SOUTHAUSTINREEF

After playing with it for awhile the W2 seems to be the best setting. The W1 shuts off and on too fast even when you turn the control knob all the way counterclockwise. To really have waves you need two heads ideally right? I am not sure all my corals are going to be thrilled to have a tsunami in the tank all day. Most are LPS and don't need a lot of flow. However blasting water through the rocks sure clears the water up. Once all the detritus is sucked into the overflow and into the sock in the refugium and skimmer it's gone. And that's what you want!

Just got my new Jabao Wavemaker in. I am not thrilled about the size of the powerhead, but the unit puts out a torrent of water. The $88 cost on Amazon was worth a try. I have always wanted a fancy Euro one like Votec but have not been able to justify the cost. I can tell you this unit (the newer WP-40) with greater control functions will turn your live rock into a bio filter machine. It blasts out detritus from rocks and cleans out junk that has been stagnant for years. I think the fish like it too the random water flow gives them a new routine and they like swimming against it. Especially this crazy Picasso trigger I have he goes bonkers swimming against the current. Still playing with the control but the knob for thrust duration really helps you fine tune the powerhead so it's not cycling too quickly which just becomes a pulse like a food processor. The W2 function is programed to do a slow ramp up and then a variation of 8 other cycles. Worth a try if you want to give your fish and corals an added boost. I think something like this is almost a must for coral lovers it allows your tank to mimic actual reef conditions your corals have adapted to over millions of years.

Mud is the best I think b/c it has such a wide range of minerals found in nature. You can use coral, but you just get coral. My plants love this stuff and the plants are what are eating the nitrites. Phosphate reactor seems to be doing a good job on those I keep that running all the time. I add mud straight into the water column ever other day. Things seem to perk up a lot in the tank and the water clears in 15 minutes.

I have rotifers for sale. $5 a bottle.

I need some please. 512-565-1199

I just installed a refugium in a way that some folks said could not be done because of the tricky nature of siphon balance. I bought a 20 gallon refugium from Bruce at Aquateck and a 20 lb box of mud from Gary at Aquadome on special order. Ask your fish shop keepers to get stuff for you they can bundle the freight with other stuff. I mounted the tank on a rather cheap, but sturdy shelving unit I bought from Lowe's which is rated at 200 lb per shelf. I got two 250 g/m lift pumps with 1/2 hose which I routed to the top of the 120 gallon tank. One return hose to the top of the main tank and one to the top of the overflow to keep the overflow from being starved for water. This gives you some degree of insurance if one pump craps out. The overflow goes to a 30 gallon sump with BioBalls below the main tank under the steal stand. I used 1" PVC to start a siphon to supply the refugium with a ball valve. (use a gate valve they are far better at adjusting flow) I have to admit it's **** tricky at first getting the balance and with the protein skimmer pumps, lift pump and the reactor pumps all crammed into the end of the refugium consuming vast quantities of water. I solved this problem with an 1 1/2" overflow PVC pipe that feeds into the bottom tank sump. I have it where the refugium water barely overflows into this pipe so there is no chance of a massive overflow. The mud is revolutionary in aquarium low technology. It claims that it gives the novice more leeway with overloading and does seem to do a great job of controlling nitrites. I was very doubtful at first about it's benefits, but it you think about the ocean is not crystal clear like our tanks. Most aquariums are far too sterile. They need a backbone of minerals to draw from on a continual basis. It's pretty murky most of the time with run-off from lakes and streams and is a chemistry set of minerals and soluable everything. My inverts, corals and fish are all very perky and have amazingly bright colors. The mud can be mixed straight into the water column without an expensive refugium and I would suggest that anyone bold enough give it a try. My water is exteremely clear with the use of a 7" sock and a foam pad in the refugium itself. Happy reefing kids!

I have rotifers for sale. $5 a bottle.

Hey I need some to feed my seahorses !! Do you have any in stock? Please text me 512-565-1199 Cheers, James

Please send pics and pricing. Thanks James Stockbauer

Hello everyone,

My halimeda has gone nuts lately, so I need to give some away. I have some "fragments" that I tore off the rock, as well as some complete, free-living plants with holdfasts (think roots) that were established in my sandbed and should transplant nicely. PM for address, I live in Central Austin near Lamar and 51st. No holds, first come first served, I just want to clear it out. I'll be available tomorrow from late afternoon into the evening. I seem to have two types, one with large "leaves" and one with small, fine "leaves"...

