coralreefer

hard to kill zoas...you could probably flush'em down the toilet and they would be viable 3 months later...I have found lost zoas buried under sand for weeks and they just come back.... DrMerle

so...is there general interest in moving forward with a "coral bank", as Brad put it? Do people feel there is a need? Would it work better to form 2 person teams? Am I just rambling? Is there an echo in here? HELLO? HELLO? hello....hello... DrMerle

Lowman and I have discussed this a couple times... Record keeping would need to be high priority... Would it be feasible on a bigger scale than "well-known" friend basis? DrMerle

that is my total volume and MSX200 COMPLETELY does the job...easy to dial in, easy to clean and silent... DrMerle

probably not enough of a difference to make that big of a difference... I got my 200 right before "cones" made their big move...I am convinced that the pump is as important as the skimmer design... If I had a 180 gallon tank, I would opt for the MSX250 and place a Bubble blaster 3000 on it... 180 or 200 might be a little less than you need if tank is 180... DrMerle

I have a 200 on my 135...superior machine...I upgraded the pump to a Bubble Blaster 3000 and that made my skimmer...THE best skimmer...in the world!!! DrMerle

I have had similar experience there at SWF...was pointed out as next to be helped, waited..waited..waited, while 3 other "new" customers were helped before I was... Finally walked out....unhelped... DrMerle

Young Frankenstein!!! My favorite is from "Arthur"...From his fiancee.. Fiancee---"Arthur, a real woman could stop you from drinking." Arthur----"She'd have to be a real BIG woman." LOL... DrMerle

clam PM sent about this

Bulk Reef Supply--5 gallon bucket--pickling lime is the same thing...I mix up about 35 gallons at a time in a plastic can in garage and dose pump it under the house to drip into sump for top off... DrMerle

My brother of another mother, Brad, is dead on...look at your tank, not at chasing pH...if you must work at attaining some level, work at alk stability... If you can stabilize alk, (I don't care if someone is at 7.5 or 12, KEEP IT STABLE) and pH will take care of itself. I look at it this way...we are responsible for alk, the tank is responsible for pH...pH changes throughout the day by the tank's doing...I drip kalk..pH 8.3-8.4 during the day...8.1-8.2 at night. DrMerle

I love music and use Shazam almost every day...click it when you hear a song that grabs you but you have no idea of its name or artist...wow!! +1 on Motorola Droid...the future is NOW!!! DrMerle

I have a question....I absolutely, positively don't know exactly what the sponsors pay, give, donate or do...I am not being sarcastic...I don't go to meetings and am out of the loop...I have often wondered why, as a club, we are so beholden to them...I am all for LFS sponsorship, so what exactly do they contribute? Please, no one get defensive...I literally don't know... DrMerle

Get a Klein's butterfly fish and you'll never have to commit murder again... PM me if you don't believe... DrMerle

this may be part of the problem... I am speaking as a specialty product (information, surgery, etc) business owner as not as someone who obviously doesn't run a LFS... I don't carry dogfood because it actually "dilutes" what I do, makes my office "less" special and I can't compete with pet stores on price. IMHO, LFS shouldn't try to carry everything, especially those products that they can't compete with on the internet. If they want to carry some drygoods and try to make a couple bucks, great...they should try and separate themselves from their competitors, not try to look more like them... A great example is Perry @ Ocean In A Box...He has a great place with this opportunity to become a specialty LPS store...not salt, not filters, not fish food...just LPS...so much so, he could focus on this niche and be the one place everybody (not just locally) think of when they think of LPS... LFS owners should not be upset at "clients" buying over the internet an identical product and saving 30-40%...LFS owners would increase their profitability by NOT carrying that product and focusing on their strengths, their customer service and their areas of expertise... Find something that few people do and do it better than anyone else!!! DrMerle

whatever you're not doing, keep it up... DrMerle

Yeah...Staples has an "easy" button, why can't we have an "edit" button...yeah!!! DrMerle

I mix up 30 gallons of kalkwasser at a time in a trash can in the garage and have a timer on a dosing pump, which pumps kalk through a tube, run under the house and into my sump...trash can full usually lasts me 2 weeks...set and forget... DrMerle

Kalk? DrMerle

what are you using it for? DrMerle

I am always drawn to montis in a sps tank but that just doesn't do it for me...nothing to contrast I guess...that's just me... DrMerle

Side sleeping is very possible with mask...just takes a little practice...I sleep for first 4 hours on my back...I don't think I even move...then start to shift and finish night on side...you will eventually reach a point where you can't sleep well without it...fear of not waking up someday is a motivator for me as well DrMerle

I looked into this once...setup/startup cost was SOOOO prohibitive that I didn't think it made any sense for a rational person, let alone myself... DrMerle

Perhaps the best thing about this whole mess is we will all think twice about accepting a stressed out, "rodeoed" fish next time...too bad it is at a fish's and member's expense... DrMerle

You both agreed to a purchase/sale...you were present and saw what took place...this hobby involves death sometimes...you both are out a fish... If I were him, I'd give you all your money back to keep person happy... if I were you, I'd take half and not accept "rodeoed" fish in the future (I know you were trying to accept his effort)... You both lost...just let the money reflect that...I've gotten angels caught in net before...they are no fun to get out...doesn't sound like he was careless.. I've been GIVEN corals by people on this forum that died and they REPLACED them...most people in this hobby are OVERLY, WONDERFULLY generous...some aren't...he is one who ain't... DrMerle