Bill's 90G Log - Page 4

Bill14 · 07/18/2009, 09:37 PM

I'm long overdue for an update. Overall, things are going pretty awful.

In quarantine, things were going great. Then about a week or so ago, my male clownfish went and hid under a rock and died the next day. It was so sudden and unexpected I'm not sure there was anything I could do. Then the female clown stopped eating again and was "hiding" in the corner of the tank. Then the other night after lights out I noticed my kole tang in her corner with his tail pointed in her general direction. So, I believe he's been harassing her. I let her get as skinny as I was comfortable with and then started setting up a 10g. When I was about to transfer her she came out and started swimming around and eating again. I didn't want to stress her anymore, so I just left her with the others. So, that brings us to last night when my female flame wrasse started acting a little skittish and was not as active as usual. This morning I was checking out the tank and found the tang dragging the wrasse around the tank by her back tail. She had a huge cut over her eye and her eye was bulging out. I broke up the beating and moved her over to the 10g, but it was far too late. She died a few hours ago. GRRR!!! So, my kole has killed a midas blenny, purple firefish, and a flame wrasse. He will likely be leaving my care as soon as he's done with treatment.

The display is an equally frustrating mess. My ORA Roscoe's is just about completely bleached. It's got some purple left at the very tips and hints of green in the base, but the rest is white. It still gets some polyp extension at night. My red with blue tip milli is started to get very pale as well with minimal polyp extension. The rest of the SPS seem to be doing okay, but their polyp extension is not as good as usual. My zoas are also not opening much these days.

My phosphates are fairly high at .03 (hanna photometer). My calcium has been 390-420 for the last month. My alk has been all over the place. At some point my usage dropped considerably (probably lack of growth from the elevated phosphates). My alk was up to 11.8 when I first noticed the problem (my target is 9-10). I let it come down naturally and then turned the pump back on. I turned it down a bit but not enough as my alk was back up over 11 a few days later. I think I have it finally dialed in again and alk has stabilized to around 9.3. I'd like to feed the corals more to help with the bleaching, but with my phosphates elevated I'm afraid to do too much. I think my phosphates started climbing for a few reasons. My skimmer section had built up fair amount of detritus that I didn't notice until I removed the skimmer to clean it. I vacuumed it all out and cleaned all the equipment. I've also been blasting the rocks and stirring the sand to get as much detritus out as possible. I was doing this every few months, but should have been doing it much more regularly. I've hand pulled the hair algae a few times, but it grows back. It started out green and is now dark brown, so hopefully that's a sign of progress. I also measured the phosphate level in my RO/DI water and it was .02. I've measured in my storage bin and directly out of the filter and got the same thing both times, so at least my bin isn't leaching anything. I have a new RO membrane and DI catridges on the way. I let my RO/DI system go without changing the prefilters for over a year after setting it up. It never clicked that I should change them every 6 months and my pressure was still good so I didn't see the need. I finally changed them in April of this year. I suspect my carbon filter had long been exhausted and allowed some chlorinated water to reach the RO membrane which shortened it's life considerably. I did measure phosphate out of my tap and its .58. So my RO/DI is still has 96% rejection rate for phosphate at least. The filter is still showing 0 TDS with the inline meters which I have now learned are not very accurate. I'm planning on getting a handheld unit for sanity checks in the future.

I think that's all for now. On the bright side, my LPS are doing very well in all the pollution. I'll try to get some pics up of the display in the next day or so.

Bill14 · 07/19/2009, 11:49 AM

I forgot to mention in my last update that I'm looking at upgrading my skimmer. I think my current skimmer (Deltec AP600) is a little undersized for my system. Currently I'm looking at the MSX200, but I'm also checking out the Vertex line. It looks like there is a new Octopus due out soon and I need to check out some of the cone skimmers. I'm open to any suggestions anyone might have.

One other reason I'd like to upgrade is I'm considering starting bacteria and carbon dosing (SunnyX's method). I've already purchased a bacterial supplement that my LFS gets in and slaps their name on. I'm not too impressed with it so far so I've asked them to get in some MicroBacter7 from Brightwell Aquatics. I just don't think my skimmer can handle the extra load that would be required to make this method successful.

ddinox64 · 07/19/2009, 01:44 PM

Wow! I need to start subscribing to threads.

I posted to this thread in May and things were bright. And today not so bright.

Well. to answer your question from three months ago. I bought a 6x54 Build your Aquarium brand lighting system. Never did see pictures of your sump after you shut off pump and it drained. But the only thing that matters is it holds all the water it's suppose to.

My tank is still in garage after getting return system dialed in and aimed to where I belive it needs to be for constant suspension of debris. Disgusting huh? Five six months sitting in the garage while you've gone through the good, the bad and trying to get back to good again.

