FarmerTy

Thanks Timfish, I was just curious. May just test the tap water and see what it is here. Should be similar to your results you got in the range of 0.18-0.25 ppm.

Nah, I was just teasing. Doesn't really matter to me. Question on undetectable, what were you using to test the phosphate and what is the resolution of the test?

You guys totally hijacked my thread! I'm still waiting for Juiceman's PO4 reading. Don't tease me Rory!

Also of note, I got jealous of RichardL's tank emergency and decided to create one of my own. I still don't know how it happened but my skimmer shut off in the old tank and somehow created a siphon out the air tubing and emptied about 7-8 gallons on water on the floor. Luckily my wife caught it in time before it became a real mess. Murphy's law in action folks.

Nothing too exciting to anyone else but me to report today... So on a whim, I decided it was a good idea to dump my skimmate from the old tank and the new tank into the new tank water yesterday. Thought it would help jumpstart the bacterial colonies in the new tank. I turned off the skimmer on the new system for a bit so that the bacteria could spread freely. It turned the tank into a nice light green color and had an unpleasant odor for a couple of hours. The wife was not too pleased. I turned back on the new skimmer today to start removing that crud I added in the first place. Today I moved over the frag light (150-watt clip-on MH) to the new sump and a giant ball of chaeto. The pods, starfishes, mini feather dusters, sponges, brittle starfishes, and baby snails took the move like champs which leaves me hopeful that the new tank can support life. I also took a cup of sand from my old tank and spread it over the new sand to seed it. Speaking of life... copepods swimming in the water! Better viewed fullscreen.

Aw man! That's awful! Sorry about the tank issues Richard. That's a collective reef club nightmare there, i'm sure. If I had to guess of the source of your woes, I would guess the new rock and sand additions.

Reread this and realized I left out some information that may be useful to those interested. With the 250 watt SE bulbs, 20k, the color was a crisp white with a hint of blue. Looked very 14k-ish. My brother ran the 150 watt DE versions, 20k, and it was more of a 10k color. More yellow and needed some blue supplementation. So there are some variances between the bulb types that I noticed.

Those acrylic rods you bought should take care of #1 for you. I'll admit, that was low... but hilarious!

Secret #1 for Sascha: 1) Avoid liverock avalanches, SPS don't like those! :-)

Awesome! I want to do the same thing! Looking good Etannert! Did you dose any bacteria in the new tank?

I should have some credit with them so would like to use it. I'll PM you my order. Thanks Woods!

Did a good round of testing this morning to check levels in my current tank and also the new tank. Here's what I got: Parameter Old Tank New Tank Target Concentration Notes Alkalinity 8.0 dKh 9.7 dKh 8.0 dKh Interesting that the alkalinity in the new tank is higher than I expected. Coralife salt is what I used. Phosphate 0.1 ppm 0.23 ppm 0.02-0.03 ppm PO4 has been higher ever since I moved the old tank. Expected higher PO4 in new tank but cycle is just beginning. Calcium 460 ppm 520 ppm 425 ppm Ca increased after a couple water changes. That's why I HATE water changes!!! Calcium in new tank high! Magnesium 1,640 ppm 1,480 ppm 1,500 ppm Mg was at 2,200 ppm after bryopsis treatment last summer. Nice to see it go down over that time. Salinity 1.025 1.026 1.025-1.026 Right where I want it.

All you Hanna meter users, has anybody else tested their RO/DI water for PO4 levels? Was just asking out of curiosity since I measured mine today and it was at 0.06 ppm. I know my filters are due so I'll end up switching them out soon but just asking out of curiosity.

I might have to keep that idea in the back of my head James for when I have to move my fish. Good thinking!

Mentioned it earlier, as well as Bpb, both of us noticed flow greatly decreases when the grills are dirty. Keep those bad boys clean!

Thanks for the donations to my new tank build. :-)

Ran a nanocube for 5 years with PC bulbs and simple water changes. I almost liked my old nanocube more than the current system... I said almost. :-) Etannert has some good advice. Nanoreefs.com was my hangout spot for all the good nano ideas back when I ran an AIO.

Most of my zoas are on large flat rocks on the sandbed. They just grow to the limits of the rock. The ones that share rocks with my sps or lps have always lost the territory battle so I don't worry about them spreading. The height differential helps too, as my SPS are more akin to the trees in the forest and the zoas are like shrubs... if that makes any sense.

Double post

Awesome news James! I did the same WOOHOO dance last night when I turned on the pump for the first time. Quite the thrill!

Haha. That's not a bad idea Wade. I did take those with my phone so it would apply.

Nice meeting you Neal! It was fun talking shop with another SPS guy!

Welcome to the club Neal and back to the hobby. Got a couple of frags I'm looking to clear out soon if any interest you. I haven't officially posted them for sale yet but will PM you a list of what I got ready to go. Could also cut fresh frags if you decide to swing by and see what else I have. Thanks! -Ty

Hey, look at that. Behind all that cloudy water was an actual saltwater tank! If you look real hard, there's already coral in my new tank! Had a fun incident while doing my plumbing the other day. While testing fitment, I flexed my plumbing just a bit too far and broke my glass brace that holds the two drain lines. I am borderline happy that I finally had my first accident. That means I'm in the clear now. Went ahead and drilled another hole and this time added a small section of spa-flex tubing to give it some... well... flex. Not the prettiest right now but I intend to just cut the jagged portion off and run with just the half piece as it seems to be functioning just fine like that. Got my plumbing finalized and glued into place yesterday. Let everything dry and gave it a test run tonight. Some observations: 1) After plumbing two Iwaki 40XLTs into the sump, planning on one to be the main return pump and the other to run my reactors via solenoid (and also being the backup pump), I realized after seeing it in action, that one Iwaki, being the return pump AND running all the reactors is more than enough. Those bad boys can sure move water! I guess I didn't account for the very little loss of flow due to head pressure as my Mag12 doesn't feel anywhere near as strong as the Iwaki though similarly rated for flow. I don't even think the 2nd pump will ever run. I'll just have it hooked up and the valves closed off for the day my main pump ever dies. Running both would be overkill. 2) After dialing back the flow on the Iwaki, the return overflows are actually pretty quiet. Realized they have a stepped cascade on the other side of the overflow to prevent the sound of crashing water into the overflow. Nice design feature that I never noticed but sure do appreciate it now. 3) The sound of the Iwaki is pretty moderate but I think that will be tempered once the stand is skinned.