steveweast

How about bacterial processes affecting the results? Hanna results are instantaneous but ICP takes days, weeks or even a month. Could bacteria within the sample over the long shipping time diminish the PO4 results? I know that that all my ICP test results show lower than Hanna too.

I used a GoPro 10. It can shoot in 4K.

Actually….I shot that video entirely on a GoPro….both inside and outside of the display tank. They are good up to 30 feet….so they are limited for diving, but work great for our aquariums.

Aug 2023 400 Gal Mixed Reef https://youtu.be/XYaOJs_Fe3Y

I’ll send them a link to my recent video….although I have been making changes recently.

Maybe. I haven’t seen Vic in years.

Mine is really too small to frag. It does have several new branches but still needs time to grow out. To tell you the truth, I find it a little ho hum. I think that the Oregon tort is more blue. That could change as it grows out though. For me….Jake’s full grown colony was more interesting in shape rather than color.

I’ll be there. Looks like we can buy tickets at the door.

I purchased the Oxolinic acid online from Cascade Pond Supply. A simple google search will get you there.

It is my understanding that Oxolinic acid is a more targeted antibiotic that targets gram negative bacterial issues (like STN and RTN can be) along with brown jelly issues on LPS. It is similar to cipro (which targets everything)…but less harsh. It has been around a long time but is mostly used on koi fish. The in display tank dosage that I was instructed to use was 1/2 gram per 10 gallons…..three treatments every other day…..then the typical water change and carbon. Oxolinic can easily be sourced online. It goes for about $1 per gram. There isn’t much information out there on reef use. It’s just now being looked at as a less harsh alternative than cipro. I was having an issue with some base up STN and some brown jelly on a torch…..and this treatment stopped it cold. I learned of it from my conversations with Jake Adams before his fateful Bali trip. He was using it in his studio on similar issues. I believe that he was turned onto it by Chris Meckley. Your mileage may vary…..this is more of a cutting edge treatment. I’m sure that good bacteria could be affected as well….which could open the door to other issues like Dino’s. Much is unknown right now. I rolled the dice and it did work for me on both the SPS and torch though.

The Newberg hardware store on HWY 99 (maybe an Ace) has a large selection.

Nope. Just the livestock.

I went back to my roots with just a regular mixed reef. I just converted my old empty 400-gal coldwater tank which was just sitting there housing spiders for years. It's still a work in progress....but getting there.

I started again about 8 months ago after about a decade gap. I guess it never really goes away.

This tank is mostly Puget Sound livestock (55F temp) with some Australian temperate boxfish.

Reefstock is always held in Denver. It is presented by Jake Adams (reefbuilders founder and from Golden, CO) and the local club for the Denver area. I attended Reefstock both this year and last year (I was the aquascaping judge last year). They hold it at the Downtown Aquarium....which is a fantastic local public aquarium. It's a great venue to hold this one day event. I'd say they had 500 folks show up each year. Folks come to see Reefstock....then get a 50% discount on the entrance fee to the Aquarium.Lots of families making a day of it. The reefing scene is quite large there for a metro area similar to Portland. The best part though is a Mexican Restaurant across the street that has 64oz margaritas.....with something like 15 shots in it. One of those....plus the 6000 ft altitude....and you won't have a care in the world......plus the after party which is held at the home of a local guy with one of the best 1200 gal SPS reefs that I've ever seen. His house is at the 9000 ft level. One beer there is like a 12 pack here. I'm just now getting over my hangover. Reefstock will remain a Denver event. It would be hard to copy here.....they have a lot stars aligning there. http://reefbuilders.com/2010/10/12/rocky-mountain-reef-tank-twoyear-anniversary-update/

I noticed no real difference in algae growth after going to LED's from T5's. I went with the LED's to really light up the tank when viewing or photo shooting......but, they are seldom all on at the same time (mostly to control algae and that no critter in the tank cares about light). My tank is mostly lightly lit with a few of the LED's....and has a little ambient light as well.