I turkey baste my rocks in my thirty about once a week. really helps to stay clean and out of the display. You're running a sock to catch any of that detrious? Keep the sump clean. All this hype about nitrate/ite factory is phooy. You either have to clean a sock or vacuum your sump to prevent it. Six of one, half dozen of another.

Don't remember if I mentioned, but I went with a Herbie overflow. Quiet as all get out. Only hear the pump humming. It's even more quiet since I haven't even set it up yet. I'm a douche.

That's another thing. I keep buying stuff to go in my 90 and it's crammed in my 30.

I think that skimmer should work. Looked it up and it's rated for your size tank. How many pounds of rock do you have? Looking back you didn't have much. I'm a firm believer in rock, rock, and more rock for filtration. And I'd stay away from dosing til you get her going on the nice n' easy route first. I also subscribe to the K.I.S.S. system.

Listen to me. Like I know what I'm doing with 8 months experience in reefing with a 30 gallon. And five of those months with a 90 sitting in the garage and everything to make it happen.

Bill14 · 07/19/2009, 11:38 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ddinox64
Wow! I need to start subscribing to threads.

Yes you do. I could use the traffic/advice/support.

Quote:

Originally posted by ddinox64
I posted to this thread in May and things were bright. And today not so bright.

Yep. Amazing how things go bad so quick. I'll keep plugging away though. I'm trying to learn from every setback.

Quote:

Originally posted by ddinox64
Well. to answer your question from three months ago. I bought a 6x54 Build your Aquarium brand lighting system. Never did see pictures of your sump after you shut off pump and it drained. But the only thing that matters is it holds all the water it's suppose to.

Apparently, I uploaded the pic and never posted it. Here's the water level with the return off.

Quote:

Originally posted by ddinox64
My tank is still in garage after getting return system dialed in and aimed to where I belive it needs to be for constant suspension of debris. Disgusting huh? Five six months sitting in the garage while you've gone through the good, the bad and trying to get back to good again.

You have way more patience then I do. Get crackin' on that thing.

Quote:

Originally posted by ddinox64
I turkey baste my rocks in my thirty about once a week. really helps to stay clean and out of the display. You're running a sock to catch any of that detrious? Keep the sump clean. All this hype about nitrate/ite factory is phooy. You either have to clean a sock or vacuum your sump to prevent it. Six of one, half dozen of another.

I used to run a filter sock after basting the rocks. I guess I got lazy because I stopped doing it for some reason. I will definitely do it again. I also have a spare HOB filter that I will run overnight when I baste the rocks to catch and export as much as possible.

Quote:

Originally posted by ddinox64
Don't remember if I mentioned, but I went with a Herbie overflow. Quiet as all get out. Only hear the pump humming. It's even more quiet since I haven't even set it up yet. I'm a douche.

That's another thing. I keep buying stuff to go in my 90 and it's crammed in my 30.

At least you get to make sure it all works first.

Quote:

Originally posted by ddinox64
I think that skimmer should work. Looked it up and it's rated for your size tank. How many pounds of rock do you have? Looking back you didn't have much. I'm a firm believer in rock, rock, and more rock for filtration. And I'd stay away from dosing til you get her going on the nice n' easy route first. I also subscribe to the K.I.S.S. system.

I think I have around 100 lbs. I started out with about 140 and I've removed a bit as I simplified my aquascape and setup misc. secondary tanks for quick projects. It seems to be working. Nitrate is the only parameter I consistently keep low. 0.2 when I checked a few weeks ago. I'm leaning more and more toward the KISS method. I actually consider the bacteria and carbon dosing part of that method. It makes perfect sense to me and seems quite natural. I'm hoping with that method, I'll only have to run carbon, maintain a skimmer, and do water changes. Of course nothing I've tried has been that simple.

Quote:

Originally posted by ddinox64
Listen to me. Like I know what I'm doing with 8 months experience in reefing with a 30 gallon. And five of those months with a 90 sitting in the garage and everything to make it happen.

Sometimes I wish I would have started smaller. Learn things without such a high cost to mistakes. But at the same time, I shudder to think what my inconsistent parameters would look like on a smaller tank.

Catastrophi · 07/20/2009, 12:27 AM

is your sump a standard 29 gallon? or a 30gallon long?

Bill14 · 07/20/2009, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Catastrophi
is your sump a standard 29 gallon? or a 30gallon long?

It's a 30g long I believe. It's 36"x12"x16". I actually wish it was a little big wider. Unfortunately, the next size up in standard sizes is a 40g breeder which is a little too wide for my stand.

ddinox64 · 07/20/2009, 05:28 PM

Ah! Now I see. It's a good feeling knowing you'll never have to worry about water on the floor.

