JCPatella's 90g Reef Build

[melev]

From these three pictures, I can't decide which one is my favorite. All three contain elements dear to my heart.







Great update. I wish more threads were like this.

Regarding the baked baking soda, I didn't mean 1 measuring cup of water, but rather a red beer cup of water. That would be about 16 to 20 oz or so. With less water it can be tough to dissolve the baking soda. It looks like you could dose more and bring up pH again. Always when dosing, add a little at a time, and measure the reaction to your tank before adding more.

On my huge reef, 6 teaspoons does nothing. In a barrel of water (55g's worth), that same amount will bring up alk and pH nicely.

I use a Pinpoint pH meter. I love them. You can buy them used for $45 to $55, or new for $89. If you care about pH and just want a quick update, that is the tool for you. It uses a 9v battery (a d/c plug may cause false readings) that lasts 6 months. Turn it on, put the probe in the water, see the numbers any time you approach the tank.

It is a great tool to measure newly mixed saltwater, as I discussed in my Water Change article in Reefkeeping. It saved my reef from a disaster when the brand of salt I used lacked the alkalinity ingredient. pH was 6.0 instead of 8.2, but baked baking soda brought it up where it needed to be, and I was able to proceed.

Having it portable, you can use it around the house as well as when visiting someone else's tank if they are having problems. You can test pH in newly acquired livestock too.

The probes tend to last about a year, and you can buy them online. Same with calibration solution. I've not used a pH test kit in years because they are never accurate. When my tank was reading 8.3, I pulled out the test kit to finally see it match that bright green color that 8.3 should be, and it STILL didn't match.

For those asking: For more information about baking soda, just scroll back two or three pages. It was explained in detail there.

Your skimmer is working exactly as it should. Good skimmate.

For a lazy man doser, what about getting a couple of those huge plastic syringe looking things. I've seen them for injecting poultry. If you could secure some tubing to the base of each injector, and hang the injectors in the perfect spot, you could pour in the additive and let it trickle out via the tubing. They even have measured markings on them. Pinch the hose, fill it up to the proper level, and then open the valve, unclamp the tubing. The smaller the tubing, the slower it would flow out.

Remember never to dose them at the same time as the reaction will cause precipitation just like dumping it in quickly. (If you are dosing them at one drip per second, then yes you could dose both at once in separate syringes. )

[jcpatella]

Without very accurate pH testing equipment, is there an upper pH and alk threshold that I need to worry about? In other words, could it be detrimental if my test strips were off and I added a little too much baking soda?

edit: I ask because I know some things just precipitate out of the water if too much is added.

[melev]

If your pH gets over 8.5, corals will slime heavily as they are stressed. I think the water becomes more acidic at higher pH, but that's a question for the Chemistry gurus.

7.9 to 8.3 is our goal.

Test strips do not last long because each time you open the container, air affects the strips, which is why it always says to close the container quickly, tightly.

[seattownreefer]

an absolutely fun and awesome thread. i have a 90 gallon as well and a 20 gallon sump. switching to a new octopus skimmer next week and will take pics of the fun. keep up the good thread josh!

[jcpatella]

Originally posted by melev
From these three pictures, I can't decide which one is my favorite. All three contain elements dear to my heart.







Great update. I wish more threads were like this.

Which elements?

1) Colorful Coral
2) Flowers
3) Cooking

GURLY MAN!

[Reeftanks6]

jc how is your powder brown

[jcpatella]

Originally posted by jcpatella
James Brown is doing okay. He's still chipper, but the ich hasn't gone away just yet. It's not getting worse, but his sidekick (mr. cleaner shrimp) was out of service yesterday - he molted and was unwilling to lend James a hand. James kept going to his cleaning station for a good scratch but the shrimp was uninterested. I find that the ich spots get larger late at night and then nearly disappear by morning.

[bower23]

melev- you're getting the idea with the syringe!! Maybe I didn't have enough beer, you could still understand me!
jc- I'm a Designer Technician, it's my job to find problems and then design ways to fix them. So, it's habit.

[Reeftanks6]

yea i have noticed that as well with ich jc

[Schwe]

Marc,

Higher pH (12) is a very basic solution, lower pH (2) is a very acidic solution. Both extremes are very caustic.

JC and Jackie,

GREAT thread! I hopped on board since I have a 90 I'm getting started as well. It's my very first time with salt, though. Great pictures, great commentary, and great attitude! I've learned a lot from this thread. I would like a tang and am not sure which one to get.. later on down the road, though.

-Les

[Mikeeee]

Your tank is looking great! I love the new coral and i hope your tang gets better soon! ..gotta love those action shots too haha .

[Reeftanks6]

haha

[bower23]

Boy, looks like Jackie knows how to make Chinese! I might have to break out my Chinese cookbooks. Looks good. She can cook and like Coral... JC, she's a keeper! Best of luck with the Tang. I've owned two PB and they both died of ich... and quick. I think both were infected from the store and I couldn't get rid of it. I tried everything.. which I think caused more stress. Bad move on my part. Now I just have a Purple fire fish and nothing else. I'm scared to try agian. It's been 6 months and no ich. Still don't know if it's safe. Anyhow, hope you have better luck. I love the PB's.

[jcpatella]

Originally posted by Schwe
JC and Jackie,
GREAT thread! I hopped on board since I have a 90 I'm getting started as well. It's my very first time with salt, though. Great pictures, great commentary, and great attitude! I've learned a lot from this thread. I would like a tang and am not sure which one to get.. later on down the road, though.
-Les

Thanks! There are many choices when getting a tang. As you'll find, it's a very controversial topic... I thought to myself, "How am i going to bring this up without causing mass distruction to my thread???"

Apparently I got lucky - the folks on my thread have been very friendly and helpful.

[jcpatella]

Mikeee - Thanks! He's looking better tonight. I've heard so much about ich that I'm not sure what's really going on, though. Maybe he's getting better, maybe not. He LOOKS like he's getting better though! He's definitely a hungry little bugger. He's eating nori, spirulina, and the occasional meaty food (probably by accident....). I've been soaking it all in this garlic that I picked up last night. Before that, I was crushing cloves of garlic.


Ingredients: garlic extract. It does have a rather disagreeable odor.



Makes for a tasty dinner.


Bower - sushi's japanese! Sorry to hear about your PB's. Hopefully James won't follow suit!

[melev]

Originally posted by jcpatella
Which elements?

1) Colorful Coral
2) Flowers
3) Cooking

GURLY MAN!

You just keep thinking that. I know what I like to see. Oh, and btw, Jackie should PM me. hehehe

Originally posted by Schwe
Marc,

Higher pH (12) is a very basic solution, lower pH (2) is a very acidic solution. Both extremes are very caustic.

Thanks Les. I knew I'd get it wrong, but forged ahead hoping I'd get it right. Oh well, I had a 50/50 shot at it. I'll try to keep that straight in my mind for the future.

Taste Test! Taste Test! Taste Test! - you can do it, all niiight looong!!!

[bower23]

opps.....I can't be right all the time..