Melev's new 280g Starfire tank thread - Page 52

Toddrtrex · #**1276** 10/21/2004, 10:36 PM

Good point Chris - the right knife does make is easier. For the week I worked there ate only one oyster (raw) Took all my power to keep it down : (

SOMEthinsFISHY · #**1277** 10/22/2004, 04:29 AM

yes one has to aquire a taste for them like caviar Just not 4 me !

der_wille_zur_macht · #**1278** 10/22/2004, 06:47 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by SOMEthinsFISHY
yes one has to aquire a taste for them

Either that or one has to be quite drunk and have a wife and several friends daring him on. Of course, that makes it even harder to keep down later on.

I'm gonna be more careful at next year's company christmas party.

I like my hammer idea.

Get some aggression out instead of getting stressed out worrying about slicing into your hand.

rjwilson37 · #**1279** 10/25/2004, 09:47 PM

Marc, The big change over a week ago, is that my denitrification process has started working and over about 4 days my Nitrates went down from 15-20ppm to zero. This is a great thing, but do you think the SPS, and LPS corals are happier with this decrease in Nitrates and are consuming more calcium to grow better.

I had a system working, puting ARAGAMilk in everynight and my calcium was at 400-420 and I checked it every 2 days for like 2 weeks and it was always there. I did not change my meathod and I did not check my calcium for like a week, but decided to check it, and it was down to 320. I got it back to 340, after 2 days and I am fighting to get it back up there, but what could cause it to drop like that all of a sudden from having something that is working. Everything else is fine were talking PH is 8.3, Alkalinity is at 10, Ammonia, Nitrites, and Nitrates at Zero.

Any thoughts on this?

lovetoreef · #**1280** 10/25/2004, 09:51 PM

RJ

not sure if this helps, but something I had the joy of enduring - in my previous tank, I began to experience my calcium precipitating out so that even when I tried to raise the level, it simply compounded the problem - I had to really turkey baste my rock well and siphon my over flow box out really well - after that, i was able to get my calcium levels under control. i am not sure if this is what was happening, but that is what my lfs told me - just a thought. good luck.

gerard

rjwilson37 · #**1281** 10/25/2004, 09:56 PM

Maybe I need to give my skimmer and return pump a good overall cleaning, as well as my Powerheads. I am starting to notice I get alot of that pink coraline trying to grow on the front and sides of my tank after two days, since I clean the sides and front every 2 days I have noticed this.

lovetoreef · #**1282** 10/25/2004, 09:59 PM

well, it sounds like your tank could be really booming - if the coraline is really starting to grow and the corals are taking off, then the tank could really be using more calcium.

melev · #**1283** 10/25/2004, 10:47 PM

I've never used Aragamilk, so I can't comment on that. However, lowered nitrates is always great. Mine are at 7ppm currently, and PO4 is at 1.0

I'm trying to get my PO4 down and have been doing a 50g water change every other day. Tomorrow is water change #3.

NuclearReefs · #**1284** 10/25/2004, 11:45 PM

I think the refugium bulb is photosythesizing macros in the wrong color spectrum and causing P04 to go up......

melev · #**1285** 10/26/2004, 12:29 AM

It could be the refugium sand too.

NuclearReefs · #**1286** 10/26/2004, 12:30 AM

Southdown?..

melev · #**1287** 10/26/2004, 10:13 AM

Possibly. When I build the new sump, it will have new sand used as that is the existig refugium that moved with the tank. I need a good way of exporting detritus from the bottom of the sump - anyone have a simple solution?

tor101898 · #**1288** 10/26/2004, 11:42 AM

small cuke, or maybe a vacum like the python unit.i've used both and it seems to keep the sand clean.

adrinal · #**1289** 10/26/2004, 12:50 PM

Better late than never?

I love your site. Its a great read!

melev · #**1290** 10/26/2004, 02:59 PM

Thanks.

NuclearReefs · #**1291** 10/26/2004, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by melev
Possibly. When I build the new sump, it will have new sand used as that is the existig refugium that moved with the tank. I need a good way of exporting detritus from the bottom of the sump - anyone have a simple solution?

Saturday,,,

we'll sketch some stuff and come up with a good plan..

Nathan

melev · #**1292** 10/26/2004, 10:31 PM

I've already come up with one workable idea that should make water changes really easy. I'll tell you about it when you come over.

Did another 50g water change today, and am making another barrel of RO/DI water as I type this.

Glad I bought six buckets of Oceanic.

JumboAg99 · #**1293** 10/26/2004, 10:59 PM

Marc, I don't envy the massive water changes you've been doing. You don't exactly have a ton of room to work with behind your tank in your fish room. Must be a royal pain shuffling water in and out.

melev · #**1294** 10/26/2004, 11:54 PM

Yes, I need a much better method but for now I work with what I've got. To keep track of what I'm removing, I use 5 empty buckets. Filling up all 5 from my sump, 25g is removed. I do this twice, and I know 50g has been removed. Trying to keep track of them one or two at a time was a tad ... disconcerting.

