tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117580Fri, 09 Apr 2010 18:30:06 +0000Reef Loghttp://www.melevsreef.com/log.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marc)Blogger415125 tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117580.post-4992500524336178405Fri, 09 Jul 2010 18:11:00 +00002010-07-09T18:11:00.985-05:00Seven days ago, I discovered my carpet was wet where you enter my home. Immediately I checked the angled tank and the plumbing in the closet. Everything was dry...http://www.melevsreef.com/2010/07/the-280g-reef-is-no-more.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marc) tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117580.post-4992500524336178404Thu, 01 Apr 2010 05:46:00 +00002010-04-01T00:49:06.985-05:00Much to my delight, I'm happy to say that my new website got some serious love. You can read all about it here:That didn't take long! Welcome to the new site.The matching podcast went up today, which is available on iTunes.Reef Addicts Central PodcastTime for that huge upgrade. http://www.melevsreef.com/2010/04/reef-addicts-gets-purchased-by-reef.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marc) tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117580.post-8054120245939872496Mon, 29 Mar 2010 21:21:00 +00002010-03-29T16:39:52.360-05:00rodifiltersro/diIs it time to change your RO/DI filters? I date my system each time they are changed out, to help me keep track. They should be changed every six months, so I'm actually a month late in doing so. Whoops. However, the TDS reads zero, so there's no reason to worry, right?Wrong.After turning off the water source and opening the valve after the system to bleed off the pressure within, I removed http://www.melevsreef.com/2010/03/time-to-change-your-ro-filters.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marc) tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117580.post-6313102765796438264Sat, 13 Feb 2010 07:14:00 +00002010-02-13T01:20:54.264-06:00generatorFort Worth has been buried under a lovely blanket of snow. Probably about 6 to 8" worth over the past 48 hours, but enough to cause chaos to our city because we are simply not used to getting more than 1" of snow each year. With all the beauty of it around us, power has gone out to 33,000 yesterday and as of today, 206,000! Myself included. So I wanted to share my experience so far, which I http://www.melevsreef.com/2010/02/no-power-for-almost-two-days-straight.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marc) tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117580.post-5183719214820426288Wed, 20 Jan 2010 05:16:00 +00002010-01-19T23:22:51.107-06:00Shameless plug for my new site Reef Addicts. :)Reef Addicts has a contest and you can win a Reefkeeper Elite Net controller with all the associated components. If you've not checked out my new site yet, here's the link: http://www.reefaddicts.comAlso, the first podcast of the new site is up, click the artwork below to learn more: http://www.melevsreef.com/2010/01/win-500-controller-on-reef-addicts.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marc)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117580.post-7961160347800723947Mon, 04 Jan 2010 07:34:00 +00002010-01-04T02:02:28.499-06:00Reef Addicts is a brand new community-based site. For the past eight months, it has been a dream of mine, something I wanted to develop in the proper way to provide good usable content to hobbyists around the world. Different from Melev's Reef, this new site welcomes your interaction and values your input. With this new site comes a new podcast that releases on the 10th of each month. If http://www.melevsreef.com/2010/01/reef-addicts-launched-as-planned-on-jan.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marc)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117580.post-3966741420127804045Mon, 07 Dec 2009 03:52:00 +00002009-12-06T22:01:46.247-06:00A few new corals have been purchased over the past couple of months, and images will be posted soon. November was a very busy month for me as DFWMAS had a number of events take place... my job as membership coordinator keeps me on my toes... and of course preparing for the club functions to help them run smoothly. I even had the opportunity to visit a couple of clubs, and will be heading to http://www.melevsreef.com/2009/12/new-site-coming-soon.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marc)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117580.post-2415169194697260172Mon, 05 Oct 2009 07:02:00 +00002009-10-05T02:06:10.751-05:00macnaFrom September 25 - 27, 2009, over 1,100 hobbyists from across the nation and abroad flew in to enjoy this year's Marine Aquarium Conference of North America. And in record time, all the pictures have been edited and uploaded to my site.If you weren't able to attend this year, this is what you missed: MACNA XXIThis is what I came home with. http://www.melevsreef.com/2009/10/macna-xxi-atlantic-city-nj.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marc)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117580.post-5261668005082237221Tue, 22 Sep 2009 04:50:00 +00002009-09-22T00:53:14.534-05:00ac3appaquacontroller IIIu-verseaquanotesOn Sunday, a friend of mine offered to help me from his home in Missouri to get my Aqua Controller 3 working with the U-verse Gateway (router), and get the Aquanotes App on my iPhone communicating with it once again. Knowing it would take some time, we tackled it Sunday afternoon after I had my first cup of coffee.