obrien.david.j

My NO3&PO4 are running high right now, and I'd love them to come down a bunch. Punch line, I'm watching and will continue to watch. Thanks for the input. Yes, I'll be on a Clarisea, Gen3, 5000. Had to order the extension arm to fit it in my skimmer box. Will be dumping into it via the top/middle.

I love growing things in side tanks or the sump. Well done!

I'm replumbing the outflow from my tank, into the skimmer box (bigger box, in pictures above). Going to send the return water into a new roller mat. If you look closely, return piping is currently black, so chose for all new fittings to be black as well. That's the 1 1/2" fittings in the picture. I'm also replumbing the sump into the tank flow path. The new box has a notch in the back left corner, so I'll be able to hid the pipes much better. (and was forced to take out existing return line when the box grew) This time, I'm installing a Melevsreef reverse check valve inside the tank. One for each of two returns, 1" plumbing in picture. (white checkvalves in new plumbing picture, which will get spray painted black.) This is where the 3-way wye's' are going. I'm really looking forward to these syphon breaks. I currently get ~30 gallons of water back flowing into my sump every time I turn off the pumps. https://www.reef2rainforest.com/2014/12/05/video-melevs-reef-demonstrates-the-anti-siphon-reverse-check-valve/

Next step of this project, Install Clarisea roller mat. New Plumbing arrived today.

Harvest #27 complete (Jan13th) Learning - harvested slightly over 2 weeks. and *DID* add mid-grow fertilizer kicker. Harvest is back to dark-dark grow of the past

