I am going for my disability..Breaking down the reef tank

teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///forum/thread/384867/i-am-going-for-my-disability-breaking-down-the-reef-tank/20#post_3373867

90g tank needs 30gs to be a 3% change...my plastic WC can is 37g...I fill it to the rim just about and that is my water change which should be 2Xs a month, I have been doing once a month and I still have nitrates 5 - 10 no matter what.
Sorry to hear your tearing down your reef, but I have to ask why you are doing such big water changes??
Normally its 10 percent a week which would be 9 gals so round to 10 gal a week, on the 90 and 3 gal a week on the horse tank. If you do them every two weeks, 20 gal for your 90 and 6 gal on the horse tank.
Shoot, I am lucky to get 10 percent a month i am bad about water changes. LOL
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by TeresaQ http:///forum/thread/384867/i-am-going-for-my-disability-breaking-down-the-reef-tank/40#post_3374129
Sorry to hear your tearing down your reef, but I have to ask why you are doing such big water changes??
Normally its 10 percent a week which would be 9 gals so round to 10 gal a week, on the 90 and 3 gal a week on the horse tank. If you do them every two weeks, 20 gal for your 90 and 6 gal on the horse tank.
Shoot, I am lucky to get 10 percent a month i am bad about water changes. LOL
LOl...I know.....sometimes I throw some water together and get the little tanks done....the big tank gets left out a lot though...
I was wondering the same thing about the amount of g's changed.....
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member

I use a 37g can and do that amount as a water change, which is expensive enough and time consuming...
T, your way doing 9 or 10g a week = 40g to 50g a month for water changes on a 90g tank. depending on how many weeks there are in that month.
I do 10g every 2 weeks on the SH tank = 20g a month. Your way makes 15g a month
aside from the extra 5g on the SH tank, I don't think my changes are too far off or different.
 
al&burke

al&burke

Active Member
Hi Flower - I think a lot of people here really don't want you to take down your reef, they are your friends and it shows. But you have to do what you have to do.
 
teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
well the way i was reading it, you are doing 30 gal a week on your 90 gal and you only need to do 10 gal.
at 10 gal for the 90 and 5 gal for the horses, a 200 gal box of salt, at 44.00 bucks would last 3 months.
I just know what I would feel like having to site and stare at an empty tank that took so long to establish.
Only you can make this choice in the end.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by TeresaQ http:///forum/thread/384867/i-am-going-for-my-disability-breaking-down-the-reef-tank/40#post_3374189
well the way i was reading it, you are doing 30 gal a week on your 90 gal and you only need to do 10 gal.
at 10 gal for the 90 and 5 gal for the horses, a 200 gal box of salt, at 44.00 bucks would last 3 months.
I just know what I would feel like having to site and stare at an empty tank that took so long to establish.
Only you can make this choice in the end.

A bucket has 160g to mix not 200...it only lasts a month. I mark the bucket when I open it with the date. You have to be right, I get more than one. water change from a bucket...Maybe my mind is going too....
after thinking about it...DUH the lid was too tight so I was keeping the old lid. I'm an idiot. Okay recalculation I need 57g for both tanks so I get 2 months use from a bucket, there is a little salt still in the bucket when I buy another....I still only need 1 bucket for the SH tank.
Its the need of a skimmer and fixing the lights as to why I am breaking it down. I call the 90g a reef, it used to be a reef. The few corals in it I transfered to the 30g. I was just starting to rebuild when I went off work. I purchaesed a yellow ruffled leather for $70.00 that turned dark brown in shipment, which I thought it might be alright it wasn't dead the flesh was thick and firm, but it melted in a week. It wasn't from SWF so I was out the money.
It is established, the nitrates are managable and I have the sump on it everyone helped with. So it will live again.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member

I wonder how dumb the idea would be to keep the rock and sand in the tank and just remove the fish...do no water changes and have no lights. Keep the power heads running for flow, and only do top offs.
When I left my husband 4 years ago, I gave away all my corals and fish. When I went back to the house 3 months later (I hadn't intended to be gone that long) the tank was only 1/2 full because of evaporation, the canister filter was still running and splashing water everywhere, no heater so the water was cold. I was going to dump it and restart but I noticed a hermit crawling around...so I added water and the tank was fine.
With no critters except the tiny things in the rocks I won't need a skimmer, just keep the water topped off and circulating. Wow, could you imagine the pods I would have in 7 months? All I would have to do to restart it would be a big water change, aquascape and add my new corals and fish. By then I can replace the skimmer and get the lights fixed.
Would I need to feed the tank at all? There would be snails and such down in there.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Doesn't matter, I still can't get the second skimmer to keep both tanks running, or fix the MH lights on the 90g.
What do you think about just clearing the tank of fish and let it sit with just top off added for 7 months?
EDIT: I got a good home for the fish, shrimp and corals I can't keep with the SHs. I can get instore credit and use that for food or if I get enough maybe I can get a bucket of salt. Once all the critters are gone I will remove the skimmer, clean it up and put it on the horse tank. Then to just keep everything healthy until disability kicks in.
 
ironeagle2006

ironeagle2006

Active Member
Flower living outgside of Cook county and Chicago would help Bigtime for cost Savings. I have no clue what your paying for your place up there but I am paying 550 a month for my place Taxes and insurance Included in the Mortage. Put it this way. I can afford my tanks on my SSDI and pay my bills on time everymonth Then my wifes wagges go for food and other expenses.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by ironeagle2006 http:///forum/thread/384867/i-am-going-for-my-disability-breaking-down-the-reef-tank/40#post_3374279
Flower living outgside of Cook county and Chicago would help Bigtime for cost Savings. I have no clue what your paying for your place up there but I am paying 550 a month for my place Taxes and insurance Included in the Mortage. Put it this way. I can afford my tanks on my SSDI and pay my bills on time everymonth Then my wifes wagges go for food and other expenses.

