DaveZ

@Manny Tavangreat post. I have a few of the SLWs and been running those now for at least 2 years. Never had an issue with a single one. I know people often bash the Jebao lines of powerheads and I will say some are for sure less reliable, the SLW is not one of them. It’s the most dead silent pump I have and most reliable for maintaining regular flow rates. The best part is that they’re so affordable that it’s best to just buy 2 of them. For cleaning I leave the power side in there and swap the impeller and cover to keep them looking clean while the dirty ones get a vinegar bath. I have never had one die on me so no need to swap to the unused driver side. if you want to save even more money and just wait a bit longer for shipping, get them from AliExpress. I have been considering the Jebao UV. But this one you posted looks even more affordable. Thanks!

@The ReefBoxhey Brian, do you know if EB8 will work with the Apex classic? If so, then I’m for sure interested.

I know it’s a drive but if you wanted to swing by Vancouver WA, I’ll sell good sized $5-$10 frags of staple and hardy SPS

I do have the 400w single pendant with the big hood and a radium 20k bulb. Likely cover all of your 24”x 24” tank. Not pretty but gets the job done. I got it on a frag trade, so if you want to do a trade for it also that would work. Located in Vancouver WA

The most “not-special” torches are typically still in the $75-$90 range. The best way to get more affordable price per polyp (or head) will be to spend more $$$ to get a bigger pieces. That way the overall price per head drops. Most most singles are not going to go for what they did back in 2016.

Sorry to hear. I check FB marketplace semi-frequently too. I’ll keep my eye out.

If you’re planning on using that outlet, change that to GFCI (or make sure it’s on GFCI at the breaker…or both for redundancy). Could be the difference between a burnt down house or completely protected in case there is a spill. And all for $15.

Hey @SpringFever. Thanks for sharing! I love seeing other 40b displays as I have one as well. I’ll post a pic below. The setup looks great and interesting to hear about the algae still taking hold in such low nutrient system. My 40b has the Trigger Crystal 30 sump, so not quite as much water volume but I tend to struggle with keeping nutrients up as well and also oversize the skimmer (RO Classic 150sss. Currently offline while I deep clean it and let nutrients climb a bit). It’s been up for a year and a half and acro dominant. It would be fun to chat more on the 40b setup as it does not seem that common for people to really customize these tanks. You seem to have a great handle on the setup and doing some really cool things. Be great to learn from your experience. Shoot me a dm if you want and can exchange numbers there.

@Parzifal for my 40b tank I decided to go with the Hydroseal Kaplan on Amazon. Just did it on the 3/4 return. Figured it was worth a try as it’s a Canadian company (but still likely manufactured overseas). Figured it was worth a shot. So far I’ll say I have not seen any issues with it at all. Still as easy to turn as day one and the tank is 1.5 years now. I turn it for every water change/maintenance to cut siphon and it works perfectly Well worth it for the $12 IMO and I’ll likely continue with these for future builds.

@pdxmonkeyboyA full lagoon of zoas that size would be rad. Some grow fast and some grow slow. IMO the real art of the zoa gardens comes to placing them at the right distances apart for growth rates and color contrast so that you’re not just loading up on one type that takes over the rock before the others get settled and start taking off. Pricing is always a bit 🙄 when it comes to zoas and why some are expensive and others are dirt cheap. But I get it for the prone melters and why those usually get higher prices: lower supply & still high demand. I am far more into getting acros/milli’s these days and have a decent list of zoas already fragged and ready to move. Some shops looking for trade ins so before I do that if you’re open for loading up on zoas and down to trade for some acros frags, hit me up on DM or FB/text (as I’m not as active on the forum) and I can get you a list of what I have. Located in Vancouver WA.

@ocboat I agree 100% on the Giesemann Spectra. I have one and the Radium MH & Blue+ bulb combo is the best color blend I’ve ever come across. Tossing some 450/470nm LED strips for pop and that’s the best lighting ever. I am not really open for selling but I guess everything can be for sale at the right price. But I do have a Hamilton Cabo Sun Large Mogul and a 400w ballast and Radium 400w if you’re interested.

