GaryL

Mine is kinda boring... b[ just short for Gary Lopez. even though i look more Irish but my avatar (which is new and i think it is cool) represents the balance i hope to have in life :p

Foshizzle Dizzle! [nana]

isnt that the Panamanian Jack Fish? tng

when you get to sandy lewis drive, its on the backside of the industrial buildings

here is something that discusses the process of cavitation it happens more in automobiles (water pump). i also agree that it is an air leak somewere in the system. hope this helps, G Suction Cavitation Suction Cavitation occurs when the pump suction is under a low pressure/high vacuum condition where the liquid turns into a vapor at the eye of the pump impeller. This vapor is carried over to the discharge side of the pump where it no longer sees vacuum and is compressed back into a liquid by the discharge pressure. This imploding action occurs violently and attacks the face of the impeller. An impeller that has been operating under a suction cavitation condition has large chunks of material removed from its face causing premature failure of the pump. Discharge Cavitation Discharge Cavitation occurs when the pump discharge is extremely high. It normally occurs in a pump that is running at less than 10% of its best efficiency point. The high discharge pressure causes the majority of the fluid to circulate inside the pump instead of being allowed to flow out the discharge. As the liquid flows around the impeller it must pass through the small clearance between the impeller and the pump cutwater at extremely high velocity. This velocity causes a vacuum to develop at the cutwater similar to what occurs in a venturi and turns the liquid into a vapor. A pump that has been operating under these conditions shows premature wear of the impeller vane tips and the pump cutwater. In addition due to the high pressure condition premature failure of the pump mechanical seal and bearings can be expected and under extreme conditions will break the impeller shaft

Oh yeah i didnt mean to forget, i had seen Bob and Tamie Dewitt's (cowrie) refugium setup also, I had seen some really nice tanks that whole weekend of the meering. G

I was at Nathan's (aquariareview) house the other day and got a pretty good idea for the sump/refugium- Do you guys perfer a in sump skimmer or freestanding or are there any pros and cons to either or just a matter of space? Reefmon and Nathan both gave me good ideas for skimmers also do you guys have pics of the mechanics of your tanks? thanks again, G

wow thanks for all the good info, my sump is not drilled but can be drilled. i was thinking of dividing the 75 gallon to double as a sump/refugium, but was also thinking of using the mag 7 as a return and leaving it submersed, after what i have learned from you all. Gary

Oh sorry, I'm planning on keeping SPS, with some fish and inverts, ill have 3 250w MH (my tank is 72" long)and considering VHO actinics to suppliment the blue. Im trying to piece the basics together so it wont be hard to change or add-on (when my budget or my wife will let me afford) :D even though Im a DIYer i will take it to the Reef tank to have drilled. but the rest i will post as it starts. Gary

i just purchased a mag 7. i think ill use it for the closed loop. any thoughts on this pump? Gary

Ill be setting up my 120g with a 75 gallon refugium.. but how do I determine the size of my over flows that i will have drilled and what is the rating of the pump (gph) that I use to pump back into the display tank without pumping too fast or too slow. Also I would like to do a closed loop with a SCWD for tubulance. Any ideas on what some of you all have done for that? Thanks in advance..... Gary

Tony i got socks and underwear too :( OH yea i forgot a new diving watch....guess what my goal is for the new year! Gary

i quickly realized how flawed my idea was(tranformers and capcitorsleak in their old age):(, so i apologize. what about resessing a electical panel into the wall (if you own the place) you could do it low or high( enough to hang a pisture on it) so it would be less conspicuous and hide your wires accordingly. hope this helps, Gary ???

Congrats Tony, have a great time in the Caymens and dont forget to sample the Tortuga rum:) G

You raise a good point. Except that everything electrical is under or next to my tank. I do not have a separate room to move stuff into, so it's all ready for the flood from H-E-double hockey sticks. All is on a GFCI, so shorts should bring electicity out of the question quickly. Equipment damage is real, tho. Any ideas when space is limited like this? If I put the ballasts under the tank, too much heat. I also have a Little Giant 2mdx exposed under there as well. Vigilance against plugged lines and good maintenance should help, but I'm at a loss what to do beyond what I have done so far. s What if you put the ballast directly in the middle on top and build a wood box shaped in a "u" to hide the red, if there is sufficient support also being that close you could shorten your cords.... It looks great though! Gary

Dale City here.....Salute