400 gallons of saltwater running through my house.

[DevonM]

Remember they are just new buddies Devon and give em time, they will get things settled out in their own way, at leat that is my opinion.

Oh yeah, they are doing better each day. I'm surprised how much ****e that rabbit fish takes without giving in! I just think it's time to add a couple more schooling type fish. I would like to keep things busy. Maybe a couple different types of smaller fish would be the best idea, to cause a little confusion, lol.

 

[CarlaW]

I see where you are goin here Devon, and I don't know what exactly is in your tank. I know mine is pretty busy and pretty well established. I would be afraid to add anything to mine.

 

[DevonM]

The other day I noticed my ORP levels had jumped up 30 points, which is kind of unusual, so I began investigating. The only thing that I could find was that my Orange Guttatus Birdsnest (Seriatopora guttatus) frag was turning white. My tank levels tested normal so I took the coral out of the tank. It’s a bummer to lose a coral but I would rather get it out before it caused further problems.




test results
temp--74.7
salinity--33 / 1.025
Ph--8.05
Alk--8.9 dkh
Ca.--410
Mg-->1200
ORP--338


10AM

 

[CarlaW]

Just a question Devon, how long has your alk been sitting at 8.9, I know that some corals have a problem with alk, but if it has been that way for a while, I don't think that is it.

And for us technically challenged folks, could you maybe run thru the ORP, what yours has been, and maybe how consistently it has been that.

 

[DevonM]

Just a question Devon, how long has your alk been sitting at 8.9, I know that some corals have a problem with alk, but if it has been that way for a while, I don't think that is it.

And for us technically challenged folks, could you maybe run thru the ORP, what yours has been, and maybe how consistently it has been that.

I actually just bumped my alk up a bit. It was sitting round 8.3.

I've used the ORP probe in my tank to monitor change in good vs. evil. As I understand it, a particular reading doesn't mean anything but from day-to-day the reading goes up and down. My tank for the past year has read anywhere from 295 - 340. Usually the reading swings 5-10 points throughout the day and night. I've noticed that if there has been a big swing (+ or - 20 points) then something has usually happened in the tank, dead fish, skimmate dumped in the tank, etc.

In the past I used to have a skimmate collection cup that would sometime overfill and drip back into the sump and the ORP reading would drop.

Here is an article that helps explain the good vs. evil explanation:

ORP and the Reef Aquarium by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

 

[CarlaW]

was the coral going white before you bumped the alk?

 

[DevonM]

I don't think so Charlie. I didn't really take notice until the ORP change happened.

 

[CarlaW]

how quick did you bump the alk then?

 

[DevonM]

how quick did you bump the alk then?

I think I only moved my Alk dosing up 6 ml a day which isn't very much at all. The change from 8.3 to 8.9 is relatively minimal, correct? Do you think the change from 8.3 to 8.9, even if it did occur in one day, would cause an issue?

 

[CarlaW]

Yes I do devon, that is maybe what caused the birdsnest to go south.

 

[DevonM]

Yes I do devon, that is maybe what caused the birdsnest to go south.

That seems odd to me as I have dropped in 100 ml (1 BRS cup) of solution at one time, many times in the past without an issue. :noidea: My ORP is still around 330, no big swings to report. I was kind of wondering if the coral had grown large enough to block the light that hits its base.

How much does your Alk levels vary in your system Charlie?

 

[CarlaW]

Hey....................... sh** happens, remember we are doing a balancing act anyways my friend. I go from 8.3 - 8.6. Check alot of my test results. If I raise something it is slowly, years have kinda taught me that. Maybe you just ran out of luck Devon.

 

[DevonM]

Hey....................... sh** happens, remember we are doing a balancing act anyways my friend. I go from 8.3 - 8.6. Check alot of my test results. If I raise something it is slowly, years have kinda taught me that. Maybe you just ran out of luck Devon.

You win some, you lose some.

 

[CarlaW]

Well, yeah, you just hate to lose something like that tho, I know where you are comin from Devon.

 

[DevonM]

Spring Cleaning

Well a little progress to report!

• New RO/DI unit installed (BRS 75 GPD RO/DI 6 Stage System)
• Pumps cleaned (Pictures to come)

Got an itch to upgrade my RO/DO system... so the Easter Bunny got me one. It's all set up and producing water like a champ. Spent today taking down the system to clean my return pumps (Mag 24s) and since I was in the cleaning mode I also cleaned the refugium pump (Mag 12). It's been almost two years since I cleaned the return pumps so I thought I should get on it before summer arrived and I put it off! I ran the last set of Mag 24s for three years, turned them off and they would not start back up (the insides pretty much fused together). It was an expensive lesson!

So, all the pumps took about a 3 hour bath in white vinegar today. I couldn't believe how hot the 5 gallons of vinegar got with the Mag 24s running. I can see how a smaller system could heat up pretty quickly with an oversized pump.

Anyway, just getting ready to re-install the refuge pump. Hope everyone is doing well!

 

[CarlaW]

Sounds good Devon, you surprised me with your call this morning. Did you get in and do the impellers too or did you vinegar the p*** out of them?

 

[DevonM]

Did you get in and do the impellers too or did you vinegar the p*** out of them?

Just vinegar. They seem to be working well.

 

[CarlaW]

They are pretty trusty pumps aren't they? How much vinegar do you dump in there when you clean pumps?

 

[DevonM]

They are pretty trusty pumps aren't they? How much vinegar do you dump in there when you clean pumps?

Well I used an 18 gallon tote with 5 gallons of vinegar to clean the two Mag 24s. Took another 3 gallons to cover the Mag 12 that I did by itself. I didn't actually plan on cleaning the Mag 12 until I was re-installing the 24s and noticed how dirty it was.

 

[CarlaW]

Good thing vinegar is relatively cheap.......................... LOL