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melev

Full tank shot for May '10

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15 Comments
by
melev
, 05-11-2010 at 03:06 AM (2251 Views)
Time for the monthly image of my reef. I did some tests recently.

Salinity - 1.026
Nitrate - 3ppm
Phosphate - .5ppm (dosed Phosphate Control to bring it back down again)
Alkalinity - 10ppm
Temperature - 80.1F
pH - 8.33
ORP - 323



The skimmer really didn't seem to be packed with air bubbles, and the venturi tubes were obstructed in the pumps' inlets. I took off the two Eheim's coverplates and soaked them for an hour in vinegar water, and then chipped out what I could. It ended up being easier to use a drill bit that was the same exact inner diameter, and turning it by hand I was able to cut out the stone-hard salt in each nipple. Of course I expected the skimmer to work perfectly after that, but it didn't seem to do much today.

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Categories
‎ Tank Entry , ‎ Water Chemistry , ‎ Photography/Video

Comments

  1. Hat39406's Avatar
    Your tank Is awesome Melev! I took my skimmer lid off a few minutes ago and have a inch of skimate in the cup. I'm so happy now, getting all that stuff out of the tank. When I do clean it like you just did yours, will it take time to start skimming again?
  2. melev's Avatar
    If you just cleaned it with tap water in the sink, it should resume within the hour, usually.
  3. Hat39406's Avatar
    Ok, thanks for the info!
  4. Alaska_Phil's Avatar
    Awesome Marc! That orange blob has really taken off in the past year.
  5. Tumbleweed's Avatar
    When you dose to lower you Phostphates what product do you use?
  6. melev's Avatar
    It's a beast Phil. I just had the nearby LFS owner over this morning, and he couldn't believe how big it was. He actually preferred it smooth instead of the whirling we expect. I just grabbed a tape measure and it is 19.5" long from tip to tip. 9" tall, and about 12" front to back.

    I use Phosphate Control by BlueLifeUSA, Tumbleweed.
  7. yiyi67's Avatar
    Hey Marc, how thick is the glass pane that your are on. I just put one on my tank with 3/4" glass and the instructions said to not use the adjustable spacer at all for this thickness. So basically the way I have it now is just the motor against the little rubber pad that normally fits inside the adjustable spacer. Just curious if you had to do the same thing.
    vortechs
  8. yiyi67's Avatar
    Sorry, typo. That was supposed to say "how thick is the glass pane that your vortechs are on?"
  9. melev's Avatar
    My tank is 1/2" thick. What you're doing sound right though - following Ecotech's advice is best.
  10. agsansoo's Avatar
    Orange blob ? The monti-cap ?
  11. Alaska_Phil's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by melev
    It's a beast Phil. I just had the nearby LFS owner over this morning, and he couldn't believe how big it was. He actually preferred it smooth instead of the whirling we expect. I just grabbed a tape measure and it is 19.5" long from tip to tip. 9" tall, and about 12" front to back.
    How big was that colony when you first got it?
  12. melev's Avatar
    I nicknamed it the "orange blob" a few years ago because it never took grew into the familiar shape we are accustomed to. I'm sure I can find a very old picture of the original piece, which resembled a tiny sombrero. I'll have to see about locating that for you.
  13. Douwant2play's Avatar
    I can't wait until I have a real job, and a house to set something like this up. Freaking Beautiful!!
  14. Hat39406's Avatar
    Lol... Yeah if I had that tank I would just sit in front of it all my free time!
  15. Brad Syphus's Avatar
    I cant believe how much everything has grown just in the last couple of months. Marc you need a larger tank my friend.