OUsnakebyte

Hmmm... Bama... yeah, that's okay I guess. I got nuthin' against Bama. So long as you are not a Longhorn - well, unless you are a Horn with some nice sps pieces... Sent you pm. Cheers Mike

Nothing on your list sounds like it would have attacked a healty colony. Some of the shrimps/crabs may have gone after dead flesh if a colony crashed. Leave the blob. IME, Xenia will grow back from even the smallest bit of flesh left on the rock - even when I have purposely been trying to rid it from a section of my tank, scrubbing it with a toothbrush. Whatever you do, don't spend any more money on Xenia. If you want to stop by some night this week, I'll give you several stalks - I'm in need of some trimming anyway. Cheers Mike

Touche... Your store sounds nice. I'll check it out the next time I'm in D-town visiting family. You're right... it doesn't get much more expensive than Dallas North... Cheers Mike

The stores that Jake listed are nice, but if you head to Baltimore, definitely stop by Exotic Aquatics - excellent store.... IMO... BTW, is that the new Red Raider logo...? Sorry, the only Big 12ers allowed on this board are Sooners (this is a new rule effective today...). shrk]] Well, I guess since you aren't a Longhorn, I can let it slide... tng Where do you shop in Dallas? I've only ever been to Dallas North Aquarium. Boomer Sooner! Mike

I can bring some mussels. How many should I get? Anything else I should bring...? Cheers Mike

I want to come to the building party, as I am interested in a reactor. However, after reading through the thread, I wonder if I would be better served with building a calcium reactor or Kalk reactor...? Currently, I drip about 2 gallons worth of kalk a day that I mix up the night before. I have to do that just to keep up with the needs of the sps, clams, etc. I originally thought I would be building a calcium reactor, but now I'm not sure...? Would I be better served to build a calcium reactor or kalk reactor...? Cheers Mike

The girlfriend and I are coming - I'm bringing chips and queso. Ummm.... as always... anyone gracious enough to pick the carless up at Vienna Metro...? Maybe a shuttle back too? Cheers Mike

I'm in for the DIY party, and of course a "reasonable" cost (whatever that is...) is a factor. Unfortunately, I have to claim ignorance on best designs, methods, parts, etc. Someone's gonna have to hold my hand through all this. I can do an RC search later, but xeon's post looks pretty thorough. Cheers

Thanks fellas. I also posted the question to RC in the chemistry forum. There they said they were indeed either lead or steel shot to weight the therm down. One guy even said he had done the same and just used his algae magnet to get them out (I guess that would make them steel - lead doesn't attract, right?). They also said to run some carbon (the popular cure-all for everything... :p ) So, panic attack over - I think I'll be fine. I did get most all of them out I believe - now just gotta sweep up the residual. Cheers Mike

Most are alcohol-based these days, right? Well, the reason I ask is b/c I just broke my thermometer, which shattered into my sump and released several silver beads. It was a standard aquarium thermometer that I bought at Petsmart, Petco, wherever...? If I remember chemistry class correctly (a BIG if...), mercury is liquid at room temperature, right? Anyway, the red liquid inside did NOT release into the sump, just the tiny silver beads that insulate (maybe?) the red liquid casing. I cleaned out most of the glass (less concerned) and most of the silver beads (more concerned), but I probably did not get them all. If it is indeed not mercury, is it something to be concerned about? Maybe rusting in the sump? Should I try to syphon anything out...? I fear I may never find them ALL...? It is similar to the one found in the link below: Petsmart heater Thoughts?

I too will have the usual: - large colt frag(s) - Green star polyps - Zo's (greenish/yellowish tipped) - Truckload of xenia - Truckload of chaetomorpha - very large colony of monti digitada - don't have room for it anymore I'm sure I'll think of more things later. Cheers Mike

I'm interested in a Montipora danae (sp? correct species?) aka "Superman" - whatever... the blue monti with the red polyps...... *wink* Oh yeah, and any and all flavors of ricordia. Cheers Mike

Are the striped serpent stars okay...? How about the reds...?

