Origami

Try taking a look first thing in the morning. Sent from my Note 10+5g using Tapatalk

New rock and new sand would make diatoms likely. But your pics show purple red on the sand like cyanobacteria. If you turn the lights off, does it disappear overnight? That would lean more toward cyanobacteria. Sent from my SM-N976V using Tapatalk

New rock or old? Can it just be the very earliest stages of a diatom bloom, which is not uncommon in new tanks? Most of the time, diatoms will take on a golden to dark brown sort of look, but sometimes they can have a slightly reddish-brown tinge to them. Time normally resolves identification. In any case, riding itout is probably the best course of action. Just let it take up whatever it's finding to grow and siphon it out (manual nutrient export) if it doesn't go away on its own.

Yep. Sump creature or, in my case many years ago, live food for a few hitchiker mantis shrimp that came in on the same TBS live rock that I started the hobby with.

For the raffle: Three 5-ounce size jars of Chemi-pure Blue all-in-one filter media in a nylon bag donated by Chemipure. Featuring a mix of high-grade ion exchange resins and activated carbon, Chemipure blue significantly reduces organic compounds, odors, phenols, toxins, medications, disolved metals, phosphates and silicates. The 5-ounce size filter bags is perfect for tanks in the 35-50 gallon range. A $50 value.

I may order a spool and give it a try. Thanks! Sent from my SM-N976V using Tapatalk

These are one of my favorite crabs to watch. Do you have suspended solids or anything like reef roids to feed it? Sent from my SM-N976V using Tapatalk

Looks good, Paul! Sent from my SM-N976V using Tapatalk

Very good. I bounce between PLA and PETG, and sometimes ABS. ABS is a pain to dial in and I have to keep the build plate hot and the printer enclosed so cooling/shrinking doesn't cause problems. PETG can sometimes be (tolerably) stringy - I see variation between manufacturers - but I still like it. I have a roll of unopened eSun nylon, but I'll have to dry it out before trying it out someday. My hot end should be able to reach the needed temperature, but there's not a lot of margin, so it's an experiment that I need to conduct someday. You've done some really nice work with your Ender. Whose PETG are you using and what are your working parameters?

Gorilla crabs are not uncommon on TBS rock, which is naturally cured and in Gulf waters. All kinds of hitchikers have been found - sometimes even small fish!

Adding yet another donation to the raffle. This one is from our sponsor, SaltwaterAquarium.com and it's a Two Little Fishies Coral Dip and Foods Pack. The pack comprises 500 ml of Revive Coral Cleaner, 120 grams of Justin Credabel's Goniopower, and 30 grams of ZoPlan Zooplankton Diet The total value of this package is $70. Thanks SaltwaterAquarium.com!

Nice job! Are you primarily using PLA on your components?

You're welcome. I still refer to the chart when using my Hanna Alk Checker. For me, it's their best and most frequently sold checker.

Two Little Fishies has donated four 50-gallon bags of their AccuraSea artificial seawater mix for the raffle at the upcoming meeting. AccuraSea is precisely formulated to simulate natural seawater and, developed by Julian Sprung, AccuraSea comprises pharamaceutical grade sodium chloride and high purity anhydrous salts. At a salinty of S=35, it yields Ca 420 ppm; Mg 1300 ppm; Sr 8 ppm; K 400 ppm; and an Alk of 8 dKH. We'll be raffling off two bags for two lucky winners at the meeting! (That is, 2 chances to win!)

I see it at many meetings: A buyer is wandering about looking for a seller and asking people if they've seen them. Do you specify a time and give up if they're a no-show? Assuming both parties are on time, do you identify a spot based on your knowledge of how we'll set up (e.g., "I'll meet you over by the snack table.") Or do you rely on that chance encounter? Would it be helpful if we marked a spot, like a table, for pre-arraged sales to tag up? If you're one of the affected individuals, I'm interested in hearing what your experience has been and if something like this would be helpful for you.

If you've not yet noticed, the list of our sponsors and members who'll be on-site selling stuff is growing. A snapshot of the list at this moment includes Sponsors on-site: Reef Nerd Aquatics Aquahaus FishnReef.com Members selling on site: @gws3 @Mr.Chalice @Samayoa @TylerZinck @Combat Corals @ECreefer

Navigation post for McLean High School. We're meeting in the cafeteria at McLean High School on February 4th. The room is best accessed through Door #10 just off of Clearview Drive. As seen in the image, there's street parking and a couple of parking lots close by. Loading and unloading can be done near Door #10 and in the circle, but don't park there for extended periods.

Looks like the remnants of a bacterial bloom - probably consequent to the die-off. Is there any record or evidence of an extended power outage? Was everything mechanically functioning when you returned (pumps running, etc.)? For a small tank with relatively low surface area, maintaining surface flow is critical to keep oxygen levels up. The other thing you've noted is that if you have something like a BTA start moving and wander into a pump, it's remnants can trigger a bacterial bloom which raises oxygen demand that, if not met, can also trigger a die-off. It's a vicious cycle. From personal experience, I know how disheartening a crash can be; how coming home to the sight and smell just drags you down. I'm glad that you're looking beyond that now. That's a big step. Good for you!

I, too, have never seen a clean, working skimmer crash a tank. Unless there's some sort of residue left from prior use or a pump case cracks exposing internal motor windings, there's no obvious reason it would have been the source of the problem you experienced earlier. I guess that cleaning and performing a check out of any new piece of equipment is probably a good idea for safety's sake.

Ben at Supreme Reefs (Springfield, VA) has donated two $115 "mystery boxes" to the raffle. The lucky winner will pick up their winnings at the store sometime after the meeting. Thanks, Ben!

Sweet. Thanks for sharing the picture. May you have many good years with them. Sent from my SM-N976V using Tapatalk

Wonderful! I'll bet they're beautiful to look at. Sent from my SM-N976V using Tapatalk

Avast Marine Works is not only a saltwater aquarium equipment manufacturer and WAMAS sponsor, but a company with deep roots in WAMAS itself as it was started by WAMAS members. Avast is donating their automated feeding system, The Plank (a $209 value) to the meeting raffle. Many reef fish and most corals have evolved as opportunistic feeders, eating small, plankton prey items suspended in the water column nearly continuously. As aquarists, our schedules normally don't allow us to microdose foods with this kind of frequency, nor do most autofeeders accomodate microdosing. That is, not until The Plank. The Plank was specifically designed to allow frequent, microdosed feedings of freeze-dried plankton to provide your tank inhabitants with a more natural availability of nutrition. Read more about The Plank here and come to the meeting to get your chance at winning The Plank!

Yageboy, if you want BRK to consider holding the fish, you need to call them. They may be busy and miss your post.

The raffle list is growing ever-larger! Aquahaus (Springfield, VA) has just donated THREE $50 gift certificates to the meeting. In addition, Aquahaus will be set up a table at the meeting, so you can cherry pick early on or, if you're a winner of one of these GCs, can leave the meeting enriched without having to drive any further!