Mr. Fosi's drilled 20H

[Needreefunds]

Hey that's great Fosi!

 

NICE JOB BLUE!!!

Very cool of you to hook up Mr. Fosi like that!

 

Looking forward to seeing pics of the new additions.

 

Congrats and best of luck with the new toys Fosi!

[bluebastion]

Glad to see you liking the skimmer...

 

Keep me updated on the skimmate output too..

 

Also I'd like to see some pics of your other goodies

[AdriftQuasar]

Man I wish I had awesome reefing friends nearby....

 

 

Anyone from the Saint Louis area?

 

I'm looking forward to seeing what else he gave you.

[Mr. Fosi]

Here's the other part of the update.

 

Here are a couple shots of the massive Rose Millepora that he pulled out of a double bag. First shot is straight on and the second is from the right. I don't think my camera will let me adjust the white balance so I am at the mercy of the "auto" setting. The second shot renders the color much better.

 

 

 

 

This is the smaller frag of the same. Somewhat browner and still no polyp extension but it's only been in for 28 hours or so.

 

 

 

 

The Idaho Grape monti. This is where the white balance really fails. The flesh is purple and the polyps are bright blue.

 

 

 

 

And a shot of 28 hrs worth of skimmate. I'm leaving it wet for the moment but I think it's a good idea to do so. This should allow me to remove the max amount of gunk in the shortest period of time.

 

 

 

 

Also blue, you'll be happy to know that the microbubbles are completely gone from the display. I'm using the chaeto to bend the output hose around.

 

Good polyp extension on the large frag (colony) and on the tiny bit that broke off. Cabbage leathers are both extending nicely, etc...

 

I also checked Reef Cleaners and SeaLife Inc. regarding cleanup crew livestock. Net result is that SeaLife Inc. has a larger selection of both crabs and snails and they'll do Priority shipping. Not sure if that's a good idea but I'll send Ken an email and ask about it. Might be a good reason to order that couple lbs of LR that I wanted to add to the tank as well. Maybe they'll combine shipping to save some $$.

 

If so, I'll probably order 3-4 lbs of their Premium Cultured LR and cure it in bare bottom tank with one of the 130W PCs. I'd like to go for a couple neat macros or invert hitchhikers. I won't know much until the middle of the week but it's a neat thing to think about.

 

Right now, I gotta jet. Remember that the topoff reservoir was at 2.5g yesterday? It's well below 1.5g right now. I'm gonna fill it up with DI + that kalk in the 3L.

[Matty1124]

is that a metal hose clamp in there?? i used one to attach some hoses and it rusted like a mo'fo!! and is that skimmer drain hose going back into the tank? or is that just an optical illusion?

 

that rose milli isnt a frag, its more like a mini colony! everything looks like it moving at warp speed.. keep it comming

[Mr. Fosi]

is that a metal hose clamp in there??

 

Yeah. Best I can do over the weekend. I have a plastic clamp at the lab that I'd like to swap in. Not sure if it is going to fit, but I'll have that metal clamp out before long.

 

... is that skimmer drain hose going back into the tank? or is that just an optical illusion?

 

You can't see the output hose from that angle. What you are seeing (I think) is the sump return line.

 

that rose milli isnt a frag, its more like a mini colony!

 

That's what I said! He was just supposed to bring a small frag and he showed up with that freshly clipped mini colony. I was like, "Isn't that a little big?" and he says, "Yeah... It was an accident; I didn't mean to cut that much off." Still not sure I believe him but Mrs. blue backed him up.

[dan06277]

Progressing nicely and tagging along Mr. F.

[divecj5]

Awesome new additions....welcome to the real addiction now I used to be a fanatic about zoas/LPS and now that I have about 5-8 SPS frags, they are just so cool to watch grow. They just remind me more of ocean reefs.

 

Hope you had a great 4th....obviously you did with the corals and skimmer

[Mr. Fosi]

Thanks for the kind words guys.

 

I just hope that bluebastion's generosity doesn't serve simply to make my failure more spectacular. The big "frag" looks a little bleached this morning compared to the small brown frag. I guess we'll see how it looks when the lights come on.

 

I also dialed the skimmer back a bit to get a drier skimmate and it is producing a nice foam.

 

No pics yet, sorry. I have to get ready for church.

[baugherb]

Your tank is amazing..... Awesome job....

