Well, I have not upgraded this thread in a long time. I've actually been quite bored with it. Stuff is still growing fast. I know that I'm not bored bored, but just busy. With summer there are so much other things to do that the aquarium is not on my mind as much. I bought another mini kind of for parts. I've been going to a lot of festivals here in Edmonton like the Street performers festival and heritage days. There's been many weddings to attend and busy planning our 10 year wedding anniversary party. I noticed that the tank is now 1 year old, so that deserved a couple of pictures.

Here goes - August 6, 2009 Den side of tank
http://i600.photobucket.com/albums/t...g?t=1249602530

Today - Den side of tank (that purple frag in my last year's shot is now that big colony in the middle of the tank still in the exact same spot). (The brown frag on the left became a colony 10" accross that I sold cause it got too big.)
http://i600.photobucket.com/albums/t...g?t=1281142888

August 6, 2009 - Living room side of tank
http://i600.photobucket.com/albums/t...g?t=1249602581

Today - Living room side of tank
http://i600.photobucket.com/albums/t...g?t=1281143087

What can I say, corals are amazing. It excites me that a 1" frag can become a colony in such a short time. And I have made about 500 frags from this tank already. Thanks for looking.

dude your tank is on crack. love the difference in one year. what do you do weekly/ monthly for maintenance?

That is truly crazy how much it's changed in a year.

Hey Laurier,

I just do weekly water changes (the only ones I've ever missed is when I've been on vacation. Then it had a 10 day period without a water change. I've used 5 different kinds of salt on this tank already. Started with instant ocean, then bought a half pail of H2Ocean from Fencer, then switched to reefer's best, then mixed reefer's best with Salinity (Seachem), then went to Reefer's best mixed with Brightwell, and lately I've been mainly H2Ocean. It only takes me about 7 minutes to do a 40 gallon water change so it's no big deal.

Other than that, I've filled my calcium reactor once. I empty my external skimmer collection cup weekly. I've cleaned the skimmer 4 times in the year.

Every 3 days clean the glass with the magnet. I've only used the magnet with the razor attachement twice in the last year. I've never vacuumed the sand or rock.

I haven't changed any bulbs yet but I'm about to.

I feed and dose zeo daily. Mainly pellets and flake in the last few months due to laziness of not defrosting frozen food.

I think that's about it. I haven't test parameters in 2 months I think. I just watch the corals.

Oh yeah, I frag lots as corals grow to touch each other. Sometimes it's weekly - gets annoying.

Really makes me wish we were neighbors or something! Congrats on having one of the sexiest looking reefs I've seen Dez. Bored or not you da man.

Thanks Brett. In time corals do grow. It usually starts out slow but once you have more than one branch, the growth is exponential.

Lots of houses for sale in my neighbourhood ;)

Wow! Amazing growth!

Vent the waste collector out side then you wont get the stink. that is what i use to do and it worked great.

I've been meaning to draw air from outside too sometime, but just can't find the time as of late cause my ceiling is drywalled in that room so it's a little difficult. I think carbon will suffice for now. Their is a bathroom fan that is on constantly in the summer that vents directly outside too.

Dont draw air from the outside its makes the skimmer unstable. and your Ph will go up and down . in the winter its ok the summer with all the spraying and otherthings. With the winter you are getting pure dry air too.