Good Morning!

Peace River · Jul 17, 2021

Wen said:
Sounds like fun, would really enjoy meeting you and @Just John in person!
Was great to meet @CMMorgan this summer along 75.
However, I’ve already committed to plumbing and construction projects at the warehouse Saturday-Monday.
Please post pics of your purchases!

I started a thread with pictures that include some of the vendor booth and other general info:

RVA Frag Swap 2021

Thank you to Wayne and the whole RVA team for an enjoyable event! If you made it to the show, please feel free to add your pictures or experiences in this thread. It was great to reconnect with friends, bring home livestock, and even win a raffle prize! A huge shout out and thank you to...

www.reef2reef.com

As an FYI to everyone in or around Florida, I think the next show in Florida is in Daytona on the first weekend of October.

WiscoFishNut · Jul 18, 2021

Good morning! Spending the week in New Smyrna Beach, and the view does not suck

WVNed · Jul 18, 2021

Good morning Tearing the 55 down. I am going to put an under gravel filter in it. I forgot how much I hate cannister filters.

CMMorgan · Jul 18, 2021

WiscoFishNut said:
Good morning! Spending the week in New Smyrna Beach, and the view does not suck

Welcome to the sunshine state!!

See You Later Alligator Hello GIF by University of Florida

CMMorgan · Jul 18, 2021

Off to get breakfast and buy more paint... then change filter socks. So much excitement for a Sunday!!

WVNed · Jul 18, 2021

Off to Home depot to get some plastic to drill. I decided I want a reverse flow under gravel filter.
Why do they have to change stuff. For decades you buy a Maxijet and you can slip the outlet into 1/2 inch CPVC to make things.
They changed the castings and now they don't fit unless you use power tools.

So I did. One adapter made, now I need some parts for another.
@Peace River
Would you use 2 MJ400s or 1200s for a 55 gallon RFUG filter. I am second guessing myself. Though nothing is glued so I could change them later.

ReefGrammie · Jul 18, 2021

CMMorgan said:
Off to get breakfast and buy more paint... then change filter socks. So much excitement for a Sunday!!

My filter sock fun from yesterday. ;Meh

That's a gigantic baggie thing with about 10 or so in there. I wash them when I run out....I love it so much. I have both the long ones and the short ones. I love the short ones because they're easy to reverse. I hate the short ones because they don't last as long. I love the long ones because they last longer. I hate the long ones because they're harder to reverse. I have clean filter socks, though!

ReefGrammie · Jul 18, 2021

WVNed said:
Off to Home depot to get some plastic to drill. I decided I want a reverse flow under gravel filter.
Why do they have to change stuff. For decades you buy a Maxijet and you can slip the outlet into 1/2 inch CPVC to make things.
They changed the castings and now they don't fit unless you use power tools.

So I did. One adapter made, now I need some parts for another.
@Peace River
Would you use 2 MJ400s or 1200s for a 55 gallon RFUG filter. I am second guessing myself. Though nothing is glued so I could change them later.

I'm not sure because of the UG part. Is more flow required? My only experience with the MJ1200 is in my 5-gallon WC bucket. It sure mixes up salt fast!

WVNed · Jul 18, 2021

ReefGrammie said:
I'm not sure because of the UG part. Is more flow required? My only experience with the MJ1200 is in my 5-gallon WC bucket. It sure mixes up salt fast!

This is just for a filter in the 55g freshwater tank I keep feeders in. The filter has to be robust because you order 300 fish and drop them in. The cannister works but you have to rebuild it once a month. I am too lazy and find it hard to wrestle that thing to the fish room as often as I should. Then it goes from being the solution to part of the problem.

ReefGrammie · Jul 18, 2021

Good morning. For you clove polyp owners, do these things grow like mad? I've always steered clear of things like xenia or kenya just because they can take over a tank fast. I couldn't resist the firework cloves. It doesn't look like they grow very tall (at least according to Google Images). I have them self contained on a rock that I can remove, if they need a "trimming." If I can frag them, I'm sure my LFS owner will take some off my hands. @Mike from TN, how did yours turn out?

