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Bayou

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Posts posted by Bayou

    The cube

    in Tank Builds

    Posted

    i love your tank man! im glad to see it even has sand now too! u have everything else ready to go right? just need water?

    I have everything in my office just do not have everything installed yet. Still have to hang the light, install powerheads, skimmer, heaters, controller...... Then later the reactors, ozone and clean up all the wires and touch up the paint.

    My LED build in progress

    in Lighting (MH, T5, PC, LED)

    Posted

    Between this build thread and RapidLED's very simply to understand website I think I am sold on DIY LED lighting. I spend about $2,000 a year replacing bulbs at the farm.... I did the math and I can break even in 2.5 years I I switch to LED... Plus the lower energy bills. I will get started this fall.

    Thanks for sharing the info and experience!

    Scientists urge action for coral reef protection

    in Marine News

    Posted

    Check this one out too.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13796479

    5 years ago I was mostly concerned with acidification of the oceans. I thought it would be a long while before any severe effects were felt but I assumed when they effects were perceived as eminent importation of corals would be severely limited or banned. Now it seems like a combo effect of warming waters, changing weather patterns, pollution for local agriculture, and acidification are teaming up and accelerating the timeline. Overfishing is a whole other problem that effects much more than hobby... it is food... bigger problem but that topic is probably not appropriate for this forum.

    I see these types of articles much more frequently than I used to. The message has not changed that much but it seems that there is more research being done producing more information to be shared and there also appears to be more people taking notice. As public awareness grows, the reality of future limitations on coral imports also grows. Our aquaculture industry is nowhere near being prepared to satisfy the demand for corals if limits are imposed in the next few years. Big strides have been made the past 5-8 years but there is SO far to go. The number of facilities would have to increase dramatically, the ability to sexually reproduce corals on mass scale is still needed, the husbandry techniques that must be developed to grow several types of corals on massive scales is needed, the wholesale price point of the corals has to increase..... there is a lot of developing and evolving that must be done before the coral aquaculture industry is ready to be "relied" upon for even 1/3 of the current demand. Step by step, day by day, year by year. Please support Aquaculture.

    • Like 1

    Fish/Inverts That Serve a Purpose

    in Reef Keeping

    Posted

    Very cool topic!

    Between my personal tanks and the systems at the farm I have used a lot of biological control. Here are some of my favorites:

    Orange shoulder tang for algae

    Yellow tang for algae

    Hippo tang for algae

    (get 2 or 3 tangs all with different shaped snouts- evolved to eat different types of algae)

    Six line wrasse for worms/nudies

    Copperband butterflies- aptasia

    Peppermint shrimp - aptasia

    Fish poop is the best coral food so get some fish that can make some noise to keep the corals happy- tangs/triggers

    Along the same line, nutrient export is always good, a large remote deep sand bed and/or macro algae or algae scrubber is good.

    Mexican turbos are great! Be sure to get the warm water(gulf) not cool water (pacific)

    We have always had mixed luck with crabs.

    Sea hares are very good for turf algae. And they don't die after the spawn.... But they are a mess when they do die.

    If you need info on stores in DFW shoot me a pm and I'll save you some time and point you to the good ones.

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    I am here: http://tapatalk.com/map.php?zknlna

    The cube

    in Tank Builds

    Posted

    bad *** man! are you going to mount coral on that or what are you planning on doing with your livestock?

    I will be mounting corals to the temple. There will be a flat area in top for several, then some ledges.... When I run out of space I will mount to the temple itself. A few clams in the sand in front.

    Still working on the fish lineup.

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    I am here: http://tapatalk.com/map.php?1dgj0m

    The cube

    in Tank Builds

    Posted

    Thanks for the kind words!

    I picked up sand tonight. Gonna head up there tomorrow and hopefully finish the temple, add the rock to the back and add sand to the tank.

    And between epoxy dry times I hope to wire in the door switch for the cabinet lights, install the skimmer, get the foam insulation under the sump and place the controller head unit and outlet. My cousin is gonna help so I should make good progress. Got him hooked on the hobby a few years ago! LOL

    Got a few deadlines at work to make on Wed but afterward I think I will have time on Thursday and Friday to get this thing ready for water!

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    I am here: http://tapatalk.com/map.php?h13msx

    Need Help Planning Next Tank - not a DIY person :-(

    in Tank Builds

    Posted

    Anybody hazard a guess at the price range I am at?

    Quite a bit! LOL

    Prices will vary - size, quality, new, used.... lots of variables.

