The Hermit and Wife's Ocean

[pelphrey]

Hopefully those bugs were worked out! I'd be sure to take the lights off the tank a few times a year and take that top cover off. Clean the fan area and heat sinks, dust is bad enough. Add a little moisture and it can get back quick!

It looks awesome though, I don't think I'll ever be in a position to own two of those lights. Tank is going to be crazy a year from now!

 

[jasonamyers]

Hopefully those bugs were worked out! I'd be sure to take the lights off the tank a few times a year and take that top cover off. Clean the fan area and heat sinks, dust is bad enough. Add a little moisture and it can get back quick!

It looks awesome though, I don't think I'll ever be in a position to own two of those lights. Tank is going to be crazy a year from now!

Will do. I've been dusting it each week. Hopefully, it'll stay sound. I had the same thought looking at the recessed fan.

 

[jasonamyers]

So i had been wanting to up the refugium game a bit, so I ordered a refugium starter kit (minus the sand) and a Red starter kit from https://www.live-plants.com. The order arrived super fast, it was nicely packed, and they shipped some nice looking algae! (will it ever stop feeling weird to put algae in my aquarium...)

How it shipped:

A side view of it after I put it in, better view of the red algaes here:

A top down view, that shows more of the green: the very top/left green was my existing ball, and the big dark bundle on the left is the new stuff:

 

[pelphrey]

How are the lights working out? I really like that baffle kit!

 

[jasonamyers]

How are the lights working out? I really like that baffle kit!

The lights are going great, the corals seem like they're really enjoying it, and my measurements are very much where I hoped they be at several different levels of the tank. I'm still in the acclimation period, but so far so good!

 

[jasonamyers]

So I got all that algae in yesterday, and today I picked up a second Neptune Systems DOS and DDR combo so I can dose the four part of the Triton system. I had used the Red Sea Reef Care program in my prior tank, and I found the colors program very confusing. However, I did have good success with their Alk, Calc and Mag. I had always coupled that with the Triton ICP testing anyway. So I'm hoping the full Triton System will give me at least the same or better results. So lucky to have the Aquatic Critter near by as they now stock almost the entire line of Neptune Systems Products and the Triton supplements.

DOS and DDR with the Triton supplements:

Barely got that second DOS and DDR in the cabinet:

The other side of that madness:

 

[pelphrey]

For sur einterested to hear how this goes! So aquaric critter has all these goodies in stock?!?

 

[jasonamyers]

For sur einterested to hear how this goes! So aquaric critter has all these goodies in stock?!?

Oh yeah, you could go there at 10AM tomorrow and have the whole suite. It's wonderful

 

[pelphrey]

I'd have to leave at 8am and cross my fingers that 65 either way is somewhat pleasant! Haha really not a bad trip though! They love kessil!!

 

[jasonamyers]

I'd have to leave at 8am and cross my fingers that 65 either way is somewhat pleasant! Haha really not a bad trip though! They love kessil!!

When that happens you gotta ping me and I'll buy your lunch.

 

[pelphrey]

Sounds great!!! I bought a rather large birdsnest colony last weekend, it just came in. If I can keep it alive I'll bring gifts!

 

[jasonamyers]

Sounds great!!! I bought a rather large birdsnest colony last weekend, it just came in. If I can keep it alive I'll bring gifts!

I was stalking your photos in your post.

 

[jasonamyers]

So I'm thinking about getting Elite Aquatics to build me a new sump. I want the water to come down the drains into refugium, then flow through a baffle to a skimmer area. Then through a bubble trap into a return area. I've always felt like I have so much wasted space in my current sump with the way it comes down into that holding area prior to the filter socks, which BTW is covered in pineapple sponges :P This would give me a better version of my Reef Dreams baffle setup, and that's not a reflection on how good that baffle is because it's be great. I was thinking something like....
Top Down view

Side view of the rear side:

 

[jasonamyers]

Switched out all the tubing on the old DOS unit and tubed up the new one. Got all the triton system put in and dosed 1.2ml since I got it all setup yesterday. So, now we wait...

 

[pelphrey]

Nice!!! Did you hear back on that sump, I thought I saw a post on a GEO sump made for reefers?

 

[jasonamyers]

Nice!!! Did you hear back on that sump, I thought I saw a post on a GEO sump made for reefers?

No nothing yet on either front.

 

[jasonamyers]

Results from the first Triton ICP Test are in:

So it looks like 6 15% water changes over the next 6 weeks to deal with the high Aluminum, Calcium, Strontium, Molybdenum, and Barium. I'm not sure where the Aluminum came from, but it's a newish tank, and it would easy for it to come in from all the new sources. As for the others, I started the tank with red sea coral pro salt like a fool. So I've got some Tropic Marin Pro salt coming to do the water changes. Time to get to work!

 

[pelphrey]

I started my tank with Reef Crystals and switched over to RSCP. It is working for me right now, but I've already started my search for a "Better for me" salt. Tropic Marin Pro and the AquaForest salt are on top of the list.

How often do you plan to do these ICP tests?

 

[jasonamyers]

I did them every three months on my last tank even though it was the Red Sea system, and I expect to continue with that on this one. I'm a software/data engineer for a living, so I can't help myself. I just love the extra data.

 

[jasonamyers]

Here is my attempt at doing a video talking about what I got going on...