Sam's Oceanic 120

[projectsWithSam]

8/27/2022
I guess my wife missed the sailfin?!

hmm... guess she hangs out more with the fish then I thought when she goes downstairs to workout...
Happy Birthday to me!

 

[projectsWithSam]

8/28/2022
After I manually removed all the Bryopsis from the exile tank, used the suction/scraper I printed to get the hair algae off the DT overflows, and manually scrubbed the rocks I removed the other day with a bristle brush, I think my algae issues are at bay... I did get FluxRx a few weeks ago and had planned to use it after manual removal but now my cleanup crew seems able to keep up. I did add 10 more snails to the DT and 10 to the exile tank.
Will wait and see.

The sailfin ripped the 2-spots dorsal fin already; its a very aggressive fish; I am going to try to exchange it for a yellow mimic tang they have... I'm tired of fish aggression.

---

I printout stuff for my kids to paint. I built a CNC out of parts I printed and others I bought. Make signs and stuff on the side... Have some cool ideas for aquarium products out of fine wood that I'll be putting on my forthcoming webpage
My kids like painting baits for bass fishing... so far I've only bought blanks but I intend to print some. Also plant to print molds for fiberglass & carbon fiber layups...
Can do a ton with the tech. not to mention odds and ends around the house.
I designed and printed a new cover for our doorbell because the original was hideous.... etc...

---

yes! They took the tang back. they already sold the lemon peel tang and also flame hawk fish I was going to get instead so they just refunded me.

 

[projectsWithSam]

8/28/2022
I spent a lot of time doing this today...

Even paid my kid todo till she got bored... all of 15 minutes... kids these days.
My Kalkwasser stirrer design:

The 6" diam tube is opaque so I may put a plexi window in it... so it may need a light... probably unnecessary but I'll already have the voltage stepped down for it...

 

[projectsWithSam]

8/29/2022

2022-08-28 10:54 PM	Alkalinity	10.2
2022-08-28 10:55 PM	Calcium	460
2022-08-28 11:02 PM	Magnesium	1335

I wouldn't do it if I didn't have the daily posts to make me...
Just ordered three more rolls of filter fleece for my roller.
The last one has lasted over 3 months now?
I'd easily spend more in time and $$ washing filter socks.
good value...

 

[projectsWithSam]

8/29/2022
This thing is going to be huge. I'm going to skip the complications... don't need a window or a light... will just paint it white.

 

[projectsWithSam]

8/29/2022
May go to ORD aquatics this afternoon to replace the gift . My daughter threw down at a fish store recently over an overpriced clam. May go for one of those even though I have no idea what I'm doing. Her B-day and mine are close so it'll be a dual gift.
Usually I don't negotiate with terrorists...

 

[projectsWithSam]

8/29/2022

2022-08-29 10:23 PM	Alkalinity	10.2
2022-08-29 10:26 PM	Calcium	450
2022-08-29 10:30 PM	Magnesium	1320

alk is dialed-in. If I avoid doing water changes my level stays constant for now... I have 9.1alk water in my Brute.

It came with some Timmy snacks hitchhiking. I was going to go for an easier clam but this was all they had and I brought the birthday girl with me. there was no way I could walk out empty handed and the Clam got full spousal approval and $$ days ago. It even got a wow when I showed it to her. (didn't say the price or there would have been another wow.)

The clam will stay in the exile tank, safe from Timmy; I just hope my water parameters are on point.

---

So its a maxima so it likes rocky substrate and super high light. would have been great in the DT but emperor anglefish snack on them so he's relegated to the exile/frag tank. They like pristine water with low nitrate/phosphate so I may need to work on that.
They don't need to be hand-fed every other day till large like some of the other clams which is a plus.

 

[projectsWithSam]

8/30/2022
DIY Kalk stirrer:

Stators printed; paddles printing now; timer received, power supply attained from goodwill. The pex shaft rotates in the stators; the bottom cap has a recessed nubbin the pex rests in. The pex has a tight grip on the motor shaft so once I get the paddles and topcap printed its basically done! (I wish I got a shorter motor. I don't need a 550 for this.)

 

[projectsWithSam]

8/30/2022

2022-08-30 10:04 PM	Alkalinity	10.5
2022-08-30 10:08 PM	Calcium	465
2022-08-30 10:11 PM	Magnesium	1335

Odd; I was expecting a little alkalinity drop since I water changed 9 gallons for my baby cardinal water change water.

Made DIY frozen fish food cubes! - I also added garlic juice, krill and a small packet of gelatin. - recorded it so it'll be on the channel as soon as I can get my task list done now that the kids are at school!


clean tank and fresh water change for the baby cardinals! They've been eating frozen as probably their last batch of brine shrimp hatch.

 

[projectsWithSam]

9/1/2022

2022-08-31 10:26 PM	Alkalinity	10.9
2022-08-31 10:31 PM	Calcium	450
2022-08-31 10:34 PM	Magnesium	1425

lowered my kalk dosing schedule.

