jaesun

argh! world cup final will be that afternoon.

I've been so embarrassed about my bryopsis problem that I haven't posted any updated pics of my 5.5g. Once I got the Mg kit, I realized that adding 5 mL a day of Kent Marine Tech M along with a 10% weekly water change (Reef Crystals) is the ideal amount for me. I don't know if this amount will scale up for the rest of you but I've been keeping the Mg level now higher than 1700. Any higher, I notice problems with my zoanthids turning a ghostish white. I had lots of initial die off, but it's been about 6 weeks and I still see a few small patches that are about half a centimeter in length. But most of these patches have black tips, so they're definitely dying. Nothing like the lush forests I had growing on my rocks previously. I'll continue for until my small bottle of Kent's Tech M runs out. About 6 months or so? In the meantime, I'll try to post an updated pic of my tank.

oops. my bad. I realized this after I posted. My buckpucks regulate the current for my LEDs.

I used a few oyster shells that I got from Capt White's in Maine Avenue when I cycled my tank. These shells were uncleaned and had barnacles with the largest about the diameter of a nickel. One shell had was totally covered with tiny barnacles. They all died eventually but some survived for a few weeks. They were also unwashed, so I had all sorts of mud whip worms coming up from the mud-caked crevices of the shell, but most of these disappeared once I added peppermint shrimp to the tank. If you're not a fan of eating them, on a busy weekend, you'll find plenty of discarded shells if you don't mind the cocktail sauce. I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but you won't find whole oysters in most of the Korean grocery stores. Fresh oysters are usually already shucked or frozen in bags - makes it easier to make kimchi with them. The best local source for oysters will be Whole Foods, but they do a pretty good job at cleaning the shells. Around this time of the year, you'll find them for $1 each for the wild caught oysters. If you're ever on the Eastern Shore, there are aquaculture companies for live oysters and shrimp. Choptank Sweets Marvesta Shrimp Farms

The 3 major chains in the DC area are the following: H Mart Lotte Plaza Grand Mart But if you're looking for dirty oysters all crudded up with barnacles, your best bet will probably be the Maine Avenue Seafood Market. A dozen oysters from the Chesapeake will set you back about $8. You can probably get them cheaper depending on your bargaining skills. They'll definitely have live blue crab and lobster, but I'm not too sure about anything else.

for the cheapest solution, you might want to try petco for heater suction cups. 2 for $1 or $2.50. check the scan codes, because I picked up a few and had 2 different prices for near identical items. works nicely for reef plugs since I only wanted a few frags up on the back and side walls but not enough room for a rack. I've had a few accidents with my pink stylophora, so I glued a few of the bits to reef plugs. Anyone interested? Haven't totally encrusted yet, so I haven't offered them yet.

Nice build! I also second LEDSupply. They're in the US, so it's quick shipping. I used standard shipping and got my items in about 2-3 days. Their customer service is also top-notch. I started my project weeks after I ordered my dimmable buckpuck drivers, and I had no problems getting new ones when they died. (It's a common problem with buckpucks, but I think I had a short somewhere in my circuit which caused my problems.) I doubt that you'll get the same service if you ordered from DealExtreme, which ships out of Hong Kong. I believe that it took about 3 weeks to get my order shipped to Maryland. There's also a noticeable difference aesthetically in the soldering on the starboards and the LEDs from LEDSupply and DealExtreme, but I haven't noticed any performance issues. If I had to do it again, I wouldn't bother with the really cheap stuff coming from Hong Kong and China. Saving a few bucks isn't worth it. I have a small fan on my heatsink and added a permanent thermometer on it. I've noticed that the heatsink never goes above 100F in the summer and stays about 90F in the winter. With an open design, the LEDs stay well below 150F, which is the recommended upper temp.

I figure that it doesn't hurt to try... a pair of peppermint shrimp to trade for a ORA/LE/Tyree SPS frag. this is a breeding pair with both taking turns doing their thing as male and female, so there are hundreds of shrimp fry every few days in the tank. I hardly ever see these shrimp without their egg sacs. I've had both for about 6 months. I don't know if they'll clear up aiptasia since I've never had that problem. But I have never seen them go after my zoas or other corals. Please let me know by late Friday night if you're interested. I don't plan on taking the shrimp unless someone is definitely interested.

This is a nice build! Is that a VGA cable? Cool idea. Nice and clean. As for the dimming, you will need use Pulse Width Modulation. Relatively simple with a 555 timer IC - if you can solder a LED together, you can definitely solder the PWM circuit. LEDs need to be on at full power. You can't dim it by limiting the current or voltage. LEDs, however, can be turned off and on rapidly. Like thousands of times in a second. By controlling frequency and length of the off and on cycles, you can control the brightness since the cycles will blur together to the human eye (and I assume corals and fish too). Another advantage of LEDs that hasn't been mentioned here is the downward scalability. If you ever wanted a 1 gallon with corals (even SPS) for your desktop, it's possible with LEDs. Deli's 1 gallon PicO from Nano-Reef

The store used to be a lot larger. It's only half the size now. I got my 5.5 g and Maxi-jet 400 there for probably the cheapest prices in the area.

Rearing Picasso Percula Clownfish! This is Doni's thread. Well worth the read if you're interested in rearing your own clowns or want to convince yourself not to.

It's a blue hippo in a 6.6 g! The Remarkable Pico Reef of Marcello

Didn't you just start with a 3 gallon? Wow, I guess there's a new member to reefers anonymous. A 250 gallon by Christmas?

nanoreef.com September tank of the month You can see the heatsinks he used in the photos of his halide/LED set-up. You might want to try hitting him up for his source.

Tank looks great. What do you feed the clown gobies? Have you caught them feeding or nipping on the sps polyps?