icecool2

I've been running LEDs for years too and I have to agree that a lot of attention is being given to some crazy color combinations. I can say from experience that 1:1 royal blue/neutral white looks pretty good. I have added T12 actinics to supplement and I love it.

That's pretty cool. It would be better if he showed what the naked eye sees and then zoomed in.

OK, we are talking about the same thing then. Let the only common grounding point be the house wiring. Remove the grounding straps that you tied together.

My 24g nano-cube heats up pretty good in a room that is 78. If you open the feeding door, it should help. You'll get faster evaporation, but that's easier (and cheaper) to deal with.

I meant removing the ground tie you have to the fixture. Maybe we are talking about different things. ...

You could have some fairly substantial ground current leakage when it is kicking in. Having them tied together could be causing the problem. Simplest way to check is to unhook them from each other.

Do the lights in your house blink or dim when your AC kicks on? Kitchen lights dim when the fridge kicks on? I'm thinking you may have low power factor.

Very cool. My pair are breeding too. Looks relatively easy to raise them, but you need a dedicated setup for a while and a good rotifer supply.

I was wondering this too. Is the only common point between them your circuit panel for the house? In either event, I agree with the thought that the in-rush current on the MH ballast is temporarily drawing too much for the circuit and is long enough that the T5's are turning off. I would expect them to only blink though, not actually stay off.

It's a cool idea for sure. Only really works if you live in FL like that guy. Too many overcast days around here IMO.

It already had ich then marinap. The stress just allowed it to progress faster. Sharkey, after a ghost feeding like you are doing, you shouldn't see a spike that big in ammonia. That tells me that your bio-filter is ready to handle a bioload even that small.

Don't stress about it. My experience with most snails is that they crawl up to the top of the tank and hang there for a day or two after being added to the tank. They'll find their way where you want them. Give it time, they'll get there.

What sorts of features are you looking for? Dimming, multiple colors (2 or more), effects (passing clouds, lightning, sunrise/sunset, moon phases)? If you want a basic, on/off fixture, there are ones to be had for under $200 each. You could get two for that tank and call it a day.

+1. You should be able to do it with about 40 or so gallons still in the tank.

Really nice! I use a Herbie on my tank too. Totally silent and once it is dialed in, it doesn't walk. Make sure you put a screen over the intakes. I've had many a night that I've been woken up to the sound of my emergency drain running because a snail got lodged in the main drain.

What Coral Hind said. Those tanks practically want to shatter. You can probably get a glass shop to drill it for you, but even the pressure of the plumbing is going to give you a problem. The area is just so small that the pressure would be spread across.

I do the ole' pull test too on things like that. My last fixture hung from the ceiling was WAY over-engineered. It could have weighed 300 pounds and I would have still been fine. There are anchors specifically for ceilings too...

Be careful with those Fishie. They aren't designed to hang things from the ceiling, only from a wall. A 50 pound rated one may only be able to hold 10 pounds vertically.

You're going to paint the hardwood? I think the color looks really nice against the color of your walls. Maybe just a coat of light stain instead?

Pictures of what you have to hang, etc. would help a lot with the creative process.

Welcome to the club! Got any pictures of your tank from before you broke it down?

OK, cool. Just checking.

I have the Sealife DC800 pro set. It's pretty nice for a basic point and shoot. You can get just the camera too without the external flash. Pretty small and you can use the camera as a regular point and shoot to carry around with you.

Sorry, coming to the party late here and maybe this was discussed elsewhere.... I'm concerned about your sump pump setup. Where does your sump pump drain to? It shouldn't be to the sanitary sewer line, that's against code. Assuming it is setup to code, you have a "daylight" outlet for it somewhere on your property or it goes to a septic tank. If it goes to a septic tank, you're probably fine. If you are draining to your lawn or near a tree, you've got a problem.

I usually go 8 weeks minimum. Like Chad said, you are waiting out the life stages of parasites.