Hey reefers. I’m wanting to run an experiment on my 40breeder tank for coloring up the front of acros. Seeing if anyone has a few of these type of 36” T5 fixtures laying around before going out and buy them new. Pic for example. Coral trades preferred (as it’s a test) but shoot me dm if you have some with price. Located in Vancouver Wa.

The micro ones are hard to tell the polarity. Just kept moving it around until I found it on the spot. No soldiering done one the video nor heat gun. Just putting it on.

Ya, not sure about his experience with the manufacturing part or actually doing the soldering but I’d love to learn more!

Is there anyone here that happens to be highly proficient with LEDs and soldering? I have a very basic understanding of electronics and soldering mainly from my old touring band days and putting together cables and wiring up guitars, but I have recently gotten into considering modding LEDs. I recently modded out my Viparspectra 300w and that was super easy with the bigger diodes. But I do have some Bar LEDs that was a 50/50 blue and white spectrum that I wanted to consider modding. The issue I am running into is they are the small form factor LEDs that appear to have solider under the diode and I’m not sure how to solder these. I then tried removing the LEDs, which then seemed to short out the connection and then not having the other diodes work properly. When I line one of the removed diodes back on, I can get the others to flicker but no idea what’s happening at this point. If there’s anyone on here with experience in this process, I’d love to learn more and gain some more experience with LED lighting. cheers FullSizeRender.mov

Shoot me a DM

I love the club to connect with awesome people and getting to talk reef with people who also care about the same hobby in the area. And the information shared is always useful. I’d nominate @Emerald525because Kim is an awesome person and this coral would look killer in her Lagoon.

Got this single chamber large 50g “square” sump. 31”x34x11” 1/2” thick acrylic. Has a section for overflow plumbing > two big filter cups > bubble trap into one main section. Great sump for bigger systems and or live rock storage. $250 obo. Open to trades for some higher end acros. located in Vancouver WA.

@Taylorhardy1we have had one interaction where I got a metal halide from you for some coral in a trade and I thought it was a positive experience. I am sorry you feel any injustice was done against you and I’d likely feel the same if I had a number of experiences like yours. I will personally say I do not like the forum medium as much as Facebook groups more so because of the anonymity of the structure. I like to put names with faces and this structure doesn’t lead well for that (probably why I just use my name for anyone who wants to connect). Or maybe it’s easier for people to bid through a forum and why you have some experiences. But that is neither here nor there. I can say that the last few years of being in the reef hobby, I am very thankful for the reefers in this area regardless if they came from this forum or the local FB groups. I’ve found an overwhelming majority to be hospitable, friendly and good natured. Not greedy with frags or low ball pricing to the point of offense. I can only think of a single younger guy who fits the description you gave and I know he has been banned from the forum, Facebook groups and even some local shops. There are some bad apples out there but I do not feel that’s a justifiable reason to make such a mass generality of an entire group of people. I do wish you luck and hope that you can get back into reef keeping for the joy of it regardless of which platform or group you choose to go with.

How high end are you looking for?

DM’d

Anyone have an extra Gen4 XR15 Pro (with diffuser preferred)? No need for mounts, but hoping to have the little screw in eyelets. I have cash or coral trades if you’re interested.

@Emerald525Ya, I have the Tunze 9001 that I have currently running on the 40breeder setup. Not sure if this fits in any of the chambers within the Nuvo 25 lagoon. I have the Nuvo20 and it does not fit in the first or second chamber. I have seen people mod the back chamber to fit them, but keep in mind these nano skimmers really need level water, so if you do plan on modding in the back chamber getting a really reliable ATO is necessary. Shoot me a DM if you are interested...or better yet send me a FB message because I am rarely on this forum.

DM sent