Our Tbs

[bobt2]

i'm using a little valve that pinches the tubing. i shut it off before i leave for work in the am. dwculp, a concrete drill from home depot, maybe 3/16 to a 1/4. push a piece of music wire from a hobby shop into the hole. instant hook

[greenbean36191]

While the refractive index doesn't change, most people don't read the refractive index if their refractometers even show it at all. Most look at the specific gravity (which the refractometer isn't actually measuring) and which does change with temperature.

For example you could have a sample with a refractive index of 1.3392 which would correspond to a specific gravity of about 1.025 at 78 degrees. If you put the sample in a refractometer that showed the refractive index then yes it is inherently ATC. If you put it in one that only shows specific gravity and is calibrated to be used at 78 degrees, the difference in temperature between your tank and whatever temperature the refractometer was designed for can make a measurable difference in the specific gravity reading.

[liverock]

Originally posted by dwculp
Yeah, but 1.030!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1.030!!!!!!!!!!!

1.030!!!!!!!!!!!


I am shocked. I am stunned.

I am surprised my stuff is alive.

No big deal...salinity goes from 18-36 in the gulf, and does so in the Keys also........a stable salinity is best in a reef tank, most keep it low to avert disease, but stability of where you are at is best.
If you are going to lower it, do so very slowly over a number of days....

look at the links I posted to the buoys that NOAH provides info on.....is 10.36 right now at Molasses reef in the Keys....


TBS

[dwculp]

I scrubbed the crap out of my tank and changed 15 gallons of water last night. Before I left last night the PO4 level was around .25-.5. This morning it is 0!!! Wooo Hooo!!

My skimmer is not skimming though!!

I am going to continue to leave the lights off today through Monday. The rocks are looking better, the slimy crap is gone from the sand and the stuff left on the rocks looks, for lack of a better description, dead. It is lifeless, blowing in the breeze, and not as vibrant brown as it was.

I meant to pick up some carbon last night but forgot. I will do another scrub tonight and 15 gallon water change and start running carbon tomorrow.

See, I knew I was smarter than those little dinoflagettates!!

I hope I didnt speak too soon!!

[patsan]

What's nice, is you won't have to change the media in the reactor for a couple of months. Hopefully it'll stay down at a zero reading for you for a long time.

[bobt2]

since i added my reactor my skimmer hasn't done much. it's starting to worry me!

[drk70]

Where are you guys dumping the water that comes out of the reactor? When I hooked mine up I put the return back in my sump before the skimmer and my skimmer didn't seem to skim much anymore. I have since moved it to the return section of my sump (which is after my skimmer) and my skimmer seems to be back to about it was before, which I will add was not all the great to begin with.

I'm not sure if that had anything to do with it or it was just the skimmer needed some time to start back up again.

[drk70]

Originally posted by ianmoede
First person to create an accurate, inexpensive electronic refractometer is gonna bank.

You can get electronic salinity monitors. Pin Point makes one. How accurate it is, I don't know.

[dwculp]

Originally posted by drk70
You can get electronic salinity monitors. Pin Point makes one. How accurate it is, I don't know.

And it isnt cheap either!

[bobt2]

i have a remora hob skimmer. before the reactor was added it produced lots of dark junk. i emptyed the cup every 3 days. my reactor dumps back into the tank [no sump ] now all my skimmer gets is a coating on the columm to the cup. the color of which is the same as the phosban

[drk70]

Originally posted by dwculp
And it isnt cheap either!

I didn't say it was cheap.

[dwculp]

Originally posted by drk70
Where are you guys dumping the water that comes out of the reactor? When I hooked mine up I put the return back in my sump before the skimmer and my skimmer didn't seem to skim much anymore. I have since moved it to the return section of my sump (which is after my skimmer) and my skimmer seems to be back to about it was before, which I will add was not all the great to begin with.

I'm not sure if that had anything to do with it or it was just the skimmer needed some time to start back up again.

I have a CPR Bak-Pak 2 and I used to have to empty my skimmer cup daily. This morning it was empty, nada, zero, zilch. However, some of the effluent from the reactor (the orange liquid) got into the tank yesterday and the tank is still a bit cloudy. I am doing a 50% water change tonight and just added carbon to the skimmer chamber so hopefully that will bring it back to normal.

[dwculp]

Originally posted by drk70
I didn't say it was cheap.

Ok then, thats my calling in life. I will invent a cheap, reliable electronic salinity meter!!

Actually, I have been wanting to start a project to make a computer controller and logger with wireless internet capabilities. It would have hook ups for various probes (pH, temp, salinity, ORP etc...) it would have a proportional temp controller and pH controller built in and constantly log data which you could wirelessly download to your computer for analysis and storage. It would even be able to send out email alerts such as "Temp is getting too high" etc.... You could even log into it remotley from work to view data in real time and reconfigure it. I would also include a web cam with broadcast capability. You could log into the controller from work, see all your tanks parameters, reset and control from there, view past data and see real time images of your tank.

I know there are similar products on the market but I bet I could do it cheaper.

