Myka
Reefing since '93
That pectinia has changed a bit!
Haha, my post wasn't too clear, eh? :spin2:
Myka's 69 SPS Tank 2015
- Thread starter Myka
- Start date
Haha, my post wasn't too clear, eh? :spin2:
Myka
Reefing since '93
I managed to get some fluff out of the tank today. I have a few Zoa frag plugs that need to be gone. The tank is looking more organized at least, and I can see more sand than before.
I got a new Red Sea Pro nitrate kit today. I test with it and the Salifert kit. RS tested 0, and Salifert was 0.2 ppm. I added some of my stock Sodium nitrate solution (mathematically, enough for about 0.5 ppm in my tank volume). I re-tested and RS said 0.5 ppm and Salifert still read 0.2 ppm. So that was interesting. I will continue to use both kits in hopes of coming to a conclusion as to which is more accurate.
My tank suddenly started growing apparently since I tested alkalinity and it was down at 6.8. Crap. Though I'm glad consumption is going up.
You guys could probably snag a frag at MACNA if you're going!
I got a new Red Sea Pro nitrate kit today. I test with it and the Salifert kit. RS tested 0, and Salifert was 0.2 ppm. I added some of my stock Sodium nitrate solution (mathematically, enough for about 0.5 ppm in my tank volume). I re-tested and RS said 0.5 ppm and Salifert still read 0.2 ppm. So that was interesting. I will continue to use both kits in hopes of coming to a conclusion as to which is more accurate.
My tank suddenly started growing apparently since I tested alkalinity and it was down at 6.8. Crap. Though I'm glad consumption is going up.
You guys could probably snag a frag at MACNA if you're going!
Myka
Reefing since '93
I rearranged the rock a bit to make it more appealing until the corals grow in. The frags on the sand on the right won't be there long. I found a nice shady spot for the Trachy, and it's very happy. The anemone was migrating, so I peeled it off, and banned it to an island. It took the dummy Clowns a full 24 hours to find it even though it was only moved 10". You can see them in the pics hovering around where the anemone was.
I even found a shady spot for the Zoas.
Here's the new Desalwii frag.
The unknown piece (which is probably a second Desalwii, oops)
Echinata
Lokani (didn't make it)
I even found a shady spot for the Zoas.
Here's the new Desalwii frag.
The unknown piece (which is probably a second Desalwii, oops)
Echinata
Lokani (didn't make it)
BigJohnny
Active member
As in your going and your bringing some or there will likely be frags of it there? I'm going! Taking a loooooooooong brunch/lunch at work on friday [emoji6] .
BigJohnny
Active member
Looks great, silly clowns. Is that a sicce xtreme powerhead on the right glass?I rearranged the rock a bit to make it more appealing until the corals grow in. The frags on the sand on the right won't be there long. I found a nice shady spot for the Trachy, and it's very happy. The anemone was migrating, so I peeled it off, and banned it to an island. It took the dummy Clowns a full 24 hours to find it even though it was only moved 10". You can see them in the pics hovering around where the anemone was.
I even found a shady spot for the Zoas.
Here's the new Desalwii frag.
The unknown piece (which is probably a second Desalwii, oops)
Echinata
Lokani (didn't make it)
Myka
Reefing since '93
Believe it or not, I didn't take any rock out. All I did was move the rock the anemone is now on down onto the sand which left the two big islands of rock, though they were close to each other, then I pushed them apart and turned the left formation a bit so I could create a gap in the center. I still need to work on the right formation as I'm not happy with it yet.
No I'm not headed there this year. I couldn't take any frags anyway because hard corals can't go across the border without CITES permits. I first saw the Space Invaders Pectinia at MACNA a couple years ago, and shortly after I managed to snag my own frag in Canada. There are very few colonies of it in Canada. I'm sure you will be able to find some frags at MACNA this year.
That's just an ugly Maxijet with the high flow propeller on it. I needed more flow as I wait for two more 6055 to show up from a friend, and I had the MJ laying around. It's usually my salt mixing powerhead.
Myka
Reefing since '93
EDIT: Wow, just because I type at 72 wpm doesn't mean I should write a dang novel! Sorry guys! 
Today it's cold and raining outside. I wanted to get the stand panels cut, but hubby doesn't want to move his old truck out in the rain to make room to do the woodworking. So I decided to tackle the right side rock structure that's been driving me nuts. I spent an hour messing with it and I'm still not content. I think the tallest point of it is too tall and that the right structure looks too much like the left structure. Ugh... :facepalm: While I was doing that I epoxied 5 frags/mini colonies to the rocks (Hawkins "Echinata", A desalwii, A sarmentosa, A lokani, A insignis) and now I don't think I'll sleep tonight as I worry about Epoxy Tank Brown Freak Out (herein referred to as ETBFO) Episode 2.
