nbgen12 September 27, 2012 Author Share September 27, 2012 Steve - big thanks.... you are the man. Loading up the corals and taking them his way in a couple hours for some emergency housing. Moral of the story, beware of dosing tech-m to kill off bryopsis and getting it to high levels.....certainly doesn't do any good from what I can see Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEVE September 27, 2012 Share September 27, 2012 2100 is High...I know 1st hand!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbgen12 September 27, 2012 Author Share September 27, 2012 (edited) I am also slightly suspicious about the salinity still. My conductivity probe is now reading 35.7 ppt after reading between 34.4 and 34.6 over the last several days and I've done nothing to get it jacked up that high. My refractometer still says 1.025 after calibration. Maybe 2 problems going on? At least I will find out tonight..... Just tested the Mg and it's still over 1600 after a 15-20% waterchange last night. Certainly could have been around the 2100 mark Steve. Edited September 27, 2012 by nbgen12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbgen12 October 24, 2012 Author Share October 24, 2012 I suppose it's time to update since it's been a month since all sorts of catastrophe was going on lol. I found out from Steve that my magnesium was very high(about 2000), and that was after a water change. I guess I had some value wrong when I used the tech-m reef calculator to figure out how much I needed to dose to get to 1800. So that was the first issue which needed solving. The second problem, was my phosphates being at something like .18(maybe even higher than that). In addition to both of those things, my salinity was also a little bit high since my conductivity probe, refractometer, and hydrometer were all reading different values leading me in the wrong direction. It's no wonder why my sps frags were crapping out on me. Everything looked terrible before getting things straightened out. Steve was a great help getting things back in line. Since then, I've done several water changes. Things are finally becoming stable for the first time in the life of this system. I use the salifert PO4 test kit, so the accuracy of it has a little to be desired, but from what I can tell, my phosphates are just about unreadable. Sure wish I had a hannah checker to use instead of the salifert test though. Either way, I'm noticing a DRASTIC difference in the health of the corals in the tank. My zoas are beginning to grow quickly, I'm finally seeing some growth tips on my birdsnest frags. On my lone remaining millepora frag which was a brownish color when I got it, is now beginning to show some extremely bright green spots as it is beginning to color up. It is sure a nice feeling to see things moving in the right direction. The fish on the other hand, are still showing signs of black ich. Fortunately, they are all still eating very well and absolutely love Jan's food. I have all the meds needed coming in this week to put them in QT for a couple months to treat them and get the DT fallow. Just need to find some time between school, work, and having interviews for accounting positions since I am unfortunately at the end of my college career. Bitter sweet. For now, I don't plan on adding anything until after thanksgiving at the earliest. It will probably be the end of my semester more than likely before I try to put anything else in there. By then, at least everything should be very stable, and my fish will hopefully have been in QT for a couple months. Sure is nice to see things going in the right direction Hopefully the days if killing corals are passed now that I've encountered almost every water quality disaster possible lol. Knock on wood of course Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surf&turf October 24, 2012 Share October 24, 2012 Congrats, good job!! Let me know when your ready for those corals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimlin October 24, 2012 Share October 24, 2012 good job. any recent pictures to compare to the before pics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbgen12 October 25, 2012 Author Share October 25, 2012 Thanks surf&turf.....once I get through this rough month of school/work I'll get in touch with you...I'd love to check out your tank in person and just talk reef also. Jimlin-I would take pictures, but since the parameters were good when I first took the pictures, taking some now would probably look quite a bit worse than the ones I had taken when they first got in the tank. They are just beginning to show good signs of recovery so it may be a few weeks before anything is picture worthy lol. The growth tips on the ORA birdsnest aren't as good as the first picture of it, but I must say in the course of a week, it went from no growth tips at all to showing a whole bunch, just not as pronounced yet as the first picture. Not a bad change over the course of about a week and a half at most. I'm just pleased to have something worth updating in the positive direction lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbgen12 October 25, 2012 Author Share October 25, 2012 (edited) Minor equipment update as well: I'm replacing my clip on home depot light with the CFL bulb on my fuge, with a 2ft gooseneck clamp on lamp which will be powering a 6500k 24w par 38 LED bulb. I bought the gooseneck lamp from boostled, and got the par 38 bulb off ebay, with the total cost for both combined at about $70 roughly. As long as the cheap par 38 bulb doesn't crap out on me, I think this is a pretty darn good deal for the package. There is quite a few problems with bubbles in the fuge splashing up to the CFL bulb, which ultimately weakens the intensity over a pretty short period. I'm also worried about the rust possibilities with the home depot lamp, and the possibility of it slipping off the side of