I actually thought about picking up one of those 2 little Fish things too to control the GHA. Suppose to be good for that. So I heard/read. It looks pretty swaying in the current. It's been holding steady in about four locations at about a dime size each for the last few months not spreading. Yet.

I haven't done a water test since May 23rd in which my last water change was two days before that. But it looks good. Everything is growing and looks healthy.

That's my trick to keeping things consistant. By not changing anything. Just top off.

Bill14 · 07/20/2009, 10:41 PM

Things are looking better in the display. The hair algae is dying back far enough that I'm noticing all the new aiptasia again.

Tonight my phosphates were down to .02 and my alk was at 8.8 dKH down from 9.3 three days ago. I bumped up the dosing pump a notch and we'll see that can sustain that level.

ddinox64 · 07/21/2009, 05:04 PM

Maybe I'll do a water test today.........................

Bill14 · 07/28/2009, 12:20 AM

Well, when it rains, it pours. I've been extremely busy dealing with some health issues my father in law is having. The tank has pretty much been on auto pilot the last week aside from cleaning the skimmer and filling the ATO. The skimmer has been running like crap. I think this is mostly because there is little left to skim (fishless for 6 weeks). Yesterday the skimmer was making a weird sound, there were no bubbles in the neck, and it was filling the sump with micro bubbles. No idea what was going on, but I was headed out the door to the hospital and didn't have time to mess with it, so I just turned it off. When I got home about 8 hours later, every coral in the tank was stressed and many of the SPS were bleaching or RTNing (I'm not sure how to tell the difference). I immediately fired the skimmer back up. Some of the LPS started recovering pretty quickly, but the SPS weren't so lucky. Then this morning, the power went out for a couple of hours. I'm not sure if it caused anymore damage, but it couldn't have helped. When I got home from work, things were looking worse for the SPS. The LPS were looking better, except for the frogspawn which still had little polyp extension. But once again I was heading out the door to help my father in law. I really don't have time to deal with this right now (not that I would have a plan of action if I did have time).

I'm not sure what caused this. The only thing I can think of is the tank was not properly oxygenated with the skimmer off. I assumed my surface agitation from the two Vortech's would be enough for that, but I can't think of any other reasons. My parameters are all good.

Alk: 8.6
Ca: 390
Mg: 1365
NO3: .2
PO4: .02
Salinity: 1.027 (a little high, but not catastrophic)

Here's some pics of the damage from yesterday. Things look worse today.

ORA Roscoe's

Teal acro

Teal acro closeup

Yellow/Green slimer

Red w/ blue tips milli

Birds of Paradise - looks best of the SPS but is still lacking any polyp extension

ORA Spongodes

Frogspawn

I'm open to any suggestions. I have no idea what to do at this point.

jlemoine2 · 08/05/2009, 11:07 AM

Really? Nobody has an idea what would cause Bill's problem by simply shutting of the skimmer for a short while?

It's possible the skimmer thing is just a coincidence, but it appears all the corals looked suddenly stressed from this event. I find it unlikely that something else was slowly building up that would cause such a quick decline.

Bill, what is the current status?

Bill14 · 08/05/2009, 12:09 PM

I lost the Teal acro, blue tip acro and grape limeade. The ORA Roscoe's is almost completely lost. It still has a bit of purple on a few of the tips that appear to be spreading. Perhaps I'm just seeing what I want to see at this point. All the birdsnests were stressed, but seem to have weathered the storm. My zoas are also starting to slowly open back up.

I'm still not positive of the cause at the moment. My best theory is that the SPS were weakened from the slightly elevated phosphates (that were down to .02 when the event occurred) and then I had my alkalinity creep up to 11.8 (which had naturally dropped to 8.6 when the event occurred). Then I had started dosing a bacterial supplement a few weeks before which likely caused an increase in oxygen usage. That coupled with the lack of a skimmer for a few hours was enough to push the weakened SPS over the edge. Although the oxygen couldn't have been that low since I didn't lose any snails in the event. I'm certainly open to any other theories.

To add insult to injury, apparently my dosing pump does not automatically recover from a power outage. I didn't notice it wasn't on until yesterday. Alk had only dropped to 7.4 over the week it has been off. If things in the tank had been healthy and growing, that would have been a huge issue. That's a mistake that only happens once. I'll likely be over checking it now.

The quarantine tank inhabitants are still doing well. My sg is 1.017 as of last night. Should be back up to 1.026 by the end of the weekend.

