So How Is Everyone Doing?!?!?!

[Salty Cracker]

Just wondering how everyone is making out? Keeping healthy, working, etc?
I know some of us are grumpy bastards even in normal times, so I'm surprised I'm not busier banning people for antisocial behaviour, but so far it's been smooth sailing!

So how are you doing? Chime in!


For me, I am tackling an abundance from nutrients, from my phosban reactor pump not running. Weird to know you've just swapped out your GFO but you have bubbles on algae in the tank... I need to set up a monthly checklist where I can see if everything is running, even if I can't see it.

 

[Tim A]

Omg where do I start? I just want a nice tank! I look at mine and it does look ok, but I just want more! I am still working FT so I don't have the time that i want to spend on it. Still battling PO4 and NO3 numbers. I do not have an algae issue, but 1.04ppm is too high for me and 40ppm on NO3 is too high for what I want as well. I just lost my bubble coral over a period of 4 days, i do not know what happened to it, it slowly everyday released itself from its skeleton and today is is finally gone. No idea why. I want the dream reeftank on a poppers budget. I just got into an argument on the inkbird FB page with a guy over heater redundancy, so that was fun.

Other than that, things are great, the world is on fire and I still go to work .

 

[Salty Cracker]

I am actually a big proponent of heater redundancy, I have 4 in my sump, of course if i didn't have the apex system I couldn't do that (I would always have some sort of secondary temp controller however).

It's a $$$ hobby. I think each and every one of us has tried to do these tanks "on the cheap", but it's hard, and requires a lot more user input. My phosphate has spiked like crazy because I had been swapping gfo, but the gfo pump is on a sporadic timer, so it's normal for it to be not running...I didn't know that it wasn't running at all... I actually thought I had bought bad GFO lol. I guess though, if we just wanted an easy tank, and not a hobby, we'd buy guppies or koi. Keep at it, if your goal is a kickass reef tank, you'll get there.

 

[Jason Bell]

Well working, no change there other than the time it takes to get grocery on the weekend or pickup normal items at various stores. Of course I had to layoff 10 people and ownership expects the same work to be done, so more stressful than normal.

On the good side I keep plenty of food, salt, gfo, carbon, socks, spare return pump, spare heaters, I guess everything other than another tank. I did manage to trade my ATI fixture for some coral after I found a sweet deal on a pair of Hydra 52's, so not all bad and I love the hanging kit.

I do need to get an order in for more cleanup crew as my wrasse seemed to dine on them, he is no longer as he made the jump to the overflow and down the pipe to the sock, so I'll guess I'll see if it was him afterall.

Really just hoping this all ends smoothly and things get opened up without issue.

 

[Poseidon]

Still working here too! had to layoff a couple people but overall shifts are still running.
my tank is on the cheap, and doing great
Itll be over soon, but things will never go back to normal i think. good bye handshakes and overcrowded spaces, hello to massively increased sales in online ordering and take out etc.

@Salty Cracker ... why the heck would you have 4 heaters? the biggest problem with heaters is that they malfunction and over heat.
Tank cooling down would be way less catastrophic than the tank boiling. no?

 

[Jason Bell]

Funny you say cool down, I got home late last night, went downstairs to feed the little tank which is plumbed to my larger tank and the water felt cold, go feed the other tank and sure enough the new kitty I brought home from the shop had hit the master switch on the left side of the tank and turned off all heaters, 1 reactor and 1 light. Quickly caged that off from the little guy.

 

[Salty Cracker]

@Salty Cracker ... why the heck would you have 4 heaters? the biggest problem with heaters is that they malfunction and over heat.
Tank cooling down would be way less catastrophic than the tank boiling. no?

