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Austyn's 125 Gal mixed reef...

ahvrivera

ahvrivera

So not only am i trying to get my tank stable. This wind storm has taken out power. No Power since 3am in Westampton. and its still not fixed. I knew i should of bough a generator after sandy. And the neighbors huge maple tree just missed falling on my house and my deck by 2ft. NOT A GOOD NOISE TO WAKE UP TO AT 3 AM.
 
kevin

kevin

NJRC Member
ahvrivera said:
So not only am i trying to get my tank stable. This wind storm has taken out power. No Power since 3am in Westampton. and its still not fixed. I knew i should of bough a generator after sandy. And the neighbors huge maple tree just missed falling on my house and my deck by 2ft. NOT A GOOD NOISE TO WAKE UP TO AT 3 AM.
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ouch, that sucks!

yeah, I'm trying to get my tank in order! I don't test for anything. Only thing I tested recently was phosphates with my Hanna Checker and it reads 0(which is false, because i have hair algae & cyano). I also have 2 pH probes.. I ordered a bunch of test kits so I can see what I need to dose. I'm sure my corals will love me more.
 
ahvrivera

ahvrivera

Day 4
got home way to late to sit and post so here it goes. Happy with tonights test. Tank is looking clearer(crispy as i call it :) )
All polyps super extended and full of color. The few paly's i have Nuclear greens,Lunar eclipses, pinks looked the best ever. Red planet was a hairy son of a gun last night. Solid pink and starting to show a little green on the bottom.:). Even the Blue tip acro had polyps out in full effect. k enough blabber. On to the test

Cal 416
ALK 178
MAG 1350
PH 8.2

I set up a manual drip with an air valve and tube the night before.
and i dripped ALK and CAL at a rate of 3 to 4 drops per minute. 100ML each. This ofcourse is only temporary until the dosing pump/s get ordered. So last night i did not set up the drip to see how far it drops for tonights test.
 
ahvrivera

ahvrivera

Just realized i should be posting this on my tale of the tank post instead. Is there any way to add this thread to my tale of the tank?
 
iTzJu

iTzJu

Officer Emeritus
NJRC Member
looking good on those parameters Austyn, looks like things are stabling up.
 
ahvrivera

ahvrivera

Day 5 Test.

Cal 402
Alk 171
MAG 1350
PH 8.1
PO4 0.01

Finally looks like its getting better. Now i just need to order the dosing pumps to keep at the proper levels. I also noticed the skimmer is pulling thicker junk. 1/4" of skinmate overnight. At this rate i need to get an order ready for BRS 2 part. Which is what i am using now.
 
ahvrivera

ahvrivera

Day 6 test:

Cal 418
ALK 181
MAG 1350

Oh yeah. we are getting there. even the few Zoas i have are fully open and colored up nicely. al the SPS showing great polyp extension and coloring up nicely.
 
redfishbluefish

redfishbluefish

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
ahvrivera said:
At this rate i need to get an order ready for BRS 2 part.
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You might want to DIY your own two-part. All ingredients are commonly found.

ALK = Baking Soda
CALC = Dow Flake (hard to find) or Preston Driveway Heat (easy to find in the winter)
MAG = Mag Flakes and Epsom Salt

HERE’s a good read that tells you the specifics.
 
iTzJu

iTzJu

Officer Emeritus
NJRC Member
That's some good information Paul! thanks for sharing that, I didn't know it was that easy to make two part system!
 
redfishbluefish

redfishbluefish

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
iTzJu said:
..........I didn't know it was that easy to make two part system!
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It’s disgustingly easy. If you can use a measuring cup and pour water, you’re good to go.

I first started making Randy’s two part when I first entered the hobby. I ended up getting a good deal on two, five gallon buckets of B-Ionic, and switched to using that. I was keeping these two five gallon buckets in the basement, and refilling one gallon jugs when needed. When I went into the basement to do a refill, I found one of the buckets had failed (crack in the bottom), and dumped its contents on the floor.

IMG_4428.jpg




I contacted B-Ionic with lot numbers and bucket information, thinking that maybe they would send me some small monetary coupon for my next purchase. NOTHING…..only asking for more info….but that was it. The bottom line was that these buckets were the lowest quality buckets you could find. That was the last straw that drove me back to making my own. So I now have a lifetime supply of calcium and magnesium….purchasing 40 pound bags of each (both are ice melt products). But even at that, the total costs were about half of what I paid for the two buckets of B-Ionic. I get the ALK part (Baking Soda) at Sam’s in 13.5 pound bags for less than seven bucks.

I originally would make a number of gallons of each, all at one time.

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But every time someone stopped by and asked about Randy’s stuff, I’d give them a gallon of each. Well I’m now out of juice jugs, so now I’m back to making it a gallon at a time. But even at that, a gallon goes a long way…..especially MAG. I’m still on the first gallon I made years ago.
 
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