Red Sea Max Owners Club

[JohnL]

This thread was automatically split due to performance issues. You can find the rest of the thread here: http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=11485976#post11485976

[Reefmack]

I'm trying to picture a little voodoo doll sewn in the shape of a Hydor Flow - with pins stuck in it! :)

[Y-DesygnGuy]

SPLIT!

LOL how about the funky chicken dance I might do, while holding the voodoo doll! :D

[Reefmack]

Woohoooooooo! My wish came true - I was finally able to be the cause of another split in this monster thread I created! Now I can go to heaven with a smile on my face! :) Whooda ever thunk there would be so many RSM owners around to keep this thing going? I certainly didn't. Thank you all!

[Y-DesygnGuy]

Cheers to you Reefmack!

[LaurentSeattle]

Congratulations ReefMack: Now 5,000+ contributions and almost 85,000 views... This is the thread of the year indeed. RC mods/admins should give it a sticky!

[stephensturman]

yeha :)

[NaCl+H2O Fish]

My Goodness... Another Split? Too many posts and interest in RSM's by there owners???!!! Red Sea should know about this? !!!

Thank You Reefmack for "DIRECTING" me (weeks ago) to this forum and thread! Congrats on it's success! :D



Y-DesygnGuy -

Like Reefmack I too enjoyed your movies! In the second scene, that I think is recorded from the left side of your RSM, I noticed you had placed a LR 'outcrop' in the front left corner of your tank.... Am I correct?

WHATEVER YOU DID, I LIKE IT AND WANT TO COPY THE IDEA!!!! THANK YOU!!!

The gobie, wrasse, blenny swimming in that scene is WHAT?

Thanks for the view!

I personally recommend a 'WHITE VINEGAR' soak for all your Koralia parts and then an old toothbrush scrub before you give up on it!

r/Kent

[Iostream]

Y-DesygnGuy: My hydor flo stops spinning every couple of days or so, because of a snail usually. I haven't ever had one completely die, but looking at the way they are made, a good cleaning should bring it back.

[donna53w]

:rollface: :rollface: :rollface: :rollface: :rollface: :rollface: :rollface: :rollface:
Congratulations ... a split, again!!

[Y-DesygnGuy]

NaCl+H2O Fish -- Thanks! Yes that is a rock I put out away from the back wall with the intention to place mushrooms on it. I was reading about people making ricordea islands and mushroom gardens and knew I wanted something similar. So when I went to pick out my live rock for this tank, I looked for a piece I could make into an arch like that and had a nice side to cover! I think I can get about another 30-40 of them on the back side that rock if I tried! :)

The fish you are talking about is my Purple Fire Fish I believe. If had the money to spend I would of gotten a Hellfrics Firefish, but $150-$170 for a single fish is a bit much for me.

I will try the white vinegar this evening and see how it does over night. But I am still really liking the flow the tank how now with it off. :confused: who know's...

Iostream -- Yeah I ran it under water to clean it, but it still didn't want to spin, so its getting a soaking over night!

I tried to take another video as it got darker, but everyone is home now and no one wants to be quite for me. So this second video is a little longer (17 megs) but isn't as washed out.

http://www.y-desygn.com/tank/RSM3.mov

http://www.y-desygn.com/tank/RSM2.mov

[martinphillip03]

There is a reason why you bought the hydor flo. Since your not looking at your tank 24/7/365, on your new one you could put an on/off switch on it. When you go to look at the tank, turn it off, when you leave turn it back on.

Marty

I will try the white vinegar this evening and see how it does over night. But I am still really liking the flow the tank how now with it off. :confused: who know's...

[Reefmack]

Iostream - I've had big turbo snails on my Hydor Flo and it still keeps turning, snail and all. Were you talking about small snails getting inside?

Marty - no way to put a switch on a Hydor Flo - it's a pretty simple gadget that attaches to a powerhead and the flow from the pump is what turns it. Sorta like a windmill type thing, but the wind in this case is the pump flow. The only way to turn one off is to turn that powerhead pump off.

[martinphillip03]

Oh.

Marty

Marty - no way to put a switch on a Hydor Flo - it's a pretty simple gadget that attaches to a powerhead and the flow from the pump is what turns it. Sorta like a windmill type thing, but the wind in this case is the pump flow. The only way to turn one off is to turn that powerhead pump off. [/B][/QUOTE]

[Reefmack]

No problem Marty - you'll know just about everything you need to know by the time you get that tank! :) The more you know ahead of time the better off you'll be!

[Iostream]

Reefmack: Yeah smaller snails, cerith, nerites, etc. They get in between the input and the body, just enough to jam it and stop the rotation. Just takes a second to pop them out.

[Brent F]

I'm setting up a Red Sea Max. I added a sump in the stand, a phosphate reactor & protein skimmer behind the tank, a shallow tanks beside it with a Viper 70 which will be for clams and invertebrates. I have also plumbed in a Nanocude 6 as a speciman tank. I just finished leak testing everything and am now slowly filling it with R.O. water.

Here's some pictures:

Overall setup
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj252/Brent_F/all.jpg

CPR Overflow and mod for surface skimming
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj252/Brent_F/overflow.jpg

The sump
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj252/Brent_F/Sump.jpg

Rear plumbing
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj252/Brent_F/rear2.jpg

[Rue]

...like my anemone...Reefmack's baby keeps splitting and splitting!...

[donna53w]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11488015#post11488015 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Brent F
I'm setting up a Red Sea Max. I added a sump in the stand, a phosphate reactor & protein skimmer behind the tank, a shallow tanks beside it with a Viper 70 which will be for clams ...

Hi Brent ... wow beautiful job on your new tank set up! You have been very busy putting it all together. Will you have to remove the stock hood?
Are you making your own ro/di water?
Welcome to the club ... it's a great place to be!
Donna

[NaCl+H2O Fish]

Brent F.

Welcome.... and where have you been? Not that I claim to know everyone on this thread.... LOL:lol:!

May I ask the origin and reason behind all the MODS for your new RSM?

:D

[Brent F]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11488907#post11488907 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by donna53w
Hi Brent ... wow beautiful job on your new tank set up! You have been very busy putting it all together. Will you have to remove the stock hood?
Are you making your own ro/di water?
Welcome to the club ... it's a great place to be!
Donna
All mods fit under the hood so from the front the RSM looks stock. The only mods I made to the RSM itself were removing the chiller plug, cutting out a 9 inch wide portion of the back (below the hood) for the CPR overflow and removing a section of the power cord channel so the tank will surface skim with the water level above the top of the glass. The CPR overflow and lines to the Phosban Reactor use the space where the RSM skimmer was. The return line from the sump goes through the chiller slot and the Phosban reactor also hangs in this slot.

I took the hood off to try to show the mods. Once I get it filled and stocked with live rock I'll post a picture with the hoods on.

I had to do a lot of work with the Dremel to get a inlet line to feed the Nanocube 6 and still fit the hood. I drilled a hole in the back glass of the Nanocube with the Dremel and have it draning into the shallow tank which then drains to the sump.

I have a 6 stage R.O. filter in the kitchen so have been spending the day filling jugs. Figure it will take 3 days to fill all 4 tanks at the rate it is going.

Since I now have a lot of space in the place where the skimmer originally went I need to decide whether to leave it open or to put live rock rubble in it. I've heard live rock rubble can be a real detrius trab so am leaning toward leaving the back chambers empty. I'd appreciate any info on the pro's and con's of empty chambers vs. live rock rubble.

[Brent F]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11488950#post11488950 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NaCl+H2O Fish
Brent F.

Welcome.... and where have you been? Not that I claim to know everyone on this thread.... LOL:lol:!

May I ask the origin and reason behind all the MODS for your new RSM?

:D
Reasoning behind the mods:

The ideas such as the surface skimming came from this board. I really like the look of the RSM but also know some of the pluses of using a sump so I bought the RSM and had a custom made sump tank built for inside the stand. I also knew I wanted better skimming so added a HOT skimmer behind the sump.

I want to keep some marginal reef safe invertebrates and some clams so decided to add on a shallow tank and decided on a Viper 70 watt metal halide because anything bigger would overheat the 15 gal 20X20X9 tank. I found this tank used locally and added the overflow box inside it – the prior owner had it hooked up to a canister filter.

I found the Nanocube 6 used and added it on because I want to keep a small frogfish which really needs to be in a specimen tank and thought this would be an ideal home for one.

I plumbed all three tanks into a shared sump for ease of maintenance and to share the skimmer. I also have an ATU system tied into the sump which I didn’t show in the pictures.

The Phosban Reactor is for Zeovit products and is hanging on the back so I can easily shake it every day. My tanks are too small for the plunger style Zeovit reactors so I’ll simply shake the small Two Little Fishes reactor instead of using a plunger.

[NaCl+H2O Fish]

Brent F -

I'm feeling that you will have a lot to contribute to us via this thread!

Since I understood about 10% of your explanation!!! ?

Welcome to the 'Best Place to Be!":D

[NaCl+H2O Fish]

[QUOTE]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11486717#post11486717 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Y-DesygnGuy
[B]NaCl+H2O Fish -- Thanks! Yes that is a rock I put out away from the back wall with the intention to place mushrooms on it. I was reading about people making ricordea islands and mushroom gardens and knew I wanted something similar. So when I went to pick out my live rock for this tank, I looked for a piece I could make into an arch like that and had a nice side to cover! I think I can get about another 30-40 of them on the back side that rock if I tried! :)

The fish you are talking about is my Purple Fire Fish I believe. If had the money to spend I would of gotten a Hellfrics Firefish, but $150-$170 for a single fish is a bit much for me.

I will try the white vinegar this evening and see how it does over night. But I am still really liking the flow the tank how now with it off. :confused: who know's...

Kudos on the RSM3 video! Thanks for featuring the rock I mentioned...

:D

[Reefmack]

Brent F - Welcome to the Club and WOW! It sure makes sense doing all the mods in place before you get everything going. I'd never be able to figure out designing all that piping & engineering with my non-mechanical pea-brain, but congratulations! Does the skimmer sit on the floor, or in the sump - it looks like the water feed is plumbed in and out, and it's not in the sump? On the LR rubble, you may not even need it with the sump in place, and sufficient rock in the tanks to take care of the nitrogen cycle. Let us know how it goes!

[martinphillip03]

Brent, Nice job. I am really interested how you plumbed a sump into your RSM. How does the water get from the tank into the sump? And you explained the return but could you do it again. Some pictures from the back, if possible, would be appreciated.
If you are planning some LR in your sump, I don't think more in the filter is necessary.

Marty


href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11489036#post11489036 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Brent F [/i]
All mods fit under the hood so from the front the RSM looks stock. The only mods I made to the RSM itself were removing the chiller plug, cutting out a 9 inch wide portion of the back (below the hood) for the CPR overflow and removing a section of the power cord channel so the tank will surface skim with the water level above the top of the glass. The CPR overflow and lines to the Phosban Reactor use the space where the RSM skimmer was. The return line from the sump goes through the chiller slot and the Phosban reactor also hangs in this slot.

I took the hood off to try to show the mods. Once I get it filled and stocked with live rock I'll post a picture with the hoods on.

I had to do a lot of work with the Dremel to get a inlet line to feed the Nanocube 6 and still fit the hood. I drilled a hole in the back glass of the Nanocube with the Dremel and have it draning into the shallow tank which then drains to the sump.


Since I now have a lot of space in the place where the skimmer originally went I need to decide whether to leave it open or to put live rock rubble in it. I've heard live rock rubble can be a real detrius trab so am leaning toward leaving the back chambers empty. I'd appreciate any info on the pro's and con's of empty chambers vs. live rock rubble. [/QUOTE]

[Y-DesygnGuy]

Brent -- Very nice for sure, I wish I would have done all the mods to the tank before I set it up myself.

NaCl+H2O Fish -- You are very welcome!

[stephensturman]

brent - wow nice setup. i didnt know if the cpr overflows would work but i see they do, time to add a sump and get my refugium and a good skimmer :)

[Brent F]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11489499#post11489499 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reefmack
Brent F - Welcome to the Club and WOW! It sure makes sense doing all the mods in place before you get everything going. I'd never be able to figure out designing all that piping & engineering with my non-mechanical pea-brain, but congratulations! Does the skimmer sit on the floor, or in the sump - it looks like the water feed is plumbed in and out, and it's not in the sump? On the LR rubble, you may not even need it with the sump in place, and sufficient rock in the tanks to take care of the nitrogen cycle. Let us know how it goes!

The skimmer is sitting on a block on the floor behind the tank. It's a hang on tank model so could be placed externally. I had to cut away a lot of the mounting bracket so placed it on a block for support. The inlet and outlet lines go through the chiller slot in the back of the cabinet. I did it this way because it is easier to access. With the limited space over the sump I can't get anything bigger than a pump in or out of it. I wanted as large a sump as possible - the sump is 21 X 17 X 18

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11489791#post11489791 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by martinphillip03
Brent, Nice job. I am really interested how you plumbed a sump into your RSM. How does the water get from the tank into the sump? And you explained the return but could you do it again. Some pictures from the back, if possible, would be appreciated.
If you are planning some LR in your sump, I don't think more in the filter is necessary.

Marty



The water gets from the tank to the sump via a model 650 CPR overflow. The little pump in the picture of the top of the tank is used to remove air bubbles so that the siphon isn't lost. I chose the 650 because it it had enough flow and would fit on the back of the skimmer chamber without having to cut into the plug for the chiller. (had 9 inches of space available). The CPR has a 1 inch bulkhead on the bottom which I plumbed into the sump. The return line goes through the chiller plug opening in the back of the RSM so didn't require any cutting. I can post some pictures and an explaination later.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11490168#post11490168 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stephensturman
brent - wow nice setup. i didnt know if the cpr overflows would work but i see they do, time to add a sump and get my refugium and a good skimmer :)

Yes, I chose the 650 over the 500 for the additional flow rate. It was the biggest one that would fit without having to do a lot of cutting.

The 20X20 tank beside the RSM was going to be my refugium but when I added the metal halide lighting it changed to a shallow display tank. I'm considering having the live rock break the water surface - a small rock island. I'll have to see how that looks.

[Y-DesygnGuy]

Well the Hyrdo Flo will not work no matter what. I let it soak over night and it looks great, nice and clean. But it will not spin any more on the power head, what a bummer, oh well I needed a reason to go the fish store, lol yeah right!

[abyall]

Well almost made it a year without any micro bubbles or skimmer problems then they show up out of the blue,I am so pi##ed.

[Reefmack]

Y-DesygnGuy - I guess you can have the honor of being the first to have a Hydor Flo break! :)

abyall - strange on the appearance of skimmer problems after almost a year. Had you done anything to it recently that was out of your normal maintenance?

