Felicia Posted October 1, 2015 Author Share Posted October 1, 2015 Hope the PhD work is going well! That's the important part anyway. Its going... honestly its good, just soooo busy right now. Ran out of funding for my final year so I'm teaching two classes on top of all my lab work so I'm just exhausted over here. Trying to get a publication out right now, starting to look for jobs, have to start writing my thesis and wrapping up experiments, etc. Its all good though because I'm almost done! Everything looks great Felicia Thank you, Chris! 8 Quote Link to comment
vlangel Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 Its going... honestly its good, just soooo busy right now. Ran out of funding for my final year so I'm teaching two classes on top of all my lab work so I'm just exhausted over here. Trying to get a publication out right now, starting to look for jobs, have to start writing my thesis and wrapping up experiments, etc. Its all good though because I'm almost done! Thank you, Chris! Hang in there. All that hard work is gonna pay off. 1 Quote Link to comment
Chris! Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 Its going... honestly its good, just soooo busy right now. Ran out of funding for my final year so I'm teaching two classes on top of all my lab work so I'm just exhausted over here. Trying to get a publication out right now, starting to look for jobs, have to start writing my thesis and wrapping up experiments, etc. Its all good though because I'm almost done! Thank you, Chris! May the best things in life be yours! You will have certainly earned them.... 8 Quote Link to comment
Lauraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 Is your 30 gallon still fs? Quote Link to comment
Felicia Posted October 3, 2015 Author Share Posted October 3, 2015 Hang in there. All that hard work is gonna pay off. May the best things in life be yours! You will have certainly earned them.... Thanks you guys! I can definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel and don't mind working hard to finish up and move on to the next stage in my life. Just means less NR and aquarium time for me. I'll be in and out though! Is your 30 gallon still fs? Nope, I don't have anything for sale right now. 2 Quote Link to comment
Chris! Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 Thanks you guys! I can definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel and don't mind working hard to finish up and move on to the next stage in my life. Just means less NR and aquarium time for me. I'll be in and out though! It will all be worth it, + I know a special somebody is a lot closer now too to consume more time lol Quote Link to comment
Felicia Posted October 3, 2015 Author Share Posted October 3, 2015 It will all be worth it, + I know a special somebody is a lot closer now too to consume more time lol Yep, should be. I'm ready to get a "real" job! Sick of being a perpetual student I'm 27 and ready to be a real adult and start saving and buy a house and such. Well he's almost closer. The move is still in progress. But yeah, hopefully we'll get to spend some more time together now. 1 Quote Link to comment
WhiteWulfe Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 I took the risk of letting my spouse see this tank. Apparently it's pretty close to what he eventually wants in our place.... Your tank is outright gorgeous! 2 Quote Link to comment
Felicia Posted October 4, 2015 Author Share Posted October 4, 2015 I took the risk of letting my spouse see this tank. Apparently it's pretty close to what he eventually wants in our place.... Your tank is outright gorgeous! Aw thank you! That's quite the compliment! Anyone watching the Gator game? Gators are whooping up on #3 Ole Miss right now! Its great to be a Florida Gator! Quote Link to comment
WhiteWulfe Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 Aw thank you! That's quite the compliment! Glad to hear! it's also allowed me to go from looking at the IM Fusion 30 (or potentially Lagoon 50) and instead save up for and get a Reefer 250.... ....as well a Fluval Edge 12g, provided he gets his lionfish and snowflake eel. I swear, he feeds my addictions hobbies if they look nice. Your tank has also gotten me to look into a lionfish tank in the first place, as hubby really really REALLY wanted one, and I originally was a tad leery due to fears about their venom and eating habits, but your build log has pretty much alleviated a lot of concerns (or at least given me even more grounds to do research ^_^) 2 Quote Link to comment
Felicia Posted October 4, 2015 Author Share Posted October 4, 2015 Glad to hear! it's also allowed me to go from looking at the IM Fusion 30 (or potentially Lagoon 50) and instead save up for and get a Reefer 250.... ....as well a Fluval Edge 12g, provided he gets his lionfish and snowflake eel. I swear, he feeds my addictions hobbies if they look nice. Your tank has also gotten me to look into a lionfish tank in the first place, as hubby really really REALLY wanted one, and I originally was a tad leery due to fears about their venom and eating habits, but your build log has pretty much alleviated a lot of concerns (or at least given me even more grounds to do research ^_^) Glad your husband is getting into the hobby! My boyfriend is just as into the hobby as I am, so we definitely feed each others addiction on that front. So I know how that goes! There really aren't a ton of people on NR talking about their experience with lionfish. I think I might have gotten tempted to try lionfish earlier if there had been more people with them here on NR. It definitely helps to hear about other people's