Jclaas' Personal Journey!

[jclaas]

100 ml skimmate after just two or three days isn't too bad considering that the nitrates and phosphates are steadily coming down now that I'm carbon dosing.

Who said vodka and vinegar wasn't for tanks lol!

"According to Ken Feldman, author of that article and study, skimmate is made of:

• 38% organic carbon
• 26% calcium carbonate
• 21% silicon dioxide
• 8% inorganic ions (trace nutrients?)
• 7% magnesium carbonate"

https://www.google.co.za/amp/www.saltwateraquariumblog.com/skimmate-produced-protein-skimmer/amp/

 

[jclaas]

Skimmer hitting it with anothet staggering 100 ml of skimmate.

@PICOdilly id say it' about time to give that drum a test and do a wc and test nutrients afterwards what you think?

 

[PICOdilly]

Skimmer hitting it with anothet staggering 100 ml of skimmate.

@PICOdilly id say it' about time to give that drum a test and do a wc and test nutrients afterwards what you think?

Bliksem that's lekker dirty. Hope you have been soaking drum or do your fish and coral like sausage casing flavoured water

 

[jclaas]

Hahaha I've rinsed it and has been airing since but I'll Def do that it still has a bit of a smell but nothing too serious thanks.

 

[jclaas]

This is what the protein skimmer looked like today.

 

[jclaas]

Today I started work on a mangrove forest for the refugium.

I'm also planning on adding a pulsating xenia frag to the aquascape next.

 

[jclaas]

After some failed attempts at culturing chaeto I decided to get a bulb that worked for one of the local hobbists.

What's nice about the bulb is that it is waterproof so what I will be doing is threading the chaeto onto it and have it grow from the inside out.

The bulb.
More info on it once I get results.

The refugium will also get a grow light mounted over the top of it at a later stage.

This is the goal .

Photo credit to Wesley who's chaeto is stripping his tank of nutrients.

 

[jclaas]

Refugium bulb installed vertical inside the sump. The plan is to thread the chaeto onto it so that it can grow from the inside out.

Chaeto and Caulerpa mix threaded onto the bulb.

I also got some xenia to add to the mangrove scape.

Let's hope there is some success this time around considering that the carbon dosing is bring nutrients down.

The plan is to go away from the carbon dosing.

 

[jclaas]

The pulsing xenia in their new home.

Their old home.

 

[jclaas]

It looks like like the algae's are growing nicely with the red algae's grapes more visible and the calaupera now growing past the basket.

 

[jclaas]

It's so awesome to see that almost goner come back to life . Before and after pic of Cyphastrea growing.

 

[jclaas]

Zoas having babies as well hopefuly one of these days they can go on to tank rocks.

 

[jclaas]

Today was tank cleaning day and here is a couple top down pics soon after.

 

[jclaas]

New addition a large pincushion.

 

[Vleis Visagie]

Today was tank cleaning day and here is a couple top down pics soon after.

Gonna look great when all grown out

 

[jclaas]

Gonna look great when all grown out

I'll have to start feeding whatever it is you are hahaha!

But at least zoa gardens are all looking plump and keeping color I was worried they would loose that.

Got myself a Hanna checker for alk

 

[jclaas]

Pic of the cyphastrea still going strong this was a week or two ago.

 

[jclaas]

I glued it to a disc so that it can hopefully cover it.

 

[DesertReef]

Thanks @Dian6430 bud.

Mangroves have been added to the sump leaving me with the uncertaintyof Wether or not I should be going the whole sand, mud and rock route like with the Caribsea The Aragonite Refugium setup or to just have them floating like they are now.

Howzit @jclaas did u leave mangroves floating? If so how did they do? Shot

 

[jclaas]

Howzit @jclaas did u leave mangroves floating? If so how did they do? Shot

Hey howzit. Mangroves were put through a polystyrene sheet and left to float. To be honest survival rate has been 10% but the 1 that is going at the moment looks really good and is now wedged in between rock work in the hopefully soon to be display refugium. It could be the type of mangrove so hopefully I can source more of it again soon.