Steve G

For some reason my Mg has been low (around 1040) despite somewhat regular water changes (about 12 gallons for a 75g tank about 3 times/month). I started dosing Epsom salt but it has only raised it a bit. As expected, Ca and Alk are also low. Ca around 320. I've started dosing B-ionic as well. But I just started taking action after a whole bunch of coralline algae started dying off my live rock, coming off in large clumps. Any other effects I should worry about? Advice? So far I don't have much livestock but my BTA went missing last week after 3 weeks of staying put and opening wide.

I kept a yellow tree sponge for a while in my old tank, although the tank crashed for other reasons before anything bad happened to the sponge. I probably kept it six months to a year. Can't remember. They don't grow much and the only major precaution is that you must NOT expose them to air.

I almost fragged a clownfish once using the intake of a powerhead. Not on purpose.

Typical LFS behavior is to let you browse. I actually prefer that, as long as someone can help me when I need it. What I don't like is surly (Tropical Lagoon and Roozen's) or ill-informed (won't mention names) reps. I'd rather get an honest and polite "I don't know", which is what I often get at Congressional or Wally's. I don't count on LFS staff for information. I just use their stores for livestock purchases, so I want to know where it's from, how long it's been in the tank, and whether it's eating/opening up. There was a place in VA called the Reef Tank I think (in an industrial park, you enter through a loading dock) where the staff was knowledgable and NOT condescending. I liked that. My criteria for Wally's or any LFS are (in descending order) would be: convenience, selection, price, quality,..., customer service.

Not to hijack, but I disagree. They should be able to live in the city where they work if they want. But they're professionals. How long they commute or where they raise their kids, etc. is their business. It can be better if people with public duties are part of that same public, but like I said, they're professionals.

I don't name my fish and I refuse to recognize the names my wife gives them because I don't want to get attached in that way. I do name my tanks though. "The Kingdom of Steve-a-stan" is the only place in the house where I am in charge. The rest of it, well, I just live here and follow the rules.

I love that! I'll drop that line on my wife just to get her reaction. Is Wally's officially the closest saltwater LFS to DC proper besides Tropical Lagoon? I live near Companion Pets on U St. and their dry goods are ancient and overpriced and they keep banker's hours.

I only travel to Virginia if I have to, so let's plan to meet at the 2/25 WAMAS meeting.

A few years ago my wife told me to stockpile the stuff from Home Depot and I thought she was crazy. Good thing I listened to her. I needed almost all of it for my new setup (5" DSB in both the 48"x18" display and 30" sump). What I have left is half a bag (probably about 25 lbs.?). I can bring it to the next meeting or you can come pick it up in DC if you're interested. If not, please let me know so I can offer it to someone else. I owe my wife the favor of cleaning up my reefy mess. BTW, I don't ask for anything in return. I only regret not having more to give. (Hmmm, sounds like something they could inscribe in my tombstone memorial). Cheers, Steve

Skip, I could have told you about the motels on Route 50 (NY Ave). They are a throwback to an older time when that was the stopping point of choice for tourists on a budget. Now it's pretty run down. The only nice thing in the area is the National Arboretum, which I enjoy visiting often -- the koi pond alone is worth the trip, but this is not a good time of year to visit even that place. If you find G'town too pricey and you've already seen the monuments/downtown, then you might want to try Dupont Circle, Cleveland Park (just past zoo), or Adams Morgan for a better feel for the city. All of those are on or near the Red Line of Metro. Or the U Street Area (near 14th/U St.) on the Green Line. Hope your job search goes well and you come back to DC again. Let us know if you want better lodging advice. Steve

I'm not a fan of Salifert. They find a way for even the simplest tests to be complicated. Seems like there is more room for human error. And the shadings of color on their color chips are impossible for me to distinguish. I prefer the cheapie ones with different colors (e.g. orange vs. red vs. yellow or blue vs. green) instead of half a hair redder than the other shade. How is that more accurate?

Sorry to hear about that. I hope it turns out ok.

I have the same issue, installing a 1.5" FPT-FPT bulkhead. I can't seem to find a male threaded elbow and a male threaded tee, which would be the ideal fittings. Maybe they have them online but I couldn't find them on savko.

I'm about to build my canopy (this weekend if I can find the time) and will be canibalizing two 36" JBJ formosa hoods, mostly for the reflectors, but also for the PC's and fans. I can let you know if I have any leftover reflector material from that project.

