tom39

Part 2 of the article came out the other day and like Origami had proposed. One of the suggestion of the researchers interviewed is that pet distributors and pet stores require testing to determine bag quality and chemical leaching. Like the first article, I found the second article to be good food for thought. Personally, I found that it helped invoke my awareness and desire to find ways to lessen my impact in an attempt to do my part to insure the longevity of the hobby for generations to come. I hope that you find it informative, here is the link to the second article if anyone has an interest: http://www.reef2rainforest.com/2015/07/17/delving-into-fish-shipping-bag-toxic-plastic-concerns/?utm_content=tg2891%40gmail.com&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=Behind%20the%20headlines%3A%20tracking%20the%20toxins%20leaching%20from%20supposedly%20safe%20plastics%20into%20our%20aquariums&utm_campaign=The%20Perils%20of%20Plastics%3A%20Deadly%20Aquarium%20Bags%20Part%20IIcontent There was also another article on plastics that I found interesting, maybe you will to: http://cts.vresp.com/c/?ReeftoRainforestMedi/f186e4f3a6/56a149e454/8c5cf8e88a/utm_content=tg2891%40gmail.com&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=Discover%20Knop%26%2339%3Bs%20simple%20solution%20for%20avoiding%20these%20issues%2E&utm_campaign=The%20Perils%20of%20Plastics%3A%20Deadly%20Aquarium%20Bags%20Part%20II

Are you trying to explain that you think that your RBTA got caught in a pump and was shredded and now you have pieces of it caught in your sump and overflow weir teeth? If that is the case, I would recommend that you remove every piece of it. A pic sure would be a lot of help in trying to picture what you are trying to explain.

I think I would go with a Kessil. They have a clean look and their compact design means it is out of your way when working in the tank.

Not really, but I made a egg crate cage for my sps and other corals that I would put around it if got near, just in case. The cage was just 4 pcs of egg crate bound together with zip ties. Sent from my SCH-I435 using Tapatalk

Nems are just odd creatures. I had one sit happy for 2 years then all the sudden it decided to go on a trek. Roamed the entire tank for 3 months before it settled back in its original spot. IMO, dont worry about it about it, just enjoy your tank, make things simple (remove the covers) and let nature work figure itself out. Sent from my SCH-I435 using Tapatalk

I don't propose anything except to be more aware of some of the negative impacts imposed on the environment. The reason for the post was to share something I thought others may enjoy. I was not trying to start an argument or place blame on anyone and I apologize if I struck a nerve with you or anyone else; I assure you that that was not my intent. May you have a nice day

I just received the latest issue of AMAZONAS newsletter If you have a few minutes this article is an interesting read. Not sure that I would take it for gospel and would want to see additional studies conducted to reaffirm its findings. But it is certainly good food for thought. My personal opinion is that the use of plastics and plastic bags is out of control. And I think that this article is just one of many examples that help us see that we need to be more self aware of the impacts that we are placing on our planet. http://www.reef2rainforest.com/2015/07/09/chemical-in-plastic-bags-threatens-marine-conservation-and-human-health/?utm_content=tg2891%40gmail.com&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=the%20worrisome%20findings%20of%20the%20study&utm_campaign=Toxic%20Fish%20Bags%2c%20Cory%20Cat%20Breeding%20and%20Aquascaping%20Season%20is%20Here%21content

Welcome to the best, most addicting hobby ever. Also nice to see another reefer in the Fredericksburg area. Tank looks great btw, best of luck. Look me up when it is time to add some corals, I have a few easy care FREE frags if interested.

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Have you considered using a work platform. Usually they go on sale at the big box hardware stores during the holidays for about $20. I have one and use it all the time. Makes life much easier and the legs fold up for easy storage. This model is discontinued at the moment but gives a good idea of what it looks like. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Gorilla-Ladders-20-in-Aluminum-Work-Platform-DISCONTINUED-WP-BF20/203467515

I was cleaning the glass on my 40B and realized that my clowns laid their first batch of eggs. Sent from my SCH-I435 using Tapatalk

Deborgem, Chrissy's Critters and PetCo is about all that is in the Fredericksburg area. If you are willing to go south, there are a few more LFS down that way. Two of my favorites are Tiki Corals & Chester Aquaria. You should try them out, the drive is not really that bad and they are 2 really nice stores.