The big blue 55g plastic drums I got make it easier to make and mix the new saltwater, and that is pumped right into the sump over a 2 minute period. But the drums aren't on wheels yet, so I drag them across the kitchen floor. I noticed Joseph stated in his thread that he found rolling plant trays at the hardware store, so I'm going to see if that will work in my situation as well.

adrinal · #**1295** 10/27/2004, 12:24 AM

Dumpster / recycle bins can come in pretty large sizes with wheels too. Though they are certianly sturdy, I am not positive they could be filled to the rim w water and still roll... worth a look though.

NewSchool04 · #**1296** 10/27/2004, 12:26 AM

melev, are you happy with the Oceanic salt that you use?

kenny77 · #**1297** 10/27/2004, 01:49 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by melev
Time to make more food. I picked up a couple of new ingredients today, including 3 small clams and a few octopii (or octopusses). The 'head' area of the octopus has been emptied at the fish deli, so I'm going to assume there is nothing to be worried about.

Opening the clams made me nervous as I've never had to do so in my life. If there is an easy safe technique, I'd love to know it. In the meantime, I took a leather glove from Home Depot, and placed the clam in my gloved palm, and pushed the edge of the blade against the joint of the shell until I was able to force it open. After removing the contents and adding it to this shellfish medley, I thought the reef might like to 'lick out the bowl', so to speak.

Next month I get some live mussels instead of clams.

hey melev opening clams and oyters in never a safe thing, im have to open dosens of them every day at work. we use to wear a leather glove until a shocker puncture the leather glove and went thrue my hand almost to the other side. now we use metal glove, the one people use when diving with sharck. with that you can feel secure. that what we use to open oyster. to open clams we take the damn thing and we hit it with the table and the we use the shocker. by doing that you alow the clam to open a little bit so you can use the shocker or a nife.

DerekW · #**1298** 10/27/2004, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by melev
Yes, I need a much better method but for now I work with what I've got. To keep track of what I'm removing, I use 5 empty buckets. Filling up all 5 from my sump, 25g is removed. I do this twice, and I know 50g has been removed. Trying to keep track of them one or two at a time was a tad ... disconcerting.

You have a glass or acrylic sump now, no?
Next time you take your 50 gallons out, just make a line on the sump with a magic marker, then run your hose to a drain or out to the sewer

WantABigTank · #**1299** 10/27/2004, 12:57 PM

Marc,

May I suggest the water change method I use.

Using a known volume container I siphoned multiples of them from the tank and marked the tank with a grease pencil (also measured and charted on paper incase the marks get cleaned off). The specific volumes of water that I change are usually 20, 30, or possibly 40 gallons depending of the time between changes and the nitrates in the tank. Bare in mind I have a Fish Only setup, although I do not think it matters.
I no longer use containers to syphon into. I attach a garden hose to a gravel vacuum (or a plastic screen on the vinyl hose without the rigid vacuum tube) and syphon outside to an unplanted area of the yard. Or any other location I choose, sometimes the kitchen sink in the winter.
To refill the tank I pump premixed and heated water up from the basement using a Mag 1200 pump and a "Drinking Water Safe" garden hose. The hose is permanently installed through a hole on the floor behind the tank and is capped and coiled there when not in use. I usually prepare the new water a few days before the water change using a 33 gallon Rubbermaid trash can (or two) in the basement.
I have a remote wired switch by the tank along with a switch in the basement that allows the pump to switched on/off from either location (GFI protected). There is also a valve in the basement and on the end of the hose I place in the tank. Both sets of switches and valves enable a few shutoff possibilities and manual anti-syphon protection.

I've used this system for about two years now and have enjoyed not lifting and transporting containers full of water. It's much less likely to have a mishap not to mention the convenience and the minimized possibility of personal injury.

I can really appreciate this system now since I just under went planned knee surgery yesterday. I changed some water two days ago in preparation and premixed more water for the next change.

-Dave

melev · #**1300** 10/27/2004, 01:08 PM

Adrinal, thanks for the suggestion. I'm definitely looking into it. I just dragged 55g of water across the kitchen floor today, and it is getting old. However, it does make me feel like Superman briefly.

NewSchool04, I have no complaints. It dissolves completely and my livestock looks fine. I used Kent's Sea Salt for about 4 years before switching to Oceanic.

Kenny77, thanks for the advice. I might create a cutting board with a empty socket, or put a towel on the cutting board to stand the clam up and press down with a knife, because I do not want to do what you did to your own hand!

Derek, yes, I do have an overall idea of how much water I'm draining from each compartment of my glass sump. My next sump will be acrylic, and it will extend out from under the tank about 8" or so. I have to build a wooden platform to support it fully, as that 8" will be floating several inches off the flooring. The rest sits on concrete. What I'm thinking is drilling a hole with a bulkhead in the base of the sump in the 8" region, and plumbing that to go under and out. Then I can just open the valve and the sump will drain completely. I'll probably put several drains in place so all the sections can be emptied.