Thursday, December 28, 2017

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Tank Life 12.12.17

A few photos of some new inhabitants. A Lyretail Anthias seeking a cleaning from a Fire Shrimp, and  an Indian Star Fish.


Thursday, November 23, 2017

Water Test Results 11.20.17 and SPS Shots

Its been almost 4 weeks since my last water change, and I am pretty happy with the results from using bio-pellets alongside a refugium.


Saturday, September 23, 2017

Monday, August 21, 2017

Juvenile Emperor Angelfish Update

BoTom (Emperor Angel) is doing very well and eating everything I offer him.  He has not nipped at a single coral that I have seen to date which is a plus.  To prevent the chance of HLLE I soak most of his foods in Brightwell's "Angelixir" for spongiverous fishes.

July 14, 2017

July 30, 2017

August 20, 2017

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Cabinet Update

Cabinets are near complete, just need another coat of paint and some adjustments to the magnets holding them in place.  The installation of the Calcium Reactor is also complete, just fine tuning the bubble and drop count.  The PinPoint PH Controller is doing a great job of shutting down the CO2 solenoid once the desired PH is reached in the reactor.  I did not have one of these previously which made dialing in the reactor an all day activity.

Sunday, July 30, 2017

Equipment Storage - Industrial Racks

Spotted these at Costco and the box just barely squeezed in the trunk of my car with he back seats down.

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Tank Update 07.26.17

Still coming along very nicely :-)

At this point I am comfortable adding fish to the tank without any fear of them stressing. I still conduct daily water tests for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate and will send out my monthly test samples to aquamedicwatertesting.com for the full range.
I did not use an additive to cycle the tank but my start up did not go quite as I had planned either. I somewhat chronicled the tank change, but the initial set up had been running for about a month. The live rock from BRS was curing in a 45 gallon trash can about a month prior to that.

The first week of curing the ammonia stench was harsh to say the least and I conducted several massive water changes. I continued to 10% changes every other day or so for about three weeks from there. Once I broke down the first tank, the rock cured for another month back in the trash can, but there was definitely enough dead matter from the get go to jump start the cycle.

PH is averaging about 7.88 monitored in real time on a freshly calibrated PinPoint probe. At night it dips only slightly to about 7.82, and during the day only slightly higher at 7.92. I attribute the stability to the chaeto in the refugium which I had initially been running on a 24/7 light cycle. The growth was very fast but it seemed to be browning on the outside and very green on the inside. I now have the Kessil H380 on a wifi timer from 7:00 PM (DT goes off at 9:00 PM) and turn off at 9:00 AM (DT turns on at 11:00 AM). The spinning motion has encouraged it to mold into a nice ball shape.

The pod population in the fuge has also been spectacular. I am sure the sixline wrasse is going to be very happy as those puppies overflow into the display.

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Chaetomorpha Update

Day 1 comparison with day 7....

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

API Test Results and New Lights

Water tests results look on point, but I am also sending samples to an outside lab for more specific results before I add additional life to the tank.

Kessil H380 grow light fits in the sump well, and should have a great effect on keeping the water clear, and the PH up!

The 3rd Radion is really making the display grow.  I can't wait to start adding sticks!

Monday, July 10, 2017

Update 07.10.17

I am installing hooks below the tank to tuck away cords and to hang the Kessil H380 over the refugium.  I was very impressed with the trials done by BRS using this lamp and Chaetomorpha in the refugium.  This will be a major advantage I believe in avoiding excessive algae growth in the main display.  It will also be a good breeding ground for copepods and the like that will feed the fish and corals.  The Kessil H380 will be coming in from BRS while the chaeto was ordered from AlgaeBarn.com.


Thursday, May 11, 2017

Advanced Acrylics

Advanced Acrylics coming through big with this all 3/4" acrylic, black side wall, and external overflow aquarium.  All hand polished with eurobrace and mastered workmanship!

Thursday, April 20, 2017

New LifeReef Sump and Plumbing Photos (CLF2 and LifeReefugium)

The new CLF2 and LifeReefugium from LifeReef have arrived.  I am busy staging and cementing all of the plumbing into its final positions.  Trying to remain as patient as possible as all of the fittings set, and making sure to measure several times before making anything permanent.

- 1 1-1/2" Down Spot
- 2 3/4" Returns