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squiddly

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    kalimaaaah
  • Website URL
    http://web.mac.com/mikkibarry

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  • Gender
    Female
  • Location
    Great Falls
  • Interests
    scuba, saltwater critters, aviation, various other stuff

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Master Reefer (8/13)

  1. Unfortunately, the manual top off caused the flood. The leak alarm didn't trigger. The ATO will arrive tomorrow. I looked for a more reliable leak alarm that would alert us via phone, and found the "Wally Home System" that would do the trick and solve other problems as well since it comes with 6 sensors. Last month, we had a pinhole leak in a copper pipe that flooded the finished basement (carpet, drywall, all that stuff) so I'm really at my wits end when it comes to yet more flooding. I was about to pull the trigger when husband reminded me we already have frontpoint for our general alarm stuff, and lo and behold, they also have water sensors. I think I'm feeling better. I'll let you know after the ceiling stops falling down. I know y'all have had this crap happen before, and I don't mean to be whiney, it's just been a crazy couple of months around the Squiddly house and sometimes just that one extra stressor is enough to make you reconsider many things at once. As they say, doo doo happens :-) Re: home every day - that's another fun thing. I'm at a client site 3 days a week, 90 minute drive each way. By the time I walk back in the door, I'm pretty much brain dead from completely crazy drivers who should not be on the road. Of course, that's fodder for several refugium postings :-)
  2. I appreciate that, Braden. I've drawn the line in the sand. He wanted to do the drywall repairs himself, but if they aren't done in the next two weeks, I'm hiring someone. I just ordered the tunze nano 3152 ATO and will install myself. If it gets weird, I'll pop up in here and ask. Looked at Red Sea all in one systems, and WOW! Unfortunately, out of range for now. Apparently we DO have sensors that email and text alerts, but the last update stopped them from working and husband didn't tell me so I could try to configure myself. I'll be working on that this afternoon. I got a file fish for the mahanos, I'll order one of those wand zapper things and take care of that part. Then maybe I'll get some sleep.
  3. Hi smallreef. Thanks for your advice. I've got a reservoir under the stand, and a drip pan, and moisture alarms, none of which worked properly. Is the avast auto top off the most bullet proof? I'm also looking for serious moisture sensors that will maybe call a cell if they sense anything. Do such things exist? Thanks!!
  4. There comes a time in every hobbyist's life, that you just want to throw in the towel and walk away. Today, friends, is my day. I basically have a choice between dumping the tank and getting out, or finding a solution to the constant overflows, ceiling drywall damage, etc. I no longer trust that anything I do is going to prevent these random acts of stupid, so I would be looking for an almost foolproof solution. Back story - I have a 24 gallon aquapod, FOWLR system. I have an RO/DI system that drips into a container from which I top off manually (since husband promised to fix the auto top off and never has). The hose popped out of the bucket last night, and about 5 gallons of fresh water knocked down still more drywall from the ceiling that hasn't been repaired for perhaps 5 years from a previous flood when I got rid of my 225 gallon system. It's pretty clear that if I'm going to do anything to continue in the hobby, it's going to be completely on my own. So, if I stay, I will need to figure out a new, preferably all in one system with very little possibility of failure. This means no more jury rigged "solutions" (the aquapod is in an inch deep tray, there was an overflow alarm that didn't work, etc. etc.). If I go, I'll need to find homes for 3 fish, some random snails, etc. What do y'all think? I'm having a very bad day at this point....
  5. This makes sense. I may make a trip to look at some new fishies later on today.
  6. I may just do both at this point. Thanks, as always.
  7. Now that thing looks cool! Congratulations on your invention. Can you use it hundreds of times in a row?
  8. Everywhere, all over. I don't want to kill all of the brittle stars that live in the rock, but I'm not sure I have a choice at this point. Any ideas? It's my 24 gallon aquapod whose only 2 current inhabitants are 2 clowns (besides some cleaning crew). And yeah, I've been gone awhile :-)
  9. No. I really wish I did. From all we can see, he jumped in there. You likely know how the Aquapod is set up, with the sump being in the back, with a plastic "wall" that's higher than the water level. There is nothing that would have caused a current that would have pushed him over the edge. I'm just confused as to how he possibly thought it was a good idea to just go exploring. Must have been the aliens :-) Now if I can fix the darn lights.....
