Dogfish

Nice stuff

I have worked with EPDM sheets. The main issue is bonding to the substrate. Surfaces need to be clean and smooth before the glue is applied

I have also done epoxy. Thats what I did on my fish room floor. I used a products that did not require acid etching. I do have a floor drain but found the spills and accidents I have had were easy to clean up with a shop vac rather than pushing it all down the drain. This is what I used. Since it was new concrete I just damp mopped my floor. My wall edges were concrete, very rough and you could see pebbles. I coated the .... out of the sides.

I have never used rubber paint. I assume its a bit like doing epoxy. You want the surface to be dry (ESP NEW CONCRETE) and clean. Sometimes products require a primer so they will stick to the substrate. To prevent moist air from getting underneath and moisture from coming up thru the ground and lifting the coating. You can do a strip test if you think moisture is coming up form the ground. You dont want bubbles to form that can be punctured or cause it come come off vertical surfaces. Any cracks, seams and places where you have wood frame meet floor will need to be filled with crack sealer or seam tape. When applying, if its like epoxy, dont be shy about putting down the proper amount per sq foot. I think with rubber, you come back and add more layers to build up the thickness. If this is the case be sure not to apply too much in 1 coat. It can cause it not to dry properly.

Be sure to youtube for more info on your application

Hope this helps a bit

You and a few others. She smells a bit fishy to me.

All I can say is pray to the stick gods and keep trying different things. You will hit the sweet spot eventually.

I will take PM

They have a discount on some MAP priced items for the 4th

I got a good deal on a reeflo pump, compared to BRS pricing

https://premiumaquatics.com/

4 hours ago, Jimbo662 said:

As I was reading this I kept thinking "is this my future he's talking about?" I've been renting for the past several years and decided it's time to buy my own place again. I think my best option is a townhouse where there's no outside maintenance. I've been browsing the options out there and one thing I keep looking for is a floorplan with that open area under the stairs to hide all the equipment! 

here ya go. ;     Gardens at Teravista - Round Rock, TX

Cleaning house (garage) in Wimberley.    So far I have this

BRS Calcium Chloride 7 lb bag $10 new
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/7-pounds-bulk-calcium-chloride-bulk-reef-supply.html

Hydro auto feeder used 1 time $10
https://www.amazon.com/Hydor-Automatic-Fish-Feeder-Connection/dp/B0002Z7VQY?ref_=bl_dp_s_web_3118478011

B-ionic Magnesium 32oz $5 new
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/esv-b-ionic-magnesium.html

Aqueon type 55 gallon glass tank 48” with Coral Life 2 bulb T-5 light $75 used
https://www.fishtanksdirect.com/aqueon-tank-black-48x13x20-55-gal.aspx
https://www.amazon.com/Coralife-Aqualight-FRESHWATER-Aquarium-Lighting/dp/B008LZNGFC

Jebao 4 head doser new $50

https://www.amazon.com/Jebao-Programmable-Auto-Dosing-DP-4/dp/B014KKCILE?SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duckduckgo-ffab-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B014KKCILE

Red Sea Part A and Part B sample boxes (free)

I wont try to give an ipinion .

My tank ph was 8.2 before and 8.07 after the reactor. It is now 8.4 a year later

Here is some info from reef keeping magazine

Troubleshooting:

Low Tank pH

After adding a calcium reactor, many aquarists complain that the pH of the tank is lower than it was previously. Aquarists often think that excess CO2 in the effluent that has not had time to react with and dissolve the media is the reason for the reduced pH. However, remember that the calcium reactor is adding alkalinity, mainly in the form of bicarbonate, (which itself will depress the tank pH) until excess CO2 is degassed into the atmosphere. Some of the bicarbonate is then converted into carbonate. This is very similar to the effect observed when adding sodium bicarbonate to your tank as a buffer.

In order to rid the tank of any excess CO2 and maintain a good pH, it is essential to have good circulation at the air/water interface.

The pH can also be boosted by using limewater as top-off water. Limewater (also known as kalkwasser) works by using the CO2 in the tank water and the hydroxide ions from the limewater to increase the alkalinity. In turn, removal of the excess CO2 leads to an increase of the tank pH.

Another popular technique to remove excess CO2 is to degas the effluent, either by running it through an additional container of calcium carbonate chippings or by dripping the effluent into a small container housing an air stone. Results from these methods vary, with some aquarists reporting significant increases in alkalinity or pH and others seeing little observable difference (probably due to different calcium reactor designs and their effectiveness). With both of these methods you must be careful. As the pH is driven back up towards natural seawater levels, some of the bicarbonate is converted into carbonate. Once the water becomes supersaturated with carbonate, it will be more inclined to precipitate onto calcium carbonate surfaces, and some alkalinity will be lost.

3 hours ago, SChambers said:

Is the ICP truly that useful? It looks like a 2 week turn and just from the few tests I've done so far, the results aren't stable from week to week for my tank. I am wondering how reliable the results would be... I would hate to react to a parameter that has since subsided or overcorrect and cause my tank to crash. 

The reason you would do a test now is to see what might be in your water. In 6 months to a year when your tank becomes stable it might be useful to compare, now and then. Like stated above; if you have something weird going on you cant really measure it might be of use to figure it out.

Thats really sucky.

You do have a nice salad mix going on there

Boston Bruins ???

75 a week is pretty impressive.  Especially on that bike.

Strava or Map My Ride ?

What media are you going to run?

Are you adding any magnesium to your tank now? If so, I would add something like NeoMag - High-purity Magnesium Media to your reactor to help keep mag up

I also would set it at 1 bubble per second to start. Geo says start at 30 per minute. When you make adjustments to bubble rate wait a few hours for it to take effect on Ph.

I have a small thin bubble counter which has fine bubbles so my rate would not be the same as yours. But it does go thru a large counter like yours and i see its about 1 bubble per second.

Set your effluent drip rate to a fast drip. You dont want it to clog.

You want the Ph in the reactor to be at about 6.8 for starters. Let it run a few days and check the effects on Alk and Ph in your display tank. Then you can make an adjustment to your effluent rate and/or Co2 bubble rate if needed.

This is from my geo set up instructions

Setting Up and Installing Your New GEO Calcium Carbonate Reactor

Dialing in Your GEO Calcium Carbonate ReactorBefore attempting to dial in the reactor you must first understand how the reactor operates. Water in the reaction chamber is being circulated through the media many times per hour. Water is fed through the reactor rather slow, being just ml per minute. CO2 is slowly added to the reaction chamber and this allows the pH of the water to drop to an acidic level. This in turn allows the media in the chamber to break down and add elements to the water in the cir-culation loop. As water from your aquarium is fed into the loop, water from the reactor rich in calcium and carbonates is allowed to drip back into the sump. Two adjustments will effect the reactor effluent, CO2 bubbles per minute.(BPM) and the effluent drip rate. Increasing the BPM will raise the effluent alkalinity and lower the effluent pH. Increasing the effluent drip rate will raise the effluent pH and lower the effluent alkalinity.Before dialing in the reactor you will want the target values for the aquarium in place. Manually adjust these values with the appropriate buffers. You will also want to record the values of each test to track the effect of your adjustments during dial in. There is no set rule for BPM to gallons of water as aquarium is very different in demands and each reactor would be tuned in to meet those needs. I recommend a starting point of 50 ml per minute (NOT DROPS) and a BMP of 30. It is better to ramp up the values than to start too high and attempt to dial down. Let the reactor run for twelve to twenty four hours between each adjustment and test to see the results. After the initial adjustment you should see an increase in the effluent alkalinity and a drop in pH. If the aquarium values have dropped, increase the BMP. If the aquarium values have remained consistent or increased, allow the reactor to run as is and retest after the given time period. I suggest an increase of BPM no more than 10 at a time. As you are testing and adjusting the BMP, you will also want to keep track of the effluent pH, do not allow this to drop below 6.0 (depending on media used) for a long period of time. Below 6.0 pH, the media will quickly dissolve and turn to a mushy state. Once this has hap-pened, the flow through the reactor is hampered and performance will greatly suffer. If you do see the effluent pH below 6.0, make adjustment to the effluent drip rate, increasing as needed. As a general rule, the effluent alkalinity will be between 2 and 3 times that of your aquarium alkalinity.*If you are using a pH controller to regulate effluent pH, see page 3 of reactor instructions.

Cyano, Hair and other algae is not a big prob unless you have too much. As with any ecosystem "in fighting" is going on. Algae can cover coral, use up nutrients -trace elements, and manufacture chemicals that favor it and could harm corals is there is too much in the water.

