[Jasonanatal]

Equipment: Deltec NFP509 Nitrate Filter "Isolated Seeding"

In light of the numerous issues that have come about from utilizing the Deltec NFP509 Nitrate Filter I have decided that another route of maturing the Nitrifying Bacteria must be taken in order to ensure continued operation of the device in the future within my setup while keeping the best interest of my livestock and corals in mind. I have come up with a little method that I called "Isolated Seeding" to accomplish the overall goal.

In this method the device is connected to an isolated aquarium, such as a quarantine aquarium that you would normally place newly purchased livestock or corals. Then you can begin the normal seeding process as described in the owners manual. This should allow the Nitrifying Bacteria to fully mature so that the Carbon Food source (RO/DI & Vodka mixture) that is dosed is fully utilized which will result in no leaching back into the display aquarium. After the maturing period which can be followed through normal testing of Nitrate from the effluent the device can then be transferred back to the intended aquarium hopefully without any negative results.



Photograph - Deltec NFP509 Nitrate Filter setup for Isolated Seeding.

[Jasonanatal]

Corals: Oregon Blue Tortusa (Acropora Tortusa) "SPS Coral Addition"

Care Level: Easy in SPS tank!
Lighting Requirements: High- Metal Halides
Water Flow: Moderate
Aggressiveness: Peaceful
Range: Indo-Pacific
Family: Acroporidae
Water Conditions: 74-80° F; sg 1.023-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4; dKH 8-12

I am so happy to have found a local Reef Keeper who had a frag of this Coral available (MattT5 of Reef Central). The Oregon Blue Tortusa (Acropora Tortusa) is a beautiful specimen and has already shown full polyp extension within a few minutes of being introduced into my aquarium. I can't wait to see this grow into a colony.



Photograph - Oregon Blue Tortusa (Acropora Tortusa) purchased from MattT5 of Reef Central.

[jimw369]

Oregon Blue Tort!

One of my favorites!

Usually expensive too. lol

[Jasonanatal]

Originally Posted by jimw369

Oregon Blue Tort!

One of my favorites!

Usually expensive too. lol

Jimw369, I definitely agree. I actually was able to get my frag locally for $50.00. I was a little concerned with the water quality since I have been experiencing some growing issues but everything is going as planned so far.

[Jasonanatal]

Corals: Tri Color Acropora (Acropora Tortusa) "SPS Coral Addition"

Scientific Name: Acropora Valida
Care Level: Intermediate
Disposition: Semi-Aggressive
Placement: Middle to Top
Lighting: High "Metal Halides"
Waterflow: Strong

This is another beautiful specimen received from MattT5 of Reef Central.



Photograph - Tri Color Acropora from MattT5 of Reef Central.

[Jasonanatal]

Equipment: Tunze Nano DOC 9002 Protein Skimmer "Performance"

It is time for my monthly cleaning of the my Tunze Nano DOC 9002 Protein Skimmer, so I thought I would take this opportunity to give everyone some insight on its overall performance. Especially since most people are very interested in moving away from the stock protein skimmers that are usually provided with their nano aquariums. The photographs below span from Monday, September 08, 2008 through Saturday, September 13, 2008. In just less then a full weeks time, the Tunze Nano DOC 9002 Protein Skimmer managed to produce 125 ml of skimmate which is roughly 1/5 of the entire collection cups capacity.








Photograph - Monday, September 08, 2008 through Saturday, September 09, 2008 - Photographic timeline of the Tunze Nano DOC 9002 Protein Skimmer's performance.

[Jasonanatal]

Livestock: Picasso Percula Clownfish "Amphiprion Percula"

Size: 1 - 2 Inches
Care Level: Easy
Temperament: Docile
Origin: Aquacultered
Minimum Aquarium Size: 10 gallons
Reef Compatible: Yes

I managed to get my hands on one of Oceans, Reefs and Aquariums "ORA's" most sought after aquacultured specimens, the Picasso Percula Clownfish. This little guy was purchased from House of Fins in Stamford, CT. According to the store sales people he was a Grade: B Picasso and because of that many people had passed on purchasing him, but not me. This little guy deserved a home in my aquarium and was purchased for a super sale of $80.00 (normally priced at $120.00). Hopefully in the near future I can locate a second Picasso Percula Clownfish to introduce.



Photograph - September 18, 2008 - My new Picasso Percula Clownfish purchased from House of Fins in Stamford, CT.

[Jasonanatal]

Equipment: EcoTech Marine Vortech MP40W Generation 2 Pump

I finally managed to get some free time to actually read the entire manual from the EcoTech Marine Vortech MP40W Generation 2 Pump. And as you all probably figured out by now I'm always one to push the envelope, so I got this crazy idea to make some waves in my 28 gallon JBJ Nano Cube. So I thought I would share this video after I tinkered with the waves settings.


YouTube - EcoTech Marine Vortech Generation 2 Pump. "Long Video"
YouTube - EcoTech Marine Vortech Generation 2 Pump.
Video - Friday, September 18, 2008 - Video of the wave making capabilites of my EcoTech Marine Vortech MP40W Generation 2 Pump.

[Jasonanatal]

Chemistry: Two Part Calcium Additive Issue "When It Rains... It Pours!"

I wanted to apologize for my dissapearance for that last few weeks. My new job has been extremely demanding and I have had a few issues that I am in the process of dealing with when it comes to my reef aquarium. So here are the laundry list of problems.

During my weekly water changes I would conduct my normal testing using Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Liquid Test Kits and it would show a rather large level of Calcium depletion. So I would calculate the amount of Kent Tech CB Two Part Calcium Additive that would be required to make up for the loss of Calcium and then add the necessary amount. Soon after I would see the results of my dosing as a calcareous substance form on the glass which would take me hours to remove.