And if you're interested in what my last test (ATI ICP) results were. This is a copy I've made into excel for easier reading and tracking. Reef Moonshiners Tools R8-2023-01-02.xlsx ATI ICP Assessment tool Sample Taken: 1/2/2023 Results Returned: 1/9/2023 System Water Volume Gallons 350 System Water Volume Liter 1325 Base Elements Salinity 35.4 PSU Salinity a bit higher. Verify the Salinity ideally with a classic Hydrometer which doesn't depend on calibration and it may not be super accurate, but won't shift in results and will provide results within acceptable tolerances. The ICP test verifies Salinity based on Na/Cl only and does not take into account specific gravity of the entire saltwater mix. This is indicative only and it's recommended to verify Salinity if shown low or high. Carbonate Hardness 9.9 dKH Alkalinity in these slightly higher levels are usually not recommended at very low Nutrient levels and may cause washed out colors and beaching effects then. Ideal user friendly Alkalinity is between 7.8 and 8.5 for most Reeftanks. Adjust your Total Alkalinity with test kits and measure routinely to maintain these ranges. Decrease Alkalinity slowly over a few days to avoid shocking the system, a daily decrease of not more than 1dKH spread over 24hours is recommended. Major Trace Elements Magnesium 1407 mg/L Magnesium levels are elevated above target levels. Let Magnesium settle down naturally into the 1350 range. In certain cases these levels are desired for certain treatments, but shall not be maintained for a longer period of time. Sulfur 885 mg/L Acceptable range, depending on Salinity levels. Calcium 446 mg/L Calcium levels are elevated above target levels. Let Calcium settle down naturally into the 420-440 range. Stop or better only reduce Calcium part or Calcium reactor PH and don't perform Water Changes if not necessary otherwise. Potassium 419 mg/L Optimal target range, no action. However it's recommend to adjust to 410 ideal target. Bromine/Bromide 81 mg/L Acceptable range, however Reef Moonshiner method recommend to adjust Bromine to target level of 85. Strontium 8.4 mg/L Reduced Strontium level, recommended to do correction to Target level of 10 very shortly. The Moonshiner Calculator includes Strontium dosage instructions by using a Brightwell Strontion-P/Water stock solution, by mixing 1 Liter RODI with 100gram Strontion-P powder. Boron 6.2 mg/L Acceptable range, however Reef Moonshiner method recommend to adjust Boron to target level of 6. Fluoride/Flourine 2.08 mg/L Critical elevated above the target level of 1.5. Not recommended to exceed 2. At this point it's recommended to perform Water changes to reduce the level to below 2 at least. With a common Reef Salt, a 20% Water Change should bring this element down by approximately 10%. Rubidium n/a Minor Trace Elements Lithium 229 µg/L Lithium slightly elevated, very common to be up to 300/350. Watch on subsequent tests if Lithium keeps increasing or does reduce naturally. This will take normally a few months. It may come in from Salts, Supplements, Foods and if suddenly appearing from potential corroding equipment in the tank. First items to look at are typically electronic components and magnets. Also certain non hobby related bins have shown ability to leech Lithium into Saltwater mixes and top off water. Silicon 270 µg/L Silicates slightly elevated, monitor the levels on subsequent ICP tests. Watch on subsequent tests if Silicates keeps increasing or do reduce naturally. This will take normally a few weeks. It may come in from Salts, Supplements, Foods and from Top off water. Review the RODI test results, since many time silicates are passing many DI resins even while showing zero TDS. If so, it's recommended to use a DI resin that is a mix of regular resin and silicate removal resin, for example the Spectra pure SilicaBuster cartridges. Iodine 79 µg/L Ideal range, maintain the daily Iodide drop dosing as described in the Moonshiner Handbook Iodine section (which is a must read! ). Significant changes in the Filtration system such as aeration and skimmer changes can influence the daily Iodine dosing routine, hence keep monitoring via ICP and maintain consistence on dosing it daily. Barium 2.5 µg/L Extremely low Barium level, correct this Element to 30 with Reef Moonshiners Barium as per Dosing instructions below or via use of the Reef Moonshiners Calculator. Normal target level for Barium is 15, however in this case the tank will need to Buffer Barium back into corals which will drop Barium in the next weeks. Hence it's recommended to buffer Barium slightly above target, to compensate this effect. ATTENTION: In case that Barium was less than 5ug/L on your last ICP already, and you did perform the instructed Standard correction already last time, your tank likely suffers from a Barium Sponge effect, and it is advised then to perform the instructed correction 2 times in a row! Means you perform the given correction first, and when the correction is completed, simply do it 1 more time. The next ICP will then reveal if this procedure will need to be done again next time. Molybdenum 12 µg/L Low Molybdenum level. Correct this Element to 15 with Reef Moonshiners Molybdenum as per Dosing instructions below or via use of the Reef Moonshiners Calculator. Nickel 1 µg/L Nickel detected but below target level. Correct this Element to 2.5 with Reef Moonshiners Nickel as per Dosing instructions below or via use of the Reef Moonshiners Calculator. Manganese 0 µg/L With this ICP-OES test kit, Manganese should remain undetectable even while supplemented. As per the Reef Moonshiners method, Manganese is part of the daily elements dosing routine. The Reef Moonshiner's ICP-MS testkit will measure these ultra low trace elements in the required precision, in order to evaluate if truly depleted or if in an acceptable low range. Simply dose Reef Moonshiners Manganese as per Dosing instructions below or via use of the Reef Moonshiners Calculator. If you have Macroalgae in your setup, add 1x the recommended standard dosage to your daily dosage. If you have a decent amount of Corals in the tank, add 1x the recommended standard dosage to your daily dosage. If you use continous activated carbon in your setup, add 1x the recommended standard dosage to your daily dosage. Arsenic 0 µg/L Arsenic shall not be detectable at any time in an enclosed Reef tank. Beryllium 0 µg/L Beryllium below detectable levels, pretty normal in any common Reeftank, since not supplemented. Beryllium is also one of the elements in the Reef Moonshiner Liqui-Mud for mostly to replenish small amounts of Beryllium and many other rare earth minerals we can't and won't supplement. Beryllium may be detected