AndyL

part 1: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.p...143#post5004143 part 2: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthre...threadid=599175 And I can't seem to find it (damn rc search too busy as usual) but he just recently posted his DIY fixture for one. Also noteworthy, there are full spectrum MR16 (the little 12v 35-50w halogens - fit in various track lights & desk lamps), available at many lighting retailers - I keep thinking it'd be neat to put one over a nano planted tank (nice clean fixture). Andy

There's a really long thread by melev in RC's DIY forum, specifically about these bulbs... Think it's called something like "the ideal fuge bulb" might want to give it a read. Andy

Pretty sure collecting in the national/provincial parks is illegal. If you had a friend with a plot of land, containing a quarry/riverbank - you may be in luck. Ornamental landscapes by deerfoot mall (across from walmart bit up the road towards the control tower) sells rock, they know us aquarium folks, and they give us pretty good deals on the rock (I bought 80lbs, and got charged for 50). Andy

Generally not recommended as the coils where the liquid condenses upon - are generally made out of brass, copper or aluminum (depending on model). Therefore the condensate coming off can be high in a variety of heavy metals.

Sizing of sump, can pretty much be any size you'd like, could be anywhere from 20 to 500g. Basically you need to make sure it's big enough to fit all your equipment. Can be anything from an old tank, to a rubbermaid tub, to a horse water trough... Or one of those fancy custom units. First thing to think about is how to get the water down to the sump. Syphon overflows work pretty well. But generally stay away from the single U-Tube type... You're looking for a weir type - along the lines of: http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/store_p...uct_ID=of-cs050 You do need something to remove air from the weir area - a powerhead with a venturi is adequate or there is the TOM Aqualifter (looks like a dual outlet airpump - but it draws from one, spits out the other). Or you can drill your tank, and add an overflow box. Then you need a pump to return, Mags are my favorite, but there are any number of options, a simple powerhead isn't going to suffice, you'll probably be looking at mags, iwaki's, etc. GPH of the pump is a big question, you can go with a bigger pump, and return via a manifold (multiple exits, thus you get some nice flow in the tank) or just a single return - which may leave some dead spots in the tank. In my 65g FOWLR i'm running a mag 12, to 4 exits buried in the rockwork. Some people run a single loop of pvc around the top trim of the tank - with multiple T's to locline sprayheads. Major concern here becomes making sure you have a syphon break so if power cuts out, the tank doesn't drain into the sump. Usually 1-2 holes drilled just below the water line, so that the return side draws air and breaks the syphon once the water level starts to recede. Andy

YES! I spent too much time around the newfs, I take handouts!

will ... work ... for frags -roll- :w00t: :hey:

Dude... It's not my fault... It was the damn hot wings last night! :smokey:

i'z nt drunkeded! i'z st0neD!

What are you talking about not for sale? Dennis has been trying to pawn it off instead of the frags since the early part of december... Friggin fish baggers get with the program Andy

:rofl: I would pay admission for that show,put it towards a stronger stand :rofl: LMAO - Ok, I've got a dollar - entry is 5 dollars... Limit 20, should buy me a nice stand :flex:

Cheap like borscht wrought iron actually... So reinforcing it is less easy - although I do have welders at my disposal, the ability to use them... Of course, this could be a manufacturers way of eliminating any risk of liability - as a 20g (which it's sold for) would weigh over 200lbs by itself... Andy

I'm feeling stupid suddenly... Yeah nothing new! Picked up a stand this afternoon for the 30xh, didn't really read the package before I bought it. Got it home, and it's got a maximum weight of 197lbs listed on it. Well the tank that goes on it is a 30xh, with live rock and more equipment than I'd like... So likely we're talking well over 300lbs. Do I risk it? Or pray that petsmart has a good refund policy? Andy

I think there was a lot on rahim, he wasn't making friends by spamming the heck out of other clubs/forums buy&sell's with "you should post that on alberta aquatica". As for others... All I can say is I enjoyed the privledge of banning ryans @$$. Better suck up to J-Roc since he's trolling the forums again, should get myself ready for another go-round Andy

