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    Product Review: EcoBak by Warner Marine 

    by
    melev
    Published on 12-31-2012 07:00 AM
    Categories:
    1. Dry Goods
    Article Preview

    Quite a few people recommended Warner Marine's EcoBak media when it comes to nitrate & phosphate reduction in the aquarium. This was one of the first brands to come to market initially, and for a period it was almost always out of stock. If you've been on the fence, unsure if it is worth the effort, let me assure you that it replaces other choices like vodka dosing... and it does so nicely.



    Biopellets need to be run in a specially designed reactor. Two that I've used are by NextReef and by AquaMaxx. These reactors force water to flow strongly through the media, causing it to tumble at all times. Water shouldn't channel or flow through clumped media, ...
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    Product Review: AquaMaxx biopellet reactor 

    by
    melev
    Published on 12-29-2012 10:53 PM
    Categories:
    1. Equipment
    Article Preview

    When I first got the AquaMaxx Biopellet Reactor, I was very interested in how it worked because the demonstration unit on display showcased something unseen by other similar devices. Unlike its counterparts, this one causes the media to spin at a strong rate -- the pellets orbiting a vertical riser tube provide one-way directional flow. It looked really neat, but I didn't know how the media would do under such conditions.

    The reactor itself is made of acrylic and PVC fittings. The inlet and outlets are glued into place, ...
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    My "Reef Friendly" Quarantine System 

    Published on 12-10-2012 02:57 PM
    Categories:
    1. Equipment
    Article Preview

    I haven’t been involved in this hobby very long compared to other folks but learned very quickly how much of a pain it can be to eradicate, or try to eradicate pests such as Aiptasia, Majanos, Bubble Algae, zoa eating asterinas, and Marine Ich. When I started, I did what I’m sure all of us have done at one time or another: just drop things in the tank and hope for the best. I recently upgraded from a 70g to a 260g tank and decided never again! Unfortunately, everything I found online regarding QT setups mainly dealt with fish only setups, bare bones systems, or that were more of a temporary solution. ...
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    SCUBA Certification - Open Water Dives 3 & 4 

    by
    melev
    Published on 11-18-2012 07:11 PM
    Article Preview

    The final part of my PADI Open Water diver certification was Dives 3 & 4. Yesterday, Dives 1 & 2 were done in Terrell, Texas. Today's took place in Glen Rose, Texas.

    The purpose of this documentation is to provide information to consider so your experience will go smoothly, and that is why I opt to share a number of details, including minor ones:

    I awoke at 8 a.m. so I'd have an hour to get myself going before my drive to Glen Rose. As soon as the alarm sounded, I jumped up but wow did I feel like heck. I could see through the closed blinds that it wasn't bright outside, which meant it would feel colder than yesterday's sunny day. My body ached, my neck bothered me, my sinuses seemed a little restricted... more than likely the result of cold water dives the day before. I reset the timer on the alarm, and went back to sleep for 45 minutes. I felt better, and had just enough time to ...
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    SCUBA Certification - Open Water Dives 1 & 2 

    by
    melev
    Published on 11-17-2012 07:42 PM
    Article Preview

    To receive my PADI SCUBA certification, I have to complete four "open water" dives with a qualified instructor. This weekend is halfway over, and I was able to get two of the four done today before we ran out of daylight. Here's the link to the planning blog: http://www.reefaddicts.com/entry.php...-certification

    Yesterday (Friday), I went to We B Divin' to pick up my gear. This includes the BCD, weights, 5mm wetsuit and 5mm Hooded Vest. Because the dive shop doesn't have any Large wetsuits at this time, I used the LL (large-long) and an XL hooded vest. The purpose of both is to insulate me from the colder water in our lakes during November. I picked up two air tanks, and checked both for their O-rings. One was fine while the other looked pretty rough. I asked for a spare O-ring since it ...
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    SCUBA Certification - More classwork, and finals 

    by
    melev
    Published on 11-04-2012 10:41 AM
    Article Preview

    With a heavy schedule carrying multiple responsibilities, it has literally taken me years to get SCUBA certification, or should I say the necessary training to become qualified to dive. When I designed the logo for my company, a diver was included in the artwork as a constant reminder of what I wanted to do. It was a personal goal. No matter how I tried to map out my schedule, I never seemed to have the time to take my classes. About a year ago, due to a friend's reminder, I purchased a Groupon for classes, and even with the four month period before expiration, I couldn't mesh my schedule accordingly. Customer orders needed filling, traveling for speaking engagements or MACNA promotion, as well as club business / events, my reef tank's issues... ...
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    SCUBA Certification - Classwork first, then Wetwork 

    by
    melev
    Published on 11-02-2012 10:50 PM
    Article Preview

    Two weeks ago, I paid for my upcoming classes to get PADI Open Water SCUBA Certification. I received my educational packet, which included my main workbook, a diver's log, and a computer workbook. Between work, I studied, answered the quizzes that appeared after each subheading, and completed the chapter review test.

    I sat down with a bowl of popcorn to watch both DVDs that rounded out the pre-class education, and soaked up all I could. The videos were funny at times, and explained quite a number of important factors. The video quality could have been better; I was wanting HD but this is what you get currently.

    My class is small. There are four students, and one instructor as well as his assistant. Because of the small group, ...
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