extreme_tooth_decay

Could you set it up so the water coming into the kalk stirrer is dripping into there through air (the tube not submerged)? Then it would not be able to back-siphon into your reservoir in the event of a check valve failure. That is how I do my ATO.

Right, In his case, a siphon break would be a good back up. For me, I only use the pump for ATO, so there is no possibility of a siphon. I'm not sure I understand his exact set-up, but if he is pumping kalk-juice or salt water through the check valve (which I am not), I would expect that would cause the check valve to fail faster. Could explain why mine has lasted so long.

FYI: I have the exact same pump and the exact same issue. In my case, it is even more of a problem for the tubes to lose the water because the outflow from my pump goes up 10 feet to the next floor. That pump's spec sheet specifically states that if the rollers stop the wrong way, this problem will occur "If the pump stops with the drive axle in the horizontal position then the pump will not act as a non return valve." That is just how this pump is designed. Replacing your hose will not address this. (Side note: Mine came with an extra hose, did yours?) I have been using a RENA "Deluxe Airline Check Valve" for many years and have not had a problem. Like this one: LINK Your results may vary, greatly...after all, it is a cheap piece of plastic.

I've been there... I've determined the best way to clean an acrylic tank is to throw it away and get a glass tank.

How do you get the anemones to stay where you want them? Mine would have moved just to spite be within 24 hours.

I think you may need 16. I know I do.

I bought some cheapo $99-ish mail order generator a few years back. I tested it, it worked. I then stored it in my basement. Several months later, I noticed a small coming from my basement. I was amazed to find that all of the gas that was in the generator was now on my basement floor. I was equally amazed that it was not on fire yet, since I have 2 gas appliances down there. I *think* I had found a gas line that had corroded somehow (did not come loose), but I do not recall for sure. Would have been a good idea to store it without gas in retrospect, which would have meant running it until it was empty. Be careful...that is really scary stuff.

I have a pretty frigid ex.

I've never had a problem with those simple mechanical timers. (like this one: LINK) I may have replaced it in that time...or I may not have. Not sure. I've probably been using the same timer for my lights in that time as well. Both for my display and fuge. I don't ever recall having a problem with those things. And they start right back up after a power outage.

I don't trust float switches or any type of sensor, I don't care how many of them are used redundantly. I use a simple peristaltic pump (ie, very slow, less than 1 gph) and timer. I set the timer to how much I need, about 40 minutes per day for my tank. Never had a problem in 10 years.

Whether you have pods or not is irrelevant if you want a mandarin. The key is to get them eating prepared foods. I had extremely good luck with PE mysis. Here is what mine looked like after 3 years of eating PE.

I had them a couple times and liked them. However, they never lasted more than a couple months.

That is exactly what I do. It takes a long time, and my hand gets very cold from constantly turning it over, but I am happy in the end because I saw a lot of cloudy junk leave that I didn't want. I consider it a 1 time pain. Worth it to me, but I don't consider it critical.

Why do they make out like the octopus was "stealing" it. Maybe he thought it was a gift.

I love diamond gobies. Never had a problem.

+1

I had one set up like this for years. It was trivial to set up, and would always start after a power outage (water always stayed in it, so it was always primed). Took about 5 min to set up. Here is a pic.

Knowing the guy who bought one, it was probably gnarly after 10 minutes...

When mine popped, weeks after I repaired it, the sound of it coming loose woke me up in the middle of the night. boioioioioioing! That's not a sound you want to hear. I was amazed the tank held. I drained it half way, and replaced the tank in the morning. The fish were not amused.

+1 I had one break after I repaired it on a 55. Weeks later. Should have just bought a new tank.

I think most places do evacuate the system before recharging. They did for mine. It was registering "full" because it was full of moisture that had displaced the refrigerant, so they couldn't add any more until it was evacuated.

No. You need a special vacuum pump.

I think you have to vacuum out all of the moisture that has accumulated in there before you can use a can like that to refill.

CPR boxes are great, I've been using them for many years. If the break is fairly clean, weld-on will be fine. If the break is not clean, you can weld a scrap piece over the entire crack with weld-on, at least on one side.

I think the "real" tile folks think mastic should never be used, and would always use mortar, but I'm sure mastic would be fine. 1/4" notch sounds way too big for wall tile. I think it is normal to use thinner notch for thinner tile...you don't want too much oozing out. Then you'll have to remove it before grouting. You probably want 1/8" or 5/32"