bcoop78

<br /><br /><br />hey thanks man... I couldn't resist that light. No, the DT is 1/2" acrylic.

<br /><br /><br />nah. The elbow in the corner is my inexpensive way of "plugging" the hole that was drilled by the previous owner. The 40g breeder has more than enough space left to hold what siphons down during power outage. Trust me, I've tested it numerous times....lol. Just running tap water now for a few days to check for leaks and silence the system. I think I went too big on my return pump. It's a Mag 9.5, and I've got it dialed way back in order to keep my sump from being a whirlpool spa. I wish there was a way to have the return pump reduce power automatically during the night, since the tank is in our bedroom..... Also my MP10 seems to be working pretty well on my 1/2" acrylic. Am I missing something??

<br /><br /><br />believe it or not, it works out well... The reason is that the sump is 2/3 the size of the display. The water level only goes up 2" when the return pump stops.

Hello all, I have been on this forum for a couple of months now, and have slowly been acquiring all that is needed to setup my reef. Here is my progress thus far: When I get to work tonight I will have time to fill in with all the details.... This is very exciting!

awesome. Ive always been tempted to keen an octopus.... extreme escape artists though....

Thanks! I have been lurking here for a month, slowly acquiring the components for my build. I am just about done, and like yourself, will be posting a thread with pics as I go!! Yours is looking good btw!

Honestly these are the first LED fixtures I have ever owned, with the exception of the ones I just recently sold. I have zero experience with them over a tank, as of yet. From the research I have done prior to making the decision to take out the second mortgage for the Radion, I have found that there are other, cheaper options out there, including DIY, that will grown your SPS and look great while doing it. But none has all the options, bells and whistles that the Radion has. A '12 Mustang will do 0-60 in 5 seconds, around the same time as a BMW M3. But a Mustang will never, EVER be an M3.

<br /><br /><br />oh admit it. You were stoked when you got yours too....

Just sharing.

Hello, I just wanted to thank you guys for a great customer service experience. I ordered a saddle supply valve which I installed properly, and just couldn't stop it from leaking. I emailed you guys on Friday and by Monday a new one was shipped out to me at no charge. This is a perfect example of great customer service. Keep it up!

<br /><br /><br />+1 I've kept peppermints with zoas and other similars with no issues as well..

<br /><br /><br />what conversation??

If that 250w malfunctions you'll have boiled fish...

Well explained and thoroughly understood. Thank you!

Wow. Where might one acquire such a toy?

Ok, so I am reading and reading, trying to get myself reacquainted with the hobby, and of course to learn more. So I have a question here: If bio-balls are not recommended due to their tendency to cause high nitrates, why do people run activated carbon? Won't activated carbon, with it's large surface area, allow the same bacteria to grow within it that will eventually raise nitrate levels? Thanks!

Cool, I think I will try that. I like the idea, but I am trying my best to keep all of the tank related stuff hidden, and a rubbermaid tub full of sand/water would be really hard to hide.... So you recommend this sand for the DT and the refugium?

Ok. This piqued my interest big time.. Please elaborate!

I am setting up my fourth reef tank ever, and have a question regarding the use of sand in the display tank. First a little history- first reef was a 55, sump-less with a HOB remora.. Live sand was used as was live rock. Sand was approx 2" deep. Needless to say I had a major outbreak of cyano eventually, and lost the majority of my livestock. I then read up (which I should have done first) and learned about the usefulness of a sump, water-flow, macro algae, and a great skimmer... I also learned that a sand bed does not have much de-nitrifying benefit unless it is DEEP. Say 4-5" mininum. I also learned that having high flow in a tank can stir the sand up heavily. So, for my next tank I decided to go bare bottom. I bought a 75, drilled it, used a glass-holes overflow and two returns with a SCWD, two tunzes, and. 29 gallon sump with a NWB-200 skimmer and mag 9.5 return. I also kept a 6500k light over my tumbling chaeto refugium. This tank went well... Softies, SPS, and LPS all thrived in the super-clean environment. Unfortunately the economy tanked, I lost my job, and the tank was sold. Anyways, to my point- I love the performance of bare bottom, but the look of sand.. Is there any happy medium? Do some people used a "heavier" substrate to avoid sand storms and keep high flow? Can a DSB in my fuge make up for the lack of one in the DT? My new setup is a 60 gallon cube with a 40 breeder sump. I have plenty of room for a killer fuge. Any help/guidance is appreciated in advance!!!

Wow.. Sounds pretty cool.. I'm sure I'll spend a whole week locating/identifying/catching all of the undesirable guys from the tank... One more question: the whole lbs/gal deal.... Does that apply to system volume, or DT volume? I just can't imagine stuffing 120lbs of rock in a 24" cube... Which would be the recommended 2lbs/gal for just the DT, not including any of the water from a 40 gal sump....

So what I gather is that it may be a better idea to find someone reputable on the forum who has say.... 120lbs of live rock for my 60 gal cube, and is willing to part with it for a reasonable price, than it is to order from FL???

To cut the carpet it depends where you are placing the tank... The big-box guy was partially right, as the carpet is indeed stretched, but I know from experience-(Construction Superintendent of 9 years) that you can take carpet up from the tack strip and then put it back without the carpet retracting... What I would do is figure out the exact dimensions of the area you want to remove, and then place something heavy between the chosen area and the opposite wall. This item needs to be very heavy and longer than the long axis of the area to be cut. This heavy object is to be placed a couple feet away from the area to be cut, as to hold the carpet down when you release it from the tack strip. I hope you are following me.... Once this object is in place, using a straight edge and a very sharp razor knife, cut the area to removed. Peel it up and install tack strip along the perimeter of the newly cut area. The pad does not go on the strip, only the carpet. This can then be finished by a number of different transitions... It's a bit of work, but well worth it if it is indeed what you are trying to do...

Hello, I am new here and have started acquiring all of the necessities to start a new reef. I am not new to the hobby, but have been away for some time. Any ways, I am contemplating a different approach to starting my reef than my past experiences. In the past, each reef I started was by using live rock from a local source- so that a large majority of the bacteria, desirable and UNdesirable made it into my tank alive. This time I am considering ordering from a Florida company called "Live Rock Ranch", that actually puts rock into the ocean and waits for it to become "live" before "harvesting" it and selling it to the general public at around $3-$4 per pound. Has anyone in this group tried something of this nature? What were the results? Would I be better off buying dry rock and tossing a shrimp from the deli in to start the cycle? Your advice and expertise is appreciated in advance....