Got more filter floss from Precision Converting! This will probably last well into 2023 given the last roll duration.


More on the Kalkwasser Stirrer: (I soldered the connections for install; that was just the wiring for my memory).




Its all slip-fit. no glue except for the bottom cap (silicone) and the top cap top (CA) and to reinforce some of the printed bits (thin CA).

 

[projectsWithSam]

9/1/2022
Clam seems ok! little bright white line around his shell.

 

[projectsWithSam]

9/2/2022
I'm sanding now... this is just a test fit.


Almost got myself... was super careful though so expected it. Bummed I wasted that material but it was extra so didn't slow me down.

 

[projectsWithSam]

9/3/2022

I probably should have put the top optical sensor lower then the float valve... leak test later!

---

I got these sensors from amazon, 3 for $15 so I am hoping they'll work. I'll re-drill another hole and close-up the hole. rookie move on my part.
I was thinking about heat-forming the float to make it thin but that may end up looking odd.

 

[projectsWithSam]

My daughter checks in on him daily!

xenia is already budding... don't know how to get it off the shell. would love to keep it and grow some out for timmy snacks.

 

[projectsWithSam]

9/4/2022
ATO reservoir installed! It just fit. I was nervous about not having to remove my sump to get it in so I made a cardboard mockup to verify before I cut the acrylic. I added an acrylic tube for the dosing line used by the kalkwasser stirrer.

 

[projectsWithSam]

9/4/2022

2022-09-04 9:49 PM	Alkalinity	11.3
2022-09-04 9:53 PM	Calcium	485
2022-09-04 9:56 PM	Magnesium	1335

Installed my Kalk stirrer because it seemed good 'nuff to me. I put about 1/2 a bag of Mrs. Wages so I'll be good on Kalk for awhile. I unfortunately spilled some Kalk slurry into my sump as I was filling the chamber, spiking my pH from 8.11 to 8.37 before I was able to bring it down with ~12oz of soda stream water and ~100ml vinegar.... dang.
Nothing seemed to notice the spike but we'll see in a bit... I think it was fast enough to not make a difference.

I think I can get a reactor or two in there then I'm full-up. - I am looking for someone's old RODI for me to make into a GFO,Carbon,&1micron filter.

 

[projectsWithSam]

9/7/2022
couple of corals from Petco. came in really clean except for some xenia that I scraped off. $30 for the hammer (they thought it was a torch) 15 for the favia colony. better pricing then a lot of the dedicated reef stores near me...
speaking of which; so stoked to find Reefwise is only 20 minutes away... bet your buns I'm going to check that place out soon.
It must be wacky Wednesday... my wife is getting on board with the few purchases I let her know about

---

went to ORD aquatics again today because I had an errand up near ORD the airport...
Almost got a $35 bicolor angel. instead I got another yellow angel so I have a pair in QT now.
Hopefully I'll see some courting behavior with the two. At least the 6-line cant kill them.

they had an amazing silver-dollar-sized healthy yellow-bellied blue hippo tang for $75... so tempted.

 

[projectsWithSam]

9/8/2022

2022-09-08 10:07 PM	Alkalinity	12.3
2022-09-08 10:10 PM	Calcium	485
2022-09-08 10:13 PM	Magnesium	1410

Seems my new equilibrium on Kalk dosing is 70ml/hr. everything has been stable for 3 days albeit high. I'm going to leave it and let the numbers drop on their own.

The new yellow angel died. I don't know why - looks fine was doing great last night & this morning; no signs of parasites on him. I acclimated him over 5 hours in the bag in the tank because of salinity differences and he ate last night and this morning. the other fish that were with him in QT are still fine.

---

heck yeah!

I love the WXM module being able to control my MP40s and MP10. was getting worried about upgrades when I get serious about the hobby.

 

[projectsWithSam]

9/9/2022
Asked my wife if I could get a new sweatshirt to replace my Greenport Brewing Sweatshirt (with holes & a better design that she now hates.) Got the go ahead!
Man I need to get back into the workforce... Just... Trying... to... finish... a few... last... house... projects....

lol. just got a $2500 trampoline for the kids for $300 because no one wanted to pay the $400 to take it down (then another $400 to set it up). I watched a YouTube video and did it in 2 hours (buckets of sweat though)... not sure if I could do that once I start the grind...

*also its scary going back after so long out...

 

[projectsWithSam]

9/9/2022
10 days into Fluconazole treatment. Have 35Gallons of Salt ready to go. Think I'll go the distance and wait out the last 4 days.

Not sure my Hellsgate Lepta few polyps graying is from the high alk or the fluconazole but I think I got it for under $10 on a BlueLineCoral auction so it is what it is. Everything else is looking ok.
Started a new batch of Phyto. Hope I sterilized it all ok...

The little tank with a blue top is crawling with Pods... so many. spirulina and Phyto loaded pods.