Anyone there?

[stonkers]

Any South Dakotans out there?

[mtellin]

Originally posted by stonkers
Any South Dakotans out there?
Yup, are you from SD? What area?

[Lunchbucket]

yep. sorry this area kind of died and i haven't looked here much

i am from brookings, u??

Lunchbucket

[mtellin]

Originally posted by Lunchbucket
yep. sorry this area kind of died and i haven't looked here much

i am from brookings, u??

Lunchbucket
One thing that might help, if you go just inside the forum, towards the bottom underneath where it has the new thread button, there is a link that says "Subscribe to this forum" that way if any posts or new threads are made, you will get an email, kind of handy since theres not a lot of posting going on here that way you wont forget about it :)

[Lunchbucket]

you are the smartest man alive!!

thanks!
Lunchbucket

[mtellin]

Originally posted by Lunchbucket
you are the smartest man alive!!

thanks!
Lunchbucket
no need to state the obvious :lol:

[stonkers]

I'm in Sioux Falls. Came here and saw absolutely nothing and figured I'd make a post.

I started doing salt water not too long ago and kept killing fish based on Patrick Petshop's advice. Started looking around online and absolutely fell in love with another 54 corner like I have with a reef setup.

Anyway, I'm going to need to make or have a canopy made to house lights and fan. Since it's a corner tank (rounded front), I'm thinking it would be tough to make myself. Any advice?

[Lunchbucket]

what do you have in there? what lights do you have or will have? live rock? skimmer?

please do elaborate more on your set up.

personally i think the easiest thing to do would be to get a pendant and use that, just hang it above the tank

check out www.lunchbucket.org for more info and pics on my set up


Lunchbucket

[mtellin]

This thread is a DIY 54 gal canopy, has some good pics, I'm sure if you PM'd him he would give you some more details of how it was made

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=158139

[Lunchbucket]

nice Latimer...good find. wonder how he did the curves??

Lunchbucket

[mtellin]

My guess is made with a pliable(sp?) wood that was steamed

[stonkers]

Thanks much for the link! I sent him a message.

What I have now is not good. I have about 35 pounds of live sand in there with the original light (25 watts) and a 15 watt I threw on there because I had it and found out the the live sand needs the light. For filtration I've got an Amiracle SR-50 sump and a Magnum 350 cannister under the tank. I killed some fish a while back and the only thing left is a starfish and some hermit crabs. My phosphate levels kept skyrocketing. At first, I was told to feed the fish 1 cube of brine shrimp a day. Killed some fish and went elsewhere and was told, dummy, only feed them once a week or your phosphate levels will kill them. I did and the phosphate still raised. The guy blamed it on my fake crushed coral in the bottom and sold me some live sand but didn't tell me about the need for more light with it. I still killed more fish but never found out why that time. I'm done talking to pet shop Pete; he just keeps making me spend more money (oh, you need the 50 gallon jug of Phos-X). Yeah, it's expensive, but you have to have it if you plan to feed your fish...

I didn't know what I was doing wrong, so decided to mimic someone with the same tank. I don't have my setup purchased yet. Here is the one I was planning on copying:

http://saltaquarium.about.com/library/blank/bltankjfletcher.htm

See that pretty canopy. He had a carpenter build it for him. I've e-mailed him quite a bit and he's steered me fairly well I think. I'm just kind of a DIY guy (cheap).

I'd really appreciate any advice you folks could give me. I don't want to kill anymore fish!

Thanks,
Eric

[Lunchbucket]

hey nice name by the way...i'm an Eric too :D :D :D (mike shut up...no comments)

ok, sounds like we need to do a LOT OF WORK. 1st off tell the Local Fish Store (LFS) people to go **** themselves...they usually don't know ****. then i suggest you read the boards a TON. get a good marine book ect and read read read read read.

by the way live sand (LS) really doesn't need light. hell live rock (LR) doesn't even need it to be a filter...it does to have coraline...so you have been misinformed big time

1st off get rid of that damn magnum 350...it is just **** and is basically just trapping particles that will rot and throw off you system. you ONLY NEED LR and LS. you don't even need much LS...you can take dead sand (dry bagged stuff) and seed it w/ a few lbs of LS and it will do just fine!!

phosphate problems huh. do you top off your tank w/ tap water???? that would be a HUGE source for phosphate...food too. you DO NOT feed one WHOLE cube to your fish every time. i have a 20gal w/ 4 fish and i bet i feed 1/8 or so!!!! that is one of you problems FEEDING TOO MUCH. and you DO want to feed them EVERY day. would you like to eat only once/wk????

do you have bioballs in your sump?? if so you will need to get rid of those too before you get a HUGE amount of nitrate built up from them trapping stuff.

you do not want crushed coral (CC) it traps food and stuff and will cause you problems....dead sand seeded w/ LS is BEST.

well, do you want a reef or a Fish Only With Live Rock (FOWLR)???? if you want a reef you will NEED more light. i suggest metal halides (MH) if you want to keep anything cool like small polyped stoney (SPS) corals. if you only want sofites and large polyped stoneys (LPS) you could probably use VHO's...but in that small of a hood you wont have **** unless you do MH's.

do you have a skimmer? i am sure not. you will NEED one...well don't need one but they make life a LOT easier and they are basically essential for SPS. they take out a lot of the dead decaying matter so you don't have it in your tank.

i am sure mike and i have some stuff we could help you get started with but your set up sounds like **** (sorry but telling it the way it is :D ) so you will need quite a bit of $$ to get going good.

any ?'s just ask i am always here to help.
Lunchbucket
aka Eric

[mtellin]

Eric (geeze I always thought your name was Lunchbucket? :P) pretty much hit on everything I think so I'm sure I'll end up piggybacking on some of what he said.

What equipment do you have right now? Skimmer? Whats in your sump? How is it set up? any live rock/live sand in there?

Are you using the Magnum 350 with the media in there? Or empty just for circulation? The filter sleeve on there can become a nitrate trap, are your nitrate levels ok? Especially if you have bioballs in your sump too....

What I would do, is NEVER believe what a LFS person tells you, and search/ask your questions on here, LFS people are in it to make money and people on here are not. You'll notice that once you get into it, you dont need a LOT of the stuff they tell you, a perfect setup IMO is live sand, live rock, skimmer rated for way over tank size, strong lighting, tons of current.

I would ditch the crushed coral....shoot for about 4-6" of sand in the main tank, wouldnt have to be live, you could use all dry sand in there and I'm sure Lunchbucket and I would both be willing to give you a cup of sand from our tanks to seed it, I have bristleworms up the *)$ :)

I would also add more live rock depending on what type is in there now, if its a dense live rock definitely add more, like 1-2 lbs per gallon of water. Ditch the Magnum 350, I made the same mistake when I first started my reef, If your using bioballs in the sump, get rid of em!!!

Unless you are doing FOWLR and not planning on any corals other than maybe a few mushrooms I would DEFINITELY increase that lighting, I as well would suggest halides, it took me a LONG time to finally upgrade to them from VHO's and now I wonder why I didnt do it sooner, worth every penny, whenever anyone comes over the first comment they make is the "ripple lines" they make on the sand, rocks etc, not to mention how much better they grow your corals :)

For a rough estimate, what I would shoot for(and this is assuming you want a reef) is like 2x250 MH or 1x400MH, about 20x turnover, maybe like a Euroreef ES5-1 skimmer, more live rock, more live sand, and if you dont want a DSB in your main tank, put it in your sump, thats kind of how mine is set up, I have about 4" in my main tank, but I have a 6" DSB in my sump to make up for it.

The other thing I would like to add, is chemicals, like Phos-X...should NEVER be needed, they just cover up the problem they dont fix the problem, find the root of whats causing your nitrates(though I suspect its overfeeding with either no skimmer or a small skimmer). Think about it, do they dump Phos-X in the ocean :)

[stonkers]

...DSB?

Definitely want to go Reef! I'd like this to be a stepping stone to building an in-wall tank (maybe 300 gallon). I'm handy and love to have projects. Maybe a year before I'd like to begin planning it.

Yep, Sump's got it's original setup. In the overflow there's a sponge thingy, water flows down from there into the top of the sump box and through a piece of scrub rag looking media into the bio-balls, and down into the sump. It has a Rio 600 circulating the water through there. I have a heater down in the sump also. I also had a little Rio in the tank for circulation but took it out (don't ask why - I think it had something to do with the suction cups wearing out and not having the right size for it any more). The only thing I have in the tank right now is 35 pounds of live sand, a starfish, and some hermit crabs. There's some major reddish brown colored algae that went haywire in there so I took the decorative rock out.

The guy's tank I was looking at had a couple tupperware containers filled with live sand in the sump that the water flowed through before it was pumped back up to the tank and lights in the sump. Good idea?

So, keep the 350 with just the micron cartridge on it or ditch it completely. What about live sand in there?

[Lunchbucket]

DSB = deep sand bed usually refers to 4-6" one...do some searches on here about DSB

well, you will want to ditch the scubber media on the top of the sump and the bioballs too.

DEFINATELY get rid of the rio pumps before you have one fry out and kill EVERYTHING.

so where is your LR??? you will have some diatoms, algae, etc with you high phosphates. what are you nitrates? do you use RO water or tap water for your top off???

Mike used to have the tupperware containers for a sump and refugium similar to what you decribed...i think he is MUCH happier w/ a cheap glass tank that has baffles in it for the sump.

well you will need new lights then and you will need a skimmer (ASAP on the skimmer)

i hope your rock is still in heated circulating salt water or you have some dead rock on your hands that is worth NOTHING.

i would suggest 1x400w 20K radium MH and a Euro-Reef ES5-2 skimmer.

got more ?'s
Lunchbucket

[tcaquati]

Hi all welcome eric. This is Chad & Tina. We are living in marshall mn now. If you need a cup of sand or some bristle worms or strombus let us know. but mikey will be closer and the stuff is from the same stock. He only started with about 6 bristles:D we you get some more lighting we will even donate you a couple of mushrooms:)
Safari has some excaliber skimmers that work good.

C&T

[stonkers]

re: i think he is MUCH happier w/ a cheap glass tank that has baffles in it for the sump.

What are baffles?

I've done some top-offs with tap water (not Sioux Falls water, Hartford water). Should I Phos-X it to kill the phosphates I've introduced? I can test the Phosphates, but even when I was using only RO Water, the Phosphates would build up on me. Sounds like that could be the bio-balls?

I have no Live rock yet. Where do I get it? Mini-Critters? Price?

And the skimmer. It looks like it sits in the Sump. Does the pump that comes with it circulate the water in and out of the sump? I don't even understand the concept of how a protien skimmer works...

[mtellin]

Originally posted by stonkers
re: i think he is MUCH happier w/ a cheap glass tank that has baffles in it for the sump.

What are baffles?

I've done some top-offs with tap water (not Sioux Falls water, Hartford water). Should I Phos-X it to kill the phosphates I've introduced? I can test the Phosphates, but even when I was using only RO Water, the Phosphates would build up on me. Sounds like that could be the bio-balls?

I have no Live rock yet. Where do I get it? Mini-Critters? Price?

And the skimmer. It looks like it sits in the Sump. Does the pump that comes with it circulate the water in and out of the sump? I don't even understand the concept of how a protien skimmer works...
If you are using tap water I would recommend your first upgrade be a RO(preferably RO/DI) system, I have a 3 stage RO system right now that I got for just over 100.00, works excellent, check out http://www.aquaticreefsystems.com/ IMO they are THE best company out there for RO systems, very friendly, always willing to go the extra mile etc etc etc, I remember a long time ago when I needed to get new filters for mine I called them up and spoke with Bryan, BS'd for about an hour and a half ended up sending me prefilters for free along with my RO filter...I'm stuck with them for life :)

Basically baffles in the sump are to divide it up, for example in my sump I have a 20 L tank, the first part of it is a refugium, which spills over into the skimmer chamber, which spills over into another empty chamber that only houses my heater, which spills into another chamber that has my return pump and float valve. Why baffles? they eliminate bubbles because it forces them to the surface.

For live rock, Id stay away from Minis!!!! Last I checked it was like 7.00 a pound and it doesnt even come with the vaseline :eek2: If you need a fair amount of it, youd probably have better luck ordering it online in like a 45lb box, you will end up spending less than you would per pound at a LFS, sometimes Safari will have theirs marked down to like 4.99 a pound but you can still find it cheaper online and its usually better quality.

I attached a pic which shows the left side of my sump, the far left as I said above is the refugium, the white pvc part is the drain from the overflow, and then the other thing on the right is my Euroreef CS6-1, in simplest terms a protein skimmer creates millions of tiny bubbles, the smaller the better, and protein attaches to the bubbles which rises to the surface and pop, leaving the scum at the top which spills over into the "collection cup". My camera isnt that great but if you look at the top of my protein skimmer, do you see that DARK BROWN NASTY stuff at the top? Thats what its pulling out of my tank!!! Good thing I took the pic its time to empty that sucker out :)

http://mtellin.xtrememass.com/aquarium/images/sump.jpg

[stonkers]

Is there a glossary somewhere? Refugium?

Here's the RO/DI I was planning on getting:

http://www.h2ofix.com/RODI.htm

Sounds like you guys think Protien Skimmer is first on my list of things to get, right?

2 - RO/DI
3 - Lights
4 - More live sand to a total of 3-4"
5 - Live Rock
7 - Reef creatures...

What's up with curing Live Rock and do I need to do it if I order it on line?

[Lunchbucket]

well 1st off you link didn't work

i would say you list is off too!!!

get your ro and skimmer 1st!! and don't get a damn safariland excaliber they suck for the $$ you spend!!!

2- more sand (dead seeded w/ some live)
3- 45-80lbs of LR. order online try www.gulf-view www.premiuawuatics.com www.ffexpress.com lots of other places to get it too.
4- More lights
5- wait quite a freaking while
6- some fish
7- wait
8-wait
9- try some hardy corals

i would order you rock online. you will get WAY WAY WAY better rock than anyplace around here and prolly for 1/2 the price.

as for curing....in shipping LR you will have some die off of the bacteria, worms, pods, etc and it will foul your tank. that is why you will have you skimmer already running to pull out all the nasties. you ammonia will spike and drop, then nitrite, then nitrate...when you nitrate is sarting to climb and your ammoniz and nitrite are 0 you cycle should be done. do a water change a wait quite a while. you will have diatoms and sometimes hair algae blooms. after waiting quite a while then you can had fish SLOWLY.

as for tap water...don't even risk it. you will get so much **** in there you don't want.

Lunchbucket

[31-2c]

Eric, deffinately do not use Hartford tap water. I used to live there, and it is about the worst water I have ever tested. It sounds like the others have covered things pretty well. I would get rid of the SL-50 sump. They are fine for small tanks 20 gallons or so, but nothing bigger. I found that a cheap 20 Long or a 29 gallon tank works wonders as a Sump/Refugium.

As for a skimmer, there are only 2 I would even consider. Euroreef and My Reef. I use a My Reef. These are not cheap items. If you buy a cheap skimmer, you get what you pay for.

If you are just getting started, I would say you are about a year away from having a decent tank, If you do it right. I didnt do it right the first time, and I still don't have the tank that I want, and its been a little over a year.

Best piece of advice you have been given, is read. And keep asking questions.

David

[31-2c]

Hey Mike, What kind of bulbs do you have hanging over your refugium? Brand? Type? where did you get them? I am looking for something like that for my fuge, do they give off much heat?

David

[mtellin]

Originally posted by 31-2c
Hey Mike, What kind of bulbs do you have hanging over your refugium? Brand? Type? where did you get them? I am looking for something like that for my fuge, do they give off much heat?

David
Hey David,
I got my refugium bulbs from Menards in Sioux Falls here, I bought them well over a year ago so I cant remember the exact brand, if I remember right though these are NOT the Lights of America bulbs everyone was talking about, that was my original intent was to go in and get those bulbs but I dont think they carried them.

I do remember they had 2 different wattages, one was about a 20-25 watt bulb and the other was like a 60-65 watt bulb, I got two of the 65 watters. I have no issues with heat, but the back of my stand is open and they arent very close to the water, I can tell you I've bumped my arm against them while removing macro and they are hot as &$%$

If it helps I think the bulbs were like 7-8 a pop, pretty cheap, not all that yellow either, they def grow macro!!! I only have one on most of the time because I got sick of pruning all the time :)

HTH,
Mike

[31-2c]

Thanks for the info Mike, I am currently using a 150 watt plant bulb and I am having some heat problems. My sump/Refugium is in a closet. I have tried adding extra ventilation, but still gets a little warm.

Thanks again

David

[stonkers]

You folks forgot to answer my refugium question, so I did some investigation and here's what I found at:

http://saltaquarium.about.com/library/weekly/aa041400.htm

What Is A Refugium?
Several years ago, FAMA and other aquarium periodicals brought the refugium to our attention. There resulted a flurry of "how-to's" and "why-for's" that occupied many pages in many magazines and continues to be the subject of new inquiries. So, from a non-scientific and hobbyist's perspective, let's talk refugiums!

Essentially, a refugium is nothing more than a refuge from predation. Sessile inverts and other delicate species need a place to call their own and the advent of the refugium was just the ticket! Isolated, but connected to the main display tank, the refugium allows for common water filtration while at the same time keeping more aggressive fish from impacting it. Follows is a diagram showing a simplified refugium setup. Notice how the water is delivered to the unit and how it drains back into the display tank and/or sump.

I'll take this opportunity to point out that a true refugium is NOT a reverse photosynthesis device! Nope, those are another animal altogether! True refugiums are meant to be SEEN as is the main show tank! Reverse photosynthesis arrangements are meant to be installed beneath the display tank and are a means of primary biological filtration. Not so the refugium!

The focus here is to provide a "quiet" zone for Seahorses, Peppermint Shrimps and other denizens that would otherwise not last long at all in a community tank. While benefiting from the improved water quality that most reef systems provide, this isolation allows for spawning in our shrimps or other animals, as well as providing a nice sand bed for beneficial worms and other sifters.

So by this definition, are we talking refugium, or Reverse Photosynthesis Arrangement?

[Lunchbucket]

nice to see you researching!! that helps a lot.

everyone calls a both the same thing...they just state what light cycle they have thiers on. mikes and most others are in thier sump and are lite 24/7

hey 31-2c you live in Rapid? i am leaving for Hot Springs tonight. you don't have any frags do you :D

Lunchbucket

[stonkers]

How many watts do I need in there once it's setup?

I've got a 40 tall I'm not using, will that work for a refugium/sump? How do I make the baffles for it? Plexiglass and silicone calk? How about the height of the baffles?

[31-2c]

Sorry Lunch, no frags.

I actually live north east of Rapid out in the middle of nowhere.

If you get the chance, check out Trish's Fish's on Mount Rushmore Road in Rapid. There advice sucks, but they get some nice stuff once in a while. They also take trips and collect their own a couple times a year. They brought back some really nice fish from Florida and Hawaii last year.

David

[31-2c]

Stonkers, what are the dimensions of the 40 tall? I used a 29 gallon for my sump. I just got some pieces of glass and siliconed them in for baffles. I was able to get 3 sections in the 29, one for a refugium, one for skimmer pump, and one for return. It cost me $30 for the glass, but that was because I had one piece drilled. The glass itself was only $15. Another $15 for 3 tubes of silicone and Wally World and I was set.


If you get a My Reef skimmer, you can run it externally so it doesn't take up so much room in the sump.

David

[mtellin]

Originally posted by stonkers
How many watts do I need in there once it's setup?

I've got a 40 tall I'm not using, will that work for a refugium/sump? How do I make the baffles for it? Plexiglass and silicone calk? How about the height of the baffles?
Watts per gallon is kind of irrelevant to a point, if you put a 60 watt incandescent bulb over a glass of water youd have a very high watt/gal but it still wouldnt grow anything but algae :)

If you are looking for a ROUGH estimate.....Id say 4-6 watts of VHO per gallon would be good for about anything other than some SPS and clams

If you are looking for high light SPS, clams and that type of thing you'd prob want to shoot for 10 watts/gallon or over of metal halide

For baffles, youd want to measure how far down your tank will drain to(IE to the bottom of the teeth on the overflow) then take L x W x H where H is the amount in inches your tank would drain down(something like an inch or so) divide by 231 and you will know how much room you need to allow for in your sump.

Baffle height would need to allow for the extra water you just calculated to be held in the sump for when the main pump is off or power goes out etc If I remember right my baffle height is like 8" on the far left side down to 5-6" on the far right

[stonkers]

This calculation is a little different with my tank. It's a corner tank and thus L X W X H won't really work. I think I can do the same calculation, though, with my sump by measuring the height it raises when I unplug and using your formula.

Where I got lost was the different sized baffles. So the water will come into the first compartment (which since your left baffle is tallest, I'm assuming we're talking the far left for you). This is your refugium, correct? You put live sand and what else in there? Then it flows over the first baffle into the compartment with your Protein Skimmer. Finally it flows over the second baffle where your pump is and the water is pumped back up to the tank. Now where I'm lost, is it going over the top of the baffles or are there holes in the baffles? I'm thinking over the top and the height that you are allowing for power outage is above the top of the baffles.

I'm not sure on the 40 tall dimensions. I'll have to measure when I get home. I'll see if it even fits well below my tank. I really appreciate all of the advise you've all been giving me. It looks like this is going to be a helluva hobby. I get the sense of community out there...

[rcarrington]

Originally posted by mtellin
My guess is made with a pliable(sp?) wood that was steamed

Eric, I PM'd you back -- I'm working on a webpage that shows how I made the canopy; should be done soon.

The project was actually quite easy for me (first woodworking project). If you've done wood contruction before, it will be a breeze.

There are only a few curves, which were all jigged out (sorry mtellin!).

I'll keep you posted on that webpage via email.

Ryan

[31-2c]

Stonkers, Sounds like you pretty much have the refugium figured out, Usually you put Live sand and Algae in there. The algae is used for nutrient export. I have mine set up a little different as I wanted a slower flow through my refugium.

The water flows over the baffles.

David

[Lunchbucket]

31-2c - went to trishes fishes...umm, yeah that place SUCKS. i never saw one good thing in there. maybe i caught them at a bad time. hell minicritters is practically better than them

Lunchbucket

[stonkers]

Not even close to fitting in the under tank compartment of the 54 corner. I'll have to find a tank that will fit there so I can dump the amiracle. What cycle do you set the lights at for the refugium (24x7)? Where do I go to get the Algae to put in the refugium? Is there a specific type I should be getting? Is there a better place than Mini Critters to get live sand in Sioux Falls? I plan to order the RO/DI and Protein Skimmer this weekend.

Any critique on my RO/DI or Skimmer choices?

RO/DI:
http://www.h2ofix.com/RODI.htm

Skimmer:
http://www.marinedepot.com/a_ps_euroreef.asp?CartId=

[Lunchbucket]

well if you links worked i could help you out

Lunchbucket

[stonkers]

I fixed them. The link maker is weird. You paste it in there and say ok and then have to paste it in again... Should work now.

[Lunchbucket]

the 1st line is for typing text like "this is my skimmer i am getting" then you paste the link after you clicked ok. read the writing in the box...it will help you understand it better :D

also which euro reef you gettin? it just pulls up the WHOLE page of them. which model you getting??

Lunchbucket

[31-2c]

Lunch, Thats the best shop within 100 miles of me! LOL. It is very rare that they have any corals. Does safariland still carry the occasional decent coral? It sounds like I will be heading that way over easter.

Stonkers, Your links do not work. I see the skimmer must be a Euroreef, can't go wrong there. As for the RO/DI, I would have to see it before I comment. As for the live sand, I would look into getting some dry sand, and then seed it. It sounds like you have enough fellow reefers around there that I bet you could talk them into giving, trading, selling you a cup of sand out of there tanks to get your sandbed going. Anyone know of a place around Sioux Falls that has a good supply of sand? If not, you can go with www.purearagonite.com. There prices are pretty good, and its great sand. Certainly a ton cheaper than buying all live sand. As for a sump, You will have to do some measuring to see what will fit in your stand. A 20 long, or a 29 would make a great sump.

David

[stonkers]

RO/DI (http://www.h2ofix.com/RODI.htm)
Skimmer (ES5-2) (http://www.marinedepot.com/a_ps_euroreef.asp?CartId=)

I liked the price of the ES5-2 and it sounded like Lunchbucket was happy with it.

I e-mailed back and forth with a guy that just loved that RO/DI and has had it for quite a while. He said they had great customer service also...

Is there a need to simulate sunrise/sunset in the lighting? I was checking out a tank that had VHO Actinic for sunrise/sunset and MH added for the normal day hours. Overkill?

[Lunchbucket]

i like dawn/dusk lighting. then you can see stuff glow under the actinics and you can have a lower light period before you blast them w/ a MH

Lunchbucket

[mtellin]

Originally posted by stonkers

Is there a need to simulate sunrise/sunset in the lighting? I was checking out a tank that had VHO Actinic for sunrise/sunset and MH added for the normal day hours. Overkill?
I dont think there is necessarily a need for it, but it can look kinda neat seeing your corals under actinic only. From the time my halides turn on to the time they are actually at full force it takes almost a minute so its not like its all of a sudden black then all of a sudden blinding light

[wademcarthur]

Lunchbucket and 31-2-C?

Everything in my tank came from Trish's in Rapid City!

You're right, it does suck but I'm in Chadron, NE and it's the only place within 200 miles!

I've bought a Colt coral, several mushrooms, a pulsing xenia, and a montipora frag to name a few and to give them some credit, everything I've ever bought with the exception of an anemone lived.

To take away some credit: They're the &$#*%#%'s who convinced me that I needed an undergravel filter! It's coming out soon!

I was there last week and they really don't have much now. Sometimes are better than others. Try again sometime Lunchbucket. I bought an awesome leather there a while back although I'll probably be selling it back to them because I'm getting started with SPS.

Anyway, always fun to hear people gripe about Trish's.

Wade

[31-2c]

Wade,

The last time you were there, did you notice that they are now using Sumps? and that they took out the crushed shell substrates and put in sandbeds (sort of)? The anemone's they get all seem to be of poor health, with the exception of the large LTA that they refuse to sell. They wouldn't even sell me the clone when it split. I was just there on Saturday, and they didn't have much of anything. They did have a nice leather, but I was afraid to ask what they wanted for it. They are usually pretty proud of the few corals they do get in. I did get a couple fish at Pet Paradise on the West side of town. Their tanks leave a lot to be desired, but the prices are very good, IMO.

David

[wademcarthur]

I didn't notice the sumps but I did notice the sand. Have you ever noticed what they price aragonite sand at? Take a look sometime, you'll laugh.

I'll agree, their anemones are usually junk except for the one enormous one. You have to be really careful what you buy there and it is kind of expensive but I like being able to see what I'm getting.

They had some really nice, ENOURMOUS, cinnamon clowns a while back for $15. I bought one to replace the one that my wife loved so much that we lost a while back.

Ask what they want for live rock sometime. Last time I asked, he wanted $10 a pound but later, I bought a rock with two large mushrooms and a montipora on it that probably weighed 7-8 pounds for $60. Go figure, I think their prices change depending on individual mood swings.

Where do you live at anyway? I'm in middle of nowhere Nebraska. Actually about 12 miles east of Chadron.

[31-2c]

The other thing you have to watch out for at Trish's is their identification of things. More than once has something been mis-identified by them. I bought what the described as "a small yellow goby", what it actually was, was a Spotted Jaw Fish.

I also believe their prices vary from person to person. I have heard them quote outrages prices on clownfish to "newbies" They sold the fish at the same time they sold them the tank.


I live right smack dab in the middle of nowhere. Perfectly situated between Pierre and Rapid City.

[Travis]

HI ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good to see I'm not the only South Dakotan here.

I would have to agree that the LFS's around here suck. I remember all the problems I had when I first set my tank up. The only thing I knew was what they told me. Since I have taken the time to research I have pretty much redone everything the right way.

Does anyone have any live sand they would like to trade? I have a DSB in my refugium that is crawling with life. Several months ago I seeded the sand with a detrivore kit and some other stuff from Inland Aquatics.

Next weekend I am going to go through the tedious process of converting the sandbed in my display tand to a dsb.

When I do this conversion I will be getting rid of some corals. I am converting my tank to only sps, xenia, and my big LTA. Therefore, I will be getting rid of all the other corals in my tank. I also have a grow-out tank with lots of different frags for trade/sale.

If anyone is interested I can post a list of white I will be getting rid of.

Also, is anyone else here going to IMAC?

Travis

[mtellin]

Originally posted by Travis
HI ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good to see I'm not the only South Dakotan here.

I would have to agree that the LFS's around here suck. I remember all the problems I had when I first set my tank up. The only thing I knew was what they told me. Since I have taken the time to research I have pretty much redone everything the right way.

Does anyone have any live sand they would like to trade? I have a DSB in my refugium that is crawling with life. Several months ago I seeded the sand with a detrivore kit and some other stuff from Inland Aquatics.

Next weekend I am going to go through the tedious process of converting the sandbed in my display tand to a dsb.

When I do this conversion I will be getting rid of some corals. I am converting my tank to only sps, xenia, and my big LTA. Therefore, I will be getting rid of all the other corals in my tank. I also have a grow-out tank with lots of different frags for trade/sale.

If anyone is interested I can post a list of white I will be getting rid of.

Also, is anyone else here going to IMAC?

Travis
Hey Travis,
I'd be willing to swap some sand if you want, my fuge is loaded with pods. SPS only huh? you'd fit in REALLY well then :) Sure you want to keep the xenia in the tank if it ends up being primarily SPS though?

[Lunchbucket]

sweet...another SF guy :D and an SPS freak too!!

well do you have any sps to trade? i could maybe have a few tiny (1-2") frags of some cool stuff to trade for different SPS i don't have...otherwise i don't have too much.

when you get SPS are you buying colonies or frags? maybe then we could swap.

hell, mike we should all three throw in an order and save on the cost :D maybe buy some frags or a few colonies and split them.

Lunchbucket

[Travis]

Let's do a sand swap then. Will sometime during the week of 4/20 work for you? What type of sand do you have? Anyone else interested?

I'm pretty sure I want to keep the xenia. I have always loved them. I just can't see myself getting rid of them. I do plan to keep them isolated on an island on my sandbed to keep them from spreading.

I do have some sps for trade. Mostly small (1") frags right now. Got a couple larger ones (3") with many branches. I have only purchased 2 colonies. The others are frags. Actually I just got a bunch of frags from Patrick at SPSFrags.com. It was spendy but the frags are beautiful. I've also ordered frags from a couple other places off the net.

I wouldn't mind doing a group order.

Travis

[Lunchbucket]

cool what do you have to trade?? pics??? i would trade w/ you

Lunchbucket

[Travis]

Alright, here is what I have:

Small elkhorn montipora frags--these are less than an inch but I have mounted 4-6 per rock. I'm thinking this will make for an awesome growth form. You can see a pic of the colony/frag that I got at www.spsfrags.com. Just go to the sps link.

I have another frag that is unidentified. It came from Mini-Critters. I think it is probably an acropora nana. The colony was brown at the store. My mom kept it in her tank under VHO's. It grew but stayed brown. When I put some frags in my tank under my lighting(2 X 250W Saki's, 1 X 250W DE HQI 20K, and 440W actinic VHO) they turned deep purple with a bright green hue. The frags are about an inch.

I also have another colony that came from Mini Critters. Unidentified. Some type of a bushy acro. It is bright green with white polyps. Frags are 2-3" with MANY branches.

Another unidentified colony from Mini Critters. Some type of Cluster Acropora. The colony was pink with pink polyps when my mom bought it. After several months in her tank it has turned a greenish brown with green polyps. I have recently moved the colony to my tank and am waiting for it to change color. These frags are about 1".

I've got a couple more small colonies that I got from spsfrags.com. The only way I will frag them right now is if you have something really cool to trade. Otherwise, I would like to wait until they form good bases and grow out more.

If you want any of these frags it would be in your best interest to get them before this weekend. They will be encountering some stress as I am converting my display tank sandbed to a dsb.

Travis

[Lunchbucket]

well i really don't have any way to get them before the weekend. also what would you want in trade??

Lunchbucket

[Travis]

That's fine if you can't get them before the weekend. What kind of sps do you have? I'm guessing you must have some with cool colors under that 400W Radium. I forgot, I also have a small(3/4") pocillopora damicornis frag.

Travis

[31-2c]

Travis

What other corals are you getting rid of? It looks like I will be heading that direction this next weekend.

David

[Lunchbucket]

check out my web page man.

also, i could maybe make it on sunday....very iffy but maybe

Lunchbucket

[Travis]

I also have a bunch of zoo frags for sale, small colt frags, brown shrooms, pink grape, large umbrella leather, a couple small Devil's Hand frags, some xenia elongata, a figi pumping xenia, gsp, blue shrooms, large colt, trumpet, small kenya tree frag, red/green open brain.

What days will you be in town? I will be tearing my tank down on Saturday morning so the corals won't be in the tank to view for a couple days while the sand settles.

Lunchbucket: The link to your homepage doesn't work. Sunday wouldn't work too good because everything will be torn down.

Travis

[31-2c]

Travis, Will get there sometime friday evening. I can not pick anything up until probably monday. that is when I will head back home.

I would be interested in the Leather and Colt, depending on what you mean by Large. Maybe even some Xenia and the open brain.

Give me an idea on size, as well as a price.

Thanks

David

[Lunchbucket]

web page is www.lunchbucket.org

Lunchbucket

[Travis]

Lunchbucket: You're link is still not working for me.

David: If you want you could stop by after I get off work on Friday, which is at 10PM. Otherwise, sometime early Saturday would be ok too. This way you would be able to see what the corals look like before I have to tear down my tank for a couple days. Then I can wait until Monday to bag them for you.

Umbrella Leather--5-6" tall and 2-3" wide. Asking $40 as it is attached to a large rock. If you don't want the rock we can chip the small piece of the rock that it is attached to off and I'll sell it for $35.

Colt--this has been my mother colony for frags. The first time I pruned her was about a year ago. I pruned her again in January. Without frequent pruning this colony gets too big for my tank. Right now the colony is about 4" wide by 5" high. Before pruning it was at least twice this size. It is also on a large rock. I would not be able to chip the colt off as the base is too big. There is also a small daughter colony on this rock right next to the mother. This was a result of natural reproduction by branchlet dropping. This rock also has a couple shrooms attached to it. $35

Xenia elongata--self explanatory. $10 per head

Umbrella xenia--forgot to include this in my last post. Look at picture in this thread: http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=172997 $10 per head

Fiji pumping xenia--words can't describe how beautiful this is. Doesn't grow like most other xenia. Long, thick stalk with mushrooming head. Have to see it. The one I will sell also has a daughter colony coming up from the base. $30

Open brain--5-6" wide in all directions when expanded. Red color on outside and green in the middle. Extends feeding tentacles during feeding and at night. Has been in my tank for over 2 years. $50

Travis

[Lunchbucket]

in your address box in the internet type in www.lunchbucket.org that is my web page and it IS working. if it doesn't work for you something is wrong w/ your computer or internet.

i would like some frags man. i just need to get to SF and you need to let me know what you want

Lunchbucket

[mtellin]

Maybe he's just in awe of your amazing web design :)

heheh sorry couldnt resist

[Lunchbucket]

LOL, you mean my ghetto web pages.

hey mike you konw you could share your skills and help me do a new one...

Lunchbucket

[mtellin]

Originally posted by Lunchbucket
LOL, you mean my ghetto web pages.

hey mike you konw you could share your skills and help me do a new one...

Lunchbucket
skills? HA takes me like 8 hours to make a decent image for my site when I should be bustin my butt in the gym :)

Though if you want I could think of a few programs that have some good templates that might look nice for ya...

[Travis]

Finally got into your site. I would be interested in the green monti, orange monti, pink and orange digi, purple tip acro. Also would be interested in some small frags from the following pics (if they are big enough to frag):
http://www.lunchbucket.org/images/20H%20pics/March%2012,%202003/DSCF0016.JPG
http://www.lunchbucket.org/images/20H%20pics/March%2012,%202003/DSCF0026.JPG

Travis

[Lunchbucket]

LOL, you picked EVERYTHING in my tank that isn't big enough to frag man!!! i have green monti digitata, purple digitata, pocillopora, maybe a birdsnest frag, could get any one of my monti caps BUT my orange one, candycane...other thank that everything is TOO small for fragging. sorry...by the end of summer i should be able to get one.

Lunchbucket

[31-2c]

Travis

I would like to take a look at those. If you could get me your address and some general directions, That would be great. When would you prefer I come by?

David

[Travis]

David: I sent you a pm.

Lunchbucket: That sucks. I'll take a frag of your green digi and green cap. I already have a Bird's Nest, Pocillopora, and Purple Digi. Since you don't have much to trade right now I can negotiate prices for my frags. Probably around $10 per frag.

Travis

[Lunchbucket]

well get me some pics and what size and we will talk.

that green cap isn't the bright green one...it is a grey green

Lunchbucket

[Travis]

I don't have a digital camera so I can't get my pics on my computer. I guess you'll just have to see them in person. Green, grey green, poop green, booger green--it doesn't matter, I just want a cap.

Travis

[Lunchbucket]

LOL, i will get a a freg of the electric orange one when i can.

hmm, the i coudl get you 2 caps right now. i have 4 in my tank. 2 wierd colored (the ones i could get get you) the bright green and electric orange

Lunchbucket

[Travis]

I'm finally getting settled down again after converting my sandbed to a dsb and going to IMAC.

Lunchbucket: Are you still wanting to trade frags? Mine have all recovered from the stress of the dsb conversion and are ready to go.

Mtellin: Are you still up for a sand swap?

Anyone else that would like to trade any sps frags or swap sand let me know. I will only trade for fine sand though.

Travis