The Hidden Treasure page has been updated with some new links. A video was added, the Pico tank page was added, the Model M sump was added, the Nano tank was added, and a few other items were corrected or cleaned up.
The Identification Page was updated and now there are 198 items listed. Some newcomers are:
Today, a new product arrived called PhosBuster Pro, by CaribSea. After following the directions closely and preparing the tank for the dosage, I added it and hoped for the best.
Six hours later, I tested the PO4 level and it had dropped from 1.5ppm to .25ppm or less. I'm very happy to finally see the phosphate level brought down significantly, and hope that I can set up my system to keep it that low from now on. I'll be sure to update this log with any changes.
Woohoo!!! The new sump is finally running!!!!!!!!!
For 8 months, all I've talked about is the new sump I was going to build. At last, it is done and installed.
The doorway got a little more crowded, but I'm happy.
Alright, how much does it cost to run my reef? A club member put together a nice page to enter the data, and I took a deep breath and filled in the fields.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/calcs2.php?type=electric
These are my entries.
A 50g water change was done tonight. During the water change, I made it a point to use a pump to stir up all the detritus in the sump and cause the water to be murky in the refugium to keep it in suspension. I pumped out this filthy water, cleaned the sump, skimmer & Mag 12 pump for a fresh start for 2005.
The fish room, once I was done. The skimmer is already bubbling nicely.
I documented my 280g 14-day Upgrade Project. It is a 5.6meg webpage, so dial-up will probably not be able to download this page (browser error for sure) with all 111 images.
Recently I got a LifeReef Calcium Reactor. It is the LCR2, standing 20" tall with a 5lb CO2 cylinder. I got it used with a bad pump, so I replaced it with another Mag 7 I had in the garage. To avoid any leaks, I put silicone around the impellar coverplate, and let it cure 3 days. Finally tonight I turned it on after filling it up with freshly mixed saltwater, but the pump burned up and a puff of smoke came out.
Recently, I cleaned out my Aqua C Ev-200 protein skimmer thoroughly. Once I hooked it up, I capped the little drain line on the collection cup so that I could remove the long piece of hose that was never being used anyway. For over a week, the collection cup filled with light green fluid, much more than I've ever had before. I blamed it on the great cleaning job :) and waited for it to break in again. The collection cup has 3 holes in the lid, so it could vent easily, right?
My 10,000K XM bulbs arrived today, so I swapped them out with the one year old 10,000K Ushios. I got them for a good price, and now I just hope they have the right coloration so the tank looks good again.
All the powerheads were cleaned today. Next project is all the return pumps.
