Moving from a 125g to 180g Journey
- Thread starter Acronuts1
- Start date
Well looks like the peppermint shrimp are doing their job. They have almost found every anaptasia in my tank that I was aware of. Who knows of the ones I am not aware of lingering in the back and crevices of the rocks.
Thanks guys for the advice on this situation. No need for a copperband butterflies!
Thanks guys for the advice on this situation. No need for a copperband butterflies!
Well hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday and are all geared up for xmas!
My tank of course isn't flawless but just wanted to update everyone.
As far as equipment I have not added anything. I had a bit of trouble with the ca reactor. Leaaking Co2 some where. I have not had time to set it up again but will here in the next week or so.
I have on hand some 2 part solution and started dosing. I am still noticing growth which is good of course.
I'll post some pics soon.
In the meantime I have added some fish which I have wanted to have for sometime now.
I couple of red sea babies. A red sea sail fin tang and a purple tang. The purple tang has lateral line. He had been in the store for weeks and is a robust eater and got him at a very,very good price.
Of course the yellow tang causes a bit of trouble here and there but nothing constant.
I also pickup an acro from my lfs which they got it from walt smith. Yellow with blue polyps. No idea what it is called but a nice size colony.
I have it at the bottom so that it can become acclimated to my lights and will gradually move it up.
My tank of course isn't flawless but just wanted to update everyone.
As far as equipment I have not added anything. I had a bit of trouble with the ca reactor. Leaaking Co2 some where. I have not had time to set it up again but will here in the next week or so.
I have on hand some 2 part solution and started dosing. I am still noticing growth which is good of course.
I'll post some pics soon.
In the meantime I have added some fish which I have wanted to have for sometime now.
I couple of red sea babies. A red sea sail fin tang and a purple tang. The purple tang has lateral line. He had been in the store for weeks and is a robust eater and got him at a very,very good price.
Of course the yellow tang causes a bit of trouble here and there but nothing constant.
I also pickup an acro from my lfs which they got it from walt smith. Yellow with blue polyps. No idea what it is called but a nice size colony.
I have it at the bottom so that it can become acclimated to my lights and will gradually move it up.
I have been looking forward to this for some time now. I can officially say now that I have been successful at keeping this sps coral. The following is a record of the growth of this beautiful coral purchased at WWC on 11-17-2008
Taken 11-18-2008
Taken 02-27-2009
Taken 06-28-2009
Taken 08-30-2009
Taken 10-04-2009
Taken 12-31-2009
:bounce3:
I am looking for its continued growth.
Taken 11-18-2008
Taken 02-27-2009
Taken 06-28-2009
Taken 08-30-2009
Taken 10-04-2009
Taken 12-31-2009
:bounce3:
I am looking for its continued growth.
Due to work related travels things have been a bit erratic with my tank. I had a big drop in alk and my prized ORA green birds’ nests started to look awful. As a matter of fact all my other birds nest and stylophoras suffered tremendously. I lost two stylos and ORA's purple stylo is still hanging on.
That is what prompted me to buy the ACJR controller. I wanted to make sure that while I was away things were still running, like my Co2 working when it needed to. Since my alk was directly related to the ca reactor and the co2 tank, I felt that I couldn't take another drastic mistake like this while away even for a weekend.
Don't worry guys the PH is that of the inside of the ca reactor chamber the acjr controls it by turning on if the ph in the chamber rises to 7.7 and it shuts off if the ph drops below 6.5. So far it’s working really well.
One the other things my tank was experiencing on the 6th and 7th month since start up, was red cynobacteria. My local LFS (WWC) indicated that my bulbs were still not due to be changed but I needed more flow. I thought with 4 Koralia's and 2 maxi jets plus the return pump should be enough flow. One of the WWC guys suggested that I remove the koralia's flow caps. WELL WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!! The flow became more random covered more area than a direct flow. I also added 6 Mexican turbo snails, 12 blue legged hermits, 12 red legged hermits and 12 narcious snails for sand sifters. NO more red slim, the furry coat of hair algae in the back glass was gone and so was the red cynobacteria. No chemicals were added.
Once things were back in control I decided it was time to add some fish and coral.
I added a mystery wrasse
I added two sunburst anthias, a poor man’s mystery wrasse and a spotted tail blenny
What a cutie this guy is.
That is what prompted me to buy the ACJR controller. I wanted to make sure that while I was away things were still running, like my Co2 working when it needed to. Since my alk was directly related to the ca reactor and the co2 tank, I felt that I couldn't take another drastic mistake like this while away even for a weekend.
