coralreefer

both stellar ideas...I will do!!! DrMerle

All too often around the holidays, we give food and gifts to needy people, but often forget those needy people have needy pets. Every year, my clinic, Timberland Animal Clinic, sponsors a pet food drive to collect pet food for our less fortunate four legged friends. It is that time again. I invite anyone who has received tidbits of my advice to donate a bag of food of your choice, or been thankful to have a pet to brighten your day. We collect food until Christmas in the pet food barrel in our lobby and take it to Snow Cap charities for disbursal the week of Christmas. Please consider donating.... Thank You... DrMerle

Microbacter 7 only.... DrMerle

Miles--I'll take a generous large frag of golden eyes...Merle

Phoenix...reefnjunkie sold me on his tank...I am so impressed with my set, that I ordered another replacement set for 6 months from now...SOS lights...Phoenix 250 14k on sale....got them in the mail today!!! DrMerle

"Upgrade" A word that my wife has come to fear and dread.... "Upgrade" A word that any man would be proud to have as a middle name.... DrMerle

CBs Tropical has Klein's Butterfly fish...one will do the trick...eat whatever you feed and are great at leaving your corals alone...I have one in my tank now for patrolling and always will...great fish!! DrMerle

With Oregon now ranked #1 in the AP poll, just wondering how long before Miles chimes in!!!!LOL DrMerle

This is merely a bogus attempt to further dial in a new camera...was it really necessary to buy a new coral? Couldn't you have brought the yuma over to my tank and practice photographing in different light? That would have been the true test for a new camera...I feel slighted... DrMerle

looks fantastic Kevin... 1) Looks like ANY minor splash would result in salt buildup on screen...I know it would be simple enough to rinse off, but looks like frequent rinsing maintenance. 2) Looks like it too decreases light reaching tank I have snorkled a few reefs and even on bright days with clear water am amazed how diminished the light appears to be... I have seen amazing coral growth in shady areas and have wondered if we are "over" lighting our tanks...???just my response to reduced lighting thoughts earlier on post... DrMerle

I now use black egg crate (got from SWF)...allows tank to breathe, does not block light and keeps fish in...love it!!! DrMerle

This will be our opportunity to shine and show that we could be one of if not the premier club, not just in the PNW but West Coast!! DrMerle

Frank--I'll take OR tort...I've got a Miami...pm me... DrMerle

Yea, like Dennis said, "But only a chemist (or chemistry teacher) would know or care about the differences..." LOL DrMerle

I've got a MSX200 (SWC) modded with a bubble blaster 3000 pump...COULD NOT BE HAPPIER!!! I am running biopellets in a TLF 150 reactor with a Maxijet 1200...simple, small, literally no maintenance or mess!!! DrMerle

I've got a 4 stage for a 175gallon setup and ALWAYS have zero TDS...you should do well with only a 4 stage... DrMerle

Brad--I used an Aquaripure denitrator for 3 years...did it bring my nitrates down...yes, from 50 to less than 10...1) you have to feed it vodka once weekly 2) you have to adjust flow rate almost daily 3) inflow/outflow tubes get gunked up and need "blowing" out about once weekly 4) forget any of the above and you need to play catch up... It never "solved" my nitrate issue, which I believe had more to do with 7 year old sand than anything else... There are dialing in issues and cycling issues and maintenance issues and cost issues... 1) what are your nitrate levels? Your tank looks pretty [language filter] good to me! 2) I would strongly recommend biopellets over doing any kind of denitrator at this stage 3) I am one of the few believers than every tank needs "a little" nitrate for some normal metabolic activities to occur and 4) There is no such thing as a true zero nitrate reef tank Remember, the greatest enemy of a good plan is the "perfect" plan... DrMerle

31ppm before....0 after....Damascus!!! DrMerle

you can receive lots of great advice here, but then reading and researching articles and blogs and columns and forums will help sooooo much.. DrMerle

a deep breath and here we go..... 1) larger water changes 2) increase flow within tank 3) more frequent water changes 4) reduce feedings 5) larger, better skimmer 6) filtration pads changed more often 7) reduce livestock 8) vodka dosing 9) vinegar dosing 10) sugar dosing 11) above combo dosing 12) biopellets 13) GFO/carbon 14) increase clean up crew numbers 15) work aggressively on a refugium I'm getting tired... 16) vacuum tank weekly 17) increase live rock amount 18) blow off rocks weekly 19) skim wetter 20) make an algae scrubber 21) DSB in sump or remote> 10 inches High nitrates usually equals plenty of room for improvement with husbandry... DrMerle

that is a big Naso--wouldn't expect him to be too aggressive as he is being added last...they are indeed peaceful...probably won't be a problem but you will need to feed decently to keep everyone happy...how much room do you have? DrMerle

Unless you completely drain your tank and start over, water changes continue to dilute older water...technically speaking, there is water in our tanks from a LONG time ago...it just isn't there in large amounts...mineral concentrations may get used, but salt water (unless contaminated) doesn't go bad... DrMerle

minus evaporation and minus light, mixed saltwater can last a very long time...I would be checking salinity first but wouldn't hesitate to use mixed salt water that was 2-3 months old... DrMerle

don't be surprised if he moves to a new spot within 48 hours and keep a top on the tank cause they think they can fly!!!! DrMerle

typically it has to sit overnight to completely dissolve...they have a video clip at brs that explains it.. DrMerle