FarmerTy

It cracks me up how fired up you get about nonsensical data. I'm sure the pundits will prove a majority of his methods inaccurate in the end. For now, it's entertaining. Sent via Tapatalk

Enough to calm your Triton rage? Lol Sent via Tapatalk

Oh believe me, I'm going into the results with my fair share of skepticism. I think a thorough analysis of his process is still overdue by the academic experts as you have mentioned. I do like the potential that this concept may usher in a more precise level of scrutiny of our tanks but without reliable data, it may as well be doomed as any other "method" out there. Still, my curiosity was worth the $50 and I hope to see a collaborative effort on deciphering the data and what is reliable and what is not as far as results are concerned. Sent via Tapatalk

I was thinking the same for the titration based home test for Ca and would trust that result much more than my Iodine home test which is purely based on visual perception of a degrading color due to reaction time. But both compared to an ICP spectrometer test... I don't know. In this scenario, I would think that my Ca is correct with my home test and the Triton result to be more correct for my Iodine result. Sent via Tapatalk

Tank looks great Captain K! Those squamosas will grow very quickly in the first couple of years. I think it'll be the perfect excuse to upgrade when it starts outgrowing your tank... and yes, giant clams are Ca and alk monsters! Sent via Tapatalk

Yeah, percentage-wise, the Mg result didn't concern me but how off my Ca and Iodine results were compared to Triton was concerning. I don't have much input either into which one to trust. I would normally tend to trust the lab results over a home hobbiest kit but since I don't know their quality control procedures, I don't inherently trust the results as much as I would trust lab results when I was consulting. On that note, no adjustments to my water or my tank will be made based on the results for now until we get more results back from the initial round of testing. A bunch of people have been collectively sharing their results on another forum and chemistry guru Randy Holmes Farley has been contributing to his thoughts on the results. I want to see if there is a trend of hobbiest results versus Triton results being off on certain parameters or any other common element throwing readings off, such as high aluminum results and the majority of the people running Cermedia blocks in their sump, myself included. Apparently, Cermedia uses Alumina as a binder in their ceramic block (was told that it was an often used binder for ceramic) and it is quite interesting the correlation of higher aluminum readings in certain tanks also coincided with most having one of these blocks in their tank. I may remove mine off of this result and discussion alone. I'd be surprised if the aluminum is actually affecting anything in the tank but I may still remove the block. Sent via Tapatalk

Where's your danger... danger robot? Or is that only for chloramines?

Well, what better way to celebrate post #1,000 in my tank build thread then to discuss my recent curiosity with Triton testing. I sent off a sample and got the results back. While I'm not saying that I will be running the Triton method or using any of their products, I was curious about the results of my tank water. I know there has been some discussion on some of the bigger forums regarding the accuracy of the tests and the capabilities of an ICP-OES method on determining concentrations of certain metals and elements. I will take their results with a grain of salt for now and save them for documentation purposes. Just a quick summary, Ehsan, of Triton Labs which is based in Germany, has supposedly honed in a process to test for metals and certain elements in saltwater. The basis for his method is quite simple when you break it down... he has analyzed water from reefs all over the world and accumulated data for it. He tests your water and compares your results to the data for world reefs. With some of his products, and some of your own, he helps you try to match your water quality as best as you can to the data from the world reefs. Unique Corals, which is a coral distributor based in the US, partners with Triton labs to collect samples from hobbiests in the US and sends them to Germany for analysis. For more on the Triton, here is the Unique Corals website. http://uniquecorals.com/triton/triton-labs-reef-aquarium-water-test-single-test-vials-with-return-shipping.html Here are the results and my thoughts. Only things to note are: High aluminum - 82.33 ug/l (setpoint 2.0 ug/l) High bromine - 72.93 mg/l (setpoint 62 mg/l) Low boron - 2.78 mg/l (setpoint 4.5 mg/l) High lithium - 1,255 ug/l (setpoint 200 ug/l) High zinc - 8.19 ug/l (setpoint 4 ug/l) My own test kit results: PO4 - 0 ppm (Hanna Phosphorus meter) - 0.011 ppm (Triton) Ca - 400 ppm (Red Sea) - 494.70 ppm (Triton) I - 0.06 ppm (Red Sea) - 0.033 ppm (Triton) Mg - 1,360 ppm (Red Sea) - 1,421 ppm (Triton) Sal - 1.025 NO3 - 8-10 ppm Alk - 8.0 dKh Temp - 80-82 degrees Fahrenheit pH - 7.9-8.1 My husbandry: -no water changes -Calcium reactor with TLF reborn media -GAC monthly -no GFO -no carbon dosing -overrated skimmer (rated 550 gals on 250 total gallon volume) -sump with refugium (ball of chaeto the size of a large turkey, lots of live rock as well) -feed a ton -no filter socks -dose Red Sea Reef Energy B (vitamins and aminos) 2x a week -occasionally dose lugol's Some thoughts: -high aluminum may be attributed to my Cermedia 8"x8"x4" block, other's have reported the same -high lithium is something seen predominantly in US water tests and not as much in the European market. Unsure yet of why. -high zinc result may be due to zinc coating of stainless steel rim of tank getting into water -high bromine may also have something to do with stainless steel rim -low boron just needs to be dosed -interesting how off my Ca and Iodine results are compared to Triton -some have reported high tin levels and think it may be due to PVC leaching, I however did not have any tin detected and use about 24' of PVC on my system.

