SeanCallan

That's some impressive growth. What kind of flow and lighting is it getting there?

Faraday cage.

Yeah, the people I've talked to have told me they think the light will be adequate but if it isn't I can get a second unit.

I can get back to you with picture of the spread after this weekend, I quickly hung it to get an idea of how the light will affect my living room. It's pretty darn bright. As for the bulb I'm using the bulb that comes with it which is a 13k Megachrome. I may go to a Phoenix down the road. Fantastic links!

I picked up my Giesemann Nova II from NAGA last night when I met up with him real quick. Tank delivery and installation is saturday. I have to say I'm glad I went with NAGA's recommendations on the light, this sucker is sweeet. Let there be light!

Yeah :(

Yeah, I know what you mean about a "bang" fish, I just can't think of something that would really go. I wasn't sure angels were SPS friendly (I've never kept one) and tangs are too big and need more room to get around. Recommendations? Would Orange Lined Cardinalfish be suitable as a schooling fish? I've read that they're "slow" and that they enjoy caves and overhangs, but does that mean they'll spend the majority if there time just kind of hiding away? I'm pretty looking for a fish that's going to be out in the open getting their swim on.

I really guess there are a million opinions in this hobby and they've got me confused. I tried this thread once before in the early planning stages and unanimously I was told to take anthias over cardinals because of the flow. I really want to school some fish. Has anyone seen those salt water tetras, I don't know a name, but I'll find a photo?

I have a 12 JBJ Classic which is what started me in the hobby. I did a number of mods that weren't necessary, the new models (the DX) have better lighting, flow, and some other features. I've actually encouraged my roommate to pick one up since they're all around good tanks. Wally's is having a big sale on all-in-ones, they've cut the prices on all the models and they're including salt, additives, and flake food with the purchase. I would recommend you do any modifications yourself and steer clear of Nanotuners, they've always had a ridiculous markup on their equipment. They charge somewhere around ~600 for an HQI but for the price you can buy a nice HQI pendant or you can build your own. I'd highly recommend you join http://www.nano-reef.com/ you'll find loads of good information from those guys.

I know Pristine Aquariums has a CBB and the young lady there told me it was eating and she would gladly feed it for me. But at the time I wasn't seriously considering any fish. Thanks for the heads up on the Anthias, I was aware that they change gender if there is no male, I was not aware that they may change and fight. I'm wondering if the RBTA should be the first thing I introduce so it will find it's home without floating around and hitting any corals I have in the tank. Once they have a location, how often do they decide to relocate? Trust me, I'm too excited to NOT update my build thread. I'll get some pictures this weekend when things start to come together. Right now I just have a pile of stuff on the floor.

Alright, after some minor delays it looks like the tank will be ready this weekend. I'm going to pick up my sand and LR friday and store it in a brute trash can till the tank plumbing is complete. I already know which corals I'd like to keep but I haven't been able to nail down a list of fish. Heres my attempt, I'd really appreciate input from others as to whether or not I may be overloading the tank or selecting fish least suited for this environment. Quick tank info: 80g cube approx. ~5000 GPH Tunze 9010 skimmer 5 Anthias of either: Ignitus Anthias, Bartlett's, or Carberryi 1 Yashia White Ray Shrimp Goby w/ Shrimp Those are the fish I really would like to keep if possible, but there are a few others I'm toying with but definitely not settled on. If I decide to stock a single RBTA I would be interested in 2 Ocellaris Clownfish. My concern with them is the amount of flow I have and if it was necessary I may be able to create a slight 'dead zone' in the flow to facilitate them. I've always found Copperbanded butterflies to be amazing fish, I know they're picky eaters, but how do they handle flow? Recommendations? Concerns? I know I could keep other fish but I don't want to overcrowd the tank nor do I want to put fish into an environment they're not ideally suited for.

Do it and post results.

Actually, check nano-reef for that as well. I know there was a thread for the 12 gallons where a single user who had access to a CNC machine was cutting acrylic pieces to cover the tank so people could use their pendants and mounted lights For your dog: http://www.furminator.com/

I've seen plenty of tanks lit with t5 but they tend to be shallow tanks. The height of your tank will help narrow down what options you can really use. I'd say MH because it's what the majority of SPS people use, it's got the intensity you need.

I don't have it up and running at the time but I've got a JBJ 12 I ran for some good while. If you can't afford the 150W HQI, you might want to consider DIY. If you look at the nano-reef forums or even the nano forums on RC you're bound to find a handful of successful MH DIY projects that use the hood. One mod was a 70w MH and it ran $70 bucks. I personally feel that nanotuners are WAY overpriced so all the upgrades on my cube are DIY. Why would you pay $600 for a 150w HQI hood when you could get a 250w pendant setup (a nice one) for ~100 less?

I agree with Brian, you're going to cut down on your spread. I imagine all the bulbs are made the same, so I don't know if a MH cooking a VHO bulb would be a bad thing.

Are you sure ALL VHOs have a painted reflector? I know that URI bulbs do, but I wouldn't say with certain that they all do. I used to light my 75 with VHOs and I'd recommend a reflector or at least a glossy white canopy. The reflector in the URI bulbs still allowed a tad bit of light out. I'd say a reflector is always a decent idea since they are relatively cheap and well...they reflect so you have much less lost light which might otherwise not be directed into the tank.

http://www.livescience.com/animals/081109-marine-census.html

Bueller? Bueller? I have no suggestions, I don't trust my manual testing when compared to a computer. Pinpoints are relatively cheap and I'd rather use them then take the risk.

I imagines a place like Lowes or Home Depot will have heavy duty powerstrips and timers correct?

Hey Jason, I was browsing RC for some SPS pieces and I found this post you might be interested in: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.p...hreadid=1485799

Thanks for the heads up, I would be furious if I came home and noticed that something had scratched my tank up.

Stupid question, but would one of these be worth keeping if you were trying to keep coralline off your tank? I guess what I'm asking is, is it likely they will go to the glass/acrylic or stay on the rocks?

How long do you typically QT for? Do you use the same QT tank for fish & corals?

Thanks for the offer, I was really hoping to have the parts this weekend if I can't manage that I'll order with you. (I'll PM you if I still need them after Saturday)