144G Half Circle Mixed Reef

[ALBERTA REEF]

Sorry to hear about the rotten news Carmen...

I've worried a few times with a FULL skimmer cup about spilling on the carpet.. Typically wrap it in a "skimmer only" towel but even then worry about watching my step.. lol

I installed a valve in the skimmer cup, then drain it into a bucket before removel and cleaning.
http://i884.photobucket.com/albums/ac48/ALBERTAREEF/My%20First%2090G%20Reef%20Tank/My%20Second%2090G%20Reef%20Tank/IMG_2154.jpg

[Carmen]

Well, if I didn't procrastinate and I emptied it when it wasn't overflowing I wouldn't have spilled! Lesson learned!:redface::neutral:

[The Grizz]

Ya well quit slacking off then missy:razz::razz:. BTW how is the hex working for you

[Carmen]

Ya well quit slacking off then missy:razz::razz:. BTW how is the hex working for you

Hex is perfect! Thanks Greg.

[The Grizz]

I call dibs if one of your RBTA evey splits, they are sweeeeeet awesome amazing specimens:mrgreen::mrgreen::twised::twised:

[kien]

Sorry to hear about your rough day. If it makes you feel any better I cracked the back of my head on my stand while trying to fish a wrasse out of my sump this evening. It still hurts and I swear I almost knocked myself out :lol:

[Carmen]

I call dibs if one of your RBTA evey splits, they are sweeeeeet awesome amazing specimens:mrgreen::mrgreen::twised::twised:

Keep you in mind Greg! But I think I am supposed to have atleast 2 others I am supposed to keep in mind if it splits!:lol: Maybe I should have a list or somethin....:wink::redface: JK

Sorry to hear about your rough day. If it makes you feel any better I cracked the back of my head on my stand while trying to fish a wrasse out of my sump this evening. It still hurts and I swear I almost knocked myself out :lol:

I did that the other day trying to change the fuge light! Damn tank stands!:wink: Thanks Though Kien!

[The Grizz]

Naaa forget the rest and go with the best:biggrin:ME. You don't need a list, I will just keep bugging you every couple weeks so you don't forget:twised: Who needs enemies when you got a friend like me, eh.:twised:x2

[fishytime]

Bad day........do you ever feel like when it rains...it pours?!....like you would have been better off...just hiding all day........:sad: (if only I could!) Day starts out crappy with some personal stuff getting me down...then I come down to the tank to find a crispy fish on the floor, :sad:, see a couple fallen corals and go to pick them up knocking down two more in the process, fill the top up tank...and miss all over the floor, watch my Flame Angel "pick" at my brain coral which is already dieing...and now I spill skimmer crap on the carpet...ugh...think I will not look at the tank anymore today for fear something else might happen....

My luck with the Skunk Tilefish is 0 for 2!:sad: I won't try another one. Even with the cover the little bugger found a way out. Hope that the other two new tilefish stay put...they don't seem as jumpy but that could be wishful thinking on my part.


Aw... sorry to hear about your bad day .....When I said to dip your brain I didnt mean dip it garlic extreme and and NLS pellets!:mrgreen:..... that sucks about the flame Girly:neutral:...now you know why it wasnt looking too good......do I need to babysit your brain too?

[Carmen]

Aw... sorry to hear about your bad day .....When I said to dip your brain I didnt mean dip it garlic extreme and and NLS pellets!:mrgreen:..... that sucks about the flame Girly:neutral:...now you know why it wasnt looking too good......do I need to babysit your brain too?

Ha ha! :redface: Now I know what you really think of me....:redface:... you know I'm smarter than that...:lol: I did dip it (not in garlic!) and the "melting" has ceased but it certainly isn't looking too hot. "Angelina" was paying "alot" of attention to it for the 2 days after dipping...I am hoping she was just desliming....:neutral: since she seems to be leaving it alone today.... I can be optimistic...can't I?:neutral:

Today is better...but of all the epoxy work I did...only one remains stuck...and I'm sure it's just cuz a snail hasn't wandered by yet. :wink:

I changed one of the bulbs in the T5 to a Geissmann Actinic+ (thanks Josh) just to see if I could get some better color (a little less blue maybe that brings out the colors more)...I will have to take a couple pics mabe tonight to see if it made any difference.

[Delphinus]

You may already know this but I'm compelled to share this tidbit. Underwater epoxy is a putty and not an adhesive. Ie., if you use it to "stick" one thing to another, you're going to be frustrated because it will fail 19 times out of 20.

Instead you have to use it as a filler and fill in gaps and then let it harden. So to make two rocks stick together, you have to set them in such a way that they sit together naturally, and use the epoxy simply for stability support.

If the rocks don't fit together naturally then the epoxy will fail since it has no rigidity during the cure process. Instead, you'll have to shunt and shim with rubble, or take the rocks out, drill them and insert rods (acrylic, fibreglass, pvc, whatever) to form the structural base.

Hope this info helps!

[Carmen]

Thanks Tony! I did know that actually but this particular brand just SUCKS! I have used the two part putty with pretty good success but this stuff I used is a single one part something or other kind and I hate it! It either sets too quickly or it just doesn't "adhere" to anything...even after jamming it in the cracks!
My rocks are actually fairly stable with out anything at all...sorta like a puzzle. I have a few ontop that could use some stabilizing but the base structure is pretty stable...I am comfortable with it anyway. I was using the epoxy last night to place some corals that keep getting knocked down...rock on rock and a couple frags needing positioning...have to run to RC to pick up the good epoxy!

[Carmen]

New Bulb...Any color difference?
and a couple pics...fish were all posing tonight!:mrgreen:
before...
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_01212010Jan21T50003.jpg
after...new bulb
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0218Feb2010Tank0003.jpg
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0218Feb2010Tank0009.jpg
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0218Feb2010Tank0010.jpg
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0218Feb2010Tank0013.jpg
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0218Feb2010Tank0012.jpg
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0218Feb2010Tank0011.jpg
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0218Feb2010Tank0017.jpg
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0218Feb2010Tank0028.jpg
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0218Feb2010Tank0026.jpg

[kien]

Wowzers! I definitely see a difference! Fluorescence in the tank has much more punch now for sure!

[The Grizz]

I agree, nice re work on the aquascaping as well.

[Lance]

The greens, oranges and yellows are definitely brighter now. Nice!

[365seasons]

Looks great Carmen! What a gorgeous tank!


:biggrin:

[Carmen]

Thanks for looking guys! I think the colors are more their "true" colors. Not as "blue" but still makes the colors brighter.:mrgreen:

now if only I could figure out those microbubbles....:neutral:

[Carmen]

My new SPS "frags"....well colonies really (the Milli is bigger than my hand)...from a very generous friend!:wink:
Can't get any pics better than that til I invest in an underwater camera! Camera just won't focus through the curve and then there's the microbubbles...
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0222newsps0010.jpg
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0222newsps0014.jpg

[Leah]

Very nice, Carmen :mrgreen:

[The Grizz]

Sweet piece's hope you can keep them alive better then I can :cry:

[JDigital]

Is that the bulb from me?

Tank looks AWESOME!! TOTM once you get some SPS up top! :mrgreen:

[fishytime]

My new SPS "frags"....well colonies really (the Milli is bigger than my hand)...from a very generous friend!:wink:
Can't get any pics better than that til I invest in an underwater camera! Camera just won't focus through the curve and then there's the microbubbles...


Wow!....nice frags!:mrgreen:.......and she even put them on the bridge.....front and center:redface::redface:
Sweet piece's hope you can keep them alive better then I can :cry:

me too:mrgreen:

[Carmen]

Sweet piece's hope you can keep them alive better then I can :cry:

Wow!....nice frags!:mrgreen:.......and she even put them on the bridge.....front and center:redface::redface:


me too:mrgreen:

Thanks guys! They are pretty awesome! Hope I can keep em alive too...this time. My track record with sps isn't too great. I failed in the 72G...lost a few, browned out the rest. We shall see if I can do things better this time. I hope to pay closer attention to my parameters this time. And no more leathers....
(but then.... I have yet to test Ca, kH or Mg...:redface::redface::neutral: *procrastinating again*:redface:)

Is that the bulb from me?

Tank looks AWESOME!! TOTM once you get some SPS up top! :mrgreen:

Yup...that's the bulb! Looks better hey! I will change out the other one eventually too but I like the color even now better than the insane blue hue)
It will be a LONG time before I am ever in the running for a TOTM Josh!:lol: Gonna take me forever to fill this thing up with corals...$ wise! Ofcourse it helps when friends donate free "COLONIES" !!! :wink: :lol: But thanks for the kind words!:wink:

[JDigital]

Yea, that bulb made a drastic difference. Looks great for sure.

[Leah]

Carmen hopefully you are busy testing...Girl :wink:

[fishytime]

Carmen hopefully you are busy testing...Girl :wink:

:rofl2::rofl2:

J/k Girly........but it does make a huge difference in the tank when things are where they should be:wink:

[Carmen]

Carmen hopefully you are busy testing...Girl :wink:

:redface::redface::redface:
Nope not yet!:neutral::redface:

:rofl2::rofl2:

J/k Girly........but it does make a huge difference in the tank when things are where they should be:wink:

:redface::redface::redface:
Way to rub it in...:neutral:...that was just about mean!~:wink:

[fishytime]

:redface::redface::redface:
Way to rub it in...:neutral:...that was just about mean!~:wink:

aw....you know Im just bugging you, right?.....hey, but not testing has worked out for you in the past right?....

