AlanM

Three pack of Cobalt Aquatics brand premium silicone airline, 13-ft each. Black, Blue and Clear. Fits all standard airlines. Also great for drip acclimating fish and inverts. $7 value each for a total value of $21. Donated by Cobalt Aquatics.

7.8 ounces (medium-sized container) of Cobalt Ultra-Pellet Marine. Perfect for your autofeeder. Your fish will love it and benefit from it, too! $35 value. Donated by CobaltAquatics.

Cobalt Nano-flow 2600 prop pump. Perfect for in-tank circulation for your nano or small frag tank. 686 GPH rating. $60 value. Donated by CobaltAquatics.

5-pack of Chemipure Blue Nano. Advanced resin-based ion-exchange lasting 4-6 months. Treats 5 gallons per packet. Donated by Chemipure.com. Eight chances to win! 7.8 ounce packet of Chemipure Blue. Advanced resin-based ion-exchange lasting 4-6 months. Treats 75 gallons. Donated by Chemipure.com. Three chances to win!

I think that's fine. Over time you will get coralline and once it has coral it won't grow algae. It won't ever not grow algae. Edit: sorry my phone posted too soon this morning. Meant to say that it won't ever not grow algae if something else isn't already growing there. In my tanks every surface that didn't have coral but did have light had algae of some sort, whether coralline or green algae.

$50 gift certificates to Aquarium Depot Two chances to win! Thanks, Aquarium Depot!

4-ounce flat pack of Reef Frenzy Nano. Treat those smaller mouths! Now with probiotics for healthier fish. Courtesy of LRS. $12 value. Two chances to win!

More Raffle items: 11-ounce flat of Reef Frenzy frozen food. Treat your fish to the best! Donated by LRS Reef Frenzy. $21 value. Four chances to win!

Aquael 5W Leddy Slim LED lighting. Plant spectrum. Perfect for your 8-11.25" fuge. $60 value. Donated by SaltwaterAquarium.com.

Aquael 36W Leddy Slim LED lighting. Plant spectrum. Perfect for your 40-48" fuge. $180 value. Donated by SaltwaterAquarium.com.

Raffle prizes: Aquael 10 W Leddy Slim LED lighting. Plant spectrum. Perfect for your 20-27.5" fuge. $90 value. Donated by SaltwaterAquarium.com.

I'd try to be there. I should be able to make it then. I'll stop by WAMAS storage (in McLean, VA) well in advance on that day to get the things we need for the meeting (coolers, raffle supplies, snack supplies, etc.) so then I can swing by Potomac, get that thing on the stand, and head to the meeting. We start setting up the meeting at noon to allow for vendors to get in and get their tanks set up so Saturday morning isn't totally free for officers.

Sorry, I hadn't noticed your question. I believe there are 8 cups all together. It should probably be enough with effort if we can roll/side it to the stand and just lift it straight up. It would be uncomfortable to carry down the hall. Sounds like you're going to have to have a tank lifting party. There have been a few of those in my memory and they end up being fun with lots of pictures and, we hope, minimal mishaps. Truly large tank lifts happen rarely enough that they're exciting, and I'm definitely in to help if I can. Wonder if you could rent a couple of scissor lift tables to get it up to the stand height.

I wouldn't use the hardware store mesh, like it sounds like you're using. I'd use the frame kit from the hardware store https://www.lowes.com/pd/New-York-Wire-Frame-Replacement-1-2-in-x-4-ft-White-Aluminum-Replacement-Screen-Kit/3092641 but instead of screen I'd put clear mesh like this: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/clear-netting.html and affix it to the frame using the included spline.

FYI, I just changed this setting to make it a little easier to post up pictures here. On our new host we technically have "unlimited" storage and bandwidth unless we really abuse it, so we're only limited by what works well in a forum thread. Now the forum will "let" you upload an image up to 10MB (total in a single post, not per image), but it will resize it once you upload it to be only a maximum of 1200x1200, so it will get small on it's own. It will also only show it as 800x800 or smaller so it doesn't break the board by making it way wider than the theam.

