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Melev's new 280g Starfire tank thread
- Thread starter JohnL
- Start date
- Status
Wow I just posted and here you are. I know some corals have not done well lately but your reef is really looking quite beautiful.
melev
Well-known member
To sum it up...
To sum it up...
<b>Links to each part of this thread</b>
<a href="http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=3198801#post3198801" target="_blank">Beginning of 280g thread</a> - (started 7/20/04)
<a href="http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=4559211#post4559211" target="_blank">First split</a> - (starts 3/19/05)
<a href="http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=5098317#post5098317" target="_blank">Second split</a> - (starts 6/09/05)
<a href="http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=5744056#post5744056" target="_blank">Third Split</a> - (starts 9/19/05)
<a href="http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=6235584#post6235584" target="_blank">Fourth Split</a> - (starts 12/07/05)
<a href="http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=7038197#post7038197" target="_blank">Fifth Split</a> - (starts 3/25/06)
<a href="http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=7985304#post7985304" target="_blank">Sixth Split</a> - (starts 8/21/06)
<a href="http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=8813520#post8813520" target="_blank">Seventh Split</a> - (starts 12/23/06)
<a href="http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=9923164#post9923164" target="_blank">Eighth Split</a> - (starts5/11/07)
<a href="http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1185217" target="_blank">Nineth Split</a> - (starts 8/15/07)
<a href="http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=11123557#post11123557" target="_blank">Tenth Split</a> - (starts 11/05/07)
<a href="http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=11728920#post11728920" target="_blank">Eleventh Split</a> - (starts 1/31/08)
<a href="http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=12202019#post12202019" target="_blank">Twelveth Split</a> - (starts 3/28/08)
<a href="http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=12738672#post12738672" target="_blank">Thirteenth Split</a> - (starts 6/13/08)
<a href="http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=13397103#post13397103" target="_blank">Fourteenth Split</a> - (starts 9/21/08)
<a href="http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=13967862#post13967862" target="_blank">Fifteenth Split</a> - (starts 12/18/08)
<a href="http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=14736347#post14736347" target="_blank">Sixteenth Split</a> - (starts 4/1/09)
<a href="http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=15189169#post15189169" target="_blank">Seventeenth Split</a> - (starts 6/13/09)
<a href="http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=15688242#post15688242" target="_blank">Eighteenth Split</a> - (starts 9/11/09)
<b>My tank is now over five years old</b> as we continue with this thread.
<u><b>Summary</b></u><ul>
<li>280g Starfire glass Reef-Ready tank
<li>150g sump and refugium built by me
<li>Euroreef CS12-2 protein skimmer with two new Eheim 1262 pumps
<li>Lifereef Calcium Reactor with a flaky Milwaukee pH controller
<li>Aqua Controller III to control lighting, heat, and log some parameters, available on the web and my iPhone (AquaNotes App).
<li>55g water changed every two months.
<li>150gpd RO/DI with booster pump used for top offs and to make more saltwater. My tank evaporates about 5g per day.
<li>Kent Sea Salt or Red Sea Pro, as I always have both on hand; I change 55g of water per month.
<li>For cooling, I have a 8000 BTU window A/C unit set to keep the fish room at a comfortable 74-76F, which keeps the tank between 79-81F daily during the hotter months of the year.
<li>The return pump is a Little Giant.
<li>A Sequence Dart pump runs to a manifold that feeds water to many areas, include the Angled tank in my foyer and the Suncoral species tank.
<li>4 Vortech pumps create the flow in my tank, and are connected to IceCap battery backups.
<li>A 6250w generator protects my system from power failures, which occur two or three times a year.
<li>14g quarantine tank for all new arrivals
</ul>
Here are the water test results I've performed this year:
<img src="http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/2009_parms.jpg" border="0" alt="">
<b>Nitrates</b> have been controlled with Vodka dosing, which I've been doing for about 14 months. Currently, I dose 15ml daily.
<b>Phosphates</b> are controlled with Blue Life's Phosphate Control. When they measure .1ppm, I'll add 40 drops late at night to avoid having fish swimming actively through the flocculant. By morning the water is crystal clear.
Here's a peek into my fishroom.
<img src="http://melevsreef.com/pics/09/06/fishroom.jpg" border="0" alt="">
And here's a view of the livingroom the tank is in.
<img src="http://melevsreef.com/pics/09/06/living_room.jpg" border="0" alt="">
<b>Feedings</b> <ul>
<li>I feed three times a day. Each "morning", 1/2 sheet of nori is quickly consumed.
