SirReal63

PM sent.

Where are you located at?

Knowing where to get stuff helps save money...this place is a good one, I know the owner. The CoralVue LAIII's use a superior reflectant material to the original Pacific Garden ones. http://www.thereefstop.com/index.php?act=v...p;productId=539

George it was great to meet you. Let me know if I can ever help you.

I need a 96 watt 10K PC bulb. Age does not matter. Pin orientation is :: Let me know what you have. :-) Two 50/50 bulbs would work too.

I am a huge fan of LumenArc Mini's. The spread is amazing and they really do make a difference in the light they cast downward. On my old 125 I had a mixture of 150 watt 10K XDE bulbs and 250 watt 10K XDE bulbs...the LumenArcs were retrofitted with the 150's and the 250 was in a ReefOptics III. Standing in front of the tank you could not tell which fixtures where which. My corals couldn't tell either nor could the clams...they grew like weeds under the 150 watt bulb. The biggest difference I could tell was the coraline did not grow as well under the 250 because of the light intensity. Here is a pic of the old tank, kind of hard to tell the difference in lighting.

Another Eheim convert here. Mag needs to rename their pumps as Mag Heaters. Their volume is only good if you use 1-1/2" piping. Eheim under rates their pumps so you get more flow with less heat and elect. usage.

1. I am 44 going on 24. old age is for geriatrics, I listen to heavy metal and drive like a 16 year old in Daddy's car on Friday night. 2. I have almost been hit by a bus and had a plane crash in my back yard. 3. I have been married and divorced twice. I may be married again but never divorced again...funerals are cheaper. I am with my current g-f / fiance` for the second time in 6 years after a 5 year absence. It was meant to be. 4. I work too hard and play too hard...my body is in a constant state of revolt. 5. I returned home to Austin (aka paradise) after being away for 10 years. I should have come home sooner, I don't know this place anymore.

While I was in St Louis I saw more tanks than I can remember. Home the 5,000 gallon Zilla III which is built into the basement of a very large home. There were many large tanks in the 450 gallon range. The hobby is very active there and I am hoping to find the same level of dedication to the hobby here. I am encouraged by number of LFS's dedicated to salt which tells me there are many people here in the hobby. I was a founding member of the largest and best run club in St Louis and once I am up and running again I hope to become active in this club. I have been fortunate in the past 4 years to have learned a great deal about the hobby from some very wonderful people. I am excited that there seem to be a lot of great people here as well. We used to do a monthly meeting that had nothing to do with aquariums. We would meet up at one of the many local LFS's then head out to enjoy pizza and beverages. That brought us together as friends and then the reefing hobby became more personal between the membership. It was good for the club, good for the LFS's and helped friendships grow and frags are shared more easily, help is given quicker and with more thought to a friend than a random person on a message board. I see many people here are friends...I hope to see that grow. :-) I want to see some tanks here.

I have suffered through that loss several times in my life. I know it isn't easy but remember that friends and family are what gets us through the hard times in life.

In that case swimming pool filter sand...cheap and not sharp. :-)

Here is one lengthy article but at 9 years old it is dated. It is more relevant towards the end of the article. http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog/r_shimek_090698.html

It is truly a sick world...hopefully the eel will bite.

If you want it to function as a DSB the sand does have a role. The sand should be small grained like southdown or oolitic, it should be rounded from exposure to water not sharp like silicate based sand can be. This allows for the fauna in the bed to thrive. Some are particular about grain size and shape. Sharp grained sands can injure the fauna. Small grain size is important as well. I looked for a link I used to have discussing the correct grain size for a DSB but I cannot find it now. Crushed coral will not work. I'll keep looking for that article and post it when I find it. The sand does not have to be aragonite based but the size and shape are critical for it to function as a DSB and denitrification.

Thanks, it is good to be home. I hope the LFS's here are as good as the ones in St Louis. We were bleseed with many many choices and excellent local reefers that helped support them. My little 58 will be propped up well with equipment. Dual LAIII Mini's retro'd to be 150 watt with XDE 10k's in them run by ARO electronic ballasts. Lebos moonlight system (3 bulb variety for nice night viewing). Sanders ozone unit and orp controller. ASM G3 that has been finely tuned and tweaked enough (recirculating, gate valve and fed by a mesh modded GenX1500 to adjust the air intake, both pumps with improved venturi's) it was perfect for the 125 and will be overkill on the 58. MRC calcium reactor with milwaukee ph controller. Eheim 2246 cannister for carbon and phosban. 1/5 horse chiller to keep the temps stable. One MjMod high flow, a Seio 1500, and a shroud modified maxijet 1200 on a wavemaker for alternating flow. My bank account isn't new to the addiction. lol I need to know about the LFS's...which one is more equipment and supply heavy and which is more sps dominated? I will eventually hit them all and I don't want to know of problems anyone has had in the past or to rate the LFS's but usually one will be more geared towards equipment and one more towards livestock, some better with fish other better with sps. I have learned they all have their strong points...it is these strong points I am interested in. Feel free to pm or e-mail me with your responses. I don't want ay of the LFS's to be offended...I hope to work well with all of them soon enough. I am very thankful to be back home and it looks like the saltwater scene here is a good one. Cheers to all.

Hello, my name is Jack. I grew up in Austin and have just moved back home after a 5-1/2 year hiatus in St Louis. This town has really changed!!!! I downsized my tank from a 125 to my old 58 and will keep it this way for a year or so unless the addiction gets too much again. The tank as it was 7-15 before I began the painful process of selling it off. I still have the important corals being stored by a good friend in St Louis and hope to have the 58 up and running in less than a month. I will either light it with a pair of 150 watt LuminArc Mini's or a single 250. I am leading more towards the 150's if I can get a canopy built to house them. I look forward to meeting everyone and becoming active in the club. I have yet to visit any LFS's because I am not ready to set up the tank and I know my addiction.