[bluespotjawfish]

This is a summary of Then and Now...kinda explains why I have been so busy this year and when I pay the credit card I say ouch!

Fish:

Then: Nasa Tang, Palani Tang, Emporer Angel, Foxface, Flame Angel, Maroon Clown, Purple Stripe Pseudochromis, Bluespot Jawfish, Adult Twinspot Wrasse, 2 Yellow Tangs, 3 Green Chromis, 2 Gobys, variety of crabs.

Now: Mr. Palani is the only survivor. New fish include a pair of black onyx true percula clowns, a pair of Pyle wrasses, Midas Blenny, Mandarin Goby, 5 Blue/Green Chromis, Yellow Tang, a pair of Barlett Anthias.

Water Quality Parameters:

Then: Ammonia = 1.2; Nitrites <0.1; Nitrates = 5-10; Phosphates = 1.0; ph = 8.0; Salinity = 1.0235; Alk = 17.6 dKH; Cal = 475 ppm

Now: Ammonia = 0; Nitrites 0; Nitrates = 0; Phosphates = 0; ph = 7.8 - 8.2; Salinity = 1.025; Alk = 140 ppm; Cal = 425 ppm; Mg = 1360

Water Changes:

Then: Used tap water, mixed water in my sump. Water changes every month or two.

Now: RO/DI water, mixed 1-7 days, held in Brute container, pumped to tank. Water changes at least weekly. RO/DI Unit is a 100gpd 5 stage unit from The Filter Guys.

Topoff Water:

Then: Filled a bucket from the sink and dumped it in the sump without pre-treating for chlorine, once or twice a week usually when the pump made noises because it was starting to run dry.

Now: Tunze Osmolator Auto Topoff, with 13 gallon reservoir.

Lights:

Then: 5' VHOs (2 Blues and 2 Whites).

Now: Aqua Medic HQI 250w (Aqualine Bulbs 2/13k 1/20k), supplemented with two 5’ VHOs (1 Blue, 1 White). Also purchased a new canopy (my old one didn’t have enough clearance for MHs).

Skimmer:

Then: Don’t know the brand, it ran with 2 pumps.

Now: ASM G-2. Septra 3500 pump.

UV Sterilizer:

Then: 24w UV sterilizer

Now: 24w Gamma UV Sterilizer

Pumps/Overflow:

Then: CustomSeaLife Velocity T2 pump. Overflow box flooded most every time the power went out (for 8 years). Extra medium pump and backup battery operated air source internal to the tank.

Now: Iwaki 30R. New overflow box from LifeReef. Three MJ 1200s internal to the tank, on alternating, oscillating, or random timers.

Sand Bed/Live Rock:

Then: The bottom had aragonite with a plenum filter. Live rock took up about 1/4 of the tank.

Now: New bottom of aragonite, no plenum. A bit more live rock.

Refugium:

Then: None

Now: Custom Built LifeReef. Pumped in from the UV Sterilizer, gravity fed back to sump. Just took out the chaeto, just some rubble, and a few inches of sand.

Reactors:

Then: None

Now: Two Little Fishies Daisy Chained Phosban Reactors, one for carbon, the other for Phosban. Precision Marine KalkReactor hooked up to ATO.

Controllers:

Then: None

Now: Reefkeeper II with pH and temp probes AND Neptune Aquacontroller Jr with pH and temp probes.

Corals/Inverts:

Then: Poof they are gone, just a few crabs and 3 cleaner shrimp left after the crash.

Now: Variety of frogspawns, hammers, fox coral, candy coral, hammer coral, mushrooms, polyps, acros, plating and branching montis, birdsnest, pom pom xenia, brains, acans, spaghetti leather, ricordia, pocillopora, sun coral. Snails, crabs, clam, sand sifting stars, cucumbers, and the same 3 cleaner shrimp.