If I had to guess, I include comments about my tank in just about 50% of my discussions. In reality, I think about talking about my tank in about 80% of my discussions but I hold back the urge. But to be honest, I don't hold back from talking about my tank because I think that people don't want to hear about it. I do it because I don't want to make people sad that they don't have and tank.

I do a 5 day vinegar bath followed by a 3 day bleach bath to kill and sanitize anything on the rock. Then a final rinse and air dry for a week before I start curing it. Sent from my SCH-I435 using Tapatalk

+1 WheresTheReef is spot on, the rock you have is dead and you must start over in order to use. I have used old reef rock many times before and as he said, clean the rock with a hose or a pressure washer and scrub the stubborn stuff with a stiff brush. Then soak it in an acid bath (I use vinegar) and then a bleach bath, then let it dry in the sun for a week or so. IMO don't worry too much about the phosphates in a rock, not that you shouldn't consider the possibilities of phosphate leaching from the rock. But that worrying about the potentials of phosphate is like worrying that you are going to get stung by a bee if you go outside. If it happens you deal with it and move on. The bottom line is that all rock has the potential of leaching phosphates, regardless of the perceived quality, where it was harvested or where it was collected. You bought 100# of old rock, don't turn back now. As for diversity, if you want some added life to your tank, find someone who has a well established reef tank and ask to buy a piece of rock from them. The life on that rock will soon populate your entire tank and chances are you will do it without the possibility of ending up with something nasty in your tank.

Where are you located? I don't see your location in your profile and I am thinking that if you are close to someone in WAMAS they may have a moment to stop by and get you pointed in the right direction.

Although it is a bit hard to tell from the video, it looks to me as if the water level in your return (far right section of your sump) section is low and could use a bit more water height. It also appears that the water flowing from the center section into the return section is flowing over the weir in a waterfall fashion. This waterfall effect would also cause additional bubbles to be produced and could be adding to your problem. By raising the height in the return section and eliminating the waterfall effect you should reduce the amount of bubbles and as an added bonus, also reduce noise. Lastly, the return section is the only place where you will see evaporation in your system and you should strive to have the water in this area maintained at a constant as closely as possible. I would recommend an ATO (auto top off) if you do not already have one installed, to maintain this water level.

Thanks for the compliment. It took me about 3hrs total. But I was working on other things (hanging doors on a new stand for a Deep Blue 80g RR frag tank that I bought last month and that I will never use but that is another story) while I was waiting on the glue to set. Everything that I used was stuff that I had lying around in my garage and shop. If I added it all up, I would bet that I don't have more than $15 in it. So it was more of a lets have some fun and see if I can make it project. As for the router bit, I just rough cut the top and bottom and used the flush cut bit to straighten it up. You're right about the coupler, it does add a lot of weight so I only used half of one. Fortunately PVC floats so that was to my advantage. Once it was in the water it did better than I expected. This afternoon I did added a bit of finishing touches and then gave it try. I think it works out fairly well for a DIY project.

Thanks, looking forward to trying it out tomorrow.

Avast is backordered on them, so I made one. It is not as clean looking but it definitely works. I made it out of scrap acrylic, a dollar store cutting board, nylon screws and a 6" pvc coupler.

I believe that something like this is what they were referring to.

Not sure if you do but I thought that I would share my finishing methods. When I am finishing a stand, I use sanding sealer to seal the grain of the wood before applying any finish. The purpose of the sealer is to keep the grain from lifting as much when you apply the finishing coats and lessens the amount of sanding. Use of sanding sealer would be applied before clear coats or paints, but if you want to stain the stand and then add a finish coat. I would stain the wood first, then apply the sanding sealer and finally apply the finish coat. IMO Application in that order makes a more even stain application. If you want to avoid seeing screw heads, use pocket screws and construction adhesive and if you have access to a compressor, try using narrow crown staples.

I have used the Reef Octopus BR110 before and thought it worked well.

You only have to change out the flow restrictor if you are hooking up the RO membranes in parallel. (This would be where each membrane gets it's own feed and has its own discharge.) If you are looking to increase your product water output and reduce your waste water, (and what I believe you are thinking of doing) you would install the flow restrictor at the waste water output of the last membrane. Each membrane must be like in size and the size of the restrictor is matched to the size of the membranes. So if you are using 2 - 75gpd membranes, you would need 1 75gd restrictor. HIH