BaySailor

I think you should be concerned. IME, when rbta's start to move around its because they are unhappy w/their surroundings for some reason. And anything they touch will die. In addition, splitting is not necessarily a sign of a healthy bta.

If you want to hear more of Christine, check out her Podcast Reef Threads. She and a guy from Chicago do it together and she keeps the thing focused and interesting.

Yeah I thought of using bolted together 4x4's or something for a base, but my wife hates the idea. We live in alexandria.

I need a new 72 gallon bow front stand but the only one I can find on the internet or at the stores is a black pine stand that's only about 28" high. My current, falling apart fiber board stand is about 32" high and I really don't want to lose those four inches. So any of you do-it-yourselfers interested in such a project. I'd be willing to pay market rate for professional carpentry services, what ever that is, but it would have to be level. If you're interested in such a challenge, or know someone who is, let me know. Thanks.

While it may have looked like an infection, I agree there isn't any way it would have produced the kind of reaction described so quickly. And no way would I have walked out of there with a little pain killer and an antibiotic - unless I was nearly unconcious. I would have asked the doctor to look up palytoxin first. All doctors think they know all things medical and that all patients are idiots. Not that I don't like doctors or anything.

Well I'm not a chemist, but i've always found that corraline algae growth does relate to high alk. When I was running my tank at about 8 or so DKH, it all disappeared only to return when I brought it back up to 11. I pretty much keep Calcium at 425. Just my experience, but it seemed to be a pretty clear cause and effect.

I use the Hanna low range Phosphorus test kit and have for about a year. I find it mostly reliable and with time can tell when a test is an outlier. I have always just bent a piece of paper making a funnel and poured the reagent into it. Never been an issue. Also I shake rather than stir the mixture and after about a minute or so just turn it upside down gently a few times to remove any bubbles. Hardest part is remembering to look at it after 3 minutes with no buzzer and only about 1 minute to see the reading, I've missed it about 30 times....possibly I have short term memory issues.

Run gfo and test. I'd worry less about your Cheato and more about the algae problems you'll get w/too much PO.

Funny, I just tested my tropic marin for alkalinity and it was about 8 or 9, so I guess you should try it. I'm tryiing to maintain mine at 11 and its a pain, but I want some coraline growing.

Ok, thanks all!!

Thanks for the replies. One more question of those who build these: what type of wood did you use? Pine seems to soft to me.

Not pretty, not fancy, but great prices and diversity of stock. Both Jas and his brother Eric are quite knowledgeable about reef tanks esp. when it comes to the compatablity of various animals with each other. Eric's had a tank at home for years,although Jas handles the aquarium section of the store. Have never had a problem with a coral or fish that I can recall. Also, these guys will buy just about any coral frags you have of reasonable size and for a decent price. They give me $5 per stalk of Xenia...Well worth checking out.

i'm wondering if I can raise the height of my tank stand by placing 2x4's or 4x4's underneath of it before I refill the tank. Anyone ever try this or see any potential problems from doing it? Thanks

My last two flames have been pickers. One is still in the tank, but my sps seem to be growing slowly and I never see polyps coming out of them. It leaves the softies alone though. It doesn't appear to be killing the sps, just slowing down the growth.

Good memory Coral Hind. I post it once in a while because it really bothers me that people are spending too much on these two chemicals -- which are so commonly produced for other uses.

I find if I run my MH's more than 6 hours a day, I start to get algae -- despite the fact that my nitrates are 1 ppm and PO is about .02.

Just a good money saving tip: if you're spending more than $200 a year on Alk/Calc you should consider using pool chemicals. I've been using Leslie's Hardness Plus and Soda Ash for four years now with no problem at all. Since we have a pool, keeping the levels adequate in the tank is essentially free. But even w/o a pool, you'll save a fortune. There are Leslie's pool stores in many places and the stuff is sold in big (50 lbs) plastic cans as well as smaller containers. I mix 2 to 2 1/2 cups in R/O water. That's it. Since I use about 50 ml of each every day, it has saved me thousands of dollars.

I once was in the storage room looking at a brute can and it started leaking -- right in front of my eyes. It was a slow seam lead and I stared at it for about a minute because I could not believe it would have started just as I was looking at it. But sure enough. That was a stroke of luck. On the other hand, I've had a gfo cannister leak twice and didn't catch either one until much water covered much floor.

We're over toward Springfield Mall, the Franconia area. Did you all get flooded out over there?

I agree Zygote. I think it was pretty bad on the coast, but i've seen very little damage around here. The derecho was a lot worse.

Where in Alex. do you live? I'm in W. Alex. and we have power around here.

We didn't lose power and no one near us lost it. I know the reason too. It's because I bought a generator. The best insurance against a power outage is to buy a generator. And if you don't like snow storms, there is a way to solve that problem too.... ps My wife is making me return the beautiful Homelite 3750 W generator I bought just before the storm. How sad is that.

This is an excerpt from Wet Web Media: Encouraging A RBTA To Split/BTA Reproduction/Propagation 10/29/09 Dear WWM, < Laura> I have a beautiful RBTA in my 85 gallon reef tank that is approaching 10" in diameter. She is happy, fat, and not showing any signs of splitting! I really need her to if she is to continue living in the tank. < Why?> She is stunning, but I have moved several corals out of her way to accommodate her growth. Is there any way to encourage her to split? My black and white Ocellaris Clowns are very attached to her. < Excellent water quality must be maintained. Regular water changes are a must. Standard marine water parameters with regard to temperature, salinity, pH, ammonia and nitrate must be maintained. Anemones are very delicate creatures, and need to be kept in the best possible conditions. Keep in mind that when an anemone splits, it doesn't necessarily mean it's happy, it can also be a result of stress.

I've found that the marine version of sta-bil helps keep those very small carb jets clean. At least that's been the case w/my 2.5 hp outboard. Ethanol sucks and the only folks who are not required to use it are farmers because it screws up all their farm equipment.

Still, I read somewhere that when bta' split its not because they are happy.