the sump into the water. Hopefully having a 2 ft gooseneck clamp on lamp will solve all these issues, plus the light should be good for macro growth, I just hope the intensity is not overkill. Edited October 25, 2012 by nbgen12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surf&turf October 25, 2012 Share October 25, 2012 Thanks surf&turf.....once I get through this rough month of school/work I'll get in touch with you...I'd love to check out your tank in person and just talk reef also. Your Welcome to come by anytime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbgen12 December 20, 2012 Author Share December 20, 2012 (edited) Despite my tank still doing terrible, its been a great month....officially completed my accounting degree at GMU, got a job offer for september, and finally have some free time. Over this winter, I will more than likely tear down my tank and start from square one. I would try and sell livestock, but there was black ich in the tank. There are also flatworms everywhere. At this point it would be less of a headache to just nuke the tank and get a fresh start. Ill keep the fish in a qt and treat them during the process, and hopefully everything will work out better. The plan will be a FOWLR, maybe some softies along the way. Im just looking for a simple setup at this point, and maybe down the road i'll toss in a few SPS, but i just want a tank with less work and more enjoyment. Sent from my MB865 using Tapatalk 2 Edited December 20, 2012 by nbgen12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbgen12 January 8, 2013 Author Share January 8, 2013 (edited) After some thought and enjoying the free time I've had without worrying about the tank, I've decided I'm going to break down my system. I've loved the hobby, but I've enjoyed having free time, finally. Sometime in the next couple weeks I'm going to start posting things for sale starting with the livestock. Sent from my MB865 using Tapatalk 2 Edited January 8, 2013 by nbgen12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimlin January 8, 2013 Share January 8, 2013 boo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallreef January 8, 2013 Share January 8, 2013 You'll miss it and atleast have to put a pico on your desk.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surf&turf January 9, 2013 Share January 9, 2013 boo. +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy357 January 9, 2013 Share January 9, 2013 No No No say it isn't so............ sorry to here this but hey I understand the need for free time, good luck with the new job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbgen12 January 9, 2013 Author Share January 9, 2013 I'll get back in it eventually. Ill be moving in 9 months and have to travel some for work, so restarting just feels like more work than its worth for the near term. Once i get settled in a house in several years everything will work out a little better... Sent from my MB865 using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimlin January 9, 2013 Share January 9, 2013 if you are going to get back into it later on,might as well hang on to some of the nice equipment you currently have. maybe just sell the livestock, tank, stand,sump and lights Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbgen12 January 13, 2013 Author Share January 13, 2013 I dont think i can live with selling off this stuff and drop out yet...i have the FS post saved but cant bring myself to post it. Since something is messed up with my water and i havent found the culprit so far, i need to see what kind of pressure is coming into the RODI. Anyone have one they could lend me for an afternoon? Sent from my MB865 using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimlin January 13, 2013 Share January 13, 2013 what is the tds reading of the rodi water? Glad you decide to stick with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbgen12 January 13, 2013 Author Share January 13, 2013 Thanks man....TDS is 000....tested it with 2 different meters. I am also still suspicious of the silicone i used for my sump and i may just need to make a new, more simplified sump setup. Sent from my MB865 using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbgen12 January 13, 2013 Author Share January 13, 2013 ....theres just too much money in equipment to sell, when i know ill come crawling back down the road anyway haha. Sent from my MB865 using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimlin January 13, 2013 Share January 13, 2013 if tds is 0, your rodi should be good. silicone i let mines dried for a week, then let it sit in water for another week before use for aquarium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbgen12 January 13, 2013 Author Share January 13, 2013 Yeahhhh....i definitely only cured it for about 2-3 days at a maximum and im sceptical that i used a silicon which isnt reef safe from lowes Sent from my MB865 using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainRon January 13, 2013 Share January 13, 2013 2 or 3 days should be fine. I started using my sump after only having the baffles in for 2 or 3 days anyway. Post up what type of silicone you used. I think there's usually that GE I and GE II stuff. If I remember correctly, the I is ok to use and the II has an antimicrobial that's not safe. Check the tubes though, I might be remembering wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt January 14, 2013 Share January 14, 2013 Neil, doesn't sound to me like you're getting out at all :-) Would let you use my pressure guage but its built into my rodi. Bit 0 tds makes it sound like you should be ok. Have you changed your carbon prefilter recently...not sure what impact that ultimately has on chlorine and chloramine on these things....but one more thing to rule out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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