<li>During the afternoon/evening, some pellet food (AquaThrive by Reef Nutrition) is tossed in for the fish to chase and devour.
<li>Every night around 9:15, thawed Mini Mysis and Cyclop-eeze is fed to the suncorals and then the remainder (or majority) goes in the reef.</ul>
<b>Lighting</b><ul>
<li>250w 10,000K - 400w 20,000K - 250w 10,000K
<li>VHO Actinics span the tank as well.</ul>
<img src="http://melevsreef.com/pics/09/02/280g_lightingSM.jpg" border="0" alt="">
I <b>miss</b> my iPhone's AC3 application, because I used it all the time to check on the tank. Since changing to U-verse, I've not gotten that resolved yet.
<img src="http://melevsreef.com/pics/09/05/temp7days.jpg" border="0" alt="">
Picture from tonight.
To sum it up...
<b>Links to each part of this thread</b>
<a href="http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=3198801#post3198801" target="_blank">Beginning of 280g thread</a> - (started 7/20/04)
<a href="http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=4559211#post4559211" target="_blank">First split</a> - (starts 3/19/05)
<a href="http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=5098317#post5098317" target="_blank">Second split</a> - (starts 6/09/05)
<a href="http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=5744056#post5744056" target="_blank">Third Split</a> - (starts 9/19/05)
<a href="http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=6235584#post6235584" target="_blank">Fourth Split</a> - (starts 12/07/05)
<a href="http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=7038197#post7038197" target="_blank">Fifth Split</a> - (starts 3/25/06)
<a href="http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=7985304#post7985304" target="_blank">Sixth Split</a> - (starts 8/21/06)
<a href="http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=8813520#post8813520" target="_blank">Seventh Split</a> - (starts 12/23/06)
<a href="http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=9923164#post9923164" target="_blank">Eighth Split</a> - (starts5/11/07)
<a href="http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1185217" target="_blank">Nineth Split</a> - (starts 8/15/07)
<a href="http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=11123557#post11123557" target="_blank">Tenth Split</a> - (starts 11/05/07)
<a href="http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=11728920#post11728920" target="_blank">Eleventh Split</a> - (starts 1/31/08)
<a href="http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=12202019#post12202019" target="_blank">Twelveth Split</a> - (starts 3/28/08)
<a href="http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=12738672#post12738672" target="_blank">Thirteenth Split</a> - (starts 6/13/08)
<a href="http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=13397103#post13397103" target="_blank">Fourteenth Split</a> - (starts 9/21/08)
<a href="http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=13967862#post13967862" target="_blank">Fifteenth Split</a> - (starts 12/18/08)
<a href="http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=14736347#post14736347" target="_blank">Sixteenth Split</a> - (starts 4/1/09)
<a href="http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=15189169#post15189169" target="_blank">Seventeenth Split</a> - (starts 6/13/09)
<a href="http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=15688242#post15688242" target="_blank">Eighteenth Split</a> - (starts 9/11/09)
<b>My tank is now over five years old</b> as we continue with this thread.
<u><b>Summary</b></u><ul>
<li>280g Starfire glass Reef-Ready tank
<li>150g sump and refugium built by me
<li>Euroreef CS12-2 protein skimmer with two new Eheim 1262 pumps
<li>Lifereef Calcium Reactor with a flaky Milwaukee pH controller
<li>Aqua Controller III to control lighting, heat, and log some parameters, available on the web and my iPhone (AquaNotes App).
<li>55g water changed every two months.
<li>150gpd RO/DI with booster pump used for top offs and to make more saltwater. My tank evaporates about 5g per day.
<li>Kent Sea Salt or Red Sea Pro, as I always have both on hand; I change 55g of water per month.
<li>For cooling, I have a 8000 BTU window A/C unit set to keep the fish room at a comfortable 74-76F, which keeps the tank between 79-81F daily during the hotter months of the year.
<li>The return pump is a Little Giant.
<li>A Sequence Dart pump runs to a manifold that feeds water to many areas, include the Angled tank in my foyer and the Suncoral species tank.
<li>4 Vortech pumps create the flow in my tank, and are connected to IceCap battery backups.
<li>A 6250w generator protects my system from power failures, which occur two or three times a year.
<li>14g quarantine tank for all new arrivals
</ul>
Here are the water test results I've performed this year:
<img src="http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/2009_parms.jpg" border="0" alt="">
<b>Nitrates</b> have been controlled with Vodka dosing, which I've been doing for about 14 months. Currently, I dose 15ml daily.