[Carmen]

Trying hard to love my tank right now but we just don't seem to be getting along these days. Perhaps the tank is giving me a kick in the a$$ for procrastinating! So...one of my BlueFace Tilefish is not doing well??? Swimming normally 2 hours before then laying on the sand. That was yesterday...noticed in the evening at feeding time. He is still alive today but not looking great. :sad: Dori also has a nasty ich outbreak (She always gets a spot or two but this is much worse). I am sure she will be OK since she eats like a pig but...
...I figured time to look at things perhaps to see if anything is out. Found my nitrates to be up (AHHHH!)so I am doing a W/C tonight. I am sure it's my own fault for neglecting the tank. :redface: Sorta having a rough time these days and sometimes just feel like maybe I don't have enough time or money to dedicate to the tank.:sad:

Also 100% sure my Flame is eating my brain. :sad: She has done some serious damage. I've covered it with a strawberry basket in hopes it may recover but now I am faced with the dilemma of what to do with my Flame? I love the Flame...but I love LPS...what are the chances that it will leave the other LPS alone???


Hoping things start looking up...

[Leah]

Carmen,

We have day's like this..well maybe not quite like yours. :sad: Cheer up okay or do you want me to call you tomorrow and try and cheer you up.:redface:... like that will help, huh! Hang in there sweetie for me.:smile:

[fishytime]

Trying hard to love my tank right now but we just don't seem to be getting along these days. Perhaps the tank is giving me a kick in the a$$ for procrastinating! So...one of my BlueFace Tilefish is not doing well??? Swimming normally 2 hours before then laying on the sand. That was yesterday...noticed in the evening at feeding time. He is still alive today but not looking great. :sad: Dori also has a nasty ich outbreak (She always gets a spot or two but this is much worse). I am sure she will be OK since she eats like a pig but...
...I figured time to look at things perhaps to see if anything is out. Found my nitrates to be up (AHHHH!)so I am doing a W/C tonight. I am sure it's my own fault for neglecting the tank. :redface: Sorta having a rough time these days and sometimes just feel like maybe I don't have enough time or money to dedicate to the tank.:sad:

Also 100% sure my Flame is eating my brain. :sad: She has done some serious damage. I've covered it with a strawberry basket in hopes it may recover but now I am faced with the dilemma of what to do with my Flame? I love the Flame...but I love LPS...what are the chances that it will leave the other LPS alone???


Hoping things start looking up...

hopefully you see an improvement in the tile fish after the w/c.....

Dont you be thinking like that about your tank now too!(ya wanna talk bout it?)

like I said before, let the brain heal up completely and try again and hopefully the "angel" leaves it and the rest of your lps alone.....if not I'll trade you angels......I have little to no lps left in the big tank:wink:

[JDigital]

I have little to no lps left in the big tank:wink:

But you have LOTS of clams... :lol: aka "Angel"-food cake...

[Carmen]

Thanks guys...hopefully things will get better over time.
Always there to talk hey...:wink:

So Tilefish looks like it won't make it...if I could reach him I would take him out but he's in the back. His fins are all chewed up and it looks like something was gnawing on him right infront of his tail????
Brain is also a lost cause I think...even without the Flame picking.

Tested finally...
SG 1.026
Nitrates 20 before the W/C:redface:
ph 8.26
Ca 480
kH 7
Mg 1320

Will hopefully get a chance to retest tomorrow since the W/C.

SPS all look great... and the glue and epoxy finally stuck...need more though.

[fishytime]

sorry to hear bout the potential losses.......:sad:
hey params arent to far off....just a little tweaking and they would be perfect:wink:.....

[Carmen]

Blueface died. Managed to dig him out from the back of the rocks.
Anyone want a half eaten brain? Just don't think I can do anything to save it.
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0226pump0001.jpg

Repeated tests just to see if W/C affected things.
Nitrates still 20
Ca 500
kH 7
Mg 1280

Should I do another W/C in the next day or so?

[fishytime]

:cry: sorry to hear Girly

You want me to baby sit it for a while???

[JDigital]

Have you tested your WC water for Nitrates BEFORE doing a waterchange? Might want to try that... Lance had a similar Nitrate issue and it was because his WC water already have a 20ppm Nitrate count

[Carmen]

Thanks Josh I will have to check the W/C water.

No, I don't even think it's worth trying the babysitting route...too far gone.

[Carmen]

Caught my beloved Flame Angel and have decided to rehome her. Seeing her eat my brain bit by bit everyday is painful...especially if she decides to move onto some healthy LPS...

Made a Bottle Trap and put the brain in it...10 minutes later CAUGHT!!! :neutral:
Thought I'd post some pics incase anyone wants to know how to make the bottle trap...super cheap, easy, and effective! (Didn't even have to use food with her...:surprise:)

http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0301fishtrap0002.jpg
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0301fishtrap0005.jpg
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0301fishtrap0008.jpg

[Lance]

Nice catch!

[JDigital]

Aww.. that sucks you gotta get rid of her. Gonna try another? Perhaps a Coral Beauty? ;)

[kien]

Aww.. that sucks you gotta get rid of her. Gonna try another? Perhaps a Coral Beauty? ;)

You guys should trade. OH wait, Josh wants a potters, nevermind. You know, I have learned over the past few days that my potters is the most laid back angel I've never had. But please don't hold me to that in case you get a potters that eats the rest of your LPS :cry:

[JDigital]

You guys should trade. OH wait, Josh wants a potters, nevermind. You know, I have learned over the past few days that my potters is the most laid back angel I've never had. But please don't hold me to that in case you get a potters that eats the rest of your LPS :cry:

I'd love to keep my CB and add a Potters, but 50G is gonna be tight for 2 Pygmys I think.. :lol: 2 Faves, 1 Tank. *keeps dreamin*

[kien]

I'd love to keep my CB and add a Potters, but 50G is gonna be tight for 2 Pygmys I think.. :lol: 2 Faves, 1 Tank. *keeps dreamin*

Man, my 150g was too small for two pygmies. Tried the potters in there with the flame.. ya, that wasn't pretty! Good thing the potters practically jumped into the net to get out of that tank :lol::lol:

[Carmen]

Ahhhh a Potters!! Perhaps I should try one of those!!! Hmmmmmm.........:mrgreen::wink::lol:

We'll see...
No New Fish for now... I have to get my nitrates down...another W/C tomorrow. Ran outta energy and didn't getter done today!:redface:

Traded my Flame for a beautiful NEW brain! It is Flippin awesome! Hopin it perks up and nobody else is picking in the tank! Pics as soon as it is happy!:smile:

[lorenz0]

for sure go for a potters carmen, mine is the perfect citizen in my tank. ignores all the coral and just cruises around picking at the rocks

[BC564]

Hey Carmen Have you given any thought to a Singapore Angel.....I have one ...its pretty amazing...gets along great with everyone...

Here is a link
http://www.themarinecenter.com/fish/angelfish/singaporeangel/

[Leah]

Carmen

I would be cautious adding any angel.:wink:

[BC564]

you could also look at a Bellus Angel....they are great also.

[Carmen]

Thanks Blaine...they are both nice angels...for now I am not getting any new fish...MUST RESIST THE TEMPTATION! :redface: Gotta get the nitrates in check and settled in abit more!

Dori now has a cloudy swollen eye. ugh...probably the nitrates or the fact she sleeps in the GSP rock??? Anyways...hopefully she pulls through.
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0302newbrain0011.jpg

Here's my new Brain...Thanks Toolman.
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0302newbrain0009.jpg
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0302newbrain0004.jpg

[The Grizz]

Nice brain Carmen, hope when I switch to all T5's my brain's will open up again.

[BC564]

Carmen are you ready to sell that half circle yet.....?

[Carmen]

Carmen are you ready to sell that half circle yet.....?

Somedays....just about!:redface::neutral:

[Leah]

Somedays....just about!:redface::neutral:

:tsk:
No! no! no! girl, you can't leave me alone on here....:bored:

[Toolman]

Brain is looking good, seems happy to be in your tank. The trigger didn't nip it but was always in its face. The Angel is happy, I am happy I got it home. I have never had a fish bite a hole in the bag before and she must have put 8-10 holes in it.

Randy

[Carmen]

:tsk:
No! no! no! girl, you can't leave me alone on here....:bored:

Not goin anywhere Leah! I'll stick with it...I hope!:wink:

Brain is looking good, seems happy to be in your tank. The trigger didn't nip it but was always in its face. The Angel is happy, I am happy I got it home. I have never had a fish bite a hole in the bag before and she must have put 8-10 holes in it.

Randy

Glad to hear she made it Randy! She has abit of attitude that's for sure! Hope she does well in your tank!

[fishytime]

[QUOTE=Carmen;497641]Thanks Blaine...they are both nice angels...for now I am not getting any new fish...MUST RESIST THE TEMPTATION! :redface: Gotta get the nitrates in check and settled in abit more!

Dori now has a cloudy swollen eye. ugh...probably the nitrates or the fact she sleeps in the GSP rock??? Anyways...hopefully she pulls through.

I wouldnt worry too much bout Dorie, Girly.....My regal routinely gets bumps and bruises in its feeding frenzy.....it always seems to pull through:wink:

[Carmen]

I wouldnt worry too much bout Dorie, Girly.....My regal routinely gets bumps and bruises in its feeding frenzy.....it always seems to pull through:wink:

Actually she's nearly recovered already! Just haven't updated the thread in a couple days! Her eye is fine and her ich is finally starting to disappear!

