jestep

I don't think you would need a chiller. The T5 lighting doesn't produce radiant heating like MH does. Unless you are running some huge or very poor quality submersible pumps, I can't imagine needing a chiller. Of the 2 you listed, I would definitely go with the tek. They are very well made, completely silent, and look great. I don't hink you''ll need it, but if you have an open top, the double azoo fan should provide plenty of evaporative cooling to reduce the temp. I run mine on the same schedule with MH on an open top tank and have no problem keeping the temp down.

How old is it? I've heard of people reusing, but I probably wouldn't do it without thoroughly rinsing it. If it's an older tank, you're going to stir up so much crud the tank's going to be uninhabitable.

Pretty much sums it up. I use biopellets and I like them, but I had to supplement GFO to take care of the excess PO4 that the biopellets do not get rid of. I also run chaeto and a small mud substrate refugium. I haven't tested NO3 or PO4 in about 4 months, but I know almost instantly when my GFO needs replaced because I start getting cyano on my sandbed. Always keep in mind that if you start biopellets, macros, DSB or whatever else, it takes weeks to months for the system to stabilize and the nutrient levels to go down substantially and permanently(ish). If you have a lot of algae die-off it can further complicate matters because you end up with multiple factors altering the nutrients in the tank.

I was originally planning on going but some stuff came up and I am going to miss out. I guess that's OK since the ticket prices are pretty hefty. There is a fish gallery in Dallas. I haven't been to that one, but the Houston store is pretty incredible. Definitely worth checking out if it's in the vicinity.

The biggest difference that I've found in taking quick pictures is simply the quality in low light of a camera with a large sensor compared to a phone or a point and shoot. In low light, like actinic only, pictures will be extremely pixelated with a lower end camera or phone. In good lighting, an iphone or decent phone will look reasonably good. Definitely check out the link in this thread: http://www.austinreefclub.com/topic/22098-trying-to-figure-out-what-camera-to-buy/ If I were going to buy a camera, sensor size is pretty much the biggest factor for me. Megapixels is pretty much irrelevant at this point, since anything above about 8 is plenty unless you plan on printing some very large images. You really don't need bigger if it is going to stay digital.

I would bet he crawled out of the tank somewhere. I watched a video a while back and they had a large 12"+ octopus fit through something like a 1/2" hole.

Is that dragon's breath? That's what I am planning on adding to my display fuge when I get it going in the next few weeks.

Some valerian or Kava capsules (definitely not if you've been drinking) and some hot non-caffeinated herbal tea.

Love the open swimming space. If you're using a canister or HOB and floss, make sure to change it out all the time. The floss tends to collect a lot of detritus and then releases nitrates back into the tank if it isn't replaced regularly (weekly at the longest). I think you probably have plenty of rock for the current bioload. Most tanks that aren't running a DSB, biopellets, or a lot of macro algae, do not have a good nitrate export. I think this is what you're currently missing. The sump/fuge with a lot of chaeto should really help. You may need to use GFO in a reactor if you can't get the PO4 under control.

I had a flickering problem and it was due to the MH bulb making bad contact with the holder. If it's a double end bulb, I would try a different one or pull it out and carefully re-seat it, just to rule that out.

I've had some of very similar color and origin that I've had a heck of a time keeping from browning. I definitely want to see how this is looking in a month or two. Hopefully you have a better time keeping color than I have had but it looks like a very nice piece.

Welcome

Impressed.

Don't need one anymore, but for any Nano Cube 28 owners, the BH1000 fit's perfectly on the 28 and allows for full use of the center media chamber. Great skimmer for any tank in its size range.

They're evtremely hardy, but also the pickiest SPS i've dealt with. I've had several STN with no apparent cause with very sensitive acros doing just fine. If you don't get their placement correct from the start, there's a good chance of losing the coral completely. There was an article in advanced aquarist some time back and they said they are one of the slowest corals in adapting and to move them if they aren't growing like a weed. http://www.advanceda...rent-conditions Just based on observation, I completely agree with it. I had a small pink one for more than a year with almost no growth. Moved it to higher light and flow and it's softball size in 6 months. Had a green one that was huge and when I switched tanks, I couldn't get it happy and eventually ended up losing it.

Probably a good lesson for all the apartment dwellers that want big tanks. Seems like 75 - 90 gallons is a major dividing line in how difficult it is to move a tank, not counting moving and replacing coral. I would definitely want a permanent place for a 200+.

I think there's a few factors that contributed to it. First off Cree and XM and GE and others are making some very efficient LED's that are now easy to obtain. Even 2 years ago, this was hardly the case. Secondly, with the massive surge in nano and pico tanks, specifically, very high end ones, LED's are a natural fit. There's a major gap in quality lighting below about 30 - 40 gallon rectangle tank sizes. The T5/T8 lighting doesn't fit very well, and MH on a small tank is a problem in itself. It also doesn't take an extreme amount of LED's to adequately light the tank so they were a really good diving board. Last, they aren't necessarily more expensive than MH or T5 if you average it out 5 - 10 years. No bulb replacements at all, negligible additional heat. For large tanks, it's still cost prohibitive for most people but as the efficiency continues to go up and the price continues to go down, it's just a matter of time before LED's are the majority of lights.

Speaking generally since I don't know exactly what you are looking for, but I would hire someone to make a clean and simple site. I have never found a out of the box software program that is worth anything compared to an actual web designer. Realistically a 1 page site with a contact form on the home page is a good start and shouldn't break the bank. We do this for some of our outside reps and have had good results. For hosting, I would go with something like hostgator or pretty much any non-godaddy setup. I have hosted there in the past, and it's one of those, never again experiences. Some people like them but the restrictions they have on everything make it a burden to try and develop on their servers. If you need any advice or suggestions let me know. I've been programming, designing, and running ecommerce and service sites for about 10 years. I don't really have time for side projects but would be more than happy to give suggestions on anything.

How big is the ORA Hyacinth Colony in #4? That's one of the seriatopora's that I don't have. Edit. NM, I do have that one. I was thinking the Ponape.

Now I know what to do with my old eclipse. I'm still a big fan of the liquid nitrogen cooled ones...

Love that blue/purple tabling acro. If that massive clarki ever breaks off a piece I have a perfect place for it

I'm definitely going to keep the chaeto in the sump. Stuff works great, but looks horrible. Have a mangrove with a big root already started. Planning on starting with that and maybe some light rockwork if any. Probably add some red dragon algae or something similar that fits the layout. We'll see how it progresses.

Going for something like this but on a smaller scale: http://reefbuilders.com/2010/12/20/julian-sprungs-refugium-oasis-reef-life/

Rimless display fuge and new stand coming soon.

This is one of my favorite tanks in that size range: http://www.rimlessreef.com/index.html So many options for stocking in a big tank. Can't wait to see this come together.