SC Aquariums 50 gallon PNP

[Hemmdog]

Oh also my girl said that the leptastrea was her favorite coral and the teal looking Zoa's were her second favorite. The leprasrea doesn't do much for me personally haha. Maybe once it gets a little bigger. I think it's my least favorite coral although I do like them all lol.

They are a sit and forget coral. They do look cool once they encrust a bit.

 

[Why-Me]

Oooh she likes SPS
lucky dog, drain the account now J/K

 

[Philipgonzales3]

Oooh she likes SPS
lucky dog, drain the account now J/K

I'll be sure to show her some homewrecker and WD and see how she reacts lol. Maybe at aquashella. Better she not see the prices though. She is the thrifty one in the family. I had never had generic groceries until we started living together lol.

 

[DiscGolfRob]

Thanks! Like I said it's mostly due to you and Why-Me helping and guiding me. Only a few thousand dollars more in coral and it'll be set...

Haha and there is always a chance that the nem can go around and sting my coral.

Going to see how patient I can be while some of these frags grow out. Still want some Xenia and a toadstool leather but I know when the time is right it will find me so to speak.

The GHL doser I bought is the one with 4 pumps and I saved $100 by buying an open box, never used unit here on R2R.

Eventually I want a DC return pump as well, and I can keep this one as a backup. I think I'm getting close to running out of crap to buy haha...hopefully.

Are you still running the stock return pump? Did you run that and the stock skimmer together for awhile, before switching? I know I'm going to upgrade both, but figured I would run the stock for a bit to make sure I understand the system and how the parts interact.

 

[Philipgonzales3]

Are you still running the stock return pump? Did you run that and the stock skimmer together for awhile, before switching? I know I'm going to upgrade both, but figured I would run the stock for a bit to make sure I understand the system and how the parts interact.

Still running the stock return pump. Works fine really. The only thing I don't care for is that the barb that connects to the return pump appears to be 3/4" but everything else is 1". Sliding the tubing to the base of the barb works because the base of the barb is 1" in diameter. Not really a huge deal. The pump can be a little noisy and sometimes vibrate against the glass depending on how it is positioned. Usually making sure the suction cups are on the bottom and that the pump is not directly touching the glass seem to help. Can't really hear much when the cabinet is closed, but I do have some servers about 10 feet away that create a bit of ambient noise.

I did not care for the skimmer, it seemed really hard to dial in and produced a bunch of bubbles in the sump. I think it will "work", but I'm glad I upgraded the skimmer. My new skimmer (Simplicity 120DC) seems a lot easier to dial in because it has a plastic grip thingy on the adjustment tube as well as a very obvious arrow indicator. I could have probably gave the SCA skimmer a little more time and would likely have been able to get it to work, but for me it was just easier to upgrade to something better.

I do plan to replace the return pump, but there is not really much need to. My justification is that for one I like tinkering with things and changing things up once in a while and two I will have a backup return pump should the new one fail. I can only imagine right now what the scramble would be to get a new return pump should I wait until this one goes out. Running around in a rush to make sure you have the right barbs, clamps, pump with the right amount of head allowance, etc is not my idea of fun. We expect the pump to run 24/7 365, but the truth is, it is a mechanical object that will eventually break down. Could be 1 week, could be 10 years.

Sorry for ranting, I think I'm just trying to convince myself to get a new return pump, although I do have a DC pond pump that I could likely use in a pinch.

 

[DiscGolfRob]

Still running the stock return pump. Works fine really. The only thing I don't care for is that the barb that connects to the return pump appears to be 3/4" but everything else is 1". Sliding the tubing to the base of the barb works because the base of the barb is 1" in diameter. Not really a huge deal. The pump can be a little noisy and sometimes vibrate against the glass depending on how it is positioned. Usually making sure the suction cups are on the bottom and that the pump is not directly touching the glass seem to help. Can't really hear much when the cabinet is closed, but I do have some servers about 10 feet away that create a bit of ambient noise.

I did not care for the skimmer, it seemed really hard to dial in and produced a bunch of bubbles in the sump. I think it will "work", but I'm glad I upgraded the skimmer. My new skimmer (Simplicity 120DC) seems a lot easier to dial in because it has a plastic grip thingy on the adjustment tube as well as a very obvious arrow indicator. I could have probably gave the SCA skimmer a little more time and would likely have been able to get it to work, but for me it was just easier to upgrade to something better.

I do plan to replace the return pump, but there is not really much need to. My justification is that for one I like tinkering with things and changing things up once in a while and two I will have a backup return pump should the new one fail. I can only imagine right now what the scramble would be to get a new return pump should I wait until this one goes out. Running around in a rush to make sure you have the right barbs, clamps, pump with the right amount of head allowance, etc is not my idea of fun. We expect the pump to run 24/7 365, but the truth is, it is a mechanical object that will eventually break down. Could be 1 week, could be 10 years.

Sorry for ranting, I think I'm just trying to convince myself to get a new return pump, although I do have a DC pond pump that I could likely use in a pinch.

Thank you, that's a lot of good information. I appreciate you taking the time. I've learned a lot by reading responses to questions you've asked, and now you're helping me out in a different way. Maybe I will consider replacing both, sooner. My thinking on waiting was that I've never used a skimmer, so I should learn the ins and outs with equipment that was paired together by someone that knows what they're doing. You bring up some good points, though. Especially when I'm planning on making the change eventually, anyway.