Thanks again Doug, for watching my blastos...they look great and are big and puffy! And so glad to have some Red Macro back in my tank...kinda missed that stuff! Thanks!:wink:

[Red Coral Aquariums]

All Angels (in my opinion) are a hit and miss with corals. Added are Tank dynamics and fish personalities that can add or subtract to "fish" coral munching. If you find an Angel that behaves you are lucky but that can change at the snap of your fingers or by adding new coral. I am thinking of getting some clear glass domes that cover new corals while fish get used to them.
Anyways thinking out loud again. Tank looks great Carmen, darn sad about your losses, proud to see you keeping your chin up.
Kevin

[Carmen]

All Angels (in my opinion) are a hit and miss with corals. Added are Tank dynamics and fish personalities that can add or subtract to "fish" coral munching. If you find an Angel that behaves you are lucky but that can change at the snap of your fingers or by adding new coral. I am thinking of getting some clear glass domes that cover new corals while fish get used to them.
Anyways thinking out loud again. Tank looks great Carmen, darn sad about your losses, proud to see you keeping your chin up.
Kevin

Thanks Kev,
I know the risks with angels and I took the chance because I just love those Flame Angels! Not sure I will try another one, not for awhile anyway. Hard to resist that flash of color though especially working at the store!!!:lol::redface: But perhaps I'll go with some flashy wrasses instead! SAFER!:wink: The losses come with the hobby...I know that. And it's still worth it!:wink:
On a side note...my remaining BlueFaced Tilefish is doing fantastic even without it's pair...great fish! Always out infront! Love him!

[Carmen]

:lol:I finally found a power supply cord for the Tunze and got it up and running last night. Kinda neat! I am not able to get a true wave with the wavecontroller because of the circle shape of the tank but I can accomplish sorta half a wave on one side and some big ripples ontop!! :biggrin: Anyway, the added flow looks good. Actually all the corals seem to like it, even the anemones.
Thanks to everyone who helped me out with this tunze! :mrgreen:

Happy with the tank this week....:neutral:. Corals all look great and fish too. Dori is fully recovered. Now...I should probably test those nitrates again...:redface:

[Delphinus]

Get the pellets and never worry about nitrate again.

(Just sayin'...)

[Carmen]

Get the pellets and never worry about nitrate again.

(Just sayin'...)

You know Tony, I know very little about them as I have not fully read your thread on them:redface:. Something I do wonder about them is whether or not they would deplete the nutrients to a point that Softies/LPS would not be "happy"?

[Delphinus]

Just feed more. :)

FWIW, the softies I have are zoanthids and gorgonians. Sadly, I don't have LPS in the tank because the butterflies would nip at them so they are not in the same tank. But the zoanthids and gorgs are not negatively impacted at least.

In fact, my purple ribbon gorgonian that has been brown for the last 4 years is starting to turn purple again since starting the pellets.

What I'd do is just start with a small amount. Then you wouldn't be risking a nutrient depletion shock.

Food for thought anyhow. :) I'm not one to give in to fads and am usually cynical of new products especially when over-hyped ... this one really is the real deal IMO.

[Carmen]

Just feed more. :)

FWIW, the softies I have are zoanthids and gorgonians. Sadly, I don't have LPS in the tank because the butterflies would nip at them so they are not in the same tank. But the zoanthids and gorgs are not negatively impacted at least.

In fact, my purple ribbon gorgonian that has been brown for the last 4 years is starting to turn purple again since starting the pellets.

What I'd do is just start with a small amount. Then you wouldn't be risking a nutrient depletion shock.

Food for thought anyhow. :) I'm not one to give in to fads and am usually cynical of new products especially when over-hyped ... this one really is the real deal IMO.

Thanks Tony...I will consider it but I am leery since I tried some Coral Snow (same idea??) and lost 5 heads off a frogspawn as well as a moon coral and a brain...not a coincidence in my opinion (yes I did half the dose).:neutral:

[kien]

I have a lot of LPS and so far none of them seem phased by the low nutrients, like zero Nitrates (and presumably phosphates)! They are all still growing (new heads, larger tentacles, etc). I have always spot fed my LPS from time to time though and that routine has not changed.

That is weird about the Coral Snow. I have dosed that stuff too at full dose and never noticed any changes to corals really. Coral snow is very different from the pellets.

[Delphinus]

That's really strange about the Coral Snow... if it was a really fast decline with them then I would suspect brown jelly disease (it's a protozoan) in which a LPS can melt off literally overnight or a matter of hours. :( And it may have been coincidence with the Coral Snow.

But at any rate, you don't have to do Coral Snow anyhow. It's just something that grabs ahold of the yellowing compounds and makes it easier to skim out so your water is theoretically a little more polished once the initial cloudiness clears up.

And it's totally different than the pellets anyhow. Think of the pellets as an alternative to a phosphate remover that instead 1) does both nitrates and phosphates, and 2) does not need to be replaced every month.

Hope this helps.

[fishytime]

That's really strange about the Coral Snow... if it was a really fast decline with them then I would suspect brown jelly disease (it's a protozoan) in which a LPS can melt off literally overnight or a matter of hours. :( And it may have been coincidence with the Coral Snow.

But at any rate, you don't have to do Coral Snow anyhow. It's just something that grabs ahold of the yellowing compounds and makes it easier to skim out so your water is theoretically a little more polished once the initial cloudiness clears up.

And it's totally different than the pellets anyhow. Think of the pellets as an alternative to a phosphate remover that instead 1) does both nitrates and phosphates, and 2) does not need to be replaced every month.

Hope this helps.

Coral snow also acts as a binding agent, making it easier for your corals to assimilate nutrients.....also neutralizes acids that cause diatoms and cyano

The pellets do indeed seem to be the shiz....except for one thing....$100/L and 1L/100g.......ouch!......

Good to hear that your happy with the tank again Girly:biggrin:

[Carmen]

Well I sure got a lesson in both Coral snow and pellets!:lol: Cool...! Thanks Tony, Kien and Doug! I know they are pricey! Seen them at the shop! So...I suppose that is a once a month thing then...ouch...ya I think it may be a tough sell in this household!:redface:

[kien]

Well I sure got a lesson in both Coral snow and pellets!:lol: Cool...! Thanks Tony, Kien and Doug! I know they are pricey! Seen them at the shop! So...I suppose that is a once a month thing then...ouch...ya I think it may be a tough sell in this household!:redface:

Once a month as in dumping in pellets once a month? Um, nope! You fill a reactor full of the pellets. You decide how much you want to run depending on your tank size and fish load. The pellets will start to be consumed by bacteria which also consumes Nitrates and Phosphates at the same time. You do not need to dump out the pellets and replace them (like GFO or carbon; not like that at all). Just let the pellets get consumed and as they deplete, top up your reactor as needed. They do not deplete that quickly actually. I have been running a liter of pellets for about 3 months now and still do not see a need to top up the pellets. In theory these pellets should last a year, so you're really looking at maybe $16 a month to run these. I'm not sure how much Nitrate reducing chemicals or ZeoRocks are but for $16 a month to have my nitrates dropped to zero seems like a smoking deal to me. Also, you can not overdose these pellets to just fill that bad boy (your reactor) with pellets (but make sure the pellets tumble!!).

[Delphinus]

Doug! I know they are pricey! Seen them at the shop! So...I suppose that is a once a month thing then...ouch...ya I think it may be a tough sell in this household!:redface:

The initial purchase price is high but you get a LOT of longevity out of them.

Kien pretty much nailed it down. You don't replace these, you just let them get used up.

When you get a chance read my thread (yeah, it's long, but you don't see anyone complaining about DOUG'S thread, so .. um .. yeah, so there. MINE has stuff like pictures and regular test results and stuff.)

@Doug - I was just getting at that I don't think the Coral Snow had anything to do with the LPS issues she had shortly after. Binding agents blah blah blah whatever, it's all good. :) But thought it worth mentioning that when I hear torch lost a head and so on, I immediate think brown jelly disease. It's a nasty nasty phenomenon, happens every so often though. Lost some Euphyllia myself this way. :( One day the coral is fine, the next day it is literally gone and if you don't notice the brown jelly right away it too will disappear thus leaving behind no evidence of what transpired. Just a dead coral skeleton. :(

FWIW, I do Coral Snow every day. No issues that I know of, just cleaner looking water. It should be a fairly safe thing to use if you ever wanted to try it again, Carmen..

[kien]

Kien pretty much nailed it

I nailed it.. hehehehehe.. sorry, that was really juvenile of me.. :lol:

Anyway, as you've already mentioned Carmen, Kevin has got them running at the store now, have a look at them as that pretty much demonstrates exactly how they work. You will see that in a month from now the pellets are still there, doing their thing.. and in two-three-four months from now the pellets will still be in there doing there thang :biggrin:

[Carmen]

Once a month as in dumping in pellets once a month? Um, nope! You fill a reactor full of the pellets. You decide how much you want to run depending on your tank size and fish load. The pellets will start to be consumed by bacteria which also consumes Nitrates and Phosphates at the same time. You do not need to dump out the pellets and replace them (like GFO or carbon; not like that at all). Just let the pellets get consumed and as they deplete, top up your reactor as needed. They do not deplete that quickly actually. I have been running a liter of pellets for about 3 months now and still do not see a need to top up the pellets. In theory these pellets should last a year, so you're really looking at maybe $16 a month to run these. I'm not sure how much Nitrate reducing chemicals or ZeoRocks are but for $16 a month to have my nitrates dropped to zero seems like a smoking deal to me. Also, you can not overdose these pellets to just fill that bad boy (your reactor) with pellets (but make sure the pellets tumble!!).

