:lol: Can't believe she really said that.

Actually, she didn't say anything that I remember. She was too busy running to the shower! :lol:

that was pretty freakin funny:lol:

No Doug. That was pretty freakin expensive! 14 days in Mexico.

In the last two months, I've noticed significant growth of sponges, fan worms and other filter feeders in the refugium section of the sump. I'm attributing this to the use of the N-P Reducing pellets. I think the filter feeders are finding the bacterial effluent from the pellet's reactor to their liking. (sort of a coral snow effect). Has anybody else using the pellets noticed more filter feeders in their sump or tank?

Yes. Funny you should mention that. I was just thinking about updating my own thread with a picture of my sump. It's always been a little crowded with feather dusters but I noticed last night that the area where my reactor drains into is insanely crowded with them at an epic density level. I was just about to go try get a picture of it.

Some of the pieces of live rock are virtually covered in sponges. These pellets are too cool!

ditto! Actually shut down my refugium a few days ago and while I was taking out the rocks I noticed what you've noticed, I had this little patch of orange sponge that has literally taken over the entire 'fuge! I even have a couple of snails in there with their shells covered in sponge :lol:

Hmm I haven't noticed sponges myself, but will take a look for them now. For sure an increase in feather dusters at the moment (sump only, the b/f's in the main display would take care of any of those up there). I wonder if someone in the tank might be a sponge eater (one of the tangs or angels maybe?? not sure).

Anyhow I did score some pictures, not as clear as I would have liked . but will upload them anyhow.

Same here. Before I got the CBB, I had quite a few small feather dusters and small sponges in the DT. He gobbled them all up within a week.

Just did my weekly testing: S.G: 1.025, pH: 8.3, Ca: 420, dKH: 8, Mg: 1330,
PO4: 0 and...............(drum roll please)........................................... .....

NO3 out of the pellet reactor: 0
NO3 in tank: 0 :Banane09:


Over a year of battling nitrates using: nitrate sponges, vodka dosing, Tailored Aquatics Nitrate Destroyer, macro-algae, and every other damn thing; a few silly-looking little white beads does the job! I love these little lentils! :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

*fanfare* "the crowd goes crazy!".......thats great Lance....congrats on winning the battle:biggrin:

Thanks, Doug. I was so stunned to see "0" I tested twice with both Salifert and Elos. Damn near peed myself!
Now I can get a dozen more Tangs and half a dozen large Angels. jk :mrgreen:

You're kidding now but let's check back in a few weeks shall we? lol.

Just show us the new light already dammit.

Yea lets see the light


I'm waiting for you to say ....Holy crap that lights way to bright for my 24" deep tank, Marie do you want it?? :razz:

New light?! We need photos man!! :mrgreen:

Sorry kids.I don't have the new light yet. I can't get down to the city until early April. :sad: and I don't trust our local freight company to get it here without breaking it.

Aww man I missed the boat on that, didn't even see your posts on a new light, thats why I was all confused (new light?! when did he mention that??). I was just in vancouver last weekend and could have picked it up for you. Phooey! :neutral:

Nice try Marie :lol: Actually, I'll probably be begging for some frags after I fry all my corals. Increasing the wattage by 570 watts (942 watts to 1512 watts) I'm going to have to really watch the corals and acclimate them slowly to the new light. With 8x T5's in the fixture I'll probably only run the MH's for a couple of hours a day to start.

Not to worry Christy. Going to the city gives me an excuse to buy more stuff! :biggrin:................... (like I really need more stuff)

new lights? wow what did I miss? your fish will need shades now.

Yup, they will. It's a Sfilgoi Infinity XR4 (3x 400W MH and 8x t5). Plug it in and watch your hydro meter go crazy! :mrgreen:

LOL I'm with ya on that one :wink:

We are terrible, aren't we? :redface:

new equipment: "gotta have it"
unusual coral: "gimme gimme"
cool fish: "can i squeeze one more in my tank?"

yeah I'd say thats about right. Sometimes it doesn't even have to be unusual or new. Sometimes its just about spending money :razz:

Out of curiosity I just added up the money I've spent on the three tanks over the years and I'm just shy of one billion!

Picking up my new light next week. It comes with 3x 400W 10K MH. Any suggestions on the configuration of the 8x T5's? There are 4x 36" T5's on each side of the MH's. I'll be running the MH's for probably 5 to 6 hours per day and the T5's for 12 hours. So the T5's will be on for 6 to 7 hours per day without the MH's. The question I have is: the T5's should have enough colour to offset the brightness of the MH's but not too much blue when the MH's are not on. I prefer just enough blue to bring out the colours in the tank without casting a blue tinge over everything. Suggestions?

Hey Lance, when you go to the city next week you wouldn't happen to be stopping by ocean aquatics would you?.... I need a Salifert alk test kit




*Edit* You have 3 tanks???

Oh probably. If not O/A, J&L. Wherever, I will pick one up for you.
Yup, 3 tanks. The (33g/20g sump) frag tank and QT in the basement.

you could try the aquascience duos?.....they are around 18000k so arent too terribly blue.......next option would probably be something like a KZ "new gen" or an aquascience "special", both of which are 15000k( appear closer to white).....problem is, you will need quite a bit of blue to offset the yellow that the MHs will throw, when on

btw, very envious of the new light......sweet units from what I've read.....

Yeah Doug, this is the problem I'm facing: I need enough blue to offset the yellow glare of the 10K MH but not so much that the tank is blue without the MH. When it becomes time to change the MH's I can go with 14K or 15K and then no problem.

My CBB has to be the dumbest fish I've ever seen. He's too stupid to be afraid of the bigger, badder fishes and doesn't hesitate to steal food right from the mouths of the Tuskfish or Lunare Wrasse. Tonight at feeding time he topped himself though. He was chasing a piece of mysis and it went down the overflow. So there he sat and waited for it to come out again. Meanwhile there are mysis swirling all around his head and the other fishes are gobbling it up. Duhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Here's a pic of "Dumbass"

http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...a/IMG_0657.jpg

thats a good story, i know some of my fish can be challanged at times.

particular my tomini, he swims around and around the power head for 20min at times.

My Kole does laps through a cave and up over the rock. Always goes the same direction and comes out upside down. Makes me wonder sometimes how these guys survive in the wild.

true, maybe its just captivty

haha just watch the movie, "Finding Nemo" again and pay attention to the first scene that Nemo is in the fish tank with the other wild caught and captive bred fish hehehe it would totally suit your guys fish.

ahaha, NEMO.

So I went to the city Monday and picked up my new light. It is a Sfiligoi Infinity XR4 (3x 400W MH, 8x 39W t5, and 8 LED moonlights). This thing is a beast; it must weigh about 200 lbs.


http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...s/IMG_1719.jpg


One nice thing about this fixture is the venting system: no noisy fans
http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...s/IMG_1721.jpg


The ballasts with locking cord connectors.
http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...s/IMG_1723.jpg


Nice reflectors. They're made to direct the light straight downwards with no spillover to the sides.
http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/o...s/IMG_1720.jpg

I'm undecided how I'm going to mount the fixture. I was originally going to hang it from the ceiling, but it turns out Joan is not totally sold on the idea of two or more cables coming from the ceiling as the tank is in the family room. If I can't change her mind about that I'll have to come up with a different approach. I've got plenty of time to figure it out though because I have to build a new entertainment-center cabinet I've been promising her. :sad: If I start on this light I'll never hear the end of it. :blah: So I'll build her the cabinet and make her happy. :kiss:

where in the heck Lance did you get the money for that beast wow nice looking light

Ya, you venturing into Male prostitution or something??? :razz::surprise::mrgreen: