NonSequitur

I've had a snowflake moray eel in my tank for just shy of a year, and he's quickly become one of my favorite fish. He's in there with a few chromis, a foxface rabbitfish, yellow watchman goby, and various CUC, including a coral banded shrimp and black brittle star that actually share his burrow. I've found that the my snowflake (we call him Joe) really doesn't bother his tankmates as long as I keep him well fed. I think he might have eaten one chromis when I first added him, but they're pretty stupid about taunting him. I was talking with Jake at RCA a week or two ago and he was telling me that the eels in the front tank had eaten several several lionfish, I don't recall what else, but they pretty much ate whatever he put in the tank with them. I suppose a lot of it depends on the individual animal.

I've seen people use clip-on 150w MH lights on tanks of this size (I think there's one listed in the for sale section if you're interested in going this route) , but that requires removing the tank lid. Nanotuners carries upgrade kits that allow you to run higher wattage PCs over your tank (a 96w upgrade if I recall correctly). My 12g aquapod was running on a 96w PC for a while before I took it down, it worked quite well, but I'm probably going to switch to LED when I bring it back up as a mantis tank.

I had a peacock mantis shrimp when I first got into the hobby, and plan on getting another in the near future. Definitely a cool creature. I never had a problem with mine hitting the glass, but I did have a cutting board trimmed down to cover the bottom of the tank, since that's what I've heard they're more likely to break while burrowing. As far as clean up crew, she would eat anything I put in there, regardless of how well fed she was, so I had to think of CUC as expendable, but it wasn't a big deal, just did extra water changes when she succeeded in breaking open a turbo snail and clouding up the water. She absolutely did not like my hands near her burrow entrance, so I really had to be alert whenever working in that area of the tank, but anywhere else she didn't bother me, and I loved the "Feed Me Semour!" dance she did whenever I came near the tank, I can't know for sure, but it even seemed that she enjoyed coming out and entertaining the cats (I frequently saw multiple cats sitting in front of that tank watching).

Medi's likely right, definitely try his suggestions before replacing the pump. Failing to start pulling air on it's own is usually a sign that either the venturi is clogged (soak in vinegar, poke a small, rigid object through the air hole to make sure it's clear) or the pump isn't pulling enough water to create enough of a pressure differential to draw air down from the surface (clean the impeller, impeller magnet and housing, volute, etc) The little holes on the intake of the pump (after the venturi) clog up very easily, reducing water flow significantly.

I had the same pump on my Euro-Reef and it behaved the same way. At first all it needed was to be cleaned, as Gonzobob mentioned. Over time it went from what you described to not starting reliably, to randomly seizing up. I eventually replaced it when it started leaking a/c current into my tank. I know you mention you haven't had the skimmer long, did you buy it new or used? If you got it new, it would probably be worth talking to the manufacturer to see if they have any suggestions. If you end up replacing the pump, there are several very good models out there are good replacements for the sedra 3500. I'm currently running the pump from a red sea berlin skimmer on my ER, which works very well. When that one eventually fails I'll probably replace it with the Bubble Blaster HY-1000 (avaliable from PremiumAquatics).

Thank you so much, he's acclimating now, looking forward to putting him in the tank!

+1 on grape caulerpa. My foxface rabbitfish absolutely loves it.. it was overgrowing my tank before I got him, within a week he completely wiped it out to the point that I haven't seen a single sprout of it in my tank in over 6mo.

Ouch! I believe it, Georgetown went to the new water meters and our usage jumped significantly, so electricity will do the same thing. I just got a $200 electric bill for my (currently vacant) rent house.. apparently one of the realtors turned the air conditioners on and left them. Ugh. I'm probably going to have to go out there this weekend and shut off the a/c breakers. Fortunately the house is in Taylor, maybe a mile from AAF, so I might be able to make the meeting this time. Just feels wrong not bidding on this week's auction, some really nice pieces on there.

You're not kidding.. $500 electric bill really cut into my coral budget this month!

Not sure if the Army would allow it, but CRDAMC would be a great place for it, either that or Austin Lakes Hospital. Either place could use that sort of calming, peaceful influence.

The socket is likely different if you're using DE lamps (I think SE lamps use mogul base for both 150 and 250w, but I could be wrong. If your 150w lamp uses a medium base you'll have to swap it out for a mogul socket). Also, check bulb dimensions to make sure that there is room for the new lamp in the space provided for the old lamp, and be careful of the additional heat that will be generated.

I'm probably going to end up doing the same, since nobody seems interested. I moved a few dozen into my sump, where they promptly clogged up my return and skimmer pumps.

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I've decided to thin out the population of asterina stars in my tank, since I think they're irritating my zoas. I don't want to leave them out to dry, but from what I've head harlequin shrimp love them. I have a couple of dozen in a cup already, will be pulling more out as they move into areas where I can catch them. If you want them, they're yours. I also still have plenty of kenya tree and finger leather frags that I'm happy to share, all I ask is that you come to georgetown to get them. PM me.

Looks like it could be dragon's tongue macroalgae, Halymenia

I can't say for sure, but I would guess that the livestock troughs are designed not to leach toxic chemicals, since they're designed to hold water intended for drinking while being exposed to the elements.

That would work.. or for that matter just about any sufficiently strong container with a vinyl pond liner.

The large rubbermaid tubs sold as stock troughs work well as sumps, so I would imagine they would work as grow out tanks as well.. I'd stay away from the metal water troughs for the obvious reasons, but the plastic ones work great. Also, watch craigslist, people frequently list 55gal aquariums for as low as $20-$30 (I think there might be one on there now in Georgetown)

Thanks! The nuclear greens are already open and looking great, and the lights aren't even on yet. I can't wait to see how the blues look when they open.

PM sent on bright green zoas. (nuclear greens?)

My first impression was toadstool leather.. could be a majano as well, but I wouldn't kill it until you know for sure. If in doubt, I'd say put it in your sump/fuge until you can make a conclusive identification.

... or even birds for that matter.. I made so many calls about a local "pet store" that had a badly self-mutilating cockatoo that desperately needed a trip to the vet, but they refused to take it, since the owner "knew birds" and "it was fine." Neither animal control nor the local PD would do anything about it. Apparently puppies in tiny cages were ok too.. grr, don't get me started. Sorry.. Looks like you got a great deal on the tank, though.. with a little TLC it'll be beautiful in no time.

Oh yes, lantana is definitely a good choice. Looks nice, nearly impossible to kill (I've tried).

I've had really good luck this year growing peppers in pots.. bells, jalapenos, and sweet banana peppers, as well as raspberries and blackberries. Not the prettiest, but definitely tasty. Aloe and agaves tend to grow pretty well potted as well, and are pretty forgiving if you forget to water them. As far as flowers, my wife is partial to hibiscus, but they can be a pain having to haul them inside when a freeze is expected since they can get pretty big.