Don't worry guys the PH is that of the inside of the ca reactor chamber the acjr controls it by turning on if the ph in the chamber rises to 7.7 and it shuts off if the ph drops below 6.5. So far it’s working really well.
One the other things my tank was experiencing on the 6th and 7th month since start up, was red cynobacteria. My local LFS (WWC) indicated that my bulbs were still not due to be changed but I needed more flow. I thought with 4 Koralia's and 2 maxi jets plus the return pump should be enough flow. One of the WWC guys suggested that I remove the koralia's flow caps. WELL WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!! The flow became more random covered more area than a direct flow. I also added 6 Mexican turbo snails, 12 blue legged hermits, 12 red legged hermits and 12 narcious snails for sand sifters. NO more red slim, the furry coat of hair algae in the back glass was gone and so was the red cynobacteria. No chemicals were added.
Once things were back in control I decided it was time to add some fish and coral.
I added a mystery wrasse
I added two sunburst anthias, a poor man’s mystery wrasse and a spotted tail blenny
In keeping up with my weekly testing I noticed that even after my bi-weekly water changes I was still measuring phosphate. I decided that I need something that was going to be more of a permanent fixture to the system. I added NextReef's MR1 media/substrate reactor. I choose this model that handles up to 250g because of not only its availability at LFS but because of its quality construction and the ease of its setup. I had it up and running in less than 15 mins.
I also added some new corals mostly sps's and zoe's:
Pink stylo
Added another red planet after losing the last one to alk drop
A WWC tri-color acro
This millie cam from Craig’s' tank a coral corral in Tampa
What a find at WWC A. Hokoesamanis
I also added some new corals mostly sps's and zoe's:
Pink stylo
Added another red planet after losing the last one to alk drop
A WWC tri-color acro
This millie cam from Craig’s' tank a coral corral in Tampa
What a find at WWC A. Hokoesamanis
I started to think about easier reef keeping and read about miracle mud in last TOTM feature. After doing some reasearch I felt that this would more than likely not be for me. So far knock on wood I have great color and growth. I can attribute this to good water qualty and my 250 radiums. What I wanted to make sure was that all my animals were being feed including my filter feeders and sps's. Many do say that by feeding the fish most sps are fed. I wanted more assurance.
I decided that the addition of some products maybe worth a try.
I started adding the following from Brightwell and Dr. G's:
Microvore diet
Zooplankton-S
Copepods
I will give it about a two month trail period and see how things are going. I want to keep an eye on water quality.
I decided that the addition of some products maybe worth a try.
I started adding the following from Brightwell and Dr. G's:
Microvore diet
Zooplankton-S
Copepods
I will give it about a two month trail period and see how things are going. I want to keep an eye on water quality.
Ok guys here is the link to the TOTM. That I won for JULY 2010
If you like go ahead and join the group so that you can leave some feedback.
http://reef411.com/home.php
Scroll down to the flash, scrolling pics and when you see Juan's reef-a-polooza, click on it.
Then click on my article.
See ya there!!!
If you like go ahead and join the group so that you can leave some feedback.
http://reef411.com/home.php
Scroll down to the flash, scrolling pics and when you see Juan's reef-a-polooza, click on it.
Then click on my article.
See ya there!!!
One of my LFS was having their 3rd yr anniversary and Jason Fox attended and had some of his signature corals to sell.
Here the ones that I found I could not live without! Ya know what thats like! LOL!
Japanese porites
Not fully colored yet but give it a month, Fire Echino
Pink branching cyphestra
At $20 these were not Jason Fox but were a great deal
Small zoe colony
War coral
Here the ones that I found I could not live without! Ya know what thats like! LOL!
Japanese porites
Not fully colored yet but give it a month, Fire Echino
Pink branching cyphestra
At $20 these were not Jason Fox but were a great deal
Small zoe colony
War coral
Since my last post on my 180g journey things were going really well the first 5 months of 2010. My corals were flourishing and I was looking forward to my tanks 1 year anniversary. Fish on the other hand were not doing ok. Out of the 12 green chromis I only have 8 left. The male bellius angel jumped out of my tank. Two of my flasher wrasses disappeared and the third which I thought had also disappeared is now living in one of my over flow boxes. I have tried taking it out into the display and a day or so later he is back in the over flow box. I have a feeling either my mystery wrasse or the fake mystery wrasse are the ones who aren’t allowing him into the reef. Strangely the flasher wrasse was there months before the other two were added.