(It was a long night. My main PC pretty much crashed to the blue screen of death,http://www.melevsreef.com/2009/09/aquacontroller-3-aquanotes-app-are-live.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marc)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117580.post-3626114227855358973Wed, 02 Sep 2009 03:01:00 +00002009-09-01T22:06:57.338-05:00podcastIt's the first of the month, and what comes with that? A brand new episode of Reefcast! Episode 32 is up on Itunes, ready to download now. Enjoy.Download pageIf you are an iPhone user like I am, load up iTunes on your computer, go to the Store's Home page, then in the search bar, type in "reefcast" to find our shows. Subscribe to the podcast. It should start downloading the latest show. If http://www.melevsreef.com/2009/09/reefcast-episode-32.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marc)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117580.post-8774632553949103179Thu, 20 Aug 2009 01:22:00 +00002009-08-20T19:42:35.683-05:00booster pumpro/di150gpdMelev's Reef is proud to announce a new product available from our Reef Shop:This system has been in development for some time, and I had the first one shipped directly to me for testing. This is big upgrade from the regular 100gpd system I've been selling for years. The 150gpd membrane produces an average of 6.25 gallons per hour. The matching booster pump will provide this rate or better, http://www.melevsreef.com/2009/08/new-product-150gpd-5-stage-rodi-system.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marc)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117580.post-8874936630439093024Tue, 04 Aug 2009 01:47:00 +00002009-08-03T23:41:48.800-05:00electricityA year ago (August 11, 2008), I did some math to see how much my tank costs me in electricity. Not the most fun thing to know, but still... here's the updated version, 12 months later. Some equipment has been changed out, and the rate of electricity is 10.3¢ now instead of 12.6¢:Basic operational cost of my tank in electricty consumption is $64.73 per month.If the heaters only cycle on once a http://www.melevsreef.com/2009/08/what-it-costs-to-run-my-reef-part-2.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marc)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117580.post-4880495669620454050Sun, 02 Aug 2009 20:59:00 +00002009-08-02T16:09:15.368-05:001825 days later, my 280g turns five. :DThe 280g page has been updated with the latest equipment and livestock in use. Some of the coral's have been linked to older images, which I plan to update to newer ones since they've grown in size.280g pageFeeding has been updated, cleaning tools listed, as well as other equipment linked. Here's a FTS (full tank shot)http://www.melevsreef.com/2009/08/my-280g-turns-5-years-old-today.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marc)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117580.post-6667010365941822931Sun, 02 Aug 2009 03:49:00 +00002009-08-02T16:10:26.676-05:00podcastWoohoo! Episode 31 is up on Itunes, ready to download now. Enjoy.Download pageIt may take a while to come out, but when it does, your modem suffers every time.http://www.melevsreef.com/2009/08/reefcast-episode-31.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marc)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117580.post-4906692451009949019Wed, 29 Jul 2009 21:57:00 +00002009-07-29T16:58:40.109-05:00mixing saltWhenever I mix up a new batch of saltwater, especially if it is a new bucket I've opened, I test for three things: Temperature, Salinity, and pH. If the pH is down, I'll buffer it up. Usually if the pH is down, the alkalinity is as well. By buffering it up, it brings up the alk at the same time.A few years ago, I had several buckets of the bad batch of Kent Sea Salt (which was measuring 1 dKH outhttp://www.melevsreef.com/2009/07/always-test-new-batch-of-salt.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marc)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117580.post-6401899746236902846Sun, 19 Jul 2009 17:14:00 +00002009-07-20T19:42:50.131-05:00angled tankMy tank turns two years old today! It is in the tiny entry way/foyer of my home. It holds about 20g of water, with an angled front panel to look down upon many of the corals. Here's a picture of it from June 2008 when I installed the light fixture finally.Current inhabitantsClean up crew:3 Emerald Crabs1 Tigertail Cucumber2 Tongan Nassarius snails5 Astreas1 Fighting ConchFish2 Black Onyx http://www.melevsreef.com/2009/07/angled-tank-turns-two.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marc)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117580.post-5396869800285103413Sun, 10 May 2009 09:17:00 +00002009-05-10T04:23:38.082-05:00anthiasvodkaAfter 10 months of dosing vodka in my tank, I felt it was time to do a synopsis. Vodka Dosing - Why?Here's a recent picture from my reef, with some of the new Lyretail Anthiashttp://www.melevsreef.com/2009/05/dosing-vodka-really.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marc)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117580.post-3116739319213104831Thu, 30 Apr 2009 01:17:00 +00002009-04-29T20:27:28.423-05:00I've gotten some emails lately about the LFS (local fish store) page on my site, because people that visit the area like to see what's available to see while they are in town. I made some updates since some stores were gone, others moved location, and a couple of new ones cropped up.Then a guy on DFWMAS requested that the map be interactive at the top. He wanted to be able to zoom into his areahttp://www.melevsreef.com/2009/04/lfs-page-updated.