YUP

thanks noob, how did you do that? Ya garrett, my plan is to be able to keep a sustainable amphipod production and macro algae. You can see by the sand that i actually have a bit of flow running thru it ( the sand was lvl). The only thing i would of done diff. is get rid of stupid ball valve and put a true union valve like what i have going from return to tank. Those ball valves are just plain to hard to adjust... Those pieces of live rock came from Dsoz with feather worms and some polyps. i am also running at almost full throttle a rio 3100 pump.

i wouldn't say boycott PETCO as the store sales alot more than just fish stuff. On that note however, its is crazy how their saltwater tanks will look awesome for like a week and then you go back and bang everything has ick... oh, i also agree that you cant really blame the employees as they are only working with what they got. If management wont allow them to help the fish, what can the employees do. It is really sad though, as i went to lancaster Petco earlier this month and they got two really nice black clowns in and just stopped by again this week and both are dieing with ick. However they have had a couple of purple tangs in their coral frag tank for months and they look really good. Go figure(scratch)

http://s1276.beta.photobucket.com/user/Matthew098/library/Fish%20tank?view=media well i guess its about time for me to upload some updates. here is a pic of the tank with rock work and a pic of my sump...

well it is almost halloween:) sorry to hear about your tank:(

Finally going to be putting water in my tank this weekend:) I currently have a little over 70lbs of dead rock and want to add some nice live rock for seeding purpose. I am looking for a one or two big pieces "like 10 or 12" tall to make a pillar on one side of tank. I would like it to be pest free and preferable porous with some "none pest" life on it, like feather dusters worms, etc. Oh, I don't really want to drive really far, i live in salem, but if the rock/s are really nice will head up or down I5 a little bit... Thanks, Matt

Dang Grandmas:) Always got the good stuff... Sometimes u cant beat the oldie but goodie

Very nice frogspawn and clam:)

My understanding is that "the coral reef" is under new ownership...

It irks me how NASA budget has been slashed so much. Hopefully they will find something(rock2)

Welcome, you came to the right forum:)

Ya i figured it out, im going with 10" bubble trap baffles fro skimmer and return section. Then i will bump it up to 17" baffle for refugium section with a bulkhead/strainer hole to flow water back into return section. Kinda like a melevsreef design...

ya i figured it out im going 10" for skimmer section and 10" for return section. Then im jumping all the way up to 17" for refugium section with a bulkhead/strainer at 16", that will flow water back to return section in the middle. Kinda like one of Melevsreef designs.

Ya i agree, thats why i also linked a compact glock which has a price tag around $400. 9mm is great for shooting/price of ammo, but not the greatest stopping power. Just make sure you shoot FMJ "cheaper" and then get hollow points for when your carrying. Im lucky the state pays for me to shoot guns(rock2) Reminder: Always wash your hands and face after shooting or having a smoke, LEAD is poisonous.

Glock is by far the most reliable semi-auto pistol out there, Hench why all types of law-enforcement use it. For carrying purpose I believe the best gun would be a 38 or 357 revolver. Lets not forget you want it to be small comfortable and easily concealed. For Ruger here is a really nice concealed handgun http://www.ruger.com/products/lcr/models.html Here is a nice Glock for concealment, the price is right too:) http://www.usglock.com/index_files/glock33.htm

So, ive been reading a lot of DIY sump builds, but not to many of them with the "return" in the center chamber. One question i have is how high should the last bubble trap baffle be before the return? The first baffle by drain/skimmer will be 11" (which will require me to raise my skimmer an inch), then middle baffle will be raised 1" off the bottom of tank to a total height 12", but what of the last bubble trap baffle? Should i make it the same height as my first baffle 11" or shorter like 9"? My single baffle that will separate my refug from center "return" chamber is going all the way up to 17" which will allow me to have a shorter length but deeper refug. Thanks

Ok, got my Skimmer:) maybe should of went with a smaller one its big... going to need at least 12" on the drain area with hopefully a spot for my filter sock holder "might not place it".... Still leaves me with 21 inches for return/refug area and really want to get the return area right, any help would be awesome:) Thanks again Toby, if i made my refug 1/3 of tank size, that would leave me a return area of about 8 1/2" for return (just looking at length). Course my Refug will be about 3-4" taller than my return or skimmer/drain water lvl area. So im looking at around 1.5 more gallons in Refug anyways. Now to find a place for my Heater? going to have to put it in Refug or DT, not happy but what can i do.. Thanks

Dsoz, i think im going to just leave it, when there is water in the tank i dont think i will see it anyways. Derbird, ya its just some skeletons, i figured that they would be alright and they look cool, especially the razor coral that shaped like a sharp sand dollar. Alot of my rock however looks bleached from the dead coral, any concern there? I rinsed it really well, but I didnt go crazy with a brush or anything... Thanks

(sad)I did and most came off, but for some reason cant get the rest off, i dont think its etched in, but might be.. As a Cichlid owner for years, i know that a little bit of calcium you wont see when there is water in the tank, but as the tank is empty, i wanted to see if i could get it all off. I even tried razor blade, everything but a chemical. I can feel it, but fear its just etched in...

Need some more help, i have tried everything but actually chemicals to get rid of the bit of calcium buildup on the glass. [ATTACH]12966[/ATTACH] Also, on my rock that i got with the tank, the dead coral you see... [ATTACH]12967[/ATTACH] Razor coral im assuming and there is some polyps on other rocks, is it ok in the tank or should i chip it off? Dont see the reason too, but want some expert opinions...

I heard about Reefstar and they are a sponsor, but cant find website or anything....

Im trying to stay away from MH for energy consumption and would prefer to buy new... But what do you have Garrett? We talked last Wed. in your shop about TEK lights, but a little out of my price when you add in legs and bulbs:( anyone know about these guys? http://www.reeflight.com/ seems to good to be true(scary)

Welcome Ahab, Im trying the Saltwater thing too... Great people on this forum and its always nice to see a site with Locals:)

has anyone seen in person or know anything about these two fixtures... http://www.aquacave.com/JBJ-48-TRINITY-4-x-54W-High-Output-T5-Light-Fixture-P3185C1057.aspx http://www.aquacave.com/Finnex-48-LEDT5-Combo-Aluminum-Light-Fixture-4-x-T5-21-x-LED-P2476C1058.aspx Aquacave, will match other websites, so the Finnex is only $339, just wondering if 39 bucks is worth it...

Thanks Toby, That's another concern is overflow, i cant have that happen (hardwood floors). The tank is a aqueon reef ready with a center internal over flow. I can't believe more than a inch or two will drain out, i will leave my loc-line return pipes pretty close to the surface. So i need about 10 gallons of space in my sump, probably less to be safe...