Steve175

Very useful thread/thanks! I am getting ready to add a large group of Bartlett's as the final addition to the DT. I've a large cycled QT and plan to house them there for 4-6 weeks. I have heard that the frequent deaths with anthias are related both to transitioning them from live foods to flate/pellet and frequency of feeding long-term. Any advice here?

I have a Christmas wrasse and 2 six line wrasses in each tank with no issues.

I have always used a thin Kalk paste with a big (ideally 16 gauge) needle and a small (3cc or so) syringe. Smaller needles tend to clog and bigger syringes are harder to inject the paste (the smaller the syringe, the higher the pressure one can generate). Even if Aiptasia retracts, this will kill it and you can seal over its crevice with a layer of paste. Has never failed (neither in killing the specific beastie nor causing them to spread). You do have to monitor pH and do them in waves if many (usually would have to stop after 3rd or 4th) as pH will begin to rise. $0.02

Admitedly, I advised vinegar because I wasn't sure how much muriatic to safely recommend. I have totally switched from Vinegar to muriatic (available at Lowes for like $6 per gallon) for the past > 1years. I use 1 muriatic to 2-3 water (~33%) and have long since (and sense) given up gloves. Althouth it warms the hands a bit, the stuff works incredibly well both to rehabilitate pumps (and anything else with CaCO3) but it takes bristles off instantaneously. While I have tried to make as a rule not to agree with zygote, in this his experience speaks. Soak your hands in muriatic (as I have more than a dozen times) . . . and ignore those who have not . . .

Actually I am anal-retentive [my typo above should have read "Maybe I am just anal-retentive"/apologies if my fat fingers made it seem that I was referring to someone other than myself] (And a bit proud of being anal-retebtive ) And a biochemical engineer. [While the thought of titrating reagents with air in the pipette makes me shudder a bit, to each their own.] I do agree that the actual value matters not so much (within the 8-11 range). Doing the test similarly each time is what really matters to document Alk stability - bubble or not, pink tip or not as long as it is done the same way test-to-test. I was a big fan of the Hanna Alk at first (have had it for 2 years). After ~ 1 year and always being very careful with the vials (rinsing with RODI water after each use, etc) I started getting a random value here and there which was 0.5-1.0 higher than it should have been - confirmed by 2 subsequent Hanna checks verified against Salifert. Plus I hate cutting the little packets and trying not to lose any reagent. Salifert, for me, is quick and almost never needs to be repeated for a suspicious result. I do love Hanna for PO4 though. $0.02

(I got scooped by 30 seconds. )

Soak your fingers in vinegar. The bristles are calcium carbonate and will dissolve in the gentle acid. Your finger will continue to be irritated until the bristles are out (just like a regular splinter).

Maybe U an just anal-rententive, but air is compressible and the bubble (without the burb) is a bit variable in size. The burp adds 2 seconds to the process, and make a difference IME.

Best thing, IME, would be to leave it alone (best with the PH off). If it survives, it will do what it wants. Moving it daily is making the problem worse.

I have seen the tank and it is a steal for $500. Good look to you, my friend (post a pci and it will sell in minutes)

IME, the tip makes it easier for the drops to separate. I use the tip, but first I fill the syringe (without it) half full, then put the tip on, and then burp all of the air back into the container, and then fill the syringe to the 1.0cc mark through the pink tip. I think that your error might be because you are adding the tip (full of air) after the syringe is full and therefore over-estimating the amount of reagent you add (likely by the volume of the syringe tip which is ~ 0.1cc). BTW, I have both Salifert and Hanna for Alk and Hanna blows (much less reproducible results).

I would look to Alk stability as well. Mine limped along for a long time (even lost a few cap frags) even with Liter meter dosing of 3 part from large jugs. Inevitably, the jugs ran out for a day or two until I noted. I finally broke down and invested in a good quality Ca reactor which runs 24x7 and they are now growing like weeds.

BRS Group buy is halfway there. Anyone else? [see group buy forum]

I need to spend some major $$$ at BRS. Anyone interested in coordinating a group buy? If so, I started a thread in the group buy forum.

NAGA on this site (Jeff Haddock): Hands down. He built my 260G custom sump.

Are Zoas and Anthelia mostly water?

So this would seem to work on anything alive in SW? Specifically Zoas, Polyps, Mushrooms, and Anthelia?

Reef Crystal often does this both IME and per Reef Central. I have always still just used it. Not an issue. Agree with confirming the quality of your RODI but otherwise I would just use it and not worry.

Red Seas is more accurate for nitrate if low range (< 2). They have a reefing kit for Mg/Alk/Ca that one of my buddies really likes. Hanna for phophate I have Hanna for Calcium and Alk but have gone back to Salifert both for accuracy and ease of use [before I get the "clean vials" lecture for acurracy: I am a chemical engineer with extensive biochemistry experience. Hanna is very accurate for a while, but the colorimeter decays over time IME]

Do not sweat a pH between 7.8 and 8.2 IME. Let the issue go. I would only force Kalk for a low Alk. NOT for the pH.

Pretty sure that Neptune also has a male-female (Santorum-approved) cable that you can use with the male-male 15' to span the gap.

1" solenoid (which is the biggest). The actuated ball valves come in 1.5 and 2". All come smaller as well. I really like mine/very reliable and fun to be able to turn on and off with the cell phone through the apex

I run 2 large surge tanks and control the sound and mitigate obscurring the metal halide penetration (secondary to micro bubbles) by running the surges only through the morning and early afternoon through use of an electric solenoid valve plugged into my apex. The valve opens flow into the tanks. Since my surge tanks are remote (in the filtration room) and the discharge is below the water surface, the bulk of the noise from mine are from the overflow handling the additional volume from the surge. While I am intrigued with the design you found (avoiding the use of siphon), it would not be more quiet in my case. Although not overtly cheep, an electronic solenoid valve in place of the pneumatic system would work in your design as well. US Plastics has them.

Paul: 1970 called, and they would like their phone back . . .

To add: very important to keep the hole saw in a consistent direction. If the angle changes mid-hole, the hole will be bigger than ideal and increase the risk that the bulkhead won't fully seal.