pledosophy

Did I mention it comes with a stand ? ? ?

Using rocks can be a bad idea since many medications will kill the bacteria on the rocks and cause ammonia spikes. IMO the best is barebottom, so it is easy to keep clean. IME large water changes replacing the same amount of medication that is changed in the water change is the best way to go. I use plastic plants or other things that are easily bleached for this application. JME

A few month ago I found a 55g acrylic tank on the side of the road. It has some scratches and is kinda yellowish, but it did hold water for me. No idea of tank history. If anyone is intrested in it, perhaps we could work out a trade. Not looking for much. Maybe a frag of something I don't have.

Pic and location? What pump does it come with?

Ha Ha Ha Joel is a dealer! ! ! ! ! ! (rock2) (nutty) (whistle)

Thanks for the compliments. I try. Thanks fo the link to Izzy.

So the tank has been up since March. I thought it might be time to post a FTS. Tank is a 65g. Little over 140 lbs of LR, all cooked for 8 months. There is a CL that runs through spray bars under the rocks pushing a bit over 1000gph. Seio 620, and some type of return pump, but I forget the name. It's T'd off with aprox 300 gph going through the display. I plan on replacing it with something a bit quieter next time I have the funds. Lighting is T5. There is a 20 sump which holds LR but no light at this point. Will turn it into a refugium some point down the road, but need to get Leng to send me some of his mud. I have the light collecting dust in the garage. Most all the livestock came from Waves, except the rock (which I moved with me from Cali) and a few corals I traded with some of you all (Impur blessed me with the eye of rah zoo's which already have 3 more polyps, and Garret hooked me up with a some frags as well for a trade all of which are doing great and are much larger then when I got them.) I've fragged a few of the corals as well to give out to friends, and trade with Garrett. There is currently no means of filtration, other then natural running on the system. This is the only fish I have not from Joel. I felt kinda bad going to a different fish store honestly, but have been waiting for one of these for some time and Rose City got one in, so I took the chance. He's been with me for a week and is doing well. Beatuiful speciment. This pic will be featured in an article about wrasses to be published soon. He's ( I think it's a he ) is a beaut. It's a good start IMO. I spent a long time making this tank to what I thought was right at my current experience level. I am really glad I did, it was worth the wait. I know that a few years down the line I'll have more knowledge and different opinions, but this really represents the best of what I know know, so I have no regrets. Tank is fed 1 cube of mysis, 1 cube of emerald entree, a squirt of Artic Pods, and a squrit of phyto daily. I do feed brine and blood worms three times a week. I add Ca as needed. I've been kinda lax on the WC's lately, but the tank seems to be handeling things well. Parameters Temp 81 Ammonia 0 Nitrite 0 Nitrate 0 pH 8.3 Ca is 450ish hard to read the colors kind of a guess. Would like to add a Kole Tang, a few chromis, and perhaps a pair of dragon faced pipefish in that order. Taking it slow to see how it handles everything. Also plan on adding a lobo, and perhaps a cynaria. Also want to add a recyliner chair for all the hours I spend staring at the tank. IMO the tank is awesome inspite of myself. Thanks to everyone for all the help.I've learned a lot since moving to Portland last year. This is really a great group of people. BTW Izzy, I still have the frags from you too, there just in a different tank.

I think they are just trying to get more email addresses for there ongoing agenda's. JMO

IMHO I would not suggest getting margarite snails. They are a temperate animal that slowly cooks until death in our warmer systems. In the wild they can live for over a hundred years, in our systems, well most less then a year. IMO there are better options and unless your running an extremely cool temperate tank maragrites have no place in captivity. JMO

I kept WC reidi's, WC Comes, and a CB barbouri. Buying CB from an aquaculture facility like Seahorsesource.com will greatly improve your chances and increase the ease in keeping them. Dracomarine.org is also a good site. If you buy real CB (stay away from teh TR IME as many are bred in net pens in the ocean and have shown over the last year to have internal parasites as well as eating issues) they are not to tough to keep. I'd go with a 29g for the smallest tank for a pair. Try to keep the temp below 74F. You'll be able to feed frozen foods (will save you thousands). Relatively compared to other things I have kept seahorses are fairly easy if you setup the tank with there needs in mind. If you have more specific questions let me know or start a thread here and Pm it to me. I don't read on here as much as I should. HTH Kevin.

