Simon's 450

ca1ore · Apr 15, 2020

Haven’t been able to find reborn in a while now (problem predates THE PROBLEM). I have about a years worth on hand, but I’m a planner: what to do after that?

skip0211 · Apr 15, 2020

Hope to find some soon... almost out... one more reactor fill left..

stay safe,

Skip

NautiTang · Apr 16, 2020

Yes I understand the feeling, I just finished building a 10' live edge table for my dining room and its nice to look at but I don't think anyone will appreciate the endless hours I spent making it like I do. Can't wait to see your next build that you keep alluding to if/when you retire. I've seen you comment on other's monster tanks builds where you mention a plywood tank. I think you said you wanted 2 viewing panes, is this still a possibility? How is your toe healing up? What ever happened with the nem I wasn't quite sure what you meant by it unwrapped itself, is it that it was consuming something and literally unwrapped or did it finally split as you have been waiting for?

ca1ore · Apr 16, 2020

NautiTang said:
Yes I understand the feeling, I just finished building a 10' live edge table for my dining room and its nice to look at but I don't think anyone will appreciate the endless hours I spent making it like I do. Can't wait to see your next build that you keep alluding to if/when you retire. I've seen you comment on other's monster tanks builds where you mention a plywood tank. I think you said you wanted 2 viewing panes, is this still a possibility?

It's a number of years off, but I do still think about it. Perhaps thinking will eventually progress to doing.

NautiTang said:
How is your toe healing up?

It's getting there. Dunno if I actually broke it or not, but at least it's now the same color as the other nine LOL.

NautiTang said:
What ever happened with the nem I wasn't quite sure what you meant by it unwrapped itself, is it that it was consuming something and literally unwrapped or did it finally split as you have been waiting for?

No split unfortunately. I made the pedestal a bit wider at the top and that seems to have stopped the wandering for now.

ca1ore · Apr 16, 2020

This coming weekend is disagreeable task Saturday (or maybe Sunday). In order of increasing disagreeableness ..... and smell:

1. Remove and clean skimmer head/neck assembly. Smelly but doesn’t take long.
2. Clean out AWC barrels. Not that smelly, but takes a while.
3. Clean out CaRx and refill with media. Not smelly at all, but takes a long while.
4. Clean out sulfur reactor. Really smelly and time consuming.

Wish me luck .....

skip0211 · Apr 16, 2020

LOL.. I only have a water change to do..

crusso1993 · Apr 17, 2020

ca1ore said:
This coming weekend is disagreeable task Saturday (or maybe Sunday). In order of increasing disagreeableness ..... and smell:

1. Remove and clean skimmer head/neck assembly. Smelly but doesn’t take long.
2. Clean out AWC barrels. Not that smelly, but takes a while.
3. Clean out CaRx and refill with media. Not smelly at all, but takes a long while.
4. Clean out sulfur reactor. Really smelly and time consuming.

Wish me luck .....

Good luck... and watch the toes!

ca1ore · Apr 17, 2020

crusso1993 said:
Good luck... and watch the toes!

LOL. Have been exploring a bohemian lifestyle (best to spare you all the details) since being stuck at home .... went back to wearing shoes though ..... Did give myself a haircut. Apparently my capabilities as a reefer don't extend to coiffuture (is that even a word?)..

Victoria M · Apr 18, 2020

You must have not been checking my thread...haircut disaster has struck 2 family members. The two youngest kids were too smart to let dad give them a haircut.

ca1ore · Apr 18, 2020

V - went and looked ... not that bad. Handsome family! In my case, cannot see the gray anymore lol. Made the mistake of doing mine first, now my boys won’t let me anywhere near them with the clippers. In retrospect, I don’t think waving it around while cackling madly helped ....

Victoria M · Apr 19, 2020

Thanks! Atleast the bald one has a nice shaped egg!
And thank goodness you do too! And did I mention they used my dog clippers?

ca1ore · Apr 19, 2020

Cleaned out and topped off the CaRx. Been having a bit of trouble keeping the alkalinity and calcium up. A lot of the media had dissolved into a beige slurry ..... yuk! Washed and topped up, hopefully back to working well again.

ca1ore · Apr 22, 2020

Sulfur reactor had become clogged with that white bacterial mulm (yuk) and had gone way into the hydrogen sulfide red (double yuk). Took it apart ..... pheweee. Cleaned out the lines as best I could and flushed out the media and the entire house smells like rotten eggs (triple yuk). Access to the reactor is too small for my meat hooks .... design demerit. Cleared lines restored the proper flow. System ORP dropped from its normal level of 375 ish to around 300, but quickly rebounded. Still maintain ORP is useless, but at least i was able to ‘justify’ the investment by intently watching the number go down and then back up. Pass the popcorn ....

NautiTang · Apr 22, 2020

How often do you need to replace the media in the sulfur Rx and whats is its cost if you don't mind? Or do you not need to I noticed that you didn't say you replaced it, only that you cleared out the lines and flushed the media.

NautiTang · Apr 22, 2020

How often do you need to replace the media in the sulfur Rx and whats is its cost if you don't mind? Or do you not need to I noticed that you didn't say you replaced it, only that you cleared out the lines and flushed the media.

ca1ore · Apr 22, 2020

NautiTang said:
How often do you need to replace the media in the sulfur Rx and whats is its cost if you don't mind? Or do you not need to I noticed that you didn't say you replaced it, only that you cleared out the lines and flushed the media.

The sulfur prills lasts a very long time. I've been running this one for a while and there has been no observable reduction in the media. It's hard to find these days. Either you pay $$$ for German sourced sulfur or you pay pennies for stuff intended for gardening.

ca1ore · May 3, 2020

Even though I had a third arm grafted to the top of my right shoulder a few years ago, still not easy to hold camera, flashlight and feeding stick at the same time, so video is a bit dodgy. Pretty cool though ....

Victoria M · May 3, 2020

Very cool! I kept moving my head to see around the shadows. ;Wacky Head lamp.
“dodgy” I cracked up.

SaracensRugby · May 7, 2020

What are your thoughts on bare bottom tanks? Ever try them? I see a lot of large tanks like yours that go that route. I like the look of sand, but seems easier maintenance wise on hard to reach places in a tank that is over 24" high.

ca1ore · May 7, 2020

SaracensRugby said:
What are your thoughts on bare bottom tanks? Ever try them? I see a lot of large tanks like yours that go that route. I like the look of sand, but seems easier maintenance wise on hard to reach places in a tank that is over 24" high.

Aesthetically I hate them .... plus I keep a bunch of sand burying wrasses. I don’t frankly find the sand bed to require any maintenance .... well, other than to have to top it off periodically. Still not sure where it goes.