traveller7

I have been hunting a quality specimen for quite awhile, but with my tanks in current "dis-repair", I had to pass on the only one I wanted to buy in years. It is nice to make it to the West Coast on occassion

Just curious to know, what numbers did you use for the consumption of power of the 250 vs 400 ballasts?

There is alot to like about T5's, but they are really in a battle with VHO's instead of a properly set up metal halide. fwiw: I do run 48" T5s on an anemone, LPS, softie, 'shroom, and zoo frag tank in the utility room. If the tubes last for 1 yr I may leave them, if not, replacing them with 150DE's.

I'll match ReefMon's $20

Anthony sure does get a few nice ones, but $400 is a bit steep for me :p

Problem is most "sellers" won't admit the specimen is dying :( Eric is out for awhile, but let me know when you are sending and i'll pick up some dying ones from the big "R" to ship at the same time.

I have the XDE20K and the CV20K running side by side and they are very similar in color and visual intensity. If you like it blue, they don't need actinics in my opinion. Good luck.

1 rainford and 1 bluespot in my clam tank and there is always some sand on my clams. I know it irritates me, but they do not seem to mind much. Some species get quite a bit larger then mine though and now you are talking about 1 teaspoon a dump. I would urge some caution on all but the smallest sand sifters.

The Home Depot and Lowes have eggcrate down in this area. You can find it in the lighting department. I have also seen it in lighting shops as replacement "diffuser grating". Screening material, its back to The Home Depot and Lowes

My personal experience with the above linked supplier was not good and it appears things have not changed: http://reefcentral.com/forums....+Plants While it has been awhile, I have placed 2 different winter orders with Brian and been happy both times: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws....7183973 Good luck.

Depending on the rock and the stolon, you might be able to peel it back from the rock in sheets. If you can chip away at the leading edge/rock area it may hold together and allow you to cut it with a razor blade or scissors. I normally avoid the issue entirely by surrounding the xSP with sand, rubble [think frags ;>)] or strong stinging corals. Good luck.

I have golf ball sized GSP frags ready. Looks great under 20K or actinics but a bit yellow brown under 10K. I have 2 other varieties of GSP but the frags won't be ready until MAR/APR. I am in Sterling VA area but could possibly meet you somewhere when I hook up with michaelg. fwiw: I have pounds of Red Sea Xenia BUT the tank has red planaria which just will not go. Unless you are already infested, stay away from this isolated pita.

<font color='#000000'>Possible but it is very challenging to keep things at a proper level in the tanks and skimmer.

Sorry to hear about the loses. Are you sure your anemone are not eating them? Have they regurgitated and messy residue lately? For what it is worth: Most night time "clicking" sounds can be attributed to snails shaking other snails and hermits off their shells against the glass. On very rare occasions pistol shrimp that have come in on live rock purchases may be the night time noisemaker. Odontodactylus scyllarus is one of the few mantis shrimp that is active at night. Not your typical live rock hitchhiker. Most hitch hiker Gonodactylus and Neogondactylus (mantis shrimp) are dawn and dusk hunters. Night time and mid day they will try to close they entrance to the rock or burrow. They do this well enough that their presence is undetectable at these times. Even after years in captivity, my 3 mantis are still effectively dawn and dusk cycled. Please share some information on the source of your live rock. If necessary, there are a few tricks with club soda that will get a mantis out of a rock ;>)

I can only infer they may not digest the different foods as effiiciently. In addition, it appears there is a differing feeding response to foods between E. quad, H. mag, and H. crispa. For the record, I have at least 4 different E. quad parents, but only one example of H. mag and H. crispa. Certainly not scientific so I still feed a variety to all, although some foods definitely create more tank mess later :p

E. quadricolor is the natural host for maroons and they typically will not waste any time getting into one. If the anemone position allows, you may be able to place a picture on the glass of a "like" clown in the anemone area as if it is hosting. You could also try to place a picture of a large P. volitans on the other end of the tank. Maybe try both ;>) One of the other has appeared to "work" very quickly for some folks. fwiw: I have 4 tanks with E. quads and have wild caught maroons, TR maroons, TR clarkii, and TR ocellaris hosting. fwiw2: My anemone prefer silversides to krill and shrimp, indicated by the amount of regurgitated material and anemone condition. Best of luck.

No ick yet, but I would not be surprised. Understandably, the fish had a tough time in the temporary living quarters. The Anthias has had a bit of popeye that I hope will recede on its own. The Comet had 3 abrasions and they now appear completely healed. The wrasse was well a wrasse and appears bullet proof. Fwiw: On my end the fish went into 2 different tanks with a broad mix of fish. hth Scott

There is a Plastics shop off Edsall Road, Alexandria in the industrial park. I think it is Acme Plastics as well, but they definitely have the stuff.

Eric, The Marine Betta, Anthias, and Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus sp.) are all eating and doing well. Thank you for being a gracious host and have a great holiday. Scott

I'll likely head up as well, but my work schedule is a bit unpredictable :( I could be anywhere that week. Scott

I have space and desire for the Marine Betta/Grouper and the Purple Square Anthias if you still have them. I'll give you a call before lunch. Hope the Holiday Season treats you better soon. Scott

I currently have: 1 Dutch Aquarium Systems 70gal 1 Tenecor 20gal 1 AquaSystem TruVu 20gal All have the the internal filtration essentially disabled. The skimmers are undersized for your application, the sumps do have have the capacity to keep up with evaporation under reef lighting, and worst of all the compartments are not conducive to pump maintenance. A "built-in" is nice in a very tight space, but the compromises are large and are not limited to a single manufacturer. IME if you have the space go with a properly drilled system, overflow, and sump arrangement. It will be more flexible, add the ability to stagger the lighting cycle, add water volume to the system, and be far easier to maintain. Best of luck.

Michael, Have you checked with "Saltshop"-Justin on RC? He only sells the CoralVue bulbs and may have some info on availability http://www.diyreef.com/shop....b33f67d fwiw: I am running/toying with XM20K on 400wt eballasts and supplementing with IceCap10k 150wtDE running off M81's. After the XM's go south, I'll flip the color cycles to save $$$ on the electric bill and keep the house cooler next summer :P Pics by Thanksgiving.....I hope.

My xenia seem to tolerate any water conditions other then ammonia. Although, they do stop pulsing when the water flow and/or the pH drops.

You can also place the frag between two rocks and then put the rubberband around the rocks. Allows easier placement for proper lighting and flow. Good luck.