Sascha D.

Looking really good bro! Your tank is going to look better than mine! Tortuosa are notorious for growing slowly, so don't worry if the others outpace it. What type of macro are you keeping in the refugium? If you start to see browning or the algae becoming more translucent, then you need to harvest more frequently.

A few years ago I began to see a decline in the aquarium and increased water changes to correct the problem. I checked the TDS meter on my RODI unit and it read 0 ppm, so I thought it was safe. I lost 99% of my livestock over 6-8 months and in the end found out that the TDS meter was somehow stuck on 0 or not working. The few corals that survived had to be chopped down to frags again. A $5.99 part cost me nearly all of my livestock and three years of growth. Complacency can cost a lot...

The 10 fish that I ordered from EMF would be 31.21% off current LiveAquaria.com prices. It's a great deal if you can swing it!

On 8/27 I got a text from him saying he would be in the Austin area for deliveries.

My tank has been evolving to include more LPS, but is still 80% dominated by SPS with no softies, anemonies or clams. I had previously kept my Alk at 9 - 10 dKH for two years and now keep my range between 125 - 150 ppm or 7 - 8.4 dKH. There is a significant difference in coral health and color between those two time periods, but I also run a different type of aquarium that I believe contributed to the decline. I don't know about anyone else, but I've noticed an increase in film algae growth in times where my Alk has dropped below 7 dKH. It could be unrelated, but worth mentioning as a side note.

That sounds expensive. I guess it's YouTube to the rescue! Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

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 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!

If you're looking for corals, then be sure to check out our classifieds section as well. You can find some great items for sale that are already accustomed to aquarium parameters.

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... 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 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.

Sadly, the remaining items were taken to the LFS. All items have been marked off of the original post.

Biopellet reactors is a tough topic to understand. Basically, a decade or two ago someone figured out that you could increase the bacteria within the water column by manipulating carbon. The increased bacteria would consume nutrients and allow you to stock more heavily or go longer without water changes. Going from least to most potent, you can dose sugar, vinegar, or vodka. Biopellet reactors are an automated way of dosing carbon by keeping food for the bacteria available at all times. This is similar to kalkwasser reactors that automate the mixing of kalk that was previous mixed by hand and dosed separately. Like Ty, Tim and others have said, if your husbandry practices make it hard to keep nitrates and phosphates within acceptable levels then there are several proven solutions to help. Generally, carbon dosing is more effective at removing NO3 and is not recommended for removing PO4 alone. Reduce your bioload (easier said than done ) People in this hobby are natural collectors and it's very hard for most people to keep a low bioload. I keep a reef for the fish and the corals are background material, so it's especially hard for me. Increase manual export through water changes, skimming, or filtration (i.e. socks, canister filters, etc.). I used to do weekly water changes and it's a ton of work unless you have enough money to automate it. It's easier for smaller tanks than bigger ones. Increase natural export by adding a refugium, DSB, scrubbers, etc. DSB, refugiums and scrubbers are heavily debated because they need to be substantial in size to make a great benefit. IMO DSB are an disaster waiting to happen, I've never seen a scrubber work long term, and refugiums are beneficial no matter what size. Increase chemical export by using binders. I'm in the camp with Tim when he says people over filter their water with chemical binders and I stopped using them 2 years ago. Every so often I add carbon short term, but not permanently. Increase bacterial load by getting a bigger tank, adding LR, or carbon dosing. A hoarder that buys a bigger house doesn't suddenly have somewhere to put their stuff, they just fill the empty space with more stuff . Twenty years ago everyone had rock walls filling half or more of their aquarium volume to get as much biological filtration as possible. With the advancements of filtration its extremely rare to see this kind of tank today and I don't find them aesthetically appealing. Whatever anyone says, carbon dosing is hard! Sugar is nearly impossible to use, vinegar isn't that much better, and everyone has bleached their corals at least once with vodka. Biopellets are easier to use, but the manufacturer instructions will crash your tank in a hurry! The pellets that I use say to add 4 cups for every 125 gallons. I used 1/2 cup for 300 gallons and bleached my corals! Every reef is different, but I would start down around 1 tbls to 100g, wait three months and work up from there if you need to.

Why did the mermaid wear seashells? Because she grew out of her B-shells!

If you're serious, then it's illegal to own a GWS. If you're trying to make a joke, then it's a hopelessly bad one.

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.

IMO 90-120 cube is probably the best footprint available. The only reason to go larger is if you want to keep big fish, like angels or large tangs, and they're not really worth the trouble they cause. The equipment available today allows us to stock unimaginable levels of fish compared to 20 years ago and you no longer need a huge reef to have a good fish population. I've come pretty close to downsizing or leaving the hobby altogether more than once over the last three years.

One major project down, time to start another! The house needs some minor repairs and then I'm going to sneak some reef work in before doing anything else.

Haha! I'll make sure my resume has on it that I used to be a beach bum in Galveston and Southern California and used to live right on 6th street in Austin. When I buy my first minivan, I'll get one of those bumper stickers that says "I used to be cool".

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! 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!

That reactor needed a good cleaning anyway!

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! Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

I'm running a 300g tank with a 100g sump, so roughly 300g after adjustments. Median temp in winter is 74 with a home temp of 70-73. Median temp in summer is 79 with a home temp of 75-76. Adding T-5 supplement lights recently added about 2 degrees to my water temp. If I ever get this tank under control I'll try to throw a party or host a meeting and you can check it out.

My aquarium is evaporating about 20g per week and I do a 50g water change once a month. I have two 55g barrels and haven't had a problem with them except around the bulkhead. I'd be interested in buying some replacements and reworking my mixing station. Thanks for the links everyone!

Good ideas all around! I'm definitely going to order some vegetable glycerin. How often do you have to clean the filter of debris? I've been running a calcium reactor since 2013 and only recently found a trick that works for the effluent tube. Thanks ARC members! I was running a slower 1 drop per second effluent with the needle valve at the end of the effluent tube. Sometimes the needle valve would build up with dried deposits (calcium?), slowing the drip rate. Other times a bubble of gas would form in the effluent tube and stop the drip altogether. Moving the needle valve inline fixed the first issue and increasing the effluent rate to 55 ml/min fixed the second. In the last 8 months my effluent has been running smoothly and hasn't stopped once! I test Alk once a week to make everything is in line and adjust the needle wheel if I need more or less output. Make sure you have a check valve on the CO2 line to prevent water from entering the solenoid and corroding it.

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.