120g tank build
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Topic: 120g tank build
Posted By: bstuver
Subject: 120g tank build
Date Posted: July 16 2010 at 7:16pm
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So I should be going to pick up my tank tomorrow night. The footprint is 48"x24"x24". Has a stand I will see how sturdy once we get it, I tend to be overly caustious with that much water so we will see if it needs reinforcement. I am thinking I really like the open tank like I have now so I will leave it open top. I need suggestions on: Overflows 1 or 2? Also middle of tank or to one side? How many return holes? sump size? obviously I don't think a 55g will fit under the cabinet seems the main tank is only 48" the same as a 55g. Lights? I love the light I have on my 60g it is a coralife 24" with a 250w halide and 2 65w cf bulbs. I am wondering if I just get another one of these if that will be enough light? I would assume so seems the tank is literally just double of what I have. But if I go a different route what are some suggestions? How much light do I need on this size tank to grow whatever I want? I think those are my only questions, once I get it drilled and overflow, plumbing done I will more than likely look into getting live sand and live rock from someone who is selling theirs. ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Replies:
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: July 16 2010 at 7:23pm
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Ok unless I can find another used one the light I have now is over $500 so I won't be doing it.
------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: July 16 2010 at 7:30pm
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How would 2 of these work out? http://www.fishneedit.com/4ft4bulbs-with-l44.html ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: BobC63
Date Posted: July 16 2010 at 9:11pm
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Have you considered a "coast to coast" type overflow? A 40g Breeder tank would make a great sump (36" L X 18" wide) for your size display tank and should easily fit inside the stand How about these lights: http://shop.aquatraders.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=54224 - http://shop.aquatraders.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=54224
Enough light to grow anything you want. I used to have one of their fixtures and I liked it.
------------- - My Current Tank: 65g Starfire (sitting empty for 2+ years) - * Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 * |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: July 16 2010 at 9:21pm
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I like that light but it's out of stock. Have you ordered from them before? I thought I read some reviews that weren't too great about them. I will look up coast to coast over flow. ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: July 16 2010 at 9:25pm
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I don't know about the coast to coast overflow... I hate seeing overflows and something that is all the way across the back I think would really bug me.
------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: BobC63
Date Posted: July 16 2010 at 9:47pm
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When I ordered my 72" light I didn't experience any problems whatsoever, but I have heard of soem complaints ------------- - My Current Tank: 65g Starfire (sitting empty for 2+ years) - * Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 * |
Posted By: BobC63
Date Posted: July 16 2010 at 10:45pm
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Oh -
And whether or not you need 1 or 2 overflows depends on a few things:
- How many gph you want to move through the sump / size of your return pump
- Diameter of the plumbing you use
- Size of the overflow
Personally, I like the idea of a single central overflow - especially if you are going to be viewing the display tank from the sides
But it really is just a matter of personal preference.
------------- - My Current Tank: 65g Starfire (sitting empty for 2+ years) - * Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 * |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: July 16 2010 at 11:39pm
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OK so I am looking at the lights on aqua traders how many watts of t5 would I need? In the long run it would save on my power bill I am sure:) As much as I love halides 500w might get a bit expensive!
------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: July 16 2010 at 11:40pm
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Oh and what is suggested overturn rate? I am use to freshwater stuff and its a really high turn over. like 10X+
------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: BobC63
Date Posted: July 16 2010 at 11:43pm
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Do you plan on using a skimmer?
A good rule of thumb is to use a return pump that is about as powerful as your skimmer pump.
If you have a 120g display, I would say a return pump of around 600 - 700 gph would work well (like a Mag 7, for instance) ------------- - My Current Tank: 65g Starfire (sitting empty for 2+ years) - * Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 * |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: July 16 2010 at 11:50pm
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Yes I will plan on a skimmer. I already have a quiet one 4000 pump so I will just use that as it is rated for over 1000gph
------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: CapnMorgan
Date Posted: July 17 2010 at 2:31am
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Keep in mind you should be turning over what your skimmer can handle only through the return, but you will need additional circulation for your reef besides what your return pump can provide (ie: powerheads). So all things considered reef turnover should be much higher than the typical 10x FW turnover rate. For example, the turnover in my 180 is over 32x. The other thing you will need to consider is that even though your pump is rated at 1000gph+ it will have to deal with several head feet of pressure to push water up to the display, so you are going to lose gph due to that. There is a good head pressure calculator on Reef Central you can use to determine what the actual output of your pump will be. That way you can be sure that it will move enough water for you planned setup.