  10. Hello WAMAS, and welcome to Squiddly's comedy of errors. As with al plays based on a Shakespearean slant, there are winners and there are losers, and this play is no different. It all started, as things like this often do, with a bright idea. An idea that, under normal circumstances, would be ordinary, and bereft of anything interesting at all. However, today was different. There was something in the air, although many may wonder if something was added to the bloodstream of our protagonist to cause the mirth and frivolity to follow. "Why look, the tank needs a water change," quoth Squiddly. "I think I'll just jump right in and do that." And so it was that Squiddly gazed upon the 24 gallon Aquapod and its inhabitants, the starry blennie and two false peculiars (sic) who gazed back. But wait, what was this? Something yellow popped up in front of the Tunze protein skimmer in the sump area in the back of the tank. "Strange," quipped Squiddly to herself. "THAT'S not supposed to happen." This was not the last time that Squiddly would say this. Upon investigation, it was found that the yellow thing was a head. The head belonged to a body, that body being of a yellow watchman gobi, long thought perished, having disappeared in a space/time rift six months before. "What," said Squiddly to the gobi. The gobi's response was in an unknown language, having been taught to the gobi by the space creatures he obviously met along his journey. Water change suddenly n the back burner, Squiddly set about dismantling everything in the sump. Out came the pump, the sponge filter, the temperature probe, and the thermostat. Out came the skimmer, albeit in three pieces, one for the skimmer cup, that's supposed to detach, and one for the bottom for which the same is not true. "THAT'S not supposed to happen," quipped Squiddly as she gazed upon the powerhead dangling at the bottom of the skimmer where there used to be a bottom holding it in. Armed with a net, a kitchen spatula and a flashlight, Squiddly set about attempting to capture Mr. Gobi to return him to a part of the tank that at least was regularly fed. Squiddly shined the flashlight into the water and found it reflected back due to an inadequate cleaning schedule. "GAK! It's GUNK!," said the Squiddly, and while balancing with the flashlight, fell off the riser behind the tank, knocking the Sunpod off the top of the tank, detaching one of the little bracket things (its scientific name) from the body of the pod. "THAT'S not supposed to happen," Squiddly yelled through the house, along with "What" without the "W" or the "T," as it did hurt a bit. Coming to the rescue, Mr. Squiddly appeared. Not having much new to say, he repeated both "What" and "THAT'S not supposed to happen." Squiddly quickly explained the facts as she saw them, including Mr. Gobi as she didn't see him. Having a penchant for the obvious, Squiddly said "Gee, what a great idea it would be to clean some of this up." Using the handy siphon, some of the vast array of yuk was removed, turning the water flowing into the bucket an unsavory shade of gross. Luckily, this brought down just enough water and removed just enough gunk to see Mr. Gobi. Unluckily, the alien abductors had infused Mr. Gobi with enough intelligence to evade us for quite some time before Mr. Squiddly captured Mr. Gobi and redeposited his yellow backside into the main tank. But our tale of woe was not yet complete. For an encore, while attempting to reinstall the sponge, thermometer and probe, our Squiddly plugged in the wrong device and sprayed salt water everywhere. Casualties: Squiddly, lights, protein skimmer. Mr Squiddly has tried gluing the bracket back onto the Sunpod housing. Given my day, it will fail.
  11. Thanks! I thought it was pretty. I will make it go away.
  12. Sorry, having weirdness going on.
  13. Sorry for the low quality of the picture, but does anyone know what this spotted zit like thing is? It seems to be multiplying.
  14. Hi Wamas Folk. It's been several months since my last confession....I mean post. I'm writing today because I realized that if I hadn't been reading the forums over the past few years, I would have panicked and likely lost my tank. Instead, I'm cautiously optimistic. My husband told me we had a small leak in my little Aquapod, I looked, things seemed ok, so I went back to all the stuff I had to do, stupidly NOT checking parameters. My BTA that I'd been having so much trouble with a few months back had split and so I figured that was why he wasn't looking too great before. After the split, both pieces looked quite nice. Looked at him today and he didn't look so happy, so I ran some tests. Everything was ok except salinity. That was WAY LOW because stupid me hadn't remembered that the top off diluted the tank so badly. Apparently, the leak wasn't so small after all. While I'm not sure if my polyps or the BTA(s) will survive, the fish look like they're going to be ok. Always learning another lesson.
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