I installed the Reefbrite Lumilite on my frag system's refugium a couple of months ago to see how it would do. Honestly, I had a feeling I'd need two of them to handle that area. Still, I had to test it out to see what it could do rather than supercharge my results. Water parameters on that system wander a bit because I don't watch it as closely as I do my reef, but despite that the macro algae has done quite well.
When an anemone is about to split, it's usually pretty obvious. It will elongate, stretching across one or more rocks. It will pull both directions, basically ripping itself in half. When a BTA splits, it's even more important to maintain water quality parameters so the halves can heal properly. Anemones will need a few days to heal, sealing themselves and rebuilding the mouth area that is used to swallow food once more.
If you want to try your hand at building your own sump, I'd recommend doing something small at first. Take your time and do a good job so the floors stay dry. If you opt to build something big, make sure you know what thickness of material you need to use before you start construction. Here's a simple sump based on the Model A that I used under my 29g reef years ago.
Do It Yourself sump using glass or acrylic baffles: Building your own sump using a glass tank isn't hard, nor does it have to be expensive.
Many hobbyists choose to use a glass aquarium, and then insert 1/4" (glass or acrylic) baffles, bonding these into place.
How would you like to route some teeth for a baffle of your sump? Here is one of the methods I've used.
You could create a "jig" that is re-useable, such as the thumbnail to the right. It provides me with a series of grooves for the router bit's shaft to trace, but over time it melts the material of the jig and has to be replaced. This is a good choice for a few uses, at most.
Due to the abundance of emails, it was time to put some pictures on the site. Here are a number of items I use to build the sumps and other acrylic wares I fabricate. While not everything is absolutely necessary, I find that if you have the right tools on hand, your end result will be better. Keeping track of all these items can be a task, since they scatter during the construction phase...
There are a few ways to accomplish the top flange (the rim or one-piece euro-brace) of a sump. Originally, I would build the sump, squeeze in pieces of wood inside the upper edge of the sump, and use a router with a ball bearing guide to trace the lumber. This was tedious, and cutting wood for each sump would end up costing too much.
"Uh-oh, I think I might have AEFW..." I saw this statement several years ago. I wasn't too concerned, and thought it wasn't a big deal. Later, I discovered my favorite SPS coral was fading fast, the color literally leaving the coral more and more daily. Staring at the coral, nothing looked wrong with it other than it being faded. It was polyped out, and seemed to grow at the regular pace. Still, I was concerned.
Some ask "What is RTN?" It is an acronym for Rapid Tissue Necrosis, which means the tissue is dying fast. Ever heard of 'flesh eating disease' on shows like ER? It has to be cut off quickly before it gets into your entire body. Acropora suffer from RTN, and it just happens seemingly for no reason whatsoever.
Hatching brine shrimp is quite easy, inexpensive, and beneficial as a food source especially if you are offering up 24-hour old nauptili. These would be baby brine shrimp with their yoke sack still attached, hence more nutritious. Two of the ingredients you already have if you have a saltwater aquarium running, and the rest is found online or perhaps at your local fish store (LFS).
