OregonGrownReef

1 minute ago, pdxmonkeyboy said:

Thanks for having absolutely no sense of humor. 

There is a reason that your main tank is referred to as a display tank.  When it comes to sumps I prefer function over form. 

 

I don't race my corvette with the hood open...  

It seems you don't like your sense of taste being made fun of. Ironic. Have a great day. 

27 minutes ago, pdxmonkeyboy said:

I decided that it was important to have a nice looking sump so that I could impress the ladies.  I wanted something with multiple colors and some kind of fluorescent trim.  You ever see birds of paradise that clean up there nests by removing all the leaves and sticks and then dance around flashing their bright colors?  That was essentially what I wanted to do with my sump.  It was a solid plan.  I ended up with three of these chained together with 4" PVC and uniseals. 

 

 

Why waste your money on a tank at all and just put your fish and coral in one of these? Seems ridiculous to have something that makes it so it's appealing to the eyes when a simple stock tank will suffice growing coral and raising fish...in a hobby where 95% of the point is visual aspect of it. 

"Why buy a Corvette when a Sentra gets you to the same destination?" 

I've got a guy who can build what I want, I just wanted to know if anyone local could do the same. Thanks for your unhelpful advice on what to buy though! 

It's not a super crazy design! Lol. I just want it to have an integrated filter roller, a chamber for a skimmer, and a large chamber for some rock. I won't be running a fuge on this tank as I believe all I need is good mechanical filtration as well as gfo, carbon and water changes. I guess it gets a little crazier when I start asking for integrated murlock dosing slots and probe holders, heater holders, etc...in red and white with clear viewing panels on the front and sides outlined in white...okay I see what you mean...

Has anyone had a custom sump made locally? I'm looking for the ability to choose what colors and design exactly where everything goes, but not have to pay outrageous shipping costs. If not, I may contact one of the local plastic fabricators and see if they'd be willing to take on the project...

Has the male grown at all recently? If the male gets too large, the female may become aggressive to maintain her position in the hierarchy. 

Hello! Glad to see you've joined. Nano builds are awesome! Shouldn't take long to get one up. Any pics? 

27 minutes ago, Gumby said:

Another thing  to consider in keeping your alk that high is the adjustment the corals you buy from stores and people. In most cases their alk parameter will be between 7-9 dkh. So there will an adjustment for them into your system. 

Great insight! I was going to say this, but I was looking at a wall of text I'd written and decided that I was saying too much, so I posted a link to that article instead. Haha. This is super important not just for new acquisitions into a tank, but also for selling, trading, or getting store credit. A person might get credit once, but they'll be less likely to take your corals if they die every time they go into a their tanks.

This would be some beneficial reading regarding dosing. It may also be beneficial to read that entire guide. It's a lengthy read, but you'll save yourself from many headaches by doing so. The author is the man behind Bulk Reef Supply's 2 part formula and dosing calculators as well as probably the man who has single handedly helped tens of thousands if not more people keep corals in their tanks. 

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/rhf/index.php

You won't adjust the salinity so it matches the alkalinity of the tank. This will lower every element in the tank as well, not just dKH. You can lower alkalinity in your new water by adding something like muriatic acid, but this has potential for disaster if not done right. In my opinion it's better for you to get a lower alkalinity salt mix and adjust it up with sodium bicarbonate to achieve desired results. Of course, this does mean you'll have to test and adjust every time you make new water. I keep my tanks at whatever the salt mixes up at for this reason. 

Yes, thanks John. It was a pleasure to meet some local reefers and put some faces to some names. 

Looking forward to it! If anyone's interested, I've got a behemoth amount of Monte Carlo growing in my freshwater tank. It does have snails inside of it. I won't be there for all of it as I'm meeting someone later that's buying some coral, so I'll be sure to park across the street. Thanks again, @SuncrestReef

6 hours ago, CoralReefTankers said:

Xenia for sure! Followed by GSP! 🤣

 

Okay for real, it's probably Zoas. So many colors and so versatile in everything from a pico tank to a giant mixed reef!

