Rebuild and recovery of a dead tank

[jason2459]

Woohooo. Both of those KP Aquatics starfish did survive. I finally have a definite visual of both at the same time.

One is definitely more colorful then the other.

 

[jason2459]

After getting this little urchin back at the end of November.

And I spy a baby urchin

Has grown quite well in just a couple months.

 

[jason2459]

From my New Salt mix brute
Temp: 77.2 (Hanna handheld meter)
Salinity: 53mS pinpoint probe and 35ppt veegee refractometer

Alk:10.4dkh Salifert
Ca: 410 ppm Salifert
Mg: 1320ppm Salifert

 

[jason2459]

.


I did a quick set of parameter checks. Over the past several days the salinity has slowly climbed back up and right now at 33ppt.

Nitrates ~.2

Calcium: a low 380

Alk: a very high 14 and probably why the LPS are not happy at all.

Phosphates: 4ppb converts to 0.012ppm
.

Salinity is a hair over 34ppt now
Calcium is up to 400
Alk down at 13

I'll get that salinity slowly higher back to 35ppt over the next couple weeks through water changes and the minimal evap that occurs. During that time Alk should also drop very slowly with those two as well.

I do see a bit of cyano here and there. Not surprised at all about that. I was expecting it as soon as I got back. Almost a week of carbon dosing with no export (skimming or the normal daily water changes) I'm sure did not help at all. Now to see if the dinoflagellates come back for a bit as well. As before I will do nothing but watch.

The cyano growth is very minimal right now. This little rock is the worse spot and is covered in it. It's nothing like that anywhere else. At least not yet.

 

[jason2459]

Getting things ordered for a "Big 3" test kit shootout. So far I've got the Triton kit ready to go, Saliftert, API (alk/cal only), and just ordered all three for Nyos. I might do AWT one more time with this and will get all three with Elos and call it good I think.

All three nyos kits are in now. I'll stop by my LFS to see if they can get the Elos kits in. I don't think they carry anything other then API and Salifert normally but I know they sell a lot of Coralvue stuff and Coralvue is a distributor for elos if I'm not mistaken.

All I'll need to get after that is the AWT kit and the big 3 shoot out can commence.

 

[jason2459]

The colorful one was on the move quite a bit tonight.

 

[jason2459]

Quick check in on calcium and Alk.

Calcium up a bit more to 420 and Alk down a bit more to 12dkh. Heading back in the right direction.

 

[jason2459]

Little cyano patch is still there but hasn't taken hold anywhere else yet.

 

[jason2459]

Quick parameter check

Alk: 12
Ca: 420

No change there.

Salinity is a touch under 35ppt via my veegee and at around 34.7-34.9 via Apex.

 

[jason2459]

Big 3 Shootout is coming together and will be done in the next couple weeks.

Alk Tests:
AWT (Aquamedic Water Testing)
API
Salifert
Redsea
Nyos
Elos
Hanna Checker


Ca Tests:
AWT
Triton
API
Salifert
Redsea
Nyos
Elos

Mg Tests:
AWT
Triton
Salifert
RedSea
Nyos
Elos

 

[jason2459]

That urchin is getting big and is in a spot I can get a good view of it during the day.

 

[jason2459]

Did a quick alk test figuring it was getting closer to 11 and I was right. Slowly dropping from that 14dkh spike. Didn't do any other tests tonight.

The two frags of sticks still don't look good. The frog spawn looks terrible but surprised its not dead so it may make it. The gorgonian actually looks fine now. It still has a couple bald spots. Everything else looks good.

 

[SantaMonica]

Hope you can get it all worked out.

 

[jason2459]

Thanks. I've got no worries as things are coming around.

 

[jason2459]

Here's that gorgonian looking much better

That frogspawn looking pathetic

Fiji Leather looking awesome

I was keeping track of that small patch of cyano and it was looking pail and thin yesterday

And tonight got tore up by one of the bigger starfish sprinting across the top of it

And here's the best shot I think I've gotten of that minimax I always forget I have.

 

[jason2459]

Pictures for the big 3 shootout write up coming up

 

[jason2459]

 

[Floyd R Turbo]

Where are you posting the writeup??

 

[jason2459]

 

[jason2459]