[bluebastion]

The big "frag" looks a little bleached this morning compared to the small brown frag. I guess we'll see how it looks when the lights come on.

 

I also dialed the skimmer back a bit to get a drier skimmate and it is producing a nice foam.

 

 

Fosi, IME w/ SPS, no matter the discoloration (brown or bleached), if you have decent-to-great polyp extension on a new frag, you have a very good chance of survival in your tank. Just keep watching for that polyp extension.

 

As a side note, ideally I should have mounted that piece and allowed it to grow out, but as most of you know my tank has no room for grow out now Also my fragubator (frag tank) is still a proven frag killer (except for monti's).

 

It's great to hear that your skimmer is pulling good foam now! Look forward to hearing more updates, and hoping both your Idaho Grape (which seems to be doing extremely well) and your rose mille's pull through.

[captianshellnutt]

What color is your background? I can't tell. I am getting ready to paint my background, and am trying to decide between blue and black, and what is the best technique. Do I just wrap the bottom and two sides and then use light layers of Krylon? What do you think?

[airman_verde04]

hey Mr.Fosi, nice lab!! I just saw some of those pictures of your lab.. what do you do in Cola? are you a teacher or something? maybe next time my wife and I head up there we can meet up.. we should be going up that way in about 2-3 weekends from now. got to give the In-laws there GPS back from our DC trip this passed weekend.

[Mr. Fosi]

Before I get to the personalized responses, I'd like to get this out there: The NSW that I have tested up at a pH of less tha 8.0. Using the API "high range" pH test it came back at 7.4 or lower and using the mid-range kit, it came back as 7.6 or higher. Either way, it tested up way lower than it should be. I dropped a crappy air diffuser and a powerhead in it for a couple hours but it didn't really budge the pH.

 

Tonight I will put a limewood air diffuser + a power head in it and let it go overnight. I'm planning to test it at the source today if I can. I don't think we have a calibrated pH probe here in the lab but I am sure I will be able to find something.

 

My guess is that, because it is NSW and because it is only sand filtered, there is still sufficient bacteria (read: heterotrophic activity) in the water to drag the pH down when it is stored for any length of time. I can think of a couple ways to test this hypothesis but none that aren't somewhat expensive. In any case, it is clear that something needs to be done before the water is used for a waterchange.

 

Blue: I am not seeing much in the way of polyp extension on either frag and the smaller brown one is starting to bleach or recede. There is something about the tank that they don't like but I'm not sure what it is. The big one extended quite well through the second day but I didn't see much of anything yesterday or this morning. The monti still looks great though.

 

Airman: I'm a PhD student in the Dept. of Biological Sciences. I do teach but I am not sure that I can rightly be called a teacher. I'm around all the time but I don't have much to trade at the moment.

 

Captain: I used the bright blue that Krylon Fusion comes in. Others have used a more teal color and that can also look quite nice. Here is the text of a series of PMs that I exchanged with airangel when she was constructing her pico. I have thought about turning it into an article but it seems like it would only be worthy of that if it came with pics... For what it's worth, see below.

 

---BEGIN---

 

I used Fusion but you can use any spray or roll-on paint you want. I stick with Fusion because if you let it cure the proper length of time (up to 7 days), it is very chip resistant. Because I have had HOB equipment that I need to slide around, this is a valuable feature. If you don't mess around behind your tank or you aren't worried about scratching it, you could use the $0.96 cheap spray paint they sell at Walmart.

 

It really doesn't matter much whether you go with a gloss, flat or satin finish. You will only be seeing the paint through the back glass and as such, it'll be somewhat glossy regardless of what the paint can says.

 

No matter what you go with, you'll want to do it in an area with good fresh air flow. Especially the fusion because of the solvents it uses.

 

You'll need:

- Tape to mask with. Masking tape (blue or white, doesn't matter) is the best choice because it comes right back off when you are done with it.

- Newspaper, cardbaord or some other material that will keep paint off your other panes (and out of the inside!).

- Paint.

- Gloves, if you don't want to get the paint on your hands.

 

Here's a quick list of what I did in the order I did it:

- Cut any holes

- Mask holes from the inside (just tape)

- Mask off all sides except the painted side, taking care to have any paper overlaps open away from the direction I will be spraying from.

- Spray thin coats 30 sec to 2 min apart until the coverage looks uniform in the light passing through the pane.

- Remove masking immediately after you finish the painting.

- Move tank to a safe place with good ventilation and allow paint to cure for proper length of time.

 

Keep in mind that any differences in coat thickness you see when looking through the pane from the outside won't necessarily show up when you put it in service. You see many more imperfections if you back-light it but when you put it into service it'll be front-lit by your display lighting.

 

Be sure to clean the nozzle every couple coats. You do that by turning the can upside down and spraying until the stream runs clear. If you don't clean it, you'll end up with a sputtering spray which makes a mess and uneven coats.

 

Also make sure you overshoot the pane slightly on each pass; don't stop early. To make sure you get a nice, even coverage, start moving before you start spraying and don't stop until you have slightly overshot the other end of the pane. In the same vein, you want to spray from a proper distance of 8-12". This will help you avoid runs and will give you a wide, even coat.

 

This means that you will want to paint the tank in a location where a little overspray isn't an issue. You could put the tank on an upended 5g bucket and paint it out in the middle of the yard. Paint on the grass gets mowed off every week but paint on the sidewalk is there for a looong time.

 

If you have a place you can paint it without worrying about bugs or dirt embedding into the paint, that's better than the back yard. Not everyone has a paint booth at their house though. Don't paint in the wind.

 

 

Mask in a way that keeps the paint away from where you don't want it but in a way that will be easy to remove when you are done.

 

And lastly, remove the masking as soon as you are done painting! If you let the paint dry/cure before you remove the masking, you will either peel the paint off the pane or you will have to cut the masking off with a razor blade. It is simpler and cleaner to remove the masking immediately after you finish the painting, well before it has a chance to get tacky. Just be sure not to put any fingers on the newly painted pane.

 

Hope this helps.

 

---INTERLUDE---

 

From the 2^nd PM:

 

I go back and forth in rows, stopping after each pass, starting at the top of the pane. Do a pass, stop spraying, drop down slightly and do another pass. Repeat until you reach the bottom of the pane; one coat. You can do it top to bottom if you want, but I like to avoid painting the surface the tank is sitting on because it is just one more surface that can transfer paint to my hands.

 

Mask only the outside of the tank, with a sheet of newspaper right over the top of the tank unless you are making holes in the glass. In that case, mask the holes from the inside first then mask the top.

 

Washing the panes definitely helps, but you can just wipe the desired pane with acetone, methanol, isopropyl alcohol, or any other volatile solvent that will evaporate without leaving a residue. These will take off any oils or dirt that may be there. Mineral spirits is not a good choice.

 

---INTERLUDE---

 

You can use the blue or the vanilla-colored masking tape but the blue seems to rip less often. You certainly want to avoid using scotch, duct, or packing tape as they tend to leave residues when you remove them and they don't always come off easy. You can use them in a pinch, but I'd spend the couple bucks on the masking tape since it comes in handy for more than just painting tanks.

 

--END--

[Mr. Fosi]

I almost forgot to add: I might be ordering some stuff from SeaLife Inc.

 

I emailed Ken for a quote on:

 

6 astreas

3 ceriths

5 nerites

3 blue legs

2 orange claws

1 small emerald

4 lbs premium cultured live rock

 

With overnight shipping, the total comes to just over $40 which I think is a very good price.

 

I need some cleanup crew since all but one of my snails died (or were killed) in the 20L. The extra LR will cure in a barebottom tank with one of my 130W fixtures over it. I am hoping to gain some neat hitchers and thereby a little added biodiversity for the 20H.

[captianshellnutt]

THanks! Very Helpful

[airman_verde04]

Airman: I'm a PhD student in the Dept. of Biological Sciences. I do teach but I am not sure that I can rightly be called a teacher. I'm around all the time but I don't have much to trade at the moment.

eh, I dont need to trade anything, sometimes I just get bored out of my mind, so since there is not places to ride my MTB (thats fun) If my wife does something with her friends I rather not do, I always find something else to do..

[Diatome]

You should get some good hitchhikers. I ended up with so many I had no room to add any of my own corals.

 

Your a teacher, you just don't want to accept it and all the low paying jobs that go with the designation . I can say this as I taught continuing and adult ed for so long, I forgot what it was like to actually work in an office.

[Mr. Fosi]

Well, let's get the bad news out of the way.