I would like some of those?? How do I get a hold of you ?

I say your in 2k within 90 days, but I don't get along with budgets either. GL

I got the tank for $900 new. Traded a 29 gal Nano for the live rock. Hired a tank expert time who brought over a ton of corals and cleaned the tank for $200. And then I spent about $3000 at Aquadome on stupid fluffer fish that died. Tangs and Morish Idols look good for a few weeks and wither. So I am sticking to easy LPS corals and some SPS, hardy fish like small triggers, wrasses, rabbitfish, firefish, and snails.

Welcome to the club, beautiful tank! Where do you have the sump?

Sump is on a steel stand under the tank. I had it made at a shop on 183 to fit under the stand. Some like one big open sump, but I like to separate the bioballs from the intake pump where I hold the bags of carbon the plants with the LED. I think they do take out some nitrites.

AWE!! Sweet! A basement! Oh, and the tank look awesome too! Welcome to the club.

Thanks!

Thank you so much I love this hobby and keeps me off the streets when I'm not at my bar. I want to get some real colorful corals is there anyone in the club that sells super colorful coral at a reasonable price.?

I ordered some at www.reefs2go.com and I want predicatbly disappointed when these tiny things came in for $20 each. What a rip off. Please send me the link. Thanks Jim

AWE!! Sweet! A basement! Oh, and the tank look awesome too! Welcome to the club.

Thanks!

Welcome to the club, beautiful tank! Where do you have the sump?

two cubic feet of BioBalls and three or four bags of carbon in the return chamber. I also have some seaweed in the return chamber with an LED light. I use carbon impregnated foam in the filter slats and well.

I'm no pro. Every enclosed system is always on the brink of total collapse. I just do all I can to mediate the problems. If my wife would let me use the office on the otherside I would have it packed with the right equipment. It's basically a giant NANO. I would like to buy coral frags if anyone has some. Cheers, Stockbauer

I had several tanks in college while I was a undergrad at UT. Was a good break from studying and the industry was still in it's early stages in the mid-80's. The days of bed filters, bubbles and fake coral. Fast forward to today I have an old house and wanted to put something in the 2 foot thick window opening in my basement. House was built in 1894 so the wall was stout. I measured and bought a custom tank in Tennessee and had it shipped to Austin. Then the hard part started. Had to get it in the house, pay some weight lifters to lift the 500 lb glass tank onto the metal stand. Well eight months later it is finally starting to look good. Fun hobby there is so much to learn now and so much more livestock available.

I have a 30 gallon sump with BioBalls and carbon that seems to work very well. I clean it out every other month. I use a CPR protein skimmer since it's the only one that will fit on the side of the tank. It has that blue plastic media and an output that I put a sock on to catch leftovers. I use a UV light pump combo with three BuildMYLED lights from Randy's factory. I use a 36" strip and two 24" strips with 30 degree angles to focus light on the live rock where the corals are. I use dimmers to ramp up the light in the morning and dim it down toward dusk time. We do regular water changes at 20 percent once a month.

Look forward to your next meeting. Cheers, Stockbauer

Very nice see how much better your tank looks? Regular white LED's make your tank look like floresent lights in an office cubical Man what a difference

I have had many aquarium lights over the past 30 years in the hobby. I have not found one as great as Randy's BuildMyLED made right here in South Austin.

They are attractive, light weight, powerful, colorful and make things thrive. I have purchased my third light and run them in series from the smaller 24" one in the

morning then gradually dimming up to the 36" one. Simulates real world conditions very well with bright intensity. They use commercial grade LED's so they are not some cheap consumer transistors. Also the colors of your corals will POP! Corals have natural UV protection which is amplified by their lights with almost a "blue light" effect. Let's face it, enclosed systems are on the brink just about all the time

and the amount we spend on live stock it only makes sense to try to match the real world as best as possible. Kudos to this fine Austin company!!