[Y-DesygnGuy]

Reefmack -- Great! :)
I went to 3 stores and none of them had one, bummer... I think I am going to turn one power head off, my tank is being blown apart from so much flow!

[Reefmack]

Y-DesygnGuy - good idea on turning one off. That or go back & figure out what happened to the Hydor Flo - there's not much to those things.

To All:

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s205/mackwork/hghnyban.gif

Have a happy, safe, healthy, prosperous, better new year!

[Y-DesygnGuy]

Happy New Year to you as well Reefmack and everyone on this thread!

Holly Cr@p I fixed it! I am soooooo not mechanical and I actually fixed it! I can not tell you what was wrong with it, but after taking it all completely apart again, swearing at, threatening to bounce it off the floor it worked! Amazing!

I had a huge amount of water flow once I took it off. My sand bed started shifting and changing shape I could see sand covering things and my frags were getting blown over! I guess adding a Korilia 1, Korilia Nano and the Fluval 205 was enough!! I needed to diffuse the water some with the Hydro Flo!

[abyall]

Reefmack I only did my sponge clean same as I always do.

[abyall]

I went to my lfs and got one of the best deals ever I got a huge gorgonia and a fridmani gobie for only thirty bucks.

[Reefmack]

Y-DesygnGuy - I knew you'd figure out the Hydor Flo! Congrats on getting it going!

abyall - I'm not sure what to tell you on the skimmer, but that's a great deal on the new additions. Post some pics when you ca.

[Y-DesygnGuy]

Reefmack -- LOL I tell ya, that is what was so upsetting, its so simple... yet it would not work! Much better now, of course I am going to have to turn everything off and use the turkey baster to get the sand off of things. I think the Yellow Watchman liked the flow though, he has been out all day in the middle of the tank swimming against the current, looking happy.

[abyall]

Here are some pictures of my latest buys.my orange spot gobie<a href="http://s198.photobucket.com/albums/aa307/AByall/?action=view&current=IMG_3089.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa307/AByall/IMG_3089.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> my gorgoniathis is a small frag four others<a href="http://s198.photobucket.com/albums/aa307/AByall/?action=view&current=IMG_3267.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa307/AByall/IMG_3267.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> my fridmani gobie sorry he is still shy<a href="http://s198.photobucket.com/albums/aa307/AByall/?action=view&current=IMG_3276.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa307/AByall/IMG_3276.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> my purple firefish<a href="http://s198.photobucket.com/albums/aa307/AByall/?action=view&current=IMG_3236.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa307/AByall/IMG_3236.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> and one of my two roses<a href="http://s198.photobucket.com/albums/aa307/AByall/?action=view&current=IMG_3084.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa307/AByall/IMG_3084.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[Hodge]

Y-DesygnGuy,

If you look directly at the end of the hydor, you will see a split white nub, it must be centered in the cover cap when it's reassembled. it's possible to get it back together without the nub centered and will not turn, even tho it looks ok.
I had that problem and took about five tries before figuring out what was wrong. It's like the control panel...once you do it a few times, it's easy. lol

[Y-DesygnGuy]

abyall -- Very nice shots! How about a full tank shot?

Hodge -- You know I am willing to bet that is what it was, it would snap together but not spin. The last time I snapped it back together I did notice the little white tip sticking out and it worked! Sorta one of those... Daaaa moments :D

[abyall]

Here are some full tank shots.<a href="http://s198.photobucket.com/albums/aa307/AByall/?action=view&current=IMG_3284.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa307/AByall/IMG_3284.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> <a href="http://s198.photobucket.com/albums/aa307/AByall/?action=view&current=IMG_3283.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa307/AByall/IMG_3283.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> <a href="http://s198.photobucket.com/albums/aa307/AByall/?action=view&current=IMG_3280.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa307/AByall/IMG_3280.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[abyall]

Thought I would put my cleaner shrimp on he has molted five times since I bought him.<a href="http://s198.photobucket.com/albums/aa307/AByall/?action=view&current=IMG_3275.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa307/AByall/IMG_3275.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[stephensturman]

ok i have a question. i have about 15 lbs of sand in my rsm. so that is about 1" can i leave it at tha or should i add more?

[martinphillip03]

abyall, OMG what a nice tank. Do you have a thread going on RC?

Another note, one of the threads I am following, did something interesting. They put an eggcrate, or something, ledge in the tank. They filled it with corals. I guess the idea is, in time the corals will overgrow it and the crate disappears. Neat idea. The thread is 29 Bellacube, the link www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=11494476#post11494476

Marty

[Y-DesygnGuy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11494508#post11494508 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stephensturman
ok i have a question. i have about 15 lbs of sand in my rsm. so that is about 1" can i leave it at tha or should i add more?

I don't know if you can or should add more now. I have about 32-33lbs of sand in mine.
But I don't know if its good to add more once your tank has been running for this long. Although live sand should ok, of course getting more sand now with water and rocks in the tank will be fun.

And sorry if this message is goofy its from my iPhone. We are taking my girl friends kids to the zoo lights for news years and my girl friend drives like a mad woman!

[stephensturman]

lol i just went to the zoo today it was cool kinda ****ty that u have to pay to see the sharks and stingrays after u already pay to get in!

[martinphillip03]

Well I was wrong again. Won't be the last time. Its a frag tray. Oh well
Last post this year!

Marty


Another note, one of the threads I am following, did something interesting. They put an eggcrate, or something, ledge in the tank. They filled it with corals. I guess the idea is, in time the corals will overgrow it and the crate disappears. Neat idea. The thread is 29 Bellacube, the link www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=11494476#post11494476

Marty [/B][/QUOTE]

[Reefmack]

Y-DesygnGuy - I was going to mention that the white nub had to go through that hole in the Koralia - I should have. Good call Hodge. I was caught once by the same thing, but figured it out before putting it back in the tank.

abyall - thanks for the great pictures of the new additions and the tank - beautiful! I still think you need to be in the Guiness book for world record sized bubble algae! :) They're actually kinda pretty and unique at that size.

Marty - that eggcrate is really used to grow small coral frags on - they get good flow grown on crate, and it supports the frag blocks and skeletal bases easily. Nice idea for making multi-use of the tank, but I liked the look of the tank better without the rack in the middle. I've seen some hung on the back and I think that looks much better. Just my own preference.

stephensturman - I think the substrate that came with the RSM kit was 22 lbs. 15 may be enough though. If you add more try pouring it through a 2 liter soda bottle with the bottom cut off - that may help to keep it from messing up the tank as much.

[stephensturman]

thanks reefmack!

[NaCl+H2O Fish]

A HAPPY AND HEALTHY 2008 TO ALL MY NEW FRIENDS ON THE "RED SEA MAX OWNERS CLUB" thread... especially to the threads founder REEFMACK!

Y-DesygnGuy- I am so proud of your being able to solve the HYDOR FLO problem.... Don't underestimate what you can accomplish (with white vinegar... LOL)!

donna53w- Thanks for your welcome and my best to your family... and of course Hope and Faith!

LaurentSeattle- My sincere thanks for your generous effort to provide us with a valuable aquarium maintenance software tool and your quick response in support of your AP!

stephensturman- I am drinking a beer right NOW in honor of the sturman position!

abyall- Congrats on a very beautiful tank! Looks to me like it has been established for a while? Your photos are 'SO GOOD', I would be very interested in your equipment and posting software?

Hodge- I greatly appreciate your responses to my posts!

Brent F - As donna53w said... this is the place to be! Welcome to my VERY COLD Calgary triathlete!

For MAXreefer, Rue, martinphillip03, Iostream, and others... I wish you and your family only good health, much prosperity, and great success with your RSM in 2008!!!
I appreciate you all!!!

REGARDS,
KENT

[martinphillip03]

Its next year. I agree I don't like the eggcrate look

Marty


Marty - that eggcrate is really used to grow small coral frags on - they get good flow grown on crate, and it supports the frag blocks and skeletal bases easily. Nice idea for making multi-use of the tank, but I liked the look of the tank better without the rack in the middle. I've seen some hung on the back and I think that looks much better. Just my own preference.

[stephensturman]

haha i am drinking beer and rum and coke right now! in honor of the new year!

[Rue]

...17 more minutes until our 2008!!! I'm wishing you and yours EACH the very best 2008 has to offer! Cheers!!!...

[Reefmack]

Happy New Year Morning All! Sorry - I didn't stay up till midnight to welcome the new year. I figured it would arrive without me being awake :) Last day of my 11 days away from work - waaaah! At least it's a 3 day work week, so that part will help with the readjustment of working again. I was able to do my water change yesterday, without messing with anything in the tank, and knocking anything loose - a major achievement for me! Today I'll get some water testing done.

NaCl+H2O Fish - I think you may have ordered the Dekalit water jugs the other day? I got a shipping notice from US Plastics that my order "has been shipped partial." Based on their website something is on backorder, but logging in I can't tell what - the 3 or 5 gallon jugs. If you ordered the same day I did - did you get a partial shipping notice?

[abyall]

NaCl+H2O Fish I use a rebel XTI and post with photobucket thanks. The tank has been up and running since April of 07.

[Reefmack]

abyall - I started mine in April too. Looks like our tanks are about the same age.

[janes_mw]

Hi all, I might as well start the new year off with another new RSM owner. I've been watching this thread while mine is cycling. What a great forum for RSM owners! Thanks to all of you for the great tips on issues... Things going pretty good in the tank, cycle bout done (nitrites just about zero).

One question... anybody tried using just one Tunze 6055 with a single controller?

[abyall]

Reefmack It's amazing how many people are buying the RSM and how the price has went up found my invoice the other day and I only paid $ 549.00 they also threw in the stand and RSM kit because I had so many problems with shipping. Another bargin of the year I think they are $ 799.00 with the stand now.

[Reefmack]

janes_mw: Welcome to our RSM Club as the first new owner to check in this year! I can't answer your question on the Tunze 6055, but maybe someone else can.

abyall - yep - the price has gone up since we got ours. superfishstore has it for 699 (700) delivered, cabinet & tank, but not the starter kit.

[Reefmack]

Slow day today! Everybody must be hung over :) I got out the Fuji digital I was using before the Canon XTI and made my first attempt ever at a video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5SHJjSzB3U

Not the greatest, and it sure looks a lot better quality run on my PC than it does after putting it on youtube.

[MAXreefer]

First of all HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of you.
Hope all your wishes will come true (including that all the micro bubbles will disappear over night...lol)

Reefmack: Still a pretty nice video. Liked it a lot. A vid says so much more as a picture.

Michael
MAXreefer

[martinphillip03]

Nice tank, nice video. Its nice to see the videos to see other tanks in action. Are you having any trepidations waiting for the day when you have to take the foxface out? I think videos may be the thing in '08.

Marty


by Reefmack [/i]
[B]Slow day today! Everybody must be hung over :) I got out the Fuji digital I was using before the Canon XTI and made my first attempt ever at a video:

[gigs]

Hey Reefmack - loved your video! Can you tell me what your crab is at the end of the video?

[Y-DesygnGuy]

Reefmack -- I like the video your tank looks great. I love the fish swimming in and out of the rocks.

Happy News Year to you all, I hope you have had a great day!

[Reefmack]

MAXreefer - I'll try to master the video thing eventually. Took me a while just to figure out using youtube.

Marty - not looking forward at all to having to take the Foxface out at some point. I'm hoping he grows slowly! I really love that fish, and he did exactly what I bought him for - ate my Bryopsis algae and saved my corals.

gigs - that's an emerald crab - I think that one was the biggest of the 2 that I have, and it's pretty big - almost 2 inches across. So far they're both well behaved and they're quite frequently out with the lights on - even on the top of the rock. As soon as I feed the fish or corals they're always out picking up the food that doesn't get eaten.

Y-DesygnGuy - had a lazy day! :)

http://www.icq.com/img/friendship/static/card_16961_rs.swf

[donna53w]

H A P P Y N E W Y E A R ! BEST WISHES TO ALL MY FRIENDS ... THAT MEANS YOU :beer: ... HAVE A GREAT 2008!!

Abyall Congratulations on your beautiful tank! Lovely photos. Do you use a macro lens? Thanks for sharing.

Reefmack I loved your video! Your tank looks just great! Your emerald crab really is a bold one ... I have to just about stand on my head to peer at mine in his favorite little hidey-hole.

Y-DesygnGuy Hey great job getting that Hydor Flow up & running!!

You guys!!! Lucky, lucky you to go to the zoo today!! It is -18 C here ... Jack Frost stopped by & left the most gorgeous artwork on my kitchen window. :)

Hi Janes_mw .... Welcome & Congratulations on your new RSM! Keep lots of pictures so you can see it change right from the beginning.


stephansturman I added about 2" of extra arraganite to my tank ... it had just over 1" before the addition. In all likelihood, you will see another 'cycle', but probably not too bad. Of course, even after I rinsed & rinsed & rinsed the sand, I still had a dust storm but it didn't take too long & it all cleared up again. I added mine with a plastic measuring cup, the sand was still wet, so it didn't really float much, and dumped it slowly wherever I wanted it. Make sure you turn off the powerheads, etc! :p My problem is that I couldn't get it under some rockwork and so it is shallower in places but it will be OK as my rock is all firmly set in place.

Sorry for the long post ... again. :eek: I did put my order in for some frags and hopefully they will arrive on Thursday ... coming by plane. I really spent a small fortune so I've got my fingers crossed that I'll be able to 'see' them. :D They are all 1 or 2 polyp! I ordered: Flourescent red & green acan, Australian Coral Snake acan, Australian Orchid Acan, Yellow striped with red Australian Acan, a multi color riccordea, a Stardust Paly, and a Ice Green Tonga Carpet coral. The 'frag-man' is sending along 3 free frags ... a white Zinnia, a clove polyp (hope this is one of the blue ones!!!) and a orange with flourescent green center acan. I know, you're saying ... post pictures. I will, but my shots are not at all as sharp & gorgeous as everyone's here! I will try.

[Reefmack]

Donna - of course we'll be expecting some kind of pictures! :) I just did a search on Zinnia corals and all I come up with is Zinnia flowers. Did the frag guy mean Xenia, or is there a Zinnia coral type? Just wondering as it's one I haven't heard of.

[donna53w]

Reefmack, I don't know ... he just said 'Zinnia' ... it better not be a rampant-spreading xenia!!:eek: It may end up being another gift to my son & daughter-in-law. :rolleyes:

[donna53w]

OK, here are a couple of pics I tried last week! True clown percula, Randell's Goby & Emerald Green Crab.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b188/donna53w/PC290046.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b188/donna53w/PC290043-1.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b188/donna53w/PC290041.jpg

And here are a couple of pics of me & my furface baby Faith, and the pic of Faith & Hope ... Christmas Eve shots!!

