jnarowe
New member
It's been a little while since my last update so here are a few notes:
The reef is looking good. Corals are growing, clams seem to be getting better, and alkalinity is getting up near my target. I think the issue really stems from the change in weather and therefore lower top-off. The system was dialed in for so long that I really forgot about keeping that stuff square. I have added more turbulence to the upper water column in the hopes that it will increase the evap. rate. I have also been dosing baked baking soda whenever I go into the tank room.
Sherman and I planted a few corals but there are still about 10 on the rack that need to be added to the reef. Many of these require a swim suit and a helper. I have several nice corals cropping up "naturally" and I am really pleased about that. It seems kind of counter-productive to be doing this aqua-scaping when i know I will be replacing my tank, but I cannot leave them on the rack much longer. So my method is to attach them to smaller rocks so that when the time comes to do the swap, they will be more easily handled.
Fish are great although that orange shoulder is a poo machine. It craps all over the place and I am scared of what a mess it will make when it grows up!
My buddy Daniel sent me these pics today:
I feel really bad for him because I coached him through the setup process and he did everything by the book. He let his tank sit with no corals or fish for 4 months. He QT'd his fish for the same amount of time. He was extremely careful and what does he get? Yup, a Cirolanid Isopod!! Unfortunately, the fix generally consists of catching all the fish and breaking down the system. On e the bright side, he doesn't have a bunch of corals in there yet.
The reef is looking good. Corals are growing, clams seem to be getting better, and alkalinity is getting up near my target. I think the issue really stems from the change in weather and therefore lower top-off. The system was dialed in for so long that I really forgot about keeping that stuff square. I have added more turbulence to the upper water column in the hopes that it will increase the evap. rate. I have also been dosing baked baking soda whenever I go into the tank room.
Sherman and I planted a few corals but there are still about 10 on the rack that need to be added to the reef. Many of these require a swim suit and a helper. I have several nice corals cropping up "naturally" and I am really pleased about that. It seems kind of counter-productive to be doing this aqua-scaping when i know I will be replacing my tank, but I cannot leave them on the rack much longer. So my method is to attach them to smaller rocks so that when the time comes to do the swap, they will be more easily handled.
Fish are great although that orange shoulder is a poo machine. It craps all over the place and I am scared of what a mess it will make when it grows up!
My buddy Daniel sent me these pics today:
I feel really bad for him because I coached him through the setup process and he did everything by the book. He let his tank sit with no corals or fish for 4 months. He QT'd his fish for the same amount of time. He was extremely careful and what does he get? Yup, a Cirolanid Isopod!! Unfortunately, the fix generally consists of catching all the fish and breaking down the system. On e the bright side, he doesn't have a bunch of corals in there yet.