Photograph - Friday, October 26, 2008 - Calcareous substance formed on aquarium glass.

Amphibious as well as others explained that it could be from a bad batch of additive or too much additive being dosed in a short period of time. He generously sent me a complimentary set of Ocean's Blend Two Part and Magnesium to resolve my problem which I have been dosing by the instructions for 1 week and so far no signs of the Calcareous substance.



Photograph - Saturday, October 11, 2008 - Ocean's Blend additives.

[Jasonanatal]

Equipment: American Marine PinPoint pH Probe

I finally decided to place an order for my American Marine PinPoint pH Probe that connects to my Digital Aquatics ReefKeeper 2. I also purchased plenty of calibration fluid so that every 2 weeks I can remove the probe to calibrate it to make sure everything is within working condition. This little device has actually led me to see a gradual decline in the pH of my reef aquarium which I'm currently working toward rectifying.




Photograph - Saturday, October 04, 2008 - American Marine Pin Point pH Probe.

[Jasonanatal]

Chemical: D&D The Aquarium Solution H2Ocean Salt

As you all know I'm always itching to purchase quality products for use in my reef aquarium so I purchased a bucket of D&D The Aquarium solutions H2Ocean Salt. This salt is derived from the process of solar evaporation of water from the Red Sea and I have heard good things about it so why not give it a try. I'll let everyone know if their are any added benefits from using this salt. However, their definitely is something to be said when a company invest time and money into extra wrapping for this salt.






Photograph - Saturday, October 11, 2008 - D&D The Aquarium Solution H2Ocean Salt.

[Jasonanatal]

Livestock: Kole Tang "Ctenochaetus Strigosus"

Maximum Length: 7.1 Inches
Care Level: Moderate
Family: Acanthuridae
Reef Compatibility: Excellent
Minimum Aquarium Size: 70 gallon
Range: Indo-Pacific, Hawaii
Diet: Herbivore- herbivore preparations, macro algae
Water Conditions: 74-80° F; sg 1.020-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4

The body of the Hawaiian Kole Tang is brown in color and is marked with about 35 fine, light, longitudinal lines which continue onto the rear of the soft dorsal and anal fins at the back of the body. Indian Ocean specimens bear spots, rather then the distinctive stripes. The Hawaiian Kole's eye is encircled by a bright yellow ring, small blue spots cover much of the head, and the chin appears to be a purplish color. Some juvenile specimens have a greenish yellow color with blue markings and faint dark stripes. The Kole Tang has a very interesting history from Ancient Hawaiian times. It was considered as "Royal" food and was kapu (forbidden) to be caught or eaten by anyone accept Royalty. The penalty, if found with the Kole, was death. Remember, if you have one of these fish, it has a very sacred history with the Hawaiian people, and in Hawai'i today is prized as a delicacy. Even though the Kole Tang is one of the less aggressive Surgeonfishes, it will battle with its own kind, and possibly with close relatives. Because it is less aggressive it may also be picked on by other, more aggressive Surgeonfishes. For this reason it is best kept singly, one per tank, but it does make a good choice when it comes to compatibility with other more docile, non-related species. To reduce compatibility problems, if you decide to put this fish together it generally helps to introduced them into the aquarium at the same time. Like all Surgeonfishes, the Kole has a very sharp spur or razor by the tail. It may seem small, but it can inflict a pretty nasty cut. Therefore, use caution when handling this fish. This fish is a workhorse when it comes to eating various types of algae in an aquarium, particularly brown diatom microalgae. From our experiences of keeping this fish we could put a few in a tank that had a brown diatom algae accumulation on the glass, and within days it would be gone. All that was left were the little lip marks on the glass where the algae used to be. The Kole Tang spends it day constantly grazing and eating, so providing it with an environment with plenty of algae growth is best. However, beware not to put one in a small reef tank, as it can do a lot of damage if you have delicate plants and algae growth that you want to keep. In a very large reef tank the plant growth can recover, as the Kole has so much to pick from. The Kole Tang adapts to eating tank fed foods extremely well. It will accept blue-green alga Spirulina, fresh romaine lettuce and other vegetable matter such as broccoli and zucchini. It likes nori (dried seaweed), flake foods made from dried marine algaes, and will even nibble on some meaty foods like dried shrimp and blood worms. When feeding with fresh romaine lettuce, broccoli or other fresh vegetables, place these foods in the freezer long enough to partially freeze them, then let them thaw out. This helps to break down the tough fibrous matter in the plants and allows the fish to digest them more easily. You can also blanch them to get the same results.







Photograph - Sunday, October 19, 2008 - My new Kole Tang "Ctenochaetus strigosus".

[Jasonanatal]

Livestock: Aarrowhead Crab "Stenorhynchus Seticornis"

Care Level: Easy
Reef Compatible: Yes
Diet: Carnivore
Range: Carribean
Family: Majidae
Water Conditions: 74-80° F; sg 1.023-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4; dKH 8-12

The Arrow Crab uses its very long legs to walk over the reef and to climb over almost any obstacle. It will not bother corals, however the occasional large specimen may pick at small passive fishes. Some Arrow Crabs will eat troublesome bristle worms. Overall, a great reef inhabitant that can live for several years in the home aquarium.





Photograph - Sunday, October 19, 2008 - My new Aarowhead Crab "Stenorhynchus Seticornis"

[plecosword]

nice rockwork and awesome tank!

[Jasonanatal]

Originally Posted by plecosword

nice rockwork and awesome tank!

Plecosword, thank you for the compliments.

[dori9941]

thanks for the pictures. my son likes the crab. it reminds him of a stick bug

[Jasonanatal]

Originally Posted by dori9941

thanks for the pictures. my son likes the crab. it reminds him of a stick bug

Dori9941, your welcome.