I bought a couple of 5' pieces of 1/2" aluminum tube and a tube bender to make a couple light brackets. I bent the first one and it went smooth. I bent the second one and it broke. So I drove halfway across the city to go get another length cut. I bent that one, and broke it too! :headwalls: They are closed now until Tuesday, so no light hanger this weekend.
The tank is really starting to color up now, though a few pieces are still struggling. There is noticeable weekly growth too. I started taking photos of every piece on the 1st (or close to) of each month. So I will have some pretty cool growth sequence photos in a year.
I picked up a Hanna ULR Phosphorus checker, and my tank reads 0 ppb. :uhoh2: I've been feeding the fish 3x a day, and lots too. I added a Cleaner Shrimp to help clean up the mess I'm making. I've been allowing my filter pads to sit in the sump for 2 weeks without cleaning. I've been dosing a homemade Sodium nitrate solution to supplement NO3 and the tank has been going through about 0.25 ppm per week. Is the tank "using" the nitrate or is it "processing" the nitrate? I don't know.
The sand bed is driving me nuts. It is Caribsea Seaflor Special Grade, and it's so uniform that it looks fake to me. I have a small bag of Caribsea Super Reef sitting on the table beside the tank right now, and I'm humming and hawing about adding it. What to do? What do you guys think?
The other thing that's driving me nuts is the salt mix I'm using - H2Ocean. As the years roll by it seems the alkalinity slowly gets higher and higher. I tested today's new bucket:
Cal 415 ppm (Salifert)
Alk 9.6 dKH (Salifert)
Mg 1230 ppm (Salifert)
Unfortunately, only Instant Ocean, Reef Crystals, and H2Ocean are available locally. We had Tropic Marin Pro Reef for one batch, but my LFS didn't bring it back in. I tried to convince him to order a pallet of Reefer's Best when it was on sale this summer, but I couldn't pre-sell enough to convince him. So I bought a bottle of Muriatic Acid, and I'm going to lower the H2Ocean's alkalinity. I like to do 50-75% water changes 3-4 times per year, and I can't do that with 9.6 dKH when my tank is 7.0 dKH and full of SPS. :twitch:
Cool new screen! I have a buddy that has a 3D printer and I got him to print me up some custom round screen frame corners to fit into my one-piece eurobrace. I notched a hole in the two back corners to accept the wires for the powerheads. The corners are sweet! These are V1.0, and he's working on improving the design a bit. If anyone else wants some made, send me a PM!
Today it's cold and raining outside. I wanted to get the stand panels cut, but hubby doesn't want to move his old truck out in the rain to make room to do the woodworking. So I decided to tackle the right side rock structure that's been driving me nuts. I spent an hour messing with it and I'm still not content. I think the tallest point of it is too tall and that the right structure looks too much like the left structure. Ugh... :facepalm: While I was doing that I epoxied 5 frags/mini colonies to the rocks (Hawkins "Echinata", A desalwii, A sarmentosa, A lokani, A insignis) and now I don't think I'll sleep tonight as I worry about Epoxy Tank Brown Freak Out (herein referred to as ETBFO) Episode 2.
I bought a couple of 5' pieces of 1/2" aluminum tube and a tube bender to make a couple light brackets. I bent the first one and it went smooth. I bent the second one and it broke. So I drove halfway across the city to go get another length cut. I bent that one, and broke it too! :headwalls: They are closed now until Tuesday, so no light hanger this weekend.
The tank is really starting to color up now, though a few pieces are still struggling. There is noticeable weekly growth too. I started taking photos of every piece on the 1st (or close to) of each month. So I will have some pretty cool growth sequence photos in a year.
I picked up a Hanna ULR Phosphorus checker, and my tank reads 0 ppb. :uhoh2: I've been feeding the fish 3x a day, and lots too. I added a Cleaner Shrimp to help clean up the mess I'm making. I've been allowing my filter pads to sit in the sump for 2 weeks without cleaning. I've been dosing a homemade Sodium nitrate solution to supplement NO3 and the tank has been going through about 0.25 ppm per week. Is the tank "using" the nitrate or is it "processing" the nitrate? I don't know.
The sand bed is driving me nuts. It is Caribsea Seaflor Special Grade, and it's so uniform that it looks fake to me. I have a small bag of Caribsea Super Reef sitting on the table beside the tank right now, and I'm humming and hawing about adding it. What to do? What do you guys think?
