Bean's 300 Gallon AGE Build

[BeanMachine]

Cody I am running my reactor at about 6.4 I use a Masterflex peristaltic pump and I just boosted my drip rate as the alk was getting used up faster than I could add it. For the past several weeks I was battling to keep it above 7.6dkh. It takes a while and constant testing to get it right. Look up a thread “the official masterflex thread” lots of really good info there.

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What do you mean boosted your drip rate? Wouldn't opening the effluent reduce the amount of C02 inside the reactor, which would raise the ph and raise the alk of the effluent? Or did you make other adjustments as well? I don't think my issue is alk cal and mag. I'm starting to get the hang of the reactor.

Bummer you lost all your acros. I always think any large fluctuations will make acros mad. 3° temp bounce sounds like a lot to me. My tank stays between 77.8-78.9, and corals don’t seem to mind.
I would add a lot more fish and turn your skimmer back on. Always seems like my corals are happiest when my tank is full of fish and i feed heavy.

You said corals browned out, then died? How long were they alive for? What are you running for lights right now?
Whenever my tank ran really low on nutrients, my corals would get really pale, I never saw them brown out from low nutrients.

Also how long did it take for your alk to go from 7 to 8.5? Usually things happen much slower with a calcium reactor. I don’t think 7 to 8.5 would really hurt anything, Just as long as it happened over a week or so. If it was overnight, than that’s a diff story.

I always thought calcium reactor media didn’t start melting until 7. I run reborn media and remag, and I still have to dose magnesium. I didnt think reborn had any more magnesium in it than caribsea or other brands, that’s why they sell remag.

If you want some more tester frags, I can probably find you a few. Let me know. My corals are probably much healthier than Mikes. [emoji23][emoji23]. LOL. JK

More like 2 degrees on a particular day. There was a week or so where it was really cold. I did add the heaters the other night so that is taken care of whether that was a problem or not.

The reactor is definitely melting media at 7.2ph inside the reactor, the alk of the effluent is 10dkh. When I had it at 7.5ph inside the reactor, I didn't check the effluent but my alk slowly crept up to 8.5 over a couple of weeks. 1dkh change... not overnight. The tank was running at 7.5 and was solid until I adjusted the reactor after the acros died.

They prob had color for 2 or 3 weeks, then browned, then bleached.

I'm running the 60" LED Powermodule. Leds ramp up to about 60%, and 4 T5s are on from 12 to 8, and 8 T5s are on from 4 to 7. The LEDS are on throughout the whole day.


Anthony is going to lend me his par meter this Friday. I'm not familiar with this fixture. I'm not sure if running the leds so long at 60% is giving me hot spots? I always thought browning is usually caused from not enough light.

LOL thanks.

 

[SchnitzelReef]

Bean's 300 Gallon AGE Build

What do you mean boosted your drip rate? Wouldn't opening the effluent reduce the amount of C02 inside the reactor. Or did you make other adjustments as well? I don't think my issue is alk cal and mag. I'm starting to get the hang of the reactor.







More like 2 degrees on a particular day. There was a week or so where it was really cold. I did add the heaters the other night so that is taken care of whether that was a problem or not.



The reactor is definitely melting media at 7.2ph inside the reactor, the alk of the effluent is 10dkh. When I had it at 7.5ph inside the reactor, I didn't check the effluent but my alk slowly crept up to 8.5 over a couple of weeks. 1dkh change... not overnight. The tank was running at 7.5 and was solid until I adjusted the reactor after the acros died.



They prob had color for 2 or 3 weeks, then browned, then bleached.



I'm running the 60" LED Powermodule. Leds ramp up to about 60%, and 4 T5s are on from 12 to 8, and 8 T5s are on from 4 to 7. The LEDS are on throughout the whole day.





Anthony is going to lend me his par meter this Friday. I'm not familiar with this fixture. I'm not sure if running the leds so long at 60% is giving me hot spots? I always thought browning is usually caused from not enough light.

Yea My guess would be from not enough light. 60" fixture on a 72" tank right? I would run all 8 bulbs at least 5 or 6 hours. My SPS love it when they get blasted. I've never used the hybrid ati fixture, but I would treat it like a normal T5 fixture with the leds just as supplemental light. Use the leds for sunrise sunset, but still crank those T5 bulbs 8 hours....your sps will love you.

 

[ycnibrc]

Hey Cody
Your tank is new which mean u don't have any bacteria population established your tank yet. To keep Sps u need to wait a little longer for your tank to build up. Another way is u need to add bacteria to your tank. Normally after 6 months is a good time to add Sps slowly. If u are itching then add the Monti or Stylo in first not freaking purple monster lol.

 

[SchnitzelReef]

Hey Cody
Your tank is new which mean u don't have any bacteria population established your tank yet. To keep Sps u need to wait a little longer for your tank to build up. Another way is u need to add bacteria to your tank. Normally after 6 months is a good time to add Sps slowly. If u are itching then add the Monti or Stylo in first not freaking purple monster lol.

I started my tank with all dry rock and dry sand. I moved all my SPS over after 3 weeks. Never lost 1 piece. Everyone told me the same thing, but I didn't have the room to keep 2 tanks running for 6 months.

 

[BeanMachine]

Hey Cody
Your tank is new which mean u don't have any bacteria population established your tank yet. To keep Sps u need to wait a little longer for your tank to build up. Another way is u need to add bacteria to your tank. Normally after 6 months is a good time to add Sps slowly. If u are itching then add the Monti or Stylo in first not freaking purple monster lol.

The tank has been running since February.

LOL I didn't ask for particular corals, its just what Santa dropped off.

 

[BeanMachine]

I do like Purple Stylo if anyone has a frag?

