Nart's Lagoon Build - Round 2!!!
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Just sourced the materials I'd need to make the exact same thing. I have an air pump, air tubing, and flow regulator already. It's less than $20 to buy a 1.25" Pyrex tube, rubber stopper with 2 holes, an airline fitting, the wood airstone, and a much nicer magnetic clip instead of the hang-on-rI'm bracket.
I was reading up on this particular style of skimmer though and it produces a slightly wet skI'm which required more top offs, so I'll probably just stay away from a skimmer all together. It's a 10 gallon afterall... I wouldn't be doing my job during weekly maintenance if I needed a skimmer on a tank this size!
I was reading up on this particular style of skimmer though and it produces a slightly wet skI'm which required more top offs, so I'll probably just stay away from a skimmer all together. It's a 10 gallon afterall... I wouldn't be doing my job during weekly maintenance if I needed a skimmer on a tank this size!
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Although, in relation to the discussion on my build thread, I may not have so much GHA at the moment if I was running a skimmer or some sort of nutrient export!
A reactor that I can put on the side of the tank or stand is something I've really been debating. Definitely liking the sounds of a GFO reactor now that I'm seeing GHA...
A reactor that I can put on the side of the tank or stand is something I've really been debating. Definitely liking the sounds of a GFO reactor now that I'm seeing GHA...
Yeah. I haven't experienced bad GHA myself, just very very little when I had my Mandarin but it went away shortly afterwards. GFO reactor from what I heard is the way to go in defeating bad GHA.
Just boring stuff with the tank today. Missed my weekly water changes... so water change today along with some parameter tests
Interestingly my magnesium usually drops from 1380 to 1320 by the end of the week. I haven't dosed at all and my magnesium went up some? What the? Lol. Everything else looks pretty normal
Just boring stuff with the tank today. Missed my weekly water changes... so water change today along with some parameter tests
Interestingly my magnesium usually drops from 1380 to 1320 by the end of the week. I haven't dosed at all and my magnesium went up some? What the? Lol. Everything else looks pretty normal
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Good move on the Hanna Checkers. I love using my Alk Hanna. Really easy to use.
So just to give y'all an idea of my chaeto... this is from about 3 weeks of growth and this is just from my smaller chaeto chamber.
I utilize the over flow (smaller) chamber and the bigger) media chamber to grow chaeto. I usually trim about 1/2 to 1/4 of it off... this is the result of trimming about 1/2 my chaeto
Oh man... I am so ashamed. I haven't tested Ammonia in so long that I forgotten how to
Testing my rock curing to see how bad the dead organic die off is
So just to give y'all an idea of my chaeto... this is from about 3 weeks of growth and this is just from my smaller chaeto chamber.
I utilize the over flow (smaller) chamber and the bigger) media chamber to grow chaeto. I usually trim about 1/2 to 1/4 of it off... this is the result of trimming about 1/2 my chaeto
Oh man... I am so ashamed. I haven't tested Ammonia in so long that I forgotten how to
Testing my rock curing to see how bad the dead organic die off is
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Do you test for phosphates released during the curing process as well?
Nanologist yeah. Ran out of time today so I'll have to get to it tomorrow. Strangely enough Ammonia is 0. Really curious of the phosphates now...
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I think my problem with GHA could also be contributed to residual phosphates leaking from my base rock that I didn't test for. It cured for over a month during the cycle but maybe I didn't export enough through water changes.
I've heard this Caribsea Base Rock can be high in phosphates but I've seen many report the opposite so...
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I have the ULR one and love it.
Nart your parameters are similar to what mine were today when I tested ... water change was the other day but I don't remember when. Life has been a bit crazy around here with my son starting preschool, me having mouth surgery, my arthritis in my back and neck acting up and making me not want to do anything for most of the day, son getting sinus infection and staying home from school yesterday ... I'm so frazzle brained lately. I should probably do a good vac in the dead spots and change about 15 gallons. Good thing is that my dosing is holding well. Mag was a bit lower than I'd like based on where I want my other numbers so I bumped it up a bit and fixed the bubbles in the line on the calc line so I'll let that catch back up now ...
Question: if I'm wanting calc around 450-460, therefore mag should be around 1350-1380 ... what should Alk be around? It's currently like 8.3 I think. Calc was 410, mag 1305.
I also started up the Skimmer ... cleaned some pumps I thought were crapped out and they now work! And the gfo back up. I have a nitrate reactor and the pellets for it but I've got to see if I have a pump strong enough for it. I'm dealing with some sort of hair algae still and hoping all of this will help to starve it out!
Also, have you heard from stella1979 ? I'm worried about them! I hope she's able to check in soon and let us know what she needs.
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KristaD I just started using my Alkalinity Hanna Checker... only tip I have is wipe your test tube with a paper towel or microfiber cloth each time before it goes into the checker. When I was at MACNA I was talking to a Hanna sales rep and they gave me the run down of how the device works. Basically there's a light inside that calculates the particles in the tube, so to get the most accurate reading is by having the test tube free of finger print smudge and etc.. I haven't forgotten to email you my light settings! wrote a note to myself that I'll do it today!
LJC6780 Alk at 8.3 is the perfect number to have. I used to have Alk at 13 when using RSCP lol. With all that stuff... you should defeat algae in no time.
Noo.... starting to get worried about stella1979
Melissa - please report in to your family here on fishlore!
LJC6780 Alk at 8.3 is the perfect number to have. I used to have Alk at 13 when using RSCP lol. With all that stuff... you should defeat algae in no time.
Noo.... starting to get worried about stella1979
Melissa - please report in to your family here on fishlore!
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Yes! I'm finally back. Missed you guys!!! Cell service is extremely spotty and power is out. Will update better when I can, but the house is ok and we have a car battery hooked up to the reef tank.
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Just tested the water in the rock curing tub...
Never seen phosphates this high haha. Looks like this curing process might take awhile...
On another note... latest mod to the tank..... stand
Threw in a motion sensor light as it's always dark and hard to know what I'm reaching for. Best mod to date yet haha.
Edit: just did a phosphate dilution test and looks like PO4 is around 0.68ppm
Never seen phosphates this high haha. Looks like this curing process might take awhile...
On another note... latest mod to the tank..... stand
Threw in a motion sensor light as it's always dark and hard to know what I'm reaching for. Best mod to date yet haha.
Edit: just did a phosphate dilution test and looks like PO4 is around 0.68ppm
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Yeah, I've heard PukanI can have quite a bit of phosphates and take awhile to cure. Wishing I cured my base rock longer since I didn't test it at all for phosphates... can only imagine.
OMGosh! So great to hear!
I finally have my rock going in the tub out back too. I drained water from a tank by the window directly into the tub to start! I figure the bacteria in the water can help to give it a kick start. It's been going a few days but I haven't checked anything yet to see where it is. I also haven't changed any water on it. Maybe I'll get around to testing it sometime in the next few days.
Nanologist Yeah... I expected curing PukanI will take a while. Even on BRStv they made an episode on curing the PukanI with 3 different methods and it still took a month or two.
It's okay though, gives me time to work on the frag tank.
grantm91 If you get a Phosphate test kit down the road... if I were you, I would opt for the Hanna checkers. My Red Sea Phos test kit is sometimes quite challenging to tell the colors apart. I think I am going to invest in a Hanna Calcium and Phosphate checker soon.
Btw - these shirts describes us perfectly...
I bought this one from MACNA
It's okay though, gives me time to work on the frag tank.
grantm91 If you get a Phosphate test kit down the road... if I were you, I would opt for the Hanna checkers. My Red Sea Phos test kit is sometimes quite challenging to tell the colors apart. I think I am going to invest in a Hanna Calcium and Phosphate checker soon.
Btw - these shirts describes us perfectly...
I bought this one from MACNA
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Coradee Appreciate you taking a look at it. Thank you.
thesoulpatch hahaha... It's my little mason jar of fresh saltwater that I have to put back in the tank when I do a large scale water tests. Not often, but some times I'll draw anywhere from 50-100 ml of tank water to run tests so I don't like to inadvertently kick on my ATO to fill up the tank since I use Kalkwasser in my top off water.
thesoulpatch hahaha... It's my little mason jar of fresh saltwater that I have to put back in the tank when I do a large scale water tests. Not often, but some times I'll draw anywhere from 50-100 ml of tank water to run tests so I don't like to inadvertently kick on my ATO to fill up the tank since I use Kalkwasser in my top off water.
Actually I've heard the Hanna isn't all that accurate on the calc. I'd go salifert personally. Hanna for Alk and phos (ULR). I use salifert for nitrate, calc and mag.
We had our meeting today and a guy mentioned the "I'd frag that" shirt. He was wearing one that said, "salt creep." Lol
Actually the Tapatalk app seems broken. Pics show up as links and there are all of these auto links (in blue) added in. Also, many posts are showing up doubled. Look at my last quote of Nart. His post was doubled.
That makes total sense, but why so much?! What are you testing?! My tests use 5ml (if I use an API test for something), 2ml, 2 use 1ml and 2 use 10ml.
This was mighty tempting when I was visiting LFS down in Virginia Beach... totally could go back into freshwater for rays. One day.
LJC6780 Ah, good to know on the Hanna Calcium checker. I have Salifert for Calcium, so I'll probably keep using it.
LOL! - that[s a funny shirt.
Well, Red Sea's Phosphate checker alone requires 2 x 17ml per and I'll double check some parameters if it looks off so that's why I draw so much sometimes. Not often, but sometimes I do.
