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BamaCoastPyrat

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For how long? Is your tank still alive? I hope it is.
I'll be back for good in November. The last report was that all of the fish and inverts are still alive. The corals, which were only GSP, zoas, and a mushroom all had disappeared but now some of the zoas are coming back. The chaeto Anna got from you I think died. I don't know if it was getting the water flow it needed where it was.
 
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I'll be back for good in November. The last report was that all of the fish and inverts are still alive. The corals, which were only GSP, zoas, and a mushroom all had disappeared but now some of the zoas are coming back. The chaeto Anna got from you I think died. I don't know if it was getting the water flow it needed where it was.

Likely just a complete lack of nutrients. You would be surprised how much algae eats in iron, nitrates and phosphates. I have zeroed my water out before, actually many times. My last ICP test showed no phosphates, no iron. We are now daily dosage nitrates, trace elements, etc.

When you get back come by, I am sure I will just have a few corals to hand out <sarcasm />
 

BamaCoastPyrat

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Likely just a complete lack of nutrients. You would be surprised how much algae eats in iron, nitrates and phosphates. I have zeroed my water out before, actually many times. My last ICP test showed no phosphates, no iron. We are now daily dosage nitrates, trace elements, etc.

When you get back come by, I am sure I will just have a few corals to hand out <sarcasm />
I am hoping it is bottomed out nutrients and not the other way around. I would much rather loose some free and cheap corals to low nutrients than have my fish poisoned to death with high nitrates.
 
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I am hoping it is bottomed out nutrients and not the other way around. I would much rather loose some free and cheap corals to low nutrients than have my fish poisoned to death with high nitrates.

It can take a while to recover from low nutrients, I am having to do it now. Some corals bounce back fairly fast but others struggle and only slowly come back around. The weather will be cooling off by the time you get back, you need to come by and hang out for a bit. You have not seen the new tank, I still had the redsea when you were here.
 

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It can take a while to recover from low nutrients, I am having to do it now. Some corals bounce back fairly fast but others struggle and only slowly come back around. The weather will be cooling off by the time you get back, you need to come by and hang out for a bit. You have not seen the new tank, I still had the redsea when you were here.
I am sure it can take a while. I imagine it will take me 6 months to a year to get the tank back to the balance it was at. On another note, it looks like my foxface is going to have outgrown my tank by the time I get back. So it will either be time to upgrade or rehome the foxface. I would like to find a large used tank.
 
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I am sure it can take a while. I imagine it will take me 6 months to a year to get the tank back to the balance it was at. On another note, it looks like my foxface is going to have outgrown my tank by the time I get back. So it will either be time to upgrade or rehome the foxface. I would like to find a large used tank.

I cannot see it hard to find a used tank. The issue is finding a used tank at a decent price. People seem to have an illusion to what their old gear is worth. This hobby is like any other hobby and your gear depreciates really fast.
 
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Speaking of the weather, my new central AC for my bottom floor is just not cutting it. During these 100+ days I had to add a portable AC unit just to keep the house cool downstairs. I am not sure but I think the unit is around 3 tons but I guess I will approach this next spring when it will be easy to have the air off for a day while someone changes it out.
 

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I think re-blowing my attic with insulation last fall has really helped me out this summer. My AC runs a lot, but i hear things from other folks that makes me think not as much. Guess when the power bill gets here i can compare, lol.
 
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I think re-blowing my attic with insulation last fall has really helped me out this summer. My AC runs a lot, but i hear things from other folks that makes me think not as much. Guess when the power bill gets here i can compare, lol.

Did you do it yourself? I was thinking of doing mine in fall this year or spring 2023. I am trying to slowly air seal it right now in the spots I can get to.
 

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Yes. You can buy the bagged cellulose at Lowes and they'll let you borrow the machine you need. One person in the attic, one person breaking up the blocks and feeding the machine. Easy to do but messy. Fortunately no itch since there is no fiberglass involved. You just have to worry about not blowing all the way to the edge and blocking the soffet vents, and not falling through your ceiling.
 
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Yes. You can buy the bagged cellulose at Lowes and they'll let you borrow the machine you need. One person in the attic, one person breaking up the blocks and feeding the machine. Easy to do but messy. Fortunately no itch since there is no fiberglass involved. You just have to worry about not blowing all the way to the edge and blocking the soffet vents, and not falling through your ceiling.

I am pretty sure mine has blown fiberglass, it is white but still itchy and makes you cough like hell. My one concern is the soffet and how to not get insulation all the way over there. I can walk or crawl through the majority of my attic and I could reasonably place some vertical sections of foam board to block the soffet but that is a lot of work. I am not even sure mine really needs extra insulation because it is at least over the floor joist in most spots but if it was a lot higher I guess that would just increase the R rating. For sure I am going to call some people early spring and spec me out a new AC unit because 3 tons is just not cutting it for the bottom floor.

On the insulation how much did it cost you and how many square feet?
 

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Yes. You can buy the bagged cellulose at Lowes and they'll let you borrow the machine you need. One person in the attic, one person breaking up the blocks and feeding the machine. Easy to do but messy. Fortunately no itch since there is no fiberglass involved. You just have to worry about not blowing all the way to the edge and blocking the soffet vents, and not falling through your ceiling.
This is definitely on my to-do list.

Regarding the AC running all the time - The general consensus at work is that's normal this time of year. I thought mine was just struggling to keep up, but my co-workers report the same thing.
 
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This is definitely on my to-do list.

Regarding the AC running all the time - The general consensus at work is that's normal this time of year. I thought mine was just struggling to keep up, but my co-workers report the same thing.

Yeah but mine literally ran 22 hours two Saturday's ago and around 2pm it was only down to 78 degrees. That just cannot be normal.
 
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After we air seal as much as we can I am going to replace all the door seals. The next step is to install solar screens on as many windows as I can without my HOA freaking out. The last step is to add insulation to the attic. I may try one more summer before I replace the AC, not sure.
 

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I am pretty sure mine has blown fiberglass, it is white but still itchy and makes you cough like hell. My one concern is the soffet and how to not get insulation all the way over there. I can walk or crawl through the majority of my attic and I could reasonably place some vertical sections of foam board to block the soffet but that is a lot of work. I am not even sure mine really needs extra insulation because it is at least over the floor joist in most spots but if it was a lot higher I guess that would just increase the R rating. For sure I am going to call some people early spring and spec me out a new AC unit because 3 tons is just not cutting it for the bottom floor.

On the insulation how much did it cost you and how many square feet?
Unsure what it cost. I think the bag has changed, but pretty sure this is the same stuff. It says 20 bags to get the machine free for the day. I only did half my attic, so roughly 1100 sqft. https://www.lowes.com/pd/US-Greenfi...-Blown-In-Insulation-Sound-Barrier/5001939515 You don't have to be that careful with the soffit, you just don't blow it all the way to the edge of the attic. In mine, you can clearly see where the soffit starts.
 
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Unsure what it cost. I think the bag has changed, but pretty sure this is the same stuff. It says 20 bags to get the machine free for the day. I only did half my attic, so roughly 1100 sqft. https://www.lowes.com/pd/US-Greenfi...-Blown-In-Insulation-Sound-Barrier/5001939515 You don't have to be that careful with the soffit, you just don't blow it all the way to the edge of the attic. In mine, you can clearly see where the soffit starts.

I swear I did not see anything that cheap when I was in there today. Most of the bags were like 40-80 dollars. I like the idea of putting cellulose on top of what I already have, I think I am sold.
 
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Hey guys, how's everything been going? I just got out of the hospital, I was admitted with pancreatitis :loudly-crying-face:, but the tank survived. I do have a couple of recessed heads on a torch (for reasons unknown), but other than that it, everything's great.

My project for this weekend is making some dosing containers out of glass 800ml Voss water bottles. They're turning out pretty nice for the price - $4 per bottle, $4 for a 1/4" bulkhead.
IMG_1482.jpeg
What size and type of drill bit did you use?
 

Set it and forget it: Do you change your aquascape as your corals grow?

  • I regularly change something in my aquascape.

    Votes: 14 9.3%
  • I occasionally change something in my aquascape.

    Votes: 43 28.5%
  • I rarely change something in my aquascape.

    Votes: 72 47.7%
  • I never change something in my aquascape.

    Votes: 19 12.6%
  • Other.

    Votes: 3 2.0%
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