 

[Philipgonzales3]

Thank you, that's a lot of good information. I appreciate you taking the time. I've learned a lot by reading responses to questions you've asked, and now you're helping me out in a different way. Maybe I will consider replacing both, sooner. My thinking on waiting was that I've never used a skimmer, so I should learn the ins and outs with equipment that was paired together by someone that knows what they're doing. You bring up some good points, though. Especially when I'm planning on making the change eventually, anyway.

I'm actually glad I could help! I enjoy helping people and try to give them practical advice. I will often help people on various forums in other topics such as IT related stuff, video survalleance, and now basic saltwater stuff. I still have a lot to learn but I think I have some of the basics down. For some people (not saying you) research seems to be hard for them, or maybe they just don't have the time etc...so I like to share what I've learned.

The SCA skimmer gets pretty decent reviews and I'm sure some will find that it works perfectly for their needs. The skimmer and return pump are both "entry level" or "budget" equipment. You have to keep in mind that some skimmer can cost as much or more than the tank itself. I wouldn't worry too much about it in the beginning. Even with my new Skimmer it took a good month (just guessing on the timeline) to fully break in and get it tweaked. So skimmers in general take a bit of bioload and patience.

 

[Philipgonzales3]

I think it's hungry! Lol

 

[Philipgonzales3]

Holy Schnikes!

I decided to try and feed the nem a little since I want him to stay in that spot. I don't have a turkey baster or long tongs on hand. I didn't want to give it too big of a piece so I loaded up a few ml of frozen reef food and slowly squirted it towards the nem.

Here is a couple moments later. Did my Wrasse get stung? Sure looked like it. I hope so that pig! Haha

 

[Sod Buster]

Does look like he got a little nip at about 2/3rds of the video and got a lesson on stealing. Everything is looking good. One fact, you'll run out of money or get divorced before you get all the "gadgets" you think you need to have. I'll wait to program my apex until you can just text me the codes if you can understand the task I want it to do.

 

[NY_Caveman]

That jerky motion is a sure sign he was stung.

 

[Philipgonzales3]

Well my clowns are totally ignoring the nem.

Going to add some motivation to the tank this afternoon.

I will be very surprised if this works!

 

[Philipgonzales3]

Today's water parameter results. I started dosing 15ml of ESV calcium and 30ml of magnesium on the 22nd. So for 4 days. Good call on the multiple tests during the week @Why-Me.

According to an online calculator I should need 156ml of calcium to go from 280 to 430. This assumes the 343 was a fluke which I think it was. I only dosed a total of 50ml of calcium but I think since Alk dropped that may have increased Calcium? @Hemmdog does that sound right?

Anyway not going to try to over analyze it. Just happy that I am within target now. I will continue to test every other day and wait again until a clear trend emerges before continuing any dosing.

The main concerning thing is phosphate is still 0. This is with a Hanna phosphorus ULR checker that checks in PPB. The concern is my corals will starve with no phosphate. Not sure if that's true or not. I've been feeding a cube a day and mixing in a few pinches of pellets on some days. I don't think I would feel comfortable feeding any more. My fish are pigs! Haha.



Not so sure the clowns get the idea.

 

[Hemmdog]

Today's water parameter results. I started dosing 15ml of ESV calcium and 30ml of magnesium on the 22nd. So for 4 days. Good call on the multiple tests during the week @Why-Me.

According to an online calculator I should need 156ml of calcium to go from 280 to 430. This assumes the 343 was a fluke which I think it was. I only dosed a total of 50ml of calcium but I think since Alk dropped that may have increased Calcium? @Hemmdog does that sound right?

Anyway not going to try to over analyze it. Just happy that I am within target now. I will continue to test every other day and wait again until a clear trend emerges before continuing any dosing.

The main concerning thing is phosphate is still 0. This is with a Hanna phosphorus ULR checker that checks in PPB. The concern is my corals will starve with no phosphate. Not sure if that's true or not. I've been feeding a cube a day and mixing in a few pinches of pellets on some days. I don't think I would feel comfortable feeding any more. My fish are pigs! Haha.



Not so sure the clowns get the idea.

Not sure, but your numbers show your having consumption, which is a good thing. Keep doing what your doin !

 

[Philipgonzales3]

Not sure, but your numbers show your having consumption, which is a good thing. Keep doing what your doin !

Ok, sweet. Didn't think about consumption. I think we are on the right track here! Will become more clear after some time. Going to pause dosing until I see what is dropping and by how much daily and continue the small incremental dosing after that based on what I see. Numbers looking good to me so far! Thanks again @Hemmdog

 

[NY_Caveman]

Whether it works or not, it is cracking me up to no end.

 

[Philipgonzales3]

Whether it works or not, it is cracking me up to no end.

Well glad I'm getting a reaction out of someone! Haha. Darn clownfish! They seem perfectly content hosting the back wall of the tank.

 

[NY_Caveman]

Tough with Ocellaris and BTA, but I have seen it work. Just takes forever sometimes.

 

[Philipgonzales3]

Tough with Ocellaris and BTA, but I have seen it work. Just takes forever sometimes.

Yeah I'm trying to be patient. I know people have had success putting the nem and fish in a strainer or a specimen container with holes drilled in it for flow etc... but trying not to be that guy. I have to at least give them a month or more to figure it out I suppose.

 

[Philipgonzales3]

@NY_Caveman

If it makes you laugh anymore I did stand outside my tank for like an hour last night holding a flashlight above the nem. The only thing that happened is my puffer came over and hung out with me. Lol.