Darth_Tater
Member
That is odd. Of course, I could have WAY too much flow, I am new to corals! What settings do you have it in?
40 Breeder Reef Build
- Thread starter Darth_Tater
- Start date
That is odd. Of course, I could have WAY too much flow, I am new to corals! What settings do you have it in?
MizTanks
New member
I meant to say at 60% would probably blow the water out of my tank-lol. Can't imagine turning it up that high.
Yeah corals help tell you how much flow you have going on, by their movement.
Today I'm running it at 40% 4-5 pulse mode, usually run it at 30%.
I'm still pretty new to this pump. Playing around with it a lot. I'm always nervous about subjecting my corals to to much flow. More than likely not giving them enough-lol.
I really like your rock scape. Very open and natural looking.
Yeah corals help tell you how much flow you have going on, by their movement.
Today I'm running it at 40% 4-5 pulse mode, usually run it at 30%.
I'm still pretty new to this pump. Playing around with it a lot. I'm always nervous about subjecting my corals to to much flow. More than likely not giving them enough-lol.
I really like your rock scape. Very open and natural looking.
Darth_Tater
Member
I think I figured out a setup in alternating mode that will work without blowing sand all over the place and sucking a ton of air in. The hammer is much happier and is extended now. Goals for this week: either a PJ Cardinal or Shrimp Goby!
And thanks! I was planning on going with the two island setup similar to yours, but then this kinda popped into my head one night.
And thanks! I was planning on going with the two island setup similar to yours, but then this kinda popped into my head one night.
Darth_Tater
Member
Ok, time for another new to coral question or two or three! I probably should have started this thread in the new to reefing section, but oh well. This is in regards to coral placement. I'm pretty sure I'll need to move the Maze brain and Zoas onto rock once they run out of room on the plugs, but what about the Acan? I always see them on the bottom, so are they a sand coral or do they also need rock to attach to?
Also, the suspected Ricordea is on a seed piece of rock I bought from somebody else and I don't really want that rock in the display tank since it doesn't fit very well (I'd actually like to break it up to place the Zoas on). Is there a way to get a soft coral off the rock it's on and move it without hurting the coral?
Thanks!
Also, the suspected Ricordea is on a seed piece of rock I bought from somebody else and I don't really want that rock in the display tank since it doesn't fit very well (I'd actually like to break it up to place the Zoas on). Is there a way to get a soft coral off the rock it's on and move it without hurting the coral?
Thanks!
Darth_Tater
Member
Well, got a surprise today. Did some testing and got these results:
Mag = 1520
Alk = 6.3
Calc = 370
I measured them twice to be sure. Looks like I'm going to be building a dosing system sooner than I thought. Those little coral frags are sucking WAY more nutrients than I expected!
Mag = 1520
Alk = 6.3
Calc = 370
I measured them twice to be sure. Looks like I'm going to be building a dosing system sooner than I thought. Those little coral frags are sucking WAY more nutrients than I expected!
moondoggy4
Team RC
Aim a power head at the ricordea but not too much it will be annoyed and then release.
Darth_Tater
Member
Thanks, I'll have to give that a try when I get the water chemistry stabilized!
So the bucket my salt comes in states that at 1.025 SG the chemistry should be as follows:
Alk: 12.5 (this seems very high to me...)
Calcium: 460
Mg: 1390
I think when I get some time maybe Wednesday I'll test them to double check. I'll try to get some Calcium Chloride and baking soda and pickling lime tomorrow to start putting the levels back where they need to be. The corals right now are noticeably upset even to my inexperienced eyes.
I figure I've got about 50 gallons total volume and it drained calcium and alk to the levels in the post above in less than 2 weeks. Is it reasonable to think the 4 LPS coral frags and the 1 Birdsnest SPS frag use this much calcium/alk? Or do I maybe have something else going on with my chemistry?
Darth_Tater
Member
It's been a long time since I updated this, but I figured it's nice to see other people's setups when trying to build a tank so somebody might want some info on what's working or not working for me. I also just learned yesterday that there's a tank journal section of the forum, but I really don't want to start a new thread.
I've made quite a few changes since the last update. I'll start with a current stock list:
9 Red Spot Glass Cardinals from Diver's Den (awesome little fishes!)
1 Yellow Watchman Goby
1 Cleaner Shrimp
3 Peppermint Shrimp
Snails and hermit crabs and a couple Emerald Crabs
Corals. Most are not doing so hot due to the hair algae choking it out.
Want to add if I can ever find:
Starcki Damsel
Juvenile Bristletooth tang. Would be sold/traded when it reached a bigger size.
Here are some updates on the setup:
Tried Kalk dosing and hated it. I go through almost a gallon of top off water per day and got tired of the mess very quickly.
Started Randy's 2-part dosing and really like it.
Added a protein skimmer: Eshopps S-120 I believe. Got it for under $100 locally and it's been great so far. Of course I don't have anything to compare it against, but no complaints about it.
I changed the bulbs in my fixture. I don't remember them at the moment and don't have pictures to compare with the old ones, but if anyone's interested I'll look when I get home.