------------- Steve http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=40637&PID=356246" rel="nofollow - My Old 180G Mixed Reef Currently: 120G Wavefront Mixed 29G Seahorse & Softies Running ReefAngel Plus x2 435-8 |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: July 17 2010 at 3:03am
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Ah yes I forget about that. I plan to get some powerheads as well.
------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: July 17 2010 at 10:09pm
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So I picked up the tank tonight. I don't like the stand at all so that will be rebuilt:) Question on lighting, would I get better coral growth and be able to grow more with 2 250w halides or 8X54w t5? ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: BDerron
Date Posted: July 17 2010 at 11:33pm
| 40 breeder works well as a sump as bob stated. I ran one under my 75 for a long time. |
Posted By: CapnMorgan
Date Posted: July 18 2010 at 12:07am
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With the T5's a lot depends on your bulb choice, but with the right bulbs you should be able to grow anything you want w/o the heat of halides. ------------- Steve http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=40637&PID=356246" rel="nofollow - My Old 180G Mixed Reef Currently: 120G Wavefront Mixed 29G Seahorse & Softies Running ReefAngel Plus x2 435-8 |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: July 18 2010 at 12:17am
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How often do the bulbs need to be changed on T5? Also what color choices would be best? I am looking at a used t5 unit that's 48" and has 8x 54w
------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: July 18 2010 at 12:18am
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Also I know a ton of people love t5 but for me I love the shimmer you get from halides, do you get that at all from t5?
------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: tcfab
Date Posted: July 18 2010 at 2:04am
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No, you don't get a shimmer with just t5's. Some people have used LED's with there t5's to give a shimmer effect though. Alot of halide guys are switching to t5's, there are more options for color choice, less heat and usually use less wattage then halides. ------------- Need custom acrylic work? give me a call, www.Elite-Aquatics.net (801)645-6386 |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: July 18 2010 at 4:01pm
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Ah well I love the shimmer that halides give so I guess I will lean towards those.
------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: July 18 2010 at 4:25pm
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So will two 250w halides be enough light? My light over my 60 g cube has a 250 halide plus two 65w cf and when I turn the cf off it is a lot less light ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: tcfab
Date Posted: July 18 2010 at 10:28pm
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Yes 2-250watt halides will be very good for that tank just make sure you get some good reflectors thats what makes the big difference. Depending on kelvin you like you may or may not need actinics. I have a buddy that likes the 20k look and uses 20k radium bulbs and his tank looks really good with out actinic lighting.
------------- Need custom acrylic work? give me a call, www.Elite-Aquatics.net (801)645-6386 |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: July 19 2010 at 9:14pm
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Ok so my husband and I were talking and we are thinking I will need 5 holes cut. One for the overflow, two that will be in the top close to the corners for the out and then we are thinking 2 more towards the middle section to add a pump to to have flow through the middle. I will be looking for a sump tank here soon. ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: July 20 2010 at 3:23am
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So change of plans on the holes I need cut, I think we will do it with just the two holes and use the pipes that come out of one center overflow. So what size of return pump will I need for this size tank? I am also going to get a couple powerful powerheads for water movement. I will have a skimmer but it is only rated for like 100g I think until I can move up to a bigger one, it is one that can go on the sump. ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: CapnMorgan
Date Posted: July 20 2010 at 3:34am
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Assuming you want to use an internal pump, the Rio Hyperflow series are great pumps for reliability and efficiency. I would go with the 16hf or 32hf, you can always valve them back if you need to. As for the powerheads I would recommend a few Koralia 2's or a piar of koralia 3's opposite each other, pointed at the surface of the water. When you upgrade your skimmer, get the biggest one you can fit in your sump. Preferably one rated for 2x the total volume of your entire system. A lot of people over look this fact and buy skimmers sized to their display only and don't factor in the water volume in the rest of their system. Also by getting a skimmer rated for more than your system volume, you're creating a safety net. If anything dies in your tank, the larger skimmer will be able to handle and remove the added pollution before it kills more livestock ------------- Steve http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=40637&PID=356246" rel="nofollow - My Old 180G Mixed Reef Currently: 120G Wavefront Mixed 29G Seahorse & Softies Running ReefAngel Plus x2 435-8 |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: July 20 2010 at 3:39am
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K so question, why point them at the surface of the water? I am assuming I should put them low in the tank but I thought you needed powerheads to keep the detrius and stuff off the bottom? I plan to have the two outflows pointed at the surface. Yea as for skimmers, I will end up getting a different one I am just trading someone my 6g nano for the skimmer and a few corals. I may just end up selling that skimmer when I sell my other setup and get a bigger one. ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: July 20 2010 at 3:42am
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Also on the rio are they quiet? I hate mag pumps because they are always so noisy! So I am staying away from those as I have never had one that I can handle listening to.
------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: July 20 2010 at 3:44am
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Oh also did you mean 26 or 32? I am not seeing a 16
------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: July 20 2010 at 4:38am
Any suggestions on a skimmer? With a 120g display and around 55g sump I need roughly one that can handle 345g
------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: CapnMorgan
Date Posted: July 20 2010 at 5:06am
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Sorry I did mean the 26. The Rio pumps are pretty quiet, especially if you use the suction cup mounts they come with. The powerheads should be pointed at the surface to create LOTS of surface agitation for good gas exchange and lot's of turbulent waterflow. The turbulence created will create currents to keep detritus and other waste in suspension. You really magnify the amount of water moved by pushing it along the surface. Even a small pump can produce a ton of movement if used efficiently. Good gas exchange is extremely important for a stable aquarium, also if you point powerheads lower in the tank chances are you'll create too much laminar flow, or a sand storm. When looking at a skimmer, realize that you won't actually have 120 gallons of water, or 55 gallons in your sump. You'll have maybe 65-75 gallons in your display and 30 or so in your sump. That makes around 130 total, so a skimmer for 250 gallons will be plenty for your system. ------------- Steve http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=40637&PID=356246" rel="nofollow - My Old 180G Mixed Reef Currently: 120G Wavefront Mixed 29G Seahorse & Softies Running ReefAngel Plus x2 435-8 |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: July 20 2010 at 6:33pm
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Ok so I ordered the Rio hf32 and 2 koralia 3's last night. Now I need the holes drilled so we can get going on the plumbing...see my ad in the buy/sell forum. ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: CapnMorgan
Date Posted: July 21 2010 at 1:44am
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Are you planning on using the glass-holes overflow kits? Or are you wanting to DIY? ------------- Steve http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=40637&PID=356246" rel="nofollow - My Old 180G Mixed Reef Currently: 120G Wavefront Mixed 29G Seahorse & Softies Running ReefAngel Plus x2 435-8 |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: July 21 2010 at 1:58am
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I am having a friend make one, he makes acrylic tanks and said he would make me one for cheap.
------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: July 21 2010 at 2:41am
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SO I have the following: Tank Stand (need to redo) Lights(picking up this weekend) water pump ordered Rio hyperflow 32 Koralias 3 (2 of them ordered) heater sump(found someone that bought one during the Petco $1/g sale)40 g breeder yea!! Will be getting tank drilled this next week and overflow made Looking into skimmers, I will have a cyclone 100 for the time being that I am getting in a trade, I can't afford a really nice one until probably the beginning of next year. So will this one be ok for now? I see cal reactors all the time are these necessary? ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: CapnMorgan
Date Posted: July 21 2010 at 2:57am
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Whether or not you need a calcium reactor really depends on what you want to keep. If you want to keep a lot of stony corals then down the road you may consider one. But you won't need one until your tank is up for quite a while. Dosing manually and replenishing w/ water changes is usually enough to maintain calcium to start with. I wouldn't recommend starting a reactor until you have a really firm grasp on reef chemistry and how it all works. You also really should have a controller to run a calcium reactor to avoid dropping your pH to dangerous levels, as well as an established trend of how much calcium your reef actually consumes so you are supplementing the correct amounts. So for now you should be fine w/o a calcium reactor. ------------- Steve http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=40637&PID=356246" rel="nofollow - My Old 180G Mixed Reef Currently: 120G Wavefront Mixed 29G Seahorse & Softies Running ReefAngel Plus x2 435-8 |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: July 21 2010 at 3:03am
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Thank you for the info:)
------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: July 30 2010 at 1:29am
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Getting closer to be set up. Got the holes drilled(thank you Peter) painted the back black, stand is almost redone it was just an ugly white box like made thing with bad put together stuff, so the structure was there but not to my liking. I will post pics of it soon it is turning out awesome IMO. Over flow boxes are being made, we went with 2 drains and 3 outs. Hopefully will get the live rock and live sand from Dan soon but might not be until next Monday as he will be gone:( Bought all the plumbing stuff today, got a tote that is heavy duty for the sump, and my pump and powerheads arrived yesterday. And oh yea I go 2 250w halides last week. So I am about set and soooo excited. ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: July 30 2010 at 7:40am
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Sounds like you are close to water. What bulbs are you going to use? Lets see some pic's ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: August 07 2010 at 12:43am
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So the tank is completely plumbed, got a sump, have it half full with water being moved by powerheads right now. Going to add a scoop or two of my sand from my 60g and should be getting all my live sand and rock on Monday!! I am getting way excited! Here are a couple pics of it not much to look at right now but hey:)   We are putting black trim around the edge as I can't stand to look at the trim from the tank:) ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: August 07 2010 at 12:44am
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Also it now has the overflows installed and water:) I will get some more pics.
------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: August 07 2010 at 10:34am
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I just read this whole thread again and was thinking about return pumps. I run a Mag 32 on mine. ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: kody72
Date Posted: August 07 2010 at 10:40am
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bugz do you mean mag36 ------------- http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=60612&title=kody72-fishroom" rel="nofollow - KODY72 FISHROOM BUILD 281g DT 187g Rimless Frag ATI PM lighting SRO DSCR-300ext 8013908179 |
Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: August 07 2010 at 10:48am
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Maybe I know it's 30 something and when I turn it on it will shoot water 8' from 2 outlets ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: sterling18
Date Posted: August 07 2010 at 11:23am
Can't wait to see more pictures. |
bstuver wrote:Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: August 07 2010 at 11:26am
+1 for Pic's ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: August 09 2010 at 10:09pm
So I picked up all my live sand and live rock from Dan (Dano) today!! It's all in the tank and I am about 20g short on RO water I am so annoyed! I wanted to get all this done earlier and had to take my mom to do a few things that took way longer than I wanted and now Aquatica is closed ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: sanddune600
Date Posted: August 09 2010 at 10:37pm
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that sucks what lights did you end up getting ------------- Andy Jorgensen My number is four three 5 7 six four 8 0 three four |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: August 09 2010 at 11:42pm
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I bought a light that has 2-250w metal halides and 4-65w cf I love it!!! ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: August 13 2010 at 9:50pm
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Everything is moved over!!! Question how long does it take for your corals to be happy again? Mine all look pretty bad today but I tested all my params and needed to get the cal and alk up a bit so working on that but everything else was in check. I will post pics soon tank still has a bit of a cloud to it:) ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: sanddune600
Date Posted: August 13 2010 at 10:12pm
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It shouldnt take more then a day or 2 after that you could get a algea bloom but shouldnt be anything major this is assuming all you rock was fully cured when you started ------------- Andy Jorgensen My number is four three 5 7 six four 8 0 three four |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: August 13 2010 at 10:24pm
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I got all my sand and rock from Dan(dano) so it was all in a tank for a long time first:)
------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: August 14 2010 at 2:35am
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What small lights is everyone using over their refugiums?
------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: sterling18
Date Posted: August 14 2010 at 10:41am
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Get a flood light that has the CF inside the hosing. They will say 6500K for spectrum. 8 dollars at Home Depot. Perfect for the macros. Or, you can mount a MH in there and double it as a frag tank. lol |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: August 14 2010 at 1:28pm
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Kinda bummed today:( My stuff looks like hud and I can't tell if I'm going to loose a bunch of it:(
------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: sanddune600
Date Posted: August 14 2010 at 1:31pm
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dont tell me that I am going to be moving all my stuff soon to a different tank now I am worried (not that I wasnt before) ------------- Andy Jorgensen My number is four three 5 7 six four 8 0 three four |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: August 14 2010 at 2:02pm
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My params are a bit off today, I think I better do a water change? Calcium- 380 alk- 7.84 PH 8.0 ammonia 0.3 phosphate - in between 0 and 0.25 Nitrate-5 Nitrite- 0.1 ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: August 14 2010 at 2:19pm
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So should I do a water change? If so how much?
------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: August 14 2010 at 2:36pm
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Jackie if your stuff looks that bad do a water change It won't hurt anything. IMO
Lets see a tank pic. ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: August 14 2010 at 2:50pm
Here are some pics:  Pretty sure this brain is a goner and I loved it:(       ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: August 14 2010 at 3:06pm
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I would do a big water change ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: August 14 2010 at 3:14pm
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Do you runn a sock? Water clarity is bad in the pic's ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: August 14 2010 at 3:24pm
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Yea I run two of them and have been rinsing them out daily to get rid of all the stuff that was floating around. Water change is done, should I leave lights on or off? ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: August 14 2010 at 3:26pm
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Would it still be cloudy because things are dying? I waited until it was clear before I added all my corals and now it is cloudy.
------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: August 14 2010 at 4:13pm
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So does the brain coral look dead? Do I need to remove it? I am so bummed right now my lps are some of my favorites! Oh fish all look fine ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: sanddune600
Date Posted: August 14 2010 at 9:13pm
so how do things look after the water change lps can be quite hardy but it likely you may loose some of what you have best of luck  ------------- Andy Jorgensen My number is four three 5 7 six four 8 0 three four |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: August 14 2010 at 9:39pm
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Well the softies are starting to look better, my hammer, candy canes, large brain, and frogspawn are all goners they turned white I'm so pissed I know most can be easily replaced but my brain was bigger than a softball and I loved it! The others were all getting pretty large too with a bout 7-10 heads on each!
------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: SGH360
Date Posted: August 14 2010 at 9:46pm
| thats is just weird. you just added 60 more gallon and no extra bioload this porbably would not cause a mini cycle can it? |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: August 14 2010 at 9:49pm
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Well I am guessing it is because I used live sand from an established tank and when it got mixed up probably caused some havic:( Lesson learned I guess. I talked with Shawn at Aquatica today for awhile and were thinking that's what happened..
