3. Continue aiptasia removal/salvaging zoas/improving water flow.
corals on racks in DT.
today, And I’m merging my other thread for to keep me honest it will help you understand what I’ve lost along the way also with what took place and what not. I look forward to completeling this epic project and hope we’ll learn from each other and have a good time! For member’s who’ve had contact before with me before this rough patch with life I apologize for leaving you hanging especially TyFarmer. You were a great help to me still hopefully I’m past my fight with the grey/black bugs I ask for your forgiveness my friend! You kept my anxiety at bay after during my initial treatment when my beloved PC rainbow turned in the filament monster. I’m almost positive it was on reef2reef this guy who basically told me “chill dude!” In utter panic after interceptor evaded me on all local platfroms (it fairlybuncommon practice for vets to prescribe it due to modern all in meds. There’s no way he’s messing with me... Well sure enough there was one interceptor posting a qty of 24 medium chews for $65 bought right then. I thank you for your wisdom wherever you may be now lol. I still have a ton definitely great advice!!
Here’s what led up to everything it starts off all negative/depressing. I’m like glowing just to see this through and I install/service reef tanks for a living most of tank are full on stony/sps/collector focused I have to challenge myself and be interested or it becomes less of a passion becoming monotonous. I get burnt to a crisp at times I’m trying separate my work/personal reefing this go around.
A bad car accident and dealing with business losses coupled with my delusional state of mind for a solid 5-6 month. I’ve been really hard on myself my entire life it’s taken a toll on me. I’ve struggled a lot with life lately, but hoping this is what I needed. For the most part gave up tried to do what I could like I’m talking feed once a week, top off when the pump is running dry, and dumping 125ml’s+buffer when I remembered. I had treat for black bugs but I did not feel comfortable with the insane amounts of interceptor at the given time it 4-8x what red bugs call for. After the first round was rough on my coral, and decide no follow up treatment was going to take place. They came back over 7 month under the Regimen coupled no regular maintenance ex: w/c’s and awful efforts overall care my dkh got to 15dkh. That was the straws that broke the camels back. I started loosing acro’s within days it was horrific and devastating. That’s when I started doing w/c’s, WT for the first time in months, got my head right. A good friend was fluffing me and I caught a wave have been ready to get it done!
Here’s my original whatever thread I’ve added to I’m pretty Copy and pasting it.
-custom built planet aquariums tideline rimless w/ starefire and thicker glass and drilled return.
-completely hard plumbed pvc, ball valves, and schedule 80 unions.
3 months for them to finally deliver it. I paid a pirce tag of $850 apparently the cost of materials and labor, because I don’t know what they do now during the time I ordered my tank planet ordered precut glass. The machines that cut glass are apparently super expensive. They made a elaborate story as to how supplier basically had a disagreement and didn’t want to do small cuts for my tank they finally hugged it out I guess. I really wish I had done regular glass or they called to offered instead of just dicking around since the guy was being a ****. The starfire is soft and scratches so easily I gingerly move my magnet around. The tanks no where near big enough to even notice or be able appreciate starfire haha. I just got obsessive when It came to this build I learned my lesson. I’m Chill AF I don’t freak out or get mad after 2 month mark with my money tied up. Considering I could’ve ordered a 45 or 55 gallon planet crystaline and have it the next day for $200 I felt jaded. It all worked out it’s beautiful and scratches so easy lol. It the nicest tank I’ve ever owned! With the sump it’s with rocks sand it’s holds a net volume of 55 gallons on the dot. I measured it with a 5 gallon jug when I filled it out of curiosity. I hard plumbed it all sexy like and stayed up for 2 days straight getomg the apex, plumbing, electrical, and the livestock transferred. Last picture is 14 or 15 months ago a few weeks after I the livestock when in. Overall I’m happy with Planet the tank a true work of art I mean silicon was perfect and inform it was built how I ordered it, but patience is necessary the finished product is always stellar. I got to see a decent amount of their custom stuff(most of their master builders worked oceanic/all glass/DSA (Deep Sea Aquatics after they went out)/now planet they are very talented group that have decades of experience they started shipping to the Contiguous US awhile back. I’m just concerned they’re take on to much and start get a bad reputation. My only other option was Dutch Aquarium Systems DAS they’re stacker LFS tank builders.  Going over the existing seams with silicone, and when tank comes back with same sand it left with and not even remotely clean near the seams it’s blatantly oblivious.. I’ve reinstalled a repaired 5’ tall 250 narrow reef tank only to get a call 20 minutes after finishing it leaking in the same spot ended up working all night. I have more stories that’s probably the memorable one. I told my helper it was going to leak lol.
and secondly ATI Sunpower will turn off if the temp exceeds 79.
