[olsaltybastard]

I've got some pics coming up in the next few days (I did call this the worst thread you know!!) Today, I started on the oh-so-fun process of removing coralline algae from the glass. This is easy to to when it's towards the top, but the stuff at the bottom is a bit different. In order for me to reach the bottom of the tank, my ear and my armpit must be in the water. I wish I still had my mask and snorkel; they would be REALLY handy right now!!

I'm at the point now where water changes alone are not enough to maintain some of the parameters. I knew this was going to happen sooner or later, I just never figured that later would eventually come around. The coralline algae is really sucking up the Ca and such; there are only a few SPS frags and a clam at the moment. I grabbed some Aquacal and Buffer +dKH Generator from Aquacraft and have been adding them every day. As of right now, two teaspoons of buffer and 1 capful of Aquacal are needed every morning to keep things stable. I can definitely see a Ca reactor in my future. Since I have the regulator and 20lb bottle of CO2 on hand, it won't set me back all that much; GEO all the way!!!

I could add lime to the topoff water, but I do not care for this approach. Should something happen and the ATO fail in the on position, things can go sour really quickly. I've had that happen on another tank and won't go down that road again. Not to mention, I do not have to clean the ATO container every so often; adding lime to the water changes this. Finally, it seems that pumps need to be cleaned more often when using limewater for topoffs. I am getting away with cleaning everything about every 5 months. There is no calcium deposits on anything, just a slime coating. I could probably go longer, but I like to keep the equipment in peak operating condition.

So, there you have it. Another update with no pictures!!