<b>Phosphates</b> are controlled with Blue Life's Phosphate Control. When they measure .1ppm, I'll add 40 drops late at night to avoid having fish swimming actively through the flocculant. By morning the water is crystal clear.
Here's a peek into my fishroom.
<img src="http://melevsreef.com/pics/09/06/fishroom.jpg" border="0" alt="">
And here's a view of the livingroom the tank is in.
<img src="http://melevsreef.com/pics/09/06/living_room.jpg" border="0" alt="">
<b>Feedings</b> <ul>
<li>I feed three times a day. Each "morning", 1/2 sheet of nori is quickly consumed.
<li>During the afternoon/evening, some pellet food (AquaThrive by Reef Nutrition) is tossed in for the fish to chase and devour.
<li>Every night around 9:15, thawed Mini Mysis and Cyclop-eeze is fed to the suncorals and then the remainder (or majority) goes in the reef.</ul>
<b>Lighting</b><ul>
<li>250w 10,000K - 400w 20,000K - 250w 10,000K
<li>VHO Actinics span the tank as well.</ul>
<img src="http://melevsreef.com/pics/09/02/280g_lightingSM.jpg" border="0" alt="">
I <b>miss</b> my iPhone's AC3 application, because I used it all the time to check on the tank. Since changing to U-verse, I've not gotten that resolved yet.
<img src="http://melevsreef.com/pics/09/05/temp7days.jpg" border="0" alt="">
Picture from tonight.
Alaska_Phil
New member
Is there an award for longest running thread? You deserve it Marc, thanks for all the info and awesome photos that help keep us all inspired. :thumbsup:
Also, I love that tabling acro. Are they hard to raise? Now that I've upgraded the lighting and getting a sump/refugium added to my tank I'm thinking of attempting a SPS.
Phil
Also, I love that tabling acro. Are they hard to raise? Now that I've upgraded the lighting and getting a sump/refugium added to my tank I'm thinking of attempting a SPS.
Phil
David - Miami
Aquanot!
I still think the corals might have been effected by the removal of the other RBTA. Wasn't that where all the corals declined?
Sisterlimonpot
Premium Member
I just got one the other day and is already aqua scaping the sand to it's preferences. The sand is looking nicer every day.
maskednegator
New member
Absolutely stunning.
Sisterlimonpot
Premium Member
It is definitely looking good.
There's one over in the lighting forum that may give you a run for your money.
mr.wilson
.Registered Member
The water tests at least confirm that you didn't miss the obvious possibilities. New carbon, water changes, iodine, bacteria cultures and a little love are great shotgun cures that certainly do no harm. I know how frustrating it is to have a problem and have no test available to confirm the source, the smoking gun. This is where you need to start looking at things you can't (easily) test for, ie. pathogens.
The wait and see approach usually works, but in those cases where the problem continues to escalate despite all of your efforts, it's usually too little too late by the time you realize you are dealing with a disease and not an environmental condition. A psychic or a phrenologist for your brain corals would be of more use than anything I could suggest at this point in time.
The wait and see approach usually works, but in those cases where the problem continues to escalate despite all of your efforts, it's usually too little too late by the time you realize you are dealing with a disease and not an environmental condition. A psychic or a phrenologist for your brain corals would be of more use than anything I could suggest at this point in time.
melev
Well-known member
Here are a few pictures I took this afternoon from a new gizmo I built. It didn't work out as planned, so no pictures of the thingy, but I'll try again in the future and if it comes out good, I'll be sure to share. 
I did see some rust on a magnet in the back corner behind the area where the corals have been declining the most. The magnet holder keeps a probe in place, so I'm going to have to simply remove it for now and see about making some new ones.
I didn't remove an RBTA, just a regular BTA. The one I removed was on a rock that was loose, so when I pulled it out from the rockwork, it gave me access to the foot of the anemone. I don't think even the stress of any anemone could cause the strange issues I've encountered over the past few weeks, especially since it is long gone.
On with the pictures...
I did see some rust on a magnet in the back corner behind the area where the corals have been declining the most. The magnet holder keeps a probe in place, so I'm going to have to simply remove it for now and see about making some new ones.
I didn't remove an RBTA, just a regular BTA. The one I removed was on a rock that was loose, so when I pulled it out from the rockwork, it gave me access to the foot of the anemone. I don't think even the stress of any anemone could cause the strange issues I've encountered over the past few weeks, especially since it is long gone.
On with the pictures...
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