-Large battery b/u for power outages can keeps circulation going.
-Grounding probe for stray voltage is cheap insurance. chemistry (got out of the # chase)-I just keep it stable, and use salifert kits exclusively! WT performed often big 3 several times a week. I firm believer frequent water changes weekly or biweekly 5-10% I use plain instant ocean.
-Balling method maintains Alk/Cal/Mag 2x daily. Using BRS pharma grade dry bulk been happy with new like and the value it amazing. Currently dosing 110ml’s Alk/Cal and 5ml’s mag total daily. I also dose k randomly.
Nutrients don’t exist in my world, a distant memory. The coral’s color/vitality give the me information I need. Back in the day we never measured it in our old school sps tanks. I had bought into the obsessive nutrient reduction craze of running ULNS and spent years living by my Hanna meter. I started this system all the reactors/Refugium and dosing every “liquid gold” (zeovit).
Pretty early on I went back the fundamental’s of reef keeping strong flow, lighting, large skimmer,redundancy and stability! I simplified my life and had my desire results. Removed all Reactors and media/Refugium/ and abandoned dosing the zeovit/aminos.
surpasses the xho’s it really compliments the ati well and for fractions of the price I won’t wouldnt buy anything else. The wait to receive it from China via and customer are really bad (uv diode lense issue is also lame and they did not fix it after claiming he was telling everyone he had changed from epistars). It’s still a great deal and drilling holes in shield will do I guess. ME and a lot if others just do it lol.
Tank shots January 2019/WD glam pic was around the same time. It’s hard to look back .
July 1 2019. This after the neglect and stuff kicked the bucket. Before the overhaul started completing the major bug treat me, and removal skeletons and what not.
July 2019 post bug treatments, intial removal/clean. Current photo.
Eye candy from last night!
My signature lava shrooms (that’s how the look in person). They almost all melted after extreme interceptor treatments only 4 made it .
Horrida the polyps are amazing I had this piece for 4 years now!
I had this for years it’s ornate, and the bugs almost took it out it was just filaments tissue was so rough, but it’s recovering tissue/pe’s slowly improving.
I’m in love my Favia don’t know why.
Success and achievement is always followed at some point afterwards by failure. In this case my ro failed purely due my own negligence. Resulting a total disaster that’s what I’m working on today .
to tonga branch platform I planned place on it sandbed to let it grow free off obstacles in the new aquascape. I’m bummed as continues to slowly throw my tissue I thought with w/c’s and matrix carbon with sometime it would stop but we’ll see. Generous frags for $65 vanish and it definitely always takes one for team contributing the lion share tank’s income. When you only have a few corals actually worth your time sell aren’t blacklisted by acro bugs. Leaving the Walt Disney’s, Paly Grandis, my Lava shroom, stylo’s, JF green goblin and the Vivids Purple Cap. (out of 80+ W/zoas at one point). PM me Dallas locals usually have stuff “hot and ready”.
top off that cause problems.
I wasn’t convinced the first time the membrane was behind it. After replacing all stages the 3 full new resins exhausted in matter 6-8 hours it’s obviously root of it. The pictures of angry coral for only 4 hour after the top off it’s high enough. I did 2 10 gallon w/c’s with water produced all new filters the bad membrane it fully exhausted all three resins pulling bypassed gas out no problems with coral reacting things are recovering. I added sack packed full seachem matrix carbon.
The membrane is an issue I can’t keep crashing tanks. Is my only solution running a dual or triple set up? That way a failsafe exists/redundancy to? The system is over kill the membrane it weakest link.
I had a spawning event 10 months ago with my rainbow torch. Two little babies popped one attached to a magnet that my stag is on able move him around. I got a family photo number one and big moma!
Great looking tank and I like your back to the basics approach to reefing!