Actually that doesn't sound so bad then Kien...perhaps something I will check out!

The initial purchase price is high but you get a LOT of longevity out of them.

Kien pretty much nailed it down. You don't replace these, you just let them get used up.

When you get a chance read my thread (yeah, it's long, but you don't see anyone complaining about DOUG'S thread, so .. um .. yeah, so there. MINE has stuff like pictures and regular test results and stuff.)

@Doug - I was just getting at that I don't think the Coral Snow had anything to do with the LPS issues she had shortly after. Binding agents blah blah blah whatever, it's all good. :) But thought it worth mentioning that when I hear torch lost a head and so on, I immediate think brown jelly disease. It's a nasty nasty phenomenon, happens every so often though. Lost some Euphyllia myself this way. :( One day the coral is fine, the next day it is literally gone and if you don't notice the brown jelly right away it too will disappear thus leaving behind no evidence of what transpired. Just a dead coral skeleton. :(

FWIW, I do Coral Snow every day. No issues that I know of, just cleaner looking water. It should be a fairly safe thing to use if you ever wanted to try it again, Carmen..

Tony, I PROMISE I will read your thread okay! I am sure it's full of excellent information! Thank you for all your insight into the pellets!
As for the coral snow...I refuse to believe it was a coincidence. I have read of others having similar occurences right after adding the coral snow...not exactly sure what the "bad combination" was that caused the LPS losses but it was all too ironic for it to suddenly happen right after adding it. Perhaps it is a combination of the snow and something else in my particular tank at that particular time but...I guess I will never know and am hesitant to try it again. I did check for brown jelly and dipped. (I have seen brown jelly before). But these corals literally just fell off their skeleton in one day.
The pellets are something I will consider if the nitrates do not resolve. I do have to remember that this is a new system and I tend to rush things a little working at the store and such. Just too easy to bring something home every week.:redface: I will try to check those nitrates today.
Thanks guys!

[Delphinus]

I wouldn't suggest to you the pellets if I thought there was any reason to be hesitant.

The coral snow thing - it really doesn't matter to me if you use this or not as it's a total cosmetic thing for the most part - sort of like whether you use 10k or 14k lights - it's totally personal choice; however - from all I understand about it, in my mind there's no way it did your LPS in.

Unfortunately what you describe is a typical LPS way to go. It's RTN in a way like for SPS, but on a bigger scale. I've seen that happen on torch, frogspawn and other Euphyllia sp., candycane, brains, etc. It can literally happen overnight. I'm 100% certain that was coincidence for you.

But like I said ... I'm not trying to convince you to use Coral Snow. It's not a product you *need* to run.

Pellets on the other hand ... you will be amazed at what possibilities they open for you.

[Carmen]

Retested my Nitrates and they are still high...around 25. So....I picked up some NP Biopellets! Thought I better snag some from RC since I am sure they will be sold out within a few days! They were a very POPULAR item this week at the shop.
I need to do some reading on them (ie Kien and Tony's thread!) and I had planned on using a TLF reactor for now...since I have access to one.:wink:

[Delphinus]

I think they will work out nicely for you. There are two sort of key learnings I can distill out of that whole thread of mine for you:

1) The pellets need to be fluidized in your reactor, dancing and churning around all the time
2) Don't worry about the overall volume of pellets at first, just get the TLF reactor say about 1/2 full. It's more important that they are fluidized in the reactor than it is how much you have of them.

Smaller learnings maybe include:
1) Presoak the pellets overnight before using so that they're good and waterlogged, otherwise you'll have startup issues with them floating to the top
2) Cut the foam sponges in half, or go and get some quilting mesh to use instead. All you want to insure that pellets can't get to where you don't want them - but sponges are a little bit too restrictive and are also more prone to clogging over time.

Any questions with them - ask away! We're here for ya'!!!

[Carmen]

So I did indeed pick up some of the N/P Reducing Pellets from RC last week and tracked down another TLF reactor to use for now.
(And Tony I have read through 21 pages of your thread...may take me a few more days...:wink:)
I retested my nitrates today and they are still around 20.
Hooked up the reactor with a MJ1200 and giving it a go. Already noticing some clumping at the very top so I will likely have to remove some of the pellets tomorrow.
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0321MarchTank0001.jpg

Also grabbed a Canary Wrasse since I have some pyramillid snails that I need dealt with and the last time I tried one they seemed to keep the pests in check.
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0321MarchTank0009.jpg

Kevin treated me to a couple of Fire Shrimp...love the little guys. Thanks Kev! Couldn't get a good pic cuz they are in the back part of the rocks.
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0321MarchTank0024.jpg

And thought I would snap a pic of my tiny little sps collection. Starting slow and easy but they are looking good so far!
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0321MarchTank0021.jpg
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0321MarchTank0020.jpg

http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0321MarchTank0026.jpg

[JDigital]

Very very nice.. :mrgreen:

[Delphinus]

(And Tony I have read through 21 pages of your thread...may take me a few more days...:wink:)

Says the girl on page 33 of her own thread :p

Everything is looking nice. BTW, you have wayyyy more SPS than I do. So you're now "one of them". Deny all you like. You have fuzzy sticks in your tank!!!!!!

[blueyota]

WoW lookin Good :cool:

[Carmen]

Says the girl on page 33 of her own thread :p

Everything is looking nice. BTW, you have wayyyy more SPS than I do. So you're now "one of them". Deny all you like. You have fuzzy sticks in your tank!!!!!!

And yet...you've read them all haven't you Tony...must be something more to mine than just pellets!:lol::wink: JK...Your thread is jam packed full of very informative stuff...about pellets!:biggrin:

:surprise:You know once you get a few fuzzy sticks...they kinda grow on ya!:redface: But...I don't think I'd be calling me "one of them" just yet!:wink:

Thanks Josh and Shawn!

[JDigital]

But...I don't think I'd be calling me "one of them" just yet!:wink:


Welcome to the Dark Side! :twised:

[Delphinus]

Hmm, let's see. Stage 1 ... "Denial." Check!

Congrats on sliding down that slippery slope. :)

PS. I have read every single page of your thread. In some cases more than once!

[Carmen]

Welcome to the Dark Side! :twised:

Hmm, let's see. Stage 1 ... "Denial." Check!

Congrats on sliding down that slippery slope. :)

PS. I have read every single page of your thread. In some cases more than once!

:redface: Ya think??? Aw Come on, you all know I am still and always will be a sucker for the softies and LPS! (Assuming my new pellets don't kill off all my LPS Tony!!:neutral::lol:).........perhaps I am in denial....hmmm...:redface:

So I even have TONY hooked! Every page? More than once?:surprise::lol:

[Lance]

Carmen, the tank looks great! But beware the power of the fuzzy sticks!

It starts the same way for everyone: buy a few frags and lose a couple but the others don't die: they grow! They grow so fast compared to LPS you start to believe. I can grow SPS! Then the little frags grow into small colonies and you begin to wonder why they are considered tough to keep. The small colonies grow into beautiful large colonies and you start to think you are the "WUNDERBAR OF SPS".
Then it happens: You wake up one morning and one or more of your beautiful big colonies is bleaching out. You don't know why! There is no apparent reason for it. Next thing you know they're dead and you're humbled. This scenario plays over and over and over again. But can you give them up? NO! The fuzzy sticks have a mystic power about them. You buy more to replace the ones you lost and so on.....and so on......and so on.....................

[Carmen]

Carmen, the tank looks great! But beware the power of the fuzzy sticks!

It starts the same way for everyone: buy a few frags and lose a couple but the others don't die: they grow! They grow so fast compared to LPS you start to believe. I can grow SPS! Then the little frags grow into small colonies and you begin to wonder why they are considered tough to keep. The small colonies grow into beautiful large colonies and you start to think you are the "WUNDERBAR OF SPS".
Then it happens: You wake up one morning and one or more of your beautiful big colonies is bleaching out. You don't know why! There is no apparent reason for it. Next thing you know they're dead and you're humbled. This scenario plays over and over and over again. But can you give them up? NO! The fuzzy sticks have a mystic power about them. You buy more to replace the ones you lost and so on.....and so on......and so on.....................

Oh Lance! You make me want to stop NOW! Freakin me out! I know that sps is abit of a gamble...I lost a bunch when I tried them in the 72G. Hence the reason I am not convinced I want to be a sps junkie! Perhaps a happy mixed reef would be ideal for me...if I can keep everything happy. That is probably a challenge in itself!:wink: Perhaps the reason this hobby is soooo addicting is the challenge! If it were "easy" we wouldn't be so inclined to keep throwing money into it and trying over and over...:smile:

[Delphinus]

No, don't stop. We're just teasin' ! Just have some fun with it. :)

[bauder1986]

Sexy tank! :biggrin:

[Carmen]

Sexy tank! :biggrin:

REALLY? cool! no one has ever called it sexy! :lol: Yay me!

[fishytime]

Sexy tank! :biggrin:

that is a great description!:biggrin:............................. ......of the tank I mean:wink:

[Lance]

Oh Lance! You make me want to stop NOW! Freakin me out! I know that sps is abit of a gamble...I lost a bunch when I tried them in the 72G. Hence the reason I am not convinced I want to be a sps junkie! Perhaps a happy mixed reef would be ideal for me...if I can keep everything happy. That is probably a challenge in itself!:wink: Perhaps the reason this hobby is soooo addicting is the challenge! If it were "easy" we wouldn't be so inclined to keep throwing money into it and trying over and over...:smile:


Carmen, I'm just givin' ya the gears! :lol:
SPS, although frustrating at times, are very rewarding corals as they grow so fast when conditions are right. "The trick is keeping them happy".

