★★★ Project " GENESIS (II) 2020 " ★ [ Re-Engineered / REBOOT ] ★ SPS 110G ★★★

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WallyB

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Now that is some serious scrubbing!
And for reference, that 100 grams of (WET) Algae was a WEEKLY HARVEST!!
It peaked at 127 Grams per week.

I think my Tank's Rocks were leaching out nutrients/Phosphates, thus the spurred activity.
Then it slowed down, and eventually my scrubber STOPPED!!

That's the beauty of a Algae Scrubber, it self regulates based on water column load.
On the downside....Algae needs more than Nitrates/Phosphate to build up that Mass.
I assume it was also stripping macro/micro elements.
At the time I wasn't doing daily water changes, so I got worried about the needed elements (stripping)

Thus why I like using my ATS for Macro Algae (Cheato).

And here is Proof I think it was some Kind of Macro Algae.
A thicker than Hair Algae. Jello like consistancy. HERE IS A CLOSEUP ON THE SCREEN

2020-03-04_MacroAlgaeOnScreen.jpg


2020-03-04_MacroAlgae3.jpg


Another Closeup of the Macro that grew onto a stick in the Scrubber.
2020-03-04_MacroAlgae2.jpg
 
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ScottR

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And for reference, that 100 grams of (WET) Algae was a WEEKLY HARVEST!!
It peaked at 127 Grams per week.

I think my Tank's Rocks were leaching out nutrients/Phosphates, thus the spurred activity.
Then it slowed down, and eventually my scrubber STOPPED!!

That's the beauty of a Algae Scrubber, it self regulates based on water column load.
On the downside....Algae needs more than Nitrates/Phosphate to build up that Mass.
I assume it was also stripping macro/micro elements.
At the time I wasn't doing daily water changes, so I got worried about the needed elements (stripping)

Thus why I like using my ATS for Macro Algae (Cheato).

And here is Proof I think it was some Kind of Macro Algae.
A thicker than Hair Algae. Jello like consistancy. HERE IS A CLOSEUP ON THE SCREEN

2020-03-04_MacroAlgaeOnScreen.jpg


2020-03-04_MacroAlgae3.jpg


Another Closeup of the Macro that grew onto a stick in the Scrubber.
2020-03-04_MacroAlgae2.jpg
I know I’m going to sound weird but that looks delicious. Reminds me of Japanese wakame. Not sure of the English or Latin name. But there’s only one way to find out if it’s wakame.... eat it!
 
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I know I’m going to sound weird but that looks delicious. Reminds me of Japanese wakame. Not sure of the English or Latin name. But there’s only one way to find out if it’s wakame.... eat it!
@ScottR , you are not weird at all.

CNN Money say's Algae is the FOOD OF THE FUTURE
https://money.cnn.com/2018/06/01/technology/algae-food/index.html

Sea Weed Cultivators are starting to become popular. (Here is One from Santa Monica, ATS or Cultivator)
https://www.santa-monica.cc/SURF8-o...r-surfaces--8-cubes-feeding-per-day_p_64.html

Before I built my own ATS, I wanted to prove it would work.
I got the inexpensive Santa Monitor Drop Box 0.6.

I improved the Drop Box by adding an Extra LED.

It worked. But Hair Algae (Hard to Clean). Didn't look as tasty :(

2020-03-04_AlgaeDropBox.jpg
 

ScottR

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@ScottR , you are not weird at all.

CNN Money say's Algae is the FOOD OF THE FUTURE
https://money.cnn.com/2018/06/01/technology/algae-food/index.html

Sea Weed Cultivators are starting to become popular. (Here is One from Santa Monica, ATS or Cultivator)
https://www.santa-monica.cc/SURF8-o...r-surfaces--8-cubes-feeding-per-day_p_64.html

Before I built my own ATS, I wanted to prove it would work.
I got the inexpensive Santa Monitor Drop Box 0.6.

I improved the Drop Box by adding an Extra LED.