I will be upgrading my skimmer on this tank to something a little more overpowered. I'll likely be going with the Vertex IN-180. This will require me to change my baffle configuration in sump. I'll take lots of pics when I get around to making the change.

HighlandReef · 08/05/2009, 01:20 PM

nice tank

ddinox64 · 08/05/2009, 06:58 PM

Dang man. Haven't pulled back yet?

I just finished puting everything into my 90 from the 30. What a chore. Then had to rescape about twenty times and almost sorta kinds satisfied....................................................For now.

Fish are still alive. Got my pods delivered today. Lots of them and huge too. So one bag into sump, other in display. Added a light to the fuge too.

So Bill. We'll have to see how long this lasts. Hopefully I don't have your luck. Well, I do but in other areas of my life.

Keep a stiff upper lip man.

ddinox64 · 08/05/2009, 06:59 PM

And I'd post pictures if I knew how. I hate Vista.

Bill14 · 08/06/2009, 12:19 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ddinox64
Dang man. Haven't pulled back yet?

I just finished puting everything into my 90 from the 30. What a chore. Then had to rescape about twenty times and almost sorta kinds satisfied....................................................For now.

Fish are still alive. Got my pods delivered today. Lots of them and huge too. So one bag into sump, other in display. Added a light to the fuge too.

So Bill. We'll have to see how long this lasts. Hopefully I don't have your luck. Well, I do but in other areas of my life.

Keep a stiff upper lip man.

Sounds like your tank is coming along well. You should start a build thread so we can follow along and watch it grow. If you do, post a link so I can check it out. Posting pics is a piece of cake. Shoot me a PM if you want some help and I'll walk you through it.

Bill14 · 08/07/2009, 12:16 AM

I pulled the trigger on a new skimmer today. I got the Vertex IN-180. This thing is way bigger then my Deltec AP600 I'm using now. It's much quieter too.

I have it in a new 30g that will be my new sump. It's running in some water I just pulled out for a water change to start it breaking in. Here's some pics after it was running for about 10 minutes.

ddinox64 · 08/07/2009, 08:53 PM

Ooooh! New toy.

That thing looks like it's in shallow water, but is pushing bubbles like crazy.

I ripped my tank half way apart. Broke coral tongs and yelled some cus words to get a damsel out that was terrorizing my new Blue Tang. The kid wanted Dory, and so did I. He wont ever do that again. Well, maybe in fish hell he is. Notice the "is" is current text.

I was getting use to the rock layout too thinking I don't need to mess with it anymore.

I have Vista and can't find a good image resizer for it. Or atleast one I can use Like I could in XP. The only pictures I have posted is before our computer took a dump. Didn't want to spend another $100 do downgrade, Yes, they charge to downgrade. That's probably why the don't design a program for Vista. Making too much from people still wantng XP.

I hope that thing does the trick for you.

Bill14 · 08/10/2009, 12:38 PM

Saturday night and Sunday morning I replaced my sump. The new skimmer wouldn't fit in the baffle setup of the old sump, so I decided to just replace the whole thing. It sounded simple enough, but of course I put that sump in before the ATO container and shelf were put in the stand. I ended up having to pull everything out of the stand just to get the old sump out. What I thought was going to be a couple hour project turned into a 5 hour ordeal.

When I started pulling stuff out of the fuge, this is what I found. I suspect this is the cause of my algae problem. It certainly wasn't helping anything. The smell was pretty awful and got worse the more I pulled out.

Here is what the old sump/stand setup looked like.

And the new sump and skimmer. The dosing containers are still in front of the sump. I just moved them so you could see the equipment layout in the sump.

Side by side of the old skimmer and the new one

I didn't redo any of the plumbing for now. I just fully opened the valve that was controlling flow to my old skimmer and left the line that was feeding my fuge in place. I'll likely simplify it later. I also need to redo my return plumbing. My return pump can't sit far enough toward the end of the sump just yet. I also can't use my current ATO switch holder because it won't reach the lower water level. So, I need to either put the skimmer on a stand and raise the water level or rebuild the switch holder. This is a high priority for me to resolve since I'd like the water level in the sump constant for the skimmer. I'm also planning on building an eggcrate basket for chaeto to sit in. I'm not planning on having any rock or sand in the sump now. Too much of a detritus trap.

jlemoine2 · 08/10/2009, 12:49 PM

The picture of your refuge is gross, and would seem like a large contributor to the algae problems in the display. I wonder why you had this problem, many folks run a refuge without having that kind of gunk build up.

The new skimmer is sweet!

When will your fish be ready to go back to the display?

Bill14 · 08/10/2009, 12:50 PM

I came up with a better way to hold my ATO and dosing pump tubing in my sump. I got one of those airline tubing gang valve holders and ripped the valve off of it to just use the plastic part as a tube holder. Much cleaner and easier to deal with.

Original gang valve setup

Plastic holder without the valve

And here it is doing it's job. The dosing pump tubing was smaller then normal airline, so I had to use a little tape to hold things in place.

Bill14 · 08/10/2009, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jlemoine2
The picture of your refuge is gross, and would seem like a large contributor to the algae problems in the display. I wonder why you had this problem, many folks run a refuge without having that kind of gunk build up.

The new skimmer is sweet!

When will your fish be ready to go back to the display?

No idea on the fuge. Either my setup was flawed (rock and sand) or they require more maintenance then I was giving it. I will continue growing chaeto in the sump, but I won't keep any sand or rock in it.

The quaratine tank is back up to 1.026. I'm planning on taking my Kole tang to the LFS today for some credit. Before I put the fish back in the display, I need to get new partners for them. I'll likely pick up a new clown and get a new female flame wrasse ordered so I can get started on quarantine for each. I'm waiting to reintroduce those two fish to the display until their new partners can be introduced with them. I would like some feedback on this plan. My thinking is if I introduce my existing fish now and then try to add their partners later, I'll have territorial disputes between the existing and new fish. I was thinking adding the new partners and the existing fish at the same time would help avoid this and they can work things out together. Any input? Am I overthinking this?

I can put the goby in now. I'll probably wait on the coral beauty to be one of the last fish in as it seems to be the most aggressive of my remaining fish. I'm still working out my final fish stocking list.

jlemoine2 · 08/10/2009, 01:25 PM

I would not think it would be a problem to introduce a young clown to a system with a single female. From what I understand, clowns are easily mated, even if not introduced at the same time. Maybe others have more experience with this.

In regard the flame wrasse, I can see being more cautious. With an expensive fish, you would not want your male terrorizing a new female, so maybe introducing them at the same time is acceptably cautious.

What do others think?

jlemoine2 · 08/10/2009, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bill14
I came up with a better way to hold my ATO and dosing pump tubing in my sump. I got one of those airline tubing gang valve holders and ripped the valve off of it to just use the plastic part as a tube holder. Much cleaner and easier to deal with.

And here it is doing it's job. The dosing pump tubing was smaller then normal airline, so I had to use a little tape to hold things in place.

The tape may not last long due to the damp and humid environment in your stand. Perhaps you could try wrapping a section of the airline with tape, so it is fatter. This might allow it to be held snug by the gang valve holders.

Bill14 · 08/10/2009, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jlemoine2
The tape may not last long due to the damp and humid environment in your stand. Perhaps you could try wrapping a section of the airline with tape, so it is fatter. This might allow it to be held snug by the gang valve holders.

That's a good point. I'll try the wrapping it and see how it holds. Thanks!

08/05/2009, 11:07 AM	#86
jlemoine2 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Boise, Idaho Posts: 200	Really? Nobody has an idea what would cause Bill's problem by simply shutting of the skimmer for a short while? It's possible the skimmer thing is just a coincidence, but it appears all the corals looked suddenly stressed from this event. I find it unlikely that something else was slowly building up that would cause such a quick decline. Bill, what is the current status? __________________ -James Current Tank Info: 120 gallon reef w/ 40 gallon frag tank.

08/10/2009, 12:49 PM	#95
jlemoine2 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Boise, Idaho Posts: 200	The picture of your refuge is gross, and would seem like a large contributor to the algae problems in the display. I wonder why you had this problem, many folks run a refuge without having that kind of gunk build up. The new skimmer is sweet! When will your fish be ready to go back to the display? __________________ -James Current Tank Info: 120 gallon reef w/ 40 gallon frag tank.

08/10/2009, 01:25 PM	#98
jlemoine2 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Boise, Idaho Posts: 200	I would not think it would be a problem to introduce a young clown to a system with a single female. From what I understand, clowns are easily mated, even if not introduced at the same time. Maybe others have more experience with this. In regard the flame wrasse, I can see being more cautious. With an expensive fish, you would not want your male terrorizing a new female, so maybe introducing them at the same time is acceptably cautious. What do others think? __________________ -James Current Tank Info: 120 gallon reef w/ 40 gallon frag tank.

