TrueTricia

When I was deployed to the Middle East, I got to take 30 days of leave. Rather than come home, I used my leave to travel, and my unit encouraged me to break it up. So I was lucky to go to the Maldives with a couple of girl friends for a wonderful relaxing week in the Gan Atoll. I dove six days, two dives a day, and it was incredible. We started out with manta ray dives hooked into the reef on a drop off, and ended with the last dive finding a dense school of tiny fish that made you feel like you were in the middle of a swarm (see photo). I saw everything from sharks, eels, mantas, turtles, octopus, and every kind of fish I could want! I saw leopard wrasses, anthias, damsels, angels, tangs, triggers (nearly got nipped by a giant queen trigger), tons of clowns hosting in nems... I'm only now sorting out all of the photos, and I still have hundreds to edit. But I thought I'd go ahead and post a few here that I've finished... I have so many more, plus dive videos that need to get looked at...

I need advice: I am getting ready to have surgery in a few weeks, and I'll be away from my place for approx. 3 weeks. My 120g tank is currently in a bare setup. The rock has been cycling for 3 months, there are powerheads in it, temp/pH probes, heater, and an ATK set up. My refurb'ed DOS will be returned soon, and I'll have AWC going. I've got 2 black ice snowflake clowns in there now (they've been in for less than 24 hours). They're the only livestock in there. I also have 2 clowns in a small nano tank in my bedroom. Given it's small footprint, it's harder to automate (nor do I have the redundant equipment). I would like to add these two clowns to the big tank, which then will be automated and easier to monitor from DC where I'll be convalescing. Anyone have any thoughts on this? Concerns about 4 clowns in a 120g tank?

NY Aquatics has purple tangs on sale for $69. That's a ridiculous price. Anyone have any experience with this vendor? https://www.nyaquatic.com/purple-tang-zebrasoma-xanthurus-3-1/

Are any local WAMAS members still breeding these? I remember being at one member's house, and she had an entire set up....

Good morning WAMAS I've got a 120g tank I'm building, and the sump will be in an adjoining room. I know exactly what behind the wall, and it's only a piece of drywall, nothing else. I'm thinking of doing a hole for each pipe, and it'll be hidden behind the stand. I'm looking for any advice that you have on cutting through drywall for your pipes, tools you used, things you wish you knew before you did, etc. Thank you! Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

So I caved and bought a new ApexEL. I get it in, and I cannot get it set up at all! Once I log onto the apex.local, it looks nothing like the Getting Started guide. Rather than the Fusion-like dashboard, I see an older version of a webpage. I must have gotten an older version or something. Regardless, there's no obvious way to update the software, and the few things I can try to do only cause the entire system to crash. It's very frustrating to spend $500 on a system like this that's supposed to be easy, only to spend hours in the evening trying to fix it. And of course, I'm not home during the days to try to fix it....

Hello WAMAS'ers! I have a plumbing question. My 120g tank has dual overflows. One of the pipes will be used for the return, and I plan to do a bean animal overflow scheme for the remaining three holes. Two of the remaining holes are 3/4" and the other is 1". Which brings me to my question: does each hole have to have an individual line to the sump, or can they return lines be plumbed together in a pseudo-manifold? If they can be plumbed into the manifold, at what points should I have union ball valves plumbed in? Or is there another combination, such as the 3/4" plumbed together and the 1" separate? Thanks in advance!

My refractometer is making me feel old. I can barely read it...I always feel like it's fuzzy, I'm squinting, and I'm guessing at the exact salinity. While my big tank build will include an Apex PM2 Salinity module, I'll still need to read a refractometer for QT and my small bedroom tank. Does anyone else have this issue? Any suggestions? Better tools or digital salinity readers that you'd recommend before I buy one?

Alan. I know, right?! And I was just getting ready to set up the 120g when I found out about surgery. I'm going to try to and rush to get the stand built and basic plumbing done so I can have the rocks in place to start cycling the tank. The local aquarium store will come and do maintenance. This way when I'm not totally laid out and back to normal, the tank will already be on its way, and I can start adding all the bells and whistles. But I do have a small little nano Fluval V Spec that I have set up in my bedroom. Just going to be softies and a BTA (eventually) and a pair of clowns. Nothing complicated at all. Between the return from deployment, my cat dying from sudden onset brain cancer, and now my surgery...it's not exactly been my year.