Both scenarios can be death to an sps tank. With the apex set up, it acts as a secondary regulator for heat (I never have really trusted the built in thermometers in the heaters, but I do set them independently of the apex). If the heater decides to cook the tank, the apex just kills the power to the outlet, and if one decides to crap out on me, the others will keep it warm. (I had to look, I only have 3 in there, the 4th is a dry spare.) At minimum I would never run less than 2 heaters and 2 separate thermostats. I may even add in a thermometer with some sort of audible buzzer if the temp goes out of spec, I had one once for my pool to regulate a solar heater, it would go off if the system couldn't remove enough heat, so I know they exist, I'd just want one safe for fish tanks as a lot of them seem to have copper probes...

 

[Salty Cracker]

Funny you say cool down, I got home late last night, went downstairs to feed the little tank which is plumbed to my larger tank and the water felt cold, go feed the other tank and sure enough the new kitty I brought home from the shop had hit the master switch on the left side of the tank and turned off all heaters, 1 reactor and 1 light. Quickly caged that off from the little guy.

I had a thermometer crack once when I was out for the day, luckily tripped the gfci immediately, but the tank was at like 75 deg by the time I got a replacement heater, and I know I almost cooked the tank once when a thermostat went rogue on me, these little computer systems really do save the day sometimes.

 

[Winks]

Still working. Blow molding is deemed an essential service so it's off to work daily. We are actually hiring to try and keep up to the demand. The tank(s) are doing great. I'm in the process of joining the three tanks into one extruded aluminium stand. Should look ok when I'm done. Hopefully will look like one system but in fact be 3 complete systems. Just doing up an order for a new 110 gallon. This one has done me well but it's time to upgrade to a new one. Deciding what features I need/want is a bit challenging, but will get that figured out. It has to be custom made since my exciting tank was custom and need to match it with the rest of my equipment.

I also run multiple heaters and have the thermostats set a little high and an inkbird controlling them and the apex for redundancy. Seems to work well with that configuration. I also put new heaters in yearly. Thinking about going with titanium the next time I replace them.

 

[Tim A]

Still working. Blow molding is deemed an essential service so it's off to work daily. We are actually hiring to try and keep up to the demand. The tank(s) are doing great. I'm in the process of joining the three tanks into one extruded aluminium stand. Should look ok when I'm done. Hopefully will look like one system but in fact be 3 complete systems. Just doing up an order for a new 110 gallon. This one has done me well but it's time to upgrade to a new one. Deciding what features I need/want is a bit challenging, but will get that figured out. It has to be custom made since my exciting tank was custom and need to match it with the rest of my equipment.

I also run multiple heaters and have the thermostats set a little high and an inkbird controlling them and the apex for redundancy. Seems to work well with that configuration. I also put new heaters in yearly. Thinking about going with titanium the next time I replace them.

What inkbird are you using?

 

[Winks]

What inkbird are you using?

I've got these.

https://www.amazon.ca/Inkbird-Therm...g+Outlet&qid=1587500412&s=pet-supplies&sr=1-1

 

[Matt1997]

Still working. Work is definitely different with all the added safety precautions. Everyone seems on edge. If someone sneezes they get a death stare from 20 people.

Tanks doing well. Ran out of salt mid water change so needed to borrow some from a friend. Mine is still waiting shipping.

Tim sounds like you are experiencing polyp bailout. Few things I have found cause this. Algae, to intense lighting, to intense flow. For me it was Lighting.

 

[AdInfinitum]

I've been working primarily online for a few years now. So no big change.

The zombie apocalypse did postpone an onsite project with our Australian division. Mixed feelings about that!

Tanks are still downsized to ultra low maintenance mode to accommodate my usual travel. Just the 200 with a few fish and softies. On a disappointing note, I recently lost the Copperband that I got from @Poseidon quite a long time ago.

 

[Poseidon]

I've been working primarily online for a few years now. So no big change.

The zombie apocalypse did postpone an onsite project with our Australian division. Mixed feelings about that!

Tanks are still downsized to ultra low maintenance mode to accommodate my usual travel. Just the 200 with a few fish and softies. On a disappointing note, I recently lost the Copperband that I got from @Poseidon quite a long time ago.

Wow, you still had him ? That's impressive
Sorry he passed

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