07/18/2009, 09:37 PM	#76
Bill14 Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 234	I'm long overdue for an update. Overall, things are going pretty awful. In quarantine, things were going great. Then about a week or so ago, my male clownfish went and hid under a rock and died the next day. It was so sudden and unexpected I'm not sure there was anything I could do. Then the female clown stopped eating again and was "hiding" in the corner of the tank. Then the other night after lights out I noticed my kole tang in her corner with his tail pointed in her general direction. So, I believe he's been harassing her. I let her get as skinny as I was comfortable with and then started setting up a 10g. When I was about to transfer her she came out and started swimming around and eating again. I didn't want to stress her anymore, so I just left her with the others. So, that brings us to last night when my female flame wrasse started acting a little skittish and was not as active as usual. This morning I was checking out the tank and found the tang dragging the wrasse around the tank by her back tail. She had a huge cut over her eye and her eye was bulging out. I broke up the beating and moved her over to the 10g, but it was far too late. She died a few hours ago. GRRR!!! So, my kole has killed a midas blenny, purple firefish, and a flame wrasse. He will likely be leaving my care as soon as he's done with treatment. The display is an equally frustrating mess. My ORA Roscoe's is just about completely bleached. It's got some purple left at the very tips and hints of green in the base, but the rest is white. It still gets some polyp extension at night. My red with blue tip milli is started to get very pale as well with minimal polyp extension. The rest of the SPS seem to be doing okay, but their polyp extension is not as good as usual. My zoas are also not opening much these days. My phosphates are fairly high at .03 (hanna photometer). My calcium has been 390-420 for the last month. My alk has been all over the place. At some point my usage dropped considerably (probably lack of growth from the elevated phosphates). My alk was up to 11.8 when I first noticed the problem (my target is 9-10). I let it come down naturally and then turned the pump back on. I turned it down a bit but not enough as my alk was back up over 11 a few days later. I think I have it finally dialed in again and alk has stabilized to around 9.3. I'd like to feed the corals more to help with the bleaching, but with my phosphates elevated I'm afraid to do too much. I think my phosphates started climbing for a few reasons. My skimmer section had built up fair amount of detritus that I didn't notice until I removed the skimmer to clean it. I vacuumed it all out and cleaned all the equipment. I've also been blasting the rocks and stirring the sand to get as much detritus out as possible. I was doing this every few months, but should have been doing it much more regularly. I've hand pulled the hair algae a few times, but it grows back. It started out green and is now dark brown, so hopefully that's a sign of progress. I also measured the phosphate level in my RO/DI water and it was .02. I've measured in my storage bin and directly out of the filter and got the same thing both times, so at least my bin isn't leaching anything. I have a new RO membrane and DI catridges on the way. I let my RO/DI system go without changing the prefilters for over a year after setting it up. It never clicked that I should change them every 6 months and my pressure was still good so I didn't see the need. I finally changed them in April of this year. I suspect my carbon filter had long been exhausted and allowed some chlorinated water to reach the RO membrane which shortened it's life considerably. I did measure phosphate out of my tap and its .58. So my RO/DI is still has 96% rejection rate for phosphate at least. The filter is still showing 0 TDS with the inline meters which I have now learned are not very accurate. I'm planning on getting a handheld unit for sanity checks in the future. I think that's all for now. On the bright side, my LPS are doing very well in all the pollution. I'll try to get some pics up of the display in the next day or so.

07/19/2009, 11:49 AM	#77
Bill14 Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 234	I forgot to mention in my last update that I'm looking at upgrading my skimmer. I think my current skimmer (Deltec AP600) is a little undersized for my system. Currently I'm looking at the MSX200, but I'm also checking out the Vertex line. It looks like there is a new Octopus due out soon and I need to check out some of the cone skimmers. I'm open to any suggestions anyone might have. One other reason I'd like to upgrade is I'm considering starting bacteria and carbon dosing (SunnyX's method). I've already purchased a bacterial supplement that my LFS gets in and slaps their name on. I'm not too impressed with it so far so I've asked them to get in some MicroBacter7 from Brightwell Aquatics. I just don't think my skimmer can handle the extra load that would be required to make this method successful.

07/19/2009, 01:44 PM	#78
ddinox64 Moved On Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Ca. Posts: 1,327	Wow! I need to start subscribing to threads. I posted to this thread in May and things were bright. And today not so bright. Well. to answer your question from three months ago. I bought a 6x54 Build your Aquarium brand lighting system. Never did see pictures of your sump after you shut off pump and it drained. But the only thing that matters is it holds all the water it's suppose to. My tank is still in garage after getting return system dialed in and aimed to where I belive it needs to be for constant suspension of debris. Disgusting huh? Five six months sitting in the garage while you've gone through the good, the bad and trying to get back to good again. I turkey baste my rocks in my thirty about once a week. really helps to stay clean and out of the display. You're running a sock to catch any of that detrious? Keep the sump clean. All this hype about nitrate/ite factory is phooy. You either have to clean a sock or vacuum your sump to prevent it. Six of one, half dozen of another. Don't remember if I mentioned, but I went with a Herbie overflow. Quiet as all get out. Only hear the pump humming. It's even more quiet since I haven't even set it up yet. I'm a douche. That's another thing. I keep buying stuff to go in my 90 and it's crammed in my 30. I think that skimmer should work. Looked it up and it's rated for your size tank. How many pounds of rock do you have? Looking back you didn't have much. I'm a firm believer in rock, rock, and more rock for filtration. And I'd stay away from dosing til you get her going on the nice n' easy route first. I also subscribe to the K.I.S.S. system. Listen to me. Like I know what I'm doing with 8 months experience in reefing with a 30 gallon. And five of those months with a 90 sitting in the garage and everything to make it happen.

