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Speaking of true union ball valves, here is a website that sells some reasonably priced ones (offsite link) - http://www.flexpvc.com/cart/agora.cgi?product=PVC-BallValves-TrueUnion I recently purchased six 1" valves when I redid my tanks plumbing, and the price was only $14.85 each, which waas...

You numbers are more or less right on target. Usually when I'm asks about how much a reef system will cost, I tell them that it will cost about $35 to $50 per gal of water in the main display tank. So if you were doing a 100 gal tank you'd be jsut about right. It's very difficult to allocate...

If at all possible, get a reef ready tank, or have the tank drilled and install internal overflows. You'll save yourself a lot of pain and suffering due to floods caused by external overflows not working correctly. As for a close loop, you don't need to drill the tank, you can plump it right...

How long a run of pipe were you making, and what was the pump head distance, IOW the distance the pump had to raise water? Pumps like MAGs, while good, are not pressure rated. They are fine for returning water from a sump in the stand back to the tank, but they will not work very well if you...

In general rigid PVC pipe will transmit vibrations more than flexible PVC pipe will. Because of this I do like to use flexible PVC pipe for at least a foot or two going into and coming out of pumps. I also like flexible PVC pipe when I can make a gradual bend to get to a fitting. It saves a lot...

Why not consider the Tunze Stream pumps? They are in the same price range as the Vortech pumps, and since they don't have anything much on the outside of the tank, they would fit into your wall mount configuration. There is also a Stream II pump that you can preorder. It looks nice, but I'm not...

I've never owned one, but here is a link (offsite) for information on them - http://en.microcosmaquariumexplorer.com/wiki/Caribbean_Carpet_Anemone They do seem to require a very large tank.

The frag tank would require it's own overflow, of course. However as long as the plumbing to the sump is large enough, you should not have a problem using a T. Usually I figure a 1" pipe used on an over flow is good for about 600 gph. 1 1/4" pipe is good for about double that flow. If you find...

That is certainly one of the most elaborate internal "closed loop" configurations that I've ever seen. Since it's so unusual, especially for that size tank, I'd like to hear why the person selected such a design. While I think it would work OK, I think it's over kill. In my own tanks I use a...

Like many others, I also use Rubbermaid trashcans for storing and mixing SW. Since they are plastic and just may have been around something you don't want in your reef system, I recommend you "cure" them first. I fill them with tap water, and the add about 1 pound of rock salt per 3 gal of...

Your fish selection of a black cap basslet would be fine. So would it's close relative the royal grama. Other fish I like are the various hawkfish species. A spotted, flame, pixie, or longnose hawk would be a good addition. One of the various species of dwarf angles might be possible, but...

Colt corals tend to throw a lot of slime, which makes the difficult to attach with the usual glues, or hold by using a rubberband or wedging it with rocks. If those methods don't work for you use the plastic toothpick method. Get some plastic toothpicks, and push one through the base of the...

How true! Years ago the main question about home ownership would be, can I afford the mortgage payment. Today, the main question is can I afford the taxes? Not all of this is the fault of you local government though. The vast bulk of your real estate taxes go to support the school system. They...

An excellent post, especially the part about people having a problem and simply saying that their water parameters are "good". I would also suggest the just because the water parameters you tested all seem to be within range, do not believe you water is ok. There could be plenty wrong with it...

In my opinion, it's not so much the amount of water flow, but the amount of water flow for what you want to keep in the tank. As you noted, it's a bit much for your frogspawn. For that you most likly want to reduce the flow quite a bit. However, if you were keeping a tank full of SPS corals...

My answer, if it existed on the poll, would be, I tried UV and found little or no benefit, so I discontinued it's use. In your specific case, I'd just wait and see. If the system stays the same or gets better, then you didn't need UV. So far it looks like you pod production is way up. I...

LaMotte test kits are excellent. IMO, you'd be hard pressed to get anything much better. Here is a link to the LaMotte web site (offsite link) - http://www.lamotte.com/pages/aqua/testkits.html Note that there are a two different test kits for nitrate. Usually you want the low range one...

My thoughts are that for the amount of money you have to spend, the fixture you have chosen is about as good as you can get. It will do he job for you on a FO ot FOWLR system. You should be able to keep things like mushrooms and zoos, and soft corals should be ok. LPS corals would be at best...

Here is the like to NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife 2008 Marine issue of Fish and Wildlife Digest, which contain the regulations for fishing - offsite like - http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/digmar.htm I'm far from an expert here, but since the species people from here would be interested in...

I've noticed that livestock prices seem to be way up, but that you can find bargains if you shop around. I have also noticed that prices on equipment made in other countries is also way up. The price for electricity is also up. Of course, some of this is due to factors not directly related to...