rude944

Stacy, you gotta throw a renew incentive in here. Last year, Weasts place served as the tour de force in recruitment. Gotta be in to go in kinda deal. It was worthwhile. What's in the lineup?

So, are you running RO water only? City water contains runoff from agricultural fertilizers. This will always cause a bloom. Esp diatoms.

Yeah, I would treat with meds. Your solution was right on target. Keep water quality high in the qt, don't let any food decay. If he is going to eat, he'll eat off the rock.

I've been with AOL since 1997. I endure the monthly fee although I use cox cable. I keep the account because I have so much time with one address through 4 colleges, 3 ISP's and 9 years. When I cancel, I think I will just let my account lapse, and not have to even pick up the phone.

It's a conflict of interest to have a for profit entity serve in a position in a non-profit organization. This is compounded by the for profit entity having it's business in the very field the non-profit is.

The vote is the best idea. I just like being the devils advocate.

Not to mention the bio load they put on a tank. I think most success with this genus is in large tanks that can absord this amount of food, as they seem to do better in groups.

There are few things more impressive than an Anthias harem with a proud male.

I think 2 times a day is a minimum. I had a small group of 3 lyretail (the "yellow" variety) and they required a bunch of food to stay in a healthy state of tune.

You are going to a 120, right? This should be sufficient to support them, and their waste/requirements seem to benefit most low nutrient systems. I would do it, Rich. Given your past success, it's likely a smart addition to your system. What variety?

Thanks for participating in the executive board, all!

Platys. Aloha from Kauai.

All systems you run are Ecosystems?

do you have any pics of these systems?

Nah, what is the pet store on 13th across the street from Aqua Serene, they had a tank a few years back that was right in the doorway. That just rocked. This is what I am trying to emulate, but improve upon.

I am considering the use of Halimedia, or seagrass, but am unsure about it as of now. Halimedia may require high levels of calcium, and seagrass tanks in and of themselves may not keep me interested, I want this tank to emulate a fore-reef. I'll know when I see it this weekend when I dive in Kauai.

As far as the mud is concerned, the silicate is troubling, but I anticipate that macro should out compete micro algae in the system. I may be dreaming... reefboy, do you see micro algae in these systems? Is there a diatom outbreak or cyano in this low flow environment? I plan on running this system skimmerless, without carbon and no uv, how was the clarity of the water compared to a berlin system?

I told ya'll I wasn't out.

So here's my next plan. I want to go ecosystem. There was one at a LFS in Eugene on W 13th that I envied for it's simplicity and beauty. No more high maitenance, big energy bills, complicated and unnecessarily noisy systems in my house.

I already have a tank. Its 18x18x18, 25 gallons even. I have a 150 DE halide that I will hang from the ceiling to the open tank top. I want to use this ecosystem method here and employ a hangon filter with 24 hour pc lighting over caleurpa and 2" mud bed. No skimmer. No reactors. No UV or ozone. No lid. A chiller and heater combined (the PCI baby unit, of course). Plumbed with only one external powerhead. I think this is only 4 plugs in all (chiller, 2 PH's, 1 for lights). Simple.

I only want to keep some ricordea, rhodactus and discosoma, some softies, like elegans sp. and perhaps euphillia/elegance/fungia. If I get the bug, I'll get a tube anemone. Couple of fish and inverts, such as pistol and goby and perhaps some perculas and a gramma.

So has anyone ever used this method before? Any thoughts on such a setup?

cool, keep me posted!

Exercise and diet, Keith.

My thoughts are to have it float on the tank at all times, and let a passer by take it and just have a look-see. Like my own public aquarium interactive exhibit.

The new tank I am working on is an 18"x18"x18" cube. 3 inch depth and a 4"x4" length and width should work well!

What say you, Rich?

Yeah, Drock is thinking what I am thinking. Check the co2. Do you have a PH controller on the reactor? Does your calcium reactor have a second chamber? Have you changed the substrate recently, if not... it's a good buffer and removes old organics. Also think about the other side of the equation; What about your bioload, ever considered running ozone?

Rounded, please... hey, Do me a flavor. If/when you do it, post pics and show how it's done so that others can follow the progress.

Either way... Do you have a router to smooth the edges?

nah, I don't think I would ever leave. I just need something simpler that is better suited to my house. The tank I built last year was just too big, noisy and energy consuming for my 1950's standard ranch with wood floors and small living spaces. I'm downsizing and rescoping the whole tank thing. I'll post when I get back from Hawaii about my new plans.

R-3, are you wanting to build one?

So would you be in at around a $25-40 price point?

I'm searching for a top down viewing pane. A half of an acrylic box that can serve as a water tight break in the water surface tension, and that floats on the surface. What I envision (hehe) is something 1/2" and 4" across to allow someone to look down on a coral and take clear pictures or inspection. The colors that are apparent in corals when viewing top down are totally different then from a side angle, and a tridacnid clam is something even more amazing to behold.

I imagine that a few people may want something similar, and have considered taking this to James (Envision), but if that is the case, I would like to get a group together to make it worth his while, as I know he is a busy guy, and the cost/benefit may not be there.

Maybe we can post to see if there is sufficient demand for such an item. Or if anyone has one they are not looking to keep, it would be cool.

Representing myself as a minority may be misleading. I am in fact a "yellowheaded jewfish" but that not withstanding, I'm just another European hetero white male. Certainly, I am the only Jew on the block, tho.

Yeah, it's a very pocketed place to live, and it's becoming more gentrified day by day. I bought a house in North Portland, once the epicenter of the Portland ghetto. I am a minority on the street, but the crime rate here (today) is lower than every other place I looked. If you want to see the crime rates, use portlandmaps.com

You can see what the recent statistics are for the area. Highly recommended.

Yeah, they look kinda fugly... and then there is the price!

If anyone remembers the Caleurpa from the Monaco Aquarium, if these fish were released into the wild, and somehow bred, there could be trouble!

How'd they get there? Snails are working together to remove the cups, lay eggs and then replace the cups? Huh?

Figure that one out!

Suggestion to change your Username: I am the rude 'round here.

Seriously tho, you are moving to the hub of reefkeeping in the northwest. This place has the best LFS of any city over 1MM that I have seen! Welcome to the 'hood.