07/20/2009, 12:27 AM	#80
Catastrophi Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Beaumont, TX Posts: 326	is your sump a standard 29 gallon? or a 30gallon long?

07/20/2009, 05:28 PM	#82
ddinox64 Moved On Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Ca. Posts: 1,327	Ah! Now I see. It's a good feeling knowing you'll never have to worry about water on the floor. I actually thought about picking up one of those 2 little Fish things too to control the GHA. Suppose to be good for that. So I heard/read. It looks pretty swaying in the current. It's been holding steady in about four locations at about a dime size each for the last few months not spreading. Yet. I haven't done a water test since May 23rd in which my last water change was two days before that. But it looks good. Everything is growing and looks healthy. That's my trick to keeping things consistant. By not changing anything. Just top off.

07/20/2009, 10:41 PM	#83
Bill14 Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 234	Things are looking better in the display. The hair algae is dying back far enough that I'm noticing all the new aiptasia again. Tonight my phosphates were down to .02 and my alk was at 8.8 dKH down from 9.3 three days ago. I bumped up the dosing pump a notch and we'll see that can sustain that level.

07/21/2009, 05:04 PM	#84
ddinox64 Moved On Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Ca. Posts: 1,327	Maybe I'll do a water test today.........................

07/28/2009, 12:20 AM	#85
Bill14 Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 234	Well, when it rains, it pours. I've been extremely busy dealing with some health issues my father in law is having. The tank has pretty much been on auto pilot the last week aside from cleaning the skimmer and filling the ATO. The skimmer has been running like crap. I think this is mostly because there is little left to skim (fishless for 6 weeks). Yesterday the skimmer was making a weird sound, there were no bubbles in the neck, and it was filling the sump with micro bubbles. No idea what was going on, but I was headed out the door to the hospital and didn't have time to mess with it, so I just turned it off. When I got home about 8 hours later, every coral in the tank was stressed and many of the SPS were bleaching or RTNing (I'm not sure how to tell the difference). I immediately fired the skimmer back up. Some of the LPS started recovering pretty quickly, but the SPS weren't so lucky. Then this morning, the power went out for a couple of hours. I'm not sure if it caused anymore damage, but it couldn't have helped. When I got home from work, things were looking worse for the SPS. The LPS were looking better, except for the frogspawn which still had little polyp extension. But once again I was heading out the door to help my father in law. I really don't have time to deal with this right now (not that I would have a plan of action if I did have time). I'm not sure what caused this. The only thing I can think of is the tank was not properly oxygenated with the skimmer off. I assumed my surface agitation from the two Vortech's would be enough for that, but I can't think of any other reasons. My parameters are all good. Alk: 8.6 Ca: 390 Mg: 1365 NO3: .2 PO4: .02 Salinity: 1.027 (a little high, but not catastrophic) Here's some pics of the damage from yesterday. Things look worse today. ORA Roscoe's Teal acro Teal acro closeup Yellow/Green slimer Red w/ blue tips milli Birds of Paradise - looks best of the SPS but is still lacking any polyp extension ORA Spongodes Frogspawn I'm open to any suggestions. I have no idea what to do at this point.

08/05/2009, 12:09 PM	#87
Bill14 Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 234	I lost the Teal acro, blue tip acro and grape limeade. The ORA Roscoe's is almost completely lost. It still has a bit of purple on a few of the tips that appear to be spreading. Perhaps I'm just seeing what I want to see at this point. All the birdsnests were stressed, but seem to have weathered the storm. My zoas are also starting to slowly open back up. I'm still not positive of the cause at the moment. My best theory is that the SPS were weakened from the slightly elevated phosphates (that were down to .02 when the event occurred) and then I had my alkalinity creep up to 11.8 (which had naturally dropped to 8.6 when the event occurred). Then I had started dosing a bacterial supplement a few weeks before which likely caused an increase in oxygen usage. That coupled with the lack of a skimmer for a few hours was enough to push the weakened SPS over the edge. Although the oxygen couldn't have been that low since I didn't lose any snails in the event. I'm certainly open to any other theories. To add insult to injury, apparently my dosing pump does not automatically recover from a power outage. I didn't notice it wasn't on until yesterday. Alk had only dropped to 7.4 over the week it has been off. If things in the tank had been healthy and growing, that would have been a huge issue. That's a mistake that only happens once. I'll likely be over checking it now. The quarantine tank inhabitants are still doing well. My sg is 1.017 as of last night. Should be back up to 1.026 by the end of the weekend. I will be upgrading my skimmer on this tank to something a little more overpowered. I'll likely be going with the Vertex IN-180. This will require me to change my baffle configuration in sump. I'll take lots of pics when I get around to making the change.