Late May to beginning of June I got too busy with work and neglected my tank. No water change in June. Then July and most of August I was away. Here is where I think my troubles began. My roommate was in charge of adding top off water and feeding while I was away. I did 10% water changes with mixed salt water from my LFS in between my trips. I also changed my 250 wt radium bulbs in July and had the bulbs running only at 4 hrs for acclimation per day. To top it off my ca reactor lines were clogged therefore not dosing. Several things changed:
1. Corals color diminished
2. Nitrates were up to 25ppms
3. Phosphates were up to 15ppms
4. Alk was at 13dkh
5. Ca was at 400
6. Lost a few sps colonies
7. Lost a few chalices
8. Lost a few acans
I immediately did a 25% water change from mixed salt water from my LFS in mid August. Still things of course were not looking right. I had a hard time and could not control my CA, ALK, and MG. 3 months of neglect showed me how quickly the tank could go bad.
One week after my wc I did a test and bought two ORA acros at MACNA, an Eric Hawkins and a tricolor( both pieces which I had lost in this mishap ). Within 1 week the Hawkins was showing signs of stress. Its pe was gone and was losing tissue from the bottom up. The ORA tri-color was fine. I was at my wits end since I couldn’t 100% figure out what was going on.
I decide to search for a way to get my water parameters back to normal this I knew I could fix. I was going back to everyday tinkering and testing. I am currently adjusting the CA reactor to get back to my effluent numbers and Co2 drops per minute. I still had higher nitrates and phosphates than what was normal for my tank.
I had been reading while away on several forums, the TOTM winners articles. Most of these guys used some form of vodka, vinegar or probiotics. I did not want to tie myself to something else that would need my complete attention. I went to my LFS and while discussing my negligence and fatalities the store rep said why I don’t try EcoBak pellets by Warner Marine. He described what it did. Basically the carbon source pellets allow good bacteria to grow on them. The pellets biodegrade over time while clarifying the water. They also supply Planktonic bacteria as a food source for corals. The bacteria consume Phosphates and Nitrates along with other organic compounds.
I went on the forums to read about the product,similar products and how other fellow aquarists were coming along using these types of products. At MACNA Ken Feldman did a fantastic oration and presentation on dissolved organics in the aquarium. One week later I went back to my LFS and I said that I needed to try EcoBak! My prayers were answered I thought. I bought 1000ml of EcoBak to start off with, knowing that I had a big bio load and may need to add additional EB.
Another journey begins…………………
8-28-10
Well finished setting up the MRI reactor. I started slow here guys. I purchased a 1 liter pkg. I added 1/4 ( 250ml) of the product. I will add 250ml every week until I have added all of the EB. Why? I want to control the process as much as possible. Keeping an eye on water parameters, corals, fish and making documentation on the whole process. Since the plates that come with the MR1 are large I had to buy from Michaels these needle point round shape, hard plastic guides. I cut and zip tied them together.
Even though the MRI came with a pump that produces 132 gph I so far only see channels where the gentle circulation is going. The rest of the EB just sits there. From reading other threads looks like the EB are not getting enough flow. I will post a quick video. It would be nice to have this kind of tumbling throughout!
1st video
I have an old but still working 802 Aquaclear power head. They call them Aquaclear 70 nowadays.
Anyhow it is rated at 400 pgh. The great thing about it is that I can control the output because it has already a built-in water flow restrictor. Now if I see that at the opened up max the EB blow all over I will turn it down. If I turn it down all the way and the EB are still blowing all over the place then I have to look for something else. Now mind you I still only have 1/4 (250ml)of the 1 liter in the MRI reactor. I will work on it next week and let you know.
In the meantime if anyone with pump knowledge let yourself be known!( once I found aquaclear pump its outlet was not conducive for this application)
9-8-10
Well guys week 2 I added the 2nd 250ml. I am starting to see more clumping of the EB. Two possibilities from what I am thinking.
1. The flow isn't enough with the current pump
(currently it is supposed to run at 132 gph)
2. I noticed inside the reactor a lot of extra debris, including some white scum like looking thing. I am not running any kind of filter sock so I will add one this weekend.
On the plus side glass is looking very clean!
9-12-10
Ok week three and placing the 3rd - 250 ml of the EB. So far no undesirable alga blooms! I also bought another pump, a SYNCRA 3.0 pump by Sicce.
They were at MACNA and I was impressed by the display and the fact that I can control its output. The new pump really does a much better job at tumbling the pellets.
I also added a filter sock. While a few reefers out their note that the filter socks keep a lot of the particles and food substances for corals out, I also know that my sump and the reactor were full of debris. This debris can also block water flow along the bottom and top crates. This would prohibit EB from tumbling.
9-22-10
Well guys a bit of news.
After 4 weeks and 2 days and 1 liter of EB my No3 is .02 and Po4 is at 0.
I am using Salifert test kits. I will purchase those new Hanna digital readers for Alk and Phos just to have a second source of testing.
