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Higher Thinking

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Posts posted by Higher Thinking

    Wife Okayed a New Tank, She Didn't Say How Big

    in Tank Threads

    Posted

    The system continues to improve!

    This time the upgrade comes in the way of an improved water change process. I've got my remote sump plumbed to the water change barrels in the garage. With this system I can pull water from the sump and pump it outside down the drain. Then I can flip some valves and pump new saltwater into the sump. I primarily do 50 gallon water changes at the sump. However, that's not ideal to siphon the actual display and clear detritus out of it. So this is my new gadget. 20201203_194931.jpg20201203_194947.jpg

     

    Changing water straight from the display can be tricky because you can't tell exactly how much water you're pulling from the display. The display is large enough that you can't just eyeball how much to drain and refill. So I got this flow meter that tracks how much water goes through it. I installed quick disconnects so I can pull water from the display, track how many gallons have been drained, flip the meter, and fill up the exact number of gallons. Hopefully that all makes sense. 

     

    Anyway, it's a pretty slick piece. The biggest drawback is the quick disconnects reduce the size of the flow so it takes a good amount of time to drain and refill 50 gallons. Now I can use the long hose and go around the tank and suck up all the detritus and not worry about draining too much or not enough. 

    And just because it's time to show off Christmas trees, here's the wide angle shot from sump to tank. 20201203_195431.jpg

    • Like 2

    New Reefer Here!

    in Introduce Yourself

    Posted

    5 hours ago, SE PDX Reefer said:

    Hello Everyone!

    I have been doing months of research on aquariums and have decided that a saltwater reef tank is the right fit for me. Looking for any advice on beginner tank size, budget considerations, what to expect starting out , livestock recommendations, etc. 

     

    Any knowledge or wisdom is much appreciated! 
     

    Thanks and happy Reefing! 

     

    5 hours ago, Blue Z Reef said:

    Yeah it’s pretty hard to say, people are limited by a lot of things like space, money, ongoing cost/maintenance, etc.

     

    My advice would be find a good sized used setup for reasonable. That way you don’t have a ton of money invested if you find out after 6 months it’s not the hobby for you. 
     

    some would argue on tank size but I always favored a 90 gal tank. Has a great mix of space for fish and corals, larger water volume for more stability and margin for error, and generally they sell for pretty reasonable. Similarly sized would be a 75 gal, pretty close overall.

     

    I think the number one thing to expect is you have to be PATIENT! People want to setup a tank one weekend and have a full reef the next. If you rush, your gonna have a bad time. I’ve seen it a million times. Also initially you will need to test a lot to track things so prepare to be invested in the primary test kits and ready to use them often.

     

    2 hours ago, shaywood said:

    * tank size- start as large as you can afford. You'll want a bigger tank later

    * budget considerations - double your budget

    * what to expect starting out - it can be frustrating at times. Be patient and go slow. 

     * livestock - look for inexpensive fish a that can stay in your tank and will get along with future tank mates. 

    * Coral - go slow and don't buy any expensive coral in the beginning because they will likely die. Be careful to avoid corals that will be problematic later (ie. Invasive or sting others)

     

    😀

    Some pretty good advice here. I agree wholeheartedly with the patience factor. First thing I would research (if you're not familiar) is the nitrogen cycle. Learning to actually cycle your tank is the most critical aspect of setting up a new aquarium. Getting a tank going is a months long project, not something done overnight. 

    The other element I would recommend is getting plugged in to a reliable local fish shop. There are several in the area and depending on where you live, you'll likely spend a good amount of time at one over the others. Be a good customer, a nice person, and ask questions...you'll find your way in no time. For what it's worth, Cuttlefish and Coral is located in SW Portland. I think I've gotten dang near every fish I own from them (including the tank and a lot of the equipment). That's my recommendation if you're anywhere in that area (and even if you're not 😉😉). Check out our sponsors page and see what local shops are around, they're all great! 

    • Like 1

    Skimmer , possible to over skim?

    in Equipment

    Posted

    I agree that you can definitely over export nutrients. What I'm not sure of, is whether you could skim your way down to zero. Skimming works due to the presence of dissolved organic compounds. I feel like if you had near zero, the skimmer wouldn't operate efficiently enough to reduce it to zero. That's totally just a guess though and you may be able to Google something that confirms or overrides that. I have heard of people running their skimmers on timers because it will bring nutrient levels lower than they want. 

    Are you testing at all for nitrates?

    Algae film on glassl

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I feel like excess light will definitely accelerate the growth on the glass. That's why it always grows must dense wherever the light is strongest. Sometimes it's unavoidable, others times you can make adjustments to reduce it.

    I'm not sure I would jump right into gfo. Your call of course. I wouldn't be making any major course changes in the first 6 months, arguably a bit longer. 

    Do you have a lot of coral already? If not you could try reducing your lights. Just a thought...

    Time for a tank lid

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    That sucks. I've gone topless for the last 7 or 8 years and finally got tired of losing fish and/or not being able to buy certain known jumpers. I just bought some diy screen kits online and used bird netting. You can definitely buy the smaller netting materiel from BRS or others. This is my setup. 

    Screenshot_20201201-213304_Chrome.jpg

    River table

    in Out of Bounds

    Posted

    20 minutes ago, dunpeal said:

    Looks awesome!

     

    Hate to say it, cuz once you see it you can't unsee it... The blue looks like the full body profile of a naked man

    Don't worry, he'll probably like it even more now 😆😆

     

    Looks really awesome by the way!

     

    • Like 1
    • Haha 2

    Coral rental

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    On 11/20/2020 at 12:53 PM, Manny Tavan said:

    I get bored of my corals after a few months. There really should be a subscription based coral rental service :)

    you keep them for a few months and then you return them and get new ones. 

    What's the policy when the renter kills them? 😁😁

    Chaeto

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    7 hours ago, Iceoflife23 said:

    Hey really having a hard time trying to get my hands on some chaeto anyone know were i could pick some up? I tried algae barn but they have been sold out for weeks. Thanks for the help!! I’m in the Battle Ground WA area. 

    You can usually get it at CnC. 

    free CUC and toadstool

    in Share the Love

    Posted

    On 10/27/2020 at 9:04 PM, Vance164 said:

    I'm out in banks now we could probably work something out. 

     

    10 hours ago, bamburgb said:

    If this is still available and your free today in the afternoon or evening I live near @Higher Thinking and work in hillsboro so I can snag them for him.

    Thanks for coordinating that, you two!

    Tapatalk app

    in Out of Bounds

    Posted

    On 10/22/2020 at 3:54 PM, Optimusprime3605 said:

    Thought I'd try Tapatalk, again, this morning...still down. Thought, maybe, I should check if there are any app updates, the app didn't even show up in my "updates." So, I uninstalled the app to find out the 'Tapatalk' app is no longer in Google Play. Hmmm... 

    https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/10/24/tapatalk-has-been-pulled-from-the-google-play-store/?amp

     

    Thanks for trying to make it work y'all. I'll be honest, my presence is greatly reduced without Tapatalk. As user friendly as our platform is, nothing beats Tapatalk for me. I've been an ad free Tapatalk supporter for a few years and it's definitely been worth it. 

    • Like 1
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