08/05/2009, 01:20 PM	#88
HighlandReef Chalice Monger Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: NW Indiana Posts: 1,163	nice tank

08/05/2009, 06:58 PM	#89
ddinox64 Moved On Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Ca. Posts: 1,327	Dang man. Haven't pulled back yet? I just finished puting everything into my 90 from the 30. What a chore. Then had to rescape about twenty times and almost sorta kinds satisfied....................................................For now. Fish are still alive. Got my pods delivered today. Lots of them and huge too. So one bag into sump, other in display. Added a light to the fuge too. So Bill. We'll have to see how long this lasts. Hopefully I don't have your luck. Well, I do but in other areas of my life. Keep a stiff upper lip man.

08/05/2009, 06:59 PM	#90
ddinox64 Moved On Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Ca. Posts: 1,327	And I'd post pictures if I knew how. I hate Vista.

08/07/2009, 12:16 AM	#92
Bill14 Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 234	I pulled the trigger on a new skimmer today. I got the Vertex IN-180. This thing is way bigger then my Deltec AP600 I'm using now. It's much quieter too. I have it in a new 30g that will be my new sump. It's running in some water I just pulled out for a water change to start it breaking in. Here's some pics after it was running for about 10 minutes.

08/07/2009, 08:53 PM	#93
ddinox64 Moved On Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Ca. Posts: 1,327	Ooooh! New toy. That thing looks like it's in shallow water, but is pushing bubbles like crazy. I ripped my tank half way apart. Broke coral tongs and yelled some cus words to get a damsel out that was terrorizing my new Blue Tang. The kid wanted Dory, and so did I. He wont ever do that again. Well, maybe in fish hell he is. Notice the "is" is current text. I was getting use to the rock layout too thinking I don't need to mess with it anymore. I have Vista and can't find a good image resizer for it. Or atleast one I can use Like I could in XP. The only pictures I have posted is before our computer took a dump. Didn't want to spend another $100 do downgrade, Yes, they charge to downgrade. That's probably why the don't design a program for Vista. Making too much from people still wantng XP. I hope that thing does the trick for you.

08/10/2009, 12:38 PM	#94
Bill14 Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 234	Saturday night and Sunday morning I replaced my sump. The new skimmer wouldn't fit in the baffle setup of the old sump, so I decided to just replace the whole thing. It sounded simple enough, but of course I put that sump in before the ATO container and shelf were put in the stand. I ended up having to pull everything out of the stand just to get the old sump out. What I thought was going to be a couple hour project turned into a 5 hour ordeal. When I started pulling stuff out of the fuge, this is what I found. I suspect this is the cause of my algae problem. It certainly wasn't helping anything. The smell was pretty awful and got worse the more I pulled out. Here is what the old sump/stand setup looked like. And the new sump and skimmer. The dosing containers are still in front of the sump. I just moved them so you could see the equipment layout in the sump. Side by side of the old skimmer and the new one I didn't redo any of the plumbing for now. I just fully opened the valve that was controlling flow to my old skimmer and left the line that was feeding my fuge in place. I'll likely simplify it later. I also need to redo my return plumbing. My return pump can't sit far enough toward the end of the sump just yet. I also can't use my current ATO switch holder because it won't reach the lower water level. So, I need to either put the skimmer on a stand and raise the water level or rebuild the switch holder. This is a high priority for me to resolve since I'd like the water level in the sump constant for the skimmer. I'm also planning on building an eggcrate basket for chaeto to sit in. I'm not planning on having any rock or sand in the sump now. Too much of a detritus trap.

08/10/2009, 12:50 PM	#96
Bill14 Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 234	I came up with a better way to hold my ATO and dosing pump tubing in my sump. I got one of those airline tubing gang valve holders and ripped the valve off of it to just use the plastic part as a tube holder. Much cleaner and easier to deal with. Original gang valve setup Plastic holder without the valve And here it is doing it's job. The dosing pump tubing was smaller then normal airline, so I had to use a little tape to hold things in place.