KenB

I had a hawk that liked to eat them

Good point. Was also thinking about an Avast skimmer. I have one of their reactors and kalk stirrer and like the quality and build kit and made in USA, but Dan said production is on hold until the new DC pumps are available. He said the market wants DC pumps. Not sure I get the DC craze, I like the reliability of the the current top AC pumps. Wouldn't think the DC pumps variable speed capability would be an advantage on a skimmer.

Thinking about a Vertex Alpha skimmer. On the fence between the 170 and 200. I have a 125, 40 gal sump and 20 gal fuge with medium fish and coral load although I like to feed a lot of frozen food and black worms to keep them fat. They will both fit in my sump and only $70 difference so thinking bigger is better but wondering if they 200 is overkill. ken

Wow seems like I'm way overdosing. Going to do a 30 gal water change tomorrow with no dosing except mag for a few days and see what happens. I'm also going to check my ro/di reef crystals mix to see what I'm adding.

Thanks for the info. I have an extra set of test kits I'll try but pretty sure the ones I have (Red Sea) are at least close. Your explanation of participating out as calcium carbonate seems to fit my symptoms. I think I'll back off the dosing and bring the mag up to 1400 or so and see what happens but this is making feel like a calcium reactor might actually be simpler. One constant dose takes care of all three. Doing research on Lifereef and Vertex reactors. Lot of money but if I can get good stable levels and not have to mess with it too much or when I'm away one less thing for the tank sitter to worry about might be worth it.

So I've been having issues with my 2 part manual dosing and I'm to the point that I'm thinking of a calcium reactor (thanks for those who gave advice to my reactor post last week) but want to make sure it's not a bigger problem. Tank 125 gal Sump feed tub approx 30 gal of water half full Refugium 20 gal Lightly stocked coral Kalk reactor running lightly So I've manually dosed BRS 2 part for years without many problems and hadn't been checking levels for awhile and went away for a few days and the person taking care of it confused my directions and under dosed but didn't think that should be a big deal. When I checked my levels were all very low (probably already low before I left) Mag 1000, Alk 6, Cal 290. So I started increasing my doses from 200 ml of alk and cal to 400 and some days 600 (over dosing I think??) for several weeks and cant get the cal over 375 +/- and the alk over 7.5 +/-. Not terrible but can't seem to get to Cal 400-450 and alk 8-9. Mag is at 1200, little low. Also tank glass is turning white and pumps require much more maintenance. Switched from dumping in my sump to gradually adding high flow area of main tank. Not much difference. So I was hoping maybe a calcium reactor would solve my problem but would like to know what's going before I make that investment. Any thoughts/suggerstions would be greatly appreciated. thanks ken

Sorry for all the questions but that's to monitor the ph not to control the co2 to keep within a range?

Seth, Do you use a PH controller? The Lifereef site says you don't need one but seems like a nice feature, however, I would like to keep it as simple as possible.

Thanks guys. This is a big investment so I want to take my time and get as right as possible the first time. Looked at the Lifereef site and they recommend a simple regulator and no PH controller with a small feed pump. One of my concerns with the feed pump is they always get calcified and the flow rate will change/stop. Not sure how critical that is but is that why you recommend the peristaltic pump? Thanks ken

Thinking about switching to a calcium reactor. Looking at the Vertex with a carbon doser regulator and a 1.0 sicce feed pump. Anyone have experience with the Vertex? Seen and read a lot of good things but a number of the BRS reviews complain about leaking at the pump connection??

I have a BRS external GFO/Carbon reactor. I also use two part Calcium Alk and a Kalk stirrer. My GFO reactor keeps clogging. I took out the bottom sponge but still clogs. Anyone have any suggestions? thanks ken

anyone know if tank bred green mandarins are available anywhere? thanks ken

I have a 20 gal high fuge/nano that gravity feeds the main system and am using an old power compact that works ok but getting tired of changing the bulbs. Never used LED pretty much still old school MH but thought this might be a good baby step to try LED. Thinking about a 15" reefbrite or a aqua mini MicMol Nano (Premium Aquatics on sale). Have to admit I didn't follow all the technical discussion on color but would you want a different light with a fuge to grow cheato vs. a Nano that could support some corals or could one of these work for both?

