steveoutlaw

Sweet! I'll be in for 2 peppermints and 1 green BTA tomorrow. See you then. Steve

Johnny- Do you have any peppermint shrimp? I'm also looking for a BTA.....Green or Rose.......got any? Thanks, Steve

Sorry to hear that. I hope everything turns out ok. I've got some frags for you if you need some. Steve

I just have the fuge and I don't have any problems with it. It's very nice. A word of advice......get the biggest fuge you can for the 55g. Even with that you still might need a skimmer.

There is also the option of using a hang on refugium but having it on your sump. this can save you space and still give you all the benefits of the refugium. Just a thought.

A fuge is a means of cleansing the bad stuff in the water and adding good stuff to the water. The macro-algea and live rock/sand help to filter the water. I currently have the CPR 12" hang on fuge on my 26g. I only use this and water changes to filter the water (no skimmer). I know of a lot of people who only run a fuge with no skimmer. Now, here's the kicker........it's different for every tank. You have to take into account the bioload that is in your tank, size of the tank, etc. The best bet is to try it and see how it goes. Just keep testing your water to make sure the parameters stay in the good ranges. You might want to have a hang on skimmer handy just in case you need it. Let us know how it goes.

Ok, so I have a 26g with a 5g hang on fuge. What should my CA and ALK levels be? I currently have 4 SPS and some LPS in the tank.

Unfortunately.....no. You'll probably aid in spreading it. On the SEIO, it is a great pump and will give you a lot of flow. However, it does have some problems with the restarting. if you lose power and it doesn't re-start try this: 1. Rinse impeller in vinegar. 2. Put pump back together but plug it in out of the tank to make sure the impeller is turning 3. SLOWLY lower it into the tank. I don't know what the malfunction with these are but if you can get around it like this it is well worth it.

Oh sure, stick me with the expensive stuff.

There is always Southern States in Manassas. They carry the Southdown for @ 7.00 per 50# bag.

And go with the recirc mod if available. Another good one for the money is the Coralife Super Skimmer needlewheel.

Actually, DWV only needs 10 minutes to cure. If you are going to be using a pressure application you should wait at least 12 hours. They put 24 hours on the can to cover their asses.

Jeff- I went with the 6bulb fixture for my 26g bow for 2 reasons: 1. I built my own little canopy to hold them so the lights are 24" from the bottom of the tank (the tank itself is 18" tall). 2. Even though the fixture has individual reflectors, they are not the TEK reflectors so the lighting isn't as strong. I posted a lot of questions in the lighting forum on RC and the consensus was to go with 4 bulbs if getting the TEK fixture and to go with 6 bulbs if getting my fixture. Post some questions over there as well.....I got a lot of good information. Steve

Folta- Check out this link......it looks to be a 72" T5 HO fixture: http://cgi.ebay.com/T5-T-5-HO-Aquarium-lig...1QQcmdZViewItem

Jeff, I just took some pics of my tank with all the lights on....Bear in mind my camera really sucks but this will give you an idea:

From all the reading I've done, TEK fixtures are the way to go (retrofit or hood) because of their reflectors. If you go with the TEK you get individual reflectors in the hood. Because the reflectors are so good you need fewer bulbs for your tank. A 90g should be fine with a 4x54w fixture. Be sure to go with the Giesmann bulbs.......general consensus is that they are the best. I didn't get the TEK but went with this fixture: http://cgi.ebay.com/T5-HO-Aquarium-light-2...1QQcmdZViewItem If I had it to do all over again I would go with the TEK.

Jeff- I would really look into the T5s if I were you. I just transferred the sps from my 120g w/ dual 250w MH into my 26g running 6x24w T5s. The colors of the corals are much more brilliant than with the T5s and there are not heat issues. Add to that T5s are less expensive than halides. Check out this site......you could get the hood and bulbs for under $400.00 brand new. http://www.reefgeek.com/products/categorie...ing/104192.html Steve

Man.....I was hoping that you would be able to keep the babies in the fuge until they were big enough to give to me! :D

Tell the Tang to get some sleep!! Actually, my yellow Tang has had white marks under his eye......they weren't bags but they could have easily been mistaken for bags. It's possible it could be HLLE. Do you have a grounding probe in your tank?

Why yes Howard, I believe it is!!

Thanks Jake. I did want to let you know that I will not try to take over your position as Master Architect in the aquascaping world!! :D AND......I'm over 1000 posts now.......you and Howard better start running! :whip:

Ok, Here's the 26g I just set up: Have I mentioned how much I love my T5's???

So Howard.........Did you learn anything from them??? It looks like he's got some technique.......or is that her?? Which side is the man on? What do you call that position anyway?

Fellers - Let's not scare Steve away. The boy did express a genuine interest in the hobby and I don't think he's a fly-by-nighter (especially since he bought stuff from me!!!). :D However, I will second the warning about Howard........He can sell ice to an Eskimo. Steve-o........you do have to get that evil part out of your name. Master Howard doesn't take kindly to others trying to snake in on his evil!! :whip: Glad you are liking the club. These guys know a lot and will really help you get your reef established.

Unni- I'm very interested in the film. Where do you get it? You're not talking about the normal backgrounds are you? Thanks, Steve