Altums - My First Attempt At A Biotope.

[TwoTankAmin]

The 3D background came and it was damaged. They said they will send a new one. It is going to be a job and a half getting it in and sealed off so water can not get behind it. If it can, it will become and uncleanable trap for debris. I better order a few tubes of black  and clear silicone.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

They are going to make the back of the background as flat as possible for me- hopefully that will solve the problem. I also just order this:
6 in 1 Water testing Meter - ph ppm temp tds ec cf

The difference between the men and the boys is the price of their toys.

 

[Robbo89]

The difference between the men and the boys is the price of their toys.

 
I'm wondering if that still applies when the man's toy is worth more than all the toys the boy will ever see in his life

 

[DrRob]

This is the issue with expensive stock, people end up paying more to keep them alive. A parameter swing that wipes out a much loved tank of scalare angels is devastating emotionally, but not really financially. A wild altum tank loss represents a fair amount more of investment, so people use kit to keep a closer eye on things. The good thing about kit like this is that the kit we're using now is the kit that people were using on tanks like this a few years ago, the good stuff is now standard issue.

 

[Chad]

Yup, all the reef tank issues without the salt!

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Normally, I would not be such a bug for measuring. But in this case I am actively changing my water params from the tap to accommodate the fish. I am shooting for a pH of 6.0 which is a problem for most hobby kits as the low range ones tend to stop at 6.0. Since the tank can be lower than this, test kit results wont suffice.
 
Moreover, the pH tend to rise between water changes and I premix the new changing water. I need to get the new water treated with the rooibos tea, Kent Black Water Expert, some percent of ro/di water (about 20-25%) and finally some muriatic acid to drop the pH. Usually the new water is in the mid 5 range pH wise in order to get the tank back to 6.0. So I cannot use a test kit for the new water.
 
Finally, when acid water fish arrive from the wild, it is important to start them in similar levels to those from where they were captured. One can move them to higher levels over time, but it must be done gradually and takes good monitoring.
 
And that unit wasn't a break the bank one, I picked it because it was the same one the importer from whom I got the last batch of altums uses. It is only about 5 times what the API master Kit costs.
 
Oh yes- the price for Altums isn't as big an issue as the cost of the equipment needed to keep them alive initially. I pay under $20/fish. But then I bought a UV unit, the digital testers, special meds to have on hand, catappas, alder cones, rooibos tea, black water expert. Then there is the cost of a 6 foot display tank etc. The fish end up being the smallest cost
 
And that is why they say fish keepers are crazy and I am not so sure they are wrong.....................

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Not huge news to report as it all moves at a snail's pace. Received the new digital tester and 20 kilos of superior grade rooibos tea. For any of the American members here who might be interested in the rooibos, I plan to make it available to other hobbyists with little markup. I am more interested in spreading it around than profit. Its a lot cheaper than trying to use tea bags.
 
I also lost one of the longer kept altums. I felt the temp tank they were in was causing it to be bullied, I moved it the the Q tank with the 14 from last summer. It was fine for 3 days until I found it dead. My bst guess is it was a mugging by the 14. they have been together since the start and despite the larger size of the interloper, they were able to take it down with numbers. My mistake.

 

[Chad]

What method do you plan on using to maintain the pH? Did I ask you that already...

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I use a combination of things. My tap pH is basically neutral or a tad over, TDS are 83ppm unless we have lots of rain and then they drop to as low as under 60ppm, Gh is about 5 dg and Hh is about 4.
 
I mix ro/di with changing water at 25% to drop the TDS a bit and to get some KH and GH out too. I use muriatic acid to lower the pH. To help hold it and to stain the water, I add some catappa leaves and keep a bag of alder cones in a filter.
 
I target for a pH of 6.0 and TDS in the low 70 ppms.  I find over a week the tank pH will rise to as high as 6.5  and 80 or so ppm. I will add back water at about pH 5.5 and TDS in the high 50 ppm range. Sometimes I add acid directly to the tank to lower it some as well. So you can see the appeal to me of a good monitor.
 
I also add Kent Blank Water Expert and the brewed rooibos tea to the changing water. They do help stain the water and put other good things into it but basically have no effect on pH. The rooibos is possibly higher in beneficial phenols etc. than  almond leaves. I was advised on using it by a Professor of Bio-Chemistry from S. Africa who lives about 200 km from where most of it grows.

 

[Chad]

Other than the Kent it's pretty much a lot of natural elements to bring it down. I'm going the opposite direction and work to keep mine between 8.1 - 8.3.

 

[DrRob]

I'm jealous. I checked the tds of my tap water yesterday and got 350, which isn't bad for here.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Just an update.
 
Had to have the first 3D background replaced as it arrived damaged. I have now received the replacement.
 
The first 6 in 1 monitor was defective, it would not calibrate the high end conductivity. I sent it back and got another one from a different vendor who was $30 cheaper. I am now fighting with them as their packaging was awful and the unit not only had a similar calibration problen re conductivity, but it also would not hold the pH calibration.
 
I have thrown in the towel on trying to save money on a monitor and am now shopping for ones priced in the $250 - $300 price range.

 

[DrRob]

One of those things where you get what you pay for. Worthwhile knowing though as many areas of our hobby that doesn't apply.

 

[Chad]

I have thrown in the towel on trying to save money on a monitor and am now shopping for ones priced in the $250 - $300 price range.

I did this early in my reef keeping days. It was actually my wife who put an end to it. She said, "by the best first and you only cry once". Ever since then I get what I need.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I chose that particular monitor as it was the one used by the importer from whom I purchased my last batch of altums. It worked fine at his place, However, that was about a year before I ordered the ones I tried. The first one the pH and temp worked fine but the ec/tds was the problem. I just got the email notifying me of my refund. I am planning on calling the other outfit today. They are asking me for pictures showing the meter won't calibrate- talk about dumb. This is another example of cheap Chinese manufacturing at work.
 
Tcamos- I am normally in the same camp as your very smart wife. I usually state it this way. "In the long run, the cheapest solution is usually the one that costs the most up front." I was hoping my experience seeing this unit working for the angel guy swayed me to depart from my normal practice.
 
And $90 vs $275 is a big difference.