Pete's 280 log

[psteeleb]

the bad news is my clams didn't open today.

I suspect the skimmer has been so dirty for the past few days it didn't pull much out. So I cleaned it up and now I'm wet skimming. Then I checked my Alk - ouch its at 4.4. I think my son under dosed a tad bit. Guess I'll be spending the next day or two adding Alk :eek2:

 

[psteeleb]

and Marc - better watch it - Miss Ft worth is in training

 

[melev]

Why does she look even hotter to me now? :inlove:


:lol:

 

[psteeleb]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13182348#post13182348 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
Why does she look even hotter to me now? :inlove:


:lol:

haha - you must be a true Texan

 

[2farNorth]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13182101#post13182101 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by psteeleb
so near Escanaba - Eh?

Actually not even that far, Hermansville, Half way between Escanaba and Iron Mountain...

Eh...

 

[psteeleb]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13182739#post13182739 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 2farNorth
Actually not even that far, Hermansville, Half way between Escanaba and Iron Mountain...

Eh...

wow that is close - maybe 25 miles or so. I don't head that way much. Most of our trips north of Stephenson are along the lake, but there is a pretty good pizza place in Powers that we go to

Are there any salt water fish stores anywhere in the area; maybe Greenbay?

How is live delivery in your area?

 

[2farNorth]

Ah yes! The Sidetrack in Powers!

There are alot of good LFS in the Green Bay area,...if interested, check out the Fox Valley reefers forum on RC here.... but in the U.P., none worth the drive up here.... easier to order online, or go to GB.

Live delivery is pretty decent, mainly F&S,,, that and were about 1 1/2 hours from Rhinelander, which is where F&S has their aquaculture facility... so we usually head down there for drygoods, and livestock.... That and the NWRS used to have meetings there (at F&S) so we usually stocked up on goodies once a month :lol:

Anyways, Great tank! And Good thread!!

 

[psteeleb]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13185901#post13185901 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 2farNorth
Ah yes! The Sidetrack in Powers!

There are alot of good LFS in the Green Bay area,...if interested, check out the Fox Valley reefers forum on RC here.... but in the U.P., none worth the drive up here.... easier to order online, or go to GB.

Live delivery is pretty decent, mainly F&S,,, that and were about 1 1/2 hours from Rhinelander, which is where F&S has their aquaculture facility... so we usually head down there for drygoods, and livestock.... That and the NWRS used to have meetings there (at F&S) so we usually stocked up on goodies once a month :lol:

Anyways, Great tank! And Good thread!!

Wow - if I had known about Rhinelander I would have gone by there to check it out - - - definitly a small world. I'll also have to check out those local reef clubs - tks

 

[psteeleb]

a couple top downs from tonight

a Jungle of Blue Tip

Anthias a la plate

Microphalma - a frag survivor from QT of death

 

[Hop]

Things still look good and have me envious! Wish my stuff would grow

 

[psteeleb]

thanks Hop

well check the Mg and it was 1200+/- so it's no wonder the Alk dropped as it did. So I've been dosing Mg and Alk tonight, Alk is now around 7.5 but Mg is still low. In addition to the dosing, I've been skimming wet and emptied a 2 gallons of dark tea skimate in the past 24 hours. My clams look a little better but still not open like they use to be, I just hope the recover in the next couple days as they have all been looking great with huge colorful mantles.

speaking of growth - remember this from last month

tonight

 

[psteeleb]

shutting down for the night but I'll leave everyone on a nice blue note to dream about.

Some of my Blue tort frags - I'd love to do a major secton of my tank in this stuff

the main colony from the top

and a surviving blue tenuis frag

 

[psteeleb]

one more, but that's it for today, I got a decent picture of my smaller chips colony that's been hanging out in the corner

 

[psteeleb]

clams still not opening like they used too. not sure what it is.
Mg is up to 1350 or more
DKh is around 7 or more
my Ca test kit ran out of a fluid - I think it must have drained
I'll check P04 and Nitrate tomorrow but they are usually very low

 

[BigJay]

That green/yellow pocillopora ate all of your calcium and alk.

Looking good Pete, especially the blue torts. Now you're making me want one.

 

[psteeleb]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13197908#post13197908 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BigJay
That green/yellow pocillopora ate all of your calcium and alk.

Looking good Pete, especially the blue torts. Now you're making me want one.

thanks Jay - the SPS look fine, there were a couple that fell while I was gone, they lost a little color but should be fine. Last night I inspected the tank with a flashlight and no predators on the clams and all SPS had great PE.

The clams actually looked a little better with lights off - go figure that one. I did move them slightly earlier in the evening; as the two smaller Croceas had dug themselves into the sand bed to a point some cyno was up around the mantles - maybe this was irritating them

This morning I emptied another gallon of skimmate - I'm still running a little wet. I'll continue to bring up the Mg and Alk durring the day and will be doing a routine water change this evening

SG was down slightly to 1.0245, most likely from the wet skimming. I usually keep it at 1.025, and it hardly ever deviates

 

[melev]

I was about to warn you that excessive skimmer will bring salinity down. You may need to top off with saltwater to avoid it.

What is the name of that blue tipped coral I'm banking for you again? Someone asked and I forgot. Feel free to answer him in my thread if you wish, since it's your coral.

 

[kar93]

Pete, do you have an ATO for when you're away?

 

[psteeleb]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13199980#post13199980 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
I was about to warn you that excessive skimmer will bring salinity down. You may need to top off with saltwater to avoid it.

Marc - good point. Up till now my wet skimming was usually on weekends when I was around. I just added the same amount of saltwater to my ATO reservoir that I removed with the wet skimming. This was no big deal as I used to manualy fill the reservoir with RO/DI anyway.

But....

With the recent change to auto fill my ATO reservoir, and being away, I kind of forgot

 

[psteeleb]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13200037#post13200037 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kar93
Pete, do you have an ATO for when you're away?

yes and the ATO refill is automated

I'll evaporate about 3 gallons a day. This is replenished from a 10g reservoir with a small pump that is hooked up to a ATO set of floats in my sump. This probably turns on and off 10 or more times a day.

The reservoir is filed directly form my RO/DI unit, but with a different ATO setup then the one in the sump. It will not refill until there in only about a gallon left. This way my RO/DI unit only comes on about every three days. As another backup I plan on adding a timer controlled solenoid to this system to limit just how much water can get to the reservoir ant then the tank.