Nah, dude... she wouldn't be caught dead in a trailer anyway... wait... this gives me idears... the police would never umm nevermind. Back on topic - never seen one at golds, we should harrass dennis to bring some in... Andy

Should I hook you up with my ex? -roll- <edited for dave's sake>

Aww c'mon albert, you're a professional at this, your post should have been at least 5 minutes faster than mine... Are you saying some damn rednecks almost as fast as you to the punch?

once you've filled the hydrometer, set it on the counter, then give it a few flicks to knock the airbubbles off. Then when you get sick of having to do that - aquaria.ca's online store sells a reasonably priced (50ish$) refractometer. Andy

Bigger bubbles will be louder yes, but I hardly notice the bubbles coming from mine. I might just have gotten used to it. I'm currently running 6 sponge filters, an airlift, and 2 air driven skimmers off a single dual outlet airpump (got it from golds - rena? biggest one they sold). Don't need a lot of air movement to make them work, just need a steady stream of bubbles. Andy

Ok, maybe I should clarify some... The commercial sponges, can provide biological filtration for super heavy stocking levels. Of course, that doesn't apply to the crummy ones sold at walmart, certain pet stores, etc.

Sizing... Well as they're generally used for breeders, lets just say they can generally provide filtration for more than you can pack into the tank. Generally I look more at water movement over actual filtering ability. My 55 has 2 at opposite ends, the 20s generally have one (often the actual breeding tank will have 2, prepping one for movement into the fry tank). Bigger bubbles move more water - many breeders run lines straight into the lift tube without an airstone. You can slap a powerhead on if you wish, but then you've got to make sure your getting proper oxygenation with a powerhead at the surface. Quiet? They are quiet... About the loudest part of my breeding tanks is the airpump that runs them. Andy

Jay - Just for you - I'll cleanup the fishroom so you can have a look. I'll warn ya in advance, the 6" aint looking great this week... Some eeeediot did a lighting upgrade a couple weeks back, and poorly executed acclimatizing to the doubling of light... Some of the corals are still bleached, but they're slowly recovering. Andy

Personally I disagree with the 'bigger is better' philosophy with reefs. Bigger is better - for fish options. But if you do your research, plan your system from the outset, a 15g can quite easily be done. Those 15 hex's are somewhat limited with the stock filter and lighting. Both are somewhat inadequate - but there are several people who are running them (That tank at golds, and JSTR's harlequin tanks come to mind). On small nanoreefs, the initial costs really aren't too bad - part of the reason they've become so popular. You don't need a skimmer (in fact there aren't really any appropriate for a 10-15g tank), but by that same token, you need to adapt your maintenance to adapt to that - adding macroalgaes, more frequent water changes, and keeping the substrate clean becomes a bigger priority. If you're after a clown, then go for the 33, I'd avoid putting one in a 15. There are some great nanoreef appropriate fish around lately, a small 15 gives you some options for some awesome fish / inverts that tend to dissapear into bigger tanks. This is what they are best for - I've got an eviota goby and a porcelain crab in a 6" cube - if they were in even my 10g system - you'd loose them amongst the background. But in the right system they show wonderfully. Andy

Now I could be wrong, but I believe if you actually get the hagen geo-systems book, it's broken down into options... ie - pick the discus or the 60 cardinals (not both). 4 discus and 60 cardinals would be very cramped. However the 4 discus alone are not a particularly good choice, as discus should be kept in pairs or as groups of 6. Of course, stocking is one of those funny things, it's all about the system as a whole and the inhabitants chosen over the total number or "inches" of fish. Going by the "rules" my 6" cube should have crashed long ago (it's saltwater no less) - but with proper planning and choices of residents (a eviota goby, a porcelain crab, along with a hermit and ?? snail... Nevermind the various hitchhikers and corals) it is probably my most stable and easiest to care for system. Andy

-roll- Can't believe no one has noticed - but the current date is December 15th... The forum thinks it's the 13th. Andy