Been a long time...
- Thread starter Capt_Cully
- Start date
pimpinitup6969
New member
looks good Mark! you should nip that little branch off the setosa for me! Ill make a special trip to syracuse next weekend to pick some stuff up if you do!
pimpinitup6969
New member
Yeah it is Todd
toddmh
New member
Yummy :inlove:
pimpinitup6969
New member
Yes it is. So is that stylo!
Firedog1962
New member
Awsome tank, you should be very proud
shawna1972
New member
I love it! Corals have sure grown wow! Beautiful!
Gary Majchrzak
Team RC
nutrient rich?
Capt_Cully
Active member
Depends on the day Gary 
Conesus_Kid
Premium Member
Mark-
Not looking for a super-long post, but what's your weekly maintenance regimen look like? From your posts, I gather that you're probably testing Ca, alk, and Mg every week or two, keeping the Ca reactor full, Mag-floating the glass, and hitting up a water change every week or so.
Is that the long and the short of it?
I'm always amazed how good everything looks (minus a little algae on the glass) when I come back from a school vacation and haven't had my hands in the tank multiple times per day. Sometimes less actually is more!
Not looking for a super-long post, but what's your weekly maintenance regimen look like? From your posts, I gather that you're probably testing Ca, alk, and Mg every week or two, keeping the Ca reactor full, Mag-floating the glass, and hitting up a water change every week or so.
Is that the long and the short of it?
I'm always amazed how good everything looks (minus a little algae on the glass) when I come back from a school vacation and haven't had my hands in the tank multiple times per day. Sometimes less actually is more!
GMaquarium
New member
good work. nice mature aquarium
Gary Majchrzak
Team RC
I'm especially interested in hearing the water change schedule 
Is the water change schedule one of the main reasons for considering "lower maintenance" (re:nutrient loving) corals?
Is the water change schedule one of the main reasons for considering "lower maintenance" (re:nutrient loving) corals?
Capt_Cully
Active member
Last night while working at a per diem gig at another hospital, I typed out a rambling response only to have it blocked and deleted. So heres a shorter version.
What I WAS doing and what I am currently doing are two very different things since the baby came along. She isn't fully to blame, as we're also trying to sell our house. Updates, maintenance, cleaning of the house is constant. Leaving prescious little time for a tank I used to dote on.
USED TO RELIGIOUSLY do a 10% W/C per week. Check Ca, Mg, dKh about once a month, unless close observation of the tank eluded to the fact that something was amiss. Clean the skimmer cup and cone, change the filter bag once per week. Prune chaeto, once a month or so. Change out carbon every couple of waterchanges. Installed TDS on RO/DI. Change out bulbs once every 9-12 months. Ca Reactor. I run an ATO, and drip kalk (until a week ago when I poured saltwater into my DC8) on a 24/7 basis. So basically it was almost cook book.
NOW, I'm constantly on my heels. W/C's are between 2 and 3 weeks, still 10%. But ensuing maintenance is also delayed as I do/did it all at once. Carbon hasn't been changed in a while. Bulbs are over 12 mos.
I've had various corals lose their tissue. Most notably of late my huge blue millie table grown out from a 1 inch frag 4 years ago. I've seen zoos melt away. The bane of my existence is Mojanos though. They have taken over. I could easily have taken as many shots of mojanos, halmeda, pockets of cyano, and coral skeletons.
But, it is what it is. I look forward to, Yes Gary, a lower maintenance system. By that, I mean W/C schedule, as it all sort of falls in line the way I do things. I love my tank, but I'm realistic enough to know I can't give my corals the time they need right now. I'd rather see them do well somewhere else than slowly watch my collection white out. I can spruce it up from time to time, but it's a far cry IMO from its glory days about a year ago.
Many thanks for all the kind words!
Cully
What I WAS doing and what I am currently doing are two very different things since the baby came along. She isn't fully to blame, as we're also trying to sell our house. Updates, maintenance, cleaning of the house is constant. Leaving prescious little time for a tank I used to dote on.
USED TO RELIGIOUSLY do a 10% W/C per week. Check Ca, Mg, dKh about once a month, unless close observation of the tank eluded to the fact that something was amiss. Clean the skimmer cup and cone, change the filter bag once per week. Prune chaeto, once a month or so. Change out carbon every couple of waterchanges. Installed TDS on RO/DI. Change out bulbs once every 9-12 months. Ca Reactor. I run an ATO, and drip kalk (until a week ago when I poured saltwater into my DC8) on a 24/7 basis. So basically it was almost cook book.
NOW, I'm constantly on my heels. W/C's are between 2 and 3 weeks, still 10%. But ensuing maintenance is also delayed as I do/did it all at once. Carbon hasn't been changed in a while. Bulbs are over 12 mos.
I've had various corals lose their tissue. Most notably of late my huge blue millie table grown out from a 1 inch frag 4 years ago. I've seen zoos melt away. The bane of my existence is Mojanos though. They have taken over. I could easily have taken as many shots of mojanos, halmeda, pockets of cyano, and coral skeletons.
But, it is what it is. I look forward to, Yes Gary, a lower maintenance system. By that, I mean W/C schedule, as it all sort of falls in line the way I do things. I love my tank, but I'm realistic enough to know I can't give my corals the time they need right now. I'd rather see them do well somewhere else than slowly watch my collection white out. I can spruce it up from time to time, but it's a far cry IMO from its glory days about a year ago.
Many thanks for all the kind words!
Cully