Each individual image must be less than 1MB but you can have an unlimited number of them. I have a plugin for Windows 10 that lets me just right-click on an image to resize it in place. It's easy to get any image under 1MB on "Medium" size using that, which is still 768 pixels wide and more than big enough for us to get the idea what you're showing. I used to use a 3rd party service to host images like flickr or imgur or photobucket, but now it's just as easy as dragging the image to the post. It attaches it at the bottom and puts it inline. It does need to be resized first, though.

Hey, that's nice. I would totally use that if it fits into standard screen frames. It would be nice to have those legs to fit over the corners. Joshifer, you can probably find people around here (or at Reef Escape) who have clear 1/4" mesh that will go into a screen kit from the hardware store. Lots of people use those screen kits for their lids.

Bump for this. Our October meeting is around 3 weeks away. If anyone wants to set up a table selling frags please send me a PM as spots will fill up.

Definitely. They are thinking about both sides of the grant agreement and will get a plan together in consultation with us. Tamie is involved, but probably at a higher level. I'm waiting to hear back from some of them about the shape of an agreement and then we'll talk about details like a list of needs.

long acclimation does damage if the clowns were shipped to you and have a bunch of ammonia in the bag with them. If you're just picking them up from the shop and carrying them home they won't have that. They are fine in the bag with the ammonia because the pH is low with the bag being sealed. Once you open the bag and start adding tank water the pH rises and the ammonia becomes toxic. If they're in treatment make sure not to put any of that water with meds in your tank. After acclimation you should net them or pick them up with your hand and transfer into the tank.

Cool. Some of the improvements he's looking at are installing a better sump. He currently has a long frag tub under the wall of tanks with about 6 inches of clearance. He'll continue using that, but will grow chaeto in it for nutrient export. He'll install a sump next to the tanks and put a nice big skimmer in it too. His current one is a small ESV downdraft skimmer. I think he'd also like to do mixed saltwater and RO/DI in the same room. He currently has to drag a hose all across Amazonia from the tunnel (where QT tanks are being set up and where all the utilities are) through a closet in order to do water changes. QT tanks in the near term will have a good impact too. Sounds like the zoo is a bit more careful of livestock going in tanks than most of us are, even if we're on the conscientious side.

This past Saturday I visited the Coral Lab in the Amazonia building at the National Zoo in DC. They have a few tanks and they're looked after by Thomas Wippenback who comes to our meetings and also by at least one other WAMAS member who volunteers there from time to time. Mike Henley was an active WAMAS member in the past and worked at the Invertebrate house at the zoo before it was closed down. He is now doing his PhD on coral sexual reproduction in Hawaii, I believe, still affiliated with the Smithsonian. They feature his work in the educational material at the Coral Lab. The tanks were nice, but don't have many fish in them. Mostly coral. Thomas is doing the best he can with the resources he has, but most of the zoo money seems to go to the elephants, giraffes, pandas, and apes. (Kind of kidding, but not really) WAMAS is considering sponsoring the Coral Lab in some way. We're still working out the details, but it's a pretty nice exhibit in an excellent spot in the city where lots of people get to see live corals. Not too many spots in the city to see them. We used to have a tank at the National Aquarium in DC before it moved out. Maybe we'd have one at the Smithsonian now. Here is what the front and back look like: and here's a little video of the main reef tank which you can see with some Radions above it.

ceriths are neat. They can flip over and go back down into the sand during the day. I've always liked astrea snails, but they can't flip over, like you say. The hermits don't like the shell shape, so they always left them alone in my tank. Nerites initially hang out at the water line, but eventually go everywhere. All of them work ok. You'll always get some agressive hermits going after a snail or two, but you can always add more snails. No biggie.

For what it’s worth, I don’t use a template. I like to grind a groove in there using the bit with the drill held at an angle, then I slowly rotate the drill up perpendicular. A good variable speed drill is essential. Do it slow. I also make a little dam around the area out of plumbers putty and fill it with water.

Yes, meeting details are posted. 1” doesn’t seem like overkill for drains depending on what you have planned. It’s biggish for a return pipe in general, but maybe not for your tank size. You will need to make sure to match the outer diameter of your bulkhead threads with the bit size. Different bulkheads differ a bit on the size because the quoted size is for the interior pipe hole, not the threads. Also, make sure the rubber washer goes on the flange side, not the nut. 8) The good news on sizes is that there is a bit of slop in the size because of the rubber seal. BRS sells bulkheads and the bits that match them which is convenient.