250 Gallon Starphire SPS tank
- Thread starter gregt
- Start date
LittleBlueGT
New member
Time for a thread resurection.
I will be busy this winter with my tank making a few changes and tweaking a few things for better color.
No pics yet, but they will come.
Tank is doing well, coloration is pretty good, but I would always like better.
I bought a media reactor from SWC and have started to use carbon and phosphate media. I have not run carbon (except after the kalk incident) for the last two years. My coral growth is rediculous, and my colors are fairly good as well. People say you need to run carbon with ozone, but I say NO! I know it introduces harmful chemicals into the water, whether it is enough to make a difference, I also don't know. I hope to find out as I will be running an even lower nutrient system for the whole winter.
I am going to do my best to clean my skimmer twice as often as before, once every two days. I will monitor my levels closely, instead of testing once every one or two months. Essentially just take as good of care of everything as I can and see what difference it makes.
I go through about 3 lbs of media every month in my calcium reactor. My output dkh is over 60! at 6.3 ph!
This is in addition to my large 8 inch kalk reactor that stirs every 2 hours. Even then I was running a bit low on alk and had to top up every month by a bit. I have less mass of corals in my tank now due to much fragging, but I have a feeling that will only last a month or two.
In December I am re-aquascaping! Huge job when many corals are bigger then your head, so I have it booked well in advance.
Stay tuned this month for a few more pics.
I will be busy this winter with my tank making a few changes and tweaking a few things for better color.
No pics yet, but they will come.
Tank is doing well, coloration is pretty good, but I would always like better.
I bought a media reactor from SWC and have started to use carbon and phosphate media. I have not run carbon (except after the kalk incident) for the last two years. My coral growth is rediculous, and my colors are fairly good as well. People say you need to run carbon with ozone, but I say NO! I know it introduces harmful chemicals into the water, whether it is enough to make a difference, I also don't know. I hope to find out as I will be running an even lower nutrient system for the whole winter.
I am going to do my best to clean my skimmer twice as often as before, once every two days. I will monitor my levels closely, instead of testing once every one or two months. Essentially just take as good of care of everything as I can and see what difference it makes.
I go through about 3 lbs of media every month in my calcium reactor. My output dkh is over 60! at 6.3 ph!
This is in addition to my large 8 inch kalk reactor that stirs every 2 hours. Even then I was running a bit low on alk and had to top up every month by a bit. I have less mass of corals in my tank now due to much fragging, but I have a feeling that will only last a month or two.
In December I am re-aquascaping! Huge job when many corals are bigger then your head, so I have it booked well in advance.
Stay tuned this month for a few more pics.
melev
Well-known member
I just checked the dKH of my Calcium reactor last night, and it was a mere 15.4. The tank is 11.2dKH, so I'm not too worried, but I expected higher in the effluent reading.
I'm glad you are cleaning the skimmer more often. I've always recommended doing so daily. I can't wait to see pictures of your rediculous coral growth.
Are you going to remove the zoanthids?
I'm glad you are cleaning the skimmer more often. I've always recommended doing so daily. I can't wait to see pictures of your rediculous coral growth.
Are you going to remove the zoanthids?
Waxxiemann
New member
How was Calgary LBGT? I see you're back in town. What are the media reactors from SWC like? What pump are you running on them? Are they comparable to the TLF phosban reactor?
Tyler
Tyler
LittleBlueGT
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8316873#post8316873 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
I just checked the dKH of my Calcium reactor last night, and it was a mere 15.4. The tank is 11.2dKH, so I'm not too worried, but I expected higher in the effluent reading.
I'm glad you are cleaning the skimmer more often. I've always recommended doing so daily. I can't wait to see pictures of your rediculous coral growth.
Are you going to remove the zoanthids?
You should be able to get at least 20 dkh out of almost any reactor, but if your tank is that high I would not touch it. If it does the job that is all that is needed.
I use coral sand (I think that is what it is called), it is the media they recommend for Shuran reactors. Most media cannot stand a ph of 6.3 and will turn to mush.
I should clean my skimmer daily, maybe I will for the winter. No matter how much I tweak my skimmer it still works better when clean. I do have a neat trick though:
I open up the air-line at least once a day to the air input to one of my becketts, this causes the skimmer to overflow rather quickly. I leave it like this for a minute or two and that helps it to self clean a little
I think I will get rid of my zoos and have a SPS bottom. I have patches that are on the starboard that are over a square foot. Don't know what to do with them though.
tgunn
Active member
Ben,
Your zoa bottom is awesome! But then again, an SPS bottom would be pretty neat as well...
Hey, good idea on opening up the air intake to the skimmer to get a sort of "washdown".. I think the next skimmer I get will have to have an auto washdown of some kind.. Mine seems to gunk up quickly..
Tyler
Your zoa bottom is awesome! But then again, an SPS bottom would be pretty neat as well...
Hey, good idea on opening up the air intake to the skimmer to get a sort of "washdown".. I think the next skimmer I get will have to have an auto washdown of some kind.. Mine seems to gunk up quickly..
Tyler
LittleBlueGT
New member
You shall receive very soon.
LittleBlueGT
New member
Calgary was good, brought a whole cooler of frags for a Regina guy and brought chems out to a few in Calgary so they would not have to pay for shipping.
SWC media reador is made very nicely, except the valve on the input side. It is sturdy, fairly large (will easily support my 450 gallon one day), and easy to take apart for refilling. I will have to take a pic of two. The valve just seems cheap to me and was leaking a bit but now stopped.
I am not running a dedicated pump, but have a small T off of my main pump that feeds about 300 gph or so to it.
If you have a link to the TLF reactor I will compare the two for you.
LittleBlueGT
New member
Of course mine costs over twice as much.
LittleBlueGT
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8320928#post8320928 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tgunn
It's not exactly the same is it?
Tyler
Mine is bigger (I like saying that for some reason)!
Bring yours over next time you are here if you are not using it and we will get a side-by-side pic.
LittleBlueGT
New member
I order it in from a chemical supply company (minimum orders apply).
They carry food grade!
You from Manitoba?
LittleBlueGT
New member
I have a couple of little scrathes, but nothing that is easy to see.
I use a razor blade to clean mine.
LittleBlueGT
New member
I have been running my media reactor with carbon and phosphate remover for about 10 days and I have noticed no difference yet.
Obviously my tank's chemistry is pretty good. We will see what another week or two does.
Obviously my tank's chemistry is pretty good. We will see what another week or two does.
