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Teenyreef's Deep Blue 30g - Massive Reorg


teenyreef

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So...I FIGURED IT OUT!!!

 

The problem was I'm an idiot.

 

As usual when something goes wrong suddenly, it was not an equipment failure. Last night I was adjusting the calcium pump wiring and unplugged it so I could route it more neatly. In the process I also unplugged the heater. Aaaannnd I got them backwards when I plugged them back in. Since the calcium reactor pump is programmed to stay on all the time, that kept the heater turned on all the time.

 

Which wouldn't have been a big deal, except I set the heater too high a long time ago and forgot all about fixing it. So it was trying to heat the tank to 83 degrees. Between the cabinet fan and the open door, the air circulation kept the heater from going all the way to 83. 

 

I never would have figured it out if I hadn't decided to clean out the other pumps in the sump, leading me to start unplugging things, which made me notice the heater was plugged in to the wrong outlet.

 

On the positive side, I found and fixed a potentially damaging calcification buildup on the skimmer pump, cleaned out the sump, and did a five gallon water change.

 

Lessons learned: 

1. Set the heater no more than one degree higher than the target set point when controlling it with an Apex.

2. Label the power cords at the end where they plug in so it's more obvious which ones get plugged in where.

3. My heater is probably not big enough to keep the tank warm if we ever lose heat and the room gets really cold. 

 

I've already fixed #1. I'll need to find some cable labels to do #2, and then do the same on the other tanks. And then I need to order a second, bigger heater. 

  • Like 4
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On 2/13/2018 at 11:28 AM, kimberbee said:

Things are so much easier now that I've labeled all of my plugs!! 

 

Glad you were able to figure it out!

Thanks! 

 

I still haven't actually labelled my plugs :blush:

  • Haha 1
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  • 2 weeks later...

The blue kenya tree in the 40g tank was getting too big and starting to sting some of the corals on top of the rocks, so I clipped most of it off to make room. 

 

I've had a few people ask for frags of this leather, so instead of throwing the pieces away, I made up some frags and took a few pictures for those that may be interested in how to do it. This leather is very tough and easy to frag.

 

Here are the pieces after cutting them off with bone cutters (scissors work too). They are about two or three times bigger when they're fully inflated.

20180227_214011.jpg

 

Everything in place: frag plugs, rubber bands, tongs to pull the pieces out of the cup, and scissors to split the one frag with two heads.

20180228_003142.jpg

 

I simply tie each piece to a frag plug with a rubber band:

20180227_214413.jpg

 

20180227_214419.jpg

 

And then pop them in the tank to heal. They should attach to the plugs in a couple weeks or so and be ready for sale. It's possible that I'll end up with two stalks, one on each side of the rubber band. The big pieces in the background were attached to the rock the same way. All those grew from one piece about the same size as these frags.

20180227_221417.jpg

 

  • Like 5
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I'll be happy to ship frags to anyone that wants them. I was thinking $20 per frag plus shipping, does that seem reasonable? Vivid sells them for over $40.

 

Shipping costs depend on the location. I think these should ship well with 2-day priority mail which would be pretty cheap, probably about $15. Of course I'd be happy to ship overnight but that would be quite a bit more.

 

Please PM me your name and address if you're interested and I'll check shipping prices.

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2 hours ago, kimberbee said:

Is it a fast grower? I'd love some but can't take any this time :(

It's relatively slow growing, especially compared to the regular kenya tree. But it is a leather, so it still grows a lot faster than sps or lps.

 

I started with a 1 1/2" frag, and I think it took about four or five months to get to about four or five inches.

3 hours ago, jack1978 said:

How much light does this guy like?  Might have a spot.....

It doesn't need much light but the color gets more blue and metallic in medium light. Under 200 PAR in any case. I haven't tried it in higher light but it seems pretty tolerant.

  • Like 2
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1 hour ago, teenyreef said:

So far I've got @Smitten4Witten, @Felicia, and @RIP Sebastian on the list for frags. @Pjanssen has first right of refusal on the fourth frag since she asked about it here in the thread but hasn't PM'd me yet.

 

If more people want frags, I can make a few more from the ones that are growing in this tank, so go ahead and PM me if you want them.

Yay!  Thank you!  Definitely excited about this!  I have a bright green kenya tree and I've been keeping an eye out for other color varieties.  They're super pretty, easy corals when you can get a hold of color varieties other than the standard tan color.  When my green one eventually gets big enough to frag, you're welcome to a piece!

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The kenya tree frags won't stay on the frag plugs. They keep slipping out if the rubber band is too loose, and if it's too tight they just dissolve where the rubber band is holding them. Arrgh.

 

I have some rubble rock pieces coming in soon. I'll probably have better luck getting them to hold to a rougher, more irregular, surface.

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RIP Sebastian
41 minutes ago, teenyreef said:

The kenya tree frags won't stay on the frag plugs. They keep slipping out if the rubber band is too loose, and if it's too tight they just dissolve where the rubber band is holding them. Arrgh.

 

I have some rubble rock pieces coming in soon. I'll probably have better luck getting them to hold to a rougher, more irregular, surface.

Couldn't you glue them? Is there a benefit to using a rubber band? It's kinda hard to sense tones through the internet, so I just wanted to let you know that I'm genuinely curious as to why; I'm not attacking you.

 

-Nick

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37 minutes ago, RIP Sebastian said:

Couldn't you glue them? Is there a benefit to using a rubber band? It's kinda hard to sense tones through the internet, so I just wanted to let you know that I'm genuinely curious as to why; I'm not attacking you.

 

-Nick

They're too slimy .... glue won't hold.

  • Like 1
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17 minutes ago, RIP Sebastian said:

Huh. Really? Interesting.

Yep.

Thats why people use thread, dental floss, rubber bands.....or rubble like teeny said.  It's like trying to glue a mushroom. 

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I have been missing in action this week. Got a brand new hip joint replacement on Monday. I confess I did not or have not caught up on peoples threads but if there are any frags lefts I would love one. Or put me in line for next time.

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I suture my leather/gorg frags to the frag plugs. I use surgical sutures since i have ready access To them, but simple string and a sewing needle will also work, then I put super glue over the knot 

  • Like 2
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1 hour ago, debbeach13 said:

I have been missing in action this week. Got a brand new hip joint replacement on Monday. I confess I did not or have not caught up on peoples threads but if there are any frags lefts I would love one. Or put me in line for next time.

Hope all goes well with the new hip.

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