It worked. But Hair Algae (Hard to Clean). Didn't look as tasty :(

2020-03-04_AlgaeDropBox.jpg
Seaweed is a delicacy here in Asia. I’ve eaten so many types. Even red macro. So don’t count hair algae out. Never know. And only one way to find out. ;)
 
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CRAZY NIGHT ( BAD Salifert Kit ) Hanna / AquaMon reliability Restored!!

2017 Salinity Reference Solution ( Worth the Effort)


Things have ended well, but it was an bit of Adventure, since so many new frags on the line.

Maybe too much detail....But it's a good story.....




What Happened it my Salifert Kit for Alk Testing was down to last few drops.
I got a New Salifert Kit since I quite didn't Trust the Aquamon Alk Monitor Yet.

Last few days, the tests between AquaMon and Salifert were off.
I suspected the Alk Monitor needed fine tuning/Calibration.

For my TWO PART Dosing Adjustment I trusted the Salifert.

I knew something was wrong since I tested other Tanks. Things couldn't be off everywhere.

I didn't know which to Trust.... OLD test kit? or (1) the NEW SALIFERT, or the (2) Hanna running in the Alk Monitor, or even less the (3) AquaMon running the Hanna.


So I decided to Make a BEST I COULD (ALK) reference Solution.

I had this to go on....

2020-03-05_RedSeaSaltAlkValues.jpg


If the Red Sea Salt was up to Spec......I could get the 3 Alk Values by making a batch of Salt water.
I could get 3 ALK values if I got proper Salinty ( ALK=7 , 7.5 and 8)

I was in luck since I actually made up a large Batch of PERFECT Salinity Reference Solution back in 2017.

All part of COMPARISONS all the METHOD for Specific Gravity (Salinity)


2017-09-30_SalinityBakeOff.jpg

That Experiment Concluded all methods are good if you Calibrate the devices.

But nothing is as accurate (no calibration needed) as the Tropic Marin Hydrometer. (a borrowed one)

I used the Tropic Marin (PERCISION) Hydrometer to make the 1.0250 Solution.

Like this...
2020-03-05_10250-ReferencSolution.jpg

That calibration solution was dead on. Perfect 25 degree C Temp, and Salnity/SG down to 0.001 accuracy.
I compared it to Commercial calibration solutions (which were close but not as good)


And TONIGHT using that TRUSTED reference Solution (using calibrated Refractometer, and Pinpoint Salinity Probe)

I made of 3 small batch of Red Sea Salt Water.
(I did this by making the 35 ppt first, and then diluting with water downward to 33ppt, and 30ppt)
ALL To Accurately test the 3 Difference Alk values.

2020-03-05_AlkSamples.jpg


And then I compared the Salifert with the Hanna / AquaMon

And guess what? First the RED SEA salt was up to SPEC (since things lined up)

2020-03-05_HannaVsSalifert.jpg


The NEW Salifert TEST kit was BAD. Maybe Contaminated at store.

THE HANNA was DEAD ON. (and so was AquaMon)


........and since I trusted the Salifert Test, my SPS tank was getting below my Target 7.5, not like the Salifert was telling me (ALK just around 8.1)

So I just gave it a Small Two Part Boost, to get to a Safer Alkalinity.

I will go back to Store about that Test kit, and I'm trusting the Hanna from now on.

Plus I NOW have 3 **NEW** Reference solutions (ALK=7.0, 7.5 and 8.0) for future "sanity" CHECKs!!
 
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CRAZY NIGHT ( BAD Salifert Kit ) Hanna / AquaMon reliability Restored!!

2017 Salinity Reference Solution ( Worth the Effort)


Things have ended well, but it was an bit of Adventure, since so many new frags on the line.

Maybe too much detail....But it's a good story.....




What Happened it my Salifert Kit for Alk Testing was down to last few drops.
I got a New Salifert Kit since I quite didn't Trust the Aquamon Alk Monitor Yet.

Last few days, the tests between AquaMon and Salifert were off.
I suspected the Alk Monitor needed fine tuning/Calibration.

For my TWO PART Dosing Adjustment I trusted the Salifert.

I knew something was wrong since I tested other Tanks. Things couldn't be off everywhere.

I didn't know which to Trust.... OLD test kit? or (1) the NEW SALIFERT, or the (2) Hanna running in the Alk Monitor, or even less the (3) AquaMon running the Hanna.


So I decided to Make a BEST I COULD (ALK) reference Solution.

I had this to go on....

2020-03-05_RedSeaSaltAlkValues.jpg


If the Red Sea Salt was up to Spec......I could get the 3 Alk Values by making a batch of Salt water.
I could get 3 ALK values if I got proper Salinty ( ALK=7 , 7.5 and 8)

I was in luck since I actually made up a large Batch of PERFECT Salinity Reference Solution back in 2017.

All part of COMPARISONS all the METHOD for Specific Gravity (Salinity)


2017-09-30_SalinityBakeOff.jpg

That Experiment Concluded all methods are good if you Calibrate the devices.

But nothing is as accurate (no calibration needed) as the Tropic Marin Hydrometer. (a borrowed one)

I used the Tropic Marin (PERCISION) Hydrometer to make the 1.0250 Solution.

Like this...
2020-03-05_10250-ReferencSolution.jpg

That calibration solution was dead on. Perfect 25 degree C Temp, and down to 0.001 accuracy.
I compared it to Commercial calibration solutions (which were not at good)


And TONIGHT using that TRUSTED reference Solution (using calibrated Refractometer, and Pinpoint Salinity Probe)

I made of 3 small batch of Red Sea Salt Water.
(I did this by making the 35 ppt first, and then diluting with water downward to 33ppt, and 30ppt)
ALL To Accurately test the 3 Difference Alk values.

2020-03-05_AlkSamples.jpg


And then I compared the Salifert with the Hanna / AquaMon

And guess what? First the RED SEA salt was up to SPEC (since things lined up)

2020-03-05_HannaVsSalifert.jpg


The NEW Salifert TEST kit was BAD. Maybe Contaminated at store.

THE HANNA was DEAD ON. (and so was AquaMon)


........and since I trusted the Salifert Test, my SPS tank was getting below my Target 7.5, not like the Salifert was telling me (ALK just around 8.1)

So I just gave it a Small Two Part Boost, to get to a Safer Alkalinity.

I will go back to Store about that Test kit, and I'm trusting the Hanna from now on.

Plus I have 3 new Reference solutions (ALK=7.0, 7.5 and 8.0) for future CHECKs!!

Very interesting that the new Salifert kit was bad. Really causes one to wonder how it became bad or if it came bad from the factory. Also causes one to wonder, if it became contaminated at the LFS, how it happened. Definitely worth contacting the LFS, at least.
 
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Very interesting that the new Salifert kit was bad. Really causes one to wonder how it became bad or if it came bad from the factory. Also causes one to wonder, if it became contaminated at the LFS, how it happened. Definitely worth contacting the LFS, at least.
You know in hindsight I now remember when I opened the kit....the clear bottle didn't look quite full. (Now it makes sense!!!)...I don't remember if the dropper bottle ring was sealed.

The kit was not expired. Newer date than my old almost empty kit.

What also threw a twist on me was that both the hanna and the bad Salifert kit were giving me consistent test results. Same with my old kit. But no Two of the three matched up.

The problem with the salifer kits is it's not sealed. The dropper is but not the other bottle.
 
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CRAZY NIGHT ( BAD Salifert Kit ) Hanna / AquaMon reliability Restored!!

2017 Salinity Reference Solution ( Worth the Effort)


Things have ended well, but it was an bit of Adventure, since so many new frags on the line.

Maybe too much detail....But it's a good story.....




What Happened it my Salifert Kit for Alk Testing was down to last few drops.
I got a New Salifert Kit since I quite didn't Trust the Aquamon Alk Monitor Yet.

Last few days, the tests between AquaMon and Salifert were off.
I suspected the Alk Monitor needed fine tuning/Calibration.

For my TWO PART Dosing Adjustment I trusted the Salifert.

I knew something was wrong since I tested other Tanks. Things couldn't be off everywhere.

I didn't know which to Trust.... OLD test kit? or (1) the NEW SALIFERT, or the (2) Hanna running in the Alk Monitor, or even less the (3) AquaMon running the Hanna.


So I decided to Make a BEST I COULD (ALK) reference Solution.

I had this to go on....

2020-03-05_RedSeaSaltAlkValues.jpg


If the Red Sea Salt was up to Spec......I could get the 3 Alk Values by making a batch of Salt water.
I could get 3 ALK values if I got proper Salinty ( ALK=7 , 7.5 and 8)

I was in luck since I actually made up a large Batch of PERFECT Salinity Reference Solution back in 2017.

All part of COMPARISONS all the METHOD for Specific Gravity (Salinity)


2017-09-30_SalinityBakeOff.jpg

That Experiment Concluded all methods are good if you Calibrate the devices.

But nothing is as accurate (no calibration needed) as the Tropic Marin Hydrometer. (a borrowed one)

I used the Tropic Marin (PERCISION) Hydrometer to make the 1.0250 Solution.

Like this...
2020-03-05_10250-ReferencSolution.jpg

That calibration solution was dead on. Perfect 25 degree C Temp, and down to 0.001 accuracy.
I compared it to Commercial calibration solutions (which were not at good)


And TONIGHT using that TRUSTED reference Solution (using calibrated Refractometer, and Pinpoint Salinity Probe)

I made of 3 small batch of Red Sea Salt Water.
(I did this by making the 35 ppt first, and then diluting with water downward to 33ppt, and 30ppt)
ALL To Accurately test the 3 Difference Alk values.

2020-03-05_AlkSamples.jpg


And then I compared the Salifert with the Hanna / AquaMon

And guess what? First the RED SEA salt was up to SPEC (since things lined up)

2020-03-05_HannaVsSalifert.jpg


The NEW Salifert TEST kit was BAD. Maybe Contaminated at store.

THE HANNA was DEAD ON. (and so was AquaMon)


........and since I trusted the Salifert Test, my SPS tank was getting below my Target 7.5, not like the Salifert was telling me (ALK just around 8.1)

So I just gave it a Small Two Part Boost, to get to a Safer Alkalinity.

I will go back to Store about that Test kit, and I'm trusting the Hanna from now on.

Plus I NOW have 3 **NEW** Reference solutions (ALK=7.0, 7.5 and 8.0) for future "sanity" CHECKs!!
Interesting. I also have that China Cheap-O ;)
 
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Interesting. I also have that China Cheap-O ;)
Haha. What isn't made in China.
But this one I ordered from Aliexpress. You get what you pay for. It was cheap $. I wanted a spare.
When it arrived I found out it was all plastic. Even the lense (everything). Light as a feather.
If you shook it it would get a different result.
I tried to calibrate it. It would be good. Then the slightest tap and result would be off.
So it came from China just like the good quality ones do. But this one cost cheap, and cheap quality.
 

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Haha. What isn't made in China.
But this one I ordered from Aliexpress. You get what you pay for. It was cheap $. I wanted a spare.
When it arrived I found out it was all plastic. Even the lense (everything). Light as a feather.
If you shook it it would get a different result.
I tried to calibrate it. It would be good. Then the slightest tap and result would be off.
So it came from China just like the good quality ones do. But this one cost cheap, and cheap quality.
I basically live in China and I bought two of these branded as ATI. Both had different weights. Both worked and gave me exactly the same readings. But when my son was young, he turned it into a drumstick and it was toast. FWIW, both did work well.
 

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Just found this thread! Excited to follow along!
 
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Daily Anxiety ( First Peek at Tank for Casualties ) All Good / Healing FRAG Reference

Every day I visit the SPS tank, my first Look is expecting some damage ( Shell Shock from Past ).

And every day, I'm surprised that all is doing well. (That NEW PerlBerry Frag Always gives me a scare, since it's naturally white/bright)

So I'm starting to Look at the OLDER Damaged Frags, and they are Healing (which proves things are doing well at this point)

2020-03-07_HealingFragReference.jpg


I can compare in the future to see how well the recovery is.
 
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If you haven't heard already.

Feb Photo Of the Month Voting has started.

Plenty of Really Nice TANK ROOMS to see and vote for, including my Office Tank Photo #13
You can vote for more than one.
 
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Voted Wally ;)
Thanks. I will say that Photo #17 is a really nice overall photo (with that Beautiful Tank).

However this month it's not about the Tank Photo, it's about the Room Setup for a Tank.
There are a few that Qualify into the Top 5 or Top 3 for me. (Besides mine)


However if Room Photos are not your thing......

I try not to Post Content about my Kitchen LPS Tank (on this thread)....
But then with SPS Stability, SLOW Growth Wait, it will get boring here.


So I noticed this today.

My BITA Split a while ago, and both pieces wandered off all over the tank (Each their own way)

Today they came back (both) to the Exact Same Spot they Split.

A BITA SPLIT "RE-UNION"

2020-03-09_BITA-ReUnion.jpg


I know why they came back to this Spot. The Flow is perfect to catch food, and lighting is pretty good too.

One has more bubbly.... bubble tips, and the other NOT. When Whole it lost it's bubbles.
 
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AquaMon Alk Monitor ( Goes Live on all 3 TANKS ) Future will be SAFER!!

After running manually for a week, on my SPS tank, and the Frag Tank, I've built up more Trust in the AquaMon.

I've been comparing to Salifert tests (new kit), and things are consistant. (Hanna driven Aquamon is about 0.5 dkH lower. ALWAYS)

To triple check, I got a 2nd Hanna Alk Tester, just to make sure AquaMon robotics/calibration, etc is correct.
The extra Hanna Alk tester will come in handy down the road, should things need calibration.

AquaMon and My Manual Hanna testing are DEAD on (Same result).

This is ALL 3 Tank (separate Graphs) and the ( Side by Side Graph)

2020-03-10_AquaMon-LIVE-3Tanks.jpg


The little wiggle in the SPS Tank, is I'm trying to get Dosing Right with the Improved Stability/and I guess SPS growth.

The Bigger wiggle in the Frag Tank results is I started Manual Dosing to keep it stable (Till I make a doser).

The single value on the Kitchen LPS tank is I just started Testing Today.
But COOL PART is AquaMon get a accurate test result, with Tubing running to Sump 15 feet away.

I'll be playing with Scheduling the the next while depending on how things go.

1) SPS Tank: ( AUTO: Daily or Every Other Day) since Lighting is Ramping up and Frags might start consuming A/B dosing.
2) Frag Tank: ( MANUAL Started TESTS: ) since no Frags *YET*
....I'll just be watching Alk Drop and use it for further testing.
3) LPS/Mixed Tank: ( AUTO Monthly like I always have or Weekly) since it's an established/Stable Tank (and that's all I need)
 
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Have you tried to recreate the Hannah reagent?
Not yet. This is as far as I got.

Not sure if I ever will.
For $14 a bottle/25 Hanna tests, it may not be worth it since I will eventually be testing Monthly, worst case weekly.
Plus the complexity for accuracy and shelf life, etc.
 

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Not yet. This is as far as I got.

Not sure if I ever will.
For $14 a bottle/25 Hanna tests, it may not be worth it since I will eventually be testing Monthly, worst case weekly.
Plus the complexity for accuracy and shelf life, etc.
I know for the khg the reagent is way cheaper to make like 7 cents a test
And then if anything ever happened to Hannah u would still be able to use it.
I also think u should test at least daily on ur sps tank
 
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I know for the khg the reagent is way cheaper to make like 7 cents a test
And then if anything ever happened to Hannah u would still be able to use it.
I also think u should test at least daily on ur sps tank
Oh, for sure. Right now the SPS Tank is 100% Daily.

Too much at risk with new Frags and they need Extra Stability as they Encrust.
And I'm watching closely. Few more days, and LEDS reach Acclimation PEAK.

Everything Old is Healing and nothing new is getting worse.
This always happened in past, and then I get distracted, and I find out Alk has plummeted (Ruining all the progress)
 
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