OldReefer

No problem with starfire for me. I used it for 4 years and I would not hesitate to do it again. No real problems with scratches.

I kills very nasty algea without killing most corals and bacteria. It is pretty amazing. Multiple applications may be required. Nutrient control is still really important. It is pretty safe in the tank. All it does is increase redox levels in the tank for a little while. If you need to knock an algea problem back, it is a reasonable approach, but you will still need low nutrient levels and a good clean up crew to keep it in check..

Moisture control is a big deal. The best way to deal with it is an exhaust fan. A dehumidifier can make a small room really warm. Costco is selling an exhaust fan with a built in humidistat. That is a great way to go. I tell this to everybody, but it seems a good reminder.... While you have things all taken apart, run a small PVC line through the wall to bring outside air into the skimmer. It will give you 0.1 or 0.3 points more pH, especially in the summer. As far as the grinder sump goes, I had an assist pump in my fish room to bring water up to my sewer line. I trashed it in 4 years of water changes and skimmer cleanings. It wasn't the saltwater, it was the solids. You put at lot of solids into the system over the years, and eventually it plugs them up.

The most important thing to understand about moving a tank, is that FIRST you are moving a family, THEN you are moving a tank. If you get that wrong you can pay for it for years.

Thanks for posting. That is incredible. I have snorkeled on the Great Barrier Reef and that is better than anything I saw. I have a buddy that is moving to Vanuatu next month. I will have to get serious about visiting him.

Glad to see it is working forward. It is one of the most under-rated things you can do for your tank.

I am going back to halides with LED supplements on the next build. I prefer corals to silly thunderstorms.

If you go with sand, you really have to treat it as an organism. I originally went with a shallow sand bed and over-sized my filtration knowing it would eventually add nutrients. It was a good plan for about 2 years and then it turned into a solid rock. When I shut down the tank to do a re-build I was barely able to break it up into pieces small enough to remove from the tank. When I re-built I went with Starboard and built a little sandbox that I hid behind the rocks for the wrasses.

Then it has to be the biggetst beasts the club. You need to take a picture. I think it ate about 200 lbs of BRS two-part while I had it...

I bought a big one from Coralhind, I grew it a few more inches over 3 years and sold it to Rob.

Thanks Issac! I have a couple of other PMs as well. I will confirm via PM later in the week when I get the suction cups in hand.

This summer I am going to be moving to Montreal for about three years, so I need to slowly convert my fish-house back into a normal-house suitable for renters. I have converted my fish room back into a kitchenette, and now it is time for me to take my overbuilt 150 gallon tank out to the garage and get it ready for sale or storage. I could use two or three people for about 15 minutes to help me carry it about 100 feet. No stairs, narrow doorways or other sources of drama. I will have the suction cups, so this should be very quick and straightforward. I was planning on Saturday the 22nd at about 3 pm if that works for people. I am open to other times if that doesn't work. I am in the Bellehaven area of Alexandria near Fort Hunt and Belleview Blvd. I really appreciate the help. I will not be a stranger to this great club, even when I am out of town.

Looking really good. Love the plumbing and the sump. Let me know if you need to borrow any odds and ends while you cook the rock and quarantine. I have my system totally broken down, and I have a small warehouse of pumps, heaters, power heads, lights etc.

Seen a lot of mergers. This one looks pretty clear. AI is done. They just have not figured out how to merge operations yet so we get the " business as usual" FAQs.

Move the controller up high on your list. The money you can avoid spending on timers, dosing equipment, and ATO, can add up pretty quickly.

I am interested to see how you handle this. I may be setting up one if these this summer. Do you have a build thread going? What are you using for a sump?

Have a few pieces of glass cut and silicone those across the tank as bubble traps. They will make the tank more rigid ( and get rid of bubbles too). Big sumps are safe as long as they are very well supported. I had a 55 fail because the platform I had it sitting on bowed a tiny bit and put stress on the joints.

This is a great build and you are getting plenty of help on the plumbing. Two things I don't see yet that you may want to consider -- if you have not already. 1) See if you can get a fresh air line to the skimmer. It is easiest to do while things are under construction, and it will help your pH up when the house is closed up in the summer and winter months. 2) Think about an exhaust fan with a humidistat on it. It looks like there is going to be a lot of water in that fish room. Excess humidity can be a nagging pain that takes some of the fun out of a great system (and annoys the spouse).

I am not really sure of their lifespans, but I expect it would not be real long given their activity level. I have kept them for almost 4 years in this tank, and I have lost about 4 to misc causes. They do tend to pick on each other a bit and I always attributed the attrition to that. Some day when I have my 400 gallon dream tank, I will have at least a dozen of these guys....

I used to have a 90 gallon fuge above a 180 display. As Rob says, putting a fuge up high draining into your display is a great way to go.

I have kept Bartletts for years. They need to eat frequently(I feed 4 times a day), and do best in groups of 6 or more. They get too aggressive with each other in smaller numbers. It is still not unusual to have one disappear every 6 months or so. They really add a lot of lotion and color to a big tank.

Emerald crabs eat the stuff like crazy.

I just upgraded to 4.31. There appears to be some changes to the functionality for the "If SUN" and If MOON" commands to accommodate seasonal dimming. No documentation on the new functionality yet but I am hopeful since they could not have made it any harder.

Bob was a big help to me when I got back into the hobby about 4 years ago. Sorry to hear about his passing. A lovely man and a great reefer.

I ran a 180 with a Calfo cost-to-coast. It worked great. I would do it again. They are tricky to build when they are that big though. It is easy to break 6ft strips of glass.