Day by day log of a newbies 75 gallon, TBS startup tank

[gregt]

This thread was automatically split due to performance issues. You can find the rest of the thread here: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...93#post4715693

[jeffman1]

I was going though my camera and figured i would post some pictures of my tank.

Here was my tank on the first day:



Here is the tank on the 3rd day, there is the day things took a bad turn and the start of everything dieing started:

Left Side:


Middle:


Right Side:


Pictures from today



Sump:

[wooglin]

Well they split the thread, guess we were stressing the server!!! I will post a link to the original on each page so newbies can go back to it for info. Here are some new pics:


Full tank shot




The arm!!!!! It has been seperated from its master for about 2 months now.. Still moving and eating... Very odd.




New Derasa Clam and the parent to that arm in the other pic.




Scary Bivalve covered in fire coral... All TBS!!!




My foot long engineer goby maikin a mess



My cuke that is form the original shipment over two years ago pooing clean sand!!!

[H2OLUVSME]

lookin good wooglin! very nice pics. the tank looks way different than the last pic you posted.

[wooglin]

I did some rearranging on the right side of the tank, sold two large SPS corals, and replaced them with others that were growing large. I kept small pieces so those sold colony's will continue.

[wooglin]

One new development in the progression of my tank is I have switched to totally home-brew supplements. I have used 64 ounces of 2-part that was made by me, and so far so good. It is saving me a ton of money. I ordered a 2-channel dosing pump/IV PUMP and am going to run it to 1 gallon just of parts A and B so I only have to worry about that about every 24 days.

[fishdoc11]

Good to know the home made A and B is working good for you. The tank is looking great

[FastUno]

Wooglin, very interested in your homemade 2 part. Where did you get the recipe? Can you share it with us?

[Bax]

wooglin

The changes in the tank look great ....

congrats on the split thread

[wooglin]

The 2-part recipie is from a article that Randy Holmes authored. The link is:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...l2004/chem.htm

[rjwilson37]

Looking Great Wooglin, it is really starting to just look spectacular.

[AquAsylum]

Wow...I'm sitting at work with my mouth gaping open! I have been going through the whole thread for over a week and FINALLY got here! The article for the homemade brew isn't working for me- can you post the recipe?

[HiddenClown]

wooglin, is that a green frogspawn in your tank? Towards to middle of the tank? If so can you post an upclose picture of it

[wooglin]

This is from an article published by RANDY HOLMES-FARLEY, Ph.D.

I multiply the recipie by 5 to make 5 gallons at a time.

Recipe #1
In this recipe you make 3 stock solutions. Two are used frequently, and one is only used occasionally to balance things out.

You can mix and store the solutions in any all-plastic or glass container. Plastic 1-gallon milk cartons (typically made of HDPE, high density polyethylene) can be a good choice.

Part 1: The Calcium Part
Dissolve 500 grams (about 2 ½ cups) of calcium chloride dihydrate (Such as Dowflake 77-80% calcium chloride) in enough water to make 1 gallon of total volume. You can dissolve it in about ½ gallon of water, and then pour that into the 1 gallon container and fill to the top with more fresh water. This solution is then about 37,000 ppm in calcium.

If you use an anhydrous calcium chloride (such as Kent's Turbo Calcium or Peladow Calcium Chloride (a brand sold by Dow that some believe may just be a dehydrated equivalent of the Dowflake), then you should use about 20% (1/5) less solid calcium chloride to make the recipe. Note that the solution will get quite hot when dissolved anhydrous calcium chloride.

Part 2: The Alkalinity Part
Spread baking soda (594 grams or about 2 ¼ cups) on a baking tray and heat in an ordinary oven at 300 °F for 1 hour to drive off water and carbon dioxide. Dissolve the residual solid in enough water to make 1 gallon total. This dissolution may require a fair amount of mixing. Warming it speeds the dissolution process. This solution will contain about 1,900 meq/L of alkalinity (5,300 dKH). I prefer to use baked baking soda rather than washing soda in this recipe as baking soda from a grocery store is always food grade, while washing soda may not have the same purity requirements. Arm & Hammer brand is a fine choice.

These two solutions are added as frequently as necessary to maintain calcium and alkalinity. In some light to medium demand aquaria, you may not need daily additions, especially for calcium. Nevertheless, unless testing shows that you should do otherwise, add equal amounts of Parts 1 and 2 over the course of a week.


Part 3: The Magnesium Sulfate
Dissolve a 64 ounce container of Epsom salts (about 8 cups) in enough purified fresh water to make 1 gallon total volume. This solution is added much less frequently than the other two parts. Each time you finish adding a gallon of both parts of the Recipe #1, add 610 mL (2 ½ cups) of this stock solution. You can add it all at once or over time as you choose, depending on the aquarium size and set up. Add it to a high flow area, preferably in a sump. In a very small aquarium, or one without a sump, I'd suggest adding it slowly; especially the first time you do so to make sure that corals don't get blasted with locally high concentrations of magnesium, sulfate, or any impurities in your Epsom Salts. The first time that you add it, you might add a small portion and make sure there isn't any problem before proceeding to add the remainder. This solution contains about 47,000 ppm magnesium and 187,000 ppm sulfate.

[wooglin]

Here is a partial of the frogspawn from a while back. I will have to take a full tommorow. The coral to the right is a hammer.






AquAsylum tHanks for the kind words about the tank. It is beginning to look like what I envisioned when I started.

[aquaman67]

Hey,

those pics look familiar.

Are they the same one's from your clean up crew class at last night's reef club meeting?

I wonder how many other threads have had to be fragged!!!!!

[wooglin]

Those are the pics from the meeting, and the presentation on cleanup crews.

[luckiM]

Hey woog,

Was wondering if you had new pics of the tanks? Some folks in Pat's thread were looking for pics of tbs tanks that had been up for 1+ years.

[wooglin]

I will post some new pics this afternoon....

[rjwilson37]

Yipee, that would be great! I can't wait to see how your tank is doing.

[Skipper]

I'm enjoying this, too.

[ratherbediving]

Wooglin--

Your tank looks great. I agree with Landon, the full tank shot looks WAY different than the last time I saw pictures of it IMO. Are you using a different camera as well?

[wooglin]

Same camera, I am getting better at taking shots with it. The camera is a Kodak DX6490. Its the model that came with a very good 10x optical zoom made by Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon.

Pictures to come soon.

[wooglin]

Pics are on next page

[Shoestring Reefer]

Still lookin good!