Jennystyyle’s Red Sea Nano Max G2 Journal

[jennystyyle]

Cloudiness is gone. Lights off for cycle

 

[Reefing102]

Looking great! Scape looks good.

 

[jennystyyle]

Just finished testing with my new Hanna marine Master. I know that a lot of the parameters are meaningless for an empty tank. I just wanted the practice for when it matters.

Temperature 77.3
Specific gravity 1.024
PH 7.7
Alk 7.4
Calcium 600
Magnesium 1335
Nitrate 0.4
Phosphate 0.35
Ammonia 0.13
Nitrite 2 ppb

 

[Reefing102]

Looks like the cycle definitely started. That PH and alk look pretty low with high calcium. May want to run it a couple times to make sure everything is being ran correctly.

 

[jennystyyle]

I agree. I will be checking throughout the cycle. I’ll check the calibration on the reef master and practice some more and hope it stabilizes with the water changed. I plan to change 4 cups today.

 

[griss]

Maybe mix a small, fresh batch of saltwater and test that. Sometimes batches of salt go out with wonky parameters. I had 2 different buckets with super low Alk and super high CA.

 

[jennystyyle]

That’s a good idea. I already have it mixed. I attributed the wacky parameters on to whatever was in the live sand mix.

As of now, there aren’t any inhabitants or corals so I don’t see it as a big deal. Yet.
I still need to decide on what corals I want for sure. But for now, thinking maybe just Zoas and acans.

 

[Dustin07]

View attachment 32396500Cloudiness is gone. Lights off for cycle

Looks good!

 

[jennystyyle]

Did baseline on calcium and alk for new mix. I’m thinking that it was user error on the high calcium reading originally. I mad a mistake running it a second time and perhaps put in too much salt water into the test mix. I almost did it on the control sample

Calcium looks better at 456
Alk at 7.7

 

[griss]

Did baseline on calcium and alk for new mix. I’m thinking that it was user error on the high calcium reading originally. I mad a mistake running it a second time and perhaps put in too much salt water into the test mix. I almost did it on the control sample

Calcium looks better at 456
Alk at 7.7

That looks much better.

 

[jennystyyle]

Ammonia is starting to come down. Dummy me forgot to get a controller for the heater. It was way high. I was wondering why the ATO was emptying out so quickly. Problem identified. Controller is on its way FED EX.

 

[griss]

What controller did you get?

 

[jennystyyle]

 

[griss]

Nice, haven’t used that controller personally but heard they are nice.

 

[jennystyyle]

I’ve never used one either. Or for that matter, didn’t need a heater.

My 92 gallon has MH lighting and a glass top. It was marginal to need a chiller. As long as I kept the house on the cool sid. It ran in range for temperature. I had to watch for it to creep up though.

 

[griss]

I’ve never used one either. Or for that matter, didn’t need a heater.

My 92 gallon has MH lighting and a glass top. It was marginal to need a chiller. As long as I kept the house on the cool sid. It ran in range for temperature. I had to watch for it to creep up though.

I've run (and still do) MH since the early 1990s. I've always had to use heaters as I keep my tanks in the basement. So, even in the summer, my heaters run.

 

[Dustin07]

If the heater were to go out on you or say summer hits and temps go high, does the meter have any kind of alarm?

That's one of my concerns this summer is our current home is like 80+ years old with horrible AC type issues lol.

 

[jennystyyle]

I've run (and still do) MH since the early 1990s. I've always had to use heaters as I keep my tanks in the basement. So, even in the summer, my heaters run.

I don’t think it was entirely the MH. But rather a combination of the 250W MH on a corner tank with a lid. didn’t know any better on that tank. It had a glass lid and the fixture sat right on top of the lid.

The tank was started with bio balls that I later changed to a small sump. But I had to be really careful on fill levels. If power went out, it had a tendency to overflow.

It was in the family room of the main level of the house.

 

[jennystyyle]

That tank was started when bioballs were the thing. It was a 92 gallon corner. I converted the bioball canister to a small refrigium then later put a 10 gallon with baffles underneath. I had to watch the level below closely to prevent overflowing when we lost power. And it was very noisy.

That aside, I think the natural temperature of it was a combination of things. Glass cover with a MH fixture on top of it. And it was on the main floor, which is warmer than a basement for sure. It was marginal to need a chiller

 

[griss]

That tank was started when bioballs were the thing. It was a 92 gallon corner. I converted the bioball canister to a small refrigium then later put a 10 gallon with baffles underneath. I had to watch the level below closely to prevent overflowing when we lost power. And it was very noisy.

That aside, I think the natural temperature of it was a combination of things. Glass cover with a MH fixture on top of it. And it was on the main floor, which is warmer than a basement for sure. It was marginal to need a chiller

Got me reminiscing again. Back in the 80s, 200 gallon fish only tank. 20 gallon tank for sump, we took plastic trays and cut slots in them, filled them with crushed coral, stacked them atop each other and placed in the 20 gallon tank. Then, (since reef ready tanks were not available) we had a homemade HOB overflow going to a PVC spraybar that distributed the water over the top tray to trickle down to the rest.