drock59

So where does one get this two part resin stuff? Never done anything like that.

Let me clarify a bit. I currently have an auto top off that works fine. What I want to do is run my RO/DI unit directly to the tank so I dont have to fill the bucket. I am tired of doing that chore. As of now the plan is get a solenoid to connect the the ATO system in place of my pump. I will simply plumb the ro/di line through the solenoid and into the sump. I will then plug the solenoid into the two float switches in the sump, one low mark and one emergency switch. Then I will steal the timer idea and plug everything into that. If i let the timer run for 1 hour, twice a day, i think that will do the trick. Does anyone see any major faults in my thinking?

mostly SPS, just like my tank.

I made a frag rack from eggcrate, magnets and hot glue. Turned out nice but I need to find some stronger magnets. I found some at Home Depot and they will work for now, but I am looking for something better. Also, I covered the magnets in hot glue to help slow any corrosion. However, I am looking for a cleaner way to do this in the future. Any ideas? I would like to completely encase the magnet in something but I will need stronger magnet. Kind of worried about the magnets getting all jacked up in the tank. Ill post a picture soon and I think it turned out pretty well.

Curious as to what people would recommend for a 40g breeder frag tank light. I am looking for the best bang for the buck. Any advise appreciated.

Im looking to hook up the RO/DI unit to the auto top off tub. However, I am struggling to figure out how to properly arrange things so I dont get a flood. I assume I need some sort of shut off switch and likely a fail safe system. Any advise or ideas appreciated.

P.S. Go beavers.

Thanks for the replies. Simple as that eh? Sounds perfect. Mike, that was my next question. I need to get some sort of Halide for it. The racks will be about 12" inches deep in the tank and I dont care about color. I was thinking maybe a T5 retro.

Does anyone have plans for a frag rack? I am getting to a point where I want to start nipping some corals and growing them in the fuge. Any help appreciated.

Been using tropic marine. Thanks for the input. This problem is kind of annoying but ill look into the potassium.

Lights are just a few months old. XM 20k 250 Its not so much bleaching of the cap, its just not growing fast and does not have its purple rim anymore. Temp is 77-79 Last time I checked phosphates they were 0 at Waves. That was a while ago, but nothing has changed in my system and I recently changed the reactor media. Anybody have a potassium test kit they could recommend?

In the past six months or so I have seen nearly all of my green corals die or look like crap. Everything else is doing great and growing like a weed. List of victims: 1. Green slimer-lost a huge colony for no aparent reason. Smaller colony not looking so good now. 2. Green purple rimmed cap-died way back and now seems to be on the mend, but no purple rim anymore. 3. Unknown neon-green-polyp digita from Advanced- SLOWLY disintegrating. Not a long list,but some of my favorites. All of my levels have been checked and rechecked with other test kits. TDS has been checked. Salt changed and re-changed. Any insights are appreciated.

Thats what I needed. I just couldnt find the right terminology. Thanks. Working on the fish pics.

A little more help here. I am trying to do a couple of things with GIMP and I cant manage to figure it out. 1. Is there a way to blend several photos together in order to make a panorama type photo? 2. Secondly, I have run into a couple of situations in which I would like to use different exposures on for the exact same shot in order to capture details in various areas of the frame. I would very much like to be able to merge the two shots and come up with some type of composite. Is this possible? Any help appreciated.

Well thanks for the complements. I have a trial version of photoshop, I just dont know exactly what to do with it. I think at this point I am going to try and figure out how to take good pictures then worry about photoshop stuff later. Thanks for all the help. Ill post more pictures as they become available.

I have been using Picassa to boost light levels and such, but nothing major. I really dont feel like dropping a whole bunch of money on something like Photoshop, but if anyone has budget alternatives I am interested.

I think I am getting the swing of it and I cant seem to stop taking photos. (clap) Now I just need to spend some time getting rid of all my algea.

Im working on the full tank shot. Picked up a remote today....VERY handy. Any help on the FT shot would be great. I am having a hard time getting a fast enough shutter speed to not have blurry fish. First attempt:

what is FTS?

I have now been messing around with the flash and exposure compensation. Not sure I have it down yet, but I am coming around.

All great advise and mostly things I am doing. I cant stop playing with this thing and it is wonderful. I definitely need a bag and a remote. Those are next on my list.

Thanks for the info. Would I be correct to say that if I am shooting a nice tight shot of something a lower iso is recommended? Also, if the ISO is the sensitivity to light, the darker the setting the higher the ISO, could be my general rule? Lastly, a question on metering. Could someone lay out the basics? I was using spot metering as I was trying to focus and capture particular fish and coral, not a huge swath of things. Is this the right way to go or am I missing something? Again, thanks very much for the help.

Well the camera arrived today and I have say that I am pleased and also a little overwhelmed...not sure how I am ever going to find the time to figure out how to take nice photos. Below are a few photos and I have a few questions. 1. Could someone explain what ISO is to me. When I turn ISO up, my pics just turn grainy. 2. Secondly, exactly how am I supposed to know what settings to use for a particular shot. Obviously there are a lot people with a lot of experience with photography but I have very little and know nothing. If someone could provide a good source to help me learn on my own, I would appreciate it.

I have a decent tripod already. Wired or wireless release? Apparently the package does not come with a bag, so I will need to get one of those also. What about something to protect the lens? Something similar to a case for an ipod or a filter that is simply screwed on for protective perposes.