Arminius

Aha! Siphon seal = mechanical. Thanks to all for the opinions I think I am going to go this route too.

Nice - acans are one of my favorite species. Looks like that one on the bottom is coming back from some trauma...it has nice colors though - same with the one up top.

Oh right you were saving for a fuge? I knew it was the lights messing with whatever camera - I was kidding. It looks like a nice specimen and obviously your tank is in good shape because it's open. Looks like it has a nice pattern too.

Super Cool - forget the mangrove bucket forest - what colors is it besides blue?

And what about the cause of the proliferation? Seems like the predatorial chain has been broken somewhere... I love these news stories.

I wonder if there is longer term study involved focusing on the overall environmental impact of the proteins used in this particular study. We all know you can't locally put something in water without it affecting everything within measured distances before dissolution into the overall water mass.

Great! Thank you reefnjunkie!!! I had a neck injury. I will give him a call.

This is not a joke. I was injured on the job a year and a half ago and there are issues I need to address, however I do not have a Dr. in the area for post-surgical continuing care under work comp. Anyone have a good doctor, know a good doctor, or just happen to be a good doctor? I'm new to the NW and don't know anyone for a decent referral and the insurance adjuster is dragging their heels... Any help in this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Hey cool I will - none of the pictures to date show the sliding front doors, the filter area cover, or the canopy top. I really bit off more than I could chew with this one, but as of now it is just about all chewed up! I have been thinking I might ditch the misting system - a MistKing setup brand new in the box - due to the fact I will have no plants - Gary is a rough customer...

nope - i got rid of the 64 galaxie like 8 years ago, just trying to pass on some relatively new equipment

I appreciate the compliments - the top interior of this thing is just under 4'x5'x2' (lxhxd) so it has taken a ton of time - it is very close to being done. The last few things I have to do are silicone seal the water areas, put the last 2 coats of finish on the outside, some highlight paint, let it all dry, put it in the house, fill it up and plug it in. then a little house-warming party for old Gary. It would be cool to match him up with a mate, but I know, maybe after he is a little more mature. One more day of work (on and off and 3 days to dry). He should move in on Wednesday or Thursday.

Hey thanks Garrett - Plumbing is a big issue for me (and wires) so I try to be really clean about it, but I am kind of sloppy with the pvc glue - I get it all sealed proper. This thing doesn't leak at all. I made the sump too - it was going to be a refugium on my old tank, but I sold the tank and we moved. I am thinking of adding a uv right from the start to keep algae down. I have a couple laying around here somewhere...

Daily bumpin...

http://news.brevardtimes.com/2012/10/strong-2012-nesting-season-for-florida.html

So moving along with what is in the way before I begin the reef, and since I had such great responses for all of you who replied, I thought I would show some progress. Have been painting and sealing the lizard enclosure in layers, and I finally got most of the plumbing done. Water comes in through a concealed overflow just left of the large stump at 9" from bottom, goes through a prefilter and into the sump which is plumbed for top-off, return and misting system (not yet installed though I have run the supply and return lines internal to the structure). Water is returned to the very top center waterfall and in the bottom right corner via a 596 gph QuietOne on a BRS silencing pad to keep the water moving. [ATTACH]13419[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]13420[/ATTACH]

Hey thanks CuttleFish. Was it an internal mechanical problem that failed and past a return date or something? I've seen plans for a diy, but every diy part puts me further out by dasy and weeks as they pile up... I like the reactors, but I am mitigating expense here for the startup - I need so much - even though I thought I was fairly set. I guess I got talked into selling off too much stuff when the last tank came down...reactors (ca, carbon, gfo) gone, chiller gone, skimmer pump gone...reefers in need are hard bargainers...

Cool thanks reefnjunkie. I am considering the 2-part package with 2 dosers. It won't be used right away, but want to finish off what I believe I will need for my build in the group buy.

Does / has anyone used these? How would you rate them?

Oh I wasn't talking about this guy and photography. I was saying I see it out elsewhere all the time. If anything his photos are very good. Excellent representations of the species. However the G12 is a macro capable point and shoot. Close-up mode or whatever.

What kind of Grouper and how big is it??? They taste good too...

And some photoshop...I have seen so many coral pics artificially enhanced. And it's irritating when you have owned a similar specimen so you know what it is supposed to look like. But I digress. The unknowns with zoas, the quick growth and spread, the color variations the ease of care, these factors always keep me interested in them. And most of the zoas I have owned have done well and proliferated. It's just some of them melt away. And when it happens it just plain sucks, especially if you already know to look for zoa spiders and other parasites, your water is as perfect as you can possibly have it - temp, trace elements, flow. And you know they are getting the perfect amount of light. Though one time I did have a massive amphipod population explosion and they were eating my zoas. I am not kidding. They were so prolific the sand bed in my tank appeared to be moving. Then there was a massive die-off and my sand bed became a reeking bed of death for eveything in there... Anyway...Golden Basket rules.

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/tropical-octopus-caught-off-coast-of-los-angeles

Concerning Darth Mauls - I had 2 frags of those in my last tank - 1 melted and one thrived - and they were within an inch of one another. They came from 2 different tanks from the same owner, fed from the same sump. The same thing happened with Space Monsters from the same guy - 1 polyp on a disc by itself died and another on a separate disc became 17... No control for a test under those conditions (not that I was staging any kind of experimentation), it seemed to me like more luck of the draw. There was very little change in lighting - MH to MH. Water params were spot on - considering the limits of our physical and chemical tests as hobbyists. Fish poop is food for these guys - had quite a few well fed fish in the tank. Still, some made it and others didn't - of the exact same species...crazy. Of all the corals I have ever kept, zoas and palys have been huge successes and huge failures. I have had whole colonies of zoas die off while everything else - from ricordia to acanthastrea to millepora flourished. Absolutely intriguing.

That thing is cool...I hadn't even heard of the term femto regarding aquaria before reading this post

Many of those bung caps have a knockout threaded to receive plumbing.