Thanks Chuck!
Yeah, our tanks are only a few weeks apart in age. I am stocking pretty slow, but in spurts. I have had two great deals in getting livestock from fellow reef club members that both moved large tanks. Both were downsizing, so I managed to get some corals for a good price - and I couldn't turn that down.
I wish my tank looked as good as the two tanks I got those corals from. Both were excellent. There is probably only about 10 corals in there from a LFS.
I was really lucky in getting that 1/2HP chiller for $400. The thing retails for just under $1,000 and it is only 8 months old. Looks brand new. It has a 10 degree pull down rating on a 450 gallon tank and a 30 degree pull down on a 240. The reef club member that I got it from had it on a 150. It should be able to manage the 5 degree pull down I am looking for on my tank and hardly have to run at all to keep it there. Plus I would have the extra cooling capacity if my a/c ever goes down while I am out of town (which has happened to me before).
On another note, I have also added an Ecotech Marine VorTech propeller pump for added flow, but most importantly, to have a battery operated backup pump. The one I got has the wireless controller for different flow patterns and strengths. I got one battery, which is supposed to run the pump for a little more than one day, should the power go down. You can add batteries to the system to increase the run time. I plan to add two more batteries, so the pump will run between 3 and 4 days without a/c power and hopefully buy me time to get back home to get a generator on the tank (thinking of evacuations or weekend trips where Murphy's Law always seems to visit my house). Pretty neat little pump, a
little pricey, but if it will keep the reef alive for a weekend in my absence, it is more than worth the cost. In case you are wondering about the batteries, they cost $149 each and are supposed to last several years. They can be refurbished by IceCap for only $65.
Wireless controller....
Backup battery...
Great surface agitation and the pump is located probably six inches below the surface.