I do use LED's. I use two Ecoxotic fixtures over the tank. http://www.marinedepot.com/Ecoxotic_Panorama_LED_System_w_Accessory_Pack_Linkable_LED_Light_Fixtures-Ecoxotic-XX06060-FILTFILDLK-vi.html

In a cold tank, evaporation is very low from the lack of lights and heating. Dripping kalk would be OK for the short term....but, I feel that the Ca/alk/pH balance over time might get out of balance. There is really very little uptake of Ca in these tanks. It's no where near what goes on in a warm reef tank. Except for some very small blanophyllia (and a little coralline).....there's nothing depositing Ca in my system. The removal of PO4 through kalk would be minuscule compared what is added through the massive, automated multiple times per day feedings. Large water changes and GFO are still required regardless if kalk is used or not. It is also less maintenance for me to just set up a CO2 scrubber than a Kalk reactor. Mixing up and manually adding kalk is a deal killer for me. I need a more.... set it....and forget it....solution. I keep my alk at 9dkh. As for the aragonite.....yes, it could be used.....but, not in the way you mentioned. I keep a natural Puget Sound (thin layer) rubble bottom. It simulates much of the Sound well.....and allows me to vigorously stir up the bottom to remove uneaten food, debris, detritus, etc. A DSB in a highly fed cold tank really doesn't work that well. I do drip the effluent from my NO3 reactors through aragonite though. The problem is that folks tend to think that running a cold tank as just the same as running a tropical reef tank with a lower temp. It really is more kin to running an extremely stocked and overfed fish only system. A DSB would do little to effectively reduce NO3 in either system (especially at 50 F).

One more thing....I just use an old large media reactor that the skimmer sucks air through. I limit the media's depth to about 6 inches (in a 8" diameter reactor).....which last about a month before it turns purple (and the tank's pH begins to drop). The media can be re-activated ....I think in the oven with washing soda.....or something like that. My skimmer also used to suck outside air.....but, the tank still ran a low pH. Since the skimmer is the delivery system, the skimmer size and airflow determines how quickly you will exhaust the media......and how much of a bump in pH you will realize. The media is more commonly used for medical purposes and for re-breathers in Scuba diving.

I've been using a scrubber on my cold system for about 3 months now. Cold systems tend to run a low pH since nothing is photosynthetic. My tank ran consistently at 7.8 to 7.9. I get a .3 bump when I set up the scrubber.....I now run 8.1 to 8.2. It is not snake oil....quite a few folks use it. Your best buy is through Airgas who sells it in 5 gal buckets for $75.......but, the only Airgas stores that regularly carry it is their Corvallis and Newport stores (because of the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport and some veterinarian outfit in Corvallis). A 5 gal bucket lasts me about 5 months (estimated) on a 400 gal tank through a large skimmer (Bubble King SM300). You will see a pH increase within minutes of setting it up.

Shaun, You are correct in that low pH is a problem with running a cold tank. They tend to run in 7.7 - 7.9 range.....which is on the low side....especially if you are trying to keep critters that do lay down calcium (Orange cup corals, clams, oysters, etc). Low pH hinders calcification. Chronic low pH will kill these guys off. I run a CO2 scrubber on the intake of my skimmer which bumps my pH up by .3. I tend to run in the 8.1 -8.2 range until the media exhausts.

Randy....I think you're stuck....just like me. I want live TV, news channels, etc.....so, it's Comcast , Dish, or Direct TV. Beware of Frontier, they're probably surrendering to Comcast (in fact, their install fee was just raised to $500). I just upgraded to triple play. Mine is 149/mo and I get Starz, HBO, and Showtime......price fixed for 2 years. Of course, my whole business still revolves around a fax line, so, it's worth it for me. http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2011/01/frontier_plans_massive_fios_ca.html http://www.telecompetitor.com/frontier-wants-out-of-fios-tv-quickly/

The tank is far from complete. there are quite a few things that I'm looking to add. In another 8 to 12 months, it will look very different in both the fish and invertebrate population.

News to me. I know Jake personally and sent him an advance copy to get feedback. I guess I should have known it would end up on reefbuilders.