Featured Threads Archive

Here's my tiny one

I have a Red Sea Reefer 170 and like most people I've become tired of cleaning filter socks. As a result, I spent some time searching then internet for inspiration and came up with an alternative that works pretty well using a filter pad. So, here is what I came up with and the steps I used to make it:

1. I cut the sock portion off a filter sock so I ended up with the plastic ring.

2. I searched the Dollar Tree store, Walmart, and any other store I could think of that might have a plastic container to fit the plastic ring. I finally found a liter bottle at a store call Tap Plastic.

3. I cut the top portion of the bottle off and placed the ring around the top of the bottle. I used silicone to glue the two pieces of plastic together (inside top and outside).

4. I then marked a series of holes approx. 1/2" up from the bottom of the bottle, all around the bottle. I used a 1/4" drill bit and drilled the holes in approx. 1" segments around the circumference. You may need more or less holes, or bigger, depending on your flow. I got lucky and my initial pattern worked great without raising or lowering my sump water height.

5. Once the silicone is dry and the holes are drilled, then I cut a piece of filter pad to fit inside the bottle. You can fill it as full as you'd like. I chose to use a single layer on the outside edge so the water can flow down into the bottle, then though the floss and out the holes.

6. You could make two and simple pull one out and insert another with a clean filter pad or just pull the dirty pad out and replace with clean pad. Easy Peezy, Lemon Squezzy, no filter sock to clean. So far its been three days and everything it working great. I figure if I can get a week out of a filter pad it will be worth it.

Your oldest fish, how old and what kind of fish. Oh, and share some pics

I'll start...


My boy blue, my powder blue tang came in from blue zoo aquatics like this..



Fast forward 12 years and here he is now...



I love this guy. My all time favorite fish.

Hello! Everyone! This is my first reeftank,it`s a sps tank. The tank specs, equipment, and livestock are as follows:

Aquarium and Stand
Tank size: Marineland corner flow 40*40*40cm
Sump： H28*W36*L36cm

Sump & Skimmer
Skimmer:AE301
Return pump:AT104 (2000L/h)

Other
Water Circulation:MP10*1 WP10*2
Heating: 200W heater
Lighting: DIY LED 75W, DIY 24w blue LED
Kamoer Doser for Two little fishies C-Balance

Current params (Salifert kits), stable for over a month now:
KH:8.3
CA:420
Mg:1380

Nitrates 0.2
Phosphate 0.03 (by hanna)

Maintenance
I feed fish everyday that use HIKARI SEAWEED EXTREME and Firstbite Marine Pellets.
I do a 10% water change once a week. At this time I also vacuum part of the Standard that I can reach.
I clean the skimmer cup once a week.
I clean the skimmer once in 6 months and clean the Water Circulation once in 1 month.

Established May 2015


FTS

UPDATE 9-11-17: This is gaining a lot of steam and it's gonna cost a ton of money. We want to create it if you will use it! PLEASE VOTE and please continue to add your ideas and input! If you click MAYBE please comment with what you would want to see in order to use the marketplace.

Hello R2R Members!

We have been mulling the idea of a comprehensive classified system that I hope would really change the face of how people buy and sell saltwater aquarium items on R2R and even on the internet. Many have tried to create an ebay style system for just this thing but they fail because they don't have the community of users like we have. Whatever it is we will have to pay to have it developed and it would be a pretty big undertaking.

We are looking to create an Amazon(ish) style market for all things saltwater aquariums.

With that being said I want you to pretend that there is no limits on what we can do and I would love to hear your ideas for a Reef Classified System that would be the all in one place to shop for aquarium related items.

What would you like to be able to do?
What would you like to see?
How would you like to buy, sell and trade?
Integrated Robust Feedback System for keeping people accountable?
How would you like it to look within the forum?
Seller levels from hobbyists to commercial?
Trading? What could set that apart?

Let the ideas fly! Nothing is too little or too big!

Introduction:

Hi! My name is Anton Post and I’m a 29 year old guy from the Netherlands that got into reef tanks three years ago. I’m currently keeping a Red Sea Reefer 525 that has been running since January 2016. I’m very honored to be featured in this month’s Reef of the Month article on R2R! I hope you enjoy the article and pictures. If you have any additional questions please feel free to ask in the tank thread!


