KarenM

OK, I wasn't sure if a there'd be room in front/behind the MHs. What wattage MH and T5 would you suggest?

I think I'm going to copy Sean's setup. If my tank is 48" long and I want MH on each end, what length T5 should I look for? I'm thinking 24". Do they come in 18"? Can I put MH bulbs only about 8" from the water? I have the tall rocks in front of the overflows, so if I could put MHs right above them, that would be awesome. As far as T5 right in the middle, I have the glass supports in the middle of the tank and they're about 10" wide. Will T5 penetrate those enough or should I put MH in the middle as well?

Yeah, I'll make a point to keep them clean. My tank looks great now, though. Now if I could just find a bunch of used T5 retros for sale.....

Do I still need a float valve? I got my top-off up and running. I have the tubing coming from the barrel , around the corner, then stuck on the back of the tank witha little suction cup about 30" high, and then back down to the sump. Hopefully that'll stop and gravity issues. I have a black background on there right now so you don't see the tubing stuck there. I'm so excited about this - no more crawling under there to add water to the sump, and hopefully my skimmer will be a little more cooperatvie. I also got a good grip on the micro-bubbles by rubberbanding one of those filter pads that "polish the water" onto the end of each nozzle. For the most part, the water is clear. There are still some minute particles floating around in there, but I think that's because I bumped a rock. I can just hear Gabriel saying those pads are nitrate factories , but at least I can see my fish.

No problem. I'll take him if no one else does, but it may be Tues before I can pick him up.

Some of this is PPU, I'll let everyone know what's left after he comes by.

I might be interested. What do they eat? What are their bad points?

All has been picked up! I'm just now getting around to cleaning out my old 40 gal tank and wondered if anyone would want it. It's the tall one (30" wide). I bought it brand new, but it's got the usual wear and tear. The back glass has a couple of scratches on it because I didn't notice my razor blade was bent. And there's a very small leak along the top of the left side. Doesn't leak unless you let the water level get that high. You can have the cabinet/stand that goes with it, but it needs to be repainted (currently painted black). I also have an older, smaller Red Sea Prizm skimmer, and a HOB filter - may be an emperor, I don't know. A 10 gal tank with the light/hood combo(would make a good sump), a big piece of wood for a freshwater tank - probably about a foot long. A big bag of natural colored gravel that was in my 40 gal before I went SW. I'll probably come up with more as I make my way through the jungle that is my garage. I'm heading outside to clean out the garage and wash the eggs from my windows , so if you want any of this call my at 626-5799. I'm in Georgetown, just past the outlet mall in Round Rock.

James, did you happen to see the tomini tang at AAI?

My top-off and aqualifter are here! I'm a little confused about the pump. It has 2 water line holes. I'm assuming one line goes into the barrel and one into the sump? How do I secure them in the barrel and sump?

That looks like it! My current one is plastic but I'm assuming a metal one would be OK. How does it attach to the RO hose (glue, etc?), and can I get these at Home Depot?

These are about 12" down. Now that I look closer, I think they may be just blowing around the air bubbles created by the return pump (or whatever is causing it). I've seen a couple of koralias in action and they seemed to just invisibly move the water, not like the PH's that blow a hard stream. I'm just wondering if the seios are a good substitue for the koralias.

I need to repair/replace the end (female adaptor?)of the hose that connects to my water hose. It's very slightly damaged, but doesn't screw on correctly (it pops off of the hose about every 10 min) and leaks badly right behind the end (where the screw on end is connected to the rest of the RO hose). If I don't hit a certain pressure no water comes out of the blue hose, or it drips slowly. But at that same pressure the RO hose pops off of the water hose and leaks out about 10 times more water than I'm collecting. Can the hose end be successfully replaced?

Why? Do they spit bubbles like powerheads? I don't understand how they do that, since they're underwater and not exposed to air. I'm hoping to find something to move a lot of water, but not cause the water to be less clear.

You know what they say, dogs have owners and cats have staff.

Opinions, please. I'm seeing more Seios up for sale. Is that because the Koralias are still new, or because they're better?

I've got about 10 hermits, some are blue leg, but they hang out on the rock.

Thoses are gorgeous clowns! If they get picked on, I'd be glad to let them live in my tank.

Thanks, Russ! And welcome to the board.

OK, I'll pick up just a few at a LFS then, too. I don't know that my tank will support too many just yet but I've got some dark brown algae popping up where the lights hit. Should I decrease my light time? I'm burning them 8 1/2 hrs a day.

You're a great person, Christina. Cats are unique animals and "found" ones are even more special. I'll ask around for you. In the meantime you should feel honored she's chosen you as her human.

I checked it out on liveaquaria. I don't have any other blennies. I'm really wanting a mandarin in the next several months, but if she can't find a home for it I'll put the mandarin on hold. I'm just such a sucker for homeless pets. For years I ran a home for wayward hamsters and guinea pigs.

Sure, I'll figure out a way to make it work. Half of my tank has been without lights all this time. PM me with the details.

OK, thanks for all the info, guys. I'll keep looking for T5s.

We can still do a RT order if you want, just give others a little time to jump in. They have the large ones at 12 for $15. Says they're 1 1/4". I'm a little concerned that they'll knock my rock around since a lot of it is in smaller pieces. What you do think?