Not my tank pics, but wishes and dreams!

Zoas are some of the easiest coral to grow. They're so adaptive to different levels of light and will grow fill in a barren tank in a year or less. There really isn't any other coral with as much color variation. Good choice! 

6 hours ago, islandVib3s said:

I have to say I love euphyllia, elegance 1st,torch 2nd,frogspawn 3rd. But im just now dabbling with sps and its growing on me lol. Also love colorful zoas. They're just so easy to care for lol

Good choice! There's nothing quite like a big beautiful elegance coral. There are some real showstoppers out there too. It's too a shame they're so finicky when it comes to fragging. 

I'd love to know what kind of corals you guys love the most. I'm curious if there's a trend due to geography as well. What's that one coral that always catches your eye and will always have a spot (or multiple) in your tank? For me, it's acropora (cliche I'm sure). I love all of my LPS, softies, and various other sps, but acros will always have a special place in my tanks. The color varieties are awesome, but the growth structures are what catches my eye first. A tank filled with sps isn't noticed first for it's rainbow color strains from afar, but the varying growth patterns coupled with their colors. It's when you get close when they show off their glow. "Oooo that green one is cool. So is that orange one! But look at the red streaks in that blue one with yellow polyps!" That's what makes them worth it for me. I can't grow them worth a darn, but I'll always try!

Bonus points for anyone who lists their favorite species within their favorite genus. 

I've got a couple, but I don't know if I can get to them. They've been growing on my back frag rack for the last year or so and started to attach to the back wall. I'll see if I can get some pics. Important question...does your tank have ich or do you care if the tank has ich? No current outbreaks, but I'm sure it's in there somewhere. 

Just a friendly bump. I just found out today my new build from Lifereef was bumped up a couple of months, so I'm needing to pay for it much sooner than I thought. Feel free to message me if you have any questions. 

9 minutes ago, Rob1966 said:

I am interested in some Zoe’s can you reply back to me thanks

I sent you a PM. 

1 hour ago, Rob1966 said:

Call me I would like to buy the tank ***-***-****

You really shouldn't put your phone number online like that. A lot of people can/will take advantage of you. You can always direct message people. 

For anyone reading, I'm removing the minimum order amount for corals picked up at the meetings. If you're interested in something but can't quite afford it, PM me and we'll work something out. 

9 minutes ago, Higher Thinking said:

Clams for sure. I've had a Gigas that I got from Jeff about 18 months ago. It started as a little 2" thing and now it's a monster. Probably 10" or so. I actually had to have Jeff hold onto it for a couple months while my tank was struggling and I was losing all my other clams. These photos were from 6 months ago. I'll have to post an updated shot because it's only kept growing. 

Clams! I love them! Never had good luck keeping them though. 

On 7/30/2021 at 11:43 PM, pdxmonkeyboy said:

Sometimes i wish my tank was small enough that i could feed LRS 😞

My crew eats about 3lbs of seafood a month.

How much does that wind up costing you? What do you feed? I'd be interested in trying it out as I go through a bag or more a month. 

Which coral do you have, or want to have, that makes you feel like a kid on Christmas morning? For me, I have two answers. Sticks are by far my favorite. I love the challenge that comes with keeping them and the colors are insane. A very close second has to be zoas though. They would take the top spot, but I do love the challenge of SPS. Zoas are some of the most diverse corals and arguably the prettiest. From out of this world colors to enchanting designs coupled with the ease of keeping them makes them my favorite. If you're looking to fill in a tank or have a barebottom that you'd like to put coral on, zoas take the cake. 

Pics are appreciated and welcome. 

2 minutes ago, islandVib3s said:

Interested in a few,is it priced per polyp or frag? And how many? I may pick some up at the meeting,ill be there

Hey there! They are 3-5 polyp frags with a couple that are priced per polyp as I only have a few available. PM me a list and we'll see what we can do. 

Pm sent. 

Just an FYI, but I will be at the August meeting if anyone would like to pick up their coral there.