[JDigital]

Definitions of S.P.S:

1. (short ver.) - Short Polyp Stony

2. (long ver.) - Read below.

Carmen, the tank looks great! But beware the power of the fuzzy sticks!

It starts the same way for everyone: buy a few frags and lose a couple but the others don't die: they grow! They grow so fast compared to LPS you start to believe. I can grow SPS! Then the little frags grow into small colonies and you begin to wonder why they are considered tough to keep. The small colonies grow into beautiful large colonies and you start to think you are the "WUNDERBAR OF SPS".
Then it happens: You wake up one morning and one or more of your beautiful big colonies is bleaching out. You don't know why! There is no apparent reason for it. Next thing you know they're dead and you're humbled. This scenario plays over and over and over again. But can you give them up? NO! The fuzzy sticks have a mystic power about them. You buy more to replace the ones you lost and so on.....and so on......and so on.....................


:mrgreen:

[Carmen]

Grrr......so I've been distracted from the tank these days. I just can't spend as much time as I would like on things. And this morning I came down to a cloudy tank..... new canary wrasse has been MIA and so I believe that may be contributing to my issues today. Skimmer was semi-full last night but I just didn't get to emptying it and it over-foamed all into the sump (touchy skimmer...I think I need to empty it more regularily...) Tank is super cloudy. Will try to do that but...once again...life just has things kinda tough these days to spend quality time on the tank maintenance...Just ripped out my skimmer (which is no easy task) and gave it a thorough cleaning incase that is contributing to the overfoaming issues) And now I have to find some time today to do a water change.
For now...I need to go get a prescription for a strep-throat that has been killing me for 9 DAYS! Stupid walk-in clinic JUST got around to calling me today!!!!! And ofcourse the Dr. wouldn't give it to me when I went in 4 days ago because it "may be just viral"!!! AHHHHHH.......my throat is killing me and I hate walk-in clinics! Sorry for the vent....!!!!!!!:sad::neutral:

[Delphinus]

Ahhh strep is nasty!! :( Hope you feel better soon! Sorry to hear of the walk-in clinic. I find they can be so hit and miss. Last time I had strep it was really just the wait that was the killer, but once I got in, the doctor (she had a wicked Scottish accent) was all "Och! Aye that be a wee spot'o grungy in therrrrrre" (I had the nastiest looking throat). Anyhow, good luck.

FWIW, my canary wrasse goes MIA very often. What happens though is that if startled, or sleeping, or even just needing a nap in the daytime, they'll swim right into the sandbed and bury themselves instantly. I've only once gotten to witness it happen, he literally just swam into the sand. There was a small "poof" of sand for about a second but once it cleared there was literally NO indication whatsoever that there was a wrasse hidden in the sand at that spot. There are many times I come down to feed the tank and he's gone to bed, he'll be the only one I can't spot, but then the next day he's out swimming again as if nothing abnormal ever happened.

So, ... hopefully this is the case here too.

They are potential jumpers though. I lost my first canary wrasse to jumping. I had an eggcrate cover for the tank but it apparently was no impediment to his trajectory. :(

[fishoholic]

Sorry you're not feeling well step really sucks :sad: Hope your canary shows up.

[Skimmerking]

Ok lets see if I can get this straight.
1 the pellets take away PO4
2 take away nitrates
3 do they drop the ALk in the tank.
4 does this replace the phosban that I use.
5 do you have to soak over night to waterlog them.
6. is it cheaper to run the biopellets vs the Phosban since the phosban actually last about 5-6 days depending on how much po4 in your tank

[Delphinus]

Yes
Yes
No
Yes
No, but it's probably better to do so (I never bothered though)
Yes

:mrgreen:

[Skimmerking]

ok then I guess that im going to be buying some way to go TOny making me spend more money. YOU, Kevin,Carmen from RC hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm dodgy lol
how much are they for the big pack

[Carmen]

Ahhh strep is nasty!! :( Hope you feel better soon! Sorry to hear of the walk-in clinic. I find they can be so hit and miss. Last time I had strep it was really just the wait that was the killer, but once I got in, the doctor (she had a wicked Scottish accent) was all "Och! Aye that be a wee spot'o grungy in therrrrrre" (I had the nastiest looking throat). Anyhow, good luck.

FWIW, my canary wrasse goes MIA very often. What happens though is that if startled, or sleeping, or even just needing a nap in the daytime, they'll swim right into the sandbed and bury themselves instantly. I've only once gotten to witness it happen, he literally just swam into the sand. There was a small "poof" of sand for about a second but once it cleared there was literally NO indication whatsoever that there was a wrasse hidden in the sand at that spot. There are many times I come down to feed the tank and he's gone to bed, he'll be the only one I can't spot, but then the next day he's out swimming again as if nothing abnormal ever happened.

So, ... hopefully this is the case here too.

They are potential jumpers though. I lost my first canary wrasse to jumping. I had an eggcrate cover for the tank but it apparently was no impediment to his trajectory. :(


Ya Strep sucks!!! And after 9 days...it's a doozy!:sad:

Unfortunately I have gone through 3 canary wrasses now...:redface:. Always to jumping but this one is not on the floor...It did have a wound so perhaps it dug into the sand and never came out? Funnt mine have always jumped through the mesh too! I think they must jump STRAIGHT UP!!:neutral:


Sorry you're not feeling well step really sucks :sad: Hope your canary shows up.

Thanks Laurie.

ok then I guess that im going to be buying some way to go TOny making me spend more money. YOU, Kevin,Carmen from RC hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm dodgy lol
how much are they for the big pack

I too succumbed to the pressure to jump on the bandwagon! :redface: You might as well Mike...everybody's doin it!:twised: I think they cost about $115 for the big bag. Or you can buy them in the kit with the reactor $230ish???not sure on that one though...

[Lance]

It's the new fad Mike! Gotta have the 3D TV, a netbook and the N-P pellets.

[lorenz0]

hey netbooks are cool. as for NP-pellets, i won't touch them with a 10 foot pole.

[Red Coral Aquariums]

ok then I guess that im going to be buying some way to go TOny making me spend more money. YOU, Kevin,Carmen from RC hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm dodgy lol
how much are they for the big pack

Vertex UF15, 1 Ltr of NP pellets , Pump, and Plumbing (for in-sump). $269.99
Kevin

[Skimmerking]

Kev you are a Jack lol and I have a reactor and i will just need the pellets once im back from Edmonton. and plus i have some stuff to buy WINK WINK and i have to get some salt with Laurie in Edmonton. ya spend money like its nothing.:smile:

[The Grizz]

Vertex UF15, 1 Ltr of NP pellets , Pump, and Plumbing (for in-sump). $269.99
Kevin

Might have to bite the bullet on this as well once I get the rest of the cash from my 155 BF that just sold.

Hey Carmen hope you feel better soon

[Carmen]

Vertex UF15, 1 Ltr of NP pellets , Pump, and Plumbing (for in-sump). $269.99
Kevin

Thanks Kev! Couldn't remember exact price!:wink:


And Mike what's the point of having money if you don't spend it! :wink::razz:

Thanks Greg.

[Carmen]

HOLY Crap! What do I do if my nems are spawning or spewing or something?? I think I know why the tank is cloudy! I went to start my water change and noticed my nem spewing cloudy stuff. Completed my W/C and now the other one is too!!! Is it gonna nuke my tank????? They are looking aweful. Some of the corals look ticked. Fish are okay. But I just did a Nitrate test and it's now 40!!!! WTF!????
Here's a video: (if it works)
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/th_2010_0324MarchTank0007.jpg (http://s355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/?action=view&current=2010_0324MarchTank0007.flv)

http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0324MarchTank0004.jpg (http://s355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/?action=view&current=2010_0324MarchTank0004.jpg)
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0324MarchTank0001.jpg (http://s355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/?action=view&current=2010_0324MarchTank0001.jpg)
The other nem looking crappy before it started spewing too!
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0324MarchTank0008.jpg (http://s355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/?action=view&current=2010_0324MarchTank0008.jpg)
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0324MarchTank0011.jpg (http://s355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/?action=view&current=2010_0324MarchTank0011.jpg)

[Argentiner]

Oh, wow Carmen. Not sure what you could do other than make a big batch of water to keep changing it. Especially if your nitrates are spiking. Hopefully it won't last long.

[Delphinus]

1) Don't panic
2) Keep your skimmer working
3) Carbon and lots of it
4) Don't panic
5) As big a water change as you can handle tomorrow. No sense in doing it now, let them finish ... it will take a while.

Been there! Not a pleasant smell is it? Actually it's fairly .. um .. unmistakable. Weird how some things are universal.

Don't panic! It will be OK.

[Delphinus]

Oh .. they will have a "spent" look to them for a few days. They're not dead or dieing, they're just .. yeah, "spent." (Insert Austin Power impersonation here..)

[Carmen]

Okay...trying not to panic but I am kinda worried......Just found 2 BIG dead turbo snails.

Tony they do look "spent"....severely deflated! Ya there is abit of a smell, not aweful though just different. So this has happened to you then? Did you have any "crash" after?

Actually I think I might be kinda panicking........:neutral::redface:

Going to do another 30G W/C tomorrow.

[Delphinus]

Yes, many times. Too many times to count. BTA's a few times but also with my old ritteri whom was 24" diameter (huge monster) and could spew for hours on end.

In actual fact very often within 2 weeks of an equinox as well. And guess what was last weekend? Weird eh.