LJC6780 Ah, good to know on the Hanna Calcium checker. I have Salifert for Calcium, so I'll probably keep using it.
LOL! - that[s a funny shirt.
Well, Red Sea's Phosphate checker alone requires 2 x 17ml per and I'll double check some parameters if it looks off so that's why I draw so much sometimes. Not often, but sometimes I do.
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I was thinking of a whale shark tank build next... but then thought of the chaeto I had to grow so ehhhh... maybe in the future
stella1979 what's sad about that ray is that you can totally tell that it's malnourished. Broke my heart a little... the way you can tell is the two hip bone towards the back, right before it's tail. One should not see 2 hip bones sticking right up from it's body. I would've totally saved it too had I had a spare 100G laying around to keep in the interim.
Any who, not much to update on my tanks. Finally shut down my last freshwater tank so my 10G frag tank build will continue.
Watching the dry PukanI rock cure is worse than watching grass grow lol.
stella1979 what's sad about that ray is that you can totally tell that it's malnourished. Broke my heart a little... the way you can tell is the two hip bone towards the back, right before it's tail. One should not see 2 hip bones sticking right up from it's body. I would've totally saved it too had I had a spare 100G laying around to keep in the interim.
Any who, not much to update on my tanks. Finally shut down my last freshwater tank so my 10G frag tank build will continue.
Watching the dry PukanI rock cure is worse than watching grass grow lol.
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Awww, I didn't notice that on the poor little guy. I hope he finds the home he needs very soon.
I feel your pain in trying to find patience. I've loved the color purple my whole life, but I am beginning to hate it these days.. stupid nitrites!
I feel your pain in trying to find patience. I've loved the color purple my whole life, but I am beginning to hate it these days.. stupid nitrites!
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You too! Royal Purple has been my favorite color since high school. It was just plain green before that... but I don't think I gave it much thought until art classes and such in high school. That's when I learned about purple being the color for royalty because it's the most expensive color to make. It was originally made from a "species of sea snail now known as Bolinus brandaris, and it was so exceedingly rare that it became worth its weight in gold."
I got a kick the first time I saw the nitrite test turn about the same color as Petal... I was like, "well this color isn't on the chart"
This is strange I am also a huge fan of purple I loved that colour of the nitrite test, and look at my profile pic that's why I love that nem so much.
All of ya'll crack me up... luckily no one's favorite color is blue... because boy, if you had blue colored Phosphate tests with Red Sea, you're in for some serious algae trouble across the board lol.
Culprit Dropping $250 on a ray is on the cheap side. I walked out of my private coral seller's store once with $200 less in my pocket with just 2 small corals lol.
Culprit Dropping $250 on a ray is on the cheap side. I walked out of my private coral seller's store once with $200 less in my pocket with just 2 small corals lol.
Oh dang haha. That's crazy
errrrr my favorite color is a crisp bright but royal blue. Like a perfect fall sky. So I guess I'd better never see the blue colored phosphate test... HA
errrrr my favorite color is a crisp bright but royal blue. Like a perfect fall sky. So I guess I'd better never see the blue colored phosphate test... HA
Just a quick side tank shot from my couch. Sick and lazy..
Still curing.
Phosphates looking a tad bit better.
Still curing.
Phosphates looking a tad bit better.
And this is why I don't like using API test kits for saltwater...
Can y'all tell me what is the Phosphate ppm? (This water is from the rock curing tub)
Update: no trace of Ammonia, Nitrite, or Nitrates. Not a whole lot of dead organics on the rocks.. probably a lot came off during the bleach and vinegar bath.
Can y'all tell me what is the Phosphate ppm? (This water is from the rock curing tub)
Update: no trace of Ammonia, Nitrite, or Nitrates. Not a whole lot of dead organics on the rocks.. probably a lot came off during the bleach and vinegar bath.
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I guess we can expect too much on a $30 test kit that comes with all the basic essential tests.
So to give y'all an idea of how hardy pods and chaeto are... I was low-key cycling rocks in a small bucket, but scraped the idea because I had to top it off every few days. I had removed the heater about a month ago and turned off the power-heads for it too. Basically the water was around 67 degrees, no airation and had a lid over it, leaving just a small crack. I go over to check it today.. I'm looking at the chaeto to see if it is still usable... it's still fluffy green! And I saw pods darting around.
Tossed it right into the new tank
So to give y'all an idea of how hardy pods and chaeto are... I was low-key cycling rocks in a small bucket, but scraped the idea because I had to top it off every few days. I had removed the heater about a month ago and turned off the power-heads for it too. Basically the water was around 67 degrees, no airation and had a lid over it, leaving just a small crack. I go over to check it today.. I'm looking at the chaeto to see if it is still usable... it's still fluffy green! And I saw pods darting around.
Tossed it right into the new tank
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