UPS tells me my lighting packages should arrive to me by the end of the week. I got out our Workhorse ballasts so they are in easy reach. Now we just need the package to show up.

I also adjusted our lights, since I'm out later and later now due to sports we've move the MH schedule to 12pm-8pm. How should I adjust this schedule once we have the T5s online? I'm hoping for maybe a total of 12 or 14 hours of light, but I'm not sure if that is appropriate for my SPS. I've never run T5s before. Lighting will be 2x 250w MH, 8x 24w T5s.

Can I run my MH for 6-8 hours and then my T5s for the rest of the time? Is this going to be too much light?

I'm hoping for something along the lines of:
9am-12pm T5s
12pm-8pm MH
8pm- 11pm T5s

Yesterday we were at the Calgary Zoo for a Behind the Scenes with the Giraffes. The stingray exhibit still isn't open. We headed to the butterfly conservatory, and then had to head home. I would love to spend a whole day there, but the good days for us to go, aren't so good for Kevin job-wise.

We fed two of the four giraffes at the zoo, Mardi and her son George. The other two didn't come over to see us while we were there.

Mardi
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...a/DSC_0832.jpg

George
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...a/DSC_0837.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...a/DSC_0856.jpg

A random photo from inside the aviary where the butterfly conservatory is housed.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...a/DSC_0869.jpg

I'm sorry to have passed my bad luck as of late to you!

I've always just kept my lighting to a max of 12 hours. In the tropics it's more or less a steady 12 hours year-round, I'm sure there is some seasonal fluctuation but to me it just seems "better" that if you have a, say, "summer peak" of 14 hours daylight that you should correspondingly have a "winter peak" of 10 hours. Have I any studies to back up my opinion? None whatsoever! Just a subjective opinion on my part. I avoid the issue altogether by saying "Ok, my tanks are exactly on the equator and have 12 hours daylight total year-round." :lol:

I run my lights from 10:30 to 22:30. I've often thought about shifting this a little later for the sake of being able to see my tanks longer in the evening since I'm usually up to 12 or 1 anyhow but for me it's just easier to coincide the tank lights with real daylight. (For example on days where I don't work then it becomes weird that I can't see the tanks before noon. But also light comes in through the windows and stuff so daylight will always be brighter than non-daylight no matter what I have the timers set at, so might as well set them close to the real thing and just deal with it...)

Well some good news today is that everything is still alive and pretty!

I like how you think Tony!

FWIW, I lived 6 degrees from the equator, and it was daylight for 12 hours (7:30-ish to 7:30-ish) every day of the year!

I run my lighting from 11-11...with an hour of lights out from 3:30-4:30 in the afternoon.

You're living your life totally upside-down compared to me. I want to retire away from Calgary and live 6 degrees from the equator (I'll even be happy with 7!!), not first live there and then retire to Calgary. :lol:

Interesting idea about the lights off for an hour. What's your reckoning behind that one, a storm? Just a break for things to keep things from overheating? (All of the above? / Insert other reasons here? / etc.?)

I'm really curious too!

I shut my lights off a couple times a month early, or just don't turn them on at all. I do it to simulate darker days, and it seemed to have a response in my little 24g cube. I hope it works as well here in the 180g.

Hah! 6 degrees from the equator is WAY too hot and humid for me to permanently settle down. Heck, last night in Calgary was way too hot for me. *sigh*

I followed a thread on Zeovit.com where several people gave their systems an hour of dark during the day to disrupt the photosynthetic cycle of the algaes growing in their tanks (this will be in ridiculous layman's terms, but apparently photosynthesis begins after so much time in light, and by turning the lights off, you're re-starting that process...or something). I thought it was interesting, so I did it. Why not?

Nice idea! I think I may want to do something like that when my T5s arrive.


So the tank has been running since May 11th, technically its had water in it since then. We have been topping up, but have not yet performed a water change. I try not to do a water change in the first month of setting up a new tank or transfering new livestock from one system to another. It just seems to help things along better. I do however change the water sooner if the chemistry tells me to.