Anyhow. There's no question it's a kick in the stomach for the tank as far as bioload, but the real kicker is O2 depletion so it's imperative to keep your skimmer on, even if it overflows for now. An air bubbler couldn't hurt, but shouldn't be necessary.

Your tank will pull through.

I'm not sure what's up with the turbos - it *could* be coincidence - snails do have a terrible habit of dropping dead just like that. :(

[Carmen]

Thanks Tony! I knew you'd jump in on this one!
I will try not to panic! BREATHE>>>>>>>>>>:wink:

Weird on the Equinox thing. Neat....gonna have to watch for that.:neutral:

[Delphinus]

Oh, about the 40 nitrate thing. Dollars to donuts it's just interference (ie., the water is cloudy and thus the colour got darker, or something of this nature). It can't have jumped to 40 just like that, so either it's a false reading, or it already was up there or close to it in which case another day of it won't hurt. If it IS 40 though tomorrow, well .. you know. Not to sound like a broken record but there are these lentil like pellet things you might have heard about. ;)

Spawn events are a mixed blessing. On the one hand, it's cool to see because blah blah blah circle miracle of life wonderous times blah blah blah and all that, ... but at the same time IT'S IN YOUR TANK AND IT SMELLS! LOVELY! .... I totally feel for you tonight. But I promise after tomorrow it will be OK again!!!

[Carmen]

Oh, about the 40 nitrate thing. Dollars to donuts it's just interference (ie., the water is cloudy and thus the colour got darker, or something of this nature). It can't have jumped to 40 just like that, so either it's a false reading, or it already was up there or close to it in which case another day of it won't hurt. If it IS 40 though tomorrow, well .. you know. Not to sound like a broken record but there are these lentil like pellet things you might have heard about. ;)

Spawn events are a mixed blessing. On the one hand, it's cool to see because blah blah blah circle miracle of life wonderous times blah blah blah and all that, ... but at the same time IT'S IN YOUR TANK AND IT SMELLS! LOVELY! .... I totally feel for you tonight. But I promise after tomorrow it will be OK again!!!


Okay...broken record! I AM running the pellets!!! They have been in there for 3 days! I hope they are working!!!!!! Started thinking they were the cause because of the irony of having just added them, then this, but they better not be!:twised:

I will retest the nitrates tomorrow, hopefully a false reading.

[Delphinus]

Oh ok. :) Well there's no way they could really have populated enough bacteria yet in 3 days to affect anything (either positively or negatively), and since they are basically plastic otherwise, they're basically inert in and of themselves, so very likely that is only coincidence.

To me the fact that spring equinox was only 5 days ago is the more striking coincidence. I found that with my anemones very much so and yeah that could also be coincidence but the fact that it happens more often than not is probably telling us there is something to that after all.

Wish I was closer, I'd come over to help. Just make up as much SW as you can for tomorrow (or anytime after you notice them stop spewing, really) and kick off that waterchange. Do another one in another day or two if need be. Waterchanges can't really hurt and "the solution for pollution is dilution" so they definitely help in that way.

Another though. Sorta hesitant to suggest this since you had a bad experience with it, but when I had my mystery cloudiness back in September, I first thought it was a spawn. But then I noticed it wasn't clearing as quickly as other spawns I've had. It was suggested to me to use Coral Snow (the zeovit stuff) to help clear the water and I think it did help clear the water in the end. :neutral: But that was really a strange one for me and I'm not sure it was a spawn in the end since the water usually cleared up in a half day or so for those other spawns.

Good luck!

[Carmen]

Thanks again Tony for your help. The tank has survived!!!:mrgreen:
Looks okay, everything appears normal?? A couple corals seem a little off but not too worrisome. Nems look a tad shrunken but overall normal. Smells a little odd. Nitrates are between 20-30 so down from last night. Doing another W/C as we speak and will mix another batch to do another tomorrow if need be.

[Delphinus]

Funny, I was JUST thinking about this and was about to ask how things were looking today! Glad to hear things survived the night of 'nem passion.

Yeah, that w/c tomorrow couldn't hurt, but after that it should more or less be back to 100% normal. :)

[blueyota]

Glad to hear everything is doin good today:mrgreen::mrgreen: ....my urchins did this just last week and they seem to do it on a regular basis but its not as cloudy as your tank was...:smile:

[sitandwatch]

Glad to hear all is well, I was waiting for the all clear post this morning and when nothing was posted I thought "oh **** its not good"

[Carmen]

Thanks guys! Phew......I think it will be okay. Another W/C to dilute...and hope those NP pellets start working to bring the nitrates down!

[Lance]

Glad to hear everything worked out ok Carmen. Might be a good idea to hold up on the Nem Viagra dosing for awhile. :mrgreen:

[Carmen]

Glad to hear everything worked out ok Carmen. Might be a good idea to hold up on the Nem Viagra dosing for awhile. :mrgreen:

No Viagra in this tank!:lol:

[Carmen]

Another W/C today...nitrates still measuring 20-30. Tank looks okay but I did find another dead snail...:neutral:

So when do the pellets start working?

[Delphinus]

You should start noticing a downward trend after a week or so. It will probably take up to a month to get to the single digits or zero though.

How old are the snails? I find mine kinda go in waves like that too.

[Carmen]

Picked up a bunch more sps last week from a friend (thanks Argentiner...you are too generous!). They seem to be doing well. My favorite a frag of blue Milli (ofcourse I can't get a good picture of it to show you cuz it shows up brown and blurry...)and my green slimer. I don't know the names of any of the sps but they look purty!! Gonna have to start to learn em I guess. A couple months ago I was given a colony of sps that was pretty browned out and to my surprise it is coming back a really bright purple! (Thanks Al!) Love it!!!(Anyone have a name for it?)
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0408MarchTank0005.jpg
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0408MarchTank0011.jpg

http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0408MarchTank0023.jpg
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0408MarchTank0003.jpg
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0408MarchTank0002.jpg
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0408MarchTank0013.jpg

So I have tried to accept the microbubble issue with the tank but it's driving me crazy!! I am seriously thinking about buying a new return pump and changing the plumbing somehow to try to deal with the problem. I think the PS4 is my problem??? So what should I replace it with if I do go ahead??? (I don't have $1000 to spend!! I need something cost effective and quiet, external...hmmm) Also I have minimal room from the bulkhead to the pump in the curved stand so I have a 90 degree off the sump(not ideal, I know)but not sure there is anything I can do about it...Is it worth replacing the PS4 if I can't eliminate the 90? Pic shows the 90 off the sump. Pump is just right off that 90 and then the return comes straight up from the pump. My returns have those 90 bends too because we tried to work with the plumbing that came with the tank.
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/Coralin007.jpg

I just love this fish! He has great character...swimming in the tunze current, out to greet me first thing every morning, swims right into my hand and I just love his cute little face! I just can't help but snap pics of him everytime I am taking tank pictures!
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0408MarchTank0016.jpg
http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r474/ctash_album/2010_0408MarchTank0019.jpg

[hillegom]

Have you ever thought of using spaflex instead of the 90s?

[Delphinus]

Hi Carmen,

Replacing the pump probably isn't the answer to the microbubbles. I have forgotten what your sump setup is specifically but looking at that last picture there of it, I'm guessing it's something like a 20g and choosing it was probably based on that it can fit in your stand and so on.

The problem is a 20g is a short sump, and short pumps often don't have enough water contact time to shed bubbles by the time it hits the return pump, and thus you end up with microbubbles.

You might see the occasional sump these days that are split down the middle in the long dimension so that water goes down and back, effectively doubling the linear length of the sump .. although the flip side to these designs is that at half the width, water travels twice as fast.

(I'm not suggestion you revamp your sump like this, just sharing it for informational reasons.)

Anyhow. The problem is water speed through the sump.

As an aside this also means replacing the 90's may have a paradoxical effect as this will speed up the sump return and thus increase the speed through the sump.

But here a few things you can try that don't involve a major re-architecture of the sump:

1) A 100micron filter sock. I have to use these myself because of the cube tank arrangement my sump size is limited and without the sock I get *terrible* microbubbles in the main display.

They don't slow the water speed down any, but what they do do (hee hee .. I just said "do do") is contain the splash effect at the point of sump entry so that less bubbles travel onward in your sump. Plus they help polish your water.

2) Also if you have any baffles that create a level drop, these create a weir effect and this can reintroduce bubbles into the water. So raising the water level in downstream section so that the level drop isn't as pronounced can help.

3) Next, how far is the output of your skimmer from the sump return intake? The bubbles could be coming from your skimmer. What I would do (this is another thing I have to do in my sump) is pipe the skimmer output back to the beginning of the sump. This has dual benefits: 1) bubbles have time to be shed, and 2) it creates a slight recirculation effect with the skimmer (ie., the skimmer reskims some of the water it just skimmed) and thus the water exiting the sump back into the main display is theoretically a tiny bit cleaner.

4) Also, there may be a way to repipe the drain pipework from the tank back to the sump so that water slides in an angle rather than crashing straight down into the sump. The goal is to reduce the splashing effect as much as possible of the water entering the sump.

5) If it really gets unbearable, you could try some kind of Herbie style overflow. Herbie systems are the best for no-microbubbles, any tank I do myself from now on will have Herbie overflows. It is possible to get a Herbie overflow in a tank with a single hole drilled, we just need to get creative on the piping. Sphelps had some diagrams posted up a few months ago if you wanted to go looking at details but if this is something you want to consider at some point, maybe we can talk offline a bit and I'll do what I can to help you out on that one.

