Christmas Tragedy in My Tank - Page 7

bluespotjawfish · 01-07-2007, 11:50 AM

Water Change - ha, ha, ha. I've been living in water myself. The phosphates are stuck between 1-3 with water changes, so something is there.

I am running carbon in two locations. Rinsing every few days, replacing one of the bags at a time each week. I have traditionally had high phosphates (and nitrates) in this tank that has been up for years and years, WCs have got them down to where I can even test them.

I do have a sponge prior to the portion of the sump that goes to the return flow. I just cleaned that yesterday and typically clean it every week or two. It was more gunky than normal, but I attributed that to the cycling process. There was no change in results today after it was cleaned yesterday. I will focus on cleaning that more frequently though and see if that helps.

As for food I use frozen and dried seaweed. I don't rinse it so will do that and see if that helps.

Do you think how I clean my socks is contributing to the problem? I might soak them in RO water and see if I get a phosphate reading from that. I wouldn't be surprized if there is leftover soap residue in the washer.

PS - I also have a new protein skimmer on the way. These help with phosphate control don't they?

bluespotjawfish · 01-07-2007, 02:24 PM

Soaked the socks in the RO, no phosphate here. However, add stresscoat as a dechlorinator and poof we have phosphate. Also did some adjustments to the reactor and it is coming out of the reactor at 0 now.

sasquatch · 01-07-2007, 09:22 PM

Howdieee

. are you adding stresscoat to your tank????

Steve

bluespotjawfish · 01-08-2007, 12:00 AM

Yes until today. No more need for that. We have RO/DI water now! Well, almost, I still need to get a heater in it. Water's too cold without one, so today just used it to top off the tank. My heater (and new skimmer) is supposed to arrive tomorrow.

I grabbed a test kit today for Magnesium, and it was next to nothing. I added a supplement for that and hopefully that will also help bring down my alk/calc levels to normal ranges as well.

The pump for the phosphate reacter isn't working any more, so that will have to be another project. I've now eliminated most of the phosphate source so that should be ok for now.

All this thinking makes my head hurt. Oh, and I couldn't pass up some new coral at the LFS today. Hammer, pom zenia, and mushrooms. All transferred well, now we will see which of these like my tank. Hammer corals have always done well, zenias have done very well (and very poorly), same with mushrooms. No one's been knocked of their rock yet and no one is browsing them. Wish me luck!

lcstorc · 01-08-2007, 08:23 AM

Good luck with all of your new toys. Sounds like me a Christmas. We got a bunch of new tank stuff and the inhabitants seem to love the new setup. Hope your upgrade goes as well as mine did.

sasquatch · 01-09-2007, 07:52 PM

You better get a reef addict tag SOON, you are over the top!!!Suggestion on your next w/c do a complete test to see what your salt brand is giving you, I did it to mine and was shocked to see the levels at a fish only level.Good luck with the newies. Steve

bluespotjawfish · 01-09-2007, 09:24 PM

Not sure what you are saying here. Just don't ask me to test my bath water! I feel like I am in school test, test, test... I hate school

As for testing the salt mix, I've been doing that. Still trying to find a mix that is lower in alkalinity. LFS recommended a mix of IO and Oceanic (IO lower in calc but high in alk; Oceanic high in calc and low in alk). The alk in the mix today is around 10 (tank is about 15), calc is about 400 in both. (See, I am getting very lazy, pass or fail - no more A student here.) Magnesium has stayed up in the tank and SW mix is about the same.

My new refractometer is fun! Such cool toys! Still haven't opened the Skimmer Box. Glad to hear it should fit. The big staples are still scary (need big strong muscles, feel wimpy, wimpy, wimpy). No new toys at the LFS today, but of course I had to look!

Bluespot moved again today - he is in the back of the tank and I can't see him at all. I was worried he was gone, but saw him briefly peak over a rock.

So, should we close this post? How do we do that??? Just stop posting??? I have a tank journal going and will post pics along the way.

Lorraine's Rebuilding of 125 gal Tank

sasquatch · 01-09-2007, 10:50 PM

NOOOOOOOOO!! 3 more posts to 100 lol, off to visit your journal. Steve

lcstorc · 01-16-2007, 08:37 AM

Well we can just say happy reefing to up it to 99 at least.

boozeman · 01-16-2007, 08:55 AM

100!!!

bluespotjawfish · 01-16-2007, 09:09 AM

Ha, ha! Now we'll need 200! Any volunteers!

The tank is doing great other than the fish think I added in the new cleaning crew for them to eat (an expensive meal) and the corals for them to redecorate with. They are definitely the ones who decide what goes in the tank and what the place will look like. They are worse than kids when it comes to having things their way. The RO/DI unit is great. I have it set up so that my water changes take just a few minutes instead of an hour. I didn't change any water yesterday and I feel guilty. Nitrates and phosphates are settled down and I want to see if they stay down without a water change. Also alk is still high, but I have added calc to balance what is there and I'm hoping that some of these corals will bring them both down together.

Craig Manoukian · 12-26-2007, 08:55 PM

Glad the tank is recovering.

althea2you · 12-29-2007, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig Manoukian

Glad the tank is recovering.

lol... this was almost a year ago... but that was very nice of you!

tbittner · 12-29-2007, 08:28 PM

This thread is such an excellent example of what a difference a year can make...

One year ago - Disaster.
Today - Check out her pictures!

WOW!!!

Craig Manoukian · 12-29-2007, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tbittner

Check out her pictures!

WOW!!!

Yes I agree totally!

01-07-2007, 11:50 AM	#91 (permalink)
bluespotjawfish Tridacna maxima Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Utah Posts: 4,140 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Christmas Tragedy in My Tank Water Change - ha, ha, ha. I've been living in water myself. The phosphates are stuck between 1-3 with water changes, so something is there. I am running carbon in two locations. Rinsing every few days, replacing one of the bags at a time each week. I have traditionally had high phosphates (and nitrates) in this tank that has been up for years and years, WCs have got them down to where I can even test them. I do have a sponge prior to the portion of the sump that goes to the return flow. I just cleaned that yesterday and typically clean it every week or two. It was more gunky than normal, but I attributed that to the cycling process. There was no change in results today after it was cleaned yesterday. I will focus on cleaning that more frequently though and see if that helps. As for food I use frozen and dried seaweed. I don't rinse it so will do that and see if that helps. Do you think how I clean my socks is contributing to the problem? I might soak them in RO water and see if I get a phosphate reading from that. I wouldn't be surprized if there is leftover soap residue in the washer. PS - I also have a new protein skimmer on the way. These help with phosphate control don't they? __________________ Lorraine To BB and all Bluespots - Journey of the 2nd Year ...The 2nd Year - Photoshow Check out Mr. BJ and friends... Mr. BJ's Aquarium - PhotoShow Last edited by bluespotjawfish : 01-07-2007 at 01:17 PM. Reason: Additional thought!

01-07-2007, 02:24 PM	#92 (permalink)
bluespotjawfish Tridacna maxima Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Utah Posts: 4,140 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Christmas Tragedy in My Tank Soaked the socks in the RO, no phosphate here. However, add stresscoat as a dechlorinator and poof we have phosphate. Also did some adjustments to the reactor and it is coming out of the reactor at 0 now. __________________ Lorraine To BB and all Bluespots - Journey of the 2nd Year ...The 2nd Year - Photoshow Check out Mr. BJ and friends... Mr. BJ's Aquarium - PhotoShow

01-07-2007, 09:22 PM	#93 (permalink)
sasquatch Brunt of all Jokes~ Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: the very farthest west coast of canada Posts: 8,917 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Christmas Tragedy in My Tank Howdieee . are you adding stresscoat to your tank???? Steve

01-08-2007, 12:00 AM	#94 (permalink)
bluespotjawfish Tridacna maxima Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Utah Posts: 4,140 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Christmas Tragedy in My Tank Yes until today. No more need for that. We have RO/DI water now! Well, almost, I still need to get a heater in it. Water's too cold without one, so today just used it to top off the tank. My heater (and new skimmer) is supposed to arrive tomorrow. I grabbed a test kit today for Magnesium, and it was next to nothing. I added a supplement for that and hopefully that will also help bring down my alk/calc levels to normal ranges as well. The pump for the phosphate reacter isn't working any more, so that will have to be another project. I've now eliminated most of the phosphate source so that should be ok for now. All this thinking makes my head hurt. Oh, and I couldn't pass up some new coral at the LFS today. Hammer, pom zenia, and mushrooms. All transferred well, now we will see which of these like my tank. Hammer corals have always done well, zenias have done very well (and very poorly), same with mushrooms. No one's been knocked of their rock yet and no one is browsing them. Wish me luck! __________________ Lorraine To BB and all Bluespots - Journey of the 2nd Year ...The 2nd Year - Photoshow Check out Mr. BJ and friends... Mr. BJ's Aquarium - PhotoShow

01-08-2007, 08:23 AM	#95 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 18,473 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Christmas Tragedy in My Tank Good luck with all of your new toys. Sounds like me a Christmas. We got a bunch of new tank stuff and the inhabitants seem to love the new setup. Hope your upgrade goes as well as mine did. __________________ Peace LYNN You can't change the past but you can change how you view it. A reef tank is like a racecar. The faster you go the harder you crash. Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g of sunshine Every 60 seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.