Oh no kidding...rent here is $1075.00 and is due to go up 10% next year. I had a 3 year lease with the option to buy (I bo longer want to buy it). It's a small house and it was close to work. Once I get disability I can move where I want. My mom said she would like to go to North Carolina. I was born there but she left when I was only a year old and naturally I don't remember it.
I would be so far from the grandkids...so I don't know if I want to go that far away. I could go and live there until my mother passes from this world so she can be happy in her last days.
 
deejeff442

deejeff442

Active Member
it really bits getting old.funny i am only 41 and when i say this most people tell me i am still young.but the kids that i work with are all in their early 20's .pisspots
flower what is wrong with your mh? is it the bulb or the ballast?
i have a unit on my wifes now 90 gallon turtle tank which is 20 years old.they sure dont make them like that anymore.but i am sure it sucks more electric in 350 watts than my 1150 watt newer system does.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by deejeff442 http:///forum/thread/384867/i-am-going-for-my-disability-breaking-down-the-reef-tank/40#post_3374355
it really bits getting old.funny i am only 41 and when i say this most people tell me i am still young.but the kids that i work with are all in their early 20's .pisspots
flower what is wrong with your mh? is it the bulb or the ballast?
i have a unit on my wifes now 90 gallon turtle tank which is 20 years old.they sure dont make them like that anymore.but i am sure it sucks more electric in 350 watts than my 1150 watt newer system does.

Getting older is wonderful, it sure beats the alternative.

My lights have a short. Every time I plug in the right side it blows a fuse. It doesn't matter which ballast or bulb. I have swapped both with the same result. So right now only the left side works. I had all the light hungry coral on that side of the tank.

You are absolutely right, they sure don't make things like they used to.
 
deejeff442

deejeff442

Active Member
my light set has 4 96 watt bulbs plus the mh.one of the lights dont work i changed the bulb but cant figure it out yet.but there is alot of watts in there so it isnt too big a deal.how old is the fixture?
if you have a short sometimes if you try to go around the fixture you can smell something burnt.maybe find it that way.it would suck to have to buy a whole unit for a little short.
what watt bulbs are in there?do you have pc's with them?
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by deejeff442 http:///forum/thread/384867/i-am-going-for-my-disability-breaking-down-the-reef-tank/40#post_3374379
my light set has 4 96 watt bulbs plus the mh.one of the lights dont work i changed the bulb but cant figure it out yet.but there is alot of watts in there so it isnt too big a deal.how old is the fixture?
if you have a short sometimes if you try to go around the fixture you can smell something burnt.maybe find it that way.it would suck to have to buy a whole unit for a little short.
what watt bulbs are in there?do you have pc's with them?
I will take it into an electrician when I can afford to. I have 2 X 175w MHs with 2 X 96w actinic. The unit is just over a year old. The bulbs are new.
There is no burn smell, as soon as I plug in the right side it trips the GFCI breaker. I won't mess with it since I don't know a thing about them except the name. I won't purchase a new unit, just have this on worked on. LOL...It's not even one month past the one year warranty on it.
 
deejeff442

deejeff442

Active Member
thats about right with the warranty.did you call them and see if they have an idea?thats what i had on my 90 also everything i put in there grew like crazy.
wish i lived closer i would look at it .i would call them just to see if they would give a suggestion.one year old though what a crock.
the light unit on my 250 was an ebay system real cheap but except for the one bulb for what i paid i am pretty happy.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by deejeff442 http:///forum/thread/384867/i-am-going-for-my-disability-breaking-down-the-reef-tank/40#post_3374394
thats about right with the warranty.did you call them and see if they have an idea?thats what i had on my 90 also everything i put in there grew like crazy.
wish i lived closer i would look at it .i would call them just to see if they would give a suggestion.one year old though what a crock.
the light unit on my 250 was an ebay system real cheap but except for the one bulb for what i paid i am pretty happy.

I went over all this on another thread. I had two ballasts go bad already go on this unit and they were replaced. From the beginning it was a piece of garbage, others who have had the Coralife Elite say they have no problems. I must have gotten one made by a group of partiers on a Monday morning when they were hung over. At any rate I'm sure the manufacturers are delighted the 1 year warranty is up.
 
ironeagle2006

ironeagle2006

Active Member
Flower move down here by me Cheap rent heck we even have a few Decent LFS in the area. We are also less than 2 hours from Chicago so close to the grandkids have Train service to there 30 mins away so save on gas. A 2 Bedroom house around here goes for around 450-500 a month or if you buy you can gete a decent 2 bedroom house for less than 40K.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by ironeagle2006 http:///forum/thread/384867/i-am-going-for-my-disability-breaking-down-the-reef-tank/40#post_3374468
Flower move down here by me Cheap rent heck we even have a few Decent LFS in the area. We are also less than 2 hours from Chicago so close to the grandkids have Train service to there 30 mins away so save on gas. A 2 Bedroom house around here goes for around 450-500 a month or if you buy you can gete a decent 2 bedroom house for less than 40K.

Not a bad thought...after I get my disability I will be free to go where I want. Then I can decide.
 
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