Anyways so these are my pre water change numbers for today. I'm guessing that the total water volume right now is 200g.
Temp 79
SG 1.025
pH 8.1
Nitrate 35! Thursday was 19
Ca 345, Thursday was 400
dKH 6 Thursday was 8
Mg 1260, 1280 on Thursday

I've adjusted the kalk. reactor by adjusting the mixing pump and re-filling it with kalk. powder. I feel kind of dumb because I'm still on auto pilot and dosed the levels I used to do for my 28g long.

Ca reactor is going online ASAP. I'll dose with a powder when I do the water change while we wait for the reactor's plumbing glue to dry. Mg is okay, a few points lower then I want, so I will probably dose for it as well.

Off to do the tanks first water change! I have 55g of water to swap out!

Something is wrong in my tank.

The lights just came on and my imperator angel is dead. Crabs haven't gotten to it yet, so it was a recent death. No cutes, sores, or wounds on the corpse. Imperator ate yesterday, and everything was normal. What should i be looking at to try and determine a COD? I could already see some of the colours fading when I pulled it out.

Ozonizer should be here any day now, and I hope that day is sooner then later. I'm not adding any more fish to this system until its here and running. I'm seriously debating not adding anymore fish at all until I've passed the 6 month mark with the ones I have. Maybe just some additional clean up crew members.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...a/DSC_0888.jpg

Ouch, that sucks :( Sorry to hear it and good luck with things.

And not that you have enough to worry about (and I don't think it's the cause of the fish deaths), but nitrates at 35ppm is definitely something you also want to look at. (It could just be the fish feeding.) You may want to look into sugar, or sugar/vodka/vinegar dosing as a temporary stop gap measure (be careful not to overdo it, the sudden reduction in nitrates can shock things - also if you dose too much sugar your tank will go cloudy with a bacterial bloom).

Crap...I forgot to update this thread...I have 3 nitrate tests, 1 pinpoint monitor and two different brands of traditional test kits. I tested the water with the test kit and it gave me the 35ppm reading. When I tested with the pinpoint monitor I got 22ppm. I re-calibrated the monitor and got 21ppm. We are believing the monitor.

I did that water change yesterday, so I'm going to check the levels in the tank for today, and possibly do a second change tomorrow.

Nitrate levels are definitely the product of some seriously heavy feeding over the weekend, and possibly the death of the powder grey. I know the powder grey was eaten over the course of the 8 hour night, but still 8 hours is a long time.

I'm tired of this though, I just want a nice tank again with fish that thrive and don't die. I think I'm asking too much lately.

Oh no :( I'm really sorry....I didn't think Nitrates at 22 ppm could kill fish like that?

I'll hold on the Regal. No hurries.

Please do! I want to make sure whatever is happening in my tank won't happen again, or will stop happening. I am so clueless, 3 dead fish in 3 days, 2 with unknown causes of death.

Ohhh horrible news!! :( I'm sorry to hear about your losses.. I really hope your luck changes QUICK and you figure out whats going on!

No, indeed 22ppm NO3 won't do that, even 35ppm won't, but I thought I would caution about 35ppm because the last thing one needs now is to start noticing the SPS letting go (35ppm is way too high for SPS, IMHO). 21ppm is definitely a lot better than 35ppm though, I would not bother with the test kits if you're using the monitor. Just have plenty of calibration fluid on hand, I find if I get unexpected readings (or readings that don't make sense), I guess over time that stuff just contaminates to slightly different nitrate levels, so I switch to a new batch of calibration (I use refill the little bottles with the big ones) and it seems to normalize.

I try to calibrate the monitor every few months when I remember.

Today's readings, I'm just including the red flag ones from yesterday;
dKH 5, dropped by 1pt
Ca 350, went up 5ppm
Nitrate 11/10 went down by 10 or 11 pts with the WC, tested with monitor
phosphates; 1st test 0.01, second test 0.17. I'm taking the second reading as valid.

I dosed for Ca yesterday, and dKH today, but I guess its not doing much so far. I am going to go ahead and do that other 25g WC tomorrow. The water change we did yesterday was about 1/8 of the total water volume.

I've never really battled nitrates before. I've read some serious accounts of some brutal battles, but I've never had one myself. I think the highest I've ever had for nitrates is about 30ppm in any tank I've had.

I'm hoping one more WC will bring phosphates and nitrates quite close to 0. With the Ca reactor online I'm hoping dKH will slowly start to rise to the 8/9 dKH I like to see. Once I start to have to top off again via my kalk. reactor I'll start to see the Ca. rise to the 400/420 mark I tend to keep my tanks at.

