Bry

Hello, I think I'd like the sock holder and possibly the TLF. What's a good time to meet? I'm in CP as well.

PM1? PM2? PM3? PMXL1? PMXL2? PMXL3? PMXL4? Okay, I'm sure it's not an XL but I am curious which you have so I know if it will fit in my setup and handle what I need it to. I assume it's a PM1 or 2. Thanks.

I'm interested. What area of NW Austin are you? I live in Cedar Park and can come probably after work tomorrow (4 or 5ish). Do you still have it connected to your system? I have no idea if these add to the color of corals or how bright/dark they are. Will PM.

what size magfloat?

What part of town do you live?

If something falls through I'm interested in the 48" and I live in Cedar Park.

Got any colorful softies?

Going to RCA anytime soon?

will you sell me one?

research GFO reactor and vodka dosing.

Hey ATX, I'm a bit interested but is $100 full retail price?

Man I wish I lived down south!

Hey Jack, which model of protein skimmer is this one? Comes with the pump?

My lawnmower blenny did the same thing. Had good energy up until the last couple of days. Just kept getting skinny. I actually think at one point he started to gain then lost it again even though he'd eat. He was about 6 yrs old and that's about the beginning of "old age" for them with some living 9 yrs.

Wierd though, just over a week later my 2 yr old copperband butterfly had the same thing. Didn't fight it as long though. I thought it was the blenny's old age until it happened to my copperband, who was always happy and a good eater.

All other fish are fine.

I'd like dibs on the sailfin. I've PM'd

etannert, if I read your response right about being at home, I think you are reading as if you bend the lines after the power outtage. If so, the loc lines can be shaped so he meant shape it so that it's just barely above the water now, but when little water loss happens it will make the lines above water very quickly. If I'm way off base about your reply, please move along, move along. These aren't the droids you're looking for.

Yeah that was it. I've read something similar as well. And we can't run BP and GFO together because of flow. Oh well.

By the way, on the heat thing try a small clip on fan blowing PARALLEL just over the water (if you don't have a light box as I don't). Blowing not into the water but across it about 5 inches above it brough my tank from about 82 to 76 before I turned it off (didn't want mine that low). I bought the BRS clip on fan but I don't like the way the clip and fan are at the same level - gotta use it to understand. I saw one half price at Target that has a better way to clip.

I know you want to figure out the chiller, but I just want to 2nd want mhart said above about a fan. My tank runs 80-82 in the summer. I didn't like that although my tank seemed fine. I added a small clip on fan and just pointed it above the tank, not even into the water and WOW, got down to 76 before I turned it off. I now have it down above the sump so I can stay closer to the 79-80 range. Again, off topic but worth the $$ savings.

I did two things to make sure I was safe. I hope this translates well the way I explain here. I also hope I'm not insulting anyone by writing what may be a "beginner" how-to but I wanted to help anyone who may have similar questions. I was there too.

First, drain the sump to a level that all your pumps within the sump are working normally (not running dry or making terrible noises) but you still have plenty of room for water to fill in.* Then turn OFF the return pump and let the display tank (DT) drain as much as it will into the sump. (Keep watching it of course.) If the water coming down is too much for your sump then you needed to leave more room in the sump or better, do as Mindflux or Mark said above, I drilled a hole in the returns tubes just below the DT normal water line so that water doesn't siphon backwards down those to the return pump and sump. (Drilling small siphon holes was the 2nd thing I did and the tiny amount of water that comes out of it during normal operation is no problem).

Once all the water that will drain from the DT has drained, check the sump water level. If you can add more water do - fill up the sump with as much as you safely can before it spills over.

Now turn ON the return pump. Wait for the display tank to return it's normal level. Check out the height of the water now in the sump. I used a piece of scotch tape to mark that top level. This is the MAX amount of water you can ever add to your sump. In a power outtage, you know your tank will drain enough to safely fill to the top of the sump even if you've just topped off recently. I hope that makes sense.

Just a note, wiithout doing what Mindflux or Mark mentioned above, you will probably need a lot more empty room in your sump for "just in case". That's no fun. We all want a lot of water in our systems.

*I do not have an auto-top off so I marked this spot with a piece of scotch tape so I know I better get some water in there quick or pumps will start getting noisy.

I thought about that. What's keeping me from that is I've heard conflicting stories. Some say the vodka dose is mostly for nitrates and does little or nothing for phosphates. But I've also heard it helps both. I'm planning on doing a little more reading into the topic.

What I do know though is you cannot run bio-pellets and carbon on the same reactor. I've read it in a few places and even talked to Mark Callahan about it but I honestly can't remember at the moment why.

Flux, did you start running GFO? If so how has it worked out for you?

short story: very happy so far

regular story:

So I have the GFO/Carbon dual reactors going and my phosphates are zilch... well I don't have a Hanna Checker but they still show nada on my test. But nitrates, there's a problem.

I do weekly water changes (usually), don't over feed, lights are not on too much and don't have too many animals in my tank. (RIP to my lawnmower blenny - old age, and then later my 2yr old Copperband Butterfly - not sure why).

But my nitrates recently were in the 40-60 range (test kit doesn't get specific) and I couldn't do much about it. So I read again about carbon dosing via vodka and decided to try it. I was skeptical that so little could make a difference. I also worried that a corals may retaliate. I only have softies and not a ton of them so I gave it a try.

Today is the 7th day, I retested nitrates and they are about 20ppm. All the corals look happy and even some hair algae that started to grow on a powerhead completely receded. Awesome. I do have a little hair algae left as well as some old bryopsis that I couldn't kill but I seem to have mamed (spelling?) so they don't overtake like they used to.

So I'm watching everything. May report back in a few days to a week. But anyone who wants to attempt it I'm just saying that it worked for me and DON'T doubt the dosing by going above the suggested amount (read link below). I'm quite happy and may even buy another reactor for those bio-pellets pellets. Sheesh, between the GFO/Carbon, skimmer, return pump and possibly another reactor, I'm going to have a sump full of powerheads!

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php

I haven't heard of dosing garlic, only a couple of drops in the food. Did you dose with garlic? Maybe I need to do some reading.

If there was a way to meet in the middle I'd be interested. I live in Cedar Park. You going to River City Aquatics or 183 & Mopac anytime soon?

Agreed Chad. My favorite are the ones who have just signed up on the forum and go right to the free place and ask for handouts.

that worm is fine. I used to eradicate only the one that got really big, but that was for my own peace more than anything I read or saw. They're pretty cool.