Names Bruce

I run a closed loop on my 180. 2" drain on the back wall near the bottom and 4 - 1" returns through the bottom. True unions are a must. I have to be honest though, so far I am not overly impressed with the flow I am getting with my dart as a return and an OM 4-way. It is decent enough but still not what I expected. Would I do it again? Probably not. A lot of work to set-up properly and expensive. The plumbing parts alone are costly with all of the unions. My tank is dead silent though as all my equipment is in another room minus the 4-way which is under the tank. Just something to consider.

Not sure on the brand. Got it at the $1/gallon sale and the sticker clearly states bottom pane is tempered. Can verify the brand when I get home though.

Dave, Not sure if you got what I was saying. The 40 Breeder's are tempered on the bottom. The sides are not. Don't want you to ruin a perfectly good tank. I too would be willing to loan out my diamond bits for the 1", 1.5", or 2" bulkheads if anyone wants. I am next to Baltiimore but work in Columbia.

The 40 breeders from Petco are not on the sides but are on the bottom. I believe most 55's are tempered all the way around.

You should be able to find a diamond bit at HD or Lowes I think for that small of a hole. I drilled my tank myself, 7 holes, 3 - 1.5" bulkheads, 2 - 2" bulkheads, 3 - 1" bulkheads. It was really easy although I did rush it a little so there was a little chipping in the glass. Regardless, I did a bean style overflow with a coast-to-coast, and a local glass shop cut my glass. All in, it cost me just over 120 bucks for the glass, silicone, and drill bits. Personally, I will never do a different set-up now that I have this running. It was so worth the time and cost wise just as cheap as a glass-holes set-up that would handle my needs. Just a thought.

Unfortunately it is completely stripped. I tried re-threading and thought I was in luck. Re-plumbed everything and after 5 minutes I had a flood on my hands. At this point it is either a new pump or wait out shipment. Thanks all for your help though.

Thanks guys. So far I am striking out. Looks like I may need to try and overnite one from somewhere at this point.

Thanks. Mine is about 2 years old and not convertable (as far as I know).

Thanks.

Does anyone know of any places locally that sell Reeflo impellers? My dart blew a seal last night and the impeller is stripped when I went to take it off and replace the seal. I have a very unhappy tank! Thanks.

Attached are a few images. The colors look terrible compared to real life but I don't know how to mess with that stuff but you can at least get the idea.

Kelly, My tank is a mixed tank. RBTRA, many zoos, 2 bubble corals, several chalices, acans, plate coral, and one remaining SPS. I don't have any photos on me but will be more than happy to post some up over the weekend for you. My growth has been OK. The zoos, acans, chalice, and plate coral are doing great. The RBTA and my bubbles are not happy at all. The RBTA is looking rather bleached and retracted compared to normal. I also just moved my entire tank and keep having mini cycles which could be the cause of that. The bubbles are nice and plump but laying flat with their mouths out? Never have I seen this behavior as they do look full and happy but literally all of their bubbles are of to the side with their mouths showing. I feed them regularly so I know that's not it. The SPS is now showing great polyp extension but no real growth yet. All of that being said, I fried a softball size Birdsnest and several other sps frags when I initially set the lights up. I lost many zoos and few candy canes. It took me a while to find the right location for most pieces but they seem to be doing well now. I run a 2:1 Royal Blue to Cool White ratio on each pendant and swapped out 2 RB with 2 regular blues and 2 CW with NW on each pendant as well. I have the whole thing turned up to only about 80% for the blues and 30% for the whites (I like a 20k look). My light is still sitting a good 18" above the water too. If you have any other questions just let me know. I will get some pictures for you this weekend. Jeff

I did a full led for my 180. 5 banks of 24 and I have what I believe is way more than enough light. You could probably get away with less depending on your aquascaping desires and what type of lighting you really like. I ran only 4 of my panels for nearly 5 months and that was enough light. I am still struggling with how much is too much or too little at this point though. I have Rob's drivers and all XR-E's and can't seem to find a good amount of light for my fully mixed tank. Most things are doing great but not as I would expect them to be yet.

Not to beat a dead horse but the Marco rocks sands left me very unhappy. I purchased enough for my 180 of the course sand and was not pleased. The gradation on it is horrible. It is a mixture of either too large grain (1/4") to way too fine. I would never do it again.