pics of your aquascaping?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15349449#post15349449 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tomoko Schum
Are we talking in the same unit? Numbers as high as 30 and 40 seem like you guys are talking in ppt. 40 ppt is like 1.027 in specific gravity at 87 degrees F.

Here's a good article about the variation in natural salinity and temperature by Dr. Ron Shimek:

http://www.reefland.com/rho/1105/reefc7.php
Tomoko -

She was talking SG, as in 1.040. I know it's kind of hard to believe. That's why I didn't recommend it at all.
 
I made the above comments because people often mix up units, especially when talking to each other. I work in quite a mixed up world talking in liters, gallons, cubic meters, centigrade, kgf/cm2, psi, MPa, etc, etc.

Dr. Shimek recommends the following in the above article:

"salinity can vary a bit. Keeping it in the range of 36 to 37 psu is prudent and minimizes the stress on the animals, but some slight variations outside this range are inconsequential."
 
Yeah, I went and read that article when you posted the link - thanks for doing that. One question - what does that 36-37 PSU level correspond to roughly in SG or ppt? I can't really find any conversion info online. Just wondering where that sits compared to the 1.020-1.027 range we're all used to in the hobby.
 
PSU is Practical Salinity Unit. Oceanographers and marine chemists use the term to denote the use of the Practical Salinity Scale.

From what I have read so far, I got the feeling that there is no direct conversion between psu and ppt although they are supposed to be very close.

According to a source called NASA Science Glossary, "Practical Salinity Unit is used to describe the concentration of dissolved salts in water, the UNESCO Practical Salinity Scale of 1978 (PSS78) defines salinity in terms of a conductivity ratio, so it is dimensionless. Salinity was formerly expressed in terms of parts per thousand (ppt) or by weight (parts per thousand or 0/00). That is, a salinity of 35 ppt meant 35 pounds of salt per 1,000 pounds of seawater. Open ocean salinity is generally in the range from 32 to 37."

1.040 sounds way too high to me. I have inadvertently let the salinity of the water in my quarantine tank to climb beyond 1.030 before. It did not have any fish or coral at the time, but I had a lot of pods in it. I recall a lot of my pods died off around 1.035. I was not conducting a weird experiment or anything. I just forgot about the tank after taking out the subject of quarantine. I took a measurement simply out of curiosity when I saw the QT tank gone lifeless....
 
OK, thanks. I didn't think I was missing a conversion out there, but another set of eyes always helps.

And agreed that 1.04 is way too high. :)
 
heres mine 225g mix reef

DSC04153.jpg


DSC04154.jpg
 
Will & Tomoko,

Thank you for making me re-think this salinity issue. After giving Jim a call he confirmed that 1.024 was the ideal reading not 1.04. We seemed to have miscommunicated previously as to what was ideal. Always good to double check the facts before assumming you know what the other person is trying to tell you. My previous reading of 1.035 with my hydrometer reading incorrectly did not cause any problems, however, it seems clear that with my new refractometer I could have done some real damage. Thank you for leading me in the right direction and preventing a catastrophe.

Do you guys use a hydrometer or a refractometer?

Bill (doorlady's husband)
 
Refractometer, personally. You can use a decent and well maintained hydrometer to help keep tabs in a hurry, but you'd be looking for consistency (repeatabilty) rather than a reliable measurement of what the salinity actually is. The whole accuracy vs. precision thing.
 
LOL...gotta love the name Bill...but it should have been "it's all MY fault" cause you spoiled her that way:beer:

so back to the topic here of aquascaping....thinking I should build high with a number of caves starting from front left and work around the back to the right front or leave an empty space in the whole center? You know bouts what I have as far as coral in the tank and thinkin some of what's on the sand needs to be mid to high in the tank for better color and growth....or should I not build in front of the overflow? help me out here...ya know I jumped into this hobby rather fast and didnt get a whole lot of info about the rock work before I started and all I hear from Big Birl is "build up" and even more thanks to Will and Tomoko for setting us straight on the salinity...guess maybe I need a new phone number ..like 1-800-help-Wil? LOL...jk Bill :lolspin:
 
Here's a picture of Jason's 210. Just topped off, so a little cloudy

PICT0828.jpg


In order to get good flow, we put in an eggcrate rack about 3" off the sand and stacked the rock on it. Lots of supports throughout. You end up with a lot less 'muck' in the bottom. Then we tried to hide the eggcrate somewhat, but in about 2 months, we've got significant coral line to cover the eggcrate.

Here's mine, the sole purpose of which is to keep me out of his. Sorry, not really good quality but you can get the gist.

PICT0832.jpg
 
they both look great Tammy...and what a super idea with the eggcrate...I have lots of it lying around from when I had to put some just across the back of the canopy after I had 3 jumpers
 
Well, who spoiled you???????? :sleep:

blaked, your aquascaping is beautiful.

LovenBama you should shot for something like blaked, I love it
 
what I'm thinking but also wanna incorp Tammy's idea of the eggcrate as support under the rock...
of course blaked is in Baton Rouge, LA and that's really not too far...
wonder if he/she is for hire?
Sorry about the lose blaked. Have you started another tank yet? I'd love to see pics if you have
 
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