Blue Z Reef

Bump! These two are nice, one is pretty big!

Black widow is similar to a rose but has “webbing” in a circle around the outer part of the face and usually some white around the mouth as well. The center tends to be a deeper dark purple. With flow in the tank it’s hard to get a clear pic of the center.
 

Many variations have morphed over time and been isolated and propagated. That’s how we have Colorado Sun Burst (and many other named sun burst nems), Sherman, Flame, Inferno, etc. 

Does it not connect to the main hub thing at all? If not, that seems cheesy. I bought a wifi 4 power strip for $22 off Amazon for my garage mixing station. All I wanted it to do was be able to turn things on/off remotely and run on a timer my main mixing pump 1x per day. It has been flawless since June. For basic timer functions, It’s great. I will agree that EB832 is insanely expensive for what it is.

LARKKEY Smart Power Strip WiFi Power Bar with 4 USB Charging Ports and Smart AC Plugs, Compatible with Alexa,Google Home , Surge Protector 2.4GHz, FCC Listed https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07P15SJ84/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabc_etmQFb317JRJF?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I’ve used RE AB+ for months no issues, but I do keep it in the fridge per the directions. It does state that you can leave a weeks worth out for theoretical daily dosing. I would assume the same as kenny that it’s the phosguard. Get a test, if it’s a flat zero that would be a good indicator.

37 minutes ago, TheClark said:

I am thinking about doing this one.  Can buy two for the price of one:

 

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/3d-printed-aquarium-parts-archive-thread.599807/page-26#post-7825148

 

 

 

What happened to your other 3D printed one? That seemed promising and was cheap IIRC

None of those parameters are alarming and fall easily within acceptable range.

have you dosed anything for your algae outbreaks? Has anything changed? You mentioned stability issues, how bad are we talking?
 

I find it odd they split but are still connected. Can’t say I’ve had that happen, they always come apart and wander apart for me. Sometimes smaller splits might appear slightly lighter for a small period but typically match.

When you say it looked like it was trying to split, how do you mean? Nems kinda pull and tear themselves in half when they split. Does it have holes or anything?

i think in general this question is near impossible to answer without some parameters. Something must be off. Nems are pretty hardy and if they were getting too much light and didn’t like it, they would move. 

https://www.saltwateraquarium.com/apex-trident-reagent-kit-6-month-supply-neptune-systems/?utm_source=instocknotify&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=instocknotify
 

a few popped up available from SWA for anyone who missed out last batch...

Looks like standard models are around $30 and now they have a WiFi one for $50...pretty reasonable. I have the 308 model which is $35 but had a sale from $30 back when I got it off Amazon.

Did you have an inkbird controller? They seem to be the budget standard. I have one laying around as backup but Apex controls my heat currently.

This is why I always recommend the triple TDS meter. You can test incoming TDS, post membrane, and post DI. For me, knowing this allows me to know when my carbon blocks are nearing end of life, which is separate from when DI starts exhausting. Typically, carbon blocks are good for 6 months, primarily due to how long the carbon is still active for. A pre filter is going to depend on your personal water source. I’ve seen tons of people online with pre filters turning nasty brown. I’ve honestly never had once change different than white. As long as pressure isn’t dropping, I’d probably give it a quick rinse but likely wouldn’t replace it on the same interval as say a carbon block. Again though, that is my water, your may be different. Camas TDS runs about 60 from the tap for me. In Vancouver at my last house, I was at 120. Some spots in Portland are only 5! All depends.
 

So all that said, I’d consider the HM triple TDS meter to get a better understanding of where you sit at each stage so you can make a more informed decision on swapping filters/DI.

Must be that time of year...I had Trochus snail babies around too. Not nearly that many though, but somehow they found a way into my sump and I had to pull two from my skimmer intake (death grinder lol)

My last big build had an RO Elite 220, was my favorite skimmer so far.

Right now I have an RLSS R8i, works great but the RO was better.

Thanks for the aquacave tip, picked one up 👍

I think you have the wrong number listed, my friend has been trying to text you several times with no response...

17 hours ago, pdxmonkeyboy said:

I would be most worried about your phos numbers.  I would not be carbon dosing as that will drop nitrates as well and yours are low enough. 

New rocks leach phosphate. There is a conctratiin gradient between the water and rocks and the rocks will leach into the water until they are exhausted.  I have about 400lbs of rock in my system and have gone through 4 bottles of lanthium chloride in 5 months. 

Given how quick, easy and effective lanthium is i really have no idea why people run gfo.  Its a PIA.  Its messy, there is no way to tell when its exhausted, it clogs, and if you use too much it can kill everything. 

Awesome!! 

Doesn’t GFO absorb some degree of metals as well? I think that would be it’s only advantage. I don’t personally run it...but I also haven’t done an ICP yet so...ignorance is bliss for now 🤣 My phos is fine but my rocks were from prior generations of tanks not new.

That is a ton of lanthium...but that is also a ton of rock LOL

Better than the 3-4 that are on Thingiverse? 

Looking for a sump for a friends 70 gal tank. Available dimensions under his stand are approximately 36x15x15. Ideally looking for something pre made, I already have a DIY 40B sump if we can’t find anything. 
 

Cash/Trades we can work out. Let me know what you have! If anyone has a eshopps R series sump that would be good too!

Wow...is this one of those “the dress is blue or gold pictures”??? 😂 I see pink lol

Haha I have trident, don’t know how I survived without it (well...I just didn’t test lol!). It’s good feedback to see Alk numbers so close, was just wondering about Ca/Mg to verify. Repeatability is key in this game so if different tests are showing the same, I have greater faith in them. My only beef with trident is the numbers swing a bit at the very end of the bottle (like last 6-8% remaining), more so for Ca and Mag then Alk from what I’ve observed. 

How many parameters do you have it testing currently? I would personally be curious to see how it matches up to trident Ca and Mag also.

Is using the API test more accurate with reefbot? I just found it odd that they use so many API tests which most say are garbage lol. Maybe too much human error and the tests are fine if it’s read with an optical sensor?

That’s looks weird to me too...why is it shiny? Haha mine always looked like white gravel not big pebbles. It was so long ago, I don’t recall if it worked well. I had read somewhere it takes a lower pH to dissolve than we typically use for our CaRx. Not sure if that’s true. I’m doing dosing only now and find that BW Magnesion seems to be decently concentrated to get your Mag in line again.

I think the Nicrew lights are a bit weird, they don’t ramp, have some random dimming settings (skips around) and require a timer for on/off. I think they are a single cord so it’s just on/off unless you have an Apex or something to use for the dimming 0-10v.

If you want a budget light, I’ve got the Viparspectra 300w lights for sale. One of them would light a 90 gal (they are 32” long, built in timer for each channel).

T5s are great but bulb quality and fixture quality are important to deliver the light down to the corals. This is why most prefer ATI (fixtures as well as bulbs) due to the par output of them is higher than most others (combination of the drivers and reflectors I believe). Most also tend to use at least 6-8 bulb setups, leaning more towards 8 if not supplemented by LED.

😭 how about $130...

Would trade one for an AI Prime or Kessil...I want to start a nem fuge lol