System Profile:

• Display tank: Red Sea Reefer 525
• Glass or Acrylic: Glass
• Stand: Provided by Red Sea
• Sump: Provided by Red Sea
• Protein skimmer: Vertex Alpha 200
• Carbon/phosphate filtration: Vertex canister filter with Rowaphos and Red Sea Carbon (both in separate bags)
• Return pump: Jebao DCT8000
• Water circulation: Maxspect Gyre XF250 w/ advanced controller
• Lighting (display): Giesemann Aurora 150cm
• Calcium/alkalinity/magnesium dosing: Yes, Balling Classic method
• Auto top-off: Provided by Red Sea
• Heating/cooling: Teco TK500 for both cooling and heating
• System control: Nothing specific, my Jebao DP-4 is doing the dosing, that’s it
• Any other details: UV-c 36W for water filtration, Dosing vodka/vinegar for no3/p04 reduction

Water Circulation and Flow Summary and Objectives:

I’m using the Maxspect Gyre to create a good circular flow in my tank. Before the XF250 I had an XF150 with the regular controller, and the XF250 with the advanced controller is definitely an upgrade. I have it running in a 10-60% random pattern which really creates a nice flow through the entire tank. My reefscape is fairly light which enables good water circulation, even in the bottom areas. I did also apply a Loc-Line double outlet on the standard Red Sea outlet to aim the water coming into the tank to where I want.
Water Parameters:

• Temp: 25-26 degrees Celsius
• pH: 8.0
• Specific gravity: 1.026-1.027
• NO3: 10-20
• Ca: 450
• Alk: 8.0
• Mg: 1600
• PO4: 0.20

Lighting Summary and Objectives:

I have chosen a hybrid light since this gives me the most flexibility in setting the light intensity and coloration. The fixture has 4x75w LED units and 4x80w T5 bulbs. For the T5’s I’m using ATI’s Coral Plus bulbs in all four slots. For the LED pads I’m only using the Royal Blue and Marine Blue channels. This combination of T5 and LED gives me a color scheme that I really enjoy. Also, corals thrive under these lights.

Photoperiod: 8:00 am until 23:30 PM. (See scheme for reference)

Filtration and Water Quality Summary and Objectives:

Since my reef is LPS, Zoanthus and Ricordea heavy, I try to keep at least some nitrates and phosphates in my tank for better growth. Additionally, I have some fish that eat quite slow so I tend to overfeed to give every tank inhabitant time to fill its belly properly. Luckily the nuisance algae are kept to a minimum, the only minor inconvenience is that I have to clean my glass every other day to get rid of the green layer that slowly builds up.


Calcium/Alkalinity/Magnesium Summary and Objectives:

Since I’m using the Balling Classic method, I always dose my Ca, Alk, and Mg in the same amounts, this keeps those three values very stable over time. I try to stick to recommended values for Ca and Alk (450/8), but I tend to keep the Mg a little higher (1600) since I’ve seen good results doing that (less nuisance algae, good coloration and polyp extension).

Tank Inhabitants—Fish:

1. Copperband Butterfly (since November 2014)
2. 2x Mandarin Fish (Synchiropus splendidus)
3. 2x Pterapogon kauderni
4. 4x Evansi Anthias
5. 2x Macroparynghodon Meleagris (male + female)
6. 1x corythoichthys intestinalis
7. 1x ostracion cubicus
8. 1x salarias fasciatus
9. 1x Bristletooth Tomini Tang
10. 1x equetus punctatus (juvenile)


Other Invertebrates:

1. 2x Sea Urchin
2. 2x Sand Sifting Seastar
3. Various snales, including an Abalone Snail


Tank Inhabitants— Corals:

I could list them, but I’ll leave the pictures to speak for themselves. My tank mostly has soft corals varying from LPS to zoa’s, softies and ricordea. I do have some SPS pieces but they are scarce and positioned on top of the reef to give them as much light and flow as possible. Also, since my nitrates and phosphates are relatively high, SPS won’t be as colorful as they could be in an ULN system.

So here are a few pics that I saw floating in an old post recently:

















What are some things you've done with skulls or other cool forms in your reef?

It feels like I check in roughly every twenty minutes all day long at work

I remember when the zoa craze of 2004 hit and the world was changed forever! Well the aquarium world that is! Since that time many many different morphs have entered the trade and with it the prices increased! Old popular morphs lost value and excitement and new morphs broke record pricing.

That being said has the zoa machine slowed? Is it still as popular as it once was or am I the one who lost my zeal for those little beautiful animal buttons?

A few old school I don't see anymore...

creamsicle


Ruby Red


Cat Eye (looks kinda plain but that yellow/green mouth popped)


Armageddon (not the fake ones)

It is official Reef-A-Palooza New York is excited to announce that we will be back at the Meadowlands Exposition Center for another spectacular show for 2017!

Wishing a Very Merry Christmas to the R2R community.

Sponsored by Reef-A-Palooza Orlando & Reef2Reef!

We're super excited to announce that Reef-A-Palooza and Reef2Reef are sponsoring a fun contest where we're going to send one LUCKY winner to the RAP Orlando Show in May! The trip will include Airfare for two, 2 Nights at the Caribe Royale Resort and Tickets to the Greatest Reef Show On Earth, ReefAPalooza!

___________________________



The ReefAPalooza Orlando Getaway Rules for Entry:

1. SHARE the following Reef-A-Palooza Flyer on your Facebook Page. You must use hashtags #reefapaloozaorlando and #reef2reef when you share.

2. SHARE the following Reef-A-Palooza Flyer on your Instagram Account. You must use hashtags #reefapaloozaorlando and #reef2reef when you share.

3. Make a post in this thread once you completed the Facebook or Instagram requirement. If you completed both then you will have 2 posts in this thread which will result in 2 entries.

(To enter you must complete at least #1 or #2 and then #3 for your official entry. You must be at least 18yrs old to enter. Airfare available from anywhere in the continental USA only. If you are the winner and you are within 3 hrs of the show then RAP will work with you to provide money for a rental car and gas to the show instead of a plane ticket if you choose to drive)


To save this flyer right click and save as. On mobile touch this image and save.


The winner will be drawn via random number generator from this thread on April 5th 2017. Winner will be subject to verify that the requirements for entry were met in a timely manner.


Check out the details for the RAP Orlando Show Here.

________________________

Huge thanks to Reef-A-Palooza Orlando for providing this awesome prize!

Shipping Modules Now Available here:

Get a free Cherry Corals T-shirt or a Free Frag if you order a shipping module before the live sale starts!

https://www.cherrycorals.com/product-category/livesale/

Curious to see how many of you have converted friends or people local to the hobby. I feel like I am a big cheerleader for this hobby, and I am constantly (without realizing it sometimes) trying to find local people to share my passion with.

For me, it's one. @HotRockTarBaby is a local friend and he jumped in to this hobby HARD! Red Sea Reefer 750 XXL, quarantine tank, rock and coral quarantines, and he learns FAST. It's nice to have someone local to help (because no one else has the patience for this hobby that isn't in it or understands), to bounce ideas off of, trade with, etc.

He's a bad influence to me too, tells me we are buying Gem tangs in December 2018!

I know some people "sell" lots of people on this hobby, how many people have you "converted?"

HEY STICKHEADS, PLEASE join the FUN Saturday MARCH the 10th from 12pm-12am EST for our ANNIVERSARY LIVESALE here on R2R!!!! This is our third livesale on R2R and plan on making it EPIC!!!! Let me tell you what’s in store for the day before we go over the rules. 1600+ SPS frags ranging from lower end to HIGH END discounted a STRAIGHT 40% OFF that’s RIGHT 40% OFF!!!! 100 of those will be priced at 1 CENT... I know, We’re crazy like that!!! We’ll ALSO be raffling a FREE Jason Fox Homewrecker Tenuis... To join that raffle all you have to do is PREBUY a SHIPPING MODULE before the sale!!! Soooo this sale we decided to change it up a bit and instead of the same ol boring raffle prizes we decided to reach out to some friends in the industry… There will be a TON of cool giveaways this round including some dry good stuff, coral packs, and gift cards from all kinds of top notch vendors so GET READY REEFERS!!! See Details Below


HOW IT WORKS: We will be posting WYSIWYG SPS frag pictures in this thread roughly every 1 minute. Each picture will have the pricing and a link that will take you straight to the website listing. You must complete checkout to win the coral, just adding it to your cart will not keep someone else from purchasing it. PLEASE create a customer account on Fraghousecorals.com before the sale so you are locked cocked and ready to ROCK!!!


