InvaderJim's 80g shallow reef

[revhtree]

It's been nearly 2 years since your last update. How is the tank? What's new? What's happening? What's different?

Agreed would love to see it!

 

[InvaderJim]

It's been nearly 2 years since your last update. How is the tank? What's new? What's happening? What's different?

A lot of ups and downs. I had a crash I think due to a contaminant getting through my rodi and eventually wiped out the majority of my SPS. Pulled out a ton of rock to get rid of some nuisance corals. For the most part the tank just runs on auto pilot because I lost interest for a while after losing so many corals. I'm slowly getting my feet wet again with SPS as I picked up a battlebox recently. I will get some updated pictures.

 

[That Crusso Kid]

A lot of ups and downs. I had a crash I think due to a contaminant getting through my rodi and eventually wiped out the majority of my SPS. Pulled out a ton of rock to get rid of some nuisance corals. For the most part the tank just runs on auto pilot because I lost interest for a while after losing so many corals. I'm slowly getting my feet wet again with SPS as I picked up a battlebox recently. I will get some updated pictures.

Aw man, that is so sad to learn and I think many could relate to losing interest after such an event. However, I am happy to hear you did not hang it up completely and placed an order for some new SPS.

Did you happen to have an ICP test run on the water when you thought it was contaminated?

 

[That Crusso Kid]

BTW - kudos to you! Why, you may ask? For being the longest still-active member here, on R2R, that I have come across.

This causes me to wonder: Gee, I wonder if @revhtree has access to know who the longest active member is on the site?

 

[Gumbies R Us]

A lot of ups and downs. I had a crash I think due to a contaminant getting through my rodi and eventually wiped out the majority of my SPS. Pulled out a ton of rock to get rid of some nuisance corals. For the most part the tank just runs on auto pilot because I lost interest for a while after losing so many corals. I'm slowly getting my feet wet again with SPS as I picked up a battlebox recently. I will get some updated pictures.

So sorry to hear about your crash!

 

[InvaderJim]

Aw man, that is so sad to learn and I think many could relate to losing interest after such an event. However, I am happy to hear you did not hang it up completely and placed an order for some new SPS.

Did you happen to have an ICP test run on the water when you thought it was contaminated?

I ran one around that time but I think the carbon had removed any contaminants before the ICP picked them up. But I was a little negligent about rodi up keep so my TDS was 1 and I'm on well water. I don't know for sure that was it but that's the best guess I have. Corals stopped using alkalinity. Alk and phosphates shot up.

BTW - kudos to you! Why, you may ask? For being the longest still-active member here, on R2R, that I have come across.

This causes me to wonder: Gee, I wonder if @revhtree has access to know who the longest active member is on the site?

I guess I have been around a while. I always forget how long I've been on here!

 

[That Crusso Kid]

I ran one around that time but I think the carbon had removed any contaminants before the ICP picked them up. But I was a little negligent about rodi up keep so my TDS was 1 and I'm on well water. I don't know for sure that was it but that's the best guess I have. Corals stopped using alkalinity. Alk and phosphates shot up.

I guess I have been around a while. I always forget how long I've been on here!

Well water here, too. Well water is a curious thing. So many variables that can affect the water coming from a well. Even within the same week.

 

[InvaderJim]

Well water here, too. Well water is a curious thing. So many variables that can affect the water coming from a well. Even within the same week.

It really is. Part of the reason I have a water softener after my well, which happens to be before my RODI also.

 

[InvaderJim]

Here is a quick picture of how the tank looks as of today. Still chugging along

 

[That Crusso Kid]

Well water here, too. Well water is a curious thing. So many variables that can affect the water coming from a well. Even within the same week.

I have built a couple of well water systems. Well, to be clear, I did not drill the wells. I did, however, replace one of the pumps in one of the wells. It's a fun job and one has to be careful about not losing grip of the old pump, when pulling it out, or the new pump, when putting it in.

At the house we just sold, I had as follows... well pump through catalytic carbon then through a softener then through a whole-house RO system then through an 80/20 mixture of calcite/corosex. It was a good set up and worked very well. All of the tanks were 10 x 54 tanks except the calcite/corosex which was 8 x 54. Many people have asked why I ran a softener before the RO system as most do not know that softening the water extends the life of an RO membrane. Depending on initial water quality, the timeframe extension can be up to and beyond double. I was running a membrane that cost $300 per so it made a nice difference. Many people also asked why I ran the calcite/corosex tank as they are not familiar with the fact that, depending on the membrane used, the pH will drop significantly. The calcite/corosex raises the pH before entering the house.

Where I live now, there is no softener as I am running a different membrane for the RO. It's a membrane that is also much less expensive. This particular membrane does not cause much of a drop, at all, in pH either so I eliminated the calcite/corosex. I have also added a whole-home UV system just before it enters the house.