------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: kody72
Date Posted: August 14 2010 at 9:54pm
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yes it can I upgrade from a 65 to a 95 and I lost 17 fish and a ton of coral ------------- http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=60612&title=kody72-fishroom" rel="nofollow - KODY72 FISHROOM BUILD 281g DT 187g Rimless Frag ATI PM lighting SRO DSCR-300ext 8013908179 |
Posted By: kellerexpress
Date Posted: August 14 2010 at 9:56pm
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Sorry to hear about your coral. That brain looks dead to me, I would remove it IMO. I recently had an open brain die and it wiped out a bunch of Lps I had. It was weird it didn't effect my sps or softies, but the slime and junk it put off killed a large candy cane colony, and large chalice that wasnt even near the near the brain. You need to be running carbon now if you are not already to help with the pollution from dying corals. On a Positive note I really like your rock scape. :) ------------- IM 30L Kessil A160we x2 |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: August 14 2010 at 9:58pm
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Yea I have carbon running now and I removed all the stuff that looked dead, that brain put off a ton of slime stuff so yea I am guessing it fouled things up:(
------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: Luckedout
Date Posted: August 14 2010 at 11:09pm
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That really stinks about that open brain. That was a great coral. I guess I was really lucky. When I upgraded to my 90g the only thing I lost was my royal gramma. No coral losses at all. It's weird that you're losing so many LPS, they're usually pretty resilient. ------------- -Ben 90g Mixed reef www.body-balancechiropractic.com |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: August 14 2010 at 11:30pm
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Yea I loved that brain I am pretty upset about that one, I know I can get frogspawn, hammers, and candy canes fairly inexpensive but that brain really sucks!!
------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: August 15 2010 at 8:44am
Sorry to hear of your losses ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: jwoo
Date Posted: August 15 2010 at 12:45pm
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Did you wash the sand when you did the move? If you didn't that's probably what happened. You get pockets of nastiness that when mixing up the sand can release nitrates, ammonia, and all sorts of badness. Usually you want to wash all the sand thoroughly if you are going to reuse it and then just seed it with a cup of live sand. ------------- None at the moment Soon: 72 Gallon Bowfront |
Posted By: sanddune600
Date Posted: August 15 2010 at 1:43pm
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I have moved my tank twice with no issues never rinsed I have always taken the water out then sand then put sand in and water on top of it trying to not mix the nasties in the water and leaving them in the sand ------------- Andy Jorgensen My number is four three 5 7 six four 8 0 three four |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: August 15 2010 at 4:56pm
No I didn't wash the sand, things are looking better today. The water is almost completely clear and the smell coming from it doesn't knock you over when you walk in my front door Anyway hopefully things are looking up:) Lessons learned I suppose. ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: sterling18
Date Posted: August 15 2010 at 6:29pm
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Wow, I go away to Scout Camp and this thread goes into over drive. I've got some reading to do. How are things looking Jackie? |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: August 15 2010 at 9:03pm
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Better getting my salinity up a bit have done another water change got some macro algae and my light installed for in the sump. My ammonia was a bit higher today so that's why I did another water change, and I am leaving the lights on 24/7 as Mark suggested. Thanks for asking:) ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: August 18 2010 at 3:38pm
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So I was sicker than a dog yesterday with the flu so I didn't even look at my tank as it is downstairs and I didn't leave my bed, but today it is clear as clear!!! Yay!! It has been a bit cloudy everyday and getting better but today it is crystal clear finally. If I have enough strength to check all my params I will however I still can't sit up or stand for too long:( ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: August 18 2010 at 3:56pm
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Get well soon! Glad your tank is doing better. ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: Luckedout
Date Posted: August 18 2010 at 5:36pm
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Tanks always look better the longer you leave them alone.
------------- -Ben 90g Mixed reef www.body-balancechiropractic.com |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: August 21 2010 at 10:33pm
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So I think my husband thinks I am crazy, I was checking all my params and when the ammonia test showed 0 I was jumping up and down!! Params today: Cal- 460 Alk-8 dosing daily to get up to at least 10 but if I miss one day I am back to 8 Nitrate-5 Nitrite-0 Ammonia-0 Ph- 8.2 Phosphate-0.25 So I have added a bag with phosguard in it to get rid of all the phosphate, everything is starting to look better even with the nasty brown algae:) need to get a bigger clean up crew as only a few snails made it and about 10 hermits. ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: BobC63
Date Posted: August 21 2010 at 11:27pm
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If you let your Ca drop just a little bit, like down to 400 - 420 ppm, it will be easier to keep your alk closer to 10 or even 11 dKH.
I find if I let my Ca get too close to 500 ppm, then I have a hard time maintaining alk even at 9.
