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300 Gallon Disaster Reboot


Sascha D.

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5 hours ago, BobcatReefer said:

Their coral section has been really nice the last year or so. 

PSA:  They are moving to a new location soon.

https://www.facebook.com/aquatektropicalfish/posts/10156110653492486

Thanks for the tip! I asked him about the move and he said they will be moving between now and August 31st. I'm following his FB page so I can see when they get going. 

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4 hours ago, Gig 'em @ NDstructible said:

Nice, now that's the best way to make use of waiting on the cable man game!

Oh man, do you want to know the real kicker? I had an appointment from 9-11, the guy didn't how up until 6:45 and then he told me he didn't have enough time to complete the work and I had to reschedule. 

Image result for facepalm gif

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When I took those corals to Aquatek, the owner transferred them straight from my bucket into his tank. The colors of my frags looked better in his holding tank than it does in my display! You can see from the pictures that my water isn't as clear as it could be, but I think the lights has a lot to do with it as well. 

DSC08082.JPG

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  • 2 weeks later...

Quick update!

All of the anemones and nearly all of the corals have been sold! The remaining corals can almost fit onto one frag rack and whatever doesn't fit will go to the LFS when I get some free time. I need to order some epoxy and find homes for all of my colonies in the aquascape. I'm going to try to make it to Houston this weekend to pick up my last 10 fish. If all goes well, then I'll be totally done stocking fish! The backyard project is 99% complete and it's almost time to start on some of those chores that I posted on July 9th. I was able to close out my option position successfully at my target price and that means new lights! I'm going to research some products between now and Labor Day. If anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear them. Going full MH or T-5 is out of the question, so it will have to be all LED or a blended LED/T-5 combo. I already have 4x54w T-5's, but they need to be moved central because they blind me every time I open the hood. :|

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I've been having trouble keeping Alk steady over the last week and couldn't figure out why. All of the equipment seemed to be working and there was still 4" of media in the reactor chamber! It turns out all of the Reborn had been used and the remaining media was Neo Mag! Newb mistake!

b76345238a74f041140cd4d6791a3954.jpg

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

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9 minutes ago, Sascha D. said:

I've been having trouble keeping Alk steady over the last week and couldn't figure out why. All of the equipment seemed to be working and there was still 4" of media in the reactor chamber! It turns out all of the Reborn had been used and the remaining media was Neo Mag! Newb mistake!

b76345238a74f041140cd4d6791a3954.jpg

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk
 

 

dohgiphy.gif

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I've been having trouble keeping Alk steady over the last week and couldn't figure out why. All of the equipment seemed to be working and there was still 4" of media in the reactor chamber! It turns out all of the Reborn had been used and the remaining media was Neo Mag! Newb mistake!

b76345238a74f041140cd4d6791a3954.jpg

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk


Newb! [emoji4]
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Unfortunately, I was NOT able to pick up the fish in Houston this past weekend. That's the second time I was in the area and the seller was unresponsive. It's so hard to give your money away! :eusathink:The remaining corals listed for sale will go to the LFS when I get the chance. Those two big colonies of pocillopora will definitely show a change in uptake! The remaining corals will get mounted into the rocks and I'll finally see a clean sand bed. I haven't decided if I'll reduce my cyphestrea collection or let them grow out. Right now they're on little islands away from the main aquascape. First, finish the backyard renovation!

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Thanks, we've been planning it for like two years! My in-laws want to buy a swing set for my son's birthday, but I'm going to try and put it off a little while. I'm tired of working outside in 100 degree heat! The reef has been a little neglected while all of this was being built and I'm anxious to work inside for a bit. With any luck the sand bed will be cleared by this weekend and I'll start with the epoxy.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Crazy, hectic, chaos? They all describe this last month! It's been pretty insane both at work and at home, but we've gotten through it so far. Where to even start? I sold all of my extra corals cutting the amount of colonies in half. The next day I was attaching corals and a piece of coral broke off into my finger! The amount of blood that comes from a thumb injury is a little alarming.

I finally got injured doing yard work! After 10 tons of gravel, 41 bags of mulch, 1,000+ bricks, digging and plumbing, I broke two toes on my right foot. You would think that I was doing something exciting or dangerous, but I ended up stubbing my toe on a brick! Best not to take a picture.

My boss gave me a raise at work and then announced his retirement later that day! Right before legislative session, which will be awesome. Ugh! It's nice to be recognized, but then I come home and find out one of my LEDs went out. This is my fourth blue channel this year! The fans are working, so I don't know what the problem is. I guess my raise money is effectively spent...:doh:

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What else happened? Oh yeah, my kid was jumping on the bed and busted the footboard. Don't even ask me how because I didn't understand myself. Stupid IKEA furniture! We got a new bedroom set from that new store Living Spaces and it's pretty nice. I also finished hanging the TV above the grill. Now I just need to do the wiring for the cable box and electrical. The electrician is supposed to come on the 29th. My level stays it's straight, but the roof is sloped and it bothers me that it looks crooked :lol::lol:

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Somewhere in the middle of all of that my solenoid went out and I had to buy a new one. I went with the Milwaukee MA957 because it was 70% off with my coupon! I'm enjoying have a bubble counter again.

My last 10 fish will be delivered this week!

  • Desjardini Sailfin Tang
  • Blonde Naso Tang
  • Hawaiian Convict Tang
  • Lyretail Anthias x 7 - I asked for 1 male or all females

With any luck this will be every fish that I add to this aquarium. I still need to catch the damselfish that bite though. Maybe I'll get to it this weekend. 

See the source image

 

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1 hour ago, Gig 'em @ NDstructible said:

That backyard looks amazing! Did you do it all yourself?

I paid a company to run gas lines according to local code and to come pour two trucks of professionally mixed concrete. Everything else took me about 60 hours to complete. I started working on it sometime in May and finished in the first week of August. I posted the finished pictures a few posts ago if you want to scroll up and check it out. I need to throw a party or something, but it's soooo hot!

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4 hours ago, Jimbo662 said:

I love my boring life!  😉

Hey Grand Master Plumbtastic Plumbing Expert! My next two projects are re-plumbing my overflow and return lines with 1" flex and  redesigning my RODI storage and mixing station. How much do you charge again?

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1 hour ago, Sascha D. said:

Hey Grand Master Plumbtastic Plumbing Expert! My next two projects are re-plumbing my overflow and return lines with 1" flex and  redesigning my RODI storage and mixing station. How much do you charge again?

I'm retired but I do a little consulting on the side.  😉

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  • 4 weeks later...

I've noticed a little more algae growth this week, I wonder why...4e05708600493b6fe1e2d3a868a864a0.jpg

The water coming out of the RODI is at 0 TDS, but the water in the barrel is much higher. This is sometimes referred to as TDS creep and it happens over time if you haven't cleaned your holding contains in a while. I'm soaking the barrels with tap water and 2 cups of vinegar each. They should be good by tomorrow! I've been thinking about reworking my mixing station anyway. :book:
 

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