I just have to find the time!!

[drk70]

Originally posted by dwculp
Ok then, thats my calling in life. I will invent a cheap, reliable electronic salinity meter!!

Actually, I have been wanting to start a project to make a computer controller and logger with wireless internet capabilities. It would have hook ups for various probes (pH, temp, salinity, ORP etc...) it would have a proportional temp controller and pH controller built in and constantly log data which you could wirelessly download to your computer for analysis and storage. It would even be able to send out email alerts such as "Temp is getting too high" etc.... You could even log into it remotley from work to view data in real time and reconfigure it. I would also include a web cam with broadcast capability. You could log into the controller from work, see all your tanks parameters, reset and control from there, view past data and see real time images of your tank.

I know there are similar products on the market but I bet I could do it cheaper.

I just have to find the time!!

If you invent it, I'll buy one.

When ever you have the time to do it, you can just send me over one of your prototypes and I will gladly be your guinea pig.

I seriously considered one of those Aquacontrollers a while back but just too pricey at the time. I really like all the electronic stuff but just can't build it myself.

[dwculp]

I can easily build it myself, it just takes time and energy. With my teaching, plus my robotics clubs, plus my chess club along with a few other things I do and run I just dont have time. I actually have a lot of the electronics planned out in my head.

I was going to get the people from RC to be guinea pigs

[drk70]

Since you guys aren't using sumps then maybe its just that the skimmer needs time to get back to normal. Like I said my skimmer did the same exact thing when I first started the reactor. Now that my skimmer just doesn't skim alot I think is just a piece of crap skimmer.

[drk70]

Originally posted by dwculp
I can easily build it myself, it just takes time and energy. With my teaching, plus my robotics clubs, plus my chess club along with a few other things I do and run I just dont have time. I actually have a lot of the electronics planned out in my head.

I was going to get the people from RC to be guinea pigs

You sound like my kind of teacher except for the chess. That is one game I never learned how to play.

We didn't have a robotics club when I went to school although we did build some kit robots in my physics class.

[dwculp]

Originally posted by drk70
You sound like my kind of teacher except for the chess. That is one game I never learned how to play.

We didn't have a robotics club when I went to school although we did build some kit robots in my physics class.

It is actually more like "strategy game club" now. We play Chess, Risk, Axis & Allies, Stratego and other games, not just Chess anymore.

[patsan]

Well, I got back from picking my salt up. The place didn't have any corals I was interested in nor any fish I wanted, so all I got was the salt and some food. I meant to pick up some DT's Oyster Eggs, but typically forgot.
I did notice gas prices on the south shore were lower than they are by me, but the place is 50 miles away.....so at $4 a gallon, I won't be going there very often. It was my $16 gas trip to the LFS today.

I did buy some blood worms , krill, brine and mysid. So all I need to do now is defrost some of my shrimp, and I can make my own food. I'd like to get a little fresh broccoli to add to the mix. I'm going to make a batch this weekend if not sooner.

[dwculp]

$4.00 a gallon?????????? You are kidding right?

[drk70]

Originally posted by dwculp
$4.00 a gallon?????????? You are kidding right?

Don't be surprised if it doesn't get that high. We are pushing the $3 mark here. Some places have already exceded it.

The news this morning showed some places in Atlanta charging almost $6 and $7 a gallon. All they are doing is taking advantage of people down there.

[patsan]

Originally posted by dwculp
$4.00 a gallon?????????? You are kidding right?

No, I'm not kidding. $4.09 a gallon for REGULAR!!! But that's at the most expensive place. The no name brands are more in the $3.89 range. How sick is this....I got gas at an Exxon station right next to Pets Warehouse where I was today because it was only $2.96 a gallon and I thought I was getting a bargain compared to the prices by me.
Many of the stations near me are now out of regular and only have premium. On my way home from the place, I did see most of the stations had raised their prices about 10 cents. But it's still in the lower to middle $3 range rather than the upper $3 range to lower $4 range near my house.
I'm just not going out anymore. I feel so sorry for the people who have to go to work everyday.
I'm glad I got 2 buckets of salt at least...and I ordered it last week before the hurricane and the skyrocketing gas prices. Bob keeps mentioning what our electric bill is going to go to. I just got our most recent one on Saturday, and it was $1039. The "excess fuel surcharge" was $200. I can only imagine what our next bill will be.

I also see Pet Solutions no longer has the $19.99 shipping. It's now $24.99, which is still pretty good compared to other places. This whole thing will be filtering down to everything we buy and hit us in every aspect of every day living.

I was hoping to be able to get a new coral or two, but they didn't have anything I really wanted.

[drk70]

It's pretty sad when it will cost me $30 to fill up my gas cans for the lawn mower. Maybe I just won't cut the grass anymore.

[dwculp]

WOW!! This morning it was about $2.89 and I thought that was crazy. This may force me to move closer to where I work!

[H2OLUVSME]

Originally posted by patsan
The "excess fuel surcharge" was $200. I can only imagine what our next bill will be.

....and they wonder why the cost of living is going up!