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marc)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117580.post-2827566388922767546Wed, 15 Apr 2009 07:14:00 +00002009-04-15T02:17:31.240-05:00reef shopTwo new goodies have been added to my online shop, so if you want to see what they are, this is the page to visit:Melev's Reef ShopAnd here's a bit of eye candy...http://www.melevsreef.com/2009/04/new-items-in-reef-shop.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marc)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117580.post-7676299268947903128Wed, 11 Mar 2009 09:14:00 +00002009-03-11T04:24:34.512-05:00I'll be speaking at the Marine Aquarium Expo in Orange County, California the first weekend in April. And while I'm there, Melev's Reef will be represented as well, with a real live booth! I'll have some of my products for sale there during those two days, and will be speaking about Aquarium Photography on Sunday at 2pm.So look for this pretty banner, which Jessica at CreativeSoup.com just madehttp://www.melevsreef.com/2009/03/booth-at-max-april-4-5-2009.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marc)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117580.post-686368455854116255Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:55:00 +00002009-02-27T16:23:52.525-06:00surgeryroad tripTo get everyone up to speed, the road trip to Arizona was a lot of fun. I got home Monday morning at 5am. Of course, as soon as I walked through the door, I checked on my reef and did a bunch of minor tweaks to adjust things they way they needed to be. All was well.By 7pm that night, my stomach started hurting. I ran up to the store to buy some Mylanta tablets, and chewed up 5 of them over http://www.melevsreef.com/2009/02/sudden-visit-to-hospital.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marc)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117580.post-1178111035270611685Mon, 09 Feb 2009 22:41:00 +00002009-02-09T16:50:38.209-06:00ac3appaquacontroller IIIiphoneaquanotesFor some time now, I've really wanted something that would allow me to check on my tank when I'm out of town. Just a quick peek to see that all is well, although I don't really dread it - I just do whatever I can to keep it happy, and hope for the best. Once I'm out the door, there is little I can accomplish, other than call others to come investigate.A few months ago, I upgraded a controlling http://www.melevsreef.com/2009/02/for-some-time-now-ive-really-wanted.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marc)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117580.post-5387360654006112008Wed, 04 Feb 2009 23:13:00 +00002009-02-04T17:34:28.491-06:00battery backupmanifoldvodkapodcastmacna xxalgae scraperThis latest episode is Epic, so it was named Epic Episode 30. It is a video episode, and thus a large download. Be sure to save it to your computer rather than trying to stream it. Downloads pageMy reef is doing quite well. Here's the latest image.A few projects recently completed:Vodka Dosing Drip SystemManifold Project - it only took 9 months to get this one accomplished, but two friends http://www.melevsreef.com/2009/02/reefcast-epic-episode-30.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marc)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117580.post-1933276938554617009Sun, 01 Feb 2009 08:42:00 +00002009-08-01T20:53:21.664-05:00battery backupvortechI had to do surgery: Vortech Battery Backup Surgery. ;)This is what it looked like before I began.And the wire the feeds the pump during a power failure.That dangling wire was a danger. When I step up on the walkboard behind my tank, I usually grab hold of the doorway and didn't want to ever snag that wire. I definitely didn't want to work around it, not even once. Because I couldn't move the http://www.melevsreef.com/2009/02/vortech-battery-backup-surgery.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marc)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117580.post-2896282974570741570Sat, 31 Jan 2009 06:41:00 +00002009-08-01T20:40:33.887-05:00easy blade scraperThis product has been around a while, but I didn't want to get it until it had its own cleaning magnet...So I finally got one! The scraper comes with one razor blade (double-edged), but I also got a 10-pack for back up. I laid out all the goodies, which is fairly straight forward. All you do is glue the scraper to the magnet's inner section (the half with the rough pad). I used Super Glue Gelhttp://www.melevsreef.com/2009/01/this-product-has-been-around-while-but.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marc)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117580.post-998560463797237896Sun, 18 Jan 2009 02:37:00 +00002009-01-17T20:46:34.605-06:00carbonCarbon helps maintain water clarity in my reef, and absorbs some chemicals the corals release as they fight for space on a daily basis. The following shows how I change out the carbon once it has been used up.First, I disconnect it from its pump in the sump, and set it in the sink. I love the Phosban Reactor's rubber connections, which are simple to press in or disconnect.After removing the lidhttp://www.melevsreef.com/2009/01/running-carbon-how-i-change-it-out.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marc)