Turtle's Fairy Tale

[SashimiTurtle]

Looks like dosing/aeration is helping. Add 30ml now or wait until tonight? I think I'll wait and let the tank stabilize for a minute before bumping it again. Looks like I was right about 30ml doing about 0.5dKH.

 

[Katrina71]

I'd wait, but I'm cautious.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

I'd wait, but I'm cautious.

I'm gonna wait until tonight, test, look at corals then decide.

 

[Magellan]

I'd wait, but I'm cautious.

+1 for waiting!

 

[That Crusso Kid]

+1 for waiting!

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Sooo... we did a thing.

 

[Magellan]

Sooo... we did a thing.

Where is your LFS oh my lord

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Where is your LFS oh my lord

Got this from a guy that sells out his house... it wasnt cheap, but it's like 10+ heads. This was in his frag tank...

 

[Magellan]

Got this from a guy that sells out his house... it wasnt cheap, but it's like 10+ heads. This was in his frag tank...

Absolutely fire!! Give that beauty a prominent spot :)

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Tested alk right after lights off. 7.3dKH. Seems we've stopped coming up from pH, and maybe dipped a bit from coral growth, coraline growth or maybe just normal precipitation. Either way, we dipped 0.1dKH over 24 hours with the dosing pump at 4ml. I added another 30ml of soda ash tonight. That should bump me up to 7.8dKH, close to my goal. I'll test again tomorrow and see where we are then figure out how much to adjust the doser.

Also the moon light feature on the AP700 is cool... dim enough the fish and coals know its bed time, but just bright enough to see them sleeping. Think it does moon cycles also, but has to be manually set.

 

[Katrina71]

Tested alk right after lights off. 7.3dKH. Seems we've stopped coming up from pH, and maybe dipped a bit from coral growth, coraline growth or maybe just normal precipitation. Either way, we dipped 0.1dKH over 24 hours with the dosing pump at 4ml. I added another 30ml of soda ash tonight. That should bump me up to 7.8dKH, close to my goal. I'll test again tomorrow and see where we are then figure out how much ti adjust the doser.

Also the moon light feature on the AP700 is cool... dim enough the fish and coals know its bed time, but just bright enough to see them sleeping. Think is does moon cycles also, but has to be manually set.

Andrew has his lights programmed with the lunar cycles. Kinda cool.

 

[Magellan]

Tested alk right after lights off. 7.3dKH. Seems we've stopped coming up from pH, and maybe dipped a bit from coral growth, coraline growth or maybe just normal precipitation. Either way, we dipped 0.1dKH over 24 hours with the dosing pump at 4ml. I added another 30ml of soda ash tonight. That should bump me up to 7.8dKH, close to my goal. I'll test again tomorrow and see where we are then figure out how much to adjust the doser.

Also the moon light feature on the AP700 is cool... dim enough the fish and coals know its bed time, but just bright enough to see them sleeping. Think it does moon cycles also, but has to be manually set.

I’m at 7.0 dkh at the moment. glad I’m not the only one on the lower end lol

 

[SashimiTurtle]

I’m at 7.0 dkh at the moment. glad I’m not the only one on the lower end lol

I like to run my tank at 8. Nothing crazy that's gonna burn corals but slightly higher than NSW, which averages around 7.3. Gives me a bit of a buffer. I'm really happy from 8 to 9, as long as it's stable.

 

[Magellan]

I like to run my tank at 8. Nothing crazy that's gonna burn corals but slightly higher than NSW, which averages around 7.3. Gives me a bit of a buffer. I'm really happy from 8 to 9, as long as it's stable.

Mine has perpetually been between 6-7. I will dose, up the dose, doesn’t seem to matter unless I have JUST done a water change. It’s like the corals will just grow that much faster, consume more, and then I’ll need to dose more.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Mine has perpetually been between 6-7. I will dose, up the dose, doesn’t seem to matter unless I have JUST done a water change. It’s like the corals will just grow that much faster, consume more, and then I’ll need to dose more.

This is the way of things... larger the corals get, the more they grow. Colonies take way more 2 part than frags.

 

[Magellan]

This is the way of things... larger the corals get, the more they grow. Colonies take way more 2 part than frags.

Inconsiderate animals ;Hilarious

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Went to go see the master today. The. Master. When he speaks, I listen. Been in the hobby professionally almost as long as I've been alive.

Anyway, took him a water sample today... remember we've been having a foul smell? First word out of his mouth was mold. Well, the first word was wow. The second was mold, or a serious dead spot in the tank or sump with a lot of decay.

We figured out by me saying I had to clean some mildew up, that there was probably more between the stand and sump and possibly under the sump, and that it was getting into the water. Other than causing a foul smell and a bunch of excess nutrients, it's nothing to panic about.

Solution, increase air flow in the stand. Yep we need a circulation fan. I'll see if I can find a computer fan or something, in the meantime...

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Oh, when we got home, the Somatic skimmer was making a loud humming noise. Motor off ballance, rubbing, under strain... just didnt sound healthy. I unplugged it and plugged it back in to see if that would fix the problem. The customer service representative from another country always tells you to do that first. ;Hilarious So when I plug it back in the thing doesn't chooch. Like, it hums like it wants to. But no bubbly. Ok, pull it out check the pump. There's probably a snail or one of those emeralds got sucked up in it.

Fudge. That isnt good. The case that holds the magnet... it cracked. The pump is supposed to be a Sicce, but its bonded to the base of the skimmer. No way to replace it I dont believe. Ol' trusty Curve5 back in and chugging along like a champ. A slightly underpowered champ, but one nonetheless.

 

[Katrina71]

Dang Robin. I'm sorry!

 

[SashimiTurtle]

We couldn't go all the way there without picking up some coral. After all, he's had a piece for a while now I've been trying to get a frag of. It's the JF Midnight Dynamite Montipora hirsuta.

We also got a Forest fire digi

And we got talked into taking a green digi as well