I'll have to check my instructions to be 100% sure, but I swear I remember reading that you're supposed to calibrate the monitor for every use. I know if I don't, I will not get steady readings from day to day.

That would be great if you could check. My monitor came second hand with no instructions.

Found them online - http://www.americanmarineusa.com/NO3monitor.html

Sort of buried near the bottom it says "Calibration is recommended before each measurement."

I'm not sure if anyone local has any, but you can MO new calibration fluid from J&L. Probably wouldn't hurt to have some extra onhand. I find the calibration fluid only lasts so long before it seems to drift. I would think that the residue of the 1ppm fluid would eventually start to pull down the 10ppm fluid. (Having said that I seem to get a few months out of each, so the stuff lasts forever anyhow.)

If I had anymore towels I would be considering throwing them in...

The power went out. So I watched the rubbermaid sump almost overflow. Then I shut the gate valve to keep most of the water in tank and to prevent the aformentioned overflow. It worked and was working when I was called to the manager's office about a problem in our condo. I came back and the sump overflowed, its all over the carpet, and in the bottom of the stand. This is not my day! Oh yes, and I argued very strongly for sealing the bottom of the stand, but was told to just put it off until we put the glass sump in...should have gone with my gut instinct.

*Edit for more info*
Post mess photo;
- most of the water on the ground has been soaked up
- dried out the stand as much as possible, I think there is water under the rubbermaid.
- have the fan blowing on the carpet and the stand.

Found out why it overflowed;
- too much water in the system, overtopped off from the water change.
- I thought the gate valve was shut, but I guess it has a sticky point about 3/4s of the way closed. It felt tight and closed, but it wasn't.

Good things! (This is my favorite part!)
- Emergency back up worked great, koralia 1 kicked on with no problems.
- Lights and everything else came back online automatically (except the pump which I shut off manually)
- Everything in the tank looks no worse for wear.
- Power was out for a total of 45 minutes, and aside from my error, and the fact that the tank was over filled with water, I think an extended power outtage would be quite easy to handle for the tank.

I couldn't find the flashlight in the dark in our catchall drawer so I had to use the flash of the camera to tell me how full the sump was.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...a/DSC_0895.jpg

After the clean up;
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...a/DSC_0899.jpg

More good news is that the new top plate for the Ca. reactor is done. It needs to be cleaned but I think it just needs to be washed and assembled before going online tonight.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...a/DSC_0887.jpg

Oh no! Man alive, it can't just rain, it pours??

Good luck with everything!! :(

Unbelievable run of bad luck you're having! I sure hope it turns around for you soon. I think you should run out and get some 4-leaf clovers and rabbit's feet, and stay away from black cats and ladders. GOOD LUCK GOOD LUCK GOOD LUCK GOOD LUCK!!!!!

:D Thanks for the good luck!

I'm hoping we'll have no more problems for the future. We've opted not to add any fish like I mentioned earlier for a little while. Probably at least a couple of weeks to get our chemistry straightened out, our reactors online, and our new sump in place.

The flooding was a fluke, a combination of faulty choices, that is almost impossible to see now with the fan running. The fish deaths, particularly the angel, like someone on RC pointed out, can also be a fluke. Sometimes some fish just keel over, and it could be any reason.

I have a few things to do over the next couple of weeks, and then maybe once the lighting, sump, and reactors are online we will revisit the idea of adding new fish to our set up.

Alright so the flooding problem has been fixed. The problems were;
1) Overfilled the tank when the WC was done.
2) I closed the gate valve (or I thought I did) to prevent a sump flood because of the extra water. However, there is a sticky part on the gate valve and I thought it was totally closed, and it wasn't. So the water in the overflow drained into the sump causing the flood.

Everything is dry now and you can't even tell there was a flood at all. Yay for my quick clean up skills!

We also had another power outtage last night. There was no flood, no problems at all because we returned the sump to its proper levels. Things again seem good in the land the 180g tank.

So my real package with UPS is out for delivery.

This came with our morning mail. I freaked out, called the Utility company and we had a nice long chat about their responsibility to their clients, and how maybe, just maybe they should read the notes on file before assuming that 1) I'm a non paying client, 2) that you need to talk to my husband to get the facts. Apparently women are now no longer able to make decisions, or be responsible for financial things...

