extreme_tooth_decay

He is probably at Roozen's.

I do over-rate mine. I have been running a mag 9.5 and the CS 102 or 202 (not sure which, seems like not much difference) for years. Never a problem. I like CPR boxes. I think Chad is making a good point about additional air build up in there with slower than expected flow rates, but I also think it is important to have something in place to deal with those bubbles, as I think they will still accumulate, just at a slower rate. I really like having 2 out-tubes, to prevent a single point of failure from a single tube (snail that makes it past the mesh somehow, etc).

I had a marbled (coral) cat shark for a long time that was the most interesting one. Although he had a 6' tank, he moved less than any other fish. He mostly hung out on the bottom, or under his rock, and would get active usually only during feeding. He would forage around at night, slowly, on the bottom. He would have had had plenty of room in a smaller tank. I rarely saw him in the "right half" of mine. Before that, I had another type of cat shark, I think, cannot recall what type it was. It had similar habits. They were both very beautiful and interesting. Easy to keep, and always the first thing people noticed. They had many other tank mates, and did not have problems. I would feed the shark a couple or 3 times a week with a feeding prong or my hand. I recall seeing my cleaner shrimp inside his mouth cleaning him more than one time, which is impressive given that I mostly fed him chunks of shrimp.

I've kept sharks. Large tank not required. Recommend a shark type that is more slow moving, and likes to rest on the sand most of the time. Interesting and beautiful. I got rid of mine when I decided to go more for corals. Sharks kept knocking them over.

Gonna be a long time before that fish is big enough to eat.

How about setting up a heat exchanger to capture some of the hot air around here?

Excellent! I've been waiting for someone trustworthy in the club to do acrylic work for a long time. I'll be in contact.

+1 For me, I use a 75 GPD membrane, 1 micron sediment filter and carbon block. No DI. Water comes out around 5ppm TDS, which suits me fine. Those extra 5 ppm aren't worth going after for me. I also drink the water. I've been using that membrane over 5 years. I replace the filters every 6 months "or so".

I don't have any right now. That particular one died after about 4 years due to unknown causes. I had some others. A couple I gave away, one I sold. They are pretty easy to keep.

I was reminiscing about this thread earlier today. Figured I'd bump it. Maybe someone needs a laugh.

I've kept these guys. Got them from Roozen's. They would swim after fish occasionally, but could never catch one. They focus on crustaceans.

Watching the TDS is not of any use, because the prefilters do not effect it in any significant amount (if at all).

I'm sure they all have chlorine in them...obviously could be in different concentrations. To me the prefilters are cheap enough that I just replace them periodically. I also think the carbon is removing many other contaminants besides chlorine. Carbon is great stuff and should be replaced to maintain its effectiveness.

I have always thought that the prefilters do not effect TDS, only the membrane (though it seems like the sediment filter should, the carbon filter removes chemicals and contaminants like chlorine that do not show up as TDS because they are not solids). I change mine every 6 months, or when the sediment filters looks nasty-yellow, which is usually about 6 months.

I am not a structural engineer, but this topic has come up several times. I see some common myths in this thread. One of the most common ones is "A fat person can stand on the floor with no problem", and this is much more pressure than the aquarium. The floor's ability to take a load for an hour says nothing about its ability to take the load for years. This is an interesting read: LINK (see myth number 10a, 11 (there are 2 11's...the second one) Also note in his conclusions "If your tank is over 125 gallons, then it is likely that you should consider adding supports under your wood framed floor. " For me, personally, when I put in a 125, I put it right over an I-beam, spanning several joists, and I went ahead and doubled up those joists. Didn't cost much or take much effort, and made me feel good. Maybe wasn't needed.

+1

If it were me... I would probably just fill it up as Chad suggested. You probably won't be able to see it. If you are the kind of guy who hates knowing it is there, even if you can't see it (I get that way myself), and you have tried all other options, I wonder if a polishing kit meant to take tiny scratches out of glass (cerium oxide) might work? Maybe something like this: LINK

I think most people use a valve on the outflow, not the inflow, of the pump. The pump can't tell the difference between that and more head height.

I want to hear the audio...

This is very interesting...and tempting...

Nice!

ug

Free shipping (I think) if you buy a 5 gal bucket...I'd buy half of it if the shipping is really free and I got the half with the bucket. Not a super good price break over smaller sizes, but free shipping is nice.

This thread reads like a veritable boogie-man list of reefkeeping! Flatworms, redbugs, nitrate, phosphates, light, chemical coral warfare, coral nipping fish, parasites, alkalinity, PH, water clarity, carbon, GFO, stray current, broken heaters, bad power strips, inappropriate lighting, water flow... Nearly all boogey men accounted for. Someone should implicate UV. Then Chip can rush in to the defense of UV. Oh, and ammonia, nitrites, and copper. And cats peeing in the water. That one'll get ya every time. Oh, scratch that, I already mentioned ammonia. In my opinion, we don't really understand it well. (thus all the suggestions...)