Tank turned 49 this year

Paul B

Paul B

Well-Known Member
I wasn't crazy about my DIY light fixture because I bought a staghorn coral and it croaked. I needed more light. So I took the thing apart, as shown here


I built another strip of LEDs on an aluminum square and bolted it on.

I also built a new fan housing to accommodate the new wiring


And it's good to go. I can raise the fixture as it is on counterweights and it tilts front and back for maintenance in case I have to change an LED or scrape a dead fish off that decided to fly up on top of it to check out the scenery.
 
Paul B

Paul B

Well-Known Member
These guys spawned last night which I am happy about, but she still looks pregnant so I assume they will spawn again. Or it could be that they just look like they are spawning and she is not ready. It's hard to tell because they are much smaller than mandarins and I never had these spawn before. I actually thought they were to young as I didn't know they stay this small. Ruby Red dragonets haven't been in the hobby very long. I can't get a picture of them spawning as it only takes them a few seconds and by the time I get the camera, they are back to eating pods. I will try again tonight. They spawn just before the lights go off, but I am not sure how they know the lights are going off because they can't see the clock. The bluestripe pipefish is still pregnant but he will have his babies live.



 
Paul B

Paul B

Well-Known Member
One of my experiments didn't go as I planned and I lost some nice, very old corals. I hope the rest don't croak but it is what it is and even a bad experiment teaches us something. My tank is and always has been an experiment and was never meant to be a part of my house decoration. Most of my experiments do fine but some go south. That's why I love this hobby. If nothing went wrong, how boring it would be and anyone could do it. :clink:



But on the bright side. The fish are still spawning
 
D

DaveK

Well-Known Member
How true. There are two ways of looking at a reef system. One way is to play it safe and always use tried and true methods. The other is consider the system to be an experimental system and change it around trying to make it better. With the later method you do take a risk but then you also might be able to keep livestock others can't.

You could also say that the tank is not over 50 years old and you still don't have it right. (just teasing)
 
Paul B

Paul B

Well-Known Member
Dave, that is something I have always done. I used to add Clorox to my NSW and I still add mud from the sea and use a reverse UGF filter. These were all things that I started in the early days of the hobby before computers when no one knew anything. It was all a test and I just love experimenting no matter what the outcome. If we all did only what everyone does, we would still be keeping guppies.
 
sirrealism

sirrealism

Well-Known Member
Paul can I ask what experiment went wrong? and what corals were lost? The reason we experiment is to learn and when we learn something its best to share what we learned. Right?
 
Paul B

Paul B

Well-Known Member
I built a new de-nitrifier using a large pipe filled with gravel. I ran water through it very slowly and dosed it with vodka in the hopes of growing anerobic bacteria, but I overdosed it and dosed it twice in a few hours. I have been very busy with other things and my wife is not well so I was just not thinking which is normal lately. But it is not that bad. I can replace the staghorn corals and a large piece of a montipora along with a torch. I was going to break that monti anyway because it grew too close to the glass so it saved me the trouble. A very large, old blue sponge also looks dead. But the fish are still spawning and I think they like the Vodka as they are all dancing the Macarana
 
Paul B

Paul B

Well-Known Member
I am to busy this week but soon I want to replace those staghorns. The rest of my montipora's are fine and in a few months I am sure they will re grow over the dead part. Only part of one died, I am not quite sure why. The other corals look fine, even better than they did. I am also not sure why but whatever I did, if I didn't do it so much probably would have been a good thing. The dunkins especially look like they want to grow up the walls.
Today we are going to my Grand Daughter's school (preschool) she is not quite 3. My wife and I are giving a SCUBA and underwater demonstration. We have a live lobster, some SCUBA stuff and underwater pictures as well as her Mother (out Daughter) SCUBA diving. We also did this when our daughter was about 4 or 5 so she was a little older. These 2 and 3 year olds will not understand and will just pick their nose, and maybe take a nap but it is fun and I am looking forward to it. We hope to do it again in a few years when they understand.


 
Pat24601

Pat24601

Well-Known Member
I think you might be surprised how much they understand. They won't get the big picture, but I think they will be interested and trying to learn what you are saying in their own way.

Sounds like a great thing to be doing! I like teaching kids about the good things in nature.
 
Paul B

Paul B

Well-Known Member
It was fun. This was the third or fourth time we have done this but these were the youngest. I put the live lobster on the table and one little kid started crying and ran away. But he came back and was interested (from a distance)
 
Paul B

Paul B

Well-Known Member
Today I did something with my tank that I rarely do. I took some water to get tested for calcium and alkinity. I did that because many times people ask me those readings and al I can do is stutter and make up a story. But today I had it tested and the calcium is like 525, which is a little high, but no one is complaining. The alk is about 12. Not to bad for using driveway ice melter and baking soda for dosing. Those were almost the same readings I got by a lab about 10 years ago when they tested my water. Now it is just a little higher so I will stop dosing for a month or until I remember again.
 
Frankie

Frankie

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
Problem is, corals stop up taking calcium past 450ppm. That is why it is recommended to keep it at 420ppm
 
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