experiences with a fish and know there are people to get advice from if you have questions or issues. I finally decided to give them a try because I was getting very frustrated with my tank and the hobby (pretty burned out after a tank crash and a general bad streak of luck with my aquariums) and I just wanted to do something really different and unique to mix things up. I did my online reading/research, but I've really been learning as I go along. I'm glad I can share my experiences and help get some other people interested in these awesome fish. They are a ton of fun and really very hardy/easy so far. The venomous part made me a bit nervous at the beginning, but its really not too difficult to just take some basic safety procedures and always try to be safe with them. Let me know if you have any questions at all! I love getting into good discussions about those sorts of things on my thread. 1 Quote Link to comment
FlowerMama Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 Yeah, seems that most people to FOWLR when it comes to those fish so that's probably why not too much talk about them on NR. You've probably made many people reconsider their thoughts about predator tanks. 2 Quote Link to comment
Felicia Posted October 4, 2015 Author Share Posted October 4, 2015 Yeah, seems that most people to FOWLR when it comes to those fish so that's probably why not too much talk about them on NR. You've probably made many people reconsider their thoughts about predator tanks. Yes, it does seem that most predator tanks tend to be FOWLR tanks. That's why I never really considered starting on in the past, because I want a reef tank and now a FOWLR. Then I started thinking more about lionfish and did some research and there's really no reason at all that they can't be in a reef tank. They sometimes get listed as "not reef safe" because they'll eat small fish and crustaceans (shrimp) but that doesn't have anything to do with the corals. Shrimp are great and all, but I really didn't have any issue giving them up to try out the lionfish. Also, it just means you can't have the tiny nano fish with the lionfish, so you just have to pick larger fish. Honestly, the lionfish are cool enough by themselves, that I wouldn't be too upset to not have any other fish with them. They really look very cool in the reef environment and I think it makes them more comfortable to have more perches and feel more protected. The only real consideration otherwise is the nitrate issue with predators, but good filtration and the biopellets work wonders on that front 2 Quote Link to comment
Felicia Posted October 9, 2015 Author Share Posted October 9, 2015 Small Update: Had a minor hick-up with my RODI unit. Earlier this week it just suddenly stopped producing any water. I took it all apart piece by piece to locate the clog and its the RO membrane that is clogged. I just replaced that 7 months ago and they're supposed to last 3-5 years, so that's frustrating. However, my sediment filters used to last a really long time because our water quality here is amazing, but when I looked at my sediment filter, it looked pretty gross. With the draught here in California, I'm hearing that they're starting to pull our water from other sources besides just the Hetch Hetchy reservoir (which is the awesome water from the Sierra Nevadas) and people are reporting quality issues. I'm thinking our water quality must have declined, so my sediment filter gunked up faster. I am going to have to replace it more often now to protect my RO membranes. Anyways, I ordered a new RO membrane as well as 4 sediment filters and new carbon blocks and DI resin. I love that BRS now has a reasonably priced 3 day shipping option. Anyway, my order should arrive on Monday. In the meantime, I had to go get some RO water from a friend to use for top offs. 5 Quote Link to comment
vlangel Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 Ouch, I am sure that is an expense that you would have preferred to be down the road rather than now! Not very timely either with an order coming, but then isn't that how it usually goes? My old chiller decided to go on the blink when we were to get temps in the 90s which doesn't really happen here that much. 1 Quote Link to comment
Felicia Posted October 9, 2015 Author Share Posted October 9, 2015 Ouch, I am sure that is an expense that you would have preferred to be down the road rather than now! Not very timely either with an order coming, but then isn't that how it usually goes? My old chiller decided to go on the blink when we were to get temps in the 90s which doesn't really happen here that much. Exactly! I've just come to expect these things from the hobby. I think I spent right at $100 getting all the replacement things for the RODI. Oh well! I'll just have to keep a closer eye on my sediment filters now so that this doesn't happen again. Also, PGE (our utility company) is doing work on my street today and had a scheduled power outage. They were nice enough to notify me like 2 weeks in advance, so I prepared and ordered 3 battery powered air pumps. The power is supposed to be out for like 4 hours today while I'm at work, so I've got two air pumps on the reef and 1 on my little freshwater tank. Here's to hoping nothing is too bothered by the power outage. 3 Quote Link to comment