while a fresh natural Mud bed is in use for a few months such as Fiji-Mud. Chromium/Chrome 0 µg/L With this ICP-OES test kit, Chromium should remain undetectable even while supplemented. As per the Reef Moonshiners method, Chromium is part of the daily elements dosing routine. The Reef Moonshiner's ICP-MS testkit will measure these ultra low trace elements in the required precision, in order to evaluate if truly depleted or if in an acceptable low range. Simply dose Reef Moonshiners Chromium as per Dosing instructions below or via use of the Reef Moonshiners Calculator. If you have Macroalgae in your setup, add 1x the recommended standard dosage to your daily dosage. If you have a decent amount of Corals in the tank, add 1x the recommended standard dosage to your daily dosage. If you use continous activated carbon in your setup, add 1x the recommended standard dosage to your daily dosage. Cobalt 0 µg/L With this ICP-OES test kit, Cobalt should remain undetectable even while supplemented. As per the Reef Moonshiners method, Cobalt is part of the daily elements dosing routine. The Reef Moonshiner's ICP-MS testkit will measure these ultra low trace elements in the required precision, in order to evaluate if truly depleted or if in an acceptable low range. Simply dose Reef Moonshiners Cobalt as per Dosing instructions below or via use of the Reef Moonshiners Calculator. If you have Macroalgae in your setup, add 1x the recommended standard dosage to your daily dosage. If you have a decent amount of Corals in the tank, add 1x the recommended standard dosage to your daily dosage. If you use continous activated carbon in your setup, add 1x the recommended standard dosage to your daily dosage. Iron 0 µg/L With this ICP-OES test kit, Iron should remain undetectable even while supplemented. As per the Reef Moonshiners method, Iron is part of the daily elements dosing routine. The Reef Moonshiner's ICP-MS testkit will measure these ultra low trace elements in the required precision, in order to evaluate if truly depleted or if in an acceptable low range. Simply dose Reef Moonshiners Iron as per Dosing instructions below or via use of the Reef Moonshiners Calculator. If you have Macroalgae in your setup, add 1x the recommended standard dosage to your daily dosage. If you have a decent amount of Corals in the tank, add 1x the recommended standard dosage to your daily dosage. If you use continous activated carbon in your setup, add 1x the recommended standard dosage to your daily dosage. Copper 0 µg/L With this ICP-OES test kit, Copper should remain undetectable even when supplemented. The Reef Moonshiner's ICP-MS testkit will measure this ultra low trace element in the required precision, in order to evaluate if Copper is truly depleted or if in an acceptable but still very low range. It is recommended to be measured occassionally in ultra low ranges, especially when Corals look faded or pale which could be a Copper deficit. Copper is a very important trace elements in the process of Photosynthesis which gives the coral energy from light. No action. Selenium 0 µg/L With this ICP-OES test kit, Selenium should remain undetectable even while supplemented. As per the Reef Moonshiners method, Selenium is an optional part of the daily elements dosing routine. Selenium depletion can be noticed by pale or faded corals along with little or no Coralline growth and coloration when other trace elements are already corrected. Selenium usually depletes over time in our Reef Aquaria if not supplemented, hence it's recommended to start Selenium dosages after the first corrections. No need to start it from the beginning, this is therefore optional. The Reef Moonshiner's ICP-MS testkit will even measure this ultra low trace element with the required precision, in order to evaluate if it is truly depleted or if in an acceptable low range. However you can optionally dose the daily given amount even without a ICP-MS test which should then be performed on a quarterly basis at least. Silver 0 µg/L Silver below detectable levels, pretty normal in any common Reeftank, since not supplemented. Silver is also one of the elements in the Reef Moonshiner Liqui-Mud for mostly to replenish small amounts of Silver and many other rare earth minerals we can't and won't supplement. Silver may be detected while a fresh natural Mud bed is in use for a few months such as Fiji-Mud. Vanadium 22 µg/L Vanadium above the desired range of 1-2, in a range of concern. It usually drops on it's own, if not supplemented, no water changes or absorbers necessary. If supplemented then stop any dosing. Find the source of Vanadium! However, if not supplemented watch on subsequent ICP tests if it increases further and verify RODI results for Vanadium detection. Vanadium has been shown to leech from plastic bins for RODI/TOPOFF, Corroding equipment and magnets, certain Reef Sand product batches, certain mined calcium reactor media, trace element supplements, salts and certain 2 part products. Zinc 1 µg/L Zinc depleted or very low. Correct this Element to 5 with Reef Moonshiners Zinc as per Dosing instructions below or via use of the Reef Moonshiners Calculator. Tin/Stannum 0 µg/L With this ICP-OES test kit, Tin should ideally remain undetectable even while maybe supplemented. As per the Reef Moonshiners method, Tin can be an optional part of the dosing routine, but need the optional ICP-MS test to be performed occassionally. Tin however is extremely rare to be depleted truly to zero in the Ultra low range. The Reef Moonshiner's ICP-MS testkit will measure this ultra low trace element with the required precision, in order to evaluate if it is truly depleted or if in an acceptable low range. You may consider this test once in a while to have a high resolution view in your tank chemistry as soon you are more familiar with the method later. Tin is also one of the elements in the Reef Moonshiner Liqui-Mud for mostly to replenish very very small amounts of Tin and many other rare earth minerals we can't and won't supplement. Pollutants Aluminum 3 µg/L Very low Aluminum levels, great job! Aluminum as a pollutant is very common to build up over time. It's been introduced as contaminant of many foods, trace element impurity, algae, natural minerals in certain media but also leeches out of equipment materials and unfortunately from certain bio filtration media and certain type of Phosphate absorber on the market. On the other hand, some detectable Aluminum can as well play a beneficial role in the metabolic process of many marine organisms. Lanthanum 0 µg/L Lanthanum shall not become detectable at any time. Other Pollutants 0 µg/L Other pollutants on the ICP shall not become detectable at any time.

