[RyanG]

Originally Posted by ncdiablo

Ph now at 8.2 after I did my 25% water change waited 2 days to do tests and add CUC
Ammonia 0.0
Nitrites 0.0
Nitrates hanging around at 10
Salinity is at 1.024
Calcium is still at 400+

Now starting Reef Builder added some on Tuesday at 1/2 the directed amount. Will add full amount today.

Says to use 2 times a week anyone familar with it? Do you use the directions amounts or smaller amounts?

What is your KH level?
Is there a reason your are going to use reef builder?
Hope your son starts feeling better!

[ncdiablo]

Hey there all, sorry still no pics. My son unfortunately from a cold he caught it has moved into his chest and kicked off his Reactive Airway Disease (I have this also and unfortunately passed it on to him ). So he's hurting badly. Right now wife is rocking him so I thought I would log on and at least type whats going on tank wise.

I need to add to my clean up crew but so far they are doing a decent job. Everyone is acting very very peaceful to one another. I constanly see hermits and snails next to each other working on algea. Finally my starry blenny has started to acclimate and has a cute little night nest that he sleeps in. Will take a pic here soon. He hasn't investigated the whole tank but keeps to his corner.

I bought pulsing xenia frag and I have put it in the tank. It hasn't opened back up yet but hopefully after a few days it will get back to normal. Did a 3 hour drip acclimation.

Bought a heater finally because the tank is staying too cool. It was averaging below 74 degrees and so now it is averaging around 77.

Talk to everyone later.

[Cela Vie]

I hope your son feels better. I know what you're going throgh...it feels like my son has been sick all year. I know its tough to work on the tank when your wife is caring/rocking the baby, which is probably why most of my time working on the tank is during the late hours.

Anyway, I keep my tank between 80 (no less then 79) and 82 (no higher then 83). I temperature acclimated my xenia and that was it. How much flow do you have on it. I don't like they like straight on flow, but they need some so I have my koralia providing some flow over the top of it. Not sure if that's the issue. How are your parameters?

[sanjaypawar]

Steven:

Hope your son feels better soon. Must be hard to work on the tank. You don't have to post on RB if its a challenge timewise. You can always tell us about the progress when your son is feeling better.

As for the coral. My clove polyps opened after 2 days. I guess they open up when they are like... alright lets get over the change of home...its time to eat

[ncdiablo]

I take a break here and there and it's easier for me to type info out so I don't forget than to take pics and get them uploaded. We went to the doctors today because he still was hurting and unfortunately it's pnuemonia. It's an unfortunate side effect to R.A.D. It happens so often to me when R.A.D. acts up it's not even funny. So I maybe taking tomorrow off from work just to help nebulize him. He puts up such a fight during it that for 5 mins it take two adults to keep the mask on.

His lungs were at 93% percent and so we had to go hardcore with meds because at 91% your put in the hospital.

Take it easy all.

[Cela Vie]

We hate when we have to give our son a neb treatment. He is amazingly string for two and half years. He a little one too, but man is he strong. Elmo helps, but that's only after he has given up to two adults. By that time most of the treatment has disspated into thin air...

[blind1993]

hope he gets better.

[jvharding]

Hope your son gets well soon! We are so looking forward to seeing your Tank.

[Tonz of fun]

Prayer is the most powerful things we have...

[aquasalt]

Just got done reading this thread. Your project is coming along nicely! What great live rock, really! Look forward to seeing more. In the meantime, best of luck with your son.

[sanjaypawar]

S:

I hope that your son's doing well.

What size/capacity is your return pump? Mine is transferring too much heat (because I had to choke the flow for overflow reasons) to the tank like 0.1 degrees every 10 minutes and therefore the chiller runs more frequently then it would otherwise have. You may have seen the pictures of my overflow on my 180 G... sale thread. Do you see anything that's different from what you have?

Thanks.

[ncdiablo]

Sorry for the long delay on pics here are some.

The first is my Pulsing Xenia I was worried it wasn't going to make it. The problem was the LFS I bought it from had it under crappy low level lights. So when it got into my tank it was being blasted by my lights even at the bottom of the tank. I reduced the lighting hours signifigatntly and will be working it back up to normal.



This next one is several days later, like 3-4 days. Still hasn't gotten back to normal but it's getting there.



Just put this in tonight and love the color. The pics don't do it justice one bit. It's about a 7" Wall Hammer coral. Very bright green tips and a peachy undercolor to the tentacles. The photo's are taken about 15 mins after intro to tank so it's not at it's full beauty either.



Close up taken 15 mins after introduction:



Another shot taken 15 mins after intro:



Next is my frogspawn that I also introduced at the same time. It's got some sort of macro algea on it and several Aiptasia on it, but I will work on removing those after it adjusts itself. The branching frogspawn also has nice green tips with a peachy color that will match the hammer coral. Not sure on growth of frogspawn but it appears like the heads are about to split as they seem to be closing in the centers. Posting close ups so you can let me know if I am looking at this right. Pics are 15 mins after intro so they aren't looking as happy as they are right now. Will take pics in a few days and show their true glory soon.

[ncdiablo]

Close up of one head that seems to be splitting. Let me know if that's what you have seen with your frogspawns.



This next shot is one that is of three heads that look similarly, again not happy as they just got introduced.



Here is a shot that shows the macroalgea that is all over the bottom part of the frogspawn. I am going to try to trim some of it away here over the weekend.



Here are some things that came with the live rock, the first is a type of sponge that I have about 30 or so showing up all over my live rock. It's called Red Tree Foram. They don't get very large slightly over a 1/4" but samller than a 1/2".



I have 3-4 of these starfish, they seem to mainly eat algea. Haven't seen them go after anything else yet. They are about a 1/2" to slightly under 3/4".



More pics to come.

Steven

[e_baer]

from the pic, it almost looks like a sand sifting sea star.

[Kevin W]

I have been told to remove these stars from the tank if i see them. My LFS said they can eat small polyps and are not good for the reef.

[glasta]

yeah the guy at 1 of my LFS has a whole tank full of those little stars and said that they will kill coral and he once had 1 on a clam and it killed the clam so i would just take it out just to be sure.

[sanjaypawar]

Great collection!!!! Build it up Bud. Can't wait to see pictures of the entire tank with all the entire reef doing well.

[robe25m]

Cool tank> I bought a head of Pulsing Xenia myself, LFS cuts them and sells em for 5 bucks, cant really beat that....

25% off all corals this saturday I cant wait...

Tanks looks great, hope all is well on the home front...