Update

I neglected to post the results of last weekends water test, so here they are:

Salinity: NA (did not test)
Nitrate: 0 :)
kH: 9
Calcium: 450
pH: 8.3

I also cleaned the powerheads in a vinegar solution so they are running very well. Next time i do this i think i will make a page documenting the process. I will be going out of town for a week so i will have a friend stop by to feed and add buffers twice (in the one week i will be gone). I know from experience that when i leave my water quality goes with me. So i will prepare a large batch of water so i can do a water change when I get back.

Weekend update

I did a big 50%+ water change as it has been really overdue. My BTA was retracted I tested nitrates and they were 10+. I looked back on my logs and it has been over a month since a water change so i decided to do a big one. A day later the tank looked great. I have not had time to test parameters yet, but I will probably test later today and post them later today or (most likely) tomorrow. I have not been able to take a fts (full-tank-shot) in awhile so i did one today :). It is labeled in my logs as January FTS, but It actually is taken in feb. It is kinda blurry so enjoy:
I also decided to label the corals in my middle section. Check it out

Sump 3d Model

I just wanted to show a cool 3D model I made using Google sketch up. It is just a basic idea, but i think it is worth showing. Feel free to download it or click on the image to take you to a better pic and download link

New Addition

I recived a very rare and unusual frag from Uncle last night. It is a frag of a Montipora Setosa, that is very rare and very expensive. I did not want to have to pay for shipping from Califonia, so my Dad carried it home in his carry on bag. Here is how we pulled it off: we used a gatorade bottle, some electrical tape and a couple heat packs to help it stay warm on the 6 hour flightOnce it arrived I quickly opened it and put it in the tank. It was a very small piece, which is verysmart, as one would not want to risk shipping a large several hunderd dollar colony. Here is the first pic of it, about 24hrs after putting it in the tank. It is very blurry, as It is so small and hard for me to get a good shot. It is pinkish orange and very pretty.
I googled it to find more info, as i did not know much about this type of montipora. I was shocked to see how rare it was and how expensive frags can go for (like 75$ for 0.5 "). Here is just one price for a small piece with out shipping
http://www.vividaquariums.com/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=02-8027-10
Here is a pic of a larger colony (not my pic photo credit fragfarmers.com)
I am very happy to be trying my luck at a rare and amazing coral :)

Growth Shot

I Decided to show the growth of one of my favorite corals over 10 months. It is a torch coral (genus Euphyllia). I got it in early 'O8 and it has prospered for the most part ever since. The picture on the left (first one) is shortly after i got it. When i purchased it, my tank was still relatively unstable and not yet reached a equilibrium. It still did very well.



After 5 months later (sep. 08) it continued to prosper and had survived one of my clumsy errors: when killing aptasia with Kalk I dripped some on it and killed some of its tissue.









10 from then the torch coral has grown significantly and went from a single tiny head (when i first got it) to a 4 head colony that is slowly getting bigger. It is really nice to see something thrive in my tank. I hope it continues to do well and prospur

Weekly Update

Not much has happened this week, but I am happy to report that my Calcium Levels are back to normal. Life in Henry Reef is back to normal :) Here are the latest test results:
Salinity - 1.025
kH - 14
Calcium - 350
Nitrates - 0
as you can see when I stopped buffering Ca the kH spiked and Ca dropped off. That is why you must reach a balanced Ca kH ratio. I was looking into this and found a great site that calculates how much of a product you need to reach a desired level and where calcium and alk are balanced here it is:
http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chemcalc.html

GO STEELERS

I almost forgot: it's super bowl Sunday GO STEELERS

Bad news

I haven't been able to update my blog lately due to how busy my life has been. The tank has been going very well for the past few nights, but on Thursday i decided to add some kalk and left it dripping while i was not home. Big mistake :( the flow control valve stopped working for some reason and it poured 5 gallons of super saturated lime water into the tank, partially overflowing it. I tested params and was horrified to find my calcium was over 550 and my kit could not test for it because it was so high. My SPS did not seem affected, but my BTA, shrooms, yellow polyps and zoos all did not look very good. Most just looked less expanded than usual. I think i will completely stop adding calcium for a couple of weeks till it can come down to reasonable levels. Also i am very confident my reef will make a full recovery.