 

Flesh is completely gone from the millies. The monti was doign great until something knocked it over and it spent several hours in the sand. When I found it and picked it up, it was bleached.

 

 

 

 

Here's the good news.

 

The cabbage leather is doing good and you can see some green palys behind it. I've had those palys in my cook bucket for most of a year. They were still alive when I pulled them out but they were bleached (big surprise there). I am happy that they are already coloring back up.

 

 

 

 

The skimmer is still producing skimmate but you can see it still isn't very dry. I also overflowed it twice because I was careless with the settings. I'm still playing with it but it is working.

 

 

 

 

In other news, I spent Friday down at the coast doing to work related to my research.

 

I left Columbia at 5AM and arrived at the USC Baruch Marine Field Lab (BMFL) at 8AM. I laid out some 100 um nitex mesh at 8:30, low tide was at ~9:15 and collected it at 10:10. I rinsed the mesh and collected the elutant in a 6-well tissue culture plate.

 

 

 

 

The elutant contained a few sand grains and a heck of a lot of epipelic diatoms. Sorry I couldn't get any good pics though the scope. Using my custom-made glass pipet...

 

 

 

 

I diluted and split the elutant in an effort to isolate single diatoms cells which I will use to start single-species cultures. I'll be using the cultures for some bioassays.

 

 

 

 

I'm working on some better pics (maybe a couple panoramas) of the marsh, but here's a teaser.

 

[divecj5]

Bummer on the SPS Fosi. Maybe the tank just isn't quite ready yet for them. That's great about the cabbage though.

 

Sounds like great research that you are doing. I have spent many a day down at Baruch when I was in the Marine Science program at USC. Really an incredible place....so prestine and untouched. Kind of ironic when it is buffered to the north by one of the most overdeveloped places, Myrtle Beach (one of my favorite spots ). It's our own little Atlantic City plopped right on our beautiful coastline...lucky us.

 

I did more work down in the Beaufort and Bluffton area though with studying denitrification and eutrophication...spent lots of time waist and pit deep in mud. I loved it though.

[Mr. Fosi]

Got a chance to do some work on the tank, pics to follow eventually.

 

1. 
   - I added a spraybar to the sump return and that helped to fix the surface scum problems I have been having.
    
   - I put all the lights, including the sump light on timers. The LEDs stay on for a bit after the MH goes out.
    
   - Finally muscled the sump drain into the proper position to add a

Duncan bubble trap. There was a large amount of salt creep and skimmer scum from the drain bubbles but I think I have seen the last of that.
 
- Bought a 20W halogen lamp to replace the 30W fluorescent sump lamps. It was $9 at Home Depot and a replacement lamp was $4.50. Hopefully it will help to rectify my galling lack of chaeto lighting and may actually improve my heat issues.
 
- Cleaned the skimmer and tried another impeller. The new impeller wasn't powerful enough to pull any air so I had to switch back to the original. This skimmer pulls some amount crap out but I need to get more air in there for it to really take off. The best skimmers look like they are full of milk in the bottom and coffee in the top and that's what I'd like mine to look like.
 
- Moved the skimmer so I can fully close the cabinet.
 
- Attached all powerstrips to the wall (instead of laying on the floor) and labled the plugs so I know what is what. Still looks like a plug nest but at least it is more organized and well away from where any plug might get saltwater on/in it. Will probably need to get another cabinet to hide them and keep my some away from them.

 

I was going to finish up the fan controller but I seem to have misplaced my fans. I'll have another look tomorrow but it looks like I'm gonna have to wait even longer to get it finished up.

 

Time to go do a waterchange.

[Mr. Fosi]

I forgot to mention what takes up all my time...

 

[bluebastion]

Sorry to hear about the milli's Fosi. We'll try again later. My milli grows like weeds.

[Mr. Fosi]

Well, they may grow like weeds but I certainly don't want to treat them like it.

 

Good news about that brain coral though: It is coloring back up pretty quickly in the school's surge tank. In another couple months I may be able to pop it back in my home system and give it a try.

 

The bad news is that the big 180g at school crashed hard core. They lost several large, display-quality SPS including a Tubs Blue and a massive, plating orange monti. The good news is that they didn't lose their football-sized clam or their small (and very pretty) maxima. Someone bumped the heater control and fried the tank overnight.

[bluebastion]

They find that someone?