Skipponator, Welcome to the DC area, if you decide to move here or even just visit. WAMAS membership is heavily concentrated in Virginia outside the beltway (that highway that loops around the city through its suburbs). On this board you will get a fairly suburban perspective on life in this area. Good thing about that though, is that you may want to live in suburbs or have a job oportunity there. Also, all of the decent fish stores catering to marine aquarists are outside the city, many far out. I am one of a very small minority that lives in the District so I can give you that perspective. Please ignore what people say about avoiding SE or NE and keep an open mind. If you want to try the urban life, then Capitol Hill has some great neighborhoods (SE and NE) and so does Brookland (NE) and many other parts of the city, for great value with history and quick commuting options to downtown. I get everywhere I need to in 20 minutes and I don't own a car (ok, my wife does). Anyway, all that stuff is what realtors are for. PM me if you want the name of a good one. You want info about the reef-keeper community? It's very good here. Good LFS's if you're willing to drive. Plenty of people to help you drill your tank, seed your sandbed, babysit your tank, trade frags, and swap info. Good luck with your plans.

I figured you meant something like $50/inch (at full extension). I did read the thread on majano auctions on EBay, so I appreciate this form of humor. I'm still trying to sell my skimmate online, "the purest nutrients in their most concentrated form" with my brilliant and rare "Atlantic Cyano-sand" thrown in for $5/cup. Speaking of skimmate for sale, Eric Borneman's wife was selling a NIB skimmer she bought for him (wrong size?) and I told her she would get more for it used (by him). I forgot to tell her that rock stars of the marine aquarium world can probably sell their skimmate to adoring fans in autographed acrylic cups. Not that I'm buying...

Thanks for the responses. I don't have any specific needs (tank is not even filled with water yet!) but I did want to inquire. I'm sure as I go to meetings I'll get to know folks who can tank-sit. I know I'd be happy to do it for others if they are relatively nearby. I know it's not a good idea to post dates and duration of vacations on a publicly viewable board for security's sake, or to share keys with someone you don't trust. Just wanted to get a feel for what people do. I look forward to getting to meetings, especially if they are accessible to folks who work until 6 and live in the city.

Hi, How do people handle vacations around here? Do WAMAS members exchange keys and volunteer to watch each others' tanks? I am planning future travel (not for a while) but am wondering about whether non-reefkeeping family and friends are up to the challenges of feeding, maintenance, and most importantly, disaster-response. Thanks. Steve

Hey all WAMAS members, Scott711 drilled my 75g tank and did an excellent job. I was a dremel skeptic but he cut a nice hole for me. Hole saw, schmole saw. By the way, thanks to GaryL too who graciously offered to help me too but we just didn't connect.

I'm shopping around for some hair algae rock and cyanobacteria sand. If you have any you can sell, please quote me a price. I'm willing to pay top dollar for the good stuff. Thanks.

You guys must be stronger than I am. I'll look up dbartko, thanks.

Hi, does anyone have loc-line pliers I can borrow? In a couple of weeks I will probably be plumbing my new tank and it's pretty much a one-time thing, so I don't want to buy the pliers if I can borrow someone else's. I live in DC, so in the city or near suburbs would be cool. TIA.

I think it's ok if they (Petco, Roozen's, etc.) overstock their tanks as long as they have high enough turnover that the fish are going to good homes before they get too cramped and as long as they take precautions so they don't incubate and transfer too many parasites. If they sell to uninformed customers who will not research and care for the livestock properly, that is frustrating, but I figure if I buy their livestock myself then it's going into a WAMAS member's tank and will have a shot at being kept responsibly. I also try to gently and subtly educate the sales person (by asking them leading "questions" like should I quarantine this for 2 weeks or 4 weeks and if they say "nah, don't bother', I tell them horror stories) and let them know about WAMAS. The only reason I would outright boycott is if I thought they were obtaining their livestock from unscrupulous collectors. Is there any way to check up on LFS suppliers' collection methods? I had a Flame Angel that I was sure was cyanide-caught. It died within weeks and had the tell tale signs, expelling its guts. It was sad and frustrating. IT was a few years ago so I can't remember which store I got it from, maybe Tropical Lagoon in Silver Spring.

I use DC tap water in my pond and my fish (comets) are fine, swim happily, and they reproduce. I used to aerate and treat with Prime, but then my Prime ran out and just aerated, and then got lazy and poured it in and the fish are no worse off. I figure the tap water can't be much worse than the rainwater tainted with pollution from our neighboring states. As I indicated upthread, I use RO/DI for my reef now, but for something like 3 months I used treated tap water (aerated and Primed) before buying drinkmore water (RO/DI) and then eventually getting a 5-stage unit.

Until I bought my 100 gpd RO/DI unit I bought 5-gallon jugs of pure RO/DI water from Drinkmore. They have locations in Bethesda and Rockville and maybe other locations too.