Good day WAMASers! I was so excited when I saw the date for FragFest, because I'll be up in DC. Unfortunately, I have a wedding that evening, and the times are too close together for me to make both (and I have to go to the wedding). I was hoping to grab just a couple small softies, zoas, leathers, or toadstools. I was hoping someone could grab a couple for me, if that's allowed. My boyfriend lives in Woodbridge, so preferably someone living around that area. I could pick up on Sunday afternoon/evening. I have to have surgery in mid-July, but I'm hoping to make it to the Fall meeting as I'm up in DC quite often now. Thanks! Tricia

@jwalsh We need to chat! I'm converting a freshwater tank I had at work to a SW downgrade for my bedroom. Turns out it's the same tank as yours, white Fluval spec V! It's literally still full of FW and plants at work, but hoping to make the initial switch this weekend, switch the water over, throw in some rock, and let it start cycling while I figure out the other details. I'm not looking to do nearly as much as you have, rather just a couple clowns, and some flowy softies and/or BTAs. I want it to be a zen meditation spot for my room.

I was about to suggest the auto train. I've taken it before, and it's quite nice. I also found flights out of Norfolk for as litte as $175 p/person.

Anyone able to help Sunday night around 8pm in Woodbridge?

Hey WAMAS members! I may need some help with a tank move on Sunday evening if anyone is available in the Woodbridge area. I'm going to be in town for military duties over the weekend, and I'm trying to coordinate a tank pick-up with another member. I'm waiting to hear from my unit what time they expect to release us (communication is less than ideal in the Reserve unit) so I can get an exact time for the tank pickup. But if anyone is generally around in the evening and willing to help, that would be wonderful. It's a 3'x3' Marineland DD 150g, so a couple of extra hands would be great. It's also going to be tetris getting into my car (I've measured and it will fit...). Thanks in advance for your help!

I'm keeping the bookshelf bc I have an entire fish room for equipment. 20g reservoirs are already planned. Plus my optional coral QT tank will be there occasionally. But the tank fell through, so now the design is scrapped until I find another one that fits in the 42" space. Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

So I've bought a new tank! It's a cube! 35x35x24. Here's some sketches of my stand build and beginning lumber requirements. The stand is going to be split in half so that one part is cabinet and the other a bookshelf. There will be plywood on the top, a 1xX frame around the tank, with crown moulding between that and the remainder of the stand. The whole thing will be white washed. I've indicated a cut out for my plumbing on the one photo. I've got a couple supporting slats on the bottom, plus supporting ones on the inside of the uppers. I'll be using a kreig tool to attach the wood together in most places. The sides of the tanks will use 2x2s that will both add support and be the outer "wainscoting" look. Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

That is a gorgeous little tank! Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Don't know of you guys saw, but Neptune put out a YouTube video tutorial on Alexa and Apex! Really interesting what you can do! Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

There's also some cool gadgets you can buy/make that help with feeding. Think about a small three sides box filled with egg crate or other porous material. Culture pods in that for a little bit and then you can put that in your display hidden somewhere in the rock work. The open side allows the Mandarin to pick at pods on the top, but the design prevents them from eating all while providing a "safe space" for the pods to self culture. If you also target feed your Mandarin at that point every day, they can be taught to go there automatically for feedings. Melevreef on YouTube also has a good idea using an olive jar for his Mandarin that ate prepared foods. Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

How's the Mandarin doing now? Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

I love this setup!!!! I'll be modeling mine too look like yours now! Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Looks amazing!!!! Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Yeah I want to replicate that clown harem tank as well! Let me know who you end up going with. I'm probably a good six months away from buying the fish, but good to know!!! Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

How's your lone survivor doing?

Have you ever had a Threadfin Butterfly? This species would actually fit into my possible Indian-ocean themed tank, but curious as to experiences with reefers in reef tanks. Also, still not sure that any butterfly is going to be compatible with my care plans.