Great pics bud! Thoughts from a fungia farmer, if you cut the fungia plates apart now and split them according to their mouths, they will more than likely grow just fine separately. They can only round themselves out very subtly so try to make the cuts as even and round as you can.

Thanks bud! I'm glad one anemone is leaving me soon. That's a little too many stinging tentacles to be near my coveted SPS collection.

My RBTAs were looking extra pretty tonight so I thought I would share. [emoji57]

I sure do miss my colonies... but I look at it as a second chance to see if I got lucky the first time! At least that's what I tell myself to not start sobbing like a little girl everytime I look at my tank. Wait, this is YOUR build thread Shawn! Quit derailing it!

If that's MDF material for the bookshelf, I don't trust it to hold the weight for long. But that is my only caution Thai. Other's who may know more about structural yield strength will probably chime in.

I've had both the parabolic and the lumenarc style reflectors. Using a par meter, it was a night and day difference though parabolic should work for now until you upgrade. Sent via Tapatalk

Woohoo!!!

Shawn, If it helps at all, here's a link to my old build thread where I discuss my programming of the Jaebo pumps using the Apex. It's about halfway down the page. http://www.austinreefclub.com/topic/25278-jeepertys-non-build-build-thread/page-4 I may have tweaked some numbers since then but that's the base programming I went off of to start with.

Don't worry about the small hands, it's the giant fish the hands are holding you should be concerned about Manny! Tuna slap!

Better take my CaRX advice with a grain of salt than Brian! Did Ty tell me to set the eflluent pH to 6.75 because he's helping me or did he tell me that because of my jab I took at him on the club today?

Tank is looking good Manny! Reburn said it best, unless you have your own designated play money account set aside already, you're hosed! I go off the barter system often and will trade corals. It seems to be more accepted from my wife to trade corals then it is to sell corals, and then use the money to buy new corals... even though it's essentially the same thing. I don't ask questions, I just roll with the system in front of me. Better get your corals growing faster Manny! Don't make me he-man-fish-slap you?

Let's keep some perspective here. KimP was trying to do a nice thing by giving away her old live sand. She is a very busy person who has two little kids that she's always taking care of. She has the right to give it to whoever she wants and perhaps just went with the person that was most convenient with her schedule. There seems to be no intent to snub anybody from her and there was no intent to steal an item away from someone else. Sent via Tapatalk

You were a busy reefer this weekend Shawn! Glad you were able to wire up the Apex for the Jaebo RW pump and also figured out the issue with the dimming on the LEDs. Automation is fun, isn't it? At least when it's not being a little bugger and playing right. For length of photo period, you'll get all sorts of answers for that if you surveyed just the small population on the club. For now, I heed caution to keep the photo period low while you deal with the higher nutrient levels, otherwise, you'll have an algae tank and not a reef tank anymore. Now that your lights are stronger, it means they will grow coral well... it also means they will grow algae well, too! I agree, I think Victoly's pump profile settings will be much more applicable to your setup than mine, 1) because I am using the more direct flow Jaebo WP-series pumps and 2) tank size considerations make more sense as well. Hopefully he will chime in on your public thread. Usually if you say Apex 3x real fast, he'll appear! If you get a chance Shawn, I'd post the results of your testing over the weekend with your new fancy test kits. It would be good to document and also let any who are following your build thread get a good idea of your levels and what you are starting with. Sent via Tapatalk

From your mentor thread Shawn: "For your question regarding the cable, you can look up Reef Angel Jaebo cable and order two of them. I would get in touch with Victoly on the club and PM him to modify the cables. He was the one who did my cables for me." I try and I try Shawn! :-p Sent via Tapatalk

Welcome to Austin and welcome to the club! The tank stand looks great! Sent via Tapatalk

Title should have been... Victoly going out of business sale! Sent via Tapatalk

Wuh? Dining room? I have no idea what you're talking about... Sent via Tapatalk