Deckoz2302 Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 So I would like to start by thanking my beautiful amazing wife who has been by my side for 6 years, 5 of which we have had saltwater tanks. She hasn't always been happy about the tanks, but in the last year she has warmed up to the hobby quite a bit and fully understands what a big part of reef keeping is to me. She has become especially fond of the tank because I always tell her this is my representation of you: just pure astonishment and beauty. Over the years reef keeping has helped me realize things about our relationship, as keeping a reef is a continuous maintenance cycle that always brings enjoyment. Anyway whatever you get the point. She lives the tank as much as I do and over the years has slowly been forced into maintaining it while I am away on business trips. At first she hated it, but now I feel like the hobby is in her veins and she sees its values in the same light as me, just may not understand how everything works or why things are the way they are. But she happily listens and learns. So onto the story. I am currently away on a 3 week trip. We went over a daily checklist and feeding, cleaning, testing ect. Im beyond proud of her for stepping up to the plate and everything she has accomplished. So thursday night, 4 days after I leave she notices one of the corals was white. The coral was RTNing. Figuring maybe the coral was being picky as this was the only colony that didn't acclimate well. I had her check it over the next few hours. The next morning (friday) she called me and the coral was completely RTNd and another 3 corals had begun RTNing. Meanwhile im 7 hours away working and can't leave until I get off work. Shit So first thibgs first, check all equipment - good. Next thing run all my tests. Everything came back normal except undetectable nitrates and phosphates. The other abnormal was my alkalinity had spiked to 19.8dkh from 13.7dkh....shit. so first things first dosed 1.7ml of amonium phosphates. Next check the alkalinity resovoir and dosing head and pump....? Recheck with hanna meter...still 19.8. Funally figured out that when up reprogrammed my alk from 113ml to 120ml/day I accidentally programmed 220ml/day...ok we know what to fix. Fixed that. But now we have the problem of all my sps colonies RTNing. Right off the bat she was like what do I need to do. So I told her to grab the lugols iodine dip and mix up 15 gallons of saltwater and heat it up. Each colony one by one she removed a liter of saltwater into a bowl with airstone and did the iodine dips. Followed up by a tempurature/ph matched rodi 20 second dip. And placed in a rubbermaid with fresh saltwater. After all the iodine dips were done and the colonies were steriliezed we still had to stop the rtn. So with some more saltwater she mixed up a liter with some chlorampenicol antibiotic in hopes to prevent unaffected corals and stop the damage on the rtning corals. This all happebed over the course of the afternoon. So one colony was completely lost before this dipping began. The second colony rtnd its entire skin but still posesses its polyps. And the remaining corals sustained little or no damage. I finally got home saturday morning about 130am and repeated all the tests to double check. So about 9 hours after the dips there was no sign of rtn, all corals except the one lost had thier polyps extended. And I had told her to add an ammount of calcium chloride to nuetralize the high alkalinity. By the time I got home alkalinity was back to 13.8dkh. Obviously lesson learned always check your dosing programs. And always have a plan. Hopefully the above method to stop rtning may be of use to some of you. But all in all I cannot thank my wife enough as she litterlly did everything she could to save our tank...im so proud. Link to comment
jgpico Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 It's awesome to have a wife willing to do all they can to help out with our tanks. We got lucky man that's for sure. Link to comment
tibbsy07 Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 You owe that lady, BIG TIME. I think something nice is in order when you get back in town Glad she saved the tank! Also, good on you Deckoz for giving her recognition. Link to comment
tigrtraps Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 I always tell her this is my representation of you: just pure astonishment and beauty. Dude, teach me...... This is actually an awesome story though. Did anything else suffer from the super high alkalinity?? Link to comment
TristanC Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Wow! Major props to your wife on that one. Sorry to hear about the little mishap but it's a damn good thing your wife is that dedicated to your tank. Link to comment
Spirofucci Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Yep........you gots a keeper there......... All that and purdy too!!!!!!! Link to comment
Deckoz2302 Posted May 20, 2013 Author Share Posted May 20, 2013 It's awesome to have a wife willing to do all they can to help out with our tanks. We got lucky man that's for sure.I knkw man. It took a couple years but im happy she enjoys it as much as me now too.Does she have a sister!?!Shes 11 >. < lolYou owe that lady, BIG TIME. I think something nice is in order when you get back in town Glad she saved the tank! Also, good on you Deckoz for giving her recognition.Oh I got something in mind. Its gonna be awesome. Yea she definitely deserves all the recognition. Amazing woman. Dude, teach me...... This is actually an awesome story though. Did anything else suffer from the super high alkalinity??Patience...and trying to include them in everything (especially live stock decisions). It eventually either works or doesn't. I will say the prettier the tank the more interested they are lol. Nah nothing else suffered. My h.crispa, maximinis and clams all are fine. The clams loved it lol.Wow! Major props to your wife on that one. Sorry to hear about the little mishap but it's a damn good thing your wife is that dedicated to your tank.Like I said, the tank is kinda like a depiction of our relationship, something to bond over and enjoy. So cool. Yep........you gots a keeper there.........All that and purdy too!!!!!!!Haha yea...shame I had to leave for this trip the day after her birthday on the 11thAnd may 5th was our anniversary....I felt so bad leaving lolShe got us tannung bed shades for the tank haha<3 her Link to comment
Felicia Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 You're so lucky! I just need to start dating someone that is that dedicated to my tanks so that I have someone to trust when I go out of town. I always have one of my aquarium-clueless friends check on it once a day with a checklist I write up. So far so good, but if something like what happened to you happened in my tank, I doubt they'd even notice. Let alone do everything your wife did to fix the issue! Link to comment
