Piero

that's awesome. I have some LR for sale but I would recommend cheap dry rock any day. I think people really fail to realize how unnecessary fresh live rock is. Especially newcomers who of course do not know any better. For a fraction of LR prices you can get dry rock with great shapes(the real value of rock) and simply seed the system. In six months you'd never know the difference. The value of getting mystery hitchhikers is way overrated, imo, and you can get just as many great hitchikers from just buying livestock or trading with others. better yet, DIY rock has come a long way!

Mass Effect looks AMAZING. Just wish it was online. Still amust-have. I only get into the scifi rpg stuff though so i skipped Oblivion.

I've been havin a blast playin around with the crackdown Demo. Problem is just as i begin hurdling buildings and chuckin' cars it times out.. I'd love to see an MMO version, but looking forward to the online co-op. Basically it's like a cell-shaded futuristic GTA where you're a cop with super abilities..:P GRAW is a must have..:P

a now-dormant 120, and about 100g currently in the closet farm.

yes welcome! Everyone has their preferences, but I do like T5's if you choose fluorescents because they use very littel space, and I prefer double-ended HQI if you go Metal-Halide and want the 'shimmer' of a point-source lighting solution. Many people prefer the mogul MH bulbs (screw-in) for various reasons, including the number of various bulbs available for that type. But I prefer DE HQI for the small form factor. Now they have 400w DE's too and I believe those reflectors that are very popular recently(cant remember name) are now being made for DE HQI. RC Equipment Forum link Lighint archives link

Heads up game geeks. Crackdown is out Tuesday(rock2) March is going to be a big month too. ...and that's just the stuff I wanna see. Matt you'll be interested in this: geek out! :p

yep, still have all the largest pieces too after a couple visitors. Aparently they just needed nano rock. Hard to watch it leave though, i admit. I worked hard collecting these shapes :( But I have to keep reminding myself it's silly yo become emotionally atached to rock and it's not worth anything just sitting there. :(

Richard thank you for all your effort. Hopefully my attempts at presenting the community as one that is mature enough for self-moderation are not contradicted too quickly by a spat over doughnuts or something, eh? Everyone knows bagels are clearly superior anyway.

Despite a few impulsive statements and over-reactions, I thought the thread self-regulated relatively well. It has been informative to all involved I think, and it is appropriately located in the off-topic forum. It has also been inactive for five days, until now. So as strong as your expressed desire to quiet the discussion, the need to post more disapproval is seemingly stronger. I realize that the fluctuating intensity of such exchanges can appear exhausting or uncomfortable at times, but I've seen prep school debates and CNN broadcasts with more drama. There are plenty of trivial on-topic discussions of coral care with more conflict issues than this thread. Effectively expressing clear, analytical, and objective thought on emotional and inherently subjective topics can be a challenge, especially while our own perspective is besieged. Effective debate though, imo, is often the product of contributors who embrace that challenge. The need to stifle natural tendencies towards reactionary or impulsive behavior can be daunting as well, but nobody is forced to participate.

I prefer behind cameras, but this is meh...

(clap) let me know if I can help in any way. Think we might get sponsors to agree to donate a small portion of club spending to an org? I realize we already get a discount, and the stores do need to profit...maybe put 1/2 of the discount we already receive towards conservation?

my screen name is actually my REAL name, go figure. It was naively chosen because I thought there would never be any reason to hide behind something else. I'm not one to hide my opinions or identity. Of course I neglected to remember that there's always some crazy idiot in the world who actually legitimizes the need to be anonymous online, lol.

I'd question the efficiency/effectiveness of the reflectors on that too. Different reflectors can make a huge difference in output i think. like the look though.

happy B-day!(clap)

neato. thanks for sharing.

thought I'd pass it on: http://www.azponds.com/hose.htm

hrm, if I get a hankerin' for some PipeJerky. I may have to give culture a shot. I'm guessing the food sources used to farm seahorses are somehow inadequate?

Happy Birthday!!!

cool. and tucked away on the Marine Depot forums, lol. lots of good greenhouse threads on RC's Aquaculture forum too. These days it seems like greenhouses are popping up like he gopher holes in the lawn in springtime, lol. now, hrmmm, how to create an aquaculture system with a minimal carbon footprint.

The best sales potential in this trade is from new hobby entrants for a very good reason. Beginner hobbyists are relatively uneducated and vulnerable. Like a soccer mom at an auto mechanic, you're on your own. So the best advice I can offer is just to use the internet resources pro-actively to educate yourself as much as possible and become a careful and savvy consumer of reef life. When you get advice, get it from objective sources, and promote sustainability! Buy farmed. Farm what you buy You're certainly off to a good start here. welcome!

One of my favorites for sure, but I rarely hear of anyone keeping them long term, which is unfortunate. Also because they are so cute, often they are bought without adequate knowledge etc. (not the case here blah blah) Has anyone kept them long term? Of course I can't help but wonder how many hundreds or thousands of these little guys the trade consumes annually, unsustainably. I'm assuming it's not yet possible or we'd be getting them farmed, but what are the biggest obstacles to culture? if we can farm them, I'll stop pointing out how cute they are and start selling pipefish jerky snacks.

at this time I'm leaning towards the Biomatix, but need more info. But definitely between that and the Aquatronica. Wish Aquatronica had domestic presence though...

comparison chart and Biomatix product preview here: LINK

[language filter] I give up, I was trying to find a clip from Home Movies referencing orange slices at the soccer game. :( oh well, instead: yomomomomomeemo! link it was the greatest show of all time. :(

I've got a good load of really nice rock left from my display tank. It's all very nice shapes and some of the pieces are huge. Basically it's the best size and shapes from a load three times the size...I just picked the best shapes over the course of a couple years, and kept swapping out rock un til it was all really open and porous. I think the pics speak for themselves. $3/lb. pics HERE