Canreef Aquatics Bulletin Board - Blogs http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/blog.php en Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:33:26 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/images/misc/rss.jpg Canreef Aquatics Bulletin Board - Blogs http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/blog.php Spams... http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/blog.php?b=16 Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:42:57 GMT Staff members have been battling with crazy spammers.... Board upgraded so hopefully spammers will reduce. Staff members have been battling with crazy spammers....
Board upgraded so hopefully spammers will reduce. ]]> titus http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/blog.php?b=16 Just trying it out......... http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/blog.php?b=14 Sun, 20 Apr 2008 06:24:44 GMT Wow ! It works :):) Wow ! It works :):) ]]> woodcarver http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/blog.php?b=14 Hummingbird.............. . http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/blog.php?b=13 Sun, 20 Apr 2008 06:20:00 GMT Hummer April 2008 Hummer April 2008
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]]> woodcarver http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/blog.php?b=13 See, you can post photos too http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/blog.php?b=12 Thu, 03 Apr 2008 02:18:29 GMT Image: http://www.canreef.com/images/logo_small.gif (http://www.canreef.com/modules.php?name=Active_Topics) ]]> titus http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/blog.php?b=12 More responses. http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/blog.php?b=11 Tue, 18 Mar 2008 09:53:14 GMT I really like these websites, but I wish that I could get more help! If you read this, please check out my threat about "Help! Xenia in trouble!". I am really concerned about this.:sad:

Come on people! Lets help our fellow fish keepers! ]]> sunce_22 http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/blog.php?b=11 New Blog http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/blog.php?b=10 Mon, 17 Mar 2008 19:12:24 GMT Never blogged before, so Im not sure what Im getting myself into here. Never blogged before, so Im not sure what Im getting myself into here. ]]> muck http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/blog.php?b=10 Blast from the past http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/blog.php?b=9 Mon, 17 Mar 2008 18:55:09 GMT Oh and if y'all are really bored you can go fish around in the archives of my other blog, which I have been posting to since 2003 it covers all the joyous dinoflagellate posts and such. Oh the trials and tribulations of reefing. Reflecting on it now, I'm not quite sure whether it was determination or sheer stupidity that kept me in this hobby :razz:

Archived Blog Posts ]]> christyf5 http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/blog.php?b=9 Intro http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/blog.php?b=7 Mon, 17 Mar 2008 18:50:48 GMT So I guess I had better post to this thing eh? I'm just the right enough of bored today to actually do it. Who knows whether I'll keep it up though.

Alrighty then, so I have a 90 gallon tank that was set up in 2003 (upgraded from a 48 gallon set up in 2001 which was upgraded from a 20 gallon also set up in 2001 :wink:). The original tank was purchased for $75 which at the time was a steal, it was only after I picked up the tank that I realized why. It was horridly scratched a full 8 inches from the bottom on all panels, I guess the previous owners must have had a very deep sandbed that they stirred every 5 minutes or something. Anyway, I was too excited to have a bigger tank to really make any melodrama about it (of course that came later).

I'd always had various algae problems do to a very green thumb (only if water was involved though, I'm crap with terrestrial plants unless they're outdoors where mother nature remembers to water them). But by April of 2004 I had a nasty case of dinoflagellate which could either be traced to a few new pieces of rock I added or having to take the tank apart to get a couple of fish out. Either way, I fought dinoflagellates for the better part of a year. Just when I would get them gone, the leftovers would provide nutrients for a caulerpa bloom. I would then prune caulerpa (this would take up to 3-4 hours each time) and then have a nasty brown algae bloom, in which I would call upon a legion of snails to clean up. Sometimes they did a great job sometimes the dinos would grow on top of the brown algae and would kill every last snail. This continued on for about a year. I tried everything, raising pH, raising alkalinity, two new skimmers, more water changes, less waterchanges, larger waterchanges, less photoperiod, only actinics, no lights at all, and putting blankets over the tank for a total blackout. I even swapped out the aragonite sandbed for sugar sand thinking the sandbed was locking up various nutrients for dinoflagellate production. I was dinoflagellate free for a whole 13 weeks that time, I think partly in thanks to the new sandbed and euroreef skimmer. But no matter what I did, they'd be back and stronger than before. Finally in 2005 I had totally had it and decided to take the tank completely down and restart it. All the rock was powerwashed, the sandbed was sent out to the driveway and the tank and equipment were thoroughly washed with vinegar. The tank was restarted and I awaited the return of the dinoflagellates but I was finally free of them!! Yay! During that year I lost 2 fish and all corals but one, a yellow porites that I still have to this day.

I ended "upgrading" the tank to yet another 90 gallon tank in 2005, this one brand spanking new, scratch free and eurobraced (oh how I hate those crossbraces). I figured if I was actually staying in this hobby I should be able to see into the tank clearly ;) I still run the tank with no sandbed and I can certainly attribute the lack of sandbed to my success since then.

Since then there hasn't been near the drama of those early years which I certainly don't dwell on. I consider myself to be one of those lucky ones that survived as I know a few people that just gave up with the appearance of dinoflagellates. I'm glad I stuck with it and kept trying things to rid myself of them.

Of course its not like I've had smooth sailing since then (typical), I've still had caulerpa issues (which a powder blue tang has mostly cured me of in 2007), red bugs, hair algae (which now seems to be confined to the overflow with the PBT eating most algaes in the tank), acro eating crabs, fish eating crabs, softy eating Eunicid worm. I seem to be quite successful in having pretty much every issue konwn to the reef world except for acro eating flatworms (knock on wood). And currenly I have brown wafer algae which is doing its best to take over. At least its fairly easy to prune.

So I think that brings you up to date with the major goings on. I'll post more current stuff from now on, unless I think of something else to share :biggrin: ]]> christyf5 http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/blog.php?b=7 150 Gallon System for Sale - Vancouver area http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/blog.php?b=6 Sun, 16 Mar 2008 18:58:47 GMT Hagen 150 Gallon Glass Aquarium, with steel stand. Dimensions: 60" x 24" x 24". Stand height 29".
2 Coralife 10,000 Metal Halide Lights with individual ballasts.
G1X - In Sump Protein Skimmer 150 gal rated with Sedra KSDP3500 Power Head
ebco-Jager adjustable heater
Fluval 103 Filter, Coralife Seastrorm 100 Biloligical Filter, cleaning supplies etc etc
Used only two years.
Package Price - $700 o.bo. Not interested in selling piecemeal.
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]]> Ed Hornaas http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/blog.php?b=6 Whee! http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/blog.php?b=4 Tue, 11 Mar 2008 03:22:13 GMT Well this will be interesting.

My website blog is at:

http://christysreef.blogspot.com

But we'll see if I can remember to update this one, what fun!! ]]> christyf5 http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/blog.php?b=4 My Blog http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/blog.php?b=3 Mon, 10 Mar 2008 13:42:56 GMT http://jreef.blogspot.com/ http://jreef.blogspot.com/ ]]> Jason McK http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/blog.php?b=3 Test http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/blog.php?b=2 Sun, 09 Mar 2008 17:02:26 GMT blog blog blog blog blog blog blog blog blog blog blah blog blog blog blog blog blog blog blog blog blog blah ]]> Aquattro http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/blog.php?b=2 Site upgraded with blogging! http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/blog.php?b=1 Sun, 09 Mar 2008 16:44:01 GMT Finally... been waiting for this feature for awhile. Hope all can make good use of it. Finally... been waiting for this feature for awhile. Hope all can make good use of it. ]]> titus http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/blog.php?b=1