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pbnj

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Everything posted by pbnj

  1. You guys have the Actinic, not the 50/50, correct?
  2. Anybody have a picture or video of what this light fixture looks like without any other lights on? YouTube wasn't helpful. Looking to add some 'pop' and pondering this fixture vs actinic T5s.
  3. Big shout-out to nori4dori for the awesome frag-pack! FYI, if you were considering buying his ASD Jawbreaker Monti frag and passed, you can start kicking yourself now. 😆
  4. pbnj

    Killer Pods?

    I posted this pic a couple of months ago, after the 1st incident.
  5. pbnj

    Killer Pods?

    I thought I'd share an interesting experience I've had with pods and newly-glued SPS frags. With the last couple of SPS frag packs I've purchased, I've had a lot of death within 24 hours. I chalked the 1st time it happened up to different tank parameters. With the 2nd pack, I lost 6 out of 10 overnight, with the remaining 4 on life support. Water testing showed no issues. Then, I remembered something I had observed previously. Whenever I glue new frags, the pods (big amphipods) are all over them after lights-out. Could they be attracted to the glue and, as a result, stressing the frags? I tested this theory last night, after I received another SPS pack. I put 8 newly-glued frags up high on a frag-rack instead of on the liverock. I also glued a couple of empty plugs to the rocks. Result? After light-out, the empty plugs were swarming with pods and the frags were clear. This morning, all frags are alive and looking great. Coincidence? Anecdotal evidence? Perhaps I'm wrong, but I don't think so.
  6. pbnj

    NO3PO4-X

    Hi, everybody. My 135g reef has been on the decline for several years. My wife gave me an ultimatum in December: clean it up or shut it down. So, I started the clean-up just before Christmas and now I'm hooked once again. The tank only contains two tangs, which I've always kept fed. The rocks were covered in hair algae. After about a week of cleaning and new aquascaping, the tank looked much better, so I tested at that point with Salifert kits. Phosphates were at 0.5 (can't imagine what they were prior to clean-up). I decided to try NO3PO4-X and I have to say, I'm impressed. I haven't done any water changes since I started dosing over a week ago and phosphates are down to between 0.1 and 0.25 (Hannah checker is next on the order list). Algae is starting to peel itself off the back glass. Dosing is very simple, so I'll probably continue a maintenance dosing regiment going forward.
  7. Finally cleaned my return pump after 2 years....surprisingly, it was already pretty clean.

  8. That's it, I've had it with maricultured Acros.

    1. Show previous comments  4 more
    2. jestep

      jestep

      Mixed results. 50% STN or RTN even though they seem like they settle in. I've had 1 that was so chemically nasty it destroyed 2 downstream acros. Wasn't sure so I moved it and it wiped out a candy cane...

    3. FarmerTy

      FarmerTy

      I tried one and it STN about half the colony before it finally stopped. That's the only one I've tried though.

    4. FarmerTy

      FarmerTy

      Jestep - you just gave me a gentle reminder to put in some fresh GAC in my system!

  9. That's it, I've had it with maricultured Acros.

  10. Somebody just paid $256 for a single polyp of Rainbow Paly on eBay.

    1. Show previous comments  4 more
    2. Timfish

      Timfish

      *% I hate when my cat finds my credit card.

    3. jestep

      jestep

      Wait until they see it without 4M watts of actinics and another 4M watts of photoshop.

    4. FarmerTy

      FarmerTy

      Oh man, I blew all the money I had to get that frag! Who's got 4M watts of actinic for me to display it under?

  11. Porcelain Anemone Crabs are so cool. To quote Ferris Bueller, if you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.

    1. (Bio)³

      (Bio)³

      Been looking for one!! Can't wait for RCA to get some in!

    2. JamesL

      JamesL

      This reminds me that I need some for my tank again. Agreed that they are way cool.

    3. pbnj

      pbnj

      Added crab pics to my Rose Bubble tank build.

  12. Porcelain Anemone Crabs are so cool. To quote Ferris Bueller, if you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.

  13. 5 Green Bubble Tips on order from Reefs2Go for the Anemone tank.

    1. dsquared

      dsquared

      If you need anymore lmk. I am about to unload 2 or 3.

  14. Now that my reef tank has no more anemones, my Clarkii clown has gone back to his days as a sandbed escavator.

  15. Now that my reef tank has no more anemones, my Clarkii clown has gone back to his days as a sandbed escavtor.

  16. Just spotted the Green Mandarin Dragonet I put in the tank over 6 months ago...and he's chunky!

  17. Lots 'o sponsors lately....nice.

  18. Can anyone recommend a good model gas lawnmower that won't break the bank?

    1. Show previous comments  14 more
    2. pbnj

      pbnj

      Hey, if I buy the Great States 18" Deluxe Reel Mower, I can splurge on a Diver's Den shopping spree...hmmm.

    3. pbnj

      pbnj

      I'm only going for the "don't get a citation from the HOA" look, not the "golf course fairway" look.

    4. Grog

      Grog

      less time on lawn = more time for tanks!

  19. I wanted to share this, as it addresses a couple of common issues people have in their reefs, especially SPS-dominated reefs.... A couple of months ago, I switched from dosing Seachem Reef Complete (SRC), which I had been using for several years, to BRS Calcium Chloride to save some money (actually, a lot of money). I never dosed Magnesium specifically because I always thought the SRC would take care of that (SRC also includes Magnesium & Strontium), but with the switch to BRS Calcium Chloride, I needed to also start dosing Magnesium. So here I am a couple of months into dosing Magnesium and I have to say, it's important. I previously used to describe my corals as "great color, decent polyp extension, slow growth". Color continues to be great, growth rates have visibly increased, but the biggest difference by far is the polyp extenstion. My Milli's, Prostrata, and Red Planet are quite "shaggy" now with pronounced polyp extension. I have a Neon Green Montipora Spongodes colony that looks almost brown, but not because of color loss; the brown polyps are so big/extended that they cover most of the colony now. I recently researched Magnesium and I read several forum threads where Magnesium was suggested to people complaining about poor polyp extension. It bascially confirmed what I was already seeing, so as it turns-out, I just happened to accidentally stumble upon the benefits of this very important additive because I was trying to save a couple of bucks. Also, I asked around Reef Central (Randy Holmes-Farley & others) and found-out you can mix Calcium Chloride and Magnesium Chloride (important: both have to be "chlorides"), which is great because I can still use only one dosing pump for these additives. In a 1g container, I mix 2.5 cups of BRS Calcium Chloride and 1.5 cups of BRS Magnesium Chloride, but you can experiment with your own recipe.
  20. 20g tank with a couple of Clownfish and some inverts for sale on CL for $1,000. Maybe I should sell my tank to buy that 100ft yacht I've always wanted.

    1. Show previous comments  2 more
    2. JasonJones

      JasonJones

      But at least the hair algae is free

    3. FarmerTy

      FarmerTy

      Haha, glad someone else saw that too. My jaw dropped when perusing craigslist...

    4. Teresa

      Teresa

      lol now i know where to post my frags for sale :)

  21. Magnesium...the most overlooked property in most reefs.

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