------------- - My Current Tank: 65g Starfire (sitting empty for 2+ years) - * Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 * |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: August 21 2010 at 11:57pm
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Yea I haven't been dosing cal since I did a big water change and used the salt that has a higher cal rating.
------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: August 22 2010 at 11:44am
Doing a water change with high Ca salt is making the Alk/Ca balance go the wrong way. I would stop the water changes. They may have helped the Ammonia level drop slightly during the emergency, but they are not helping anymore.
Algae eats Phosphate. Is the algae in the Refugium growing well? ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
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Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: August 22 2010 at 3:56pm
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I haven't done any water changes since the very first:) I can't tell if the algae is growing or not. I guess I should go get the stuff that is in your signature to make stuff to get my alk up. I will look and see what it is I am using:) ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: August 23 2010 at 12:25am
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So today the brown algae is green:) Do you suppose I can turn my lighting schedule to normal now? I think everyone gets a bit sick of the lights being on 24/7
------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: August 23 2010 at 2:35pm
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Yes, the lights can go back to their normal schedule. Watch the Refugium to see if algae is growing. Normally it should double in size every month or two, requiring harvesting. ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
|
Posted By: Luckedout
Date Posted: August 23 2010 at 3:52pm
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Some pics would be helpful. I love seeing new tanks as they mature.
------------- -Ben 90g Mixed reef www.body-balancechiropractic.com |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: August 24 2010 at 8:03pm
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Here is a pic from today, I still have a small haze in the tank not sure if it from the algae as the tank was covered in green algae and I cleaned it off the sides of the tank. I am going to get a UV sterilizer as I used one on my other tank and it kept it crystal clear:) Anyways everything is starting to perk back up and look good again! The toadstool or whatever it is on the right that I got from Jeff had it's feelers out and was all happy the whole time my tank was in the dumps and now it isn't sending them out but the other one on the opposite side of the tank is.  ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: August 24 2010 at 8:04pm
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Oh and thanks to Dan for giving me pieces of some of the corals I lost!
------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: August 24 2010 at 8:58pm
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Flow is the answer! It loves it. ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: August 24 2010 at 9:10pm
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Ok I had moved it from being right by my glass so it didn't interfere when I used my magnet cleaner, I will move it back again as there was probably more flow where it was before.
------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: August 25 2010 at 9:11am
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Looking good. Can the stuff sitting on the sand, especially in the center 1/3, be placed up higher, or on "stilts"? Can you show us a pic of the Refugium please? ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
|
Posted By: sterling18
Date Posted: August 25 2010 at 9:24am
| How's the flow in the tank? I just looked at the overflows and I like it. |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: August 25 2010 at 9:30am
I guess it could be placed up higher, they are mostly mushrooms, zoos and palys so when I put them higher they tend to not like the intense lighting why? I'm guessing because it looks like they are all placed directly on the sand when actually they aren't most of it is leaning on other pieces. Peter the flow is excellent! thanks for drilling the holes, I really like how my overflows turned out he did a great job with them! ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: August 25 2010 at 5:57pm
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Over the years we have noticed that the greater the area of sand exposed to water flow, the better it can do it's job. When sand is covered up, pollution is worse and the tank suffers. And LS's job is a big one.  I believe that the LS does a larger share of the biofiltration than any other single component. The other biofiltration components are LR, Algae and LW. LS is especially good at the reduction of Nitrates into N2 and H2O.I said "stilts" but I often describe it as the Tripod Method. It's the method of placing some small flat or slender ends of rocks into the sand so that other rock can be placed on those raised places. Try to use the small ends of rock in the sand so that the least amount as possible of sand is covered. The water then can flow between the upright rocks over the sand to allow it to breathe; to capture nutrients and expel waste/byproducts. Here is a pic of the principle:  ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
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Posted By: bugzme
Date Posted: August 25 2010 at 6:20pm
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I don't use the tripod method but I try to stand my rocks up so I have some of the sand expose! Works for me. Never have nitrates in my tank and I feed like crazy! ------------- Jeff 125 tank 50 gallon sump T-5 lighting Rum drinker, Carbon User I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!! |