NonSequitur

Have any of you tried the reefoptics metal halide lamps? I just set up my ghetto-rigged dual-175 MH (habitat re-store is a wonderful thing.. m57 fixtures for $10) and now I'm looking for lamps. I'm currently running a pair of way too old ushio 10k lamps that look great, but one doesn't always start the first time. I came across the reefoptics lamps on ebay and was wondering if anyone has tried them. They're somewhat cheaper than the major brands (under $40/lamp shipped on the website), but if they don't work well I'll just spend the extra cash on a major brand.

I'm not terribly familiar with the mj mods: ooks like they move the impeller out of the pump body into a separate housing, but it seems to be a similar idea.. the flow through the impeller draws more water in through the slots in the housing and directs it out the output. I think you're right about diffusing the stream. It's certainly worth a try, just a matter of finding a local supplier of a suitable eductor to play with.

I'd be interested in 10 or so lbs as well if you're willing to sell that small of an amount.

It seems like he's suggesting using eductors on the output of the return line to increase water flow without adding a bigger return pump or more powerheads in the tank for circulation. I've pondered this, but was concerned that the flow might be too direct in the tank, rather than a more diffuse flow like you would get from a koralia or 3. Hmm.. now that I think of it, I wonder how it would work in the sump.. would it be possible to run a smaller return pump to feed an eductor, then feed the return lines with the eductor output? I may try it if I can get my hands on one at a reasonable price, though I wonder how it would work pushing against 3ft or so of head.

I'm looking for some rock, but don't need a whole lot. Would you be willing to sell me somewhere around 10-15lbs, and maybe a cup or two of sand? I'm trying to increase the biodiversity in my new tank by getting small quantities of rock/sand from established tanks.

I'd be happy to help too, can you post some pics of what you're getting now?

I'll take it. Sending PM as well.

Here's a video of a clear acrylic wavebox so you can see how it works.. pretty simple, really:

A wave box is one of the ways you can make your tank water sway back and forth. Essentially it is a box with a powerhead that is cycled on and off. When the powerhead is on, a surge of water is pumped from the box into the tank. When the powerhead cycles off, tank water flows back into the box through the powerhead opening. The whole contraption is controlled by a timer that allows you to adjust the frequency of the cycles. When it's all set up correctly, it can create a pretty impressive wave in the tank. I think there's a thread in the DIY section about building one.

I sometimes ride with the north austin rider's group on meetup.com, which usually has some good rides. I agree, 79 to 1660 to 95 (or 973) to Elgin (for barbecue at Meyers (or southside)) is a pretty good ride, as is 79 to Taylor for barbecue at Louie Muellers, then 95 to 29 either to Georgetown or all the way to 183 if you're so inclined.

Welcome to the club (and to the addiction..err..hobby)! You'll find a great group of people here, with a lot of knowledge. I've only been a member for a few months but I've gotten tons of great advice. Be sure to post some pics of your tanks once you get them set up!

I'll take the mag 5 if you still have it.

Very nice. I was having a hard time picturing it when you were describing it the other night, but it looks good!

Thanks Dena! It's already opening up in my tank and looks great!

I ended up using 1.25" spa-flex flexible pvc for the line from the overflow.. it didn't end up quite as diagonal as I was hoping, but so far it seems to work. Due to some pump trouble (possibly seized impeller, it's soaking in RO water now to see if that'll free it) I'm only running a rio 1400 for my return, which has pretty pathetic flow but at least it shows that everything works. Because of the difference in pump size I went with .75" braided poly tubing from the pump to the risers for the return (didn't want to cut/glue more pvc when that pump's there temporarily). Here are a few photos. I'm going to clean it up later, fasten the return pvc to the stand, but it's great to have it actually flowing. First, here's the sump in it's new home, with the skimmer running and filter floss where the bio-balls would go to help silence the falling water (my wife didn't like how loud it was. I'll probably end up building a box to put it in to silence it) Here's the overflow running into 1.25" spa-flex. Return risers: Skimmer in action, but apparently nothing to remove yet:

It's a dolphin dp-900

No pics yet, I'm going to have to go back to HD tomorrow to get a few more parts. I got home with the parts and realized that the thread on the fitting doesn't match the thread on the pump, so I'll have to rethink that part. I do have a barb style fitting that will work in a pinch, but I'd rather stay with solvent welded fittings if I can.

Thanks for all of the advice! I'm going to pick up the pvc this evening and try to get it all running tonight.

That's a good point.. I was trying to decide if I wanted to do solvent welded pvc or flexible tubing.. flexible will be easier to work with, less measuring and cutting, no elbows and such, but I've put together enough pvc to know that a properly welded joint will hold way better than a hose clamp.

Absolutely.. I remember seeing in your tank construction blog that you had put one of those in and was just about to go back and look to see which one it was. Hopefully I'll never have to hear it go off, but it'll be good insurance having it there.

Yes, I'll be able to get to it there easily by moving the couch. In the stand I couldn't get to it at all, couldn't get the skimmer collection cup out, couldn't get the pumps out. I'm thinking of putting some sort of catch pan like they put under a/c units with a switch to turn off the pumps if there is a leak.. hopefully that, combined with plenty of headroom and siphon breaks on the return pipes will prevent an overflow, but it's a little scary having that much water in the house.