Recent content by mattdean

Good heaven's NO! I won't step foot in there, except maybe for a powerhead to mix saltwater. I buy all my fish/corals/equipment from Oakville Reef Gallery. It's thanks to their guidance/advice that my tank has flourished. Sea U Marine has nice fish and, if you get there first, some nice corals...

It just took a resolve to do things right, take the time to get your vision out and it all starts with the aquascape. If the rock look great without corals, you almost can't lose once you put the corals in. I've always ad a flair for aesthetics, that, coupled with doing what my wife told me to...

I completely agree. The funny thing is, there really isn't that much difference between doing it right and cheaping out. I wasted a lot of money on my first SW tank with crap equipment that was useless. (Thanks to a Big Al's employee) This time, I did everything right and bought only the best...

:thanks: All it took was a little patience, some hard work and research and enough money to buy a car! :facepalm: I've been told by many that it is much nicer in person - as most are. When just the Reefbrite XHO blue actinic LED strips are on, it's like a cartoon. Everything comes alive...

Thanks Yes. I have a Red Dragon 8.2 for the closed loop. It's split into two in 2 different spots along the bottom. I also have an MP20 on the end. That combined with the 2 split returns gives me a nice 'vortech' of flow. I don't think there are any dead spots in the tank.

So, it's been forever since I posted anything. Thought I would share. Everything is great in the tank. I've had no problems and everything grows like a weed in my tank. All the SPS were no more than one inch frags less thana year ago! Here's some pics: The second is slightly older. I have...

My upgrade from the 46 gal bow front - 125 starphyre peninsula. This is 6 months after setup

I have 2 to 3 inches of sand and the rocks are about half way down in to the sand. I have a Jawfish that has dug out huge cavern under almost every rock and nothing has shifted at all. However, I do have a pretty solid aquascape and the bottom rocks are fairly wide at the bottom.

Ain't THAT the truth!:shocked!: Thanks Mitchell

No way! Never smoked. Don't drink alcohol or coffee, no drugs. No vices. Well, food and my girlfriend, maybe :)

i know. I'm chomping at the bit to fill this thing. My better half is looking at me like I'm a crack addict. Unfortunately, all the reef stores around me see, to be low on really nice pieces. Also, I want to see if the SPS does well for the next month or two before I go crazy with frags. I also...

Woohoo! i FIIINNNAAAALLLLYYYY had the ambition to fix the noisy durso drains. I set up the Herbie drain method, as suggested and oooh how beautiful the sound of silence is!!!:woohoo: Of course, when I was playinf around to see if it was worth going to buy new plumbing parts, etc., I overflowed...

I would highly recommend using a dual float with solenoid for your ATO. The float are too risky, IMO. I have this in my sump and it is very sensitive to level changes and it works flawlessly.With 2 floats and the solenoid it is near impossible to have a flood. Plus, if the power goes out, it...

Thanks Kevin!