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The most common hitchhikers on TB rock are mantis, sponges,gorilla crabs and algae. Not something that I really care for when its going in a reef.





[hr width='40%']Now who will be the one to dry my tears?
Who will be the one to chase away my fears?
Your love was like a guiding light
That kept me safe all day, all night.
Without you here in my life
I'm scared, I'm lost. Nothing is right

Sorry i can't find the cable anywhere. Its driving me crazy, anyway the skimmer seems to be working OK its pulled out about 300ml of brown water not bad?

~Scott

Sounds like you have it set pretty close to where it needs to be then.





[hr width='40%']Am I crazy for wanting you Baby
do you think you could want me too
I don't wanna waste your time
Do you see things the way I do
I just wanna know if you feel it too
There is nothing left to hide

Yeah all its pulling out at the moment is brown water. I have to find the cable for my camera but i'll look for it tonight and try to send you those pics.

Scott, untill it gets broken in and gets a nice slime/protein film built up I would run it kinda low. If not then you will get very wet foam and end up draining a lot of water.

Do you have a pic so i can see the design? If you do then it might help me to make a suggestion on where to set it.




[hr width='40%']Outsiders still suppose,
There's Holy streets to roam
The truth should not surprise,
Your homes were built on lies

Well its all hooked up and puring like a kitten , Any tips on running it? how far up the tube should i make the bubbles go?

~Scott

Laugh will you! Its all siliconed up and i have to wait a week for it to cure for aquarium use. Efficient well thats a whole other storybut i think it will do alright its the same basic principal as other skimmers, just made to size and out of the cheepest materials money can buy

EDIT: Oops i just realized that i said $1US Its more like $13US
~Scott

Last edited by theaustralian at 12-May-2005 00:58

It does really really suck that I lost almost everything, but it does give me a chance to be more selective on what I stock with instead of just saying "oooooo, its sps, give me!"

if you make a skimmer for that cheap, and it is efficient then I think you could make a killing selling it.




[hr width='40%']The way we were
The chance to save my soul
And my concern is now in vain
Believe the word
I will unlock my door
And pass the cemetery gates

Mate, I'm realy sorry to hear that your tank crashed like that...did that special coral you mention kick it or did it hang on
Sidenote, this post has inspired me to build a skimmer, I plan on doing it under $20AU i think thats like $1US. Think I can do it?

~Scott

isn't it the mantis that can crack a tank? or am i thinking of another type of saltie creature? and if you are so unlucky to get one of those how do you get rid of it? heidi michelle

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

Well, as many of you know I am in the process of moving. The tank got moved on Saturday and things started to go down hill on Sunday. I have lost a minimum of 80% of my SPS to RTN.

Anyway, yesterday afternoon(day after the tank move) I went to check on the corals. As soon as I walked into the house I knew something was very wrong. A blast of this horrible smell hit me instantly. I knew that smell.....smells exactly like uncured rock! To make a long story short, there was a huge ammonia spike caused by the cold (it was cold and snowing during the move) and a huge RTN event that started with the SPS. I was crushed...and I didnt know what to do so I did the only thing I could think of.......a huge water change. That should take care of it right? Nope, it didnt even touch the ammonia level. Ok, now the panic begins. I kept thinking about what I would do if I lost one of the corals that I have that is very special to me and has a lot of sentimental value/memories behind it. *ding* Hook up the skimmer! I rushed back to the old house and snagged the skimmer and then rushed to the new house to get it set up. Once it was set up and tuned I started making phone calls for suggestions. Everyone I called didnt answer their phone!]:| I dug in my wallet for the last phone number of hope....the number to a recognized reef god! The man on the other end of the phone is truly my hero. You know what the first thing he asked me was? Yup, you guessed it...Do you have your skimmer going yet! Boy am I lucky that I already thought of that or I would have looked like an idiot! After that he suggested that I do Iodine dips of 10 minutes with a mixture of 1 gallon water and 40 drops of iodine, then when I had done that to every coral....start over and do it again. The dips seem to have stopped, or atleast slowed the RTN down to STN except for the corals that were already too far gone. Its a waiting game now

I seem to have got derailed Ill stop typing now and just let the pictures speak for themselves. If after looking at the pictures you still dont think a skimmer is necessary and beneficial then I challenge you to Drink up!


Notice how yellow/brown/murky the water is? This picture is from the day after the move.



Same coral, same water, same everything except this picture was taken on day 2 after the skimmer had been running for 12 hours. Water is crystal clear.



Now onto the skimmer pictures....These pictures were taken only 4 (Four) hours after I had emptied the cup. Also note the solids the skimmer collected with the liquid skimmate.









[hr width='40%']I lay here in my bed and dream of you
Hoping you are dreaming of me too...
Someday the miles will be less and we will dream together
Your heart and mine Always and Forever...





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Tampa Bay SW, that's it!

That's what I thought; I always tell people that Florida rock isn't as porous as Fiji, Tonga, Marshall Island, etc. You know the deal.

But a lot of people seem to be talking about it, so I thought maybe something was different? Guess not. I think the hitchhikers you'll get prolly are the only benefits...

Calfo might have talked about it, I can't really remember. His presentation wasn't really based on that much. >.<




[hr width='40%'][font color="#000080"]
My hopes are so high,
that your kiss might kill me.
So won't you kill me,
so I die happy…
[/font]

-Formerly known as the Ferretfish

All I can say is YUCK!!! That skimmer kind of looks like my carpet cleaner did the first time I cleaned the carpet And don't you dare waste good chocolate, or bad chocolate not that any exists on it But if you want send some to me, and feed it to a few kids and see what happens to them

Glad things have cleared up, and doing better...and yes, sissy, there is a mandarin in there as well

The tank being built for what is left will be 300 gallons, a step up from his small little 180 gallon tank

heidi michelle


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you get there before I do
Don't give up on me
I'll meet you when my chores are through
I don't know how long I'll be
But I'm not gonna let you down
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

COMPLETE SIDE NOTE: While it's on my mind...what do you know about that program, I think it's in Florida, but I can't remember what it's called and I'm too lazy to look it up on RC/favorites...in which they send live sand, then base rock, then live rock, all over a certain time frame...it's for new tanks I think. So:
a) do you know what I'm talking about
b) if you do, pros and cons? thoughts? opinions?

Ah, you are talking about [link=Tampa Bay SW]http://www.tampabaysaltwater.com" style="COLOR: #FF0000[/link]

a) yes I know what you are talking about

b) Pros....none really except for the life on the rock.

Cons......almost everything. Florida aquacultured rock is VERY dense, and does not have near the life IN it as it does on it. Im suprised Calfo didnt talk about aquacultured rock and how it is poor compared to actual "live reef rock". One thing he brought up when I was talking to him is that aquacultured rock will never have the life inside it that fiji, etc. will have because it hasnt been in the ocean but for only a year. He also brought up a good point. The rock that they harvest to "plant" in the ocean is not a renewable resource...once its gone, its gone (same with aragocret rock). The reefs Stoney corals are always building new rock. We harvest so very little that the impact is almost not noticable. Anthony always suggest just going with rock that isnt aquacultured or man made....and I do too



[hr width='40%']Now who will be the one to dry my tears?
Who will be the one to chase away my fears?
Your love was like a guiding light
That kept me safe all day, all night.
Without you here in my life
I'm scared, I'm lost. Nothing is right

Week End...that's not DRO's tank.

It's holding containers for SPS corals (and a couple fish, a pair of clowns, a 6 line, and a mandarin I think) while his new tank is being set up.

Well...I think that says skimming is necessary in big bold letters! Good reference pics...it's amazing that the skimmer pulled out that much in such little time. I hope mine works that well...when I add my first batch of live rock I'm sure my skimmer is going to have to go into heavy duty skimming mode. *doesn't mention that she doesn't know how to control her skimmer*

Those before and after pics are amazing. I'm speechless.

COMPLETE SIDE NOTE: While it's on my mind...what do you know about that program, I think it's in Florida, but I can't remember what it's called and I'm too lazy to look it up on RC/favorites...in which they send live sand, then base rock, then live rock, all over a certain time frame...it's for new tanks I think. So:
a) do you know what I'm talking about
b) if you do, pros and cons? thoughts? opinions?

Not to change the topic or anything.





[hr width='40%'][font color="#000080"]
My hopes are so high,
that your kiss might kill me.
So won't you kill me,
so I die happy…
[/font]

-Formerly known as the Ferretfish

just out of interest, what other inhabitants have you stocked in your tank? and mind telling me the tank size?

Just wondering how and where did those "solid" things come from in your collection cup.

Sorry you lost that much
But...you know....you could probably sell the stuff from the skimmer to some excercise nuts that think they need more protein .

Don't ruin good chocolate adding it to that though !

^_^


[hr width='40%']"I'm alright, I'm alright
It only hurts when I breathe"

Add chocolate syrup.
Chill. Serve and enjoy!

Sorry about your losses.

But it is amazing what skimmers pull out of water. I'm amazed at the goop I get off of mine when I clean it. Its like sewage.