Howdy

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-09/rhf/

How about multi head on rocks or plugs?

Here is the results of my triton tests. I dont understand the DOC test  part where Im to enter N from another source. 

Help please.

On 4/20/2019 at 9:42 AM, Christyef said:

How’s the leather looking? Open yet?

It is open somewhat . Needs to get used to flow and light.

As you can see I need to clean the sides.

I have been to both stores.

Elegant Reef and (Salty Fish - Right off 35)

I have had 2 types of flat worms. The outbreak of red ones in my old tank I used flat worm exit and it worked. The new tank, I have red ones in my fuge and nothing will get rid of them. I have not tried a blue nudi. Once it eats them, it will starve with out more. I  have 2 wrasses and so far the worms have not spread to the tank. I believe they need light to propagate. The white ones with forked tail appeared in the fuge for about a month then went away.

3 hours ago, Timfish said:

What was the magnesium?  I'm going to say something missed or unknown if polyps are stopping calcification and dropping off their skeleton.

 

Are you using red and blue grow lights on your refugium?   Had a very brief conversation with Nic from BML at the frag swap and they stopped selling grow lights with just the red and blue spectrum because of (some very complicated reason) it screwed with the plants some how.  Seems reasonable those LED lights may cause problems if used on refugiums.

The  magnesium hovers between 1475 and 1500.

The fuge light is a Viparspectra V300.

www.viparspectra.com:.webloc

x

I have a problem. Water changes are helping (sorto of) 1 year old tank.
3ea 10% water changes in the past 3 days. Added a metal absorption packet this week.
Noticed higher P and N, because of feeding the NPS. P went from .1 to .25 over 3 months and N went from 4 to 12 over the same period of time.
I have reduced the P to back to .1 with GFO and stopped feeding so much to reduce the N.
Timfish would prob ask; I have tried to syphon out a lot of junk in my fuge. It has ulva. I also cleaned the fuge glass.
Also started on a carbon dosing thing to bring N down. All of this the last few days to help fix the issue.
History:
A month a go, bought a nem. I missed 1 weekly DT water change while I was treating it.
I had a brief drop in alk. 9.0 to 8.7. Brought it back up over 2 weeks to 9.2 then back to 9.0 normal.
When the nem was introduced to the tank it move to a mushroom covered shell and might have stung a few.
They have now just about all disappeared on that shell.
At the same time I increased my LEDs from 65% to 70% and upped the white a bit for the nem. I reduced it back to the old levels when things went south.
To add another variable, I bought 2 toadstool leathers from another reefer. They had to be cut off rocks, so they were not happy.
Dipped and added but that might have not killed off any bad unseen organisms.
Changed out the carbon just incase warfare was going to happen.
I also found some Red Sea part A and B and decided to dose it 1 time so see what would happen. Maybe not a good thing.
About the same time the oak pollen appeared. When it rained my water tank turned a nice brown color (rain water supplied house)
I dont mind the look in a water glass, but the smell is not pleasant.
Like last year I added some bleach to my water tank (1ppm). This helped make it drinkable last year and sort of this year.
Last year no effect on my coral.
It goes thru 4 filters, next to last is a 20" carbon 0.5 micron before going into my 6 stage rodi unit.
2 weeks ago I noticed a problem with some of my coral. Things happen all at the same time.
My urchin decided to run over my 18" colony of trumpets and most of the heads were either eaten or knocked off and are now floating around the tank.
My other smaller trumpet colonies have lost their heads and I dont know why. Maybe it decided they taste great and ate them when i was not looking.
It also ran over the top of my duncan colony 12 heads, and now its gone.
Now for the real issue.
My wall frogspawn dropped almost all of its guts, just a small amount remains. My 2 dendros lost all the heads.(3 months in tank) Sun coral is doing well.(added at the same time)
My acan lost 2 heads and the remaining 4 are fair to Midland with the water changes.
The nem is great. The other frogspawns I have are great.
The leathers are doing well as well as one I have had for 9 months.
I have mushrooms that are great and splitting. Torches are great. Bubble is growing. Chalice is growing.
No increase in algae or cyano in the tank.

So was it:
Oak tannins in the oak pollen that effected my tank?
Pathogens introduced from other corals?
Coral war?
Floating heads killing other corals?
Drop in Alk for 1 week?
All of the above?
Some thing Im missing?