@AquaKey and @Emerald525 - thanks for posting your results. I was curious how the limited test results would be listed. @jtichenor - thanks for showing the full version. I've been using ATI ICP tests for the past year, format is different. In all cases, I had a hard time interpreting what to do, until I started typing the results into the reef moonshiners calculator sheet. I appreciate the text interpretation on how to think about the results. BTW, in all three cases - You're Almost Out of Iodine! (In my ~350g system, I add two drops of lugols iodine per day - and it's getting me up to the desired ~80 range.) I found my pict of what elements are measured in the free/limited kits.

Welcome to the hobby. Nice craftsmanship on the lid!

Nice!

I gave away a bunch of free MACNA swag ICP tests at the holiday party. Has anyone used one, how did it go, are you willing to post your results? These were limited element tests, and I'm interested to see how the results were returned.

I want to see a picture of you driving this tank home, strapped to the roof of your car... Again.

I'm 1.5wks into it. I've cleaned it once, and not because it was full.

Thanks. Interesting. Just ordered a secchi stick to play with.

Image is broken. repost please. What method do you use to measure culture density. Can you show a picture of what you use, and how you do it? And what's the magic of baking soda. Interested.

Here's my January Frag pictures. Still have it on a frag rack in the main display tank.

I was cleaning my skimmer about twice a week... But recently upgraded to a larger model. (see my holiday posts) And in my family, it's not about the unexpected guest - it's about my wife not enjoying the smell at all. So I try to clean when she may be out for an hour. You can guess how successful I am at that attempt...

I want a club meeting at the person's house who buys and sets this tank back up, so I can check it out. I have a 3' (front to back) deep tank, and love it. Mine is 25" tall and I set the rockwork low to give SPS room to grow. But would have loved the vertical height as well. Whoever buys this, please start a post/thread so we can talk about how you're going to set it up. Share some pictures/etc.

Skimmate Aroma, Argh. I get grief when I clean the skimmer cup inside the house. (there is no other place to do it)

I'm a Ca Reactor + Kalk user, so can't be more helpful here.

bump

I'll have to look it up when I get home. Was likely a vet in Beaverton. (Admittedly, I armed my wife with all the paperwork and sent her to get a prescription.)

I had Red Bugs a number of years ago. I got a prescription by showing up at different VET offices with pictures and printouts. Pictures of my tank, picture zoomed in on red bugs on one of my corals (couple of pictures). Print outs of the web articles saying Interceptor is how to treat it, with treatment regime, URL/web links. And more than one article. Apparently this satisfied my VET as legit. But using the same technique, you could offer for the vet to come visit your tank.

Your problem statement seems to be about getting an Interceptor prescription. Do you have any other pets, any relationship with local Vets? How many Vets have you tried?

Today I retired my trusty K2R reactor, and supersized it. The new reactor is a beast. Filled it with at least 4x (or more) media than the K2R reactor would have needed. Cable/Hose management is not done. But I want the setup to run for a few days just to make sure I've got it all working. Close up for the Ca & Alk supply system for my tanks. Blue hose is RO water feed through the Kalk reactor Midnight-7am for auto top off. Red is Ca Reactor feed and return lines Milky white is CO2 gas supply, and the gas recirculation line

Today was New Heater and Cable Management day. Found I'd killed one of my heaters doing the work yesterday, but I'd already planned a 600W upgrade for it. So no big deal. New skimmer is doing well. Happy with this upgrade progress. Heater problem statement: I should tell you I have four different EB832 outlets controlling heaters. Primary (Heat_Tank) is the work horse, with 2nd/3rd/4th all set to trigger 0.3 degrees lower than main. They were all different wattages. Fixed that. Heat_Tank is now BRS 600W (although its drawing 700W) - was a 500W finnex Heat_Tank2nd is an existing BRS 600W - was a 150w eheim Heat_Tank3rd is an eheim 200W, sitting in a frag tank for more local heating - keeping same heater, but removed for cleaning today Heat_Tank4th WAS a BRS 600W, but has now been moved to Tank2nd - and nothing is in this outlet. Reminder, my fish room is in an unheated garage Current state: End of Yesterday view: