blister Posted January 16, 2010 Author Share Posted January 16, 2010 Just took some params: nitrite (no2) - .05 (same yesterday) nitrate (no3) - 10 (-10 from yesterday) pH still not able to get a number... will be getting other numbers later today. I have to say when you graph out the nitrate you really do see a spike ;] Link to comment
blister Posted January 16, 2010 Author Share Posted January 16, 2010 Added a video of my tank. I moved the return valve thing so it hits top of water, this seems to make some bubbles. I imagine this somehow circulates the water better? Video is here [iPhone 3gs, 14.4MB] Link to comment
blister Posted January 16, 2010 Author Share Posted January 16, 2010 Just got my refractometer... it reads: 1.023 which I believe is suitable? ;] Link to comment
Apoptosis Posted January 16, 2010 Share Posted January 16, 2010 Brown stuff on rock making bubbles is an algae. Can't remember the name SG is ok for now. Most ppl keep theirs a bit higher. My tank seems to do well enough with 1.025. Some of your tanks future inhabitants may appreciate a bit more salt in their water Link to comment
blister Posted January 16, 2010 Author Share Posted January 16, 2010 Fish signature update: #!/usr/bin/perluse Time::Piece;$transparentImage = "/path/to/transparent.png";$fishsigImage = "/path/to/fishsig.png";sub fishcalc { $now = localtime; $diff = $now - $before; $seconds = int($diff->seconds); @parts = gmtime($seconds); return sprintf ("%4d Days %4d Hours %4d Minutes %4d Seconds\n",@parts[7,2,1,0]);}$before = Time::Piece->strptime("2010/1/6/20/50/0", "%Y/%m/%d/%H/%M/%S");$lengthoftime = fishcalc();system("convert -font helvetica -fill black -pointsize 12 -draw 'text 0,15 \"BC29 Age: $lengthoftime\"' $transparentImage $fishsigImage");system("convert -font helvetica -fill black -pointsize 12 -draw 'text 0,30 \"Chamber 1: -floor -filter +flow +heater\"' $fishsigImage $fishsigImage");system("convert -font helvetica -fill black -pointsize 12 -draw 'text 0,45 \"Chamber 2: +top drain -floor -bioballs *media basket *fuge basket *purigen *chemi elite pro\"' $fishsigImage $fishsigImage");system("convert -font helvetica -fill black -pointsize 12 -draw 'text 0,60 \"Chamber 3: -stock pump +rio 6hf +thermometer\"' $fishsigImage $fishsigImage");system("convert -font helvetica -fill black -pointsize 12 -draw 'text 0,75 \"Display Chamber: *koralia 2, +nimble super +25lbs ls +20lbs dry rock +16lbs figi lr\"' $fishsigImage $fishsigImage");system("convert -font helvetica -fill black -pointsize 12 -draw 'text 0,90 \"Lighting: +stock\"' $fishsigImage $fishsigImage");system("convert -font helvetica -fill black -pointsize 12 -draw 'text 0,105 \"\"' $fishsigImage $fishsigImage");system("convert -font helvetica -fill black -pointsize 12 -draw 'text 0,120 \"* = Not arrived yet or used yet\"' $fishsigImage $fishsigImage"); Link to comment
PinStripes Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 Get yourself a Sapphire Skimmer for your Biocube 29!!! Stay away from tunze skimmer 9002. its junk as well!!! Link to comment
blister Posted January 17, 2010 Author Share Posted January 17, 2010 Get yourself a Sapphire Skimmer for your Biocube 29!!! Stay away from tunze skimmer 9002. its junk as well!!! Not going to use a skimmer. Not sure I'd need one and not sure I'd have space for one. Link to comment
Apoptosis Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 Not going to use a skimmer. Not sure I'd need one and not sure I'd have space for one. most people with less than 30g would say a skimmer is not essential. Link to comment
gmod Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 Get yourself a Sapphire Skimmer for your Biocube 29!!! Stay away from tunze skimmer 9002. its junk as well!!! Threw my sapphire in the garbage... Link to comment
blister Posted January 17, 2010 Author Share Posted January 17, 2010 is RO water good to calibrate a refractometer, because if it is, I checked my salinity this morning and it was 1.025 Link to comment
blister Posted January 17, 2010 Author Share Posted January 17, 2010 params today: alkalinity - High (3.6 mEq/L) ammonia - .1 (a guess because it's definitely inbetween 0-0.25, same as yesterday) nitrate - 20 (+10 from yesterday) nitrite - 0 (-0.05 from yesterday) salinity - 1.025 (+0.002 from yesterday, calibration issue?) Link to comment
blister Posted January 17, 2010 Author Share Posted January 17, 2010 ok... biocube 29 amount of water put in biocube 29, 20 gallons. 1ml of vinegar per gallon of water to drop pH 0.3 units so: 1ml x 20gal = 20ml of vinegar = 0.3 units So I have added 20ml of distilled white vinegar in hopes to see readable numbers on pH test kit. If not, I guess I need to add another 20ml to drop another 0.3 units.. we shall see what happens... Link to comment
blister Posted January 17, 2010 Author Share Posted January 17, 2010 Nastiness in back of tank.. yuck... Link to comment
blister Posted January 18, 2010 Author Share Posted January 18, 2010 OMG! I think I figured out my pH problem. My lighting! hahahaahahahahahahhahaa These pics are of the same just in 2 different rooms. Who would have thought the problem is lighting... I wonder if all of my measurements are off Link to comment
Vesian Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 Blister, some tips that i'll pass on to you that were passed on to me when I first started out: 1. Placing the temperature probe in the same chamber as the heater will throw your measurements off a bit (you'll be seeing a reading of the water immediately around the heater, not the water in your tank). I would move it into a different chamber, or the display if possible. 2. Avoid throwing any type of chemical or additive into your tank while it cycles, regardless of what your LFS says. pH isn't too incredibly important while your tank is cycling, and it will vary quite a bit as your tank matures (and by the time of day as well). 3. You may want to reposition your rockwork a bit so it's closer to the back wall. How you have it is fine, but aesthetically, once you add fish, they may choose to hang out behind your rockwork, thus defeating the purpose of having the fishies there in the first place. Hey, we all want to stare at our fishes all day long, right? :-) 4. The search button is your friend. There are several questions that you have asked on this thread that you could have easily (and quickly) found the answers to from other member's threads. I say this not to be rude, but as a helpful nudge :-) Also, i'm curious: You bought your LR and took a picture of it in what appears to be an empty tank, and then added the water a day later. Did you have your LR sitting in the tank for a day before you added the water? If so, you'll probably have a lot of dieoff. Link to comment
blister Posted January 18, 2010 Author Share Posted January 18, 2010 Vesian - are you sure you read my topic? 1) heater is in chamber 1, thermometer probe is in chamber 3 2) I was hoping to not have to, as you can tell by the pics I wasn't getting a color that was on my card, now I realize the problem is lighting. I was freaking out as I imagine people would, regardless of cycle. 3) More fish visible would be great. Overall I think I did ok for being my first time. 4) Being a noob can be difficult when using the search button, not knowing the lingo, etc... I do my best. As for the live rock, i put sand/dry and live rock/water all in same time/day. Not sure how you came up with that reasoning. Sorry if I sound rude but not sure how you came up with some things. ;] On a brighter side of things my inTank order arrives today, woot! Pics to follow, come on UPS man... I normally track him down around 3-3:30ish PM Link to comment
SDahmer Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 IMO your rock work is great. Fish will find a place to hide if they want to, and keeping it away from the wall will allow for better flow which will help keep detritus from accumulating there. Just my two cents. Might wanna check this out. http://www.seareef.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=423 Link to comment
blister Posted January 18, 2010 Author Share Posted January 18, 2010 SDahmer - Thank you for your kind words. Thank you for the acronyms, it will help I am sure. ;] Link to comment
Nemo Niblets Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 I didn't really feel like reading through all 5 pages, but here are the upgrades I should have done from the start: -Took out bioballs (These gave me really bad nitrate problems) If you take out the bioballs, don't replace them with live rock rubble. That'll give you more nitrate problems. -Took out stock filter ( I gutted out the carbon and filter floss and just stuff it with my own filter floss fro Wal-mart. It's called "Polyfill". With the inTank media basket it'll be easier. -Throw away sponge (will trap detritus) -Threw chemipure on the bottom of chamber two. (or media basket) -Changed stock pump to a maxi-jet 1200 (or Rio) -Added Koralia 1 pump to the right side. -Upgraded lighting to a 150w Sunpod HQI -Put Tunze 9002 DOC nanoskimmer in the back -Cut tab from first chamber to second to increase flow. Most people say a skimmer isn't necessary. It isn't, but it's your call. I feed my LPS heavily, and have lots of SPS, so it's pretty important for me. Link to comment
blister Posted January 18, 2010 Author Share Posted January 18, 2010 Nemo Niblets - You could always read my signature ;] -take out bio balls, check. -take out stock filter, mine never came with any or I threw it away accidentally, check. -throw away sponge, have not done this yet, thought I might when I do my first water change... -chemi pure elite will be going on bottom shelf of media basket, once the tank cycles, check. -changed stock pump to rio, check. -I'm going to try out the Koralia 2 on right side, check (later today) -lighting will be upgraded eventually, somewhat check. -no room for skimmer.. -tab is cut, check. Thanks NN. ;] Link to comment
Vesian Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 ah, hahahahahaha. lmao. I apparently missed the "dry rock" part of the post when I looked at your pictures and compared the dates. I saw you put rock in on the 6th and then added water on the 7th, that's where my question came from. I read most of your post, but it was pretty late last night so forgive me. I meant nothing rude by the post, was just trying to offer up some helpful tips for you :-) Your best aquascape is whatever makes you happy. I was just offering up a suggestion :-) Link to comment
blister Posted January 19, 2010 Author Share Posted January 19, 2010 OK! Time for some exciting news. My inTank order arrived today. All I can say is WOW! StevieT/inTank you package things very nice. Custom boxes (I imagine) and all. Really great work! The amazing package I received today (Sorry, somewhat bad lighting, I seem to have this problem at my house): I mounted the Koralia 2 on chamber 1 more towards the top pointing down towards the opening of big cave, thought this might be interesting... I installed the media and fuge basket in as well and threw some filter floss on top just waiting to be cycled... Front View: Right View: Left View: That's it for now, once again thanks StevieT/inTank!!! Link to comment
SaltineSage Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 Once again, love the rock formation you've got going on. I think I might have to dip into my fish fund and buy the inTank package... my DIY media rack just aint cutting it... right now I just have a slab of egg-crate holding my filter floss against the flow... awesome, I know. One thing that I'd worry about is that the critters won't use the cave if there's a massive amount of flow going through it- sort of like a wind tunnel? I dunno, worth a try though! Link to comment
blister Posted January 19, 2010 Author Share Posted January 19, 2010 SaltineSage - With the fish guard/flow thingy on it, don't think much damage will happen. params tonight: Alkalinity - High 3.6 Ammonia - .1 Nitrate - 10 Nitrite - 0 pH - 8.4 Salinity - 1.024 Temperature - 73.1 Link to comment
Vesian Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 SaltineSage - With the fish guard/flow thingy on it, don't think much damage will happen. params tonight: Alkalinity - High 3.6 Ammonia - .1 Nitrate - 10 Nitrite - 0 pH - 8.4 Salinity - 1.024 Temperature - 73.1 Your temp is a little low, i'd bump it up to 77/78ish Link to comment
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