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b188/donna53w/MeFaithChristmas.jpg
Now you all know what I look like ... put a face to that name!!!

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b188/donna53w/FaithHopeXmas2007.jpg

[LaurentSeattle]

To start the new year, here is a (little) picture of my new and just arrived Candy Cane green fluorescent coral:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2343/2149386093_5b7e109e5f_o.png

Much greener than that in reality... More details and pics in my build thread.

No time during the weekend to try the "cut the skimmer" mod... But "Will Do" this
later this week...

[donna53w]

Nice shot, Laurent Seattle! The Candycane is really nicely inflated & looks great. They are one of my favorites ... they really 'show off' the flourescent color.

[Rue]

Nice pics Donna! You look luvly!!! :rollface: And so do all the critters! Luv the clown!

...can't see Reefmack's video...at least not until we get highspeed...

[donna53w]

Thanks Rue!

I've got some brown diatom on the substrate again ... I'm thinking it's still part of the maturing process?? My question is this: When you guys/gals vacuum the sand, what do you use? Does a lot of the substrate get sucked up into the tube, wand, whatever? Is there a good tool to vacuum with? I have the usual vacuum, sometimes I also just use the hose, but I always take out a lot of sand.

[gigs]

Hi Donna, I have had similar issues with the RSM stock substrate. When I vacume the substrate, I now put a kink in the hose as I hold it and when I see the substrate raise too high in the pipe I kink the tube to stop the flow untill the substrate drops back down. Hope you know what I mean.

LaurentSeattle - I love your yellow zoa's (middle left of piclure). What type are they? Sorry if they arnt yellow, I'm a bit colour blind :)

[Brent F]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11489791#post11489791 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by martinphillip03
Brent, Nice job. I am really interested how you plumbed a sump into your RSM. How does the water get from the tank into the sump? And you explained the return but could you do it again. Some pictures from the back, if possible, would be appreciated.

Marty



Marty, Here's the pictures from the back with the hood on

Here's the view inside the skimmer lid
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj252/Brent_F/rsmwithhood005.jpg

Here's what the Overflow and drain line look like. You can also see the top of the protein skimmer in this shot
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj252/Brent_F/rsmwithhood003.jpg
and here's an overhead shot
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj252/Brent_F/rsmwithhood004.jpg

[donna53w]

Thanks for the tip Gigs; I do this too, but still, lose sand ... up the tube. I am not using the RSM stock substrate, but that doesn't make any difference.

[NaCl+H2O Fish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11496464#post11496464 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reefmack
Happy New Year Morning All! Sorry - I didn't stay up till midnight to welcome the new year. I figured it would arrive without me being awake :) Last day of my 11 days away from work - waaaah! At least it's a 3 day work week, so that part will help with the readjustment of working again. I was able to do my water change yesterday, without messing with anything in the tank, and knocking anything loose - a major achievement for me! Today I'll get some water testing done.

NaCl+H2O Fish - I think you may have ordered the Dekalit water jugs the other day? I got a shipping notice from US Plastics that my order "has been shipped partial." Based on their website something is on backorder, but logging in I can't tell what - the 3 or 5 gallon jugs. If you ordered the same day I did - did you get a partial shipping notice?

Happy New Year Reefmack-

No problem or email sent about my order of 6 - 5gal. Dekalit jugs.

r/Kent

[Reefmack]

good job with the pics Donna and Laurent! Sorry you couldn't see the video Rue - you didn't miss a lot LOL.

Donna - I finally got rid of the diatom, but yes - if I got the siphon too close I'd suck some substrate up. I went back to a smaller diameter siphon & it's wasn't as bad, but that one barely pulls anything up. Maybe someone has a good recommendation.

NaCl+H2O Fish - maybe they haven't even shipped any of your order yet? Maybe it's the 5g they're out of. I assume you would have gotten a standard "shipment sent" email if anything has gone yet.

BrentF - nice job, but way beyond my expertise! :)

[MAXreefer]

This one works pretty good. I got mine from Petsmart (Link to the product (http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754084&cp=2767036.2769123&pg=4&fbn=Taxonomy%7CAquarium+Maintenance&fbc=1&clickid=topnav_dropdown4_link3&parentPage=family&keepsr=1) )

The product description says: "Quick-start feature gets the siphon going. Nozzle is designed to easily reach into corners. Features a bucket clip, non-kink hosing and an exclusive gravel guard feature."
And it works as described. No substrate gets sucked up. The bucket clip is very handy (no more acrobatics holding one end of the tubing in the bucket with one hand and the vacuuming with the other.). The bucket clip can also be used to restrict the flow a little so the water flows slower.

Michael
MAXreefer

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/149962c1.jpg

[donna53w]

Thanks Michael. I'll be getting myself one of those cleaners! The bucket clip will be a handy item ... I seem to get engrossed in what I'm doing inside the tank ... only to realize that I'm missing the bucket at the other end, ... now if only they'd invent an alarm that warns me when I should stop and empty the pail, too!:D

[Reefmack]

MAXreefer - how does the "easy start" work on that siphon? It is by filling the big portion and lifting it up to get the water to drain and the siphon started?

I'm starting to see siphons showing up again with a squeeze bulb starter on the drain end to get the siphon started. I had this type years ago and really liked it. I've even recently seen just the squeeze bulb section sold - use your own tubing. I'll probably try this type soon - to make it easier to get a siphon started to suck up all the grit and junk that settles in the back compartment of the RSM. In this case I want it to suck up as much as possible.

[MAXreefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11503937#post11503937 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reefmack
MAXreefer - how does the "easy start" work on that siphon? It is by filling the big portion and lifting it up to get the water to drain and the siphon started?

Yes... It goes very easily. Just a few up and down movements and it starts...

Michael
MAXreefer

[abyall]

donna53w most of the pictures are taken with the 18-55mm 2.8 lense that came with the camera only one is taken with a 70-300mm 5.6 macro lense and about eight feet from the tank.

[donna53w]

Thanks abyall. Your photos are really great to look at & enjoy! I don't have extra lenses with my digital camera so I'll really have to get at experimenting and learning how to take good shots.

[NaCl+H2O Fish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11504154#post11504154 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MAXreefer
Yes... It goes very easily. Just a few up and down movements and it starts...

Michael
MAXreefer

Thank You Michael a.k.a. MAXreefer!

:D :D :D - I never cease to be amazed with what I learn on the "RSM Owners Club" forum!
Quick question: The Hagen Gravel Vacuum comes in small, medium and large... What size are you using for your RSM?

It is 57 F in Hollywood, FL today... Please DO NOT offer any sympathy for me! I know it is A LOT WORSE & MUCH COLDER for most of you as I write this post!

The majority of the year, my homes ambient temperature is 78 F and I feel confident I am going to need a chiller for my RSM using the stock hood and fans!

I would greatly appreciate personal reviews and opinions on brands of chillers and sizes you all may be using..... :confused:

Happy New Year,
Kent

P.S. - Anxiously awaiting the arrival of my RO/DI...
http://filterdirect.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=29
Maybe a week away from the birth of my RSM! Yeah! Meanwhile I keep learning and getting great ideas! Thanks!

[Y-DesygnGuy]

NaCl+H2O Fish -- I am in Phoenix and im freezing my a$$ off! It's been in the 50's for weeks and down in the 30's at night! In the summer time its 110+ here for months on end and I have been wondering the same thing!

[MAXreefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11505840#post11505840 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Y-DesygnGuy
NaCl+H2O Fish -- I am in Phoenix and im freezing my a$$ off! It's been in the 50's for weeks and down in the 30's at night! In the summer time its 110+ here for months on end and I have been wondering the same thing!

I feel sooooo sorry for you guys. Come and live here...we have now -2.

Back to business:
I have the Current USA 1/15 HP Prime Mini Chiller - Dual Stage - (2680)
Good deal here (http://www.petmountain.com/product/chillers/504246/current-usa-1-15-hp-prime-mini-chiller-dual-stage-2680-.html) .
Works great for about a year now. Almost no noise. Great thing is you can also plug in the heater into the chiller. This way the chiller controls the cooler and the heater. Never gets to cold or to warm.

Michael
MAXreefer

[Reefmack]

31 here in NC at 4:25pm with the teens tonight. Michael is in a colder place, and I'll bet the Canadians are pretty darn cool! I used to always have to travel to International Falls (America's Icebox), Minnesota in January or February. The last time I was there the air temp. was 50 below zero, and the wind chill 80 below. Even growing up in northern Illinois I was never that cold. That was the first time I'd seen spit freeze before it could hit the ground. My condolences to Michael in Minnesota :)

As Michael posted I've found that it's always good to check prices at petmountain.com. They don't have everything, but their price is often the best you'll find if they have what you want.

[NaCl+H2O Fish]

Ever heard of Gunnison, Colorado Reefmack? About a 90 minute drive east along Highway 50 from my hometown of Montrose, CO.
I remember when it was always a mid-winter competition between International Falls, MN & Gunnison, CO for the COLDEST spots in the US!!!

I'm sure BrentF, our newest friend is laughing right now.... He told me after his first photo post that it was 14 F in Calgary! Hmmm - Where does an Ironman Triathlete Train in the winter?

All of our Canadian and Minnesota friends would laugh at me and Y-DesygnGuy, bundled up because of a 30 - 50 F cold snap! :lol:

MAXreefer- Thanks as always for the info on the Current USA 1/15 HP model 2680... and the link to petmountain.com! I like the idea of QUIET!

As several of you have upgraded to MORE powerful lighting, are you seeing the need for a chiller? Even in more northerly climates?

WOW! Starting to realize that my just under $ 600.00 RSM and starter kit is becoming expensive!
RO/DI $ 120.00
DEKALIT JUGS (6 x 5gals.) $ 78.00
MY Custom RSM Pedestal materials ~ $ 50.00
GFI outlet $ 25.00
Live Rock ~ $ 125.00 local, OR+ $ 75.00 shipped!
Current Chiller 2680 just under $ 300.00

I have another $ 700.00 into this before my CUC and other livestock!
Oh Well! In for a penny in for a pound.....

Love the idea of owning a mini-reef!!!!

[Y-DesygnGuy]

:p

Yeah BRRR! We are not used to it being cold like this, I had to wear long sleeves!!! :p :p
Of course im still in flip flops, but I am wearing long sleeves with my shorts! :p :p

I do feel for all you in the really cold places, it will switch when we its summer time you will be laughing at us. We had 100 degree plus days from April to late November early December this year. The heat can be brutal like the cold, I love spring and fall though, makes it all worth it!

I finally got an up date on the 250 mh light fixture i ordered a week and half ago!! They gave me some bs about UPS not shipping until after the holidays... Do they think I am new here to planet earth or what. UPS stopped on Christmas and New Years but ever day in between was normal business. :rolleyes: So hopefully I will have it by Friday, its coming from Northern Cal. to Phoenix shouldn't be to bad. I will most defiantly post pics and comments on what I think of it. I still think its to good to be true, but I have read over 120 pages of posts on the fixture and most people are happy. Of course they were happy once they changed the ballast and bulb, but happy non the less.

[Y-DesygnGuy]

NaCl+H2O Fish -- Live Rock ~ $ 125.00 local, OR+ $ 75.00 shipped!

Thats a great deal, I think I paid around $375 for all the live rock I have in my tank. I think I have around 42-43 lbs of live rock. The money adds up fast doesn't it :) I try to not add the bills up and be happy with it. I started to add up the costs between the 14 gallon and the RSM and its some where around $2500.00 :eek: :eek:

[NaCl+H2O Fish]

Yeah my desert brother.... I'm sitting here in a long sleeved T-shirt, shorts, athletic socks, New Balance 621's and a Ball Cap at a current 51 F. temp.!

We are such acclimatized 'wusses' in this cold(?) weather!:lol:

With your 250 MH lights are you going to need a chiller?

[Reefmack]

Y-DesygnGuy - about the same here - upper 90s & 100s for a few months & now alternating cold and warm days. At times heat in the am, AC in the evening.

NaCl+H2O Fish - sure I've heard of Gunnison! I'll stay here in the south - I hate the summer but as long as it doesn't rain ice or snow I like the colder weather hee in the winter.

I totally agree with Y-DesygnGuy - don't attempt to add up what you spend on the tank - just realize it'll end up being as much as a Porsche or BMW! :) I don't want to know as when my wife asks me how much I've spent on the tank I can honestly say I don't know. In this case being dumb is the best solution.

[akuracls]

what do you other red sea max owners have in terms of water flow? i currently have the hydor flo as well as a koraillia 1 in my tank. do you think i need anything else? i dont have any corals in there yet, but i do have a few fish. any suggestions on what my first coral should be?
thanks!

[Reefmack]

Hi akuracls. I don't think you've been in here before so welcome to the RSM club! For myself I just have the Korallia 1 and one Hydor Flo on one of the RSM powerheads. For me it's enough, and I have a lot of corals and too many fish. On first corals I suppose some zoanthids and/or mushroom types. If your cycle is completed, your water quality is good, and you're past any possible hair algae outbreaks, you could probably add most anything, but I'd avoid any SPS types till the tank has aged a bit. Just my own opinions and hopefully you'll get some more from others in here. How long has the tank been up & running? What fish have you gotten? Great to see another RSM member in here! :)

[stephensturman]

well my clown does has ich. how do i do a garlic and selcon treatment? and i also picked up a canary blenny. :)

[Y-DesygnGuy]

NaCl+H2O Fish -- hehe I hear ya, I went to the zoo on News Year Eve and it was like 53 out side, I had a long sleeve t-shirt with a short sleeve t-shirt on over that and a sorta jacket (Arizona Type Jacket) on over the t-shirts and I was freezing! :D

As far a chiller goes, im hoping not to if I can swing it. Once summer starts to roll around and temps get up there, I was going to slowly start changing the lighting cycle to come on at night instead of the day. I keep my place between 77-78 in the summer but I am hoping the lights being on at night will help with the day time temps.

akuracls -- I pretty much have what Reefmack has. I have a Hydro Flo (newly working :p ) on one of the stock RSM power heads. I have a Korilia 1 in the "sturman" postion, basically on the back wall of the tank in the upper right corner. I also have a Korilia nano in the lower right of the tank facing to the left to blow behind the rocks. I have lots of water movement plenty!