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...a/DSC_0908.jpg

Anyways supposedly that little snafu has been fixed. They made an error on their part, and instead of just turning our electricity back on from last time, instead they gave us a 30 day trial period. Stupidity hurts my brain.

So the Ca. reactor build photos;
The reactor before plumbing,
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...a/DSC_0900.jpg

Hi Mum, am I in your way?
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...a/DSC_0902.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...a/DSC_0903.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...a/DSC_0904.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...a/DSC_0905.jpg

Our supervisor
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...a/DSC_0901.jpg

Wow, I can't believe the amount of bad luck! Sooner or later things have got to start turning around! Hang in there!!

Wait...women ARE allowed to make decisions now? Sheesh, what's this world coming to?!

I agree with Tony. Things will improve...and it's lookin' good.

I had an "untalk" with Direct Energy yesterday. They told me they couldn't talk to me because it was my husband's name on the account. I then asked them if they have ever received a payment on the account from my husband or was it is wife paying the bills. After a discussion, I was asked if there was anything else they could do for me. My reply was that if they couldn't talk to me, how could they do anything for me.

Kevin isn't even on the utility accounts, which is what makes it such a fantastic conversation to have had.

Well I am seeing some awesome things regardless of the messes and the electricity drama and stuff. The colonies we bought are colouring up like I expected. Too bad Kevin can't tell the difference between purple and blue, otherwise he would owe me his share of a bet we made.

I had a gut feeling about one particular colonies. I thought it would turn purple if it was under a more blue light. Kevin said it would darken up to be a nice rich royal blue. Its turning purple. I'll try for some photos of the change later.

My ups package, our new lighting, STILL isn't here yet. I'm so anxious to get the box!

Some pre-upgrade lighting photos;

You can see the bad acro crab if you look closely. He is coming out after dinner.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...a/DSC_0909.jpg

The colony on the right is turning purple!
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...a/DSC_0913.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...a/DSC_0914.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...a/DSC_0920.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...a/DSC_0928.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...a/DSC_0929.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...a/DSC_0921.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...a/DSC_0916.jpg

So the package arrived, at the very end of the day. It contained the following;
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...a/DSC_0931.jpg

I got sucked into another XM bulb. I know Sanjays site doesn't say its great for par, but I love the colour.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...a/DSC_0934.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...a/DSC_0935.jpg

All T5s, plue 1x250w on the right side of the tank.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...a/DSC_0937.jpg

Close up of the T5s
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...a/DSC_0938.jpg

No MHs, T5s only
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...a/DSC_0939.jpg

The T5s are stupidly bright. I think 9 bulbs would have been overkill. I'll take tomorrow to figure out what we want for a schedule and then program the associate timer.

Looks good, Catherine! I love me some T5's.

Question: why is the acro crab bad? I've never heard before that they are.

There seems to be two different types of acro crabs. The good kind are hairless, and often have a black mask type pattern over its eyes. This is the bad kind, they kill the good ones, and seem to eat the polyps on the sps. They all seem to have light blue eyes, and a hairy body.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...a/PICT0014.jpg

Yeah, I'm not sure that's really an 'acro crab' per se as it is a 'crab that came in on an acro.' I had one like that, it definitely ate SPS polyps yum yum, and grew from a wee little 1/4" to between 1/2" - 3/4" in the space of a few weeks before I was able to catch him. I stupidly put him in my 110g cube at the time, I'm sure he's still in there along with the dozen or so other HH crabs in that tank. Man they live forever.

Gotcha. I recently imported 3 acro crabs (well, along with three colonies :p) and was a little worried. But they all seem to be the cute ninja type.

Side note: 2 of them live in a birdsnest colony. Do I still have to call them acro crabs? :)

You're right, I should have called it the crab that arrived in the acro, or acro-eating good acro crab killing evil crab. That particular crab is also the infamous Mr. Fugly I believe.

Nah, give them a cool new catchy name, or an amusing one (similar to the bio balls thread).

The tanks realy coming along nicely!

Thank you!

Everything is looking really great. Sorry to here about the number of problems you have been having. some good luck has got to be heading your way.
Chris