Will some of these wrasses feed on pods in the system. I'm not around enough for multiple feedings but have lots of pods in the system and was wondering if that would supplement limited feedings

I have one and just bought a pair of juv clowns and noticed he was eying them up this morning. hopefully they don't become a snack.

I have a JBJ controller and my heater just went up so I got two new 300W heaters and was thinking about upgrading to aqua logic controller. The JBJ has been working fine for a couple of years now and doesn't sound like the 2 degree swing is an issue so maybe I'll stick with what I have. http://www.marinedepot.com/Aqua_Logic_Digital_Temperature_Controller_Single_Stage_Temperature_Controllers_for_Saltwater_Aquariums-Aqua_Logic-AL1711-FITETC-AL1711-vi.html

Was wondering what folks thought about temperature controller swings. Mine has a 2 degree swing. Set at 78 comes on at 77 goes off at 79. There is another controller that has a +/- of one degree could set the low at 77.5 and high at 78.5. Just wondering if it's worth it to go from a 2 degree swing to one degree?

I'm leaning towards the Hamilton Cebu with 250 W electronic ballast. Not sure on the 10K vs 14K bulbs. It's not the most attractive fixture but seems functional, assembeled in USA, and has fans. With the 10% MD discount and free shipping it's around $1,100. Been scrounging around on craigslist and ebay for something used but can't find what I need. The Giesmann was going to run close to $3K. Seems to me the LED technology is still moving along pretty fast and with the hamilton I think I could retrofit the T5s down the road with LEDs if I wanted. Need to do something soon since I'm running on two out of three bulbs now.

A giesmann with reef brites would nice!! Been looking but haven't been able to find a used one

I’ve narrowed it down to three fixtures. Not sure I want to pay over $2k for the Giesmann but it looks slick and sounds like the best quality. Hamilton’s look a little bulky but seem like the best value. I like the LEDs on the Reef Brites and they are made in NJ but they don’t make a 72” fixture and I would need three pendants which will look a little messy with all the wires. Anyone have any experience with these or any thoughts? http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/giesemann-infiniti-series-metal-halide-t5-fixtures http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/hamilton-technology-250w-6-cebu-sun-metal-halide-t5-system http://www.marinedepot.com/Reef_Brite_HyBrid_Metal_Halide_15_inch_Pendant_with_XHO_LED_strips_20_Inch_Metal_Halide_Light_Fixtures-Reef_Brite-3M01100-FILTFIMHTN-vi.html

Ryan, It's a 125 gal 72" x 21" deep. I have 250W MH now and will probably stick with 250 if i go MH. In the summer my tank usally runs from 79 degrees at night up to 81 during the day. not ideal but haven't seen too much problem and don't want to fool with a chiller. Right now my heater switches on at 76 and off at 78.

Thanks Ryan. I'm leaning towards one of the 72" MH fixtures with strip T5 or strip LED to suspend over the tank with no canopy so I want something that looks nice also. It's a big investment so I want to make sure I get as much info as possible before i pull the trigger. ken

http://www.championlighting.com/product.php?productid=80503&cat=1253&page=1 http://premiumaquatics.com/products/reef-brite-hybrid-halide-36-150w-hqi-de-pendant-wxho-led-strips.html Anyone seen one of these in action or think is't a good solution. i'm running 250W MH fo 21" depth now. Maybe the 150 are a little cooler and with the T-5 and LED would be enough

I mentioned in my recent post I need a new lighting system and was considering switching from MH to LED. I know with my MH I replace the bulbs every year ($150) and I know the LED lights last longer but do they need to be replaced at some point and how much hassle and cost is it replacing/upgrading/changing them?? Still on the fence MH or LED.

Not committed to changing but considering since I need to do something. Only one of the three ballast went up so for now I've moved things around to give me some time to figure out what I want to do. Less heat in the summer would be nice. I like the way you can program the dawn/dusk effects. Not sure if the LED will work with SPS as well??