milesmiles902

I got a package at Bob Moore. There are varying degrees of filters and usually doubles of each. I kept them in my wallet for when I needed them. You have to make sure the filter is flat against the phone or the focus will be off, but I think for the price you can't beat them. We have all been at a LFS or a friends house and want to take a picture, but the glare is just horrible. This was a Sekura pic I took with my cellphone camera with the filter (granted the camera on my phone is two years old). You can still see some glare, but it removed about 90% of it.

I was talking with my roommate about his new freshwater aquarium and the nitrogen cycle. I pointed out that plants consume nitrates as a nutrient source. The conversation continued to predator tanks and how many predator tanks produce a lot of nitrates because of the huge mass of food being fed. I know nitrates can be a problem when feeding sharks. So, why don't you see plants in a shark tank to help with the problem? I honestly have no clue and would love to hear some reasons why. I can't think of a single saltwater predator tank that had plants. It's kind of funny. Maybe because that is not their natural environment? Maybe mass amounts of water changes compensate? I have no idea.

After looking at it, he's right. They probably are 54 watts.

Beat me to it. Hehe.

Watts = Volts x Amps. Output: 6V, 150mA

To start off, sump vs refugium is kind of a grey area. Sump is usually a container of water that your tank overflows into, while a refugium is just a place that tends to have macro-algae and a light. Sometimes refugiums are in sumps, sometimes they are completely separate. I think it is personal preference whether you keep the biostones in there. I don't have any. I recently set one up in my sump and I just removed the filter sock from the overflow and let the copepods do their thing. It took about 2-3 weeks before I could spot a consistent amount of copepods down there. Also, I never shut my protein skimmer off because it is after the refugium zone. Pictures would greatly help. Maybe send us a picture of what you are working with and we can give you some advice.

You really are good at photoshop.

What's the name?

Fred, congratulations on becoming a father.

I totally missed that post by Innovative Marine. Congratulations. You never cease to amaze me.

Happy Birthday Bret. Make it a good one.

Who also forgot to get their porthole at the meeting?

Nature's gems.

Hey! Welcome! Glad to see that we are reaching people father and farther north. The community of people on this board are pretty unique. Hope to see you at a meeting.

That is gnarly. Animal cruelty at its finest. Some people just don't understand that these are living creatures. Sometimes snakes bite owners.

That's a snag. Some pretty awesome picks in there. I also want to say thank you for participating. It is for a good cause.

That's a lot of money for TFT. Thank you to everyone who put in the hard work to make this happen.

...and the quality of the pictures is also great. Good job on both the coral and photos. I am happy you are my LFS owner.

The Auction closes today at midnight. Get those last bids in!

Yeah, that's the stuff I like to watch for. Thanks for the heads up.

Oh, and it doesn't hurt to ask the LFS what they keep their tank parameters at. Salinity is a big one.

It is always a sad site to see a dead fish. Here are some of the things that you could do to prevent the next death: #1: Make sure the fish is eating before you buy it and try to get it to eat when you get home. In my experience, a fish that doesn't eat is on the path for death. #2: Water parameters have to be in check, especially when you are just starting a tank. If you don't test, you'll never know when it is done cycling. You need to see NH3 and NO2- drop to near zero. #3: Make sure all of the inhabitants get along. Having fish pick on each other leads to stress, which causes a lack of appetite. #4: Check for any diseases before you buy the fish. Personally, I think a lot of our LFS do a good job preventing disease, but looking at the health of the fish before you buy it is critical. Honestly, there is a reason you buy a cheap fish for cycling. I wouldn't be surprised if every single one of us has had a fish or invert die during this process.

This is what I run on my tank about mid-day. I just vary the white channel for the warmth I want. If I want a 20K Kelvin warmth, I usually keep the white channel around 30%: I am pretty sure there is another channel for the newer AI Primes, but this is what I have.

It's probably a good thing to ask... Does anyone have eating restrictions? I want to avoid an chance of allergic reaction or worse...