I agree mushrooms, zoa's, xenia things like that. Slowly build on them as the tank matures. Good luck with things and welcome to the RSM club :)

stephensturman -- :( :( I was hoping that wouldn't happen to you. I had a feeling it might though we got the clowns close to the same time and mine died in days. Their tanks are f-ed up down there. I have the store credit and im sure they the new clowns in I could get. But I still don't trust his set up. I didn't want to bash him to bad over in the AZ section, but selling fish to people when your tanks are polluted like that is BS if you ask me. The cost it puts on you and the possible loss of other creatures in the tank is unacceptable if you ask me. I hope things work out for the best, I wish you would of taken them back to him right away and got credit. I feel for your other fish and the hassles your going to have to go through because of this.

Oh and before the split when I was talking about my Naked Clowns I want to say Rue posted a link to "Reef safe" ich remover, you might take a look for it.

[stephensturman]

ya i think its early enough that i can garlic the food. he has very faint white spots u have to look really hard to be able to see any sign of them. and there not cysts. so i think it is very early!

[Y-DesygnGuy]

Best of luck, keep me posted i want to know how it turns out.

[LaurentSeattle]

Gigs: My yellow zoanthids were sold as "Zoanthid sp." So I can't tell you more...

About budget: I have been able to build my RSM with just a bit more of $2000. It is not fully stocked yet, but soon. I have tried to be reasonable when picking specimens and I have not "upgraded" too much in the tank.

[stephensturman]

ok i will!

[Brent F]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11506616#post11506616 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NaCl+H2O Fish


I'm sure BrentF, our newest friend is laughing right now.... He told me after his first photo post that it was 14 F in Calgary! Hmmm - Where does an Ironman Triathlete Train in the winter?



We ride indoors a couple times a week but I still do most of my riding outside in winter. I have studded tires on my commuter bike and ride 20K each direction to downtown throughout the winter.

Calgary gets chinook winds that melt the snow so our roads and paths are dry most the winter so it is no problem running outside in winter. I actually prefer running in winter over summer.

Swimming is indoors in winter with the lakes frozen over.

I've been to Florida 3 times and two for the three times it was colder there than here. I remember doing the Disney World Marathon in 2001 and it was -8C (17F) at the start.

For heat, in July 2007 I was running in Badwater, Death Valley. It was 54C (129F) in the shade - the pavement was hot enought to fry an egg.

[Tylt33]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11507861#post11507861 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stephensturman
well my clown does has ich. how do i do a garlic and selcon treatment? and i also picked up a canary blenny. :)

Bad news, but garlic and selcon probably aren't going to cure your ich problem, and your canary blenny (if its in the same tank) is probably going to die too if untreated.

[SpiderCrab2]

Just got my son and I a RSM up and running for christmas... Got first half of my live rock and live sand package from TBS and everything seems to be going swimmingly....:D

[Reefmack]

stephensturman - I think it was Donna that recommended "Medic" by Polyp lab for a reef safe ich treatment. I'm not sure if she's had experience with it or not.

SpiderCrab2 - welcome to the RSM Club! I'm sure you & your son will enjoy a reef tank. Good luck with it, and if you have any questions there are enough RSM owners in here that will certainly try to help. Let us know how it goes.

[reefsr4me]

stephensturman - I did the garlic thing for about 6 weeks, and IT WORKED for all those non-believers. I just put 3 drops of garlic in a bowl with about two TBS of tank water, put in a brine shrimp cube. Let it thaw and stew for 10 minutes, and then just put it in the tank. It confuses the new ich because it makes the fish not taste like a fish, and this is what they are looking for. It is COMPLETELY reef safe, and for the risk to all of the rest of your tank with those "reef safe meds", what's the hurt? If you have a loop for a chiller or anythhing like that, it wouldn't hurt to add a UV sterilizer to kill the free swimmers. I did all of this, didn't lose a fish or coral, and have been ich free for 3 months.

[lpsluver]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11508068#post11508068 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stephensturman
ya i think its early enough that i can garlic the food. he has very faint white spots u have to look really hard to be able to see any sign of them. and there not cysts. so i think it is very early! Happy New Year Everyone!

"Reefsafe" Treatments are hit and miss at best. One thing you can be sure of is that they will make your skimmer go nuts. I am now a believer in garlic as a "cure " and a preventative. If caught early enough and if it is ich. Clowns are also prone to Marine Velvet which is far more contagious and deadly than ich. It looks like a fine white powder on the entire fish compared to the salt crystals of ich. I am not convinced that garlic will treat Velvet.

To use garlic put a few drops into a bowl with water and soak your food in it for 20 to 30 minutes and then feed your tank. Increase your feedings to several times per day because a fat well-fed fish is a healthy fish. I did this exact thing about a month ago for a tang that had ich and was possibly exposing the other 15 fish in my 90. No other fish got ich and the tang was "cured" in about a week.

Increasing the feedings is important so keep on eye on your chemistry. Also, it is important to remember that your tank (all of your tanks) have ich in them if there are fish in them. Its the health of the fish that keeps the ich under control. Good food, good chemistry and stable conditions = healthy, ich-free fish (in most cases).

[Reefmack]

reefsr4me, lpsluver - do you two add the liquid with the food, or try to strain the liquid off first? I wonder if adding garlic to the tank itself would have any benefit at all.

[Iostream]

Tank update... The algae is losing, and the fuge is to thank...

This is an FTS from day86, 3 days before the refugium was added. At this point I was doing water changes once to twice a week and pulling algae as I went:

http://www.linuxtx.org/images/rsm/day86fts.jpg

Here is an FTS from today. Not only is the pest algae under control (still more to go, but much better), but we are on almost 2 weeks without a water change or algae prune due to the holidays (doing one today).

http://www.linuxtx.org/images/rsm/day118fts.jpg

I am certainly a believer in refugiums, my cheato has grown from the size of the soap dish, to almost the size of the refugium, it will be pruned today as well. For the refugium, I have been turning the cheato every 3 days to keep it well lit on all sides. I am feeding my tank 2-3 times per day, and add DTs once per week.

[Iostream]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11511768#post11511768 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reefmack
reefsr4me, lpsluver - do you two add the liquid with the food, or try to strain the liquid off first? I wonder if adding garlic to the tank itself would have any benefit at all.

No, you really want the fish to ingest the garlic, it seeps through the skin similar to the way it does in people. Like I said before, you can use fresh garlic as well (organic) to "marinate" the food, and some foods like the Formula 2 (pellets at least) contain garlic already.

[donna53w]

I have used Polyp Lab Medic once, and it was successful. (not in my RSM) However, I would try the garlic 'marinade' first. I do feed with the Formula 2 sinking pellets every other day now, too.
Never add livestock to a tank that has obvious signs of ich.
Good Luck.

Iostream, your tank is looking so much better! Great job & perseverance! When things go right it's a thrill!

Welcome SpiderCrab2 and son!:rollface: You'll make lots of good friends here and gain invaluable knowledge & experience. ENJOY!

Brent, we live in Medicine Hat!! We shop at 3 stores in Calgary for a lot of our tank additions.

[Reefmack]

Iostream - the tank is sure looking better!!! On the garlic, I assumed it had to be eaten to become a "part" of the fish, but was wondering if those mixing the garlic with food and water are putting in everything or trying to strain off the liquid somehow. If it's all added that's what had me wondering if the garlic in the water, as well as what gets eaten, might somehow have any beneficial effect.

[lpsluver]

Mack, All of the "garlic-soak" is added to the tank. What isn't taken up by the food has some benefit, although I am not sure I can say exactly what. The benefit is not long term as your skimmer will eventually remove it all.

[Reefmack]

Thanks lpsluver. I'll assume the tank doesn't smell like an Italian restaurant for too long :)

[Iostream]

Anyone know what this might be below the xenia in the center of the picture? I assume some sort of macro, but I have not been able to locate it.

http://www.linuxtx.org/images/rsm/day118idpls.jpg

[Y-DesygnGuy]

Iostream -- I have some of that on a rock as well, I would like to know what it is also.

[Reefmack]

I've seen it before, and I do think it's a macro. If I can figure out where I saw it I'll be back with info.

Edit - I actually found it. Using this link go down the page to "Scroll Algae" - I think it's one of those types.

http://www.saltcorner.com/sections/guest/algaepage/algaepage.htm

Thank goodness I bookmark some of these things!

[stephensturman]

lol i have scroll algea also! and i did start soaking my food in garlic today. i also did a fresh water dip to all my fish. my diatoms are receding and everything seems to be doing great. we will see how my clown does. and as far as i know it was not my tank that had the ich it was the 1 clown that came in the last ora shipment my lfs got. he has been eating healthy and alot. they are also eating out of my hand now :)

[Y-DesygnGuy]

stephensturman -- When was the last time you were down at AZSeabottom? Did the tanks look better? Are the fish back from quarantine? I don't want to drive 100 miles round trip if his tanks are still "Death Tanks" :)

Thanks!

[stephensturman]

they will be death tanks for a while! i was there a couple days ago. and i know what u mean i wouldn't drive there if my work wasn't 5 min away but from home i would just drive to aquarium arts. and the girl that works there is very good looking ;)

[Reefmack]

Congrats on the scroll algae stephensturman. Sounds like several have it. I'm guessing it's not a bad macro to have, but I don't really know. Good that you treated the fish, and are doing the garlic food - you may not have had ich in the tank to start, but if that fish has it then you've introduced it in your tank now. It sounds like you've caught it early so maybe you can get it killed off quickly. Good news on the tank maturing too! How did the fish do in the FW dip?

[stephensturman]

the fish did fine and not even stressed they both ate about 10 mins after completed.

[Reefmack]

That's great Stephen!

I was just searching on Ebay and found the perfect chair to sit in while viewing the tank:

http://cgi.ebay.com/THE-BEST-DECORATIVE-ART-PIECE-OF-THE-20th-CENTURY_W0QQitemZ220187145829QQihZ012QQcategoryZ553QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Someone else can bid on it!

[stephensturman]

hahaha ouch i think i just got a splinter in my *** looking at the price! lol

[Y-DesygnGuy]

Stephen -- Bummer about AZSeabottom, im missing my clowns! But I refuse to buy from him until that is handled. I might just use the 110 bucs on something else in the store (dry goods) and call it a day. I haven't been to Aquarium Arts in ages, I should stop in there, I always liked that store. I normally go to Aquatouch and pay for it, but I can trust their corals and fish.

Reefmack -- lol you are funny! I have to ask what were you doing looking for something like that? :p I was thinking about getting one of these to sit and watch the tank http://www.relaxtheback.com/novus-zero-gravity-recliner-by-relax-the-back-product-6390558-6389767
I was in that store on the 31st of Dec, spending money before for the first of the year so I don't have to pay it to the tax man! I picked up a new office chair http://www.relaxtheback.com/lifeform-ultimate-mid-back-executive-chair-product-6370260-6389773 and was looking at those zero gravity chairs and thought hmmm.... That would be nice to stair and watch the tank in, now how do I right that off!

[Brent F]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11511847#post11511847 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Iostream
Tank update... The algae is losing, and the fuge is to thank...

This is an FTS from day86, 3 days before the refugium was added. At this point I was doing water changes once to twice a week and pulling algae as I went:



Here is an FTS from today. Not only is the pest algae under control (still more to go, but much better), but we are on almost 2 weeks without a water change or algae prune due to the holidays (doing one today).



I am certainly a believer in refugiums, my cheato has grown from the size of the soap dish, to almost the size of the refugium, it will be pruned today as well. For the refugium, I have been turning the cheato every 3 days to keep it well lit on all sides. I am feeding my tank 2-3 times per day, and add DTs once per week.

Wow, incredible turn around in tank conditions

[Reefmack]

Y-DesygnGuy - I found that $5 million dollar "RSM Throne" while searching through the fossils up for bid on Ebay. I guess it showed up in that category as it's made from carved mammoth tusk ivory. The recliner you linked to looked nice, but even that office chair you got is beyond my limit! I'll just stick with my Lazy Boy reclining loveseat for watching the tank from. :) BTW, good decision on staying away from any more livestock purchases from AZSeabottom in the near future. Maybe you could talk of of your other lfs into ordering the naked clowns from ORA for you?

[martinphillip03]

Read this on another thread involving the Magfloat glass cleaner.
I don't know if this applies to the RSM. He basically said that the magnet is too strong for the thin glass. ( very paraphrased) . I personally am going to go with a hight end Algae Magnet Cleaner that is safe for Acrylic use to ensure that I don't have a repeat episode

www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=11518104#post11518104


Marty

[martinphillip03]

Reefmack, How is that light working out? I am leaning toward the Oceanic 45 gallon L 24.5 x W 18.5 x H 25 tank. The Outer Orbit 150 watt HQI/T5HO looks like the light for me

Marty

[Reefmack]

Marty - thanks for the link on the mag cleaner. I put a reply in there to try to get more information. I haven't seen anything like that on my tank and I use the cleaner every day or every other day on the front. I know picking up a piece of substrate can cause a scratch, but those pictures make me think JBJ may have had a bad batch of glass. I really like the Outer Orbit. I did replace the lamp with a 20,000k though - the 10,000k that most fixtures come with was a bit too yellow for my liking. The Outer Orbit is very quiet also - which was nice after enduring the noisy fans on the RSM hood. If you're considering the Orbit check out the prices at petmountain.com - they had the lowest price I could find when I got mine. They also frequently run a 5% off sale, which made it an even better deal.

[MAXreefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11518576#post11518576 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reefmack
Marty - thanks for the link on the mag cleaner. I put a reply in there to try to get more information. I haven't seen anything like that on my tank and I use the cleaner every day or every other day on the front. I know picking up a piece of substrate can cause a scratch, but those pictures make me think JBJ may have had a bad batch of glass. I really like the Outer Orbit. I did replace the lamp with a 20,000k though - the 10,000k that most fixtures come with was a bit too yellow for my liking. The Outer Orbit is very quiet also - which was nice after enduring the noisy fans on the RSM hood. If you're considering the Orbit check out the prices at petmountain.com - they had the lowest price I could find when I got mine. They also frequently run a 5% off sale, which made it an even better deal.

Same here. Have also the Outer Orbit from Petmountain and really happy with it. Was the best deal at that time. If you decide to go for it PM me...I just got a 5% coupon again.

Michael
MAXreefer

[reefsr4me]

Iostream - The Kent brand garlic xtreme is VERY potent, and yes I too added the juice with the shrimp. It says on the bottle "If fish are not eating, Garlic Xtreme may be also added to the aquariumat the rate of 1 drop per 10 gallons." This is because you can use garlic to get fish that are not accustomed to eating frozen food to learn to eat it. They even double package this stuff and when you open it, everyone in the house knows you are using it!

Reefmack - I guess I looked at that chair too late, I had saved up my holiday cash and was looking for something extavagent to buy. Oh well, maybe next time! j/k

[Reefmack]

I have to thank Michael aka MAXreefer for putting me on to petmountain when I was looking for the Orbit - saved me a good bit of money. I got the 5% email coupon today too.

[Reefmack]

reefsr4me - I have a feeling that Ebay bid expired with no takers!

[reefsr4me]

Can everyone give an opinion on the salt they use? I use Instant ocean, and was thinking about switching to Reef Cyrstals, but a LFS keeps running a 50 gal( Yes I mean mixes 50 gal) bag special for 11.49 from 16.99 on the Red Sea salt, and I was wondering what the benefits of RS over Reef Crystals are. And also if you change your additive amounts when switching salt.

I also look at pet mountain all the time, I got my 1/15 prime chiller for way cheaper than anywhere else, and it was at my house in three days form ordering.

I also purchased a decent cheap ro/di system, maybe I should have asked if anyone had this one and if they liked it, but the price was too good, let me know what you think.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=120203402098&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=002

[martinphillip03]

The point I got was, the glass on these tanks are a little thinner so that makes the connection between the magnets stronger. By buying a mag cleaner for acrylic, which may be more pricy but you have less of a chance of scratching your glass. I don't but the bad glass theory because madfloat is replacing the tank not JBJ.

Marty

href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11518576#post11518576 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reefmack [/i]
Marty - thanks for the link on the mag cleaner. I put a reply in there to try to get more information. I haven't seen anything like that on my tank and I use the cleaner every day or every other day on the front. I know picking up a piece of substrate can cause a scratch, but those pictures make me think JBJ may have had a bad batch of glass. I really like the Outer Orbit. I did replace the lamp with a 20,000k though - the 10,000k that most fixtures come with was a bit too yellow for my liking. The Outer Orbit is very quiet also - which was nice after enduring the noisy fans on the RSM hood. If you're considering the Orbit check out the prices at petmountain.com - they had the lowest price I could find when I got mine. They also frequently run a 5% off sale, which made it an even better deal. [/QUOTE]

[Reefmack]

reefsr4me - I used the standard IO salt to start, and when it ran out I went with the Red Sea Coral Pro salt that came with the starter kit, and when that ran out went back to IO. But, I'm open to getting whatever may be best the next time. I've seen salt discussions and I know some are low in one thing or another, but I'd be interested in what's really best (if any are). I did notice that the IO salt seemed to dissolve faster than the Red Sea salt.

Marty - just my opinion, but I don't think the glass thickness or strength of the magnet have much if anything to do with the scratching that guy got on his tank. I think it's more a matter of the glass structure & quality, and the type of mag scraper material. I still wonder if that poor guy somehow picked up some fine sediment under the scraper without even noticing it. Those scratches he had looked like what you'd get with a fine grit sandpaper. And the fact that JBJ was quick to offer him a new tank indicates to me that they had a problem & knew about it. I would think that if the mag scrapers were so prone to cause the type of scratches he got that we would all have seen it in our tanks & heard a lot about it before now. Just my thoughts on it. BTW he said Transworld Aquatics (Parent company of JBJ) is replacing the tank - not Mag-Float. He also said "I am grateful that they are sending me a replacement which is something that they definitely did not have to do since the it was a standard Mag-Float that caused the damage." The way I understand that is that "They" is JBJ - not Mag-Float!

[Iostream]

FWIW, the RSM is actually thicker glass than most of the other tanks this size. I am not so worried about using a mag float with the tank, just keep the sand out.

[Hodge]

I just started reading "Algae: A Problem Solver Guide" by Julian Sprung. It's a great book for anyone wanting to understand why we get nuisance algae blooms and the steps to take to prevent or rid them.

[Reefmack]

Hodge - while my Bryopsis is now all gone (thanks to Magnesium & the Foxface) if you learn anything good on preventing or getting rid of that crud let us know.

[NaCl+H2O Fish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11518932#post11518932 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reefsr4me
Can everyone give an opinion on the salt they use? I use Instant ocean, and was thinking about switching to Reef Cyrstals, but a LFS keeps running a 50 gal( Yes I mean mixes 50 gal) bag special for 11.49 from 16.99 on the Red Sea salt, and I was wondering what the benefits of RS over Reef Crystals are. And also if you change your additive amounts when switching salt.

I also look at pet mountain all the time, I got my 1/15 prime chiller for way cheaper than anywhere else, and it was at my house in three days form ordering.

I also purchased a decent cheap ro/di system, maybe I should have asked if anyone had this one and if they liked it, but the price was too good, let me know what you think.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=120203402098&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=002

reefsr4me -

I got this RO/DI off EBAY from the filtersdirect.com folks in California.

http://filterdirect.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=29&osCsid=96a3bd2ec4cb0fec7801f317794d162e

Won my bid (a real farce) for $ 95.00 + $ 25.00 shipping, handling & insurance = Total $ 120.00..... I am scheduled to receive it Tues. 1/8. I liked the idea of extending the life of the filters because I own a very good Hague water softening system in my home that uses salt regenerated ion exchange and High Performance carbon filtration. My city water is 139 mg/l per the water department report.

We can compare notes on our RO/DI's once they are up and running!

Did you also order a TDS meter? I am still shopping for one.... I am looking at the one that's $ 22.00, with a carrying case and temp. compensation.
http://www.thefilterguys.biz/tds_meters.htm 3rd one down the page - HANNA Instruments TDS1.

Any opinion?

Just to clarify... Your 1/15 HP chiller is the Current USA Prime... correct?

Regards,
Kent

[Reefmack]

reefsr4me - I can't get to Ebay from work (it's blocked) so I can't comment on the RO/DI unit posted.

NaCl - I got my HM3 TDS meter (also on that page link you posted) on Ebay at a really nice price - built in thermometer, etc. At times the shipping is also lower on Ebay, so that can be a deciding factor also. In fact I have 2 now - one came free with the RO/DI I later got from Air Water & Ice (it even came with a pressure meter built in - that was the really nice surprise).

[reefsr4me]

Kent, Yes, it is the current USA Prime, and I think it works great, I had a fan out in the hood and did not realize it, my tank was getting up to 88 F so i invested in the chiller, since found this thread and realized the fan, and ordered 2 new ones(one was loud) and replaced them, the chiller only comes on about 5 times a day for about 5 minutes. But I am looking at the outer orbit fixture and the chiller will come in handy.

About the RO/DI I purchased the same DO/DI from a different source for $102 including shipping. this link may work http://cgi.ebay.com/6-stage-125GPD-RO-2X-DI-Reverse-Osmosis-Water-Filter_W0QQitemZ120203806367QQihZ002QQcategoryZ20684QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I did get a TDS meter from a different place on ebay, they had the HANNA Instruments TDS1 and I ordered 3 calibration packets for 24.90 including shipping it came from "thesilvergenie"

I too have a water softner from Purionics, and have had good water quality without adding anything to it just putting it straight into the tank for top-offs. I was looking for something cheap since my water is good already, just trying to get rid of diatoms and maybe get better coral growth.

[martinphillip03]

Reefmack, The outer orbit seems to be the light of choice. But how is it mounted on the tank. I believe the RSM is 20", the Outer Orbit 24"

Marty


But I am looking at the outer orbit fixture and the chiller will come in handy.

[NaCl+H2O Fish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11520460#post11520460 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reefmack
reefsr4me - I can't get to Ebay from work (it's blocked) so I can't comment on the RO/DI unit posted.

NaCl - I got my HM3 TDS meter (also on that page link you posted) on Ebay at a really nice price - built in thermometer, etc. At times the shipping is also lower on Ebay, so that can be a deciding factor also. In fact I have 2 now - one came free with the RO/DI I later got from Air Water & Ice (it even came with a pressure meter built in - that was the really nice surprise).

Reefmack - Just to clarify.... Your HMS3 TDS meter came from the filtersdirect store on EBAY? Great heads up about Ebay vendors lower price and shipping costs! Although I have found some questionable handling charges....

reefsr4me- Thanks for the clarification on the chiller brand. I am very pleased to hear that it only runs less than an hour a day to maintain your RSM's temp! The boss of the house, my better half, has me placing the RSM in our Florida Room on the south side of our house... tends to be warmer than a more interior location!

Since I live in SE Florida, my major concern in making the decision to set up an RSM was being able to maintain the LIFE in my tank if I had an extended power outage due to a major storm! Hurricane Wilma caused a 6 day power outage... fortunately she was followed by cool weather, so we were able to open up the house!

I have an emergency diesel generator to maintain the Refrigerator, some lights and a small TV for info, etc.... But I am counting the load the RSM would require in Watts!

Thanks!

[Patio]

reefmack,

You had a foxface in your tank?

[donna53w]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11519473#post11519473 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Hodge
I just started reading "Algae: A Problem Solver Guide" by Julian Sprung. It's a great book for anyone wanting to understand why we get nuisance algae blooms and the steps to take to prevent or rid them.

Thanks, Hodge, ... another addition to my 'buy' list. I received my "Corals, A Quick Reference Guide by Julian Sprung" today, too. Wow, it's a very nice book with tons of great pictures & easy reference guide for requirements of A LOT of different corals.

Reefmack, I also received the "The Nano-Reef Handbook by CR Brightwell" and I'm pleased you recommended it. It's an 'easy-reading' book with good info & the only nano-reef book in my library, so far!

BTW, I was going to bid on that chair, but, .... could you believe it ... it didn't come with a cushion! :eek:

NaCl+H2O Fish - I worry about power-outages, too, but so far, have not done anything to protect my tank against that kind of disaster.
Have any of the rest of the RSM club got any input, or recommendations on a back-up power source?

On another note, my acans, etc. will not be here until Tuesday sometime ... we had a bit of a dilemma shipping. The airline that the vendor uses lands in Calgary, which is a 6hr round trip drive from our city. However, the shipment is now coming by Purolator with 48hr heat packs in with the corals.

[donna53w]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11503420#post11503420 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MAXreefer
[B]This one works pretty good. I got mine from Petsmart (Link to the product (http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754084&cp=2767036.2769123&pg=4&fbn=Taxonomy%7CAquarium+Maintenance&fbc=1&clickid=topnav_dropdown4_link3&parentPage=family&keepsr=1) )

The product description says: "Quick-start feature gets the siphon going. Nozzle is designed to easily reach into corners. Features a bucket clip, non-kink hosing and an exclusive gravel guard feature."
And it works as described. No substrate gets sucked up. The bucket clip is very handy (no more acrobatics holding one end of the tubing in the bucket with one hand and the vacuuming with the other.). The bucket clip can also be used to restrict the flow a little so the water flows slower.

Michael
MAXreefer [

Thanks Michael! I bought the substrate cleaner yesterday and did my water change today! It does work much better than the one I had. I had a problem getting the water to start to syphon, but I'm thinking I bought the wrong size cleaner ... it is too long. I'm going back to get the shorter one tonight. I like the way the substrate doesn't get sucked through the hose ... or at least, very, very little of it did. Also like the bucket clip/flow rate adjuster, too!!:D

[Reefmack]

reefsr4me - I'm home & finally got to see the Ebay RO/DI unit - it looks pretty good (bid ended - maybe you bought it?). Good price, but the shipping seemed high.

NaCl+H2O Fish - I'm not sure who I got the TDS meter from on Ebay - my records don't go back that far I guess. I recently got a new pH meter on Ebay too - Hanna Model HI98103 - about $28 including the shipping. I didn't trust the old one I got from work and repaired, and the colorimetric pH test kits gave me a different pH depending on what light I looked at it under. pH meters at the online lfs are typically about 3x as much just for the same simple push button reading type. By the way - I got my 6 g Dekalit jug today - I guess the 2.5 g are on backorder. I also got the shoulder length gloves in the mail - I'm wondering how useful they'll be - the hand section looks like King Kong could fit his hand in! But, I guess they'll be OK for a quick dip in the tank to adjust a small rock or frag on the bottom. That's all I really wanted them for anyway - I don't own any horses. :eek2:

Patio - I had, and still have, the Foxface. it's a recent addition & only about 3 inches at this time.

Donna - I'm semi-impressed with the Nano Reef Handbook - well worth the money and the read, but I see some things that could have used some better proofreading, and one ot two recommendations in there so far that I don't really agree with, based on knowledge from many other sources. On the other hand, it addresses some things about small tanks that haven't been covered in other books that are too general. I haven't finished it yet, but overall I like it. Let us know when the new corals arrive. Sorry the fossil mammoth ivory chair didn't come with a cushion! Maybe it will come up for a rebid with a cushion - if I see that I'll let you know :) On the power outages, I still have done nothing. For a short one a UPS unit would help power a heater & pump a few hours, but for a long outage a generator would be needed. I'm not sure I could convince the wife I need a generator for the tank, rather than our own use!

[mbdave]

Hey guys,
Sorry for the long absence. I have been in Florida and have not done tank stuff (besides top off and feeding) for the last couple weeks and I have allot to do:( I havent even got caught up on the thred, "whats the latest goings"?

[donna53w]

Hi mbdave. Welcome back, ' missed you! You have some reading to do here!!:rollface:
All is well in your tank?
Donna

[mbdave]

Wow too much to read!! Scroll algae, have it in my tank also In the Pilippines theres bunches of that stuff am bad reefs (reefs that are basically victems of severe run off) scrol is all over those areas. SALT!! I use instant ocean faithfully!! All I ever do is keep a calcium check on my tank after a water change I.O calcium is as little low. Algae, Watch your feeding, make sure something did'nt die you missed, herbavours in numbers I use 1 snail and crab a gallon @ first then let attrition (death) lower thier numbers in time. My tanks are just gorgeous the RSM has really matured lots of stuff growing well. My 40 breeder looks better but not special it was put up for me to have something to experiment with.

Chow,
Dave

PS Anyone in the Bay area??

[NaCl+H2O Fish]

donna53w-

I'm not quite sure why you are so concerned about power outages in Medicine Hat, Alberta... unless you have outages due to ice or heavy snow storms!? Anyway, we have experienced several hurricanes recently. Thankfully none in the last two years! Katrina caused a 4 day outage and later that same year Wilma hit us harder causing a 6 day outage... fortunately the weather behind was cool and comfortable.

The only thing I know to do is to purchase an emergency gas or diesel generator... noisy and you have to have fuel on hand! A far more expensive solution is a 'whole house' generator powered with Propane or Natural Gas.

[stephensturman]

well my canary blenny didnt make it he died last night for some reason. so i took it back to the lfs and got my money back and bought 2 cleaner shrimp.

[doubleduece]

Hello to every one. Two weeks ago I stumbled upon rc, and this post and have been reading it from start to finish since that time, and I must say what a informative post it has been. I have been a rsm owner since july '07, and absolute love the setup even with its short list of short comings. I must say first that the mods to the skimmer were fantabulous, both mods increased my skimate output by ten fold, outstanding. I want to catch up with everything that is going on with certain mods, like the cpr overflow, Idont think the pix do it justice, so I will study them,for I want to add a refugium to my setup.


To the individuals who have posted pix of there setups, they are absolutley beutiful, and I am jealous, I am always adding livestock to the tank, but I err to the side of ignorance due to the cost of certain livestocks. Any way I hope to post pix in the future of my meager setup, and hopefully contribute.


I plan contacting red sea to reaffirm to them that yous guys skimmer mods really work. I could go on, yada yada yada

post ya soon
randy

[stephensturman]

welcome and glad the skimmer mods worked out for ya lets see some pics of your tank! what mods did u do?

[Reefmack]

mbdave - in Florida? Did you miss a turn during your relocation to California? Just kidding - good to see you find time to stop in.

NaCl+H2O Fish - I remember some people that I work being without power for 3 weeks or more when Hurricane Hugo came this far inland and literally blew the city apart. I was lucky & had power after 2 days. Generators were sold out immediately, and you were lucky for a long time to even find a gas station that had power to its pumps. I really should plan ahead, especially now with ice storm season here. But I've been known to be a procrastinator!

stephen - so sorry to hear about the canary blenny :( Was there any sign of ich? Same lfs that had the sick ORA clowns?

doubleduece - Welcome to our RSM Club! I guess it would take about 2 weeks to read through this thing from the beginning! Which of the zillion mods did you do to your skimmer that worked well for you? good to hear they worked - it's a payoff for reading this thread! Post a couple tank pics if you're able to.

[doubleduece]

I cut 1/4" off the bottom,and driiled the catch cup to insert the air valve tube. If I missed some mods during my speed reading for the skimmer please do tell, before I made those two mods the catch cup would fill up maybe a 1/4" in a week. Its has been two days since the mod and already the catch cup has filled to 1/4".

Gotta get a better camera.

[doubleduece]

I cut 1/4" off the bottom,and driiled the catch cup to insert the air valve tube. If I missed some mods during my speed reading for the skimmer please do tell, before I made those two mods the catch cup would fill up maybe a 1/4" in a week. Its has been two days since the mod and already the catch cup has filled to 1/4".

Gotta get a better camera.

[NaCl+H2O Fish]

doubledeuce

Pleased to have you become a new member of the RSM Owners Club!

As donna53w will tell you when she discovers your a new member to the thread... "Welcome to the best place you can be!"

Unhappily my RSM is still in it's box awaiting my RO/DI..:mad:

I will follow your tank with interest.

Regards,
Kent

[NaCl+H2O Fish]

Reefmack -

After the double hit from Katrina and then Wilma... The state mandated a timetable for gas stations to install generators.

Now... Let's think about this. If I owned a gas station... I wouldn't want to be out of business for days! Duh!

Our major grocery chain PUBLIX has already installed these HUGE CAT diesel powered generators behind their stores. Just avoiding the lost inventory in frozen and refrigerated foods would probably pay for them fairly quickly! There is I'm sure also an insurance savings. Not to mention the loss in business after a storm.

[martinphillip03]

You have the mesh mod. Start here
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1262695&perpage=25&pagenumber=29

then go here

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showt...25&pagenumber=3

Marty

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11523922#post11523922 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by doubleduece
I cut 1/4" off the bottom,and driiled the catch cup to insert the air valve tube. If I missed some mods during my speed reading for the skimmer please do tell, before I made those two mods the catch cup would fill up maybe a 1/4" in a week. Its has been two days since the mod and already the catch cup has filled to 1/4".

Gotta get a better camera.

[donna53w]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11524755#post11524755 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NaCl+H2O Fish
doubledeuce

Pleased to have you become a new member of the RSM Owners Club!

As donna53w will tell you when she discovers your a new member to the thread... "Welcome to the best place you can be!"

Unhappily my RSM is still in it's box awaiting my RO/DI..:mad:

I will follow your tank with interest.

Regards,
Kent

:lol: Welcome doubledeuce! You have made more mods than I have & you just arrived!!:D

Kent We don't get many power outages here but every once in a long while, a good thunder storm can knock it out. We don't get hurricanes, but have been put on 'tornado watch' a few times in the summer. :eek1: Thank heavens we've never been hit by one. We followed Katrina and the horrible aftermath on TV. My heart goes out to the many, many folks who are still dealing with the nightmare.

I had to shop tonight ... bought an orange Brain Coral & a small Crocea clam.

Brain coral:
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b188/donna53w/P1040002.jpg

Crocea Clam:
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b188/donna53w/P1040001.jpg

[NaCl+H2O Fish]

donna53w -

My simple response would Bravo!

You did well.... beautiful!

[donna53w]

Thanks Kent (NaCl+H2O Fish)! I'm really happy with my new additions & I sure want them to be happy in their new home, too! :D

[stephensturman]

donna- looks real good i really like that brain

[stephensturman]

reefmack- no its wasn't the same lfs and there were no sgns of ich. no one know's why it died, but my cleaner shrimp are much more interesting to watch than the canary blenny i gotta tell u that lol.

[Reefmack]

doubleduece - OK on which two mods you made. I know I'm missing a lot of mods that have been tried, but here's a list of some that I've managed to find & save by emailing the links to myself. Not all are mods - some may be add-ons & replacements:

air valve replacement:

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1262695&perpage=25&pagenumber=8

Skimmer cup air hose mod:

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=11279065#post11279065

nappi82's HOB fuge:

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1201445&perpage=25&pagenumber=37

lpsluver's fuge:

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1231613&perpage=25&pagenumber=3

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1231613&perpage=25&pagenumber=8

pic of Josh's Tunze 9002 skimmer in back (others have installed this):

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1231613&perpage=25&pagenumber=6

mbdave's circ pump mod:

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1231613&perpage=25&pagenumber=20

RSM gate mod (originally found on ReefsUK forum):

http://www.reefsuk.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10089&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=red+sea+max&start=135

The list is by no means complete.

''''''''''''''
Marty - thanks for posting the mesh mod link! I'm not sure where the 2nd link was supposed to direct us - it went to an archive page and I got lost after that LOL.

''''''''''''''''''''
Donna - nice brain & clam. I don't recall seeing a brain that color before!

'''''''''''''''''''''
NaCl+H2O Fish - sounds like your area is hurricane prepared! Not so here, but when Hugo came through here (1989?) that was a once in a hundred years situation (I hope). Off topic, but in that case, with an unbelievable wind roar and the sound of trees cracking in half at 4am, and the following days without power, my family actually became a family again - huddled around a battery radio, candles for lights, and wondering when the downed trees would be removed from the streets so we could get out again. Then the power came on after couple days, and the son went up to his stereo, the TV and my wife's soaps came on, etc. - back to normal. It was nice while it lasted! :)

''''''''''''''''''
stephensturman - at least that was good news that the blenny had no signs of ich. Yep - the cleaner shrimp are indeed fun to watch!

[Y-DesygnGuy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11525974#post11525974 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stephensturman
reefmack- no its wasn't the same lfs and there were no sgns of ich. no one know's why it died, but my cleaner shrimp are much more interesting to watch than the canary blenny i gotta tell u that lol.

Ruh-oh... Which store? I was going to go out to Pets Inc today and see if they had any ORA fish.

donna53w -- Those look very nice, best of luck!

[stephensturman]

pets inc doesn't have a very good selection of fish but they do have 2 of your naked percs there :) and they look great! i got my fish at pets inc but the fish dying had nothing to do with the store i think he was just to stressed!

[martinphillip03]

Reefmack, I thought my second link was copied from the first link. LOL I don't know what happened. But I will leave the links to you. Your much better organized.
By the way how did you put your 24" Orbit on a 20" tank

Marty

[MAXreefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11526559#post11526559 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by martinphillip03
Reefmack, I thought my second link was copied from the first link. LOL I don't know what happened. But I will leave the links to you. Your much better organized.
By the way how did you put your 24" Orbit on a 20" tank

Marty
Hi Marty,
hope you don't mind if I jump in here as I have the Outer Orbit also.
The RSM has 24" inch in length. The hood comes with 4 foot which are adjustable (there is a rail in there where you can slide the foot more to the inside or outside).
The hood fits perfectly without any mods or extra adjustments.

Hope you understood my bad English here?

Michael
MAXreefer

[Y-DesygnGuy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11526533#post11526533 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stephensturman
pets inc doesn't have a very good selection of fish but they do have 2 of your naked percs there :) and they look great! i got my fish at pets inc but the fish dying had nothing to do with the store i think he was just to stressed!

Woohoo I called down to Pets Inc and they have 3-4 Naked Clowns they said. So I am going to be heading down that direction in an hour or two. Of course now I am going to have a big store credit at AZSeabottom but im sure I can always find something to spend money on there that isn't alive, grr dead or almost dead :)

[Y-DesygnGuy]

So I was wondering what I could do if I wanted to add some frags that were on plugs. I hate the look of plugs they never fit onto a rock the right way. So I was doing some searching and I came across this site. http://www.mag-racks.com/

Actually what a simple idea, I sorta went daaaa I could of thought that! But they look like a great idea and away to keep several frags in one location. Of course they are magnetic and it would be a little bit of a challenge to get it to stick to the back of the RSM, but I think I might give it a shot.

[NaCl+H2O Fish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11526077#post11526077 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reefmack
'''''''''''''''''''''
NaCl+H2O Fish - sounds like your area is hurricane prepared! Not so here, but when Hugo came through here (1989?) that was a once in a hundred years situation (I hope). Off topic, but in that case, with an unbelievable wind roar and the sound of trees cracking in half at 4am, and the following days without power, my family actually became a family again - huddled around a battery radio, candles for lights, and wondering when the downed trees would be removed from the streets so we could get out again. Then the power came on after couple days, and the son went up to his stereo, the TV and my wife's soaps came on, etc. - back to normal. It was nice while it lasted! :)
''''''''''''''''''


Reefmack-

Not to belabor the Hurricane point but I have lived in Hollywood, FL since July 1985. My first storm was August 24, 1992; the first named storm of the season ANDREW! The first major storm to hit the US since HUGO.... My wife and I lived in a townhouse at a Marina so we went 45 miles south to stay with her brothers family behind shuttered windows. Turns out we went from bad to worse, the northern edge of the eye! Exciting but scary 8 hrs. and what devastation when we ventured out at 8:30am that Monday morning! Since we have had a lot of close calls; feeder band rain and wind. But the quadruple whammy in 2005 of Dennis, Katrina, Rita, and Wilma convinced us to buy a generator. Katrina was Cat. 2 when it grazed us before going on to devastate New Orleans. Wilma was the worst here since Andrew! My wife, my beagle and I were on our kitchen floor shivering.... or a least my beagle was! LOL! Thankfully a 12 hour wind event mainly. We joked at the time that we were reduced to "HUNTER - GATHERERS" after Wilma. This place for ice handouts, another place for an open gas station and news of an open Publix grocery store! Kinda fun making coffee and scrambling eggs on my gas grill... Got pretty good at canned chili over egg noodle casseroles!

The link below is to the model diesel generator we purchased for $ 1700.00. Wanted diesel for safer storage, lower consumption and availability of fuel.

http://www.titanindustrial.net/tg5500.htm

I was amused to see the comparable value listed at the bottom of the page.... At that price I would be looking at a "Generac" or comparable whole house generator!

I'm thinking that with a chiller and reduced hours of lighting my RSM would require 300 - 400 watts to maintain. Any opinion on my calculation?

Kent

[Reefmack]

Marty - MAXreefer is correct on the Outer Orbit hood. The Red Sea Max site is misleading. It states:

Aquarium length 610 mm (24")
Aquarium width 500 mm (19.7")
Aquarium height 500 mm (19.7")
Total height 612 mm (24.1")

Confusing - Actually the glass edge to edge across the front is about 23.5", and across the top black rim is 24". I just measured it. Red Sea's "Length" is actually the width, and the width must be front to back? I didn't measure that.

Y-DesygnGuy - good news on the naked clowns at an lfs without ich/disease problems. Let us know. You'll use up that AZ credit with no problems I'm sure!

[Reefmack]

Y-DesygnGuy - the frag rack is interesting. I've also seen individual magnetic frag bases that you can glue a coral to and stick on the back/sides.

NaCl+H2O Fish - you've been through a few big ones! I couldn't believe the price gouging that was going on here after Hugo - for ice, chain saws, generators, etc. It was disgusting to see some people trying to make a huge profit off of people. But, we're way off topic now.

[NaCl+H2O Fish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11526898#post11526898 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Y-DesygnGuy
So I was wondering what I could do if I wanted to add some frags that were on plugs. I hate the look of plugs they never fit onto a rock the right way. So I was doing some searching and I came across this site. http://www.mag-racks.com/

Actually what a simple idea, I sorta went daaaa I could of thought that! But they look like a great idea and away to keep several frags in one location. Of course they are magnetic and it would be a little bit of a challenge to get it to stick to the back of the RSM, but I think I might give it a shot.

Y-DesygnGuy- The "Frag Rack" looks like a simple solution....
Before you make a final decision, take a look at what thefilterguys are offering with a more 'natural' appearance 'fired ceramic' frag rocks.

http://www.thefilterguys.biz/
http://www.thefilterguys.biz/frag_supplies.htm

I have a suggested shopping list for AZSeabottom:
Big Bucket of Salt Mix
Kent Garlic
Your favorite reef conditioning supplies - Calcium+, Iodine, Strontium
BUT Nothing That IS Alive! :lol:

Can't wait to see PIX of your new NAKED CLOWNS!

Kent

[NaCl+H2O Fish]

Reefmack - :lol:

You mentioned receipt of your Dekalit jugs..... Hmmm! Got me to wondering???? Well.... This dummy, never completed my order!
They are still in my 'shopping cart' :rolleyes:

Do you know anyway that a 'photo gallery' of the posted skimmer mod photos could be compiled for easy access for us all?

Any thoughts on your RSM's power consumption?

Thanks

[Rue]

Donna! Nice new babies! Luv 'em!

Gosh...so much reading to catch up on...I see we're back with algae issues...very timely...'cuz guess what...

I have algae issues!!!! *argh* :lol:

I spent over an hour trying to tweezer my sun coral, GSP, astraea snails, hermits and whatever else I could free of the d*mn hair and byropsis!

I managed to harvest quite a bit, but still...it's taking over...I really need something that will eat it...

I have NO idea what...something that will fit in the tank and not outgrow it...or die and possibly poison the system...

Other than that...s'all good!

[LaurentSeattle]

Rue:

I have documented on the before-last page of my build thread (click the red house) how I have gotten rid of pest algae after weeks of patience and efforts.

Maybe this could help you out...

[Rue]

Thanks Laurent...do you know which page it's on?

I'm still on dial-up and for some reason your thread loads ridiculously slowly on my computer...I'm talking potential hours to find find the relevant posts...:lol:

[LaurentSeattle]

Rue: This is on
Page 25 (click me) (http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1153840&perpage=25&pagenumber=25)

[Y-DesygnGuy]

Ok so I drove the 80 miles and got 2 new Naked Clowns. Well one is totally naked and one has a pair of skibbies on :) I couldn't resist the one with a little white spot on him, he was an odd ball. So I rescued him from miss-fit island :)

The one with the little white spot is being picked on by the other one. I am hoping this settles down soon after one figures who is wearing the pants in the tank.

http://www.y-desygn.com/tank/newclowns7.jpg

http://www.y-desygn.com/tank/newclowns1.jpg

See they are bickering with one another, the without the white is totally pushing the other one around.

http://www.y-desygn.com/tank/newclowns2.jpg

Checking out his/her new home...

http://www.y-desygn.com/tank/newclowns5.jpg

A little bit wider of a shot, lots of nice colors now for sure!

http://www.y-desygn.com/tank/newclowns4.jpg

http://www.y-desygn.com/tank/newclowns6.jpg

Just thought I would share what they look like. These seem completely healthy to me and they ate right away. Big difference from the last two I bought, those were doomed from the start. I actually really like this store I went today, lots to choose from!

[martinphillip03]

Is that including the refrugium? If so what is the tank width without the refrugium

Marty


Aquarium width 500 mm (19.7")

[NaCl+H2O Fish]

Y-DesygnGuy -

Congratulations!:rollface:
They are beautiful.... but I am rubbing my eyes?

Is the last picture of the clowns in the LFS tank? Looks like 4?

The wider shot picture above that one is beautiful!!!

Am I to believe that ORA Farms is the only source for this genetic specialty?

Pleased that you found a quality LFS... even if it's 80 miles round trip!

Hoping that they settle down with one another and remain healthy!!!

ENJOY THEM MAN!

:D

[Reefmack]

NaCl+H2O Fish - yes - you have to complete the online orders rather than leave them in the cart LOL! Without going through the thousand pages of this thread I'm not sure I could even remember or locate all the skimmer mods. Plus, without an explanation for each, a picture in a gallery may not be enough. I think the most successful ones seem to be in the last 2 splits though. as pseudo leader of the gang I'll assign you the task hahahaha! Just kidding. On the power consumption of the RSM I have no idea. They sell something to measure that type of thing though - I think it's called a Kill-A-Watt? Just found it:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=12107&Nty=1&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=All&pc=1&N=0&Ntt=kil%20watt&Np=1

My measurement wouldn't help as I don't have much stock equipment left. I'm not sure if it's on the Red Sea site or not?

.............

Rue - do you have a magnesium test kit. If you Mg is low that may be helping the algae. Mg is often low in salt mixes as it's one of the more expensive ingredients. It gets used up just like Calcium. Might be worth a test kit to see if your level is low. Get a Foxface! I know - they get too big - but, it saved my corals and mine isn't growing too big too quickly.

Y-DesygnGuy - did you buy 2 or 4 clowns? It looks like 4 in the last pic and doesn't seem to be a reflection?

[Reefmack]

Marty - the tank as received is 24" across the top. What measurement are you asking for - front to back, or across the front?

[Rue]

Y-DesygnGuy: Glad you found nice fish! My first pair of true percs died soon after I got them, although they had been fine at the reef store. The ocellaris I have now are fine - even though the black one was stressed from shipping (I brought him home the day after a bad shipment where most of the fish had died).

You know - I don't know that I like them though! I would miss the stripes! :lol:

Reefmack: I can check the Mg levels...that's one thing I haven't done I don't think. My phosphate and nitrate levels always come up as 0.

I checked to see what Laurent had done, but his circumstances are a bit different from mine, and I've been doing a lot of what he suggests all along...

[Y-DesygnGuy]

NaCl+H2O Fish -- Thank you very much! I am happy about them for sure, the drive was totally worth it! hehe I have gotten a few people on that picture, it is just the reflection is all. ORA is the only place that has bread these fish, yep!

Reefmack -- I got 2 clowns its the reflection, I thought it added something so I kept that picture.

Rue -- My girlfriend doesn't care for them really, she likes the ones with the stripes. She wanted me to get the saddle back clowns. For some reason I just like these guys, I honestly have never been to anyones house and have seen them.

[Reefmack]

Y-DesygnGuy - very deceiving picture. I'll bet you posted that one just to confuse us! What got me was that I can't see the white spot except on one - it must be hidden in the reflection. Pretty sneaky :)

BTW - I'd like to see a new shot of the Ric garden - it looks like they're all covering that rock beautifully now!

[Y-DesygnGuy]

Reefmack -- hehehehe well the white spot is only on one side of his face, so the other side is what is reflecting off the glass. So you wouldn't see it because its on the other side.

I just put food into the tank the some of the rics closed up some from the food. So as soon as they open up again I will take a few more pics. They are starting to fill in nicely, really like the look of it!!

[Reefmack]

Y-guy - no rush on the Ric Pic! I didn't realize the white spot was only on one side - that really is a unique fish. Usually something like that appears symetrically - on both sides - like a mirror image (but not your mirror image!). You should call that one Rudolph, as in "Rudolph and the Island of Misfit Clowns".

[stephensturman]

well i really liked that frag rack so i took some stuff from around my room and improvised and i also got a couple new frags of acan and tri-color zoa's.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b276/stephensturman/DSC00759.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b276/stephensturman/DSC00763.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b276/stephensturman/DSC00761.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b276/stephensturman/DSC00755.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b276/stephensturman/DSC00749.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b276/stephensturman/DSC00748.jpg

[Y-DesygnGuy]

stephen -- Right on! I was waiting to see if someone jumped on that idea. Your tank is looking good!! Nice new additions, where did you pick those up at? Did you see the Austrian corals that Pets Inc. had? :eek: I want! $199 for a small frag though! :eek:


Reefmack -- Ask and you shall receive my friend! Its a rainy day here in Phoenix, so I am bored! I have the same camera you do by the way. Again I had just put some food in the tank so a few of them aren't as big as they were before I fed the tank. But I think you can get the idea, I counted again I believe there are 37 mushrooms on or around the rock.

http://www.y-desygn.com/tank/rics1.jpg
http://www.y-desygn.com/tank/rics2.jpg
http://www.y-desygn.com/tank/rics3.jpg
http://www.y-desygn.com/tank/rics4.jpg
http://www.y-desygn.com/tank/rics5.jpg
http://www.y-desygn.com/tank/rics6.jpg

[stephensturman]

ya i did see them they are way over priced! i have some frags of the tri-colors and freak-a-leak whammers if you are interested in some trades? have some other zoas but i need to find what they are!

[Reefmack]

stephensturman - nice DIY! How did you attach the suction cups to the egg crate? I'd like to make one of those. The "shrimp frag" was nice - are you expecting young ones soon? The zoas look like the Eagle Eyes that I got as a 3 polyp bonus at my lfs - they've already grown to about a dozen now.

Y-DesygnGuy - thanks for the updated Ric pic - awesome. I think R. floridas are one of the prettiest corals available. I have got to find a place to put more in my tank! I noticed a 4th baby purple R. yuma tonight - my yuma mom is really getting prolific! I wish it was as pretty as a florida.

[Rue]

Nice pics!!! Luv the rics and the rack! :lol:

Speaking of new cameras...finally played with the new one...but only with the standard lens...haven't used my old macro yet:

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q152/Rue_album/Zooanthids0108.jpg

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q152/Rue_album/Clowns0108.jpg

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q152/Rue_album/Speckles0108.jpg

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q152/Rue_album/ElvisTheSpottedEgg0108.jpg

[Y-DesygnGuy]

Very nice Rue! I need a new tri-pod I broke mine a few weeks back... long story... But I can not hold still enough to use my macro lenses without a tri-pod. They sure do take some awesome pictures though, I love the detail corals have when you zoom in that close.

Someone over in the Arizona forum was talking about this flash light you can use to make things glow or a filter they put onto something... i cant remember off hand exactly. But some kind of ultra violet looking thing, the pictures were amazing!

[mbdave]

Wow was at a store in Columbus yesterday (Phishybusiness) had groovy acan frags (Aussie) from 40-100 I had to get one. If your looking for acans give them a call. I will take a pic when my camera gets back from Florida :( It was left there.

[Reefmack]

Nice pics Rue! I really like those zoas - will you send them to me asap? LOL. The 2 types of clowns are a nice contrast, Nice goldfish too - is that second gfish pic an oranda? My memory isn't the greatest on them anymore.

Welcome back home mbdave - bummer on the camera, but the new coral sounds nice.

[Y-DesygnGuy]

Here lets see if this works. Look at this picture and then what he used to take it with.
This is what they looked like normally
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11493947#post11493947 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Saddler
Does anyone have an ID for the zoas in the upper-center? It looks like they're a hybrid breed between the 2 types of zoas that it's surrounded by.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/145778IMG_3692.jpg

These are with that flash light thing, I have to get one!

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11501726#post11501726 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Saddler
Hey guys, you're trampling on my moment of glory. dvlax40, feel free to continue with the superfluous vocabulary.

Here's the only picture that I could find of these colonies from when I first got them a few months back:

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/145778IMG_1550.jpg

It doesn't help much though since it was lit with a nightsea flashlight. But you can see that 2 of the polyps were originally grouped up near the orange-blues (I'm not actually sure of the names of any of these). Their mouths look peach, but so do some of the mouths of the other orange-blues. The "originals" are probably fire-and-ice; I'm not sure of the lighting of the first shot since I just re-aquascaped and switched a couple of bulbs - in their current location they look much more white on the discs - that's directly under a 6500k bulb, with the other bulbs in the tank being 3 blues, 1 super actinic, and an aquasun.

I'll try isolating the different zoas, but I've never before fragged zoas. Can someone point me to a link with good advice on how to do this?

[Reefmack]

On the Nightsea - check these out:

http://www.nightsea.com/fl5000.htm

http://forum.marinedepot.com/Topic56823-26-1.aspx

Funny - I was thinking yesterday of bringing home a high intensity blacklight from work - short & long wave, to see what corals would look like under UV. I also have some UV blacklight bulbs here I can try.

The only thing is - this is totally unnatural lighting and while pretty it isn't even close to real life. I hope they don't start selling corals with pictures like that or there will be a lot of disappointed people!

[stephensturman]

yes my cleaner shrimp is carrying eggs but they probably wont survive. and they look like eagle eyes but they are blue green and red my camera is just a point and shoot!

[stephensturman]

oh ya and on the frag rack all i did was glue the suction cups to the egg crate with super glue :)

[Rue]

Thanks guys!

Reefmack...dunno what that green zoa is called...but it's very nice...and yes, the orange fish is an Oranda! Very good if you're on the verge of forgetting!

Here are 2 more (stupid uploading is taking forever too!)

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q152/Rue_album/Duncans0108.jpg

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q152/Rue_album/PajamaCardinal0108.jpg

[Rue]

BTW...I think those are 'Fire and Ice' zoas too...because that's one of the ones I recently ordered and got...I originally thought they'd look different than what they really do...don't really like them...rather bland...but maybe when the colony gets to any size they'll look better...

Guess that's the risk when you order based on photographs...

[Y-DesygnGuy]

Rue -- Ohhh I really like those Corals you have in that picture. A local store here sells them for $15 a polyp, very nice!

[Rue]

Thanks! The Duncans are probably my favourites! They LOVE to eat...I love to watch them stuff their faces (literally!) I started with 2 back in September, and as you can see...they're multiplying nicely...

[doubleduece]

Reefmack, thanks for the links.

ydesygnguy, Awesome ric rock, Iam working on a ric rock also, damn it hard to glue them suckers

Is everyone still running stock lights, and how often do you change your bulbs.

[Y-DesygnGuy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11530316#post11530316 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by doubleduece
ydesygnguy, Awesome ric rock, Iam working on a ric rock also, damn it hard to glue them suckers

Ohhhh I sooooo hate it! Slimy little things, with hardly any rock on the bottom of them! I hate it, we were just talking about that a few pages back(well maybe 20 by now :) ).

Good luck with your shroom rock, I love mine! I still have room I still see rock!!! :)

[Rue]

Now I'm gonna bore you guys...but I'll stop soon...I promise!

I cropped very close, and the photo blurred...but you can still see the beautiful colours! Love these guys too!

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q152/Rue_album/XmasTreeWormsCloseUp0108.jpg

My Amazon parrot:

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q152/Rue_album/Ever0108.jpg

Another close crop of my Mini-Dachsie's head:

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q152/Rue_album/HanniCloseUp0108.jpg

[martinphillip03]

From the front to the back excluding filter. I am looking for usable space.

Marty





<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11528731#post11528731 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reefmack
Marty - the tank as received is 24" across the top. What measurement are you asking for - front to back, or across the front?

[NaCl+H2O Fish]

Rue -

Where can I get "Saltwater Goldfish"?

:lol:

[NaCl+H2O Fish]

Rue -

OK... I get it.... You own a Pet Store or live in a menagerie!



:lol:

[NaCl+H2O Fish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11528726#post11528726 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reefmack
NaCl+H2O Fish - yes - you have to complete the online orders rather than leave them in the cart LOL! Without going through the thousand pages of this thread I'm not sure I could even remember or locate all the skimmer mods. Plus, without an explanation for each, a picture in a gallery may not be enough. I think the most successful ones seem to be in the last 2 splits though. as pseudo leader of the gang I'll assign you the task hahahaha! Just kidding. On the power consumption of the RSM I have no idea. They sell something to measure that type of thing though - I think it's called a Kill-A-Watt? Just found it:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=12107&Nty=1&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=All&pc=1&N=0&Ntt=kil%20watt&Np=1

My measurement wouldn't help as I don't have much stock equipment left. I'm not sure if it's on the Red Sea site or not?
.............


Reefmack -

Once again the ORACLE comes through!

I thought a device like this existed.... and of course you found it!

Thanks!

[donna53w]

Y-DesygnGuy: I love those little clowns!! My favorite is the one with just one patch ... how cute is that??? Your tank is looking beautifully 'reefish' ... and your rics are lovely. Great job! I'm jealous of your photography skills. :p

I have never glued any frags yet, & I really don't want to, after hearing you guys moan & groan. :lol:

stephensturman: Your tank is really coming along!! I like the frag shelf you built and it looks nice & tidy in the tank. 'sorry you lost your fish. How do you acclimate them before putting them in the tank?

I know lots of you have ordered frags by photos online. This is what I've done, too, and mine are arriving on Tuesday. I hear you about the prices of acans ... I spent a small fortune and I'm really anxious about what they will look like 'in person'.

rue: hey, you're getting really handy with the camera! :fun4: Lovely corals, too. Do the Duncans sting; do you have to keep them away from other corals? They are so pretty. The zoas have great colors. Have the frags you ordered online grown any yet? Great shots of your parrot & doggie, too. :) When algae is actively growing, it uses the phosphates, that's probably why you are getting a 0 reading, it's kind of a false reading because phosphates are in there, for sure.

doubledeuce, I am running stock lights and am not planning on changing them out. Just my opinion, but I will probably change the bulbs close to the end of a year's use. Lights loose their strength, and the human eye can't detect it right away, but the corals will notice the change.

[Reefmack]

Rue - I like the Duncans too. As with Donna I've wondered if they're "peaceful". I don't recall ever seeing any at my lfs though. Great pics - and even though the Christmas Rock was enlarged & cropped those little "trees" are really pretty. I think you've already surpassed me in picture taking ability! I'll agree with Donna - you may be getting zero readings on phosphates, as they're being consumed by the algae. Same with nitrates - have you checked all 3 lately - ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? Something must be feeding the algae. You could also try the "chaeto" in a suction cup soap dish to help consume whatever is keeping the algae fed - easier than a refugium.

On the zoas, etc. one reason I recently changed my halide bulb from 10,000k to 20,000k was to get my corals looking like they do in pictures. I agree - coral pics are really deceiving as most people don't have the same lighting, plus I think they often tweak the colors a bit to intensify them. I've more than once asked on an online site what lighting they take their pictures under.

[onebee]

thanks all......love tha forum

red sea max owner ........... 4 days

now self confessed addict!

cheerz

[stephensturman]

welcome! lets see some pics. is your setup modded at all or are u runnin stock?

[Reefmack]

Hey onebee - Welcome to the RSM Club! Congrats on having the tank 4 days! Always good to see another new owner. It doesn't take long to get addicted - some of were before the tanks even got set up. Keep us posted on your progress and/or questions. Adelaide as in Australia? We have a couple of your countymen in here.

[Y-DesygnGuy]

Look what happened to a fellow RSM owner this morning. He is local here in Phoenix, he woke up to this!

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11533025#post11533025 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by shramj
This morning my 34gallon RedSeaMax tank cracked. About half the water leaked out of the tank. The leak has slowed but I need to store my stuff somewhere. Is there anyone on the Westside that has room in a quarantine tank for my stuff? I took a picture of the container my corals will be in and here is also a picture of the cracked tank. I do have 5 fish (1 clown, firefish, gramma, sixline wrasse, and a yallow goby) 1 fire shrimp, 1 cleaner shrimp, 2 emerald crabs and various snails and hermit crabs.

http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh299/shramj/Cracked_Aquairum002.jpg

http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh299/shramj/Cracked_Aquairum007.jpg

I feel for him, how awful that would be to wake up to this. He said he doesn't know what happened, he just heard a water fall coming from his tank and saw that!

[Reefmack]

Wow - that is scary! A tank owner's worst nightmare! I feel for him too. If that happened to me it the reefing would be over forever.

Marty - I just took these RSM measurements - approximate:

Width across the front - 24"

Height top to bottom - 20.5"

Depth front to back - total 19.25', front display tank 15" (the difference is the depth of the back compartment.

The RSM cabinet is 31" high

[Rue]

Thanks for all the nice remarks! I do have a household zoo of sorts...there are still 3 other dogs, 2 cats, a snake and several birds I haven't subjected you all to! Yet.

And I fully agree that I have something feeding my algae! LOL...I suppose the upside it that it keeps the water nice and clean for the critters.

I feel so bad for the guy with the cracked tank! Weak spot in the glass? Or did a cat jump on it at a weird angle? Very strange given it's such a thick glass.

[stephensturman]

there had to be something wrong with it from the get go like a small crack under the plastic from shipping!

[Y-DesygnGuy]

I am wondering about temps, if he had a big temp swing. He mentioned he has the Nanotuners HQI upgrade, so I am wondering if it got really hot then cooled to quickly? You would think it would be tempered glass and not have to worry about that.


Poor guy

[stephensturman]

who knows what it could be? maybe it was something he did and hes not telling us the world will never know! lol

[stephensturman]

where do u guys with stock light put ur acan in the tank?

[donna53w]

The guy I bought my acans from said to place them low to mid-tank.

[NaCl+H2O Fish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11533388#post11533388 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Y-DesygnGuy
I am wondering about temps, if he had a big temp swing. He mentioned he has the Nanotuners HQI upgrade, so I am wondering if it got really hot then cooled to quickly? You would think it would be tempered glass and not have to worry about that.
Poor guy

Y-DesygnGuy - IMHO... I believe your fellow Arizonian may have experienced a TORSIONAL strain of his RSM on the RSM stand! After all we are talking about almost 500 lbs.!
While discussing the engineering of my custom pedestal and table setup, it was STRONGLY suggested that I place a piece of 1/4-1/2" thick styrofoam sheet under the tank. The thought was that as the weight in the RSM increased with water, sand and rock.... the tank would compress and settle into the foam, preventing that kind of strain.
Has anyone else used foam under there RSM?

My gosh your tank is quickly becoming my model! Did you check out the link to the ceramic frag rocks I posted? When you have time, would you treat us to another movie of your tank.... with the naked clowns now swimming around?

Reefmack - I'm with you... If I ever had a catastrophic failure of my RSM like that, It would certainly end my reef keeping! You also mentioned the "SOAP DISH" chaeto holder for control of hair algae... Would you please share the link to the mod?

onebee - Welcome Mate! Wishing you only success with your new RSM!

Rue - I am officially renaming you Rue's Zoo! :lol:

donna53w - Gosh... I hope all goes well with your order since I am sure it is VERY COLD in Medicine Hat!

My frustration is nearly over! Two more days until I receive the RO/DI unit, install it in the laundry room and begin production for my RSM.

Thanks Everyone!

[Reefmack]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11533440#post11533440 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stephensturman
who knows what it could be? maybe it was something he did and hes not telling us the world will never know! lol

We'll never know but I had the same thought. I just went back to that poor guy's thread. I noticed that it seem like the only place he has any coralline is on the plastic in back. I can't even keep up with the stuff and as you all may know it's not easy to remove, even with a steel scraper. I wonder if he put too much effort into keeping the glass clean, and maybe too much leaning on the tank while scraping the glass put too much stess on the glass after a while and caused a crack that finally gave way. In any case it's got to be a horrible position to be in.

NaCl+H2O Fish - No link to the soap dish mod - it's one I didn't record. What I posted the other day were the only ones I've recorded. A couple people had done the soap dish/cheato thing - maybe one has a pic they'll be kind enough to post it again. A pic would explain it all better than me describing it - it's very simple. Good luck on the 2 day countdown! It may take a day just to make the water to fill the tank. Your fun is close to beginning.

[Y-DesygnGuy]

NaCl+H2O Fish -- Ahh very true torsion very well could of be the deciding factor. I would be calling Red Seamax myself first thing in the morning. Thank you very much for the compliment. I was going to shoot a new video this week when I tried out the new light fixture. So you could see the differences with the lighting. School starts back up next week so everyone will be out of the house during the day again, thank god! So I will have plenty of time in between projects to play with the tanks. I would much rather play with the tanks all day than work at the moment. :p

*edit* I did check out those frag plugs, you could put the big rock in the sand easily. When I get a few more frags going I might just buy that. I like everything clean and in its place, so even though the frag racks were simple and easy. I don't know how long i could handle them in the tank. To were the ceramic ones look almost natural, especially after a month or two in the tank. We have a frag auction coming up on the 19th, you can get some really nice pieces really cheep from them.

[Y-DesygnGuy]

Incase you didn't want to do the soap dish method. I found this just now while I was surfing around http://www.aquariumguys.com/refugium.html
Not to much money and it would nice in the tank.

[Rue]

Heh...'Rue's Zoo'...it has a ring to it! :lol:

I've contacted the young guy that makes custom tanks...as soon as he's back to school (University) we'll see if my 'idea' for a frag tank is affordable...I think it's feasible...so I'll let you guys know...

Just came back from the reef store...went for water and to ask questions. Also bought a little algae booklet...and have requested the Julian Sprung one...

Apparently most, if not all, tangs will also eat algae...it doesn't have to be a foxface...although all will out grow the tank, so no matter what I get it will have to be rehomed down the road.

Also...the pom-pom crab order should be in within the next 2 weeks sometime...woohoo! I have 2 on hold...think I should get 4? They're very small so I don't think they'd add to the bioload at all. My thinking is if I get more...I actually stand a chance of seeing one on occaision.

Speaking of which. Finally am seeing the baby emerald crabs I bought a while ago! :D

AND heard back from the guy I bought those zoas from at Fragalot...2 of them have never done anything, while the Fire and Ice is fine and sporting about 4 polyps already. He's out of the country at the moment, but will replace the 2 that didn't make the trip. So I'll have new ones in a couple of weeks or so.

Dunno about the chaeto...although I'd definately have it in a refugium...don't think I want too much extra stuff in the display tank...

In the frag tank I wouldn't care...in fact I want to have a refugium there!

[stephensturman]

well i just traded a frag of my peanut butter cup zoos for a mini carpet anemone i will post pics after it is aclimated and in the tank :)

[NaCl+H2O Fish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11534899#post11534899 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Y-DesygnGuy
Incase you didn't want to do the soap dish method. I found this just now while I was surfing around http://www.aquariumguys.com/refugium.html
Not to much money and it would nice in the tank.

Y-DesygnGuy - You DESERVE the compliments on your RSM!
Thanks for the link, great price.... Hmmm! Kind of wondering how that would look inside an RSM...? Back Wall? Side Wall?
Not a big fan of how the 'Frag Racks' look, even though they are functional! Maybe Reefmack's - left side, outside the tank refugium is a better solution? Since most of you are not using "the back left filter media chamber" in the manner that RSM designed it for.... ls their too little light for chaeto their?

As a recipient of a BS in Biology.... I am really enjoying (will probably develop a hate for) the balancing act of water chemistry and control of algae outbreaks..... Keeps us all on or toes and gives us something to talk about!

Rue - Well Rue's Zoo does at least Rhyme!

Reefmack - If anything can be said.... I have been patient and trying to learn from all of you! I expect a couple days of RO/DI production, like Brent F. is currently doing before I get things going!

Thanks to All -

[Rue]

Congrats! Looking forward to pics!

[Reefmack]

Rue - the Foxface (a Rabbit fish) is supposedly a very hardy fish - one of the reasons I didn't think about a tang. I'm not sure if Tangs will eat Bryopsis as well as hair algae - possibly. About the Foxface:

"These fish are very hardy and disease resistant and make an excellent addition to a medium- to large-sized saltwater aquarium.

Rabbitfish are one of the few species that will eat problematic Bryopsis algae. Even though these fish are herbivores, use caution if they are to be housed in a reef aquarium, as they may nip at some corals and sessile invertebrates."

I've never seen mine nip at anything in my tank other than the Bryopsis & it loves Formula One flake, mysis and anything else I feed. Maybe the Foxface aren't as algae dependent as tangs? I've always considered the tangs to be too prone to ich, but I'm probably wrong.

NaCl+H2O Fish - I'd forgotten you had that biology degree. That makes at least 2 of us that got it and didn't do much with it! Maybe reefkeeping is what us older Bi Sci majors end up doing to "keep our feet wet" LOL.

Stephen - the carpet nem sounds like a nice trade!

[Rue]

Yes...that's what I found out when I did my bit of research - sure makes them sound good!

Part of the problem is that he doesn't get the very small fish in from his suppliers...by the time he gets them they're already 3" or better - and that's about the size I figure I'd have to think about rehoming!

Well, we'll see what happens. One good thing - if the fish outgrows my tank, he'll take it back.

[Y-DesygnGuy]

NaCl+H2O Fish -- Thanks I am looking forward to seeing your tank when you set it up. Not sure how that in tank fuge would look honestly. I am all about the appearance of the tank so if it was tacky looking or didn't fit in, its out! I don't have the room in my tank but if I did, it would have to go along the back wall of the tank at the top. I have rock going up pretty high on the back so something like that would have to be custom built.

stephensturman -- Pics man Pics! What did you trade and to whom? Sounds like a great deal especially if you had lot of zoa's to frag and still have lots left!

*Off topic* what do you think of the new avatar?

[Reefmack]

Rue - my Foxface was about 3", and hasn't noticeably gotten bigger in the few weeks I've had it. It was the smallest I could find at my lfs. Has to be your decision - like everything else no guarantees come with any critters that they'll do what you want! :) I really didn't want to add another fish, let alone one that would get too big, but in my case it was the only option left to keep from losing some corals to Bryopsis overgrowth.

Nice avatar Y-DesygnGuy - looks familiar!

[NaCl+H2O Fish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11535911#post11535911 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reefmack
NaCl+H2O Fish - I'd forgotten you had that biology degree. That makes at least 2 of us that got it and didn't do much with it! Maybe reefkeeping is what us older Bi Sci majors end up doing to "keep our feet wet" LOL.

Reefmack - Absolutely Correct Sir!

I have continued over all these years in my passion with the sciences! I enjoy 'keeping up' with the 'latest' topics because of the education I received...

You know... Animal Planet, NOVA, Discovery Channel... all that stuff!

In fact, I used a tank I was maintaining in 1975 as the subject for a major paper for an 'observational study' on the 'symbiotic relationship' between anemones and clowns... I believe it was for a course about 'Animal Behavior'????

Would a 'Hippo Tang' make a good 'algae grazer' like your Fox Face?

Thanks!

[doubleduece]

Stephensturman Love the avatar

Well I went to make some RO/DI water, and well it seems that I dont pay attention the the weather man. Temps in my area dropped into the teens for a couple of nights and busted one of my canister caps. Thats what i get for leaving it on the deck overnight. Anyway it can be replaced.


Im gonna try to post a pic so lets see how it goes. I have already tried and either i have the wrong extension or the file is to big.

[doubleduece]

Well I dont think that is how I wanted it to happen. Gonna keep tring until I get it right.

[stephensturman]

here is the min carpet anemone about the size of a quater for now!

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b276/stephensturman/DSC00833.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b276/stephensturman/DSC00831.jpg

[stephensturman]

i traded peanut butter cup zoas to random_ryan!

[Y-DesygnGuy]

Sweet! He has lots of nice stuff from what I hear.

[stephensturman]

yes he does got most of what is in my tank from him! the acans and tricolors i got yesterday were from him same with the superman zoa, and green armys