01-09-2007, 07:52 PM	#96 (permalink)
sasquatch Brunt of all Jokes~ Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: the very farthest west coast of canada Posts: 8,917 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Christmas Tragedy in My Tank You better get a reef addict tag SOON, you are over the top!!!Suggestion on your next w/c do a complete test to see what your salt brand is giving you, I did it to mine and was shocked to see the levels at a fish only level.Good luck with the newies. Steve

01-09-2007, 09:24 PM	#97 (permalink)
bluespotjawfish Tridacna maxima Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Utah Posts: 4,140 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Christmas Tragedy in My Tank Not sure what you are saying here. Just don't ask me to test my bath water! I feel like I am in school test, test, test... I hate school As for testing the salt mix, I've been doing that. Still trying to find a mix that is lower in alkalinity. LFS recommended a mix of IO and Oceanic (IO lower in calc but high in alk; Oceanic high in calc and low in alk). The alk in the mix today is around 10 (tank is about 15), calc is about 400 in both. (See, I am getting very lazy, pass or fail - no more A student here.) Magnesium has stayed up in the tank and SW mix is about the same. My new refractometer is fun! Such cool toys! Still haven't opened the Skimmer Box. Glad to hear it should fit. The big staples are still scary (need big strong muscles, feel wimpy, wimpy, wimpy). No new toys at the LFS today, but of course I had to look! Bluespot moved again today - he is in the back of the tank and I can't see him at all. I was worried he was gone, but saw him briefly peak over a rock. So, should we close this post? How do we do that??? Just stop posting??? I have a tank journal going and will post pics along the way. Lorraine's Rebuilding of 125 gal Tank __________________ Lorraine To BB and all Bluespots - Journey of the 2nd Year ...The 2nd Year - Photoshow Check out Mr. BJ and friends... Mr. BJ's Aquarium - PhotoShow

01-09-2007, 10:50 PM	#98 (permalink)
sasquatch Brunt of all Jokes~ Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: the very farthest west coast of canada Posts: 8,917 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Christmas Tragedy in My Tank NOOOOOOOOO!! 3 more posts to 100 lol, off to visit your journal. Steve

01-16-2007, 08:37 AM	#99 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 18,473 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Christmas Tragedy in My Tank Well we can just say happy reefing to up it to 99 at least. __________________ Peace LYNN You can't change the past but you can change how you view it. A reef tank is like a racecar. The faster you go the harder you crash. Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g of sunshine Every 60 seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.

01-16-2007, 08:55 AM	#100 (permalink)
boozeman The CodFather ~ Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: new york Posts: 8,800 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Christmas Tragedy in My Tank 100!!! __________________ ...and when I'm old and wise little things mean little to me like autumn winds they'll blow right through me and someday, in the mist of time when they ask you if you knew me remember that you were a friend of mine

01-16-2007, 09:09 AM	#101 (permalink)
bluespotjawfish Tridacna maxima Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Utah Posts: 4,140 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Christmas Tragedy in My Tank Ha, ha! Now we'll need 200! Any volunteers! The tank is doing great other than the fish think I added in the new cleaning crew for them to eat (an expensive meal) and the corals for them to redecorate with. They are definitely the ones who decide what goes in the tank and what the place will look like. They are worse than kids when it comes to having things their way. The RO/DI unit is great. I have it set up so that my water changes take just a few minutes instead of an hour. I didn't change any water yesterday and I feel guilty. Nitrates and phosphates are settled down and I want to see if they stay down without a water change. Also alk is still high, but I have added calc to balance what is there and I'm hoping that some of these corals will bring them both down together. __________________ Lorraine To BB and all Bluespots - Journey of the 2nd Year ...The 2nd Year - Photoshow Check out Mr. BJ and friends... Mr. BJ's Aquarium - PhotoShow

12-26-2007, 08:55 PM	#102 (permalink)
Craig Manoukian Regular Guy Moderator Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Marina Del Ray, CA Posts: 17,911 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Christmas Tragedy in My Tank Glad the tank is recovering. __________________ Currently tankless. 20 Gallon mini reef with mated pair of Maroon Clowns given to Rougiem! 80 gallon reef given to Rougiem/Wooster HS.

12-29-2007, 08:28 PM	#104 (permalink)
tbittner Watch this Ma! Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Northern VA Posts: 5,562 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Christmas Tragedy in My Tank This thread is such an excellent example of what a difference a year can make... One year ago - Disaster. Today - Check out her pictures! WOW!!! __________________ Terry 150g predator tank full of killers. Soon to be upgraded to a 360g. 450g reef 300g sump.

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