tecsavi

Bluce Back then there wern't a lot of people into keeping hard corals so there was a lot of experimentation. Now with there being so many people on internet fourms you can quickly learn for other's successes and their mistakes. My best source of information was fellow area reefkeepers who were experimenting like me. I remember being so pumped when I went to WAMAS's second meeting and there were 20 or so area reefers to talk and trade with. The equipment is now more refined and the variety of captive raised corals boggles my mind. We didn't know enough about coral husbandry to obtain the high success rates of today. SPS and raising clams was cutting edge. Even then you had to have a huge tank to get the stability to do that. Now they have 1 gallon pico's that look spectacular. I think that the person getting into reefkeeping now has a much better chance of being successful just for the plain fact that there is so much information out there. I am hoping my new tank will be better than my old tank, just smaller..lol Hopefully I can learn some of the new techniques off of the people on this board to make it possible. Paul b, Thats a great photo!! So did you know anyone at the time keeping saltwater fish?

Nothing like a tank full of beautiful healthy SPS corals. I'm drooling on my keyboard. Nice corals!

Thanks for the offer on the LED group buy but I already have too many DIY projects on my plate with my new tank build. In the future I want to go all dimable LED but I am waiting for the prices to come down and be a little more affordable for a larger tank. I have jumped on a lot of lighting technology early in the past but always ended back with trust halides. I believe that LED's however are a true major advancement in the hobby. Believe me I am chomping at the bit to get LED's, they are very promising.

Thanks Coral Hind. Reefkeeping was in it's infancy back then. Yeah there were very few people into SPS and you could only get mostly wild colonies. I was growing out frags and it was catching on with local hobbyists but most stores wouldn't buy captive raised corals. The knowledge gained since then by reefers is absolutely amazing.

I am running 14K Phoenix now and I still wish it was a little more blue. I guess if the stunner strips were bright enough I could stay with a low K bulb. I really want my corals to pop and I am just not getting that right now with no actintic. The stunners look great but I wonder how many I would need for my application, maybe 4? Yeah I am aiming for a minimalist aquascape with the majority of the rockwork in the middle. I might have a few LPS on the fringes where the light isn't as intense.

It's amazing how things have advanced in reefkeeping. Here's a video of my old SPS tank. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzJpZE3EGmw

I am building a new shallow cube SPS tank (36"X36"X18") and planning the lighting right now. I am wanting to use halide and some sort of blue supplimental lighting. If possible I would like to use a single 250w bulb under a Lumenarc III reflector. I realize that I might not get coverage all the way to the edge of the tank with a singe bullb configuration. I might consider going to 400w but it might be overkill on this shallow of a tank. I am also not wanting to put a chiller on this as it will be in my living room. All of this will be built inside of a custom made hanging pendant with the tank being open top so I can hide any ligts in there. 1) Will a single 250w halide give me plenty of light for an all SPS stank of this size or should I go to a 400w? 2) Will this reflector be able to give me adequate coverage on a 36"X36" tank? 3) What would you suggest for actinic light?

Sweet!! Great deep color.

Not all basement drains are hooked to your sump pump, the majority hook into your main sewer line. You can test it by running a garden hose to your floor drain. If it is hooked into your sump then you will hear your sump pump kick in to discharge your water. If not you are hooked into the sewer. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I did the same thing on my 125gallon for water changes and RO waste water, made my life so easy. It is most likely a PVC pipe but I would pull the grate off the top of the drain to verify. Mine had a metal grill covering it which I replaced with PVC so it wouldnt rust. I also drilled holes in it for my RO waste line and a 3/4" hole for tubing I used for water changes. That way the hoses don't have a chance to slip out and flood your floor. During a water change I would use a mag pump to pump water out of my sump and to the drain. If you are doing this instead of gravity fed then keep an eye to drain can handle the make sure the volume of water. I had a brute mix container beside the drain so I would pump out from sump, switch pump to the brute can and pump water back into the sump. 20 minute waterchange, sweet!