ReefGrammie · Jul 18, 2021

WVNed said:
This is just for a filter in the 55g freshwater tank I keep feeders in. The filter has to be robust because you order 300 fish and drop them in. The cannister works but you have to rebuild it once a month. I am to lazy and find it hard to wrestle that thing to the fish room as often as I should. Then it goes from being the solution to part of the problem.

I've never dealt with a canister filter...I'm bad enough wrestling filter socks in my sump! It seems like the MJ1200 would be plenty robust for a 55 with 300 fish!

Peace River · Jul 18, 2021

WVNed said:
Off to Home depot to get some plastic to drill. I decided I want a reverse flow under gravel filter.
Why do they have to change stuff. For decades you buy a Maxijet and you can slip the outlet into 1/2 inch CPVC to make things.
They changed the castings and now they don't fit unless you use power tools.

So I did. One adapter made, now I need some parts for another.
@Peace River
Would you use 2 MJ400s or 1200s for a 55 gallon RFUG filter. I am second guessing myself. Though nothing is glued so I could change them later.

Hopefully @Paul B will comment on the RUGF (I've appreciate his insights on them in the past). IME it depends on the substrate type, thickness, etc. You want the substrate to be just slightly "floating". I'm sure that there is a better answer, but in the past I've used the trial-and-error approach to dial them in (also it seems to change over time so there may be future fiddling to look forward to).

I'll see the new casting soon enough when my 1200s arrive, but have you considered using a heat gun on the PVC and then dunking in water when you get it altered to the correct size?

WVNed · Jul 18, 2021

under gravel filter. Air is pumped up the lift tubes causing water to be drawn down through the substrate
The mulm collects under the plates.

reverse flow under gravel filter. A pump pushes water under the substrate down the tubes and it flows up through the substrate. The mulm collects in the tank and you can siphon it out.
I need to rebuild my diatom filter. One of those with a RFUG filter is as good as it gets in freshwater.

Search for RFUG filter brings up Paul

WVNed · Jul 18, 2021

Peace River said:
Hopefully @Paul B will comment on the RUGF (I've appreciate his insights on them in the past). IME it depends on the substrate type, thickness, etc. You want the substrate to be just slightly "floating". I'm sure that there is a better answer, but in the past I've used the trial-and-error approach to dial them in (also it seems to change over time so there may be future fiddling to look forward to).

I'll see the new casting soon enough when my 1200s arrive, but have you considered using a heat gun on the PVC and then dunking in water when you get it altered to the correct size?

Having an excellent assortment of drill bits available I made it work. Not pretty but this isn't a show tank.

Wen · Jul 18, 2021

CMMorgan said:
Off to get breakfast and buy more paint... then change filter socks. So much excitement for a Sunday!!

The white ceiling looks great!
Happy painting day and hope your hubby has forgotten all about the RO flood that sparked the extra expenses.

Peace River · Jul 18, 2021

Good morning everyone! I'm sure my day will include at least one trip to Lowes, since today I need to get a whole weekend worth of stuff done since I took most of yesterday off to go to the frag swap.

fishguy242 · Jul 18, 2021

good morning all...

have a great day...

Mike from TN · Jul 18, 2021

ReefGrammie said:
Good morning. For you clove polyp owners, do these things grow like mad? I've always steered clear of things like xenia or kenya just because they can take over a tank fast. I couldn't resist the firework cloves. It doesn't look like they grow very tall (at least according to Google Images). I have them self contained on a rock that I can remove, if they need a "trimming." If I can frag them, I'm sure my LFS owner will take some off my hands. @Mike from TN, how did yours turn out?

Good Morning RG, and everyone else.
When I got my Fireworks, they didn’t even open for almost a week. They are pretty short but are finally starting to multiply. I think I had ~5 polyps when I got them. There are 11 now.