PAYMENT METHODS: Our site accepts all major credit cards!!! Paypal unfortunately was the main reason for duplicate orders in the past so even though Paypal is a payment option for the day to day PAYPAL WILL NOT BE ACTIVE DURRING THE LIVESALE


All the corals listed in the livesale are first come first serve, if by chance two people buy the same coral we will do our best to duplicate it or we will issue a refund for that item. If this happens we apologize in advance.


GIVEAWAYS: READ CLOSELY

-All boxes going out will receive 1 FREEBIE of OUR CHOICE

-100 1 Cent Frags randomly thrown into the mix throughout the sale!!! There will be no limit on how many one person can buy BUT... for every 1 Cent coral you win you MUST BUY ONE AT FULL PRICE. Example: you win five 1 Cent corals you would need to win 5 normal priced (40%OFF) corals.


RAFFLES:


-ALL THE VENDOR DONATED PRIZES- EVERY CORAL BOUGHT gets you a ticket into this raffle, example... if you buy 10 corals throughout the sale you will have 10 ENTRIES into this raffle, there will be a total of 1600 entries all based on the sku number of the frag you bought AND TONS Of AWESOME PRIZES TO WIN!!!!



-FREE Jason Fox Home Wrecker Tenuis- This Raffle is for EVERYONE that PRE BUYS A SHIPPING MODULE BEFORE THE SALE. If you pre buy a shipping module off of fraghouseCorals.com before 12pm EST Saturday the 10th it will get you 1 entry into THIS raffle. You must buy at least 1 FULL PRICED (40%OFF) CORAL during the sale for your entry to be valid.



https://fraghousecorals.com/collections/live-sale-shipping-modules

https://fraghousecorals.com/collections/live-sale-shipping-modules

-$25 Fraghouse Corals Gift Card- This Raffle is for EVERYONE that checks in every hour for the full 12 hours. All you have to do is comment check in every hour...DONT MISS a check in because that will disqualify you from this raffle. You must buy at least 1 full priced coral to have a valid entry.



AWARDS:

-$100 BIG BALLER AWARD- This award is earned by spending the MOST money throughout the sale, at the end whoever has the fattest bill is crowned BIG BALLER


-$75 BIGGEST BOX AWARD- This award is earned by buying the MOST frags throughout the sale, doesn’t matter how expensive or cheap, 1 frag is 1 frag. At the end whoever bought the most frags gets the street credit for the BIGGEST BOX AWARD


-$50 PHATTEST BID AWARD- This award is earned by buying the MOST expensive frag listed in the sale, you’ll know when it drops but PLEASE don’t count on it… There are a lot of higher end pieces so don’t pull the trigger on it just because you think it may be the highest priced item. At the end whoever buys that 1 special piece will hold the title of PHATTEST BID


SHIPPING: We are top of the game when it comes to shipping SPS corals so be confident reefers. We are doing a flat shipping rate on this sale of $20 per box no matter how many corals you buy. Please go to Fraghousecorals.com and purchase the product shipping day that works best for you, we will be shipping two weeks straight starting the Monday after the sale including Saturday delivery’s for an extra fee, I will be attending Joe Knows Reef show REEF DREAMS the weekend after the sale so the end of the first week will not be available. Modules will be available Starting TONIGHT two and a half weeks before the sale and once they sell out for that day its a wrap, PLEASE DON’T ask me to try to fit yours in because im only going to offer as many as I know I can handle per day. Thanks for understanding


ALRIGHT STICKHEADS I think that about sums it all up. Im getting nervous as this is our THIRD Livesale and its coming up QUICK!!! I hope it goes SUPER SMOOTH and everyone has a BLAST!!!!! Please Support us and JOIN THE FUN Saturday MARCH 10th!!! Fraghouse is one of the good guys in the industry trying to deliver you the most healthy colorful specimens we can yield from our system. We're NOT a chop shop, we either grow our corals from frags from other vendors or when we do get in shipments we sit on em for at least 6 months to ensure they are 100% pest free and are stabilized in captivity and have gone through their color shifts. Buy with confidence Reefers, im kinda new on this forum as far as selling goes but we've been serving up FB for a few years with GREAT Success!! GET READY FOR SATURDAY STICKHEADS


CHECKOUT: It may seem weird at first but its very easy.... The...