CCOMBS FIRST REEF!

Hallowhead · May 6, 2019

ccombs said:
Hello All,

I have a few quick updates.

1) tank is doing great, everything is thriving and maturing

2) I have a thread where my clownfish was having some weird behavior, they are both doing well

3) Fixed my AWC system. I was using this really sleek dosing line for my AWC so it went cleanly in the back. I failed to see it had a pre-drilled siphon break in it for other applications, this kept the DOS from being able to remove water.

4) I will be on the forum less frequent for awhile. I was in a hit and run back in February and I am still dealing with issues regarding my cognitive function and physical pain. Last night I ended up in the hospital for the 3rd time regarding this.

As soon as I am healthy I will be back on more frequently to help other reefers and participate.

Until then, best of luck to all and I will miss hanging out!

jeez man ! Feel better. Health is first! REMEMBER THAT

rkpetersen · May 6, 2019

Get yourself well. We'll be here.

Dr. Dendrostein · May 6, 2019

Never been sick and had to go to hospital until recently for almost 2 weeks. I think I had Legionnaires disease they couldn't figure it out and a lot better now hope you get better too

dantimdad · May 6, 2019

Get well soon my friend!

Eagle_Steve · May 6, 2019

Get well man and if you need help with the tank and it is something that will tweak your back, shoot me a text. You are not that far from me, I can pop over and help ya out.

samnaz · May 6, 2019

Wishing you a speedy pain free recovery, Charlton.. There is nothing worse than constant pain. If at all possible it might help to try to do anything to take your mind off it if even for a second. We're always here for you, whenever you return!

ccombs · May 7, 2019

Thanks everyone for the kind wishes. I am starting treatments 4 times a week and it is frustrating that simple tasks are really difficult.

Good news is that my water changes are automated since I have a restriction to lift no more than 15 pounds haha. I don't think the doctors would appreciate me hauling buckets around!

The other good news is that I carry really good car insurance. My medical limits are great for a hit and run situation like this, hopefully there will be no major surgery needed once I see the specialist on Thursday. Keeping up with all of the bills, scheduling, etc. from this has been like a second full time job. I have a comical stack of paperwork on my desk that is everything from bills, explanation of benefits, forms I need to fill out, HIPAA requests, all the works lol.

Luckily my tank is in my bedroom, so I can stare at it all day since I am pretty much stuck here for awhile.

Everyone on this forum is so kind. I am not the type to get down about things, and I am certainly finding as many positives as I can through this experience. The worst part has been the mental symptoms from the concussion. I get impatient and irritable really quick (although I have been recovering in this aspect too). Typically I am super laid back and have a ton of patience, but not lately. Concussions are real guys, and the lingering symptoms are no joke. I have been fortunate enough to see the team doctor for the Tennessee Titans and he is wonderful. Luckily he is well versed in concussions and has been a great asset.

ccombs · May 7, 2019

Eagle_Steve said:
Get well man and if you need help with the tank and it is something that will tweak your back, shoot me a text. You are not that far from me, I can pop over and help ya out.

I appreciate it! Luckily the things that require heavy lifting are automated. But I will certainly reach out if I get in a bind!

Eagle_Steve · May 7, 2019

ccombs said:
I appreciate it! Luckily the things that require heavy lifting are automated. But I will certainly reach out if I get in a bind!

Not a problem. And automation is nice. Not carrying water is always a plus lol.

Last but not least. Rest up, get better and we will be praying all goes well with the specialist. It will get better, without getting into to much detail, trust me. Find the positives and know you have people to lean on if needed.

dantimdad · May 8, 2019

ccombs said:
Thanks everyone for the kind wishes. I am starting treatments 4 times a week and it is frustrating that simple tasks are really difficult.

Good news is that my water changes are automated since I have a restriction to lift no more than 15 pounds haha. I don't think the doctors would appreciate me hauling buckets around!

The other good news is that I carry really good car insurance. My medical limits are great for a hit and run situation like this, hopefully there will be no major surgery needed once I see the specialist on Thursday. Keeping up with all of the bills, scheduling, etc. from this has been like a second full time job. I have a comical stack of paperwork on my desk that is everything from bills, explanation of benefits, forms I need to fill out, HIPAA requests, all the works lol.

Luckily my tank is in my bedroom, so I can stare at it all day since I am pretty much stuck here for awhile.

Everyone on this forum is so kind. I am not the type to get down about things, and I am certainly finding as many positives as I can through this experience. The worst part has been the mental symptoms from the concussion. I get impatient and irritable really quick (although I have been recovering in this aspect too). Typically I am super laid back and have a ton of patience, but not lately. Concussions are real guys, and the lingering symptoms are no joke. I have been fortunate enough to see the team doctor for the Tennessee Titans and he is wonderful. Luckily he is well versed in concussions and has been a great asset.

I understand the concussion thing. 3 from ice hockey and 1 from a car wreck. They will really mess with your personality for a while. Add a stroke to that and I have a 2 second fuse now. I really hate it.

If you need help, you aren't that far from me. Let me know.

Hallowhead · May 8, 2019

ccombs said:
Thanks everyone for the kind wishes. I am starting treatments 4 times a week and it is frustrating that simple tasks are really difficult.

