless someone has a better idea). My husband likes these 'cause we saw them when diving in Hawaii. We think we want at least one; four might be fun to watch since we don't need a lot of fish in this reef tank.) --Sixline wrasse (I think... maybe a fairy wrasse instead, or both? I'm new to wrasses.) --And, an Orange Spot Blenny (Blenniella chrysospilos) OTHER/MORE? IDEAS? What have we missed? And in what order do we add the above?