I have PLENTY of Chaeto if you want it (need to get rid of some anyway). I could bring it to Inverts - when are you there next?

The best way to avoid aggression issues is to introduce them at the same time. Before my move, I had a flame established for some time, then tried to add an elbli - the flame would not stand for it. I had to take the ebli back to the store (I worked there... so no biggie...) Just to spite me (it seemed anyway) David, the owner, put that same ebli into one of his holding tanks with a flame with no problems (he, of course, introduced them at the same time...). Michael is right on the lemmon peel - they are usually fine for a few months and then just end up dead one day.... HTH, Mike

I was checking out the "Yellow Colt Coral," but I don't really care to pay - Medium $49, Large $59. I'd be willing to split the cost of one with one or two people and then frag it when it gets here. This is also assuming this thing is not dyed or anything like that... I've read that yellow colts exist, but never seen one. Does Marine Center have a good reputation for corals too? Would they sell a dyed coral...?

Are there any harmful effects (other than increasing salinity - easily remedied) of using baking soda, like Arm and Hammer, to raise alkalinity? I dose Kalk daily and have been putting in about three teaspoons of baking soda (75 gallon) every other day or so to keep up with the calcium and alk needs. I did just order some of that Coral Builder (new product from Kent - supposed to raise alk) from MD, so we'll see how that works. Cheers Mike

Wait until your tank is past about six months of age, but I am very fond of the CB Butterfly. They can be difficult to start taking frozen, but just feed them a mussel at feeding time, and they will recognize the other "stuff" as food and eat it as well. Get a small one. Cheers Mike

I had a copperband in my reef for over a year - model citizen and beautiful fish (I lost it on the move from Okla to here... just haven't gotten another one yet). It did sample an open brain's feeding tentacles a few times, but nothing serious, and then it lost interest. I also had it in with a squamosa clam - no problems. They will take out all your feather dusters though - big ones or little live rock hitchhikers... doesn't matter. I've never had an aptasia problem (knock on wood...), so I can't comment there, but I have read many reports of people having success with them clearing out pest anems. If it doesn't eat the anems right away, and you can't get it to eat frozen, feed a mussel at feeding time and it will certainly enjoy those - as will the other fish, cleanup crew, etc... Not sure what it exactly is, but have you tried Joe's Juice? I've read good reports about it on RC... HTH, Mike

Congressional Aquarium in Rockville has them.

I call it a good day if I can stay at 82 - I don't ever get much lower than that. Actually, just after the heat wave last week, I kept the fans going all night (they usually come on with the lights) and I hit 80 - I felt like throwing a party and started dancing around and celebrating - the girlfriend just rolled her eyes and looked at me like I was nuts... I posted this in the another thread, but I'll ask here too. Do you guys unplug your heaters in the summer? What is the lowest temp the water will reach using fans only - that is, holding all other variables constant (I know, hard to do...). If it depends on tank volume, let's assume 75 gallons... (my size... :: )

Okay, I already have a question... What is the rational for the substantial price differences in the different brands of bulbs with the same wattage, color temp, etc.? I am referring to the link to Hellolights Xeon posted above... It's not simply 'name brand' vs generic is it...???

Wow! Thanks for all the help! Thanks Xeon - I saw those exact bulbs but didn't know the logo. I wasn't sure if XDE = XM. Thanks! I'm going to read both articles as soon as I have the time. I'm sure I will come back with even more questions... Cheers Mike

Where does one find these rumored XM bulbs? I didn't find any on Hellolights. Thanks for all the replies! Cheers Mike

Is the peppermint getting enough food from other sources - ie extra fish food? I have heard that can sometimes be a problem - if the shrimp doesn't have to 'hunt' for food, then it won't... but not real sure... Other ideas are to inject the anems with Kalk slurry. And although I have never used it myself, Joe's Juice (I believe that is the name...) has been getting good reviews on RC - you might do a search there to find more info on it... HTH Mike