Harold B

For all of us who weren't able to attend...................post some pics!

Ya I go there for odds and ends mainly salt and emergency things (since WSA closed) when I can't wait to order as they're close to my school. They only have a few of the "gray tubs" (like SWF's tubs) with some of the main snails and crabs. However they're store is a bit on the expensive side to be blatently honest even when compared to others in the area. But I do frequent it. Thanks Everybody I was just wondering and it sounds like SWF is the place locally if I was to do it today. Hope you all have a good time at the meeting/frag swap.

I'm trying to do somthing today. It would be nice to stop down at TPA as it's been quite some time since ive been there but I would have to plan that in advance. Interested in snails. I won't die without'em and my tank won't crash I just recently got rid of a snail eating, Picasso killing hitchhiker crab and just want to start replenishing my cuc my hermits did ok and some snails managed to survive but I do need to start gathering snails at some point.

Ya unfortunately TPA would have to be a planned trip because of my schedule and considering I get 12 mi to the gallon. At the moment I am driving what turned into my project car as a daily driver. I know Garrett keeps Chaeto, at one time and probably still he had overwhelming requests for it and would take all he could get (Hotcakes). So who would run second to SWF as I'm still interested in what some of the others have to offer. After I get all the fedback I can from every one I'll make a couple calls to the top 3 or so.

It's been awhile since i've had a chance to make a full round to all of the "major" LFS's and instead of using my entire day and a full tank of gas I thought i'd ask on here: Of you who have recently been to the three to six "major" SW friendly local fish stores or any secret spot (portland area more or less) where would I find the largest selection of snails for the best or good prices. I plan on buying quite a few, but need variety. I have basically all the hermits i'll need although maybe a few more. Please if you've been to one of the stores recently (last week or so) let me know what you saw as far as thier inventory/prices. Today is really my only free day of the week to go get some. Thank you in advance.

Sorry, Both the Frogspawn and the Torch are gone. I do have a quite Lg colony of GSP could be the ORA metallic varity as it turns in different lighting. I don't know though, just a hunch. Therefore it's being represented as regular green star polyp. It is due to be taken to OIAB the next time I can get a chance to get up there even though i'd be nice for it to go to a home rather than the "LFS" as it may be awhile before I can get up there and it's holding up my current aquascaping (it's in the way). Its roughly about Football size, to soccerball size with fully expanded polyps. I'm looking to trade it for equal weight/value in Premium Live Rock which is a VERRY fair deal IMO. But also open to considering other trades. (I'm an SPS guy.... Hint Hint)

INteresting...........What kind of light did you use on the mangroves? Light cycle?

I was just thinking of the mangrove swamps, and with a RDSB, that seemed like the likely place they'ed be? I haven't fully researched RDSB other than a method of hooking up a 5g bucket to run water verry slowly through it in the corner to basically be left alone, and i'll notice when it matures and begins it's positve contribution to my system. Have wanted to bring one online for quite some time.

I probably won't make it to the meeting. Unfortunately. But I'm at PCC sylvainia campus every day till noon if thers some way we could meet up. PM me and we'll work on the details. Thankyou verry much.

BUMP for anyone heading up to OIAB from the Hillsboro/Beverton/Tigard areas that would be willing to take up and drop off aGSP colony.

I've got some pods on the way and with a few verry small pieces of HA on sea swirl outlets figure I could use a small amount of cheto, again, I've had to stop using it several times due to a lack of excess nutrients but it seems as if I have a small amount perfect for a little macroalgae + place for pods to hang out/breed and feed or whatever. So if anyone could spare a baseball/softball size piece or happend to be trimming thier overgrowth i'd be verry gratefull. Thanks Please PM me I'm in Hillsboro but am in beverton/ tigard during the week. Thankyou Harold B.

I've had good results with algaefix to eliminate the overgrowth/get it under control while changing filter socks constantly and keeping an eye on ammonia. But you must pinpoint the root causes and make the nessesary changes in order to be completely successfull. EXCESS NUTRIENTS!

Verry nice tank I dig the overflow. ENVY!

What if it was a 5g bucket with holes and there was two-3 mangroves growing with roots either 1/2 depth or on the bottom which ever would be optium to the plant? Would that in effect "keep the dishes from piling up to much"? Just wondering.

