Dave's 20g glass box 🎉 Water Box 20 IS STILL GOING.......

[mcarroll]

Don't just drop them....place them specifically on a spot until they take hold.  Always a good idea, but sometimes it will not be a horizontal surface so might be required.

[DSFIRSTSLTWATER]

So good news, I got home last night and the montis had the most PE I've seen in a month. .

Now, I don't know if it's because I removed some of the algae or if it had to do with water chemistry or both. Either way it's a step in the right direction. I'm gonna be doing every other day water changes and see if I notice a difference. I'm wondering if nutrients are the issue. I have algae so that is skewing my test results. I'll do a week of small water changes and see what happens. So far the algae isn't nearly as bad as it has been so i'm taking that is a good sign as well.

[DSFIRSTSLTWATER]

It looks like I may be getting new corals . They are new sps pieces, but i'm wondering if I should move the hammer and frogspawn off the left side of the rock work to the lower right with the other two to free up the rocks on that side so the sps can have more flow and light? Just kicking around ideas before I get them. The three pieces are: bubble gum digi, purple stylo and bird of paradise. I'd have to imagine they will need the higher par values and i'm trying to not put them close together.. don't want any fighting.

[Ratvan]

I like the idea of a little Euphyllia patch towards the front, those colours will look nice together as well. If you can get tehm close enough it is possible to make the frags look like a complete colony 

[DSFIRSTSLTWATER]

5 minutes ago, Ratvan said:

I like the idea of a little Euphyllia patch towards the front, those colours will look nice together as well. If you can get tehm close enough it is possible to make the frags look like a complete colony 

I like your thinking sir

[DSFIRSTSLTWATER]

 So last night I decided I was going to break all the water change rules. I was really curious as to all the hype about making sure everything was perfect with the new water. So basically, I made fresh water, put two pumps in the bucket and added salt. It dissolved just fine and in the same amount of time( I use live aquaria salt) and I tested alk and it was the same as if it was heated. I had no white precipitate in the bucket at all.

By this point the water was basically room temp about 64ish degrees( this was in the basement where my water change station is) and so I did a water change on the tank. Sucked out some gross stuff that was trapped under the rock and in the corner. Added the new water and my temp only dropped 2 degrees.

My takeaway from this little experiment.. coral seem to like a little dip in temp. My monti's actually opened up a little bit more so that's a win in my book. I don't know if this holds true for other salts, but for me using live aquaria salt, it dissolved perfectly fine and the alk tested the same as if I was to have heated it.

Now, I only change 4 gallons at a time so that's why it didn't affect the temp much. I'm not really sure I learned anything other than the coral and fish seemed fine without the heated water. Anyway, I just wanted to record this just in case I come home from work today with a crashed tank ***knock on wood**** that doesn't happen

 

One other thing...I think my replacement ink bird *may* be starting to die.... I had to adjust the temp 1.5 degrees up from zero calibration. I got home from work yesterday and my ink bird said 77.5 and my thermometer in the tank was at 79. Good think I still keep a manual thermometer in the tank as a just in case.

[ECLS Reefer]

3 hours ago, DSFIRSTSLTWATER said:

 So last night I decided I was going to break all the water change rules. I was really curious as to all the hype about making sure everything was perfect with the new water. So basically, I made fresh water, put two pumps in the bucket and added salt. It dissolved just fine and in the same amount of time( I use live aquaria salt) and I tested alk and it was the same as if it was heated. I had no white precipitate in the bucket at all.

By this point the water was basically room temp about 64ish degrees( this was in the basement where my water change station is) and so I did a water change on the tank. Sucked out some gross stuff that was trapped under the rock and in the corner. Added the new water and my temp only dropped 2 degrees.

My takeaway from this little experiment.. coral seem to like a little dip in temp. My monti's actually opened up a little bit more so that's a win in my book. I don't know if this holds true for other salts, but for me using live aquaria salt, it dissolved perfectly fine and the alk tested the same as if I was to have heated it.

Now, I only change 4 gallons at a time so that's why it didn't affect the temp much. I'm not really sure I learned anything other than the coral and fish seemed fine without the heated water. Anyway, I just wanted to record this just in case I come home from work today with a crashed tank ***knock on wood**** that doesn't happen

 

One other thing...I think my replacement ink bird *may* be starting to die.... I had to adjust the temp 1.5 degrees up from zero calibration. I got home from work yesterday and my ink bird said 77.5 and my thermometer in the tank was at 79. Good think I still keep a manual thermometer in the tank as a just in case.

