Building My 375gal Glass Reef

[stealle]

Caulerpa and chateo in the fuge helped me getting rid of diatoms..
I know you like everything clean and tidy but DSB and the fuge shouldnt be as clean as yours.

It's not that he is trying to keep his fuge clean... he just doesn't have the fuge fully up and running yet (as of a couple weeks ago). While having it up and running might help a little, there are many people that don't run a fuge at all in a successful reef system (some of them are prior TOTM systems). I personally think they are a little overrated for nutrient export. I do like them for increasing pod population.

 

[Elliott]

stealle - thanks for the great input. I've been using BIO DIGEST, but only the maintenance dose. I think it's one ampule every two weeks. I like the idea of the dark period.

Anyone have anything to add? Any experiences you can relate?

no personal experience with this product but I've read that AlgaeFix Marine works

 

[GlassReef]

... I've read that AlgaeFix Marine works

I've been researching AlgaeFix. Some swear by it - other says it can mess up your tank. I'd kinda like to give it a try, but haven't goten up enough nerve yet.

 

[GlassReef]

It's not that he is trying to keep his fuge clean... he just doesn't have the fuge fully up and running yet (as of a couple weeks ago). ...

Stealle is right - my fuge (actally frag tank) is not yet completely set up. It's still pretty sterile, except for the DSB.

BTW - the DSB has brought my NO3 down from around 3ppm to zero. Took about 3 weeks. I feed very heavily so the tank needed a little help with the NO3.

 

[Elliott]

I've been researching AlgaeFix. Some swear by it - other says it can mess up your tank. I'd kinda like to give it a try, but haven't goten up enough nerve yet.

I just ordered some AlgaeFix and will be using it when it arrives, I'll let you know how it turns out :eek2:

 

[zachtos]

I had a rough bout with dino. in my 240G about a year ago and was able to beat it in about two weeks by keeping my ph at 8.6 using kalk. I don't know why it came, but it dissapeared and never returned after doing the ph regimend.

 

[GlassReef]

I just ordered some AlgaeFix and will be using it when it arrives, I'll let you know how it turns out :eek2:

Thanks, Id appreciate that, Elliott.

I had a rough bout with dino. in my 240G about a year ago and was able to beat it in about two weeks by keeping my ph at 8.6 using kalk. I don't know why it came, but it dissapeared and never returned after doing the ph regimend.

I've been noticing that most successful bouts agains Dinos have been won employing a higher pH. I'll be ordering some calcium hydroxide.

 

[GlassReef]

I noticed that a snail had laid a clutch? of eggs on the front glass of the display tank. Took a couple pics. I thought they looked kinda cool, so here they are:

and a little closer:

BTW: I've been having a very difficult time getting sharp pics through the front glass of my tank. The 3/4" Starphire glass seems to be anything but crystal clear.

 

[stealle]

Cool looking pics.

Got your pH up yet. What's going on with the dinos?

 

[reefrubble]

Tom Wow , What cool pics . I wish I could take pics like that . Ted

 

[ReefTECK]

Well I just spent the