Carrie

Yes and no. It is mine, but apparently it is up for debate if they are called powder browns or A. Nigricans are. Either way, that's my George, and I am calling him powder brown! He has finally settled in and claimed a cave as his territory. Now I am hoping he will attack hair algae with a vengeance.

I officially asked my father to change his birthday so I can attend! I will be there, but I may be disowned.... Laura, you'll adopt me, right? I promise I won't take my room apart and leave it in the hallway!

Where's my Aggie sweatshirt! I feel out numbered! I suppose I will have to root for UT, even if it borders on blasphemy! My mother did pay for my tuition even though she was a longhorn.

I am interested in the ACIII.

Be careful with rattlesnakes. My cat lost his tail to one. He got bit, and was such a macho kitty that he didn't complain a bit, so we didn't see it right away. A few days later his tail lost it's fur and turned green. The vet had to amputate. It was really funny to watch him the first few weeks without his tail. He seemed drunk since he couldn't use his tail to balance! That's when he and his sister became house cats.

If I am reading Neptune's website correctly, the ACIII Pro Monitors and corrects PH, Temp, ORP, and Oxygen, and controls wavemakers, lighting, etc. Is that your experience? Would I need to buy anything in addition to the ACIII?

Why does Mark's advice always require me to save money? Doesn't he realize that we aren't all independently wealthy? OK, fine... Start saving for a controller. Now I just have to figure out which one. Is there a better brand than others? Ones that do more than just PH?

What all did you test for? I assume Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite. Did you test anything else? Did you quarantine your new arrivals? How did you acclimate them? I am nowhere near an expert on these forums, but the awesome people on ARC will most likely need more info. I know that some Chromis are hardy, but others of the same species often die in aquaria. I have two that are fine, but started with six. They died off one by one, for no apparent reason. The last two have survived an extended power outage, and a broken heater. So, for the Chromis, it may have been the individual that was purchased.

I have decided that I need a new test kit brand. My API test kit showed a PH of 8.8 at 9:00 AM and 7.4 at noon. If I really had a swing that high, I think it would have killed everything I own. What brand of tester do you use, and would you recommend it? I have heard from many sources that API is notoriously unreliable. Also, are the inexpensive PH probes accurate?

Sometimes it takes a day, where stress and circumstances overwhelm, to realize how blessed we truly are. The outpouring of support, and offers of temporary homes for my tank inhabitants, were both genuine and frequent, in the past week. It is rare to find a community willing to inconvenience themselves in order to assist another. ARC does it on a regular basis. From tank moves, rehoming, advice, group buys and lending equipment, ARC members are always supporting each other. I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you to everyone involved with this fantastic group. Four members I really must call out and thank are: Dave and Robin - for both their support, and humor. Mark - for always offering advice, and calming me when I worry too much about the critters in my care. Laura - for being a wonderful caring individual, and helping me with everything last week. I hope everyone has a safe and happy holidays, in whatever way you celebrate! Carrie

Reefcleaners.org classifies the Bumble Bee Snail as "bad." Quoted from reefcleaners - Sold as a sand stirrer, it eats the micro fauna in your sand that makes it "live". I love my urchin, but you should consider how picky you are on tank arrangement. In small tanks, they would do some serious rearranging. In my 75, I often find things moved or knocked over. Spike has no idea that the $100 prized coral frag you bought is not a pretty decoration for his spines.

But I want it to be pretty, NOW! <temper tantrum> Also, is the cucumber supposed to have moved? How can I tell it isn't dead?

My green stylophora immediately opened up, and seams happy as the proverbial clam. Absolutely gorgeous! All my other SPS are still closed up tight. Maybe because the lighting isn't here?

I'll be there, munchies in hand.

I picked up some of Mama's peppermints a few months ago when I had 20-30 Aptasia. I didn't add any chemicals, and they slowly disappeared. Each morning I would wake up and 2-3 would be missing! I added three shrimp to my 75 and haven't seen any bad anemones in the last few months. The shrimp now eat whatever I feed the fish. Carrie

I'm in for 38.00. Thanks for setting this up!

Is it better to add to a HOB refugium or direct into the display?

Anyone else seeing Mark as a pusher? "Come on, Kid... You know you want to try it... "

What Dremel bit do you use to frag corals?

If you want gorgeous views that are a little closer to home, here are pictures taken in Pedernales Falls State Park last weekend. The river was much higher than normal from the rains, but it was still beautiful. It took a little over an hour to get there ( mainly 'cause I got us lost. ) And there is a bonus...You drive right by Austin Aqua Dome!

I placed an order for $31

I will be there. Pegine, if you are reading this, you should come! I promise no one bites! Laura will keep the thumping and whacking to a minimum!

Unfortunately, the stress from the changing environment was too much for my Foxface Rabbitfish. RIP Rotten Banana. Your awesome personality brightened my tank for the past year! I unplugged the Koralia for the day until I can figure out how best to set it up without causing too much stress on my fish. I also have a 650 GPH powerhead for water movement and another 500 GPH pump attached to my skimmer.

I have a 75 gallon, and just installed a Koralia 4 (1200 gph.) It seams like too much flow. How much is too much? And should I turn it off at night? Carrie

I already have problems concentrating at work with ARC and looking for new corals... I would never get anything done if I was allowed to have a tank here!