John

I was told by a BRK employee that they do not offer WAMAS discounts because they work hard to give everyone a low price...maybe just my experience...

Just received a call from Dr. Foster and Smith...they allowed be to use credit toward the purchase of a pH probe, so it turned out to be a good experience (minus the Power Center failing), but they definately did the right thing.

I placed some GSP on my Zoathind rock and its growing very fast...will the GSP Mat overtake my Zoos?...I've seen pieces of rock covered in Zoos with GSP for sale and figured it would be fine, but now I'm questioning that decision. I've heard of GSP growing on hard coral, but I'm not sure if it'll suffocate zooathinds... Also, will the Live Rock still provide denitrification if the nitrogen bubbles can't escape through the GSP mat? Thanks for your input!

So, I just stopped by Aquatic Obsession to check it out and it's really nice. I also picked up a card so I share their information with everyone. Aquatic Obsession 703-257-5690 703-257-4747 9067 Liberia Ave Commerce Corner Plaza Manassas, VA 20110 www.TheAquaticObsession.com [not yet online] Hours: Mon-Sat 11:00-7:00 Sun 12:00-6:00 They plan to join the WAMAS vendor community (spolier) and will give 10% discount for current WAMAS card holders...FYI

They gave me the option to replace the unit or give me a full refund of the purchase price...I requested a store credit toward the purchase of a pH probe for my ReefKeeper2...I haven't received a call yet to see how they're going to handle it.

Well, my issue with Foster & Smith is they didn't post my testimonial...I looked back and this is what I had said, "My mechanical timer stopped working after 3 months of use...if you're going to purchase, only purchase the digital version." After doing some research, Coralife Power Centers may not be the most desired setup, but I think my comments would be advanteous for others. That all being said, I have shipped back the faulty unit to Foster and Smith and I am awaiting the next move.

Is Doni a supplier, local member, breeder, online retailer? This is the first I've heard of her. Thanks They do look great!

Well, after all that work and shopping for parts, etc. I have some very unfortunate news. The Digital Aquatics myReef software is not sending e-mail notifications as anticipated. My test messages work flawlessly, so I contacted Digital Aquatics about the problem and here is their response: "This is an issue with a very small percentage of myReef customers. We are currently working on a fix for this, but we do not have a time frame for its release. I am sorry for the inconvenience." At least I can still log data and use all the other functionalities of the ReefKeeper 2 system, but I really wanted e-mail notifications...maybe it's time to write some code...urgh Anyone else using ReefKeeper2 with myReef having e-mail failure?

Okay, before I became a WAMAS member or even learned about some of our local vendors I purchased some equipment from Dr. Foster and Smith. As some of you may know I purchased a Coralife Power Center with the mechanical timer and it STB after 3 months. Thus, I immediately posted a negative testimonial on their website that simply stated something to the effect of, "it failed within 3 months, buy something else". I just received an e-mail from Dr. Foster and Smith saying they will refund or exchange the unit, which is a very generous offer since they have a 60-day policy on electrical items and mine failed around 90 days. Thus, I wouldn't have to deal with the manufacturer, but at the same time I am aggrevated they did not post my testimonial...

Disclaimer: This is for informational purposes only and I will take no responsibility if you try this and damage your ReefKeeper2 unit, aquarium equipment, computer, or anything else. If you do not feel comfortable making cables you should contact Digital Aquatics for the correct components/information. Using any cables/adaptors other than Digital Aquatics branded cables and adaptors will void any manufacture warranty you may have. I recently had a Coralife Power Center fail after 3 months of use and I wanted to replace it with something more reliable and automated. I determined a controller was the best option and was fortunate enough to find a Digital Aquatics ReefKeeper2 for sale by another WAMAS member. The features of the ReefKeeper2 are more than I had anticipated or thought I needed and now I can

Why not try Chemipure Elite?

Any idea of their hours or contact info?

I would like to thank everyone that replied to my thread...I was able to get a Mag 5 and a ReefKeeper 2 this weekend from one of our LFS and a WAMAS member, respectively. The flow is much better in the tank and using the ReefKeeper 2 gives me the piece of mind that everything will remain within a set range while away from the house. (stop laughing) I do see a problem with the ReefKeeper 2 instructions on hooking it up to a PC, so I hope to post my progress on that in a different thread once I get time to install and configure the PC side of things. For those who don't know, the instructions for the ReefKepper 2 say to use RJ11, but clearly point out you need a 3 pair (6 conductor) straight-through cable. Well, this is misleading...RJ11 is a 2 pair "telephone wire" and RJ12 is a 3 pair "telephone wire" but you can't use "telephone wire" as purchased from typical stores because they are crossover cables. That is to say, pinouts 1,2,3,4 would be on one end and the other end would be 4,3,2,1 (RJ11) or the pinouts would be 1,2,3,4,5,6 on one end and 6,5,4,3,2,1 on the other end (RJ12). Thus, you cannot use an RJ11 cable (4 pins) at all, nor can you easily buy a straight-through (patch) cable for RJ12, so I will have to make my own. Disclaimer: I have not tried to set-up the ReefKeeper 2 to the PC yet, but noticed this error in reading the manual only...time will tell. I do plan on salvaging the Rio 2800SS pump as the impeller does not move freely on the shaft...FYI

Yeah, I don't know the history of the pump other than the past 3 months I've been using it...the impeller isn't groved, just has some plastic stress marks (looks like stretch marks), which may be original...I have no way of knowing...I think I am sold on the mag 5...should have it installed later today...I currently have 3/4" tubing for the return...looks like the Mag 5 pump has a 1/2" outlet...is it recommended I change the tubing to 1/2", or if I use a 1/2" to 3/4" reducer will that effect the flow negatively?