I figured out what was wrong with my siphon. My intake is a 90 degree bend pointed towards the bottom of my overflow. It was apparently too close to the bottom of the overflow because as soon as I rotated it a bit issues fixed themselves. No more micro-bubbles and it flows like I expect now!
Lost all but one of my zoas/palys (Dragon's Eye survived) to irritation from pods.
Lost all of the fish I've bought from the closest LFS. Personally I think they keep the salinity so low in their tanks that it causes huge stress when acclimating to reef salinity levels. I will no longer be purchasing livestock from that store.
Found a new favorite LFS 30 minutes away that takes great care of their stuff. Haven't lost a single animal I've purchased from them.
Had a major hair algae outbreak that I'm still fighting (the reason I'm not posting any pictures, it's just plain scary!). I tend to agree with Paul_B's philosophy that tanks have cycles and will eventually fix themselves (assuming you have things set up right) as I've seen this in freshwater setups. So I tried to let it run it's course, but the algae is choking out my corals. It also gets long enough that clean up crew gets tangled in it and dies. It is also choking out my Chaeto algae in my sump (I didn't think it was possible!).
I tried 20% water changes twice a week for about 3 months with practically 0 impact.
I turned off 3 of the 5 bulbs in my light fixture to try to get the algae to slow down. It slowed the algae growth a bit, but it's still growing. A strange effect of turning off 3/5 of my light: my corals seem almost happier with the lower light. I haven't figured that one out yet...
I have undetectable nitrate levels, so I'm assuming it's a phosphate issue. I have a rather low bio load so I'm guessing it's coming out of my rock. Lots of people have had trouble with phosphates and dry rock, so I guess I can probably add myself to that list. I've ordered a GFO reactor (for those of you who said to just buy one on my other thread and not to try a DIY one, feel free to say I Told You So!) that is supposed to arrive today so hopefully this battle will start to shift directions soon!
I've made quite a few changes since the last update. I'll start with a current stock list:
9 Red Spot Glass Cardinals from Diver's Den (awesome little fishes!)
1 Yellow Watchman Goby
1 Cleaner Shrimp
3 Peppermint Shrimp
Snails and hermit crabs and a couple Emerald Crabs
Corals. Most are not doing so hot due to the hair algae choking it out.
Want to add if I can ever find:
Starcki Damsel
Juvenile Bristletooth tang. Would be sold/traded when it reached a bigger size.
Here are some updates on the setup:
Tried Kalk dosing and hated it. I go through almost a gallon of top off water per day and got tired of the mess very quickly.
Started Randy's 2-part dosing and really like it.
Added a protein skimmer: Eshopps S-120 I believe. Got it for under $100 locally and it's been great so far. Of course I don't have anything to compare it against, but no complaints about it.
I changed the bulbs in my fixture. I don't remember them at the moment and don't have pictures to compare with the old ones, but if anyone's interested I'll look when I get home.
I figured out what was wrong with my siphon. My intake is a 90 degree bend pointed towards the bottom of my overflow. It was apparently too close to the bottom of the overflow because as soon as I rotated it a bit issues fixed themselves. No more micro-bubbles and it flows like I expect now!
Lost all but one of my zoas/palys (Dragon's Eye survived) to irritation from pods.
Lost all of the fish I've bought from the closest LFS. Personally I think they keep the salinity so low in their tanks that it causes huge stress when acclimating to reef salinity levels. I will no longer be purchasing livestock from that store.
Found a new favorite LFS 30 minutes away that takes great care of their stuff. Haven't lost a single animal I've purchased from them.
Had a major hair algae outbreak that I'm still fighting (the reason I'm not posting any pictures, it's just plain scary!). I tend to agree with Paul_B's philosophy that tanks have cycles and will eventually fix themselves (assuming you have things set up right) as I've seen this in freshwater setups. So I tried to let it run it's course, but the algae is choking out my corals. It also gets long enough that clean up crew gets tangled in it and dies. It is also choking out my Chaeto algae in my sump (I didn't think it was possible!).
I tried 20% water changes twice a week for about 3 months with practically 0 impact.
I turned off 3 of the 5 bulbs in my light fixture to try to get the algae to slow down. It slowed the algae growth a bit, but it's still growing. A strange effect of turning off 3/5 of my light: my corals seem almost happier with the lower light. I haven't figured that one out yet...
I have undetectable nitrate levels, so I'm assuming it's a phosphate issue. I have a rather low bio load so I'm guessing it's coming out of my rock. Lots of people have had trouble with phosphates and dry rock, so I guess I can probably add myself to that list. I've ordered a GFO reactor (for those of you who said to just buy one on my other thread and not to try a DIY one, feel free to say I Told You So!) that is supposed to arrive today so hopefully this battle will start to shift directions soon!
Darth_Tater
Member
In case anyone cares, this is the last post for this thread. I've moved it over where it belongs in the tank journals section. I even posted some impressive algae pics! Oh, and a pic of the 84 Buick Regal I've been tinkering with. It has really cool paint.
