An Alaskan Reef (38G) - Page 7

koffee · 05-01-2008, 02:26 PM

In the past week or so, my temps have ranged from 78.5 to 79.9. So it seems the switch from the glass top to egg crate helped. I was at 80-81, but it would sometimes jump to 85. Of course, I'll still have to see what the warmer weather brings.

My params still test bad - my tank appears to be cycling (low ammonia and nitrites), even though there hasn't been any livestock changes. Sure, a snail or crab could go missing, but nothing major has died. Once again, the corals look open and happy, and the fish are doing fine. Nitrates are way high, as always. I'm just not going to worry about it until the new rock has been cured and added to the tank.

Since switching from Kent Superbuffer DKH back to Seachem Marine Buffer, my pH has gone up to 8.3 and is holding steady. I'm now adding Seachem Reef Builder to bring the alkalinity up beyond 2.5 where it was staying with Kent. I already had Marine Buffer, otherwise I would have tried Reef Buffer to do both in one shot. Based on the pH alone, I'm happier with Seachem.

My calcium is back down to 360, so I'll need to address that. My tank doesn't have a huge demand, but the coraline and two small LPS will probably be happier if I can keep it a bit higher.

I made a cheap mod to my Coralife skimmer which hopefully will help some. I don't have a micron sock (have to order them), so I'm just using a filter media bag for now. The sock/bag isn't on the sump intake, so I'm not trapping everything. Maybe I'll attempt that when I order real socks. This also places the skimmer back in the sump, which will prevent disaster if I have any leaks or overflows. But the positioning makes things easy to get to, unlike the first time I had it haging off the front of the sump. The skimmer pump is in the intake chamber, and the return goes to the first baffle chamber.

This probably cost under a buck at Lowes; I already had a length of PVC and a 90 El. I didn't even bother gluing it since any drips would fall into the sump.

kyle1284 · 06-29-2008, 08:23 PM

Craig Manoukian · 07-05-2008, 05:59 AM

Thanks for the update! How 'bout some tank pics?

lcstorc · 07-05-2008, 08:43 AM

Cool idea.
Keep us updated on how it works.

05-01-2008, 02:26 PM	#91 (permalink)
koffee Midas Blenny Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Alaska Posts: 119 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: An Alaskan Reef (38G) In the past week or so, my temps have ranged from 78.5 to 79.9. So it seems the switch from the glass top to egg crate helped. I was at 80-81, but it would sometimes jump to 85. Of course, I'll still have to see what the warmer weather brings. My params still test bad - my tank appears to be cycling (low ammonia and nitrites), even though there hasn't been any livestock changes. Sure, a snail or crab could go missing, but nothing major has died. Once again, the corals look open and happy, and the fish are doing fine. Nitrates are way high, as always. I'm just not going to worry about it until the new rock has been cured and added to the tank. Since switching from Kent Superbuffer DKH back to Seachem Marine Buffer, my pH has gone up to 8.3 and is holding steady. I'm now adding Seachem Reef Builder to bring the alkalinity up beyond 2.5 where it was staying with Kent. I already had Marine Buffer, otherwise I would have tried Reef Buffer to do both in one shot. Based on the pH alone, I'm happier with Seachem. My calcium is back down to 360, so I'll need to address that. My tank doesn't have a huge demand, but the coraline and two small LPS will probably be happier if I can keep it a bit higher. I made a cheap mod to my Coralife skimmer which hopefully will help some. I don't have a micron sock (have to order them), so I'm just using a filter media bag for now. The sock/bag isn't on the sump intake, so I'm not trapping everything. Maybe I'll attempt that when I order real socks. This also places the skimmer back in the sump, which will prevent disaster if I have any leaks or overflows. But the positioning makes things easy to get to, unlike the first time I had it haging off the front of the sump. The skimmer pump is in the intake chamber, and the return goes to the first baffle chamber. This probably cost under a buck at Lowes; I already had a length of PVC and a 90 El. I didn't even bother gluing it since any drips would fall into the sump. __________________ An Alaskan Reef: 40G Tank + 38G Sump/Fuge with mushrooms, Xenia, GSP, some LPS, Coral Beauty, Lawnmower Blenny, Sea Hare, a pair of Ocellaris, Skunk Cleaner and Peppermint Shrimp, and various snails.

06-29-2008, 08:23 PM	#92 (permalink)
kyle1284 Harlequin Tuskfish Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Huntsville, TX Posts: 919 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: An Alaskan Reef (38G) . __________________ KYLE 75 Gal 110 Lbs Live Rock 40 Lbs of live sand Equiptment:48 Inch 4x54 T-5 true blue and 10000k lights, 2 fuvual 305 Canister Filters Mis. Mushrooms, Fan Worms, hammer coral, frog spawn, candy cane, A TON OF TRUMPET CORAL!! orange plating monti, some kind of branching monti, pom pom xeina, all kinds of zoos BRIGHT GREEN star polyps, xeina, neon green toadstool, 3 damn damsles, a foxface and a blue tang. November 1...The begining! http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h2.../random045.jpg November 8,2008 http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h2...ristina034.jpg My 75 GALLON BAR TOP REEF TANK! http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...n-bar-top.html

07-05-2008, 05:59 AM	#93 (permalink)
Craig Manoukian Regular Guy Moderator Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Marina Del Ray, CA Posts: 18,352 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: An Alaskan Reef (38G) Thanks for the update! How 'bout some tank pics? __________________ Currently tankless. 20 Gallon mini reef with mated pair of Maroon Clowns given to Rougiem! 80 gallon reef given to Rougiem/Wooster HS.

07-05-2008, 08:43 AM	#94 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 20,899 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: An Alaskan Reef (38G) Cool idea. Keep us updated on how it works. __________________ 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. In Loving Memory Of Z 01/22/07 - 08/19/08

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