Achilles Tang

I am using a Scubapro S-tek BC. Back flotation. Air2 system (cuts down on one hose). Reg set... still saving $$$ for it... yeah yeah.... I have EVERYTHIHG except my reg set, I usually borrow from a good friend who has a good spare reg set!

Oh yeah! Time to buy a new wetsuit!! My glue-on rubber knee pads were flapping for the last 3 dive trips already!

Geoliquid.... only monkeys use it! *It says that on the box!*

LOL! Actually only divers fear nitrogen! I had mild decompression sickness after a dive incident at Sipadan where I had to make two rescues (but I'll tell that later in my Sipdan Dive Report thread).. Let's just say that the nitrogen bubbles in my blood stream causes me joint pains for about 2 weeks. AT

Oh yeah.... a sump contains a LOT more water than a canister... making your overall tank a little more stable.

Well, to correct you, Acanthurus, if you are talking about gas release, you must be assuming that denitrification is happening in a canister, which is not usually the case. Let me explain... to fully complete the nitrogen cycle... ie. processing of nitrates to nitrogen gas, anaerobic conditions for denitrifying bacteria to flourish must be present. In a canister, this is never created. The water flow through a canister is rich in oxygen, making it suitable for only aerobic bacteria which process ammonia to nitrites, and nitrites to nitrates. FULL STOP. Terryandsimon said it right about why a canister filter is a nitrate factory. In fact, a sump can also be nitrate factory. Putting bioballs/biohume/coral chips in a highly aerobic area (in sump or overflow compartment or canister filter) will encourage the colonization of aerobic nitrifying bacteria on these surfaces and very effectively produce nitrates. Dealing with nitrates is very seperate from dealing with ammonia and nitrites. The difference between a sump and canister is that a sump has a much bigger space for placing equipment, releasing the effluent for calcium reactors, kalkwasser dosers, placing carbon, polyfilters, phosphate removers and is therefore SO much more convenient compared to a canister that you have to open it regularly to clean it vs something you can just reach out and remove, clean or add in? Also a sump will never 'crash' as fast as a canister should power be cut off and rapid depletion of oxygen occurs ie. meaning that the aerobic bacteria dies. With the open spaces of a sump, oxygen diffusion is sufficient to maintain them longer. (Ever open a canister that has been allowed to 'sit' for a few days? ). Also, a canister is very much like a closed loop... all the biofilm or oil film on the surface of the water gets sucked into a canister and probably reenters the water without being 'broken down' as would all the surface agitation that happens when water enters an overflow compartment, goes all the way down into a sump, enters a powerful pump (compared to a canister's) and goes back into the main tank itself. The water flow thru a canister is usually 'smoother'... in this aspect. This is off the top of my head about a sump vs a canister. I'll add in more reasons later should it cross my mind. AT

Feelers??? Those are feet!!!!

Blacknails.. if you do a water change, logically you don't need to add all these additives because the saltmix should have ample quantities of these in them already. Its probably more for those who haven't done a water change in a long long time and have a lot of corals that may have depleted these trace elements.

You can try treating it in a quarantine tank. There are medications for fungus.

Sounds like fungus.

Not by a large degree... unless you have an industrial blower churning the surface...

Spray paint would be cheap and fast. Very bright colours too... The attraction of SPS corals is to see a tank full of colours and not just the green or brown of LPS.

Not the same... there are different types of zeolite around.

Yeah, know about this ZEOVIT system from my HK distributor friend... he has been bugging me to try and introduce to fellow hobbyists here... but for a tank my size.. *gulp*.... perhaps one day, when my quest for brighter colours will lead me there...

Woah... babe@ And what a touching story too!

Believe this is the exact link

I think you will be hard-pressed trying to find good operators who can run nitrox for you when you dive in Malaysia. Even Sipadan Water Village doesn't have nitrox.

Happy for you too!

Check out this thread on BAD HAIRY CRABS found in acros.

Copperband too?

Yo.. diabo... le te lo? It rhythms! Happy Birdday!

Our sponsor, Seaquest, is the distributor for them... you can drop Mike a PM, he'll direct you to a LFS nearest you!

He probably do a good job inspecting the ball before the game. He should be nominated for the next World Cup!

Actually... there are whitish-pink acropora crabs that have a black band across their faces... those are harmless and may even be beneficial to SPS corals by chasing away predators. I have seen these chase away a hermit that got too close.

THAT IS A HAIRY CRAB!!! BAD! BAD!! DESTROY!!! ANNIHILATE!!! KILL KILL!!! BURN BURN!!! CRUSH!!