Good news is that my water changes are automated since I have a restriction to lift no more than 15 pounds haha. I don't think the doctors would appreciate me hauling buckets around!

The other good news is that I carry really good car insurance. My medical limits are great for a hit and run situation like this, hopefully there will be no major surgery needed once I see the specialist on Thursday. Keeping up with all of the bills, scheduling, etc. from this has been like a second full time job. I have a comical stack of paperwork on my desk that is everything from bills, explanation of benefits, forms I need to fill out, HIPAA requests, all the works lol.

Luckily my tank is in my bedroom, so I can stare at it all day since I am pretty much stuck here for awhile.

Everyone on this forum is so kind. I am not the type to get down about things, and I am certainly finding as many positives as I can through this experience. The worst part has been the mental symptoms from the concussion. I get impatient and irritable really quick (although I have been recovering in this aspect too). Typically I am super laid back and have a ton of patience, but not lately. Concussions are real guys, and the lingering symptoms are no joke. I have been fortunate enough to see the team doctor for the Tennessee Titans and he is wonderful. Luckily he is well versed in concussions and has been a great asset.

Do as I did last week when I had my tonsils removed and take advantage of the coral live sales... or don't.... they eat your wallet... BAD.

Just remain positive and just make small achievable goals daily.

ccombs · May 13, 2019

Quick update, still not online too much but want to keep in touch.

Battling a little bit of algae at the moment, I can't exactly tell if it is hair algae or dinos or a combo of both. Either way, I have a plan of action and hope to have it resolved soon.

In regards to my head, some days are good, some days are bad. Just finished up back medication so some of the pain is returning and is worse than I had hoped it would be. Huge shout out to my wife for dealing with my confusion, weird moods, etc. She has been a champ and is always here for me when I look around the room and kind of forget what is going on lol.

All the fish are good. I brought my UV online the other day and it got my water to more of a clarity I am looking for. Water wasn't too cloudy before, it just missed that last little bit where I want it to be practically invisible.

Hemmdog · May 13, 2019

ccombs said:
Quick update, still not online too much but want to keep in touch.

Battling a little bit of algae at the moment, I can't exactly tell if it is hair algae or dinos or a combo of both. Either way, I have a plan of action and hope to have it resolved soon.

In regards to my head, some days are good, some days are bad. Just finished up back medication so some of the pain is returning and is worse than I had hoped it would be. Huge shout out to my wife for dealing with my confusion, weird moods, etc. She has been a champ and is always here for me when I look around the room and kind of forget what is going on lol.

All the fish are good. I brought my UV online the other day and it got my water to more of a clarity I am looking for. Water wasn't too cloudy before, it just missed that last little bit where I want it to be practically invisible.

I strive for that water clarity too, lol. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

ccombs · May 23, 2019

Alright!

I hope everyone is doing well! My recovery is progressing and my chiropractic and PT treatments are helping so much. My family historically has been very anti-chiropractic, I have practically heard that they are bad my whole life, but luckily I found a really good one who does adjustments and PT together and my progress has moved quite quickly. I met with a surgeon and he does not believe I need surgery at this time and wants to see how I progress with these treatments. Things are looking up again!

Now, on to the tank. Everyone is doing great, the hair algae is really fighting me, and my glass gets covered to the point where you cannot see inside in just a matter of days.

I know my nutrients I am adding (via food) is not the problem, and I am having really good export between the chaeto, AWC, and CUC. I believe my issue is the light. I was running my photo period for a really long time so I could enjoy the tank more, now I have adjusted it so the lights don't come on until around 11:30am and shut off around 8:30pm.

Outside of that, the corals are thriving and I am looking forward to finishing my stocking in the next few months. I am planning on getting a mandarin from Biota. I know it is questionable if I can sustain enough pods in my tank, but between getting a mandarin that will eat what I feed, and regularly seeding the tank I feel very confident.

Believe it or not, I am still not really testing my parameters. This time around I am focused more on learning what the tank is telling me by how it naturally behaves, more than what the numbers tell me. Obviously knowing the numbers can be important and I am not discounting that. However, I am trying to stress less about doing it right on paper, and trying to cater to how the inhabitants behave.

Here is a quick pic from last night. Nothing fancy, didn't do any special work or cleaning to look nice for you guys. No filters, etc. This is just how my tank looks with average maintenance. I think it is important to show these pictures. Obviously the staged ones are nice, but they aren't always the best representation of what it actually looks like. This was pretty late in my lighting schedule so the blues are really dark here.

Hallowhead · May 23, 2019

Glad you're on the ups !

Ruben's Reef · May 23, 2019

Good to hear you doing well. Tank looks great.

ccombs · May 26, 2019

The new light schedule has slowed the algae down considerably.

This, paired with manual removal every few days, is my plan of attack to clear it from my tank.

Rick.45cal · Jun 4, 2019

ccombs said:
The new light schedule has slowed the algae down considerably.

This, paired with manual removal every few days, is my plan of attack to clear it from my tank.

Heal quick my friend, I am sorry to hear of your accident. The tank is looking good. Take it easy on your back, don’t make it worse leaning in the tank plucking algae.