Yeah, I'd just assumed they MUST be fully-submersible... because that would seem to make sense, but from what I was reading, apparently not, though admittedly the probes I have are from 2017, and the newer models are supposed to be better.
Reef under Siege - Waterbox AIO 50.3
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3 consecutive tries at calibration failed... what a waste of $10 
AOS is definitely up to date.
AOS is definitely up to date.
Also, still no sign of pods, unfortunately... I hope I didn't cause a die-off at some point when adding new water, etc., I thought I was careful, kept it all warm and with flow, but...
On the pH probe, sometimes you have to calibrate using the web version of Fusion rather than the app on your phone 
Not sure if that's the case with this probe or not.
Not sure if that's the case with this probe or not.
I was indeed using the web version for all three passes.On the pH probe, sometimes you have to calibrate using the web version of Fusion rather than the app on your phone
I got the Tropic Marin hydrometer out today.
Boy oh boy was the refractometer I have wrong. It was telling me 1.026 sg.
The hydrometer read 1.0225.
I'm going to take the hydrometer's word for it.
I'm in the middle of whipping up a 10 gallon batch of ~1.027 now.
Boy oh boy was the refractometer I have wrong. It was telling me 1.026 sg.
The hydrometer read 1.0225.
I'm going to take the hydrometer's word for it.
I'm in the middle of whipping up a 10 gallon batch of ~1.027 now.
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Supposedly that hydrometer is the most accurate ways to measure the salinity. But the brand matters as well. TM is good I think.
Yeah, everything I've heard from multiple sources has said theirs is hands down the best one. I ordered the refractometer because it was cheap and would get here quickly (i.e. next day), the TM hydrometer had been in and out of stock and BRS doesn't ship near as fast Amazon.
I was a bit dismayed at how big it was, but glad I pulled it out and used it to check.
Ammonia has been high, tested up to 1.0 yesterday before I hit it again with Prime. It was down to ~0.5ppm at o'dark-thirty today, but I also got my bottle of Fritz Zyme 900 (which I only realized had been delivered to my mailbox after midnight... thankfully it likes the cold), so I dosed with Prime again when it was still at ~0.5ppm at noon. If I can't drive it under that number by this evening, I'm going to do a 10% water change.
I also went to remove a piece of schmutz that had been hanging from a piece of rock that kept getting my attention. In doing so, I disturbed the rock, and dislodged a small puff of "snow". So I shook the rock more... LOTS more snow. I shook all the rocks, and then suddenly my tank was... not quite a snowglobe (snowbox?), but darn near. I've turned all the pumps up and am periodically hitting the rocks with a turkey baster to keep it all from settling.
Guessing it's biofilm mainly, possibly dead/dying algae, and possibly die-off from what was living on the rock as a result of the ammonia spike and possibly the briefly too-low salinity.
Also got my new Apex temp probe yesterday and all hooked up, calibrated properly and is now controlling my heaters, yay!
I also went to remove a piece of schmutz that had been hanging from a piece of rock that kept getting my attention. In doing so, I disturbed the rock, and dislodged a small puff of "snow". So I shook the rock more... LOTS more snow. I shook all the rocks, and then suddenly my tank was... not quite a snowglobe (snowbox?), but darn near. I've turned all the pumps up and am periodically hitting the rocks with a turkey baster to keep it all from settling.
Guessing it's biofilm mainly, possibly dead/dying algae, and possibly die-off from what was living on the rock as a result of the ammonia spike and possibly the briefly too-low salinity.
Also got my new Apex temp probe yesterday and all hooked up, calibrated properly and is now controlling my heaters, yay!
Ammonia still holding around 0.5ppm, I went ahead and dosed half the bottle of Fritz 900 (which was the right amount for my tank anyway) and am reserving the other half for later.
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Get some more rock in that thing lol, they looks so lonely haha.
Working on it... or I was. I got put off my rockwork when I realized I kinda hated the piece I'd put the majority of my effort into and stalled hard. It was too symmetrical, and reminded me of nothing so much as the album cover for Tool's "Undertow".
Need to get back to it, for sure. I just need... to re-evaluate and find some inspiration again.
Stocking plan strategy updated.
Also, I realized the piece I'd put most of my work into that I was hating for where I'd been envisioning it is actually almost perfect as-is to go into the refugium.
I have a bunch of other things to get to today, but hopefully I can get a swing at it tonight, definitely feeling more inspired again... but also thinking I have more rocks to crack now.
@scottw those leftovers from your tank I have, that was all Marco and maybe some Pukani or similar?
Also, I realized the piece I'd put most of my work into that I was hating for where I'd been envisioning it is actually almost perfect as-is to go into the refugium.
I have a bunch of other things to get to today, but hopefully I can get a swing at it tonight, definitely feeling more inspired again... but also thinking I have more rocks to crack now.
@scottw those leftovers from your tank I have, that was all Marco and maybe some Pukani or similar?
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I finally did, the whole kit and kaboodle is plumbed (though not in anything like its final form) and up and running. I also added a bunch more rock to make @scottw happy 
I do plan to eventually put a small curtain of some sort between the two, but there's very little light spill between either tank.
I do plan to eventually put a small curtain of some sort between the two, but there's very little light spill between either tank.
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Unless your tanks are going to be on the different light cycles, I don’t see why you would put curtains there?
And I think you will definitely want to put more rocks! Specially for the fishes. And more useful rocks for later on.
And I think you will definitely want to put more rocks! Specially for the fishes. And more useful rocks for later on.
Tested NH3/NH+4 at around 1.0ppm last night after the new rock went in. Dosed 2ml Ammonium Chloride, which got me to ~2.0ppm as desired, so I then went ahead and added the remainder of my bottle of Fritz 900.
Aside from helping with pH stability, I spend between 10 and 16 hours a day in here, and I'd like something lit to look at more often than not, so... when the DT goes off, the 'fuge comes on, and the entire system sleeps when I do.
I have a lot more rock, somewhere around enough to fill one and a half 220g tanks - considering I got all the rock from one 220, and half the rock from another one:
I just need to aquascape it all. There's been no time this weekend, I spent what little free time I had (and then some) getting the fuge plumbed and running.
Once I can get the power in my shop building fixed (top rear of above pic where there's another car parked), I'm going to load the rest of this rock into the 220 I have and start it cooking. I'm actually considering said 220 (for now) as a culture system both for live rock and pods, etc., to see if I can come up with an alternative to GARF Grunge (R.I.P.)... but more on that later. Also, I have no water plumbed to the shop, so that'll have to get figured out. No way I'm dragging buckets (much less trashcans) full of water all the way over there.
As I get my aquascape completed, I will change out a piece at a time from the display tank and slowly rotate my new 'scape in.
They are 100% to be reverse lit.
Aside from helping with pH stability, I spend between 10 and 16 hours a day in here, and I'd like something lit to look at more often than not, so... when the DT goes off, the 'fuge comes on, and the entire system sleeps when I do.
I have a lot more rock, somewhere around enough to fill one and a half 220g tanks - considering I got all the rock from one 220, and half the rock from another one:
I just need to aquascape it all. There's been no time this weekend, I spent what little free time I had (and then some) getting the fuge plumbed and running.
Once I can get the power in my shop building fixed (top rear of above pic where there's another car parked), I'm going to load the rest of this rock into the 220 I have and start it cooking. I'm actually considering said 220 (for now) as a culture system both for live rock and pods, etc., to see if I can come up with an alternative to GARF Grunge (R.I.P.)... but more on that later. Also, I have no water plumbed to the shop, so that'll have to get figured out. No way I'm dragging buckets (much less trashcans) full of water all the way over there.
As I get my aquascape completed, I will change out a piece at a time from the display tank and slowly rotate my new 'scape in.
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You should really awuascape and have your rocks in the system before you start/complete your nitrogen cycle.
You really want all those nitrifying bacteria all over your rocks and substrate so it start working and eventually become living.
It’s likely that you will have issues when you keep adding fresh new rocks into your 55aio. You should be done once and be done. Unless you get mini cycles sometimes.
You really want all those nitrifying bacteria all over your rocks and substrate so it start working and eventually become living.
It’s likely that you will have issues when you keep adding fresh new rocks into your 55aio. You should be done once and be done. Unless you get mini cycles sometimes.
Unfortunately, while that's what I was planning/hoping to do, circumstances did not permit - particularly when I wound up in possession of live rock before the tank was filled, which resulted in me having to rush it into life before the rock died in holding. As it was, I'm pretty sure said rush killed everything on the rock but the coraline and the algae, mainly because I didn't have a good means to test/confirm salinity and it was way under. Then ammonia spiked hard, and all before my bottle of Fritz could arrive.
At least it lit a fire under my tail to actually get going and get water in the tank sooner than later. Aquascaping is turning out to be time consuming, especially when you're as easily frustrated by artistic efforts as I am
As a result, that's why I'm going to have to rotate the new, completed pieces in one at a time and give them time to seed. It'll be a staged process
Not to worry though, I have 2 liters worth of Seachem Matrix in my filter section, a box of BioSpheres to swap out for the ones in @ecoreefguy 's system, and a heaping helping of rubble in the back of the refugium with plenty more that can be added if needed. As soon as my bottles of phtyo show up, I'll be ready to pick up a batch of 'pods from @Hunna, and I should have the aquascape for the fuge done before then, so there'll be no need to swap that one out after the pods go in - I'll move the rock from the fuge into the display tank then.
Not sure yet what I'll do with the old pieces as I rotate them out though. For the time being the plan is to put them in a spare tank with a heater and HOB filter, maybe, and just let them cook. I could probably be convinced to trade at least the pieces of Marco out to someone for a like weight of dry rock. I'm going to have a hard time letting go of the actual reef rock, though, since it's next to impossible to get nowadays except when people are getting out of the hobby (and is why I didn't use much of it here).
FritzZyme Turbo Start 900 seems to be working as expected though. At ~2pm today ammonia was back down to somewhat less than 1.0ppm, so I added another 2ml.
I have put out feelers for my desired starter livestock, but have no definite timelines yet.