    Here is a start:

    Tank - $200-600

    Stand - $50-$250

    Sump - $50-275

    LED Light fixture - $350-750+ (each)

    Controller - $200-500

    Skimmer - $175-500

    Return Pump - $50-125

    Powerheads - $25-250 (each)

    Heaters - $24-75 (each) - you need 2

    Auto topoff - $50-150

    Fresh water reservior - $10-50

    Plumbing parts/hoses - $35-200

    Liverock - $3-8/lb

    Sand - $0.50-1.00/lb

    Livestock - how specific are your tastes and how deep is your wallet/purse? lol

    If I can give you some advice - Make a budget and stick to it. Get to know a LFS well, find one you like and trust.... they will save you money in the long run. Focus your budget on the tank/stand(you see it everyday) and the skimmer. Consider T-5 lighting instead of LED lighting if you run out of budget. Most people do a smaller tank, then upgrade to a bigger. It can be a good way to go.

    Good Luck to you. You found a great resource in the club.

    • Like 1

    The cube

    in Tank Builds

    Posted

    are you using a special type of epoxy for the temple or what? what are the layers made from?

    I'm using 2 part epoxy that is commonly used to mount corals to liverock. It is really strong(good) but really expensive(bad.... $12/tube and I will use about 6) but it is reef safe.... So that is what I am using. If I could start over I may have gone with grout or mortar.

    The stone is some I found in a stone yard near my old house. It is a sedimentary stone that was sawn into 1-3" slabs all about 4" wide and about 24" long. I think it was left overs from cutting tile and slabs. Really cool rock.

    I cut the stone for my last tank. Then I cut it again in more detail for this tank. If I can figure out how to finish the top it should look really good. I'm 10 layers up now... Running out of tank height and material!

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    I am here: http://tapatalk.com/map.php?bsoky4

    All my SPS corals got bleached out overnight

    in Emergency Discussion

    Posted

    If your running metal halides make sure the bulbs are not cracked.

    It could be a number of things, really hard to nail down RTN causes. Try to work thru what you see-

    Old SPS RTNed but new frags did not. New frags may have released a toxin or carried in a bacteria that they were ok with but existing corals were not.

    Your existing SPS RTNed but you LPS and softies did not. SPS are more sensitive than the other corals so you may have a pollutant in the water that effects them but not the softies. If the LPS and softies begin to decline I'd go with that theory.

    Also check your pumps/powerheads and heaters for cracks/leaks.

    Could have been something as random as a bug falling in the tank or something as simple as a temp spike that you did not notice. At any rate I feel for you, I know that sick feeling in your stomach when you come home to see bright white skeleton.

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    I am here: http://tapatalk.com/map.php?xamvyi

    The cube

    in Tank Builds

    Posted

    Got to work on tank a bit this afternoon. Added another layer or stone. (This is taking a while, I can only do 1 layer at a time. The epoxy has to harden before I can add next layer. )

    Also installed some cabinet lighting and corresponding ballasts. There are 2 circuits. One is "house lights" and they will come on when door opens and turn off when door closes(I hope!) Second is a cluster of lights over the fuge section of the sump. They will provide light for the macro in the fuge and will be on a timer. Both circuits are LEDs. Pics are not very clear, I will post more when I finish wiring them in and have an outlet to plug into.post-2530-134109337379_thumb.jpgpost-2530-134109338766_thumb.jpgpost-2530-134109340148_thumb.jpg

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    I am here: http://tapatalk.com/map.php?a0oim1

    The cube

    in Tank Builds

    Posted

    What controller did you get James?

    I went with the Digital Aquatics RKE Net. I'm not an IT guy and I find DA easier to use than Neptune Systems controllers. I have 3 Aqua Controler Pro's at the farm that I paid a premium for but I was never able to get all the bells and whisles to work. I just don't have the patience to learn how to do the programing. The RKE Net have an easy interface and has ability to monitor and control remotely. Exactly what I need.

    I went ahead and got the EcoTech Radion lamp. And 2 EcoTech MP10W for powerheads. Both were difficult decisions.... almost decided to go with 2 AI Sols.... and I really wanted to do twin tunze waveboxes but the one I had would not fit and I did not want to purchase 2 nano boxes. I figure I could do a lot worse! Plus with the external overflow and the small size of the powerheads the inside of the tank should be very clean and uncluttered.

    The cube

    in Tank Builds

    Posted

    I bit down hard and pulled the trigger on more hardware today.Got the controller, lights, power heads, heaters, auto topoff, ORP probe and some odds and ends. Added up to WAY too much. Don't tell my wife!

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