vlangel Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 Exactly! I've just come to expect these things from the hobby. I think I spent right at $100 getting all the replacement things for the RODI. Oh well! I'll just have to keep a closer eye on my sediment filters now so that this doesn't happen again. Also, PGE (our utility company) is doing work on my street today and had a scheduled power outage. They were nice enough to notify me like 2 weeks in advance, so I prepared and ordered 3 battery powered air pumps. The power is supposed to be out for like 4 hours today while I'm at work, so I've got two air pumps on the reef and 1 on my little freshwater tank. Here's to hoping nothing is too bothered by the power outage. Agreed, I hope you come home to a happy tank with electricity! 1 Quote Link to comment
tetraodon Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 Exactly! I've just come to expect these things from the hobby. I think I spent right at $100 getting all the replacement things for the RODI. Oh well! I'll just have to keep a closer eye on my sediment filters now so that this doesn't happen again. Also, PGE (our utility company) is doing work on my street today and had a scheduled power outage. They were nice enough to notify me like 2 weeks in advance, so I prepared and ordered 3 battery powered air pumps. The power is supposed to be out for like 4 hours today while I'm at work, so I've got two air pumps on the reef and 1 on my little freshwater tank. Here's to hoping nothing is too bothered by the power outage. ive gone a lot longer than 4 hours without power for my fresh water tank, i once nursed a tank through several days without power, never did it to a reef, id almost say go get a generator depending on how much is invested. 1 Quote Link to comment
Felicia Posted October 9, 2015 Author Share Posted October 9, 2015 Agreed, I hope you come home to a happy tank with electricity! I'm sure I will. Really not worried! 4 hours isn't long at all and its a nice warm day so the tank shouldn't get too cool. The water is staying oxygenated, so everything should be just fine. ive gone a lot longer than 4 hours without power for my fresh water tank, i once nursed a tank through several days without power, never did it to a reef, id almost say go get a generator depending on how much is invested. Yeah freshwater is a lot easier to deal with without power. I grew up in Florida and my freshwater tank constantly went days without power during hurricanes. Plants and fish are just way less sensitive to changes in temperature and lack of flow. If I still lived in Florida with this reef tank, I would definitely invest in a generator, but luckily power outages are really really rare in the bay area. I've lived here 5 years and my power has gone out a total of 3 times. Twice its gone out for less than an hour. And then this scheduled outage for some maintenance work that is only supposed to be 4 hours. Really not bad at all. I didn't even have battery powered air pumps until they let me know about this planned outage. 1 Quote Link to comment
vlangel Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 Our power where I live goes out very rarely as well. I still considered a generator because of my investment. Gasoline powered generators need to be started and ran about 4 Xs a year to assure that they will start when they are needed. Our garage is small and I knew we would not start and run it periodically so I bought a power inverter instead, mostly so my coral could have a few hours of light. I have a kerosene heater and a fireplace not far from the tank and of course seahorses can take it cooler anyhow. Also I saw a video on BRS how you can put ice melt (for sidewalks) in a pop bottle with water and it will give off some heat. I also have 3 battery backup pumps, 2 of which when plugged in will turn on automatically if the power goes off. I always have them on the tank when we go away. As an aquarium tech I saw it over and over where folks electricity went out when they were away and it was heart breaking when I knew it could be easily prevented. Quote Link to comment
gena Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 And now you are prepared in the case of a power outage from an earthquake . Do you have the battery backup for the mp10? Quote Link to comment
Mirya Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 Exactly! I've just come to expect these things from the hobby. I think I spent right at $100 getting all the replacement things for the RODI. Oh well! I'll just have to keep a closer eye on my sediment filters now so that this doesn't happen again. Do you have a TDS meter on your RODI? If you don't, you might want to pick up one of these when the next N-R group buy rolls around on BRS. It will let you monitor any fluctuations in your water quality as well as see when your RO membrane starts to fail. Quote Link to comment
vlangel Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 Yes, I know, I disappeared again! Sorry, life has just been so crazy. Wanted to pop in to say: Happy Halloween! Happy Halloween to you as well! Remember to stop and smell the flowers, I mean salt water on occasion. Quote Link to comment
Felicia Posted November 1, 2015 Author Share Posted November 1, 2015 Sorry, I know I've been MIA again, but life has just been so hectic. I wanted to at least pop in to say: Happy Halloween! Here's a fun gif of Lily's costumes over the years. And a gif of my costumes over the same time period. 6 Quote Link to comment
Fnard Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 That is one nice looking tank. Always like to take a look when I see the thread pop up. Finally got around to 'scribing to it. Looks like the Razor is handling well for you. Have the same light, gonna end up retro'ing some t5s to it though, need more spread. Good luck with everything and keep the updates coming, when you can find the time that is. 1 Quote Link to comment
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