Good luck!

[bauder1986]

carmen your tank looks awesome, i would sure love a moment to sit and watch your tank sometime!

[Red Coral Aquariums]

So I have tried to accept the microbubble issue with the tank but it's driving me crazy!! I am seriously thinking about buying a new return pump and changing the plumbing somehow to try to deal with the problem. I think the PS4 is my problem??? So what should I replace it with if I do go ahead??? (I don't have $1000 to spend!! I need something cost effective and quiet, external...hmmm) Also I have minimal room from the bulkhead to the pump in the curved stand so I have a 90 degree off the sump(not ideal, I know)but not sure there is anything I can do about it...Is it worth replacing the PS4 if I can't eliminate the 90? Pic shows the 90 off the sump. Pump is just right off that 90 and then the return comes straight up from the pump. My returns have those 90 bends too because we tried to work with the plumbing that came with the tank.


Check this for me Carmen;
Using a flash light look in the water for bubbles after your last baffle and before your pump. check to see if you are getting any bubbles cascading from your last baffle. Another thing is fill up your return area in your sump level with the last baffle turn off your pump for a few a seconds and plug it back in( try to get rid of any bubbles in your lines) and check your tank after a few hours.
Kevin

[JDigital]

Hi Carmen,

Replacing the pump probably isn't the answer to the microbubbles. I have forgotten what your sump setup is specifically but looking at that last picture there of it, I'm guessing it's something like a 20g and choosing it was probably based on that it can fit in your stand and so on.

The problem is a 20g is a short sump, and short pumps often don't have enough water contact time to shed bubbles by the time it hits the return pump, and thus you end up with microbubbles.

You might see the occasional sump these days that are split down the middle in the long dimension so that water goes down and back, effectively doubling the linear length of the sump .. although the flip side to these designs is that at half the width, water travels twice as fast.

(I'm not suggestion you revamp your sump like this, just sharing it for informational reasons.)

Anyhow. The problem is water speed through the sump.

As an aside this also means replacing the 90's may have a paradoxical effect as this will speed up the sump return and thus increase the speed through the sump.

But here a few things you can try that don't involve a major re-architecture of the sump:

1) A 100micron filter sock. I have to use these myself because of the cube tank arrangement my sump size is limited and without the sock I get *terrible* microbubbles in the main display.

They don't slow the water speed down any, but what they do do (hee hee .. I just said "do do") is contain the splash effect at the point of sump entry so that less bubbles travel onward in your sump. Plus they help polish your water.

2) Also if you have any baffles that create a level drop, these create a weir effect and this can reintroduce bubbles into the water. So raising the water level in downstream section so that the level drop isn't as pronounced can help.

3) Next, how far is the output of your skimmer from the sump return intake? The bubbles could be coming from your skimmer. What I would do (this is another thing I have to do in my sump) is pipe the skimmer output back to the beginning of the sump. This has dual benefits: 1) bubbles have time to be shed, and 2) it creates a slight recirculation effect with the skimmer (ie., the skimmer reskims some of the water it just skimmed) and thus the water exiting the sump back into the main display is theoretically a tiny bit cleaner.

4) Also, there may be a way to repipe the drain pipework from the tank back to the sump so that water slides in an angle rather than crashing straight down into the sump. The goal is to reduce the splashing effect as much as possible of the water entering the sump.

5) If it really gets unbearable, you could try some kind of Herbie style overflow. Herbie systems are the best for no-microbubbles, any tank I do myself from now on will have Herbie overflows. It is possible to get a Herbie overflow in a tank with a single hole drilled, we just need to get creative on the piping. Sphelps had some diagrams posted up a few months ago if you wanted to go looking at details but if this is something you want to consider at some point, maybe we can talk offline a bit and I'll do what I can to help you out on that one.

Good luck!

If I remember right (I did help carry it to her car) its a 40x12x18 or something.. so definitely bigger than a 20G.

An easy fix would be to downgrade your return pump to something less powerful. Slowing the rate at which the water flows through the sump should also help in stopping/reducing any bubbles that may be rolling over your last baffle. I think I only had 5-6x turnover on my 105 with a baffle-less sump w/ Skimmer and never saw a single bubble and my return was 100% hard plumbing. On my 75 I was running 16x turnover with a baffle system and always had some amount of micro-bubbles, just not bad enough to bother me. That is just my opinion though. I am Pro-low-sump-flow. Others disagree and are Pro-High-Flow claiming it provides more filtation and oxygenation, but a skimmer can only process so much water. :wink:

Your tank is looking fantastic right now though Carmen. Great photo of the fish. :biggrin:

[Carmen]

Have you ever thought of using spaflex instead of the 90s?

I haven't...perhaps something I should try before looking at a new pump/plumbing...???

carmen your tank looks awesome, i would sure love a moment to sit and watch your tank sometime!

Thank you!! Even I wish I had more time to just sit and watch! Not enough time to just enjoy!

Check this for me Carmen;
Using a flash light look in the water for bubbles after your last baffle and before your pump. check to see if you are getting any bubbles cascading from your last baffle. Another thing is fill up your return area in your sump level with the last baffle turn off your pump for a few a seconds and plug it back in( try to get rid of any bubbles in your lines) and check your tank after a few hours.
Kevin

I do have some bubbles after the baffles...not enough that I think it would cause this much in the display???But...maybe... it is the problem...??? I have tried shutting down the pump, filling and restarting with no success...not in the lines I don't think. Thanks Kev.

[Carmen]

Hi Carmen,

Replacing the pump probably isn't the answer to the microbubbles. I have forgotten what your sump setup is specifically but looking at that last picture there of it, I'm guessing it's something like a 20g and choosing it was probably based on that it can fit in your stand and so on.

The problem is a 20g is a short sump, and short pumps often don't have enough water contact time to shed bubbles by the time it hits the return pump, and thus you end up with microbubbles.

You might see the occasional sump these days that are split down the middle in the long dimension so that water goes down and back, effectively doubling the linear length of the sump .. although the flip side to these designs is that at half the width, water travels twice as fast.

(I'm not suggestion you revamp your sump like this, just sharing it for informational reasons.)

Anyhow. The problem is water speed through the sump.

As an aside this also means replacing the 90's may have a paradoxical effect as this will speed up the sump return and thus increase the speed through the sump.

But here a few things you can try that don't involve a major re-architecture of the sump:

1) A 100micron filter sock. I have to use these myself because of the cube tank arrangement my sump size is limited and without the sock I get *terrible* microbubbles in the main display.

They don't slow the water speed down any, but what they do do (hee hee .. I just said "do do") is contain the splash effect at the point of sump entry so that less bubbles travel onward in your sump. Plus they help polish your water.

2) Also if you have any baffles that create a level drop, these create a weir effect and this can reintroduce bubbles into the water. So raising the water level in downstream section so that the level drop isn't as pronounced can help.

3) Next, how far is the output of your skimmer from the sump return intake? The bubbles could be coming from your skimmer. What I would do (this is another thing I have to do in my sump) is pipe the skimmer output back to the beginning of the sump. This has dual benefits: 1) bubbles have time to be shed, and 2) it creates a slight recirculation effect with the skimmer (ie., the skimmer reskims some of the water it just skimmed) and thus the water exiting the sump back into the main display is theoretically a tiny bit cleaner.

4) Also, there may be a way to repipe the drain pipework from the tank back to the sump so that water slides in an angle rather than crashing straight down into the sump. The goal is to reduce the splashing effect as much as possible of the water entering the sump.

5) If it really gets unbearable, you could try some kind of Herbie style overflow. Herbie systems are the best for no-microbubbles, any tank I do myself from now on will have Herbie overflows. It is possible to get a Herbie overflow in a tank with a single hole drilled, we just need to get creative on the piping. Sphelps had some diagrams posted up a few months ago if you wanted to go looking at details but if this is something you want to consider at some point, maybe we can talk offline a bit and I'll do what I can to help you out on that one.

Good luck!

Okay Tony.......
to answer and comment on your ideas/suggestions....

First the sump is 40"X12.5" and filled average 13" (So I don't think it's overly small???)
Three sections: First is skimmer...baffled with three baffles. Middle is return and end is fuge. I have flow from the display entering through spaflex into each end section (ie one in the skimmer section and one entering the fuge.

The reason I think it's the pump is that others with the pS4 report identical issues????

I have no bubbles from the skimmer although I do wonder if the bubbles may be coming from the drop from the fuge. There are bubbles there...although not nearly what I would think would cause what I see entering the display??? It seems fairly "calm" by the time it hits the return bulkhead?

So the filter socks to absorb the bubbles...I could try(I hate filter socks....) but I suppose a cheap fix. I do have a large "bubble effect" from the spaflex but not a splash effect since they are under water.

I did have abit of a drop from the fuge so I have raised that a little more to see if that helps.

Not sure there are too many options on repiping the returns? I am limited I think because of the design of the tank/stand, etc???

Not convinced it's worth looking into a herbie...I am happy with my overflows, they make NO sound. I understand what you said about slowing the flow...don't exactly understand why I would change to a herbie??? And how that would slow the flow???

So something that I don't understand...if slowing things down is the answer...why don't I get any decrease in microobubbles when I close the return valves down?

[Carmen]

If I remember right (I did help carry it to her car) its a 40x12x18 or something.. so definitely bigger than a 20G.