Yeah my Finnex controller stopped working well with the heater in the Evo (Cobalt Neotherm). I ended up putting the heater in the display portion of the tank itself and having to set it to 76 because it's a 150W heater for a 13.5g tank. It was making the water 81 on a setting of 78. Now it stays at 78 all the time, and everyone seems happy. Makes me nervous though. I have secondary thermometers on both my saltwater tanks now just to make sure the heaters aren't working.

[DSFIRSTSLTWATER]

8 minutes ago, Dirté Sanchez said:

Yeah my Finnex controller stopped working well with the heater in the Evo (Cobalt Neotherm). I ended up putting the heater in the display portion of the tank itself and having to set it to 76 because it's a 150W heater for a 13.5g tank. It was making the water 81 on a setting of 78. Now it stays at 78 all the time, and everyone seems happy. Makes me nervous though. I have secondary thermometers on both my saltwater tanks now just to make sure the heaters aren't working.

Heaters suck! This is my second ink bird in the two years I've had my tank. You have some calibration with it so it's not terrible, but it makes me have a thermometer in the tank i can glance at every now and then. One day i'll try a different means of temp control..maybe when I win the lottery . If I do have to get a new ink bird I'm going with the replaceable probe.

[StinkyBunny]

We use the Weipro controllers at home now and they hold the temp within .5 degree. I do have one Finnex back on my 80 in the back.

[DSFIRSTSLTWATER]

1 minute ago, StinkyBunny said:

We use the Weipro controllers at home now and they hold the temp within .5 degree. I do have one Finnex back on my 80 in the back.

How much are those controllers?? I have to stick with the less expensive for the time being. All in all the ink bird isn't that bad.. just the probe doesn't seem super reliable for long term.

[StinkyBunny]

31 minutes ago, DSFIRSTSLTWATER said:

How much are those controllers?? I have to stick with the less expensive for the time being. All in all the ink bird isn't that bad.. just the probe doesn't seem super reliable for long term.

https://www.fish-street.com/weipro_mx1021_300w_ic_heater_for_aquarium_1

[DSFIRSTSLTWATER]

13 minutes ago, StinkyBunny said:

https://www.fish-street.com/weipro_mx1021_300w_ic_heater_for_aquarium_1

thank you!! That's not as much as I figured it would be.

[DSFIRSTSLTWATER]

What could it be......my guess a tiger 🤗

[DSFIRSTSLTWATER]

Well here it is. I went and bought a little blue green reef chromis. It's a bad pic because he's swimming around eating food I put in plus the lights are just starting to come on. I'll grab a better pic later. So far the clown was only a tool for a second. Good sign he's eating and active though 👍

[ECLS Reefer]

Cute!!!!

[DSFIRSTSLTWATER]

1 hour ago, Dirté Sanchez said:

Cute!!!!

I'm surprised the clown and him are swimming around together. I'll grab a better pic.

[DSFIRSTSLTWATER]

Well this is about the best I can do...

[DSFIRSTSLTWATER]

Well I think it looks good with all the hammers and frogspawns on one side. Now I have all that open area for sps. Thanks for the tip ratvan 🤗

I guess the pic helps lol

[Ratvan]

Look good, jealous of your LPS

[DSFIRSTSLTWATER]

3 hours ago, Ratvan said:

Look good, jealous of your LPS

Thanks man . I have to say I do pretty well with them. I can't keep soft corals alive though... Really weird, but hey, I like stony corals more so it's not that much of a loss... I have one acan that's not well and not really sure why. The whole left side of the rocks will hopefully be sps. Still trying to limp the tank along through the ugly fazes. I'm trying to keep the algae short.. what a PITA.

[DSFIRSTSLTWATER]

oh boy!!!! I have an update.....Too be continued...................

 

@jack1978 I have taken a page from your book 😉

[jack1978]

3 minutes ago, DSFIRSTSLTWATER said:

oh boy!!!! I have an update.....Too be continued...................

 

@jack1978 I have taken a page from your book 😉

Good man, I like your style.

[DSFIRSTSLTWATER]

Just now, jack1978 said:

Good man, I like your style.

I can't wait to show you what I have coming.....

[DSFIRSTSLTWATER]

Update..... I have a tracking number!

 

Jack, I totally get why you tease, this is so much fun 😅.

 

 

[DSFIRSTSLTWATER]

Ohh check this shit out... This frogspawn is fully extended and my little hammer looks like a topper