How often does one replace the sand in say a 5g bucket/20g long RDSB? It was my understanding they take time to even get going and last for quite some time.

Think of it like this, your sitting depth sets the "range" of the water height you'll have to work with due to pressure, then you'll use your return control for "fine tuning" that water height inside your skimmer. So to deep and no matter if your valve is 100% open it will still overflow. To shallow and you'll have close the return valve all the way to get the inside water height up making the amount of water flowing through your skimmer zero. The trick finding the happy medium sitting depth that allows you the most control of water height with your return valve.

Pics of rock........ ReefKrazy@gmail.com Thanks

Interesting. You would think that the sponge growth would've transfered from display to a zone with a more optimal environment. Maybe cryptic sponges are different than the ones we all seem to get in our displays. On ReefFarmers web site Steve sells frags of sponges for starting cryptic zones and I have at least two of the kinds he sells, or at least they look the same (a Blue one and Yellow one) so I don't know. However I have A TON more white "fuzzy" and "long tube like" ones in my tank. With a zone thats SO "established" I guess is the word, it'd be cool to a least try to seed it with one or two porpouse made sponge rock "frags" before giving up on it. But it sounds like you've waited a fair amount of time for it to become benificial. Not that it hasn't been.

You want to set the inside water level "right to" the rim where the cup comes off, fine tune from there. You'll want dark "thicker" skimmate not "clear yellow" "tea like". The skimmers themselves are usually sitting in 5" to 6" of water, somewhere around there would be a good starting point. There's always some trial and error to setting a skimmer up. Try finding a thread on one of the forums (RC) where someone mentions the best sitting depth for that particular Pacific Coast skimmer. Just tryin to help.

They are used alot in non-photosynthetic / azooxanthellate tanks. You might wanna check in posts/threads/forums dedicated to those type of tanks. The Reef Farmers site (Tyree) definately has a large write-up about them. In the REEF HOBBYIST MAGAZINE that had the PNWMAS article in it about the "clownhouse" there is an article on non-photosynthetic corals/tanks which has a nice pic of a smaller one. He talks in the article about "inoculating the refugium with some sponge rocks" and how they quickly grew to fill his 'fuge, also developed a large population of pods in it. He says "A cryptic refugium helps filter the large amount of particulate food present in my azooxanthellate system". Just tryin to help. I personally have thought about having a small 10g/20g one just for something new to try, but I have several types/colors of sponge growing all throughout my tank. Basically any overhang or shaded/dark area has one type or another.

Well unbenounced to me others who ordered the "AQUAMAG(s)" when I did, I believe it was a group buy, were having the same crumbling issues I was. In my case I had both of the Large $25 ones break out in diatoms then completely cover themselves in hair algae even though there wasn't a single piece of algae anywhere else in my tank at the time. Eventually it all died off (cured) coraline took over and they "looked" ok. I mounted coral on each of the two and never moved them much, but when ever I did for cleaning reasons or whatever i'd be left with a chunk that would break off usually from the side or bottom. At first I thought well some may be expected, this is my first time using this product. It has continued as explained until today when I walk in the door and one had split in two or three cracks from end to end releasing one magnet, making a mess in an area I nearly have to put swim trunks on to get to not to mention the BREAKING OF CORAL (flame) So i search through the old threads to figure out the name of the thing and low and behold others were having the same issue. I don't know how that one slipped by me but then I read a paragraph in red from JIM at AQUAMAGS explaining they had a "bad batch". QUESTION: 1) Were any of the other buyers compensated for the issue? 2) What was done, did you recieve a replacement or a refund? 3) Did you have the same issues with the replacement if you indeed recieved one/two/three ect. I took a couple quick cell phone pics and e-mailed JIM and included his own statement about the "badbatch" I hope somthing fair comes of this. I was all about supporting a fellow reefer with a good idea. I yearn to find out what the end result was for others that this happened to who tried to rectify the problem. (threaten) Thanks Harold B.

Ya, thanks for the explaination.

Sorry cleared.............will you be home today noonish?

anyone local?......................

Ahh ya i bet thats cool.