rooroo

I wouldn't worry about a new skimmer until you start having high levels of nutrients in the tank that you can't seem to get down. Watch nitrates (I would say having troubles getting below 40ppm with a FOWLR would be a good indicator that you don't have adequate nutrient export) and it'll be a good indicator of when you need to consider a new skimmer. Until then keep the one you have clean and functioning well. You can also consider a recirculating skimmer or something that can sit outside the sump. Then you don't need a new sump. I didn't do this because I'm paranoid about floods.

Eh, Ricks is like congressional to me. You gotta flag people down to help you out, and the quality is up and down. I have a credit there so I need to stop by soon and get a collection of snails and stuff. I was going to buy an open brain but boy did they look aweful when I was in there. They serve a purpose though. With a large drygoods area they are able to stock lots of stuff that you may need in a pinch.

I bought a Cannon Digital Elf, the first one they came out with, 4 years ago or so. The camera still works well, though the technology is outdated at this point. I've even dropped it a couple of times on pavement, but the body is metal so it takes the abuse. I haven't read reviews of newer models but if they've only improved on what I have, then its gotta be a great point and shoot. I'm looking at getting a new one soon. I'm going between the Sony DSC and the Cannon Elfs again. I will probably go with the elf as I already have the memory it uses. Both are pocket sized. Features you want to look for include the highest number optical zoom (not digital) you can get, might want macro, highest megapixel you can get for the money your willing to spend. Seems 7 megalpixels is pretty standard now... my old cannon is 3.2 megapixels. If I take photos at the highest quality and size setting I can get 5x7s clear out of it. Red-eye flash elimination is pretty standard now adays... most cameras you can buy a larger battery that will improve the battery life. I would recommend getting a camera that takes a standard memory card, like compact flash or memory stick, as those will be easier to find and cheaper. Also buy a lanyard or neck strap for it, that will keep your kid from dropping it so much. Thats all I have to suggest.

I ordered UVL bulbs from Championlighting.com last time.

Sounds like you need to give the manufacturer of your skimmer pump a call. If its not too old they may replace it for free.

I do not think salt has a shelf life. It should be good for many years. Nothing should evaporate out and nothing is organic so there is no reason why it would go bad over time, unless oxidation occurs with some of the metals, but even that shouldn't cause a huge issue unless you're talking about a 20 year old bucket o salt. The moisture in there shouldn't be a problem either, however you may find that you need to add less of the chunks of salt to reach the desired salinity. Just add slowly to water, let dissolve and check salinity frequently.

Arg, don't tell me that! Yeah, I know about the tunze, I'm trying to avoid the $327 price tag. That's the main truth. No one sells them used either, which is good testament that its a great skimmer. The EuroReef I can get for under $200, maybe less if I can find a used one. I was hoping this will be actually more than enough for my tank.

Standing up on my soapbox here... Very personal reason I don't buy anything from them. They sell puppies. I don't like supporting a business that has no interest in what happens to the dogs after they leave the store nor any interest in where the puppies came from. It has nothing at all to do with how the fish tanks look.

Yeah, their reef room has made a huge improvement. The past few times I've been in there they have little by way of inverts and fish, I think they're not ordering enough to keep up with demand thus far. But all the fish I've purchased from them have thrived, and I never see dead fish in the displays. This is one of my favorite places to stop for fish and frozen food. They're getting there on everything else. Unfortunetly their dry good selection will probably never be there as they have limited space... they do have lots of things in storage though so you just have to ask for some things.

Yeah, so that skimmer didn't work. The venturi was shot. That's ok, it was free and came with a spare pump. So now I'm looking at new skimmers. I'm looking at the EuroReef RS80. Someone told me they were able to squeeze it into a 7" x 9" area, which is about the size I have (7" x 11"). Do you think this skimmer will be good for a 65 gallon with a 15 gallon sump/fuge? Or the real question, will it be better than the Urchin I currently have? Only have two fish but lots of live rock and corals, will eventually get a few more fish. I'd like to go for the cheaper and larger Octopus NW150 but I have serious doubts that it will fit in my space. If I take one baffle out I'll have 8.5" x 11", but I don't think it'll fit in that space either.

I should say Aquanotes isn't available for the mac.

Can't hook it up to the Mac. Looks like you can go to your local computer store and ask for a minidin 8 connector to USB. Don't know if these exist... otherwise its a minidin 8 to serial.

Well I'm glad I didn't get it then. It was a little too big for the sump anyway. Would have had to take baffles out and I'd rather just spend the money on a tunze skimmer that will fit in there no problem. I got the venturi skimmer from my mom last night and have it and the pump (mag 5) soaking in vinegar today. Will try it out this weekend, hopefully it won't take a long time to get adjusted. My mom said it worked well on her tank, it just wasn't big enough for her system.

I'm also looking at an ETSS Skimmer on RC for $100 with pump... going to measure the sump tonight and see if it'll fit. Its super dirty but I have no problem soaking the think in vinegar for a day. I'm crossing my fingers that it will fit in the sump...

Well, I figure its worth a try. It is bigger, and it will use a bigger pump, just a different style to inject air into the water. Probably a waste of my time but hey, you can never have too many powerheads, right?

Higher bio load now. It still pulls out gunk. Just can't keep up I think.

That does help. I currently have an Aqua C Urchin and its just not working for the tank anymore. Did great at first but I really think its too small for the tank. Do you think the skimmer I mentioned above would be better than the Urchin or worse?

They're made out of acrylic, right? Acrylic is very easy to repair, so if he's glued it up it should be good to go. If the cracks are in plumbing, it all depends on if you can get replacement parts. I can't even see the cracks in that photo which probably means the cracks aren't a big deal.

My mom has an old venturi skimmer just sitting around her house, all it needs is a new pump. It's an Amiracle Hurricane. It's rated for 130 gallon tank, and since mine is 65, I figure this might actually be an adequate skimmer for my tank, plus it fits in my sump. However, I know the current popular skimmer is the needle wheel ones. So are venturis any good? What do I need to know about it? Should I forget it and just buy a needle wheel skimmer and hope it fits in my small sump space? I'm looking at the Tunze skimmers but its hard to justify to hubby that I NEED a $350 skimmer when I can get a $250 skimmer that will work IF it fits in the space.

Snails, water changes, and manual removal have helped thus far. Also upping the photoperiod for the refugium and reducing it for the tank. I need more hermits I think.

100% GE Silicon I will probably work, you'll have to let it cure for a few days though. You might be able to use 5 minute epoxy and let it cure overnight. JB Weld On... I've heard of lots of people using that in their tanks. I don't know since I've never tried. I use Super Glue for pretty much everything, but I doubt super glue will hold something that heavy. Edit: Dave beat me to it... I know at some time there was talk of making a thread about things that are safe to use in your aquarium. Like types of glues, materials for building, etc. Did that ever happen?

Well for the overflow you want to get as close to 600 GPH as possible. That is also appropriate flow going through the sump for a 58. I think I have a Mag 7 on my tank that does around 500 GPH. That would probably work great. A tip to keep algae out of your U-Tubes - Put a little aluminum foil over the overflow and U tube. You can mold it to fit just right and it'll block most of the light so you may get small buildup but nothing that would ever require cleaning. I used to do this with my overflows and I never had to clean the U Tubes.

You might check at home depot for those too. I asked for plastic hose clamps last time I was in there and the employee looked baffeled like he'd never heard of them. However my parents have a huge jar full of these hose clamps that came from Home Depot, so I know they currently or have had them in the past. Unfortunetly the ones my parents have are just one size too small. Maybe a pool and spa store would have them too?

Not cheap. They probably have very high overhead. It is a large store space in Gaithersburg after all. Actually I found their fish prices to be reasonable but their coral prices were always high. I spoke with the manager and he said they want to do trade-ins from local hobbiests to get their prices lower. It seems buying from their wholesaler is expensive, probably on par with what we pay online. And they need to make a profit to run the store.

Did you happen to read this article, the section titled "A Word of Caution about zoanthids"? Or is this the article you took to your doc?