A new tank for Dave

mbdave

mbdave

Active Member
Thanks Al it is also one of my favorites.


BigAl07 said:
5-2011092.jpg



Dave this is one of my all time FAVORITE pictures. Seeing how you re-created something from the wild is just awesome! Keep up the great work buddy!
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mbdave

mbdave

Active Member
No real secret, lights, circ, and water quality. I dose calcium (calcium chloride BRS right now), alk (I use sodium bicarb from BRS right now, but have used cooked soda in the past), magnesium (epsom salts CVS brand) strontium (seachem at this time). I use iodate/iodine if my test says so, and I have been experimenting a bit with pottasium.
I like my parameters to be,
Ca, 430>
Alk, 8-10 DKH
Mag, 1300>
Str, 8-12 mg/l
Last thing keep a constant salinity, now read my last thread:)
Ok and you never have enough circ,
Dave


catran said:
Dave, very cool FTS's! What kind of lights do you have on the SPS? I can't seem to be able to keep acro's. I do great with milli's and Monti's...
Yours are looking great, what's the secret?


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mbdave

mbdave

Active Member
Yesterday I broke out my salt tub to make a batch. There was my trusty refractometer waiting to get me started, "let me check the main tanks?" 30+, :nekid: hrmm been keeping a good eye on the rest of the parameters and forgot one of the most important, (I'm not dumb) very much.
So I made sure the top off was full and started subtracting SW and letting the make up top off. By around 9:00 PM I checked it and @ 24 it is where I like it.
I don't figure to see any real difference coral get some crazy salinety I use to test it after rains or large tide shifts, (this was in Guam by the Gab, Gab beach pool in Apra Harbor) I would do alk and calcium just to keep tabs and learn. I also collected the water for my reef there.
So lessons from Dave do not forget the forgettable! :yup:
Dave
 
steved13

steved13

Well-Known Member
PREMIUM
Someone told me a great technique so you don't forget that kind of stuff, works everytime...but I can't remember what it is.
 
Stretch

Stretch

Has been struck by the ban stick
Wow Dave!! Impressive to say the least!

That blue chalice and the green and brown brain you have just climbed to the top of my favorites list! I don't know that I've ever seen a brain coral before.
 
catran

catran

Well-Known Member
Dave, you're so lucky! If that happened to my tank, everything would be perilously close to death, lol! Yours looks great!


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mbdave

mbdave

Active Member
the tank is very good got to do a big water change tomorrow due to high, high, mag but the change will take care of it. In the seagrass the copperban dhas a cloudy see what it is and go from there.
I am good, feel better than in a long time, "funny how when your brain swells you don't feel well?" and when the brain contracts you feel great for now. Lots of treatment nothing to bad yet, only a sunburn on my head from radiation, chemo probably the week after next which I do not look forward but will do!
Thanks for asking,
Dave
 
mbdave

mbdave

Active Member
:drooool::drooool: What a day Maintenance all day and wow in areas it needed it. To start I cleaned the lens on the lights more calcium spots than was needed, Got rid of the 65k and put the megachrome 22k back on the seagrass the 65k just was to ugly hopefully the grass will be fine. And then of course I checked all screws on the hood and the ballast just to make sure alls tight and I still have to vacuum the fans and ballast stands.
I removed all the pumps and threw them in the cleaner and discovered that the ceramic shaft was broken on one of the mp-10s so got on the eco tech site and ordered a couple change both at 20 bucks each not bad, I love the fact eco tech has the parts all the time I have asked.
Then the activity I really don't enjoy I scraped the coraline of the glass, got 90% still have some areas to tight to get at.:nopity:
Theeennn, Did a 20 gallon water change. threw all the pumps back and got it going.
Now tonight or in the morning got to take the skimmer out and give it a good once over and than test it all.
Now a glass of wine, a good movie if one is on, and bed.
Dave

:sleeping::sleeping:
 
mbdave

mbdave

Active Member
As everyone knows I have been "out" Wow did I not realize how much my lovely tank had gone south! My magnesium is in the stratosphere and I could not figure it out because frankly I was not checking things I should be checking in this situation "I assumed" never assume in this hobby!!:hammerhea Well after all that maintenance I performed I did testing yesterday and I started with the Salifert Strontium test which in the process of checking strontium checks calcium to ensure calcium is 300+,. Well it said your calcium is below 300 and the test stops until it is corrected??:eek:verhere: WHAT! You lie test kit, let me check my calcium and prove it:sinking: yeah about that calcium......:smack: "can calcium get that low, "well yes little Davey, it can".:banghead: So I started dosing calcium over several hours and finally got it to a respectable 400ish. I will test again in awhile to see if it settled I will dose to 450 then.
I was a bit upset at my ignorance on this and my son kept telling me "Dad go easy you been sick" SO I should have checked. Mag is still up but coming down just a bit will test it again today and see hopefully it is close because I worry about the shoal grass it is not looking well. So okay I will be better to you at all costs tank, when I do chemo my son will check stuff if I am down. Check those parameters people do not be lazy.

Little Davey :)
 
mbdave

mbdave

Active Member
How about some growth pictures here is my Hawkins echinata.

Newreeftank060.jpg

When I bought it maybe Feb?

Newreeftank086-1.jpg

Mounted it.

5-2011079.jpg

Taking some shape.
I thought I had one more but no.:drool:
Enjoy,
Dave
 
mbdave

mbdave

Active Member
Some pictures I have promised for sometime.

5-2011125.jpg

New brain frag.

5-2011015.jpg

This is the crazy dogs in the yard frag.

5-2011117.jpg

I love A. aculeus in fact all bottle brush acros. this pic doe's not do it justice though it is nice bright green, it is the liveaquaria hypnotic bottlebrush.

5-2011123.jpg

A combo frag of montis but I believe the green on the right is a porites.

5-2011124.jpg

This is the A. hillae I have been saying I will get a pic this is right up at the top of my favorites in the tank!
EEENNNjoy!
Dave
 
mbdave

mbdave

Active Member
Kittycat those are my two old men Buddha and Beagley, Beagley they go out in the yard with me in the evenings and have a blast even at around 11 years old I believe now. Those guys ever go it's a sad day!!
they my babies
Dave
 
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catran

catran

Well-Known Member
Yeah, I know... It's really tough to lose your babies. It's only getting tougher for me as I get older.
 
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