New Journal
New Journal
Darth_Tater
Member
Ok, so I tried moving over to the Tank Journals and Builds section and nobody ever looks at anything over there so if I have questions I have to create new threads and it's just a pain. So I'm going to try over here again! If you want to see some impressive hair algae shots go take a look at that thread.
In updates, I finally got new T5 bulbs. My current combination is as follows:
Purple+
Blue+
Actinic
Blue+
Coral+
It looks pretty good, but I'm not 100% happy with it. I think next time I'll swap the Actinic for another Purple and see if that looks a little better. The Blue+ is very, VERY blue!
So here's the question part and the main reason I am trying this thread again. I have been dosing massive amounts of 2-part to keep my Alk and Calc levels up. I normally get around a 4 dKH swing throughout the day. So, I finally broke down and ordered a dosing pump. It's the Eshopps IV-2. I found 0 reviews on it, but they have made some good stuff and it was on sale for $100 less than the next closest option. It was about the same price as getting a pair of BRS pumps and timers.
So the question: For maximum flat-line stability, should I have the thing dosing throughout the night (dose every hour throughout the 24 hour day) or only dose once per hour when the lights are on and the algae are photosynthesizing? I know plants do a lot of growing at night and are therefore using up nutrients during the night, but do corals do the same thing? I realize it's not a big deal, I just figure if I've got the pump to give me stability I might as well go for maximum!
As far as the tank is going, almost all the corals are looking really good. The Green Slimer is actively fighting off the algae on it's previous dead skeleton and gaining ground. My Ponape is looking a bit sickly and bleached since I replaced the bulbs. I replaced them 1 per day, but I'm wondering if that was still a little too fast. I was also running low on Alk/Calc (around 7.0) so hopefully getting that stabilized will help. The Oregon Tort is having similar issues as the Ponape. Still have good polyp extension, so hopefully they're just adjusting. Everything else is looking great!
I will hopefully get my remote display fuge plumbed and running this weekend. I'm looking forward to it! I want some nice macro algae and a nice Pistol/Goby pair!
Here is a current FTS (I just noticed the dirty glass and reflections, sorry!):
In updates, I finally got new T5 bulbs. My current combination is as follows:
Purple+
Blue+
Actinic
Blue+
Coral+
It looks pretty good, but I'm not 100% happy with it. I think next time I'll swap the Actinic for another Purple and see if that looks a little better. The Blue+ is very, VERY blue!
So here's the question part and the main reason I am trying this thread again. I have been dosing massive amounts of 2-part to keep my Alk and Calc levels up. I normally get around a 4 dKH swing throughout the day. So, I finally broke down and ordered a dosing pump. It's the Eshopps IV-2. I found 0 reviews on it, but they have made some good stuff and it was on sale for $100 less than the next closest option. It was about the same price as getting a pair of BRS pumps and timers.
So the question: For maximum flat-line stability, should I have the thing dosing throughout the night (dose every hour throughout the 24 hour day) or only dose once per hour when the lights are on and the algae are photosynthesizing? I know plants do a lot of growing at night and are therefore using up nutrients during the night, but do corals do the same thing? I realize it's not a big deal, I just figure if I've got the pump to give me stability I might as well go for maximum!
As far as the tank is going, almost all the corals are looking really good. The Green Slimer is actively fighting off the algae on it's previous dead skeleton and gaining ground. My Ponape is looking a bit sickly and bleached since I replaced the bulbs. I replaced them 1 per day, but I'm wondering if that was still a little too fast. I was also running low on Alk/Calc (around 7.0) so hopefully getting that stabilized will help. The Oregon Tort is having similar issues as the Ponape. Still have good polyp extension, so hopefully they're just adjusting. Everything else is looking great!
I will hopefully get my remote display fuge plumbed and running this weekend. I'm looking forward to it! I want some nice macro algae and a nice Pistol/Goby pair!
Here is a current FTS (I just noticed the dirty glass and reflections, sorry!):
Darth_Tater
Member
Well, I got the dosing pump yesterday. One of the pumps is working fine, the other one isn't. It appears that there is just a stepper motor in the unit with a shaft coming out that turns the actual pumping thing. The motor is turning but the unit doesn't pump. Does anyone know if there is a way to take the pumping unit apart?
This morning I went to one of my least favorite places on the planet (aka Home Depot) and bought a bunch of plumbing stuff to get this remote fuge set up. I ran into a snag. 5/8" silicone tubing costs $1 per foot. Considering I need 40+ feet I considered this cost unacceptable. I'm not sure now what to do. I may try to move furniture around so I can set the fuge right next to the tank. If that doesn't work I may scrap the whole idea.
This morning I went to one of my least favorite places on the planet (aka Home Depot) and bought a bunch of plumbing stuff to get this remote fuge set up. I ran into a snag. 5/8" silicone tubing costs $1 per foot. Considering I need 40+ feet I considered this cost unacceptable. I'm not sure now what to do. I may try to move furniture around so I can set the fuge right next to the tank. If that doesn't work I may scrap the whole idea.