I have no algae blooms and water is crystal clear. Only have to clean glass only once per week since on EB. I only feed once per day but am usually a broadcast type feeder for fish and corals. On this particular day I turned off all pumps and was getting ready to feed when I looked from the top down. I swear I had good sps coloration before EB, but I can say that some of my colors are really popping out.
Will post pics soon!
9-26-10
All of the 1000ml of EB is now in. So far today the EB’s are fine and they are tumbling like they are supposed to. A 10% wc was done over the weekend. It seems as though some of the sps’s that were affected by whatever it was have slowed their tissue loss. Here is video two with all 1000ml of EB running. From what I can see I will start to turn the pump down. Most guys and WM receommend starting with the whole dose because it will take longer to show results. While I agree on this and Jon from Warner Marine does too. When I spoke with him at MACNA he indicated that my results would just take longer to show. I am ok with this.
2nd video
I am considering the following as possible culprits besides my neglect.
1. Alk spike ( salt change from RC to IO to NeoMarine back to IO)
2. CA drop (Ca reactor clogged)
3. Mg lower than 1200 ( need to dose more)
4. LFS bought water parameters did not match display tank
5. Roommate over feed and possibly caused water parameters to go crazy especially phosphates and nitrates
6. Roommate dosed RO water in 2.5 jugs all at once instead of dripping like I taught him
7. MH bulbs were not on long enough (this one I feel isn’t really a problem, I think)
Interesting enough guys all sps’s that are big colonies are doing just fine! I’m hacking my brain trying to figure out what the cause was. I do though need to stay on top of things but need to move on. I do know that EcoBak has changed my tank. I sincerely hope that running a UNLS will help my reef tank stay as nutrient free as possible. Lessons to be learned here guys.
Late May to beginning of June I got too busy with work and neglected my tank. No water change in June. Then July and most of August I was away. Here is where I think my troubles began. My roommate was in charge of adding top off water and feeding while I was away. I did 10% water changes with mixed salt water from my LFS in between my trips. I also changed my 250 wt radium bulbs in July and had the bulbs running only at 4 hrs for acclimation per day. To top it off my ca reactor lines were clogged therefore not dosing. Several things changed:
1. Corals color diminished
2. Nitrates were up to 25ppms
3. Phosphates were up to 15ppms
4. Alk was at 13dkh
5. Ca was at 400
6. Lost a few sps colonies
7. Lost a few chalices
8. Lost a few acans
I immediately did a 25% water change from mixed salt water from my LFS in mid August. Still things of course were not looking right. I had a hard time and could not control my CA, ALK, and MG. 3 months of neglect showed me how quickly the tank could go bad.
One week after my wc I did a test and bought two ORA acros at MACNA, an Eric Hawkins and a tricolor( both pieces which I had lost in this mishap ). Within 1 week the Hawkins was showing signs of stress. Its pe was gone and was losing tissue from the bottom up. The ORA tri-color was fine. I was at my wits end since I couldn’t 100% figure out what was going on.
I decide to search for a way to get my water parameters back to normal this I knew I could fix. I was going back to everyday tinkering and testing. I am currently adjusting the CA reactor to get back to my effluent numbers and Co2 drops per minute. I still had higher nitrates and phosphates than what was normal for my tank.
I had been reading while away on several forums, the TOTM winners articles. Most of these guys used some form of vodka, vinegar or probiotics. I did not want to tie myself to something else that would need my complete attention. I went to my LFS and while discussing my negligence and fatalities the store rep said why I don’t try EcoBak pellets by Warner Marine. He described what it did. Basically the carbon source pellets allow good bacteria to grow on them. The pellets biodegrade over time while clarifying the water. They also supply Planktonic bacteria as a food source for corals. The bacteria consume Phosphates and Nitrates along with other organic compounds.
I went on the forums to read about the product,similar products and how other fellow aquarists were coming along using these types of products. At MACNA Ken Feldman did a fantastic oration and presentation on dissolved organics in the aquarium. One week later I went back to my LFS and I said that I needed to try EcoBak! My prayers were answered I thought. I bought 1000ml of EcoBak to start off with, knowing that I had a big bio load and may need to add additional EB.
Another journey begins…………………
8-28-10
Well finished setting up the MRI reactor. I started slow here guys. I purchased a 1 liter pkg. I added 1/4 ( 250ml) of the product. I will add 250ml every week until I have added all of the EB. Why? I want to control the process as much as possible. Keeping an eye on water parameters, corals, fish and making documentation on the whole process. Since the plates that come with the MR1 are large I had to buy from Michaels these needle point round shape, hard plastic guides. I cut and zip tied them together.