 

[ycnibrc]

I started my tank with all dry rock and dry sand. I moved all my SPS over after 3 weeks. Never lost 1 piece. Everyone told me the same thing, but I didn't have the room to keep 2 tanks running for 6 months.

Lol Nick only a few can be successful adding Sps fast. It can be done

 

[ycnibrc]

The tank has been running since February.

LOL I didn't ask for particular corals, its just what Santa dropped off.

Lol I lost track of your tank progress since the dry build is like 2 years

 

[BeanMachine]

Lol I lost track of your tank progress since the dry build is like 2 years

LOL I didn't have fish for like 6 months so its more like 6 months old really.

 

[fixmgood]

I do like Purple Stylo if anyone has a frag?

I will bring you a piece I have 3 large colonies,growing like a weed.

I increased the drip rate and increased the CO2 as well. From what I understand the media melts at about 6.5, I am open to correction of course.

 

[ycnibrc]

So your tank only have water and rock for 6 months? And u using Dr Tim bacteria to cycle. So how long now with fish?

 

[BeanMachine]

I will bring you a piece I have 3 large colonies,growing like a weed.

I increased the drip rate and increased the CO2 as well. From what I understand the media melts at about 6.5, I am open to correction of course.

Thanks Ivan. I've read online it melts at about 7.7. I can confirm it melts at 7.2 for sure as the alk of the effluent would be the same as my display if it wasn't dissolving the media.

So your tank only have water and rock for 6 months? And u using Dr Tim bacteria to cycle. So how long now with fish?

Yeah, and MB7. I added quite a bit of bacteria in the beginning. I dosed the ammonia to 2ppm then watched it fall. I did it three times if I remember right.

 

[BeanMachine]

Thanks for the PAR meter Tony. And the tour of your system. Awesome stuff.

So my tank with all 8 T5 and the leds mostly blue at 60 percent had my tank at 500 to 550 PAR at the top of my rock in the center and 300 in the sand bed. Leds added about 100 par up top and 75 down on the sand. I made some adjustments to the light schedule. No leds while T5s are on now. Just before and after. I'm going to stagger the T5 channels as well. I'm going to order two actinic lamps and ditch the Gieseman Lagoon Blue.

Thanks Ivan Mark and Chuck for the new tester pieces.


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[ycnibrc]

Thanks for the PAR meter Tony. And the tour of your system. Awesome stuff.

So my tank with all 8 T5 and the leds mostly blue at 60 percent had my tank at 500 to 550 PAR at the top of my rock in the center and 300 in the sand bed. Leds added about 100 par up top and 75 down on the sand. I made some adjustments to the light schedule. No leds while T5s are on now. Just before and after. I'm going to stagger the T5 channels as well. I'm going to order two actinic lamps and ditch the Gieseman Lagoon Blue.

Thanks Ivan Mark and Chuck for the new tester pieces.


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Hey Cody your welcome try the 444 light schedule for 3 months and see if your corals like it.

 

[BeanMachine]

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[ycnibrc]

Nice wish my tank can be neat and clean like yours

 

[BeanMachine]

Nice wish my tank can be neat and clean like yours

I'm doing my best it's been a lot of fun just building the tank. I made the changes to my light schedule and adjusted the flow a little. I need to order some of the bacterial additives we talked about.

I stayed up real late last night and marked some things off my list. I moved the two leopard wrasses that were in the skimmer section into the refugium. I just moved them after they went to bed in the cup of sand. Dumped at least 5 gallons of chaeto. Moved the rubble and stones that Scott gave me into the fuge. Cleaned out the detritus in both sections. They have a nice area to get fat and happy. The ornate was picking of them so may trap it and put her in time out.

The sump still needs another led strip light to let up the left side. Its on the list anyway.

No coral updates yet really second round of tester pieces are still looking good.






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[Sisterlimonpot]

I'm doing my best it's been a lot of fun just building the tank.

Cody,
I'm the same way. I enjoyed my tank build so much, that now I'm a bit scared to start focusing on coral introduction, if something isn't right, it changes my perception and time spent getting to this point.

I was asked this weekend that if something catastrophic happens in my tank, what would I do? The only answer I could say was, to correct it and start over. There's absolutely no scenario in my mind to where I would throw up my hands and tear down the tank. Is that the very definition of addiction? or insanity? I don't know, but nothing will stop me from getting back to where I was 5 years ago... Keep on course.

 

[BeanMachine]

I installed a Kamoer peristaltic pump and removed the needle valve from my calcium reactor. After a sump cleaning above ^^^, being off my manifold, the effluent clogged and I didn't notice for a few days at least. Alk jumped to 11.5. The sticks didn't like that and I lost all but one green Aussie piece. I've just been running the Kamoer pump and the reactor has been circulating, but the gas is off. I was waiting for my tank to drop below 9. Its been a few weeks and the alk has been slowly dropping on its own with what little coral I have. Some Coraline but the growth is still slow.


My Alk test kit shows that I am at around 9.3. I also had Steve Garrett test my water last Friday and he also got 9.3.

I sent a ATI Labs test in and got back the following-


Alk- 11.3
Cal- 454.1
Mag- 1490

Which is interesting because I have two alk test kits, both Salifert, giving me 9.3. I have read they can read a little low, but two points low? Could the lab test be off?


Everything else seems OK, Iodine and Bromine are low and I have high Selenium. First I've heard of high Selenium, it says to check for corroding magnets on the test, but I've read a few people claiming its from the salt mix. Very little info if it even is a problem in our tanks, similar to high Lithium which a lot of people seem to have.

Nitrates- 1.1
Phosphates- .04

I've been feeding the crap out of the tank, and have added a few fish over the last month or two.


I've got male Bimac that is thinning the anthias heard. Down to my last female Bimac which sucks. I have a trap in the tank but they aren't going near it at the moment.

 

[BeanMachine]

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