Deckoz2302 Posted May 21, 2013 Author Share Posted May 21, 2013 You're so lucky! I just need to start dating someone that is that dedicated to my tanks so that I have someone to trust when I go out of town. I always have one of my aquarium-clueless friends check on it once a day with a checklist I write up. So far so good, but if something like what happened to you happened in my tank, I doubt they'd even notice. Let alone do everything your wife did to fix the issue! :cough: Joel....find him lol jk Link to comment
lnglostsurfer Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Grr....My girl still doesn't understand why a 1" blue hippo doesn't belong in my 5.5 gallon tank... Link to comment
Felicia Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 :cough: Joel....find him lol jk My former N-R faux-fiance is off being busy becoming a lawyer on the east coast. I think that's a bit far for him to be any help in taking care of my tank when I'm out of town The guy I'm dating right now used to have a reef tank a few years back but he got out of the hobby because he didn't want to deal with the maintenance. He just likes letting me do all the work on my tank and then coming over and appreciating it. Link to comment
Deckoz2302 Posted May 21, 2013 Author Share Posted May 21, 2013 Grr....My girl still doesn't understand why a 1" blue hippo doesn't belong in my 5.5 gallon tank... Moar Dori.... My former N-R faux-fiance is off being busy becoming a lawyer on the east coast. I think that's a bit far for him to be any help in taking care of my tank when I'm out of town The guy I'm dating right now used to have a reef tank a few years back but he got out of the hobby because he didn't want to deal with the maintenance. He just likes letting me do all the work on my tank and then coming over and appreciating it. Lol well at least the guy your dating appreciates it lol. Link to comment
TheKleinReef Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Horay from Mrs. Deckoz! seriously though that's amazing how she did that. My mom is the same way, i know why and how everything works, but she only knows that it does. She's learning though, i think she likes my 29g more than i do. hah I hope everything recovers well for you though! Link to comment
Deckoz2302 Posted May 21, 2013 Author Share Posted May 21, 2013 Horay from Mrs. Deckoz! seriously though that's amazing how she did that. My mom is the same way, i know why and how everything works, but she only knows that it does. She's learning though, i think she likes my 29g more than i do. hah I hope everything recovers well for you though! Yea man. Good to have great women on our side! Haha. Yea man Britt understands the entire biological part of it, its the equipment that confuses her lol...thankfully there is the "god button" that controls all on the Reef angel. Lol. Thats funny about the 29gallon...lol I'd so be the one to give my mom a tank...lol. we'll see how recovery is when I get home on June 1st Link to comment
BattleAthletics Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 My wife is getting to the point where shes asking the whys on the biological part. Im still a newb, I feel bad for not knowing enough to show her and teach her since im still learning. Shes to the point where she didnt want the ####ing tank, to everytime she walks by it she checks the clowns to make sure the third wheel isnt fighting with the pair. Link to comment
1reefluvr2 Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 Lucky you! My wife was the same way before she passed away 6 yrs this October . Link to comment
Deckoz2302 Posted May 22, 2013 Author Share Posted May 22, 2013 My wife is getting to the point where shes asking the whys on the biological part. Im still a newb, I feel bad for not knowing enough to show her and teach her since im still learning. Shes to the point where she didnt want the ####ing tank, to everytime she walks by it she checks the clowns to make sure the third wheel isnt fighting with the pair. Give it time she will be there with you just keep up what your doing. Good she understands that its a part of your life. Amd the health of animala alqays help draw them in lol. Lucky you! My wife was the same way before she passed away 6 yrs this October . Very sorry. I can't imagine life without my wife. Or living on a memory. sorry man. This makes my heart sink for you. Link to comment
BattleAthletics Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Lucky you! My wife was the same way before she passed away 6 yrs this October . My heart sank too. I see you do generous things on this forum. Your a good reefer and a better person at that. Give it time she will be there with you just keep up what your doing. Good she understands that its a part of your life. Amd the health of animala alqays help draw them in lol. Very sorry. I can't imagine life without my wife. Or living on a memory. sorry man. This makes my heart sink for you. I cant imagine life without my wife either, now that we have a kid and one almost here. Link to comment
joel sandoman Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Lucky you! My wife was the same way before she passed away 6 yrs this October . That's my worst nightmare. That and something happening to my kids. I feel for you. Link to comment
Voodoodol Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 What a beautiful tribute to your wife. It speaks volumes to the kind of person you are in real life. And your wife sounds like a real gem, too. Last time I had to ask my husband to feed the tanks he fed them blood worms instead of brine shrimp. No damage done but....sheesh! No way I will ever turn him loose with any chemicals or testing kits. Wish I could train him though...would be real helpful to have a backup at home who knows what to do....or at least where to go on the Internet to ask what to do should something go wrong and I'm on the road. Link to comment
BattleAthletics Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Whats funny is that everyones significant other has their likes and dislikes. But its like a child, you must feed them, groom them, care for them. When they grow up they become something magnificent. This is a part of your life now, the other person has to realize that. Who wouldnt want their others knee deep into this hobby? My wife loves country music. Im not a fanatic but ill listen to it. I have to be heavily intoxicated though. JK. If she loves something and i start getting into it then it shows im committed to her and her likes. \end emo feels Link to comment
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