My seahorse used to eat ghost shrimp in two snicks, the first would leave most of the shrimps head out. It was good then.

What brand is the skimmer?

Your Location ? ? ?

IME with flow and algae, yes algae grows in direct flow, but if there is enough flow throughout the system it prevents build up of detritus, by keeping the detritus in suspension so the filtration can remove it. You can have the nicest filter ever made, but if the flow is not up enough to keep the particles in suspension, to get to the filter, the filter will not help you. I have no idea what Brandon's flow is like at all, but IME most of the time algae problems come from lack of flow, lack of filtration, over feeding, low pH, phosphates from unfiltered water, bad sand beds,or aging bulbs where the color spectrum has shifted. For me addressing most of those issues is easy, but flow is something I have had to continually tinker with to get it right. The only way I have ever got it to work properly for me was to run a CL through the rock. Since I have got my flow to work right, and have started buffering my RODI top off water I have no algae problems, even though there is no filter, or protein skimmer. JME. HTH

Anyone try the fish gum drops?

I got it at Petco

Does anyone have any experience with: Fish Gum Drops Emerald Entree Both by San Fransico Bay. Thought the variety might be nice for the tank. Thanks.

If you want to come up to Beaverton and get suck some off the glass your welcome to as long as you don't mind an incredible messy house. The sides of my tank is so covered with pods I use the mag float to move them, not the algae (which hasn't actually grown on the tank sides yet.)

The show was a few years old, not the new one, but still fun to watch. Another Ocean documentary is on Sunday of this week at 8pm.

You know your really hooked when the live food cultures you have running wouldn't even begin to fit in the freezer because you need to feed your fish "fresh food". Running 200g of cultures for a 44g tank and a few breeding tanks will do it. I remember the days when my entire kitchen was only for the use of food culture, then I got married. Do plan on setting up my 55g which is empty as a pod culture on my next day off, whenver that will be. Been my plan for weeks, just need one day off from work to make it happen. September is looking good. Work sux

I need to increase the nitrates in my 65g setup so my macro algaes can continue to grow. They are the decorative type and not just used for the typical refugium application, what can I say I'm a nutball. I did pruin them way back but am starting to see bleaching at the tips. ( I don't think it's called bleaching with macro's but the tips are turning white.) I was wondering if anyone here had any experience with nitrate fertilization, I have none. Never had a problem with keeping nitrates "up" before. Just the opposite. Tank is a 65g with a 25g sump. Holds about 20 corals mostly frags of softies and LPS. Also houses a crocea calm, a bi color blenny, 5 astraea snails, and a pair of peppermint shrimp. No filters or protein skimmers being used. Flow is about 30x an hour. Aprox 150 lbs of LR, 2" sandbed in display, cryptic style sump with LR, although it is really to small to be called a cryptic sump, it just has rock and no light with lower flow. I currently feed 2 cubes of mysis, a small chunk of brine shrimp, and phyto feast daily. Have not done a waterchange in over a month. Any help would be appreciated. With 0 nitrates you might think I was bragging but with the stock I keep it's not a good thing IMO. (nutty) Thanks.

Down for whatever. Anyone who wants to call and talk about the hobby I'm down for that too.

The amphipods and copepods will go from your fuge to your display on there own. With the more common HOB style refugiums you won't see huge increases in population but there will be an increase IME. THe larger the refugium the larger the populations if taken care of IME. Did you seed the tank with pods, or are you just encouraging the growth of the present species? There are thousands of species of pods, but they basically fall into three different catergories. Most hobbyists try to encourage the growth of calanoid or harpactoid (algae eaters or detritus eaters). If you have hapactoid pods, then they will not feed off of the algaes. The chaeto will hold a number of pods, and shaking it in the tank will release some, but if you are patient the population in your refugium will overflow into the tank. I like tons of pods in my systems, it's just good for the livestock I keep, so I use piles of rubble rock behind my rockwork to give the pods additional places to grow. JME, HTH

Funny here I thought you were getting the sort end of the deal (laugh) . I got rid of an old ballast which was sitting on my shelf for almost a 9 months now and scored a grip of new frags for my tank. They all made it. All are open and looking good in my tank. The color on the ric and some of those mushrooms is incredible. I'm very happy with them. Will be fun to watch them grow. (naughty) (clap) Hope you enjoy your new frags to, least I could do. Glad we both walked away smiling, really how I wanted this to end up. (rock2) Kevin