Sharkey18 December 12, 2013 Author December 12, 2013 Thanks Marco and Issac….. you guys have been so helpful. I am really glad it is coming along. And yes, every time I want to buy a sps frag I tell myself that I must wait until everything I have is looking fantastic. Then it will be time. But not before….
Kallor December 12, 2013 December 12, 2013 One of my 20's is currently an nps tank. Here is a pic of my blueberry gorg. I have only had it for 3 months but it is doing more than just wasting away, so I am excited. All the polyps are open every day and it is growing new polyps. New branch growth is only about one or two millimeters, which is within the margin of error for the "eyeballing it" method of measurement, so I really can't count that yet... Sorry for hopping into your build log so late in the game - but at this point I just had to comment. You've obviously had quite the ride to get to this point (tree in the roof and all that) but you've clearly done some great work on your tank. Anyway, I just wanted to chime in and say absolutely amazing this gorgonian looks! Great job on your build!
Sharkey18 January 2, 2014 Author January 2, 2014 Yeah, unfortunately, it's dead…. Most of my other NPS gorgs are still doing fine though. The blueberry is notoriously difficult. I had to break downy the nps tank. It was plumbed into my main system and I just couldn't handle the nutrients. I hope to have a stand alone nps tank one day, but it can't be connected to an sps tank. I put all the nps corals into the main tank and almost all of them are doing well.
Sharkey18 January 2, 2014 Author January 2, 2014 Good news! I've made a few changes over the past few weeks. I've been doing 100g water changes every 2 weeks without fail. I removed even more rock from the display and put it in the sump. I am a detritus search and destroy machine. I improved the lights over my refugium and the caulerpa is taking off. I still haven't been able to grow much chaeto but I am still trying. Phosphates are at .15 and have been steady in that range for a few weeks. Not great, but better than the .3 -.4 range I was getting. Nitrates today were 2! That the lowest they have been since July. Color is returning to the few sps I had left and frags that I have recently traded for are doing well. Yay!
smallreef January 2, 2014 January 2, 2014 Sounds like its really turning around...that's alot of good, hard work there!
YHSublime January 2, 2014 January 2, 2014 Agreed, good news. How's the grow-ho' light working out? Too early to tell?
Sharkey18 January 2, 2014 Author January 2, 2014 Too early to tell but the small amounts of chaeto that were in that tank have essentially disappeared. It's great for mood though….
YHSublime January 2, 2014 January 2, 2014 It's great for mood though…. Aint' no lie, better your window than mine! I've taken the mangroves that I grew under it (seriously, I hardly ever turned it on, and when I did, leaves sprouted) and started an experiment. Because the mantis in my sump is not a huge fan of bright light, I've put them in my overflow underneath the evergrows.
BowieReefer84 January 2, 2014 January 2, 2014 If you want to quickly drop phosphates you can run this media: http://www.marinedepot.com/Kent_Marine_Phosphate_Sponge_Phosphate_Remover_Chemical_Filter_Media-Kent_Marine-KM9151-FIFMCHPR-4-vi.html Looking good, and way to go on the 100gal water changes.
Sharkey18 January 9, 2014 Author January 9, 2014 Totally excited to have my new skimmer! I have upgraded from an ASM4 to an SWC extreme 250 S2 that I got from Marcos (monkiboy). http://www.saltwater...b441cd364a3a5dd Before he gave it to me Marcos was awesome and upgraded the pumps to 2 new psk1000's with new Avast venturi's. It's breaking in now. I figure I'll let it run and overflow for a couple of days and then play around with the water level to dial it in. Hoping this will be another step in the right direction to get my nutrients under control. Super thanks to Marcos who went above and beyond to help me out!
YHSublime January 9, 2014 January 9, 2014 Glad to hear it! I hope it's the skimmer of your dreams! The psk1000's are awesome pumps. Congrats on the new toy!
Origami January 9, 2014 January 9, 2014 Totally excited to have my new skimmer! I have upgraded from an ASM4 to an SWC extreme 250 S2 that I got from Marcos (monkiboy). http://www.saltwater...b441cd364a3a5dd Before he gave it to me Marcos was awesome and upgraded the pumps to 2 new psk1000's with new Avast venturi's. It's breaking in now. I figure I'll let it run and overflow for a couple of days and then play around with the water level to dial it in. Hoping this will be another step in the right direction to get my nutrients under control. Super thanks to Marcos who went above and beyond to help me out! Sounds like my old skimmer. Glad that he changed out the old PSK 2500s. They were a pain. Sent from my Rezound on Tachyon using Tapatalk
Sharkey18 January 16, 2014 Author January 16, 2014 Skimmer is broken in and doing great. Finally raised it to be in only 6 inches of water. However… there is a crack in the bottom of my sump. Noticed it last night when I put the skimmer on a higher stand. And there is a slow leak out of the bottom AND I am going away this weekend. Awesome. The sump is quite large and fits everything perfectly. Can it be repaired? Can I have the bottom glass replaced? Just buy a new sump? I SO do not want to be dealing with this right now.
monkiboy January 16, 2014 January 16, 2014 laura, i'm sorry to hear about the leak. are you 100% it's a leak and it wasn't some water that spilled and made it's way underneath and slowly coming out from the edges or is the leak visible along a seam or edge?
Sharkey18 January 17, 2014 Author January 17, 2014 Ha! Marco you are right on! I emptied the sump this morning to investigate. What looks like a crack is actually water under the sump. The leak is from a leaky bulkhead that has gotten worse. Bulkhead leaked to floor, water went under the sump, and made it look like the sump was leaking. Very relieved. Will deal with leaky bulkhead asap.
monkiboy January 17, 2014 January 17, 2014 a leaking bulkhead has never been great news until this morning for you i bet, haha. let us know if you need help or tips with the repairs.
smallreef January 18, 2014 January 18, 2014 Oh that's so awesome to hear Laura! Glad that's all it is....
Sharkey18 January 18, 2014 Author January 18, 2014 Honestly I need to redo the plumbing on the back of my tank anyhow so I am planning on replacing the bulkheads and the drain pipes to have a cleaner look. Also the drains are not secured, so they move around which is what had probably caused the bulkhead leak. Unfortunately I leave for NY tomorrow morning and won't be back till Tuesday… argh. Stupid family getting in the way of my plans.
Sharkey18 January 19, 2014 Author January 19, 2014 Now that my water quality has improved, my zoas are not as happy as they once were. WIll they adjust to the cleaner water or do I need to consider a separate zoanthid tank if I really want to keep them happy?
YHSublime January 20, 2014 January 20, 2014 I will make my tank your separate zoa tank I don't know, but I think you can do both, although I think my sps has adjusted to dirty water. :p
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