mhart032

i just ordered the seachem basic and special test kits and the Calcium and magnesium kits too , all my test kits other than KH are API.. ill feel better about my tests accuracy..

Ben, read this thread... http://www.austinreefclub.com/topic/6855-dead-rock/

I will, i dont really like them eaither. just very unsure about test kits. having a pool most of my life i have found some are very good and some are not good. i have questioned this test kit from day 1 anyway. everything pretty much cleared up. my levels are good mt salinity is good.. so i guess everything will be fine. thanks for the help..

Im using the API test kit..

Ok, so i did my water change and wow my tank is super cloudy is this normal? i have always used IO from the LFS and its always been clear. sry for all the questions and concerns this is just new to me. making the saltwater that is..

i am 1.24. i wonder if my calcium test kit is bad. my calcium always tests low but i have good coral growth and good coraline growth.

My calcium is 200

Ive checked all the hoses and through out the unit and i dont see one. unless its built into something or maybe it doesnt have one. it seems to be fine making good water and fairly quick.. maybe it was already pulled off prior..

i tested the new mixture and the PH is great but the calcium is way low.. my salinity is right on..this is the first batch i have ever mixed. i always used LFS water.. i bought it by the gallon from them..

So it should be ok then? wont it make my tank cloudy?

Has anyone used this before. it seems to be taking forever to mix.. im using a little giant 5-MSP 1,200GPH submersible its been mixing for almost 26hrs in a 5g bucket.. i used as directed 1.4lbs per 5 gallons.

Tate1 has some very nice stuff, all his coral have very nice color. i was very impressed with their tank.. if you still have any of these hornets let me know id like a frag. what were the orange ones you had?

hrmm what does the flow restrictor look like? i dont see anything that looks like a restrictor.

I recently bought an RO filtration system. its a 24gpd, my question is can i put a 50gpd membrane in it? their is no size difference b/t the 24 and 50 so the 50 will fit.. also can i use any membrane for any RO as long as it fits?

Oh forgot to mention.. go to the sea food market down on airport. they will give you all the oyster shells you want...

ill take tyrees try and a tort a 2 purple digi and a green birds if you got them

Yea we could sneak it in and tie a big bow around it and you can act surprised and pretend she got it for you.. i can see it now " is this why you wanted me to go out of town"

i have a friend that makes his own live rock, thats what he uses that recipe. main thing is to soak it for a few weeks. to leech all the PH out of it.

Why she is sleeping on reef_pugs couch ill help you carry it in..

i have an idea.. take the dementions of your back glass. make a concrete form and mix morter crushed oyster shells styrofoam balls ( the little bitty ones) and arganite sand together. (this way it will be nice and pource but still be pretty light (FYI this is the recipe for DIY base rock)) mix it up thin first let it 1/4 of the way dry then tank the remaining witch should have firmed up some by now and scupled some shelves and small caves out of it. you could use pvc for caves and plexie peices for shelves. let it dry them pull the pvc and plexie out. then soak it for a few weeks with power heads to leech anything bad out of it then cycle it then add it to the back wall...

Im hopeing to have mine up and running by next week. then i will be ready for a pretty good size vivid order as im going to have to fill this thing up. YaY 4 Fairy wrasse and purple tang time.. gonna be nice to have a tank big enough to have them.

I believe he is on the right track for a very good start up! i can tell you when i started i forgot to do so many things that came back to bit me in the arse down the road. im still w/o a ro/di i have been looking for one fairly cheap i found some on ebay for 86.00 free shipping i mite pull the trigger on that today. ya really never think about how much money we drop into this hobby till you look back. and i got great deals along the way and it seems i still have dropped a few bucks.

Oh most definitely i had a 10g nano reef for a couple months first. its was an established reef tank for 2 years. its was very nice. but when i got more time i went bigger, and now bigger, and when really started getting into it their was so much stuff i want that i dont have room for in a smaller tank, like my fav fish is a Fairy Wrasse. no chance to keep it in a smaller tank. i think i would have been alittle more happy if i would have gotten a 45 or 55 long it would have let me spread everything out but the hex stretch their isnt much room everything seems to have to sit on each other. but yes smaller tanks are nice too. some of the nano tanks you see are amazing..

i thought i would be happy with a shinny nice new 42g oceanic hex stretch. well it didnt last long. i think right at 3 months, and i had to have bigger. The want to sell section is a good place to get equipment most the time 1/2 the price.

Thats fine with me, and their ready. i just need to glue them on some rubble.