Even though the MRI came with a pump that produces 132 gph I so far only see channels where the gentle circulation is going. The rest of the EB just sits there. From reading other threads looks like the EB are not getting enough flow. I will post a quick video. It would be nice to have this kind of tumbling throughout!
1st video
I have an old but still working 802 Aquaclear power head. They call them Aquaclear 70 nowadays.
Anyhow it is rated at 400 pgh. The great thing about it is that I can control the output because it has already a built-in water flow restrictor. Now if I see that at the opened up max the EB blow all over I will turn it down. If I turn it down all the way and the EB are still blowing all over the place then I have to look for something else. Now mind you I still only have 1/4 (250ml)of the 1 liter in the MRI reactor. I will work on it next week and let you know.
In the meantime if anyone with pump knowledge let yourself be known!( once I found aquaclear pump its outlet was not conducive for this application)
9-8-10
Well guys week 2 I added the 2nd 250ml. I am starting to see more clumping of the EB. Two possibilities from what I am thinking.
1. The flow isn't enough with the current pump
(currently it is supposed to run at 132 gph)
2. I noticed inside the reactor a lot of extra debris, including some white scum like looking thing. I am not running any kind of filter sock so I will add one this weekend.
On the plus side glass is looking very clean!
9-12-10
Ok week three and placing the 3rd - 250 ml of the EB. So far no undesirable alga blooms! I also bought another pump, a SYNCRA 3.0 pump by Sicce.
They were at MACNA and I was impressed by the display and the fact that I can control its output. The new pump really does a much better job at tumbling the pellets.
I also added a filter sock. While a few reefers out their note that the filter socks keep a lot of the particles and food substances for corals out, I also know that my sump and the reactor were full of debris. This debris can also block water flow along the bottom and top crates. This would prohibit EB from tumbling.
9-22-10
Well guys a bit of news.
After 4 weeks and 2 days and 1 liter of EB my No3 is .02 and Po4 is at 0.
I am using Salifert test kits. I will purchase those new Hanna digital readers for Alk and Phos just to have a second source of testing.
I have no algae blooms and water is crystal clear. Only have to clean glass only once per week since on EB. I only feed once per day but am usually a broadcast type feeder for fish and corals. On this particular day I turned off all pumps and was getting ready to feed when I looked from the top down. I swear I had good sps coloration before EB, but I can say that some of my colors are really popping out.
Will post pics soon!
9-26-10
All of the 1000ml of EB is now in. So far today the EB’s are fine and they are tumbling like they are supposed to. A 10% wc was done over the weekend. It seems as though some of the sps’s that were affected by whatever it was have slowed their tissue loss. Here is video two with all 1000ml of EB running. From what I can see I will start to turn the pump down. Most guys and WM receommend starting with the whole dose because it will take longer to show results. While I agree on this and Jon from Warner Marine does too. When I spoke with him at MACNA he indicated that my results would just take longer to show. I am ok with this.
2nd video
I am considering the following as possible culprits besides my neglect.
1. Alk spike ( salt change from RC to IO to NeoMarine back to IO)
2. CA drop (Ca reactor clogged)
3. Mg lower than 1200 ( need to dose more)
4. LFS bought water parameters did not match display tank
5. Roommate over feed and possibly caused water parameters to go crazy especially phosphates and nitrates
6. Roommate dosed RO water in 2.5 jugs all at once instead of dripping like I taught him
7. MH bulbs were not on long enough (this one I feel isn’t really a problem, I think)
Interesting enough guys all sps’s that are big colonies are doing just fine! I’m hacking my brain trying to figure out what the cause was. I do though need to stay on top of things but need to move on. I do know that EcoBak has changed my tank. I sincerely hope that running a UNLS will help my reef tank stay as nutrient free as possible. Lessons to be learned here guys.
Well week 6 of running 1 liter of EB.
All is well. AMEN!
EB is tumbling nicely.
Stats
Phosphate is a 0 according to Salifert
Nitrates are at around .02 to .08 according to Salifert
Colors in corals are still holding. Interesting fact that even the zoes that are not under lights have excellent color.
When you guys measure Nitrates using Salifert test kit and it is below 10ppm do you guys folllow the low range results, since that is what they recommend?
All is well. AMEN!
EB is tumbling nicely.
Stats
Phosphate is a 0 according to Salifert
Nitrates are at around .02 to .08 according to Salifert
Colors in corals are still holding. Interesting fact that even the zoes that are not under lights have excellent color.
When you guys measure Nitrates using Salifert test kit and it is below 10ppm do you guys folllow the low range results, since that is what they recommend?
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