Steve G

Key Largo probably has the best reefs for snorkeling, but I've never been to the Keys myself. Just researched it for a dive trip I'm taking this summer, which will now be in St. Croix, USVI.

I got acrylic rods from Home Depot, the ones they use to replace the spindles on window blinds. They cost me something like $3/package. I use them in conjuctions with a frame I built out of 1/2" PVC to create vertical rock piles, bridges, and ledges. It took me a few tries... These links provide the pics. http://picasaweb.google.com/s.glazerman/Nov08AquascapeReDo# http://picasaweb.google.com/s.glazerman/12DecReReaquascape#

I got a 65 watt PC utility light from Lowe's. Replaces my Lights of America 65 watt with pretty much the same thing. I forget the brand. cost about $40. My last one lasted about 4 years with one bulb change.

Hi, I don't want to own a weight belt but I need one for my certification dives. I have the weights (Splash will buy them back) but I need a belt with pockets. If anyone has one they are willing to lend me, I'd be most grateful. I could return it mid-June. Thanks, Steve

They are big eaters, used to frequent feedings, so be prepared for that.

I went through all of this. I can write volumes on it. Of all the things I tried (which was everything), changing the old bulbs was probalby the most important. The foxface rabbitfish didn't touch algae but is a nice addition anyway. Devours the nori that I purchased but won't eat free valonia -- snobby fish. Hard to know if emerald crabs are doing anything productive but I suspect they are because most of my valonia is just the large ones, which I remove by hand. I htink the emeralds eat hair algae too, but not fast enough. Nutrient removal (replace old bulbs and RO/DI filters, skimming, etc.) is the better long term solution for that. Surprisingly, running phosban reactor did nothing. The problem got better after I took the reactor offline. Could be coincidence.

Sounds like a preemie whale shark, pretty cool. My son will enjoy this. I hope it survives! Newborn blue whales are 20' long (!)

I wonder about this too. My lights don't come on until well after sunrise, so with the morning sunlight, my fish get a longer photoperiod than I would like. (The shades in the room do not block out morning light). I keep the lights on late so I can come home from work and feed and tinker.

+1 on Ned and Anna. Amazing images and stories. Inspiring. Three cheers for the WAMAS officers, volunteers, and vendors who donated generously. This was a great meeting. Just the right mix of socializing, trading, and lecture.

If I threw them in my refugium (I have two emeralds), would they decimate the pods?

Thanks. I think our bloodthirsty mantis owners in the club have ulterior motives so I'll discount their advice. I have seen this crab on the corals at night a lot but the coral has been growing well. It's so hard to know what the crab is doing just by watching. Their claws and mouth move so quickly.

I have caught my emerald crab several times hanging out on an SPS coral (acropora digitata I believe). I can't tell if he's eating polyps, but should I assume so? If so, then um, I have two emerald crabs for sale, real cheap I got them to help control valonia. The valonia is way down, but unfortunately, I took several anti-valonia meaures all at once so it's hard to know what caused the decline, but I'd like to give my crabs credit. Have they overstayed their welcome?

I know. Always quarantine. But if i am adding a fish from a club-member's tank, where the medical and feeding history are well known, is it imposing undue stress on the animal to make two transitions (to QT and then to display tank)? Specifics: display tank has 2 ocellaris, 1 royal gramma, and a foxface rabbitfish. Adding a pygmy angel. What say ye, wise wamas members? What do you do in this situation?

just following along...

IO is the only thing I buy at Congressional Aquarium. They have a permanent sale on salt. Actually, I buy Reef Crystals now. My new water with Reef Crystals tests higher in Mg than my old IO did, so I'm sticking with the good stuff. Brian brought me back a bucket from That Pet Place in Lancaster, PA.

If you want to go back and seed their tank with some valonia, bryposis, or aitpasia for a "natural" look, just let me know. I can hook you up.

Same here. I started to panic when I saw the box but opened it up to find the dry goods I ordered. Would take two seconds to draw an X through the word live on the boxes, but ok, makes sense now.

I can see it now in aquarium supply catalogues, the NoriNator 2000 Pendant or Hang-on Kit for $49.99. Bag of algae-colored rubber bands for $3.99. Automated feeder attachment to raise/lower the fitting, I mean the feeding device, at random intervals for $129.99.

How about a place on your website for deadbeat customer tanks?

I feed dried nori from an Asian market (much cheaper than what you buy from aquarium supply companies). Seaweed gets mangy if left on the clip so I removed uneaten bits. My foxface rabbitfish eats it and my peppermint shrimps and emerald crabs eat the leftovers that fall off the clip, but sometimes it's not all gone so I adjust the amount accordingly. If your fish aren't eating it at all, you could try different varieties. Also, they have veggie-rich frozen prepared foods which you could try. Good luck.

Interesting solution, but does that mean all your inverts and other fish have to flop around while you find the target fish? And many fish can still evade you in just a few centimeters of water. What if you drain the tank and the fish ends up under a rock. Don't you still have to pull it all apart? Brian Ward and I spent hours trying to get a blenny out of my 75g tank and eventually we just pulled out nearly every darn piece of live rock in the tank.

My percs occasionally stir up the bed but only the top layer and only in their special cozy corner of the tank Heck, I also have a pistol shrimp with my DSB and it's no big deal. So far (had it about a month) the pistol does his digging in the far corner behind a rock.

I hear a lot about people keeping fish in the fuge, but that seems to defeat the purpose, which is to offer microfauna a refuge from fish and other predators.

A little more context helps. This is an article about placozoans and their place in evolution. First three grafs: