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Buy your rock dry and seed it with a little live rock. It'll save you money and helps keep down on pests that get introduced.
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Sep 19, 2013 19:06
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Definitely. My biggest regret with my current tanks are that I did not use more dry rock and less live rock. Also I am definitely going to let my rock cycle in a rubber maid container in the future, so I can quarantine it. And get a frag tank. Fighting mojanos, apitasia, bubble algae, and all the other pests sucks big time.
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Sep 19, 2013 20:08
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Thanks for advice, all. I appreciate it. After some research I feel pretty comfortable starting with my lighting by building a dimmable 12 led unit, for basically the same cost I would've paid for T5s, and I can do another one of them in a few months when I'm ready to add more.
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Sep 20, 2013 02:14
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Man, gently caress reefcentral. They removed my FS: thread because I don't have 50 posts. 50 posts? Seems like quite a lot just to use the forums for what they're designed for.
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Sep 20, 2013 16:55
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SaNChEzZ posted:Man, gently caress reefcentral. They removed my FS: thread because I don't have 50 posts. 50 posts? Seems like quite a lot just to use the forums for what they're designed for. It was even more entertaining when their entire site was seemingly running on a 386 with a 14.4 modem.
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Sep 20, 2013 17:11
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All of their mods are 53 year old ladies from Idaho with names like Nancy and Leslie.
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Sep 20, 2013 17:35
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I'm just glad they get to enjoy 36 shitposts from user 'sanchezz' so I can put my nem up for sale again. Not in the classifieds, because they don't have those. 
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Sep 20, 2013 17:41
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edit: nevermind!
theres a will theres moe fucked around with this message at 05:03 on Sep 21, 2013 |
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Sep 21, 2013 05:01
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SaNChEzZ posted:I'm just glad they get to enjoy 36 shitposts from user 'sanchezz' so I can put my nem up for sale again. Not in the classifieds, because they don't have those. So.... How much you looking for?
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Sep 22, 2013 04:23
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Henchman 21 posted:So.... How much you looking for? Whatever I sold the last one to API for, for a goon. I've got a guy thaats supposedly going to pick it up tomorrow though. Also, ota in a Tupperware in the tank and somehow it managed to Houdini out of a hole in the Tupperware that's approximately smaller than a dime. Wtf, this thing is baseball sized when closed.
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Sep 22, 2013 07:42
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Sold it locally. Next time though!
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Sep 22, 2013 19:51
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I am thinking of getting into the saltwater game. What is the general opinion of the new Biocube tanks? I was going to use a 20 long or a 29 that I have lying around but I can get a really good deal on a 29 cube at my local mom and pop pet shop. I am planning on keeping it a Fowlr tank. Would I need to do any mods to it? Or is everything that comes with the tank of decent quality?
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Sep 24, 2013 14:46
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I have one of the new Coralife 29s, and it's been up as a reef tank for about a year now, so I'll chime in. For what it is, it's pretty decent. Don't trick yourself into thinking it's going to replace a 29g with a real sump, because it's not. The stock return pump makes a lot of heat, died within a year despite routine cleaning, and is kinda low-flow for the amount of heat it puts out. The stock bio-pellet setup is a nitrate trap, and gets thrown away almost instantly. The Coralife-branded skimmer is junk, skip it. The add-on LED bars are a joke, because the add-ons are like $40 a piece, for 3 very-low-power LEDs but that is an option if you aren't attracted to the different complete-replacement LED light kits out there. (My next big upgrade.) Did I mention heat? Holy gently caress. I'm running the stock PC lighting, a maxijet 1200 return pump, a Koralia nano powerhead, and a maxijet 400 driving the skimmer, in an air conditioned room @77F, and closing the hood access doors takes the water temp above 85F almost immediately. With the rear access and front feeding door open 24/7, it hovers just under 80F, with the (not-included) heater kicking in when the lights are out. Evaporative cooling is your friend. That said, it is awesome, for an all-in-one. I've added significantly to mine over time, including replacing the return pump with something not-Chinese-junk (Maxijet 1200,) a Tunze skimmer and auto-topoff (the auto topoff is MANDATORY, IMO) I have the pump coming for my carbon/phosban reactor, and I'm in the process of fabricating an algae scrubber, all with no external sump. (The reactor will live in the stand, but it will be powerhead-driven, not overflow or siphon-fed.) If you're in an apartment, or move a lot, it's a great choice, and the stock lighting has even proven capable of growing the lower-end SPS. (Pocillopora and Montipora in my tank.) Bonus hitchhiking pistol shrimp content:   (He went back in, was just checking if he was a mantis or not.)
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Sep 24, 2013 15:26
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Ive heard the heat issue is a lot better on the new biocubes. I dont have the means to drill for a sump so if I just go with a tank ill probably just use quite a but of rock, 2 powerheads and i have an ac70 I can throw on it as well for a small refugium or fill with crushed rock or something. Im just wanting to do a lightly stocked fowler tank so I wont need any special lighting. If what I just said is asinine or doesn't sound like a good plan please let me know, I've never done this and I'm learning on my own.
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Sep 24, 2013 17:05
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What kind of fish are you planning for a 29g FOWLR?
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Sep 24, 2013 17:07
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Whale Cancer posted:Ive heard the heat issue is a lot better on the new biocubes. I dont have the means to drill for a sump so if I just go with a tank ill probably just use quite a but of rock, 2 powerheads and i have an ac70 I can throw on it as well for a small refugium or fill with crushed rock or something. Im just wanting to do a lightly stocked fowler tank so I wont need any special lighting. My cube IS one of the newer ones, so you can take that heat issue to the bank. It would be less of a problem in a place where I could actually open the windows, but this is south Florida.  I don't know that I've ever seen one set up as FOWLR, but it should be pretty simple, just keep up with water changes, and set the middle chamber in the back up as a refugium. Fish are significantly more tolerant than corals. (In general) Also, keep in mind that your return pump counts as a de facto powerhead. (The discharge has a point able duckbill on it) If I were fish only, I probably wouldn't even bother with supplementary flow. An ATO would be a better investment. Lighting will be totally overkill, but will show the fishes' colors off REALLY well. Let us know what you decide on.
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Sep 24, 2013 17:59
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Wandering Orange posted:What kind of fish are you planning for a 29g FOWLR? There are quite a few things that interest me. I may end up going with a smaller tank and get a mantis. If I use a 29 or a 40 breeder I have laying around though I'd like to get a watchman goby/pistol shrimp combo and maybe some fancy clowns. I've always really enjoyed watching crabs and shrimp work the rockwork in saltwater tanks. I really need to research more nanosize fish. I'm a big puffer fan but there aren't any puffers that small, and most of the time puffers will snack on the cleanup crew. The only puffer I can think of that would fit in a 40 would be a valentini or a GSP.
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Sep 24, 2013 23:43
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I know this is a link to an external forum, but the article author requests it. http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/74703-lgreens-ultimate-guide-to-nano-fish/
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Sep 25, 2013 02:02
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How well do you know your local LFS and how set are you on keeping permanent residents in your tank? I know some people that continually buy baby fish of species that will outgrow their tank, grow them out, trade them to the LFS for more fish/whatever. You're taking a risk in assuming the LFS will want your fish, but if you talk to them and know that there's always a demand for a certain fish you like, it might widen your possibilities. Also, you are right: puffers are awesome. 
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Sep 25, 2013 14:38
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Last night I discovered two bristle worms in my nano and who knows how many there really are. I read up on them as best I could and I feel pretty grateful to have them. They are a good part of a clean up crew and the population can be controlled by it's environment, like lack off food and I love that they are there after some education. BUT.. They hypnotize me by their sheer creepiness. I get the shivers just thinking about them. Do bristle worms grow on people over time or what? Blehg. Has anyone here ever been poked by one?
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Sep 25, 2013 14:40
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Warsteiner posted:Last night I discovered two bristle worms in my nano and who knows how many there really are. I think fire worms are the ones you are to worry about, which aren't common in home aquarium settings. Regular bristleworms are neat though 
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Sep 25, 2013 22:58
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Warsteiner posted:Last night I discovered two bristle worms in my nano and who knows how many there really are. I find them interesting to watch, and I've had quite a few very large ones in my tank. And yeah, I've grabbed a handful of bristle worm numerous times while working in the tank. It's not the worst thing in the world, but it's worth wearing gloves to avoid. Once the bristles are well and truly in your skin, you're basically down to waiting for them to work themselves out. Ouch. I also had a Eunicid worm for a while. That was a real treat. No danger to me (though I imagine it could lay a hell of a bite on you if so inclined), but it probably killed twenty or thirty assorted snails and crabs. Castaign fucked around with this message at 01:27 on Sep 26, 2013 |
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Sep 26, 2013 01:18
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Definitely not fire worms! I think the worms are cute in a godawful way. It is a neat addition to the family. I'll keep my eye on them and pray that they don't magically get out of the aquarium and crawl on my face while I sleep. Maybe this is stupid and immature but I want to touch them like a kid wants to lick a 9 volt battery.
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Sep 26, 2013 13:42
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Touch one. They aren't much worse than licking a 9V.
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Sep 26, 2013 19:28
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I've caught a bristleworm chowing down on zoanthids before. All is not always happy sunshine in creepy alien worm land.
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Sep 27, 2013 13:59
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Welp, found out why some of my fish have been disappearing. I have a mantis shrimp in my tank. Must have come with one of the corals. How do I trap this thing before it murders again? LFS said use a water bottle on a string full of holes, if I see him go in it pull it up and cap it but it seems like it probably won't work. Any advice? Bastard is clicking now. Laughing at me.
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Oct 3, 2013 01:09
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Anhedonia posted:Welp, found out why some of my fish have been disappearing. I have a mantis shrimp in my tank. Must have come with one of the corals. How do I trap this thing before it murders again? LFS said use a water bottle on a string full of holes, if I see him go in it pull it up and cap it but it seems like it probably won't work. Any advice? Bastard is clicking now. Laughing at me. There's plenty of commercially available mantis traps on the market for relatively low cost (though I can't speak to their effectiveness). Here's a good thread on RC about mantis capture: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1710644 Have you lost a lot of your clean up crew as well? My understanding is that most mantis shrimp will prey predominantly on snails and crabs. Also, are you sure it's a mantis? Have you seen it? I know from your post history that as of late April you had a sailfin goby (presumably paired with a pistol shrimp). The clicking you hear could just as easily be the pistol shrimp.
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Oct 3, 2013 02:55
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I did get him on video, the people at my LFS seem quite sure he's a mantis, though he's only about two inches long right now. I had a goby who disappeared but I think the mantis shrimp may have been after him. I have three candycane shrimp, a sea hare nudibranch, two fire fish and a file fish that have all disappeared in the past 3 months or so. I still see some hermit crabs and snails around but I'm never really sure if the number is decreasing.
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Oct 3, 2013 03:13
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Wanna youtube that video so we can see? (I'm thinking: a small G. ternatensis (smasher) ... they're typically aggressive enough to go after both snails/crabs and fish in a tank and those are very commonly available in the trade as hitchhikers.)
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Oct 3, 2013 05:45
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I had a mantis hitchhiker a few months ago. Over two years, he killed countless snails, crabs and possibly my peppermint shrimp and tailspot blenny. I blocked his live rock hidey-hole with putty in the hopes of trapping him in there until he starved to death. The bloody sod only went and bashed a new hole in the rock two days later. I blocked the new opening with putty, and then pulled out the entire rock. Using a chisel, I broke it apart and saved him. Ended up giving him to a local reefer. Here's a crappy camera phone video of the little Robocop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpBj3xwBCg4 You can try this website for identifying your mantis. Apparently there's ~40 species commonly found as hitchhikers in the aquarium trade! http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthropoda/crustacea/malacostraca/eumalacostraca/royslist/index.html#directory
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Oct 3, 2013 07:27
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Reefapalooza was pretty awesome. Picked up like 10 pretty nice frags, 2 pieces of Vidarock and a small frag rack. I feel like home propagation must have really taken off because there were a lot of pretty nice, bright frags for great prices. Scolys and acans are still overpriced but there were tons of nice Zoas and sps frags for like $10-$20. Someone had gorgeous RBTAs similar to Sanchezs for $50 for a small size. I would have totally picked it up if I didn't already have a not as nice one dominating a key piece of real estate in my tank.
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Oct 14, 2013 07:45
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 This is what happens if you let a M. spongodes grow all the way to the surface. Bonus--spongodes colony also growing straight into another monti colony.
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Oct 14, 2013 17:50
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That's awesome, in a couple months here I'll be running the 'what happens when a Monti grows all the way to the surface' experiment. It already sticks out when the pumps are off. Surprise, low tide!
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Oct 14, 2013 18:12
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I've probably linked this thread in here before but this is possibly the best thread on reefcentral and goes to show you just how hardy coral can be in their natural environment wrt low tide and exposure.
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Oct 14, 2013 18:23
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api call girl posted:I've probably linked this thread in here before but this is possibly the best thread on reefcentral and goes to show you just how hardy coral can be in their natural environment wrt low tide and exposure. That's absolutely crazy, and I want to go there with many buckets.
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Oct 14, 2013 19:21
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api call girl posted:I've probably linked this thread in here before but this is possibly the best thread on reefcentral and goes to show you just how hardy coral can be in their natural environment wrt low tide and exposure. This is absolutely amazing. Definitely the best thread on Reef Central (and I say that as someone who actually likes RC). Thanks for the link api call girl!
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Oct 16, 2013 03:40
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Ugh, I'm kinda at a stalling point since my effort is low as it is but... lighting opinion needed. I'd like to go as cheaply as possible while still being decent - I've got a 20L to light. 1. Reefbreeders Value LED w/ 120* Optics - $180 2. ReefRadiance DM-132e - $159 3. 2x PAR38 w/ 80* Optics - $160 4. DIY LED w/ 18 Crees - ~$180 5. 4x T5HO - $??? Obviously, Reef Central recommends the T5HO setup since they are old, crusty motherfuckers who are behind the times. Ruling that out, unless I can be swayed otherwise. That leaves me with building a fixture or just buying the ReefRadiance fixture - which I'd much rather do since it'd probably end up cheaper in reality and save me a lot of heartache. Looking for an opinion on the Reefbreeders and ReefRadiance fixtures, I guess. You guys think it'd work well or should I suck it up and build? Are there other options I'm overlooking? I live in Arizona and this poo poo is in my bedroom so no goddamn MH. BlackMK4 fucked around with this message at 11:38 on Oct 24, 2013 |
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Oct 24, 2013 11:20
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For a 20g tank the ReefRadiance will be more than enough--you will certainly find that you need dim the lights down a fair amount. Two mechanical timers and that thing and you'll still be running below the Reefbreeders version.
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Oct 24, 2013 13:51
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FWIW I built an array for the 12long I have ( same dimensions as a 20) for almost nothing. 16 Crees and optics, a dimmable driver (all from aquastyleonline.com) and a 2x25" heatsink from heatsinkusa.com. All in it was less than $100 if I remember right.
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Oct 24, 2013 16:56
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BlackMK4 posted:Ugh, I'm kinda at a stalling point since my effort is low as it is but... lighting opinion needed. I'd like to go as cheaply as possible while still being decent - I've got a 20L to light. Don't do the T5s, it's a trap! You have to replace the bulbs every six months; it's almost as bad a racket as printer ink.
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Oct 24, 2013 18:16
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