DelRayTank

Thanks for the response. I will definitely look at Reef eScape. I've been to their shop once a few years ago, where I picked up a coral beauty! My reefer is about 8 years old now and has a few problems. First (and most concerning), the glass has been chipped on the corner for about a year and a half and I recently noticed some hairline cracking stemming from the chip. Second, the prior owner was an aggressive glass scraper so the silicone seals are damaged in several areas. Lastly, the cabinet is "Swiss cheese". The prior owner installed a lot of devices and brackets on the inside of the cabinet (both back and sides), which left a lot of holes in the cabinetry. Some of these are beginning to swell from the years of exposure to moisture. So, while I think the tank can last a while longer, I don't have peace of mind anytime I go out of town as I constantly worry about whether any of this will fail while I'm away. Overall, I have loved the Reefer 250. My only substantive complaint is the absence of a refugium in the stock sump. I am currently thinking about what a replacement might be and had been eying one of the larger Reefer models. However, I am now curious as to how the Waterbox tanks compare to the reefer setup.

Hello Wamas! I have maintained my current tank (a Red Sea Reefer 250) for the last 3.5 years in my small basement office. The tank, which I acquired used, is nearing the end of its useful life and will have to be replaced by the end of this year. Instead of replacing the tank with a new Reefer 250 (which is as large as I can go in its current location), I am thinking about moving the tank to our basement family room, where I would be able to fit a 6 to 8 foot tank. Because this new tank will be in a much more visible space in our home, I don't want to tackle this setup alone. I would love to work with a vendor and professional that can help me source and setup the tank to make sure that everything from tank selection, plumbing, aquarium controller, etc. are done properly the first time. Are there any local vendors/service providers that WAMAS members have used in the past? I would love to hear people's experiences here. Thank you!

Someone, please help! I have been really interested in getting into 3D printing for a while. There are endless options of 3D printing items that I would like to work on for my tank and have dreamt about for a while. Additionally, my kids are getting older and have themselves voiced an interest in trying out 3D printing. This newfound interest from my kids puts me in a position to justify the initial investment as a "family investment" rather than an "aquarium cost"! However, I have no idea where to start, other than that it has to be at the very beginning. To start off, I don't even have a computer - I have an iPad and a work laptop. I suspect the iPad won't allow me to tinker with designs and may not even interface with the 3D printers, so I assume that would not be a good device to use as the primary interface with a 3D printer. The work laptop is locked down tight, which would prevent me from installing software or drivers necessary for the printer. So, I would love if anyone can point me in the right direction here. What computer do I realistically need to be able to make my own designs efficiently and to print effectively? What are some good options of budget 3D printers or mid-grade printers to look into? What kind of software to use for the designs? If a member of our community is versed in these topics and able to help point me in the right direction or towards good resources, I would be very thankful!

I've been building an external refugium for my Red Sea Reefer 250 out of a 5-gallon aqueon tank. One of my goals here is to grow chaeto for nutrient export/control and to help increase my pod population to keep my wrasses busy and happy! The refugium is drilled and ready to plumb, but I need to build a small base to elevate it so it overflows into my stock Red Sea sump. I was initially thinking about buying some "Clean Chaeto" from AlgaeBarn. But between the shortage and the cost ($20+shipping for Chaeto!?) I decided I would try my hand at making my own "Clean Chaeto." So, this weekend I picked up some Chaeto from @bk_market (thank you!), which I am trying to turn into "Clean Chaeto". Below is the process that I am trying. If anyone has anything else they would suggest, please let me know. I expect (hope) that when all is said and done, I will have a supply of Clean Chaeto that I may be able to make available to the WAMAS community... My planned process: Picked up Chaeto from @bk_market and inspected the Chaeto visually. I did not see any common pests in the Chaeto (no visible aiptasia, starfish, etc.). I did see some hair algae mixed into the Chaeto ball, which is really common. Rinsed Chaeto in cold tap water, pulling the ball apart to get through the whole mass. 1 hour bayer dip in cold tap water Rinse Chaeto in cold tap water like step 3 Place chaeto in a 5 gallon bucket of new saltwater at 1.020 SG (thinking of trying lower salinity to make it less hospitable to any aiptasia) with (i) garden-grade fertilized added as a source of nitrate and phosphate, (ii) a UV sterilizer to help reduce hair algae growth and flow, (iii) cheap amazon grow lamp on a 12 hour cycle for continued growth Allow chaeto to rest for 1 week in the state of step 5 Rinse chaeto in cold water, pick out any hair algae, debris, or other "non-chaeto" thinks in the mass 1 hout bayer dip in cold tap water Replace chaeto in new 1.020 bucket of saltwater with fertilizer, UV and 12-hour light cycle Visually inspect chaeto weekly and repeat steps 7-9 as needed if any "non-chaeto" items are visible Change the water with new 1.020 saltwater and fertilizer weekly for 80 days (the 76-day fallow period required to eliminate ich, flukes, brook, and velvet plus 4 days for a margin of error) Visually inspect chaeto to ensure it looks like it's only chaeto. Once I have only chaeto visually and the 80-day period has elapsed, I will consider the Chaeto to be "clean" and add it to my new refugium. Sitting here today, I have already completed items 1-5 and the chaeto seems to be doing great. I would love to know if anyone else in the community has tried to clean chaeto previously and to know what different or additional steps you may have taken.

I’d be happy to babysit the tank for you at my house for free. All I’d ask is that you bring it to me and then pick it up when you’re back. I’m in Alexandria. The only caveat is I’d have to pre-clear with my wife, which I don’t think would be a problem!

Great write up. I QT all my fish and actually really enjoy the QT process. I’ve had terrible luck with wrasses of all kinds getting through QT and I think sterile tank is the problem, as is solitude. I’m currently QTing a Melanarus wrasse and I picked up some other fish to QT together with the wrasse. I put some coral skeletons in the tank but will add a couple of flower pots to replace the pvc in the tank in an effort to make the wrasse more comfortable.

Very cool. I really want to try my ha d at this one day. What resources did you find most helpful in getting going?

How’s the tang doing?

Beautiful nem!

Out of curiosity, can you let me know what is your QT protocol for fish? I’m looking to add some fish but don’t feel like busting out my QT setup. thank you!

Really glad to see you got help from HumbleFish. He’s an awesome resource on fish health issues and really timely in responding. i really hope your tang pulls through! I’ll be back in DC on Friday AM. I’ve got a ton of fish medicine on hand that I’m happy to share on emergency basis. If you need anything after Friday, let me know. good luck!

I would post at humble.fish if using prazi, make sure to add extra aeration.

Unfortunately, I’m out of town through Friday.... I have a running and cycled hospital tank in ALX. what I would do in this situation, especially with something like a Gem tang would be to run to Petco and pick up a 20 Gal tank with an aquaclear 70 and a bottle of biospira and a heater (if you don’t have one lying around). That would allow you to get a quick QT up and running for not much money. I would also urge you to post the issue you are facing on the HumbleFish forum at humble.fish . There’re a lot of great fish QT resources there. I wish you the best of luck

Alan, can you provide a long-term update? Did you definitively rid yourself of Dinos? Did you continue UV or discontinue?

Ben, will you guys be open any time on Presidents’ Day?