mr11

Oh absolutely the medics are up there. I'm a physician in training though and physicians usually aren't forward deployed. Occasionally we'll get sent to a FOB but typically we stay at the larger bases in the combat support hospitals.

While I didn't have to go through basic, I went through the Army Basic Officer Leadership Course two summer ago which was the only training we got before becoming AD Army officers. We were in individual hotel rooms with room and maid service, it was pretty ridiculous. Granted I'm medical so I won't be in the trenches but I definitely expected more.

Those are sponges

Also what other kinds of corals are you getting? Start off with some easy stuff, softies like zoas and mushrooms, xenia, GSP etc. Hold off on the SPS or LPS for now.

Thanks for the feedback. Stirring small sections at a time might work. If I vacuum out the top layer, I can was it and put it back in the tank? It's a small siphon, like maybe 1/4" and has a plastic filter between the wide diameter mouth and the narrow tube. It looks like the attached picture except with a squeeze ball to start the siphon. I think I need something more robust.

I have one of those siphon vacuum from petco and it clogs almost instants when I try to clean my sand. What do you guys use? I have a thick almost hair algae like algae growing on my sand since I set up the new tank. I'm on day 2 of a blackout but I don't have high hopes. Thanks

Awesome. It's dead quiet and still no leaks . I'm in the middle of a blackout to get rid of this algae but hopefully I'll get pics up soon

Circle of life is right but apparently harlequin shrimp murder these guys in a pretty brutal fashion. I can't remember the exact details but I think they eat off all the feet of the starfish while keeping it alive over a period of days.

I personally think 81-82f is fine. Sorry I don't have any other recommendation unless you can get a small fan to blow across the top of the water.

Good to know. I'll make a stop there during my next NOVA LFS tour. You guys are spoiled

I like Trochus snails and LFS never carry them. Which is mainly why I order online

Just make your own pack

I agree with this route. Also the new reefbreeder V2 series is super nice, one light will cover the whole tank, 2 year warranty, 6 channels, and inexpensive as far as LEDs go.

Harlequin shrimp eat them but make sure you have a rehoming plan if you get one. They'll starve once you run out of star fish

They look like Asterina star fish to me. There are debates as to whether they are good or bad. I have them in my tank and don't plan to remove them.

Good point. Here it is algae and all. Nobody is particularly happy at the moment but I'm working on improving water chemistry. Really liking these Reefbreeder V2s, they have a lot better color in person and my pictures aren't all super blue. Also testing out the new iPhone depth of field effect on my cleaner shrimp. Sump pictures are next

Thanks. I really want to get some pictures up but I'm dealing with some nasty algae. I put all new dry rock in one half of the tank and all of my old established live rock in the other half. The algae started covering the dry rock and then the sand around my dry rock and spread out towards my live rock. Kinda weird. I can't figure out how to manage it. I tried vacuuming some out today but I barely made a dent.

What specifically are you looking for? There was a home depot at 66 and 495 that had some harder to find pieces when I was looking. Also Blue ribbon koi has bulkheads, gate valves, and some other random plumbing pieces, worth a call. Ferguson might be worth checking out too.

Appreciate it. I actually have a brand new acrylic tank and I'm trying to avoid getting microscratches as much as possible. I'll check out the clean and shine

Bump

I only had a couple but I blasted them with boiling water and haven't seen them since

What kind of cloth to you use to wipe the outside?

Thanks. Do you use the magic eraser on the outside too? I use them inside but they don't do much for me on the outside

I'm baffled when it comes to cleaning acrylic. I started with basic blue "Quickie" brand cheap microfiber cloth from an automotive store and I am convinced these left microscratches in my acrylic. I tested a fresh cloth on a small part of a tank that had never seen water before and still noticed the microscratches. I then bought this fancy detailers choice microfiber spa pack from HD. They don't scratch but they also are not absorptive and simply spread around whatever it is I'm trying to wipe up. I use magic erasers for inside the tank which work great. What are some proven products to effectively clean the outside of acrylic tanks? Thanks in advance

Thanks! And welcome to WAMAS. I'll have pictures of it posted up soon. The lights I have came with legs so it just sits on top, not he most attractive solution. I did find out that these 32" light REALLY drop off in intensity quickly at the edges so I'm looking to upgrade so something longer.