An easy fix would be to downgrade your return pump to something less powerful. Slowing the rate at which the water flows through the sump should also help in stopping/reducing any bubbles that may be rolling over your last baffle. I think I only had 5-6x turnover on my 105 with a baffle-less sump w/ Skimmer and never saw a single bubble and my return was 100% hard plumbing. On my 75 I was running 16x turnover with a baffle system and always had some amount of micro-bubbles, just not bad enough to bother me. That is just my opinion though. I am Pro-low-sump-flow. Others disagree and are Pro-High-Flow claiming it provides more filtation and oxygenation, but a skimmer can only process so much water. :wink:

Your tank is looking fantastic right now though Carmen. Great photo of the fish. :biggrin:

Pretty good memory there Josh!

My question as I put to Tony is...then shouldn't the bubbles improve if I turn down the return valves? If I used a less powerful pump, wouldn't that do the same?

Thanks on the compliment! Startin to fill up slowly but surely...
A very easy fish to photograph!! He poses as though he loves it!

[Argentiner]

Tank looks great Carmen. Really starting to fill out. Love that tile fish.

[Red Coral Aquariums]

I haven't...perhaps something I should try before looking at a new pump/plumbing...???



Thank you!! Even I wish I had more time to just sit and watch! Not enough time to just enjoy!



I do have some bubbles after the baffles...not enough that I think it would cause this much in the display???But...maybe... it is the problem...??? I have tried shutting down the pump, filling and restarting with no success...not in the lines I don't think. Thanks Kev.

Those are small in size but high RPM pumps. Even smaller bubbles getting in to that high speed propeller would put to shame some skimmer pumps. Did you try raising the water level in the return area of your sump to that of your last baffle? If not give that a shot and monitor. Josh brings up a good point but at around 700+ GPH after head loss that is not excessive. You can try turning down your ball valve on the output of the pump to discern this.
Kevin

[Delphinus]

Bearing in mind that I'm only running through suggestions that I can think of without being able to see things. (Shoot, Josh helped carry the actual sump to the car, I can't compete with that! What do you need me for.) Small sump only came to mind as one possible cause but that doesn't mean it's the cause of your situation .. it's only as I say, something that comes to mind as a usual culprit. One makes a list of possibles, then you examine to see which ones are plausible, which ones are implausible, and which ones are impossible .. and you work out from there.

First the sump is 40"X12.5" and filled average 13" (So I don't think it's overly small???)Ok so probably not sump size, which is good. So, we move onto other possibilities.

Not convinced it's worth looking into a herbie...I am happy with my overflows, they make NO sound. I understand what you said about slowing the flow...don't exactly understand why I would change to a herbie??? And how that would slow the flow???A Herbie doesn't slow the flow. A Herbie sidesteps the issue of microbubbles from your overflow because the input and output are completely submerged and thus cannot introduce air into the sump. If you're convinced the bubbles don't come from the overflow, then, again, it's just something you scratch off the list and move onto the others.

My question as I put to Tony is...then shouldn't the bubbles improve if I turn down the return valves? If I used a less powerful pump, wouldn't that do the same?Yes. And for what it's worth, dialing back a pump in this matter actually decreases your electrical usage. Pump draw is based more on the speed of the impeller rather than how high the water is being lifted. Throttling back on a pump (always on output side, never on the input side - pumps are good at pushing, but they suck at sucking) is the same as higher head pressure.

But, if you've already dialed back the pump and it made no difference then maybe it is not a sump speed issue after all. The only thing I can think that hasn't been suggested so far is that there is could be a microhole somewhere acting as a venturi and sucking in air. It would realistically be on the inlet side because on the outlet side you'd either see wetness or a lot of saltcreep.

My guess based on everything you've said is that the problem is possibly in your last baffle. If you have a level drop, it is just like a weir and you can get air bubbles. The simple test to confirm this would be to temporarily put more water in your sump so that there is no level drop. If the bubbles go away, there you go; if they don't, well, again if nothing else at least you can eliminate the possibility and know to look somewhere else.

Whatever the cause, hope you find it and be able to fix it.

cheers

[Carmen]

Okay, I raised the level of the water even more in the sump and dialed the pump back even more. Bubbles are still pretty bad. Going to try the filter sock thing.

Now here's the other dilemma.........my nitrates are going UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Up near 50ish+???? I will recheck them at RC tomorrow but WTF??? Shouldn't they be working their way down using the Biopellets?
I have tried to reduce my feedings...(I suck at this)...but I don't think I am completely excessive??? Frozen, once daily, rinsed.

[Carmen]

Tank looks great Carmen. Really starting to fill out. Love that tile fish.

Thanks Scott!:wink:

[Delphinus]

Your feeding does not sound excessive to me. I'm sorry that the nitrates aren't going down.

Are you using RO/DI or tap? I'm actually having some pretty bad nitrate (and for the first time ever) phosphate buildups. I use RO/DI for my SW but I wonder if the membrane is going and maybe it's a spring runoff issue? My FW tank is just raw tapwater and it's off the charts all of a sudden, which you'd think wouldn't be possible with the amount of plants in there (well, now algae :( ). So I was thinking I might test my source water tomorrow and see if that could be an explanation.

We're on different reservoirs but it stands to reason if spring runoff is starting that both the Elbow and Bow river water systems could be having issues?

Wonder if anyone else is noticing more NO3 and/or PO4 all of a sudden lately?

[Carmen]

Well tank stuff had been put on the back burner for the last week or so. My daughter was very ill and in and out of the Emergency all last week for a severe stomach flu/infection. She was severely dehydrated and required IV and such, however we all survived! What a week! Now I am running around in a panic trying to pack for Mexico tomorrow!

So...the tank issues continue. Nitrates still high..., still bubbly...(But improved since I added a filter sock and raised the sump water level even more), and suddenly a new concern.......yesterday while trying to hook up my new RO/DI unit, the power dies to the tank!!!!!! Ah, OMG! WTF??? No tripped breaker??? Finally found a tripped GFI upstairs that runs in the same circiut???????? So we have no clue why it suddenly tripped or that it was even on the same circuit! (No one was even in the house using power when it tripped!) So.......no time to get an electrician in before we leave but we are concerned that I have overloaded the circuit or something so I have extension cords running all across my basement to disburse the electricity to the tank to different circuits?????????? Electrician will be in to check it out while we are away. (These things always happen right before holidays right!:neutral:)

Anyway........I shall be sunnin on a beach tomorrow! (and chasin two kids:surprise::wink:)
The tank saga will continue when I return..............

[Delphinus]

Yikes. :neutral: What a week. Hope your vacation is awesome. Things will be fine. It is always most hectic just before you go.

How are you measuring your nitrates? Is it possible you're getting bad readings? Have you tried another test kit (borrow one from somewhere/someone maybe?)

[fishytime]

Yikes. :neutral: What a week. Hope your vacation is awesome. Things will be fine. It is always most hectic just before you go.

How are you measuring your nitrates? Is it possible you're getting bad readings? Have you tried another test kit (borrow one from somewhere/someone maybe?)

ya she has double checked a couple times with the test kit at work.....still high......lentils may not have been tumbling as much as they needed to be......sorry for jumping in Girly

your guy has a couple really good numbers to phone if anything happens ( Im sure all will be cool.....cept maybe in Mehico:wink:)

Have Fun Girly!:biggrin:

[Carmen]

ya she has double checked a couple times with the test kit at work.....still high......lentils may not have been tumbling as much as they needed to be......sorry for jumping in Girly

your guy has a couple really good numbers to phone if anything happens ( Im sure all will be cool.....cept maybe in Mehico:wink:)

Have Fun Girly!:biggrin:

Thanks! He's right Tony...double checked nitrates and unfortunately the test isn't faulty!

I am confident the tank is in excellent hands since I have Doug and Kevin as emergency numbers should anything happen! I know they would do anything for me...great guys to have looking out for me/my tank while I am away! Thanks Guys and I hope you don't get any phone calls this week........:wink:. Will be thinkin bout ya and will have a couple drinks just for you as I lay on the beach!:mrgreen::wink:

[Delphinus]

Bummer, I was hoping the pellets would have made a dent by now. Is it possible the nitrates are bound in the rock and substrate? In which case it will take longer .. but they'll get pulled down sooner or later. How much pellets are you running at the moment? Maybe try upping them a little.

They'll come down sooner or later!

Have a good trip!

[fishytime]

Bummer, I was hoping the pellets would have made a dent by now. Is it possible the nitrates are bound in the rock and substrate? In which case it will take longer .. but they'll get pulled down sooner or later. How much pellets are you running at the moment? Maybe try upping them a little.

They'll come down sooner or later!

Have a good trip!

those were my thoughts too Tony.....something bound up in the rock she got with the tank when she bought it....

[Carmen]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh:wink: Back from a great trip in Mexico! Feeling somewhat relaxed (but not likin the snow here:neutral:)! Trip was fantastic! Kids loved every second, great weather, lots of sun and even a little snorkellin!:mrgreen:

Came back to a tank in good order. One loss...my fairy wrasse. Not sure what happened. She showed up one day lookin rough then never popped out again. She was looking fairly pale when I did a WC right before I left so I wasn't too surprised.
AND good news!!! My nitrates are coming down........tested last night at 20! Whohooooo!:biggrin:

And to reply Tony...I think the Nitrates must be leaching from the rocks...that's the only thing that really makes sense (as Doug suggested). So sooner or later I suppose it will settle down.

Still have to figure out the electrical on the tank/house. Has to wait til next week so for now I have extension cords running everywhere.

[fishytime]

welcome back and glad you enjoyed your trip......sucks to hears bout your wrasse though......twas a beautiful fish:sad:......also good that the pellets seem to be kickin in......