Here are a few books that might tie into the reef tank in the library: These are based on the Chesapeake bay but it shows relationships between saltwater animals and it's local so the kids can relate. Sam: The tale of a Chesapeake Bay Rockfish by Kristina Henry (ages 4-8) Chadwick the Crag by Priscilla Cummings ( ages 9-12) Here are some that are more coral reef related but geared toward younger children: The magic school bus takes a dive: A book about coral reels by Nancy White (Scholastic) Fish Wish by Bob Barner Hello Fish!: Visiting the coral reef by Sylvia Earle I'll try and dig up some more books about reefs for children. My kindergardener it very curious about our reef and is constantly asking questions. Now he is the neighborhood tour guide for kids coming by to check out the tank. It's nice to see 4 kids staring into a reef tank and asking questions instead of playing the WII. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Very nice setup!! That idea of the in tank sump is sweet. I hear ya on avoiding spills to keep the other half happy. I'm planning a tank with the same dimensions so I am tagging along. What are you using for lighting on this tank? Are you happy with the amount of light with that depth? What is the water depth in your sump and does that cause issues with getting the water level in the skimmer right? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well technically you can stay under the 46 gallon limit once you account for less volume with live rock and sand.

Fogcutter - I got back in after 6 years and was amazed at all of the things that have changed since I was in the hobby. As far as tanks go the one type that sttod out to me is the huge selection of cheaper rimless tanks. I would highly suggest a glass tank as acrylic tanks screatch so easy. I would also suggest something that is reef ready so that you can have a sump. Check out glasscages.com for some ideas on cool looking rimless tanks. I know there is someone posting on this board that is a local guy who can build these types of tanks but I can't remember his name. Custom tanks were rare years ago because of the cost, now they are relatively cheap. You might as well get exactly what you want. Oldreefer - Your list of things that have changed in the past few years is spot-on, couldn't have made a better list myself. When I got out of the hobby 6 years ago I had a hard time finding people or stores willing to buy frags, now they have "Designer Frags". I think the crazy names are funny but hey, if it promotes people to buy captive raised then I am all for it. Being an SPS junkie I love seeing all of these brilliantly colored frags that are captive raised. Back in the day we paid a fortune for a wild colony that would never color up and had very high mortality rates compaired to todays captive frags. I thing this hobby has advanced light year in a better direction as a whole.

Are any of the corals still available?

Nothing like the smell of vaporized Mojanoes in the morning! Great work!!

Give Mr. Coral a call. I thought I saw some there a week ago.

Thanks for the tips on sources. It looks like I will be buying in bulk.

I am at the point to starting to dose for calcium and have been doing some research of the best way to go about it. My tank is very small (33gallons) and I do not have a sump. I have used a reactor and kalk in the past but not having a sump and\or space limits my options dramatically. This tank will be mostly SPS so my calcium uptake will be pretty high. My plan is to be dosing with 2 part and am very interested in making my own based on the Randy HolmesiFarley recipe. At first I will make my addtitions by hand but eventually I will set up pumps for the regular dosing. I am looking for local sources of chemicals to create this solution. Where is a local source to buy Dow flake and mag flake? Or even better, is there someone in the area who would like to split the cost of their purchase of these chemicals? The thought of having a 50# bag of Dow flake sitting around my house for years is not appealing. Any help would be much appreciated.

Peelthereef, Hey good to see local reefer on the boards! I am in the process of building up a new SPS tank and looking for local reefers to buy\trade with. There are two more guys here in Stasburg who are reef tanks as well. I'm hoping we can get all of the local people to get together for a Frag swap\sale. There is not much of a selection of saltwater stores out here, just Winchester and Noah's Ark in Front Royal. I went up to Mr. Coral last weekend and saw some reall nice mini-colonies of SPS for sale. I am hoping to find some local people here with frags for sale so I don't have the long drive up there though. Thanks, Bill

I sent you a PM on some of the acro's and a few milli's. I would be interested in some rock as well. Please contact me if you are available for pickup tomorrow. Thanks.