The other thing that's driving me nuts is the salt mix I'm using - H2Ocean. As the years roll by it seems the alkalinity slowly gets higher and higher. I tested today's new bucket:
Cal 415 ppm (Salifert)
Alk 9.6 dKH (Salifert)
Mg 1230 ppm (Salifert)
Unfortunately, only Instant Ocean, Reef Crystals, and H2Ocean are available locally. We had Tropic Marin Pro Reef for one batch, but my LFS didn't bring it back in. I tried to convince him to order a pallet of Reefer's Best when it was on sale this summer, but I couldn't pre-sell enough to convince him. So I bought a bottle of Muriatic Acid, and I'm going to lower the H2Ocean's alkalinity. I like to do 50-75% water changes 3-4 times per year, and I can't do that with 9.6 dKH when my tank is 7.0 dKH and full of SPS. :twitch:
Cool new screen! I have a buddy that has a 3D printer and I got him to print me up some custom round screen frame corners to fit into my one-piece eurobrace. I notched a hole in the two back corners to accept the wires for the powerheads. The corners are sweet! These are V1.0, and he's working on improving the design a bit. If anyone else wants some made, send me a PM!
fishcatdog66
Member
Really like the screened top.I'm going to have to figure out something for my tank as well.As for H2Ocean..had to quit using it.Constantly at 11.You take nice pics!Looks like you have a lot of flow in that tank!
Myka
Reefing since '93
Ya, I bought a bottle of muriatic acid for the H2Ocean. Maybe by the time I get to the bottom of this bucket I can locate some Reefer's Best. Flow isn't too crazy yet - 4000 gph total (one 6055 is on a controller) so that's just under 60x turnover. I have a couple more 6055 ready to go once the corals start growing in. It will probably end up around 100x turnover like my previous SPS tanks.
Yes, I'm very lucky to have this friend to make me 3D printed gadgets! Lokani are also one of my all time favorites - I will definitely get another!
I think the one deepwater maricultured piece that I have is also Lokani - it's a beauty (once it colors back up lol). However, now that I think about it, the little frag that died was the Echinata. I got the panels for the stand cut, glued, and trimmed up. I just need to fill and sand, and then I can paint them next weekend. It was cold and wet all weekend here, and next weekend is supposed to be nicer - will be warm enough for painting.
I'm attaching all the panels to the stand with magnets. Hubby wasn't keen on the walnut beer ledge, so for now it will just be gloss dark gray to match the kitchen cabinet bottoms.
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Thanks Vince! I can't wait until spring - it will be a whole different tank by then.
I bet it will. It's always fun to watch tank progression projects. :lol2:
BigJohnny
Active member
When you say 4000gph total, do you mean at the same time or with various modes. I know you said only 1 is on a controller but how much do you think you have going max at any given time? Same question on the 100x turnover in prior tanks.
Obviously two 2000gph powerheads on alternating pulses actually run the tank at 2000gph rather than 4000gph. Curious as to how you set things up.
I have a 50g and anything over 40x right now is nuts. I have 2 mp40wqd though rather than multiple smaller powerheads. I just can't imagine being able to run 60x - 100x with sand and in a tank that also has lps.
Myka
Reefing since '93
It's at 4000 gph about 50% of the time because it's just the one 6055 that's ramping up and down and it ramps down to about 10% so the tank is at 2750 gph ish the other 50% (40x turnover). I also have a return pump that pushes about 700 gph (I have a smaller return pump that I haven't installed yet) that I didn't plug into the calculations. That bumps it up to 68x when all on at 100% and 50x otherwise.
On my old 90-gallon I had two 6105 (3400 gph each) and one 6055, plus a 700 gph return, so that was 9000 gph total (100x turnover). The 6105's were on a multi-controller and ran on sequential, so I think they were all on 100% about 25% of the time, but I had it on a long switch, so it would run at 100% for about 2-30 minutes before ramping down. This tank was bare-bottom and didn't have any LPS (way too much flow for anything like Frogspawns).
A couple other tanks I had were around 100x turnover too, but I can't remember all the details to give to you.
If you have Tunzes, it's easy to get 100x turnover and have the sand stay in place as long as you use a coarse sand. Since the Tuzes have a wide flow pattern and you can pivot/point them, you can place them in ways that doesn't disturb the sand. If you have Vortechs, it's pretty near impossible to have sand at 100x turnover ime because you can't point them.
biggles
Premium Member
The display is looking great Mindy, i like using 2x4's as light props too lol
I totally agree with you about the Tunze pumps being superior to any other when it comes to directional flow control. If they weren't so expensive in aus i would be using all Tunze rather than only one and the rest being Jebao's.
I totally agree with you about the Tunze pumps being superior to any other when it comes to directional flow control. If they weren't so expensive in aus i would be using all Tunze rather than only one and the rest being Jebao's.
Myka
Reefing since '93
The display is looking great Mindy, i like using 2x4's as light props too lol
You're confused - there are no 2x4 light props. :debi: If I could figure out how to stiffen up the 1/2" aluminum tube then I'd be golden. I can't find 5/8" in aluminum anywhere (only 3/4"), and my pipe bender only goes to 5/8". The 1/2" ones I made look great - I "brushed" them and they match the brushed aluminum ATI fixture perfectly, but they are bouncy and bendy. Maybe I could pour some sort of epoxy into the tube...?
Buy them off my LFS and I'll ship them to you.
