Maggie's Mixed Reef Build V3, now a 75!

[Mhamilton0911]

Been printing air plant holders. Then painting. Because this cabinet side was boring and it's my kitchen window and gets the perfect sun here.

 

[Lowell Lemon]

Drove past your place on way to Meadowlark Lane Thursday! Could not believe the destruction from the Gwen fire ...just wow!

 

[Mhamilton0911]

Drove past your place on way to Meadowlark Lane Thursday! Could not believe the destruction from the Gwen fire ...just wow!

Yeah it ripped through there. Every day they are cleaning up rock and dirt debris from falling.

 

[Mhamilton0911]

4 tanks....

..... And plants

 

[Mhamilton0911]

Maybe I'll be a lucky devil today....

 

[Mhamilton0911]

There's a good chance my new tank stand will be painted. My walls are already grey, floors are dark wood. Black is safe but boring. Sorry, not sorry.

 

[Stang67]

There's a good chance my new tank stand will be painted. My walls are already grey, floors are dark wood. Black is safe but boring. Sorry, not sorry.

Plum crazy.

 

[danieyella]

I like that color

 

[Mhamilton0911]

Me too.

 

[Mhamilton0911]

Ok nitrates. I gotchu.

Tested nitrates at 2 days ago at 135.2 ppm . Actual test had to be diluted to get a readable result. 50% dilution gave me 67.6 , then doubled to account for dilution, to 135.2 ppm.

Did only about a 10%wc as I was gone for most of the day. Also removed all sponges incase they had become nitrate leachers. I used 2 as bubble traps, but have since raised the levels to reduce the bubbles so there's really no need for the sponges any how. Also added 1ml of vodka, since with all my nitrate reducing reading, carbon dosing was high on the list. Looked in the charts and for my size tank the initial dose was 2.7ml but adding alcohol to my tank sounded scary so I only did a lil.

Tested this morning at 61.1 diluted and 122.2 with math. So it'll definitely come down with a little time and a little work. Doing another WC now, a little vodka (for tank or me, who knows) and making more water and again and again until these nitrates are 20 or less. I'll be happy with that me thinks.

 

[Mhamilton0911]

Another WC, a lil vodka, nitrates are finally under 100, at 98.2

Cool.

Also, gross. No wonder I had trouble with phyto crashing, this is the filter to the air pump. I was revamping the air set up to accommodate the bigger Ziss brine hatchery, and I took out the air pump I used for all my phyto and pod cultures.

 

[danieyella]

I use one of these:

I know amazon links have been wonky lately.... so images instead

 

[Mhamilton0911]

Not dirty at all!

 

[Mhamilton0911]

@Mschmidt can you believe this Houdini frag hasn't disappeared with all my nitrates? Pretty awesome. Really hoping it'll keep on keeping on!

 

[Mschmidt]

It's looking good too!

 

[Mhamilton0911]

Tried a top down shot of the clam, this was the clearest, still not great but such a purty thing.

 

[Mhamilton0911]

Nitrates definitely coming down, this is still 50% tank water and 50% rodi. So 86.2 is the real number. Been doing daily 10% w/c, then dosing 2.5 ml vodka. Have not checked any other param since I discovered my blunder with over dosing. Already need more reagent, and at full price, it's $1 per test. But I will no longer dose for anything I cannot reliably test for. So until things even out, I'll be testing every couple days and I'll reevaluate how often after things stabilize.

Coral still look fine, even the couple acros I have left. Two things though that I can see took off, is the blue clove polyps and some ugly black sponge. Both I know are invasive. Tell me what I need to do.

No permanent coral on the few rocks that have the clove polyps, but they are keystones for the whole structure. The black sponge has gotten under some corals and rfas, and I've manually pulled this junk out before it just always comes back.

Thinking, if I can wait until my tank upgrade I can really concentrate on the rocks that need cleared, setting those aside and even QT to make sure it doesn't return. But how to absolutely kill those polyps and sponge, without decimating the rock itself?

Black sponge


Blue clove polyps , or brown or whatever ugly version of nightmare

 

[fishguy242]

once out for transfer, my best guess would be manual removal 1st ,followed by a peroxide scrub ? ...

 

[Mhamilton0911]

When I started having kids, I bought their cakes. Then at one point my daughter, probably 4, asked for a doll cake where you stick a doll in the center and the cake is the dress. Had to make that one. Turned out great. Maybe not the best, most professional job ever, but it was a huge success with the kids. Then from there every birthday must have a "custom mom cake". They love thinking of new ideas and helping assemble. The littlest just gets to see the finished product, but the older ones make the cake.


You'd think with 4 kids birthdays a year I'd be a professional by now.....


Presenting, off road trail cake. 2 layer 13x9 chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, a sugar glaze "water hazard", no bake cookie "rocks" and a new sideXside. Charged up and ready to play. I put tape on the wheels so I can peel that and there's no mess.

 

[danieyella]

Awesome!

The only cake I distinctly remember was the year I insisted on having marshmallow fluff instead of frosting. When my mom put it together she didn't consider it would slide.... It was delicious though