YBeNormal

I read the first few hundred pages of that thread ( ) several months ago and recall some discussion about whether it had to be aragonite or oolitic sand and there were several knowledgable folks that had used regular silicone sand with great success. The real key is to have the water flow over the top of the sand fast enough to prevent any debris from settling on/in the sand and decomposing. I had a problem with the sand blowing around in the bucket and piling up so I cut a section of eggcrate in a circle and pushed that it into the sand until it was just covered. Problem solved! Edit: Regarding the drawing with the sealed lid over the RDSB bucket, this idea was also discussed in the thread. Placed above the sump will work fine but placing it under the tank resulted in serious pressure on the lid resulting in leaks.

Excerpt from a post by Anthony Calfo in this MEGA thread titled "DSB in a bucket for nitrate control" at RC:

Yeah, I've also read stories of folks paying $40 or more for them in LFS' with the same description, "Rare Anemone!"

IME, CC will disolve and powder over time and can get under a cleaning magnet just as easy as sand.

They are deceptively pretty. If you want a whole tank full of them and not much of anythg else, keep 'em around. Otherwise you have to do the dirty deed as soon as possible...

This was three days of morning to evening driving and socializing and I have to say, the pictures don't do the tanks justice at all. Thanks to Johnny for putting up with my indecisiveness until I finally purchased the large piece of LR. It was the perfect piece for my 75g puffer tank. Thanks also to Sean for taking so much of his valuable time to visit with us and to everyone who opened their doors for the personal tank tours. It was a long and tiring weekend but well worth the effort. Justin really made out, leaving here with a large box full of some very nice frags he picked up along the way from each store and every tank we visited. I highly encourage all of the lurkers and unpaid members to bite the bullet and sign up for full membership in WAMAS. You won't regret it!

You need to size the sump and the height of your baffles to accomodate the full amount of water that will be in the sump when your return pump is turned off (or fails). As I mentioned in your other post, I can show you my setup this evening and explain how it works. In spite of many mistakes I've made over the past few months and several short power outages, I've yet to experience an overflow. ~Bob

There are hundreds of sump plans on the internet. One popular site for designs is Melev's Reef but the actual design depends a lot on what you plan to use the sump for. Do you want to build the sump from scratch using glass or acrylic or modify an old tank for the purpose? I'm in the process of building a new sump now. I'm hardly an expert in this area but I'd be happy to show you what I've done when you drop by this evening.

Welcome Jason! With the lessons learned frm your past experiences and the great advice you will receive from the folks around here, you shouldn't have as many problems this time. The main thing is that you should not skimp on lighting or skimmer and take your time. I'm sure you already know that though! You should also upgrade to full member status ASAP. This will allow you to access the sale/trade and group buy areas of the forum, sure to save you much more than the $20 you will spend on the membership fee. ~Bob

You made a nice choice! I was sooo tempted to pick up one while I was there...but resisted. I'm not sure my willpower will be as strong next time though!

I'm relatively new to WAMAS myself, joined just a few months ago. One thing I can say without reservation is that you should definitely consider becoming a full member. It will be the best $20 you spend this year!

Hmmm... a bit OT but I disagree--at least when it comes to our member vendors. They happen to also be reefers, have paid their dues and have opinions just like the rest of us. Why shouldn't they be allowed to post? I would agree if this was a non-supporting vendor making random spam posts in the forum, but what Johnny posted was fine in my books.

I have a CSS-220 and agree that while there are certainly many better performing skimmers on the market, Coralife skimmers are very good values. They are a bit tempermental though and prone to overflowing, so I would strongly recommend using them in-sump vice HOB. JMHO...

Root beer!

Levelling compound would be best but there other options, incuding the plywood plate that I mentioned in my previous post. I'll give you a call tomorrow. ~Bob

3/4" is a lot of shimming! Is the stand that far off or is it due to the floor being uneven? Depending on the cause of the issue and how the stand is designed, I might be able to make a plywood plate to insert below or on top of the stand that would compensate for the differences and provide a true and sturdy platform.

I've seen that video and a disucssion about it in another forum. The consensus in that forum was that the goldfish had been fed metal pellets of some type and were being steered by magnets under the tank. Impressive, but not something I would want to try with any fish that I cared about.

Interesting idea and something I'd love to build. I need to study the picture when I'm more alert though so I can figure out the flow through the relay.

Sounds like you have plenty of sources in your area. LMK if you need more though. Bob

Steve, I'd love to help and I rarely miss and opportunity to drink free beer, but I already have plans with the family for this Sunday. Next time though! Bob

Too bad more people don't do that!

Time got away from me and I didn't make it to Bob and Tamie's. Hopefully there will be a "next time". Thanks to Chip and his family for great hospitality, a great tank tour and for he nice frag I picked up today. The 220g tank is awsome!

I stop there at least once per week on the way home from work to pick up crickets. Their hardware and dry goods prices are not the greatest though (BRK beats them hands down) and I'd avoid purchasing any of their fish--especially in the SW section. It's really a shame that they do not take better care of their livestock since they have a large selection to choose from.

Careful now... Don't give Justin a swelled head. We still have to work with him on the other forums!

Hey Justin. Good to see you finally made it over to WAMAS!