reefmontalvo

That is going to be one very nice tank and setup once complete. Let me know if you need some muscle move in day.

Congrats, you should look into raising the fry.

Sorry to hear, but its a learning experience. The best way I acclimate my fish I place the bag in the water then about 15 mintues later I open the bag and pour some tank water in the bag then let them sit for about 20 minutes. Then I take the bag out of the tank drain the water from the bag (not all the water) then pour the fish and water in the tank.

So does anybody have any Phytoplankton there willing to sell or trade? Along with some rotifers a few weeks down the road once I have the culture online?

Tom, I was at Meelve's web site this am. Lots of great information, but I did notice he cotradicts some of his own info. I'm also reading a book and the author Henry A. Hoff talks about F.A.F and talks about there culture starter kits. I will also go with Jon's advice and try to buy some off a WAMAS member.

I was going to use an old clean 1 litre water bottle, with fresh RO/DI water and salt. But I do have that book on order right now.

If established tank water can be used as a working medium for starting a culture?

Is it possible to grow a Phytoplankton culture from established tank water? If not is there anybody here willing to sell or give me a sample to grow?

Very nice work.

That sounds good but the problem with that is you remove any water good or bad. Plus you run the risk of filling a container that will just spill on the floor and cause a smell in the area.

Dude that is some serious work.

Double , I never did water changes for almost a year until I got an RO/DI unit. Now I do a 10% water change once a week. The pain is getting the new water ready and aged and mixing with the salt. and the fact I have a dehumidifier running in the house so water evaporates super fast.

The trick I found that works in that case, you

How does the aqua lifter work? and I mean the question as compared to using a maxi-jet to pump water from the freshwater reservoir?

I love that stuff. .I ran out a few months ago and instead purchased the kent kalk. Let me tell you its not the same stuff, I guess the Kent kalk lacks the strontium and magnesium. The corals are not growing the at the same rate as when I had the kalk+2 in the system. Other than that I have my kalk stirrer directly attached to the ATO. I'm not sure how much powder is in the reactor may be about a months worth. But my level of evapration is much higher than most since I do have a 70 pint a day dehumidifier running to keep the house from becomming one huge mold spore.

What type of lights are those frags under?

A very good sign of things. Good luck with the growth Mark.

Dry skimming refers to the foam in the cup. I think we are all getting massive build up of protiens in the neck. I still get liquid skim mate in the cup along with a thick build in the neck of the collection cup.

Great plan now are you also planning on keeping the egg crate at the bootom as well? I more about just a sandy bottom so the snails can move freely with no interuptions.

That is a matter of opinion really, some people perfer to mix all there bulbs and some go Half and half being actinic and 10k. I think you should go with MH th reason being it you can grow anything under those yeah they cost more but I'm sure you could get a great deal from a member. But to really answer your question you should go to BRK they have all the bulbs on display and you can see the different spectrums that are displayed.

From what I have seen your Skimmer needs to have a layer of protein in the neck in order to properly draw up the foam it produces into the collection cup, I clean mine once a week or when I see the skim mate at a certain level in the cup. The gunk build up is certainly out of the tank and no longer in the water. The problem I have seen (and this is first hand) is when you allow some of that gunk build up to fall back in to the skimmer, you start running into problems. For example I cleaned my skimmer some time back last week, and when I placed everything back I adjusted the foam to be a little higher than normal not much but a hair past where the collection cup neck and the body meet at that o-ring. After a few days everything was fine and then one night when I got home from class late in the evening I heard splashing water which we all know that is not good. I opened the door and found the skimmer had been overflowing and not really skimming, I later found out thru a friend, by setting a skimmer a little higher than normal some of the protein gunk falls back in to skimmer and causes the skimmer to go into overdrive. So long story short you need that small layer of protein gunk in the neck but not a lot just enough to help push the foam into the collection cup.

By the time it gets seeded won't you be moving? I like the idea of one solid rock for your tank and might do the same for my 120 but I would have to make 2 seperate structures. How much does the mass weight now and does it float any when water? Also dont you think the corraline growth would have coverd the rock in a few months?

Does this mean frags for sale?????

I have purchased 2 acan colonies, 2 favite colonies and 2 small clams. I also was given a couple of orange zoas. I have not seen the zoas anywhere in my tank. The corals I think are comming along okay. The clams are getting better I think I saved them from his shop. But to be honest I was not impressed with the whole operation. Floors very dirty the front counter by the door was a total mess and not to mention just dirt on the floors and salt all over the place from the guys working there spilling water and not cleaning up after them selves. I walked in once got somethings and will never return not even for free corals. Since the place is nothing more than a chop shop.

I guess after seeing mine run you got hooked? Looking better sid.