I don't claim to be an engineer, so I was wondering why they would put rubber endcaps on the impeller shaft and expect it to spin...haha...knowing that it is designed to be stanionary makes sense...now I am wondering if there is swelling on the impeller itself because there are some very large stress marks on the impeller...which could have been causing it to bind on the shaft...I would think because of the centripetal force any swelling would move outward, not inward...Nonetheless, I agree the flow is too much and I should get a lower GPH pump. My rise is not quite 5'...measured the tube at 3.5'...the Eheim 1260 seems to be rated at 634 GPH and with a 3.5' rise the GPH seems like it would still be 15x or so...I found this graph, but doesn't help much as the x-axis isn't nicely scaled: http://www.marinedepot.com/pumps_eheim_uni...rmation-ap.html A Mag 5 is rated at 500 GPH but with a 3.5' rise is only ~345, which would be like a 11x turnover: http://www.marinedepot.com/powerheads_pump...supreme-ap.html So, is less more in this case?

Those rubber shaft caps you removed sound like the pieces that are used to hold the impeller shaft in place at either end and which keep the impeller centered in the cavity. By removing them, the impeller is banging around inside that cavity, making noise and damaging itself. More likely, what your pump needed was a cleaning to remove build up around the shaft and the inside of the impeller where the shaft goes through. Semi-annual / annual inspection & maintenance should be a regular part of everybody's routine. I understand the caps keep the impeller shaft centered in the cavity, but this pump was used by my buddy for years before he gave me his setup to try reef-keeping and I've only been setup for a 3 months, so the internals were not that dirty. I think the caps are just worn out as I could not get the shaft to spin with them installed...I could replace the internals, but beause of its long-time use combined with the horror stories I've found online about Rio pumps, I will probably replace it. It will definately be a good back-up/emergency pump. I think that a turn over of 700+ gph is too much for your system. Thats pretty much the GPH I use in my 92 gl tank. Are you using the return as the means for water movement inside the tank? If so then it makes sense, otherwise with 200 to 300 gph you will be doing ok. From what I read the faster you move the water through the sump the less time you give the skimmer to work on the water. Waterflow has been a concern of mine since I am using a setup my buddy used for years and had success, but wasn't sure it was "right". Plus, he may have been growing SPS or something, where I am trying to grow softies and LPS. I do use the return for water movement, which limits the use of powerheads in the tank...I'm not sure how you would use a return without water movement? Do you have the return pointed straight down into the tank or something? I did put a powerhead in the tank a few weeks ago to hit a dead spot I was having...so I guess I could lower the GPH and still get the water movement in the tank from that powerhead.

So, I came home tonight to discover that the timer on my 3 month old Coralife Power Center (Single Mechanical Timer) has stopped working, so I moved the dial to the left and the right to override the timer and only the two night-time outlets work...so, after reading several "fixes" online I decided to turn the power off, wait, and turn back on...well, that didn't help, but only made the situation worse...my garbage return pump (hand-me-down Rio 2800ss) failed to restart...I finally got the thing to restart after removing the two rubber shaft caps (similiar shape to the caps used on wire shelving) which must have been binding the shaft. But, as you can imagine the pump is making tons of noise... SO, I need submersible pump recommendations for my 30G setup...similiar numbers to the Rio 2800ss (~750GPH) would be good I suppose...was thinking about plumbing a SCDW so I'm not sure if that would change the numbers...Any recommendations for a new timer/timer power strip for my lights? (I use moonlights, so a day/night mode would be nice) Thanks for any input in advance!

Obviously, if you're running double-ended MH bulbs the mogul socket/cord link I just posted would NOT be applicable.

Well, if you own a reflector, you may need to get a new socket/cord, something like this: http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/product/po...hatPetPlace.com If you feel comfortable with electricity you can do as Origami2547 suggested and just replace the cord on your current socket/reflector. Nonetheless, I am not familiar with your ballast or your other equipment, so I can be of no more help.

Just quick googling it looks like bluewave ballasts are meant to "Accommodates the lamp cord from all Reef Optix

Found this: http://www.reefland.com/forum/reef-archive...e-bryopsis.html Hope it helps, at least states some options, but I've never dealt with it personally.

I've used Zap-a-Gap with some success.

Or the dumb way, fill the tank up gallon by gallon?

Mathis Ave in Manassas, they share the storefront with an Appliance Parts store. Same shopping center as Bowl America @ 9000 Mathis Ave. Is this where you went?

I wanted to "TRY" using a filter sock for mechanical filtration in my sump, but was not interested in spending the money on a nice acrylic hang-on bracket just to try it out. So, I used a Home Depot paint tray ($3), which is already equipped with a lip for hanging, naturally angled for any overflow water, and can be cut with sheers or dremel. I did not hang mine directly on the tank as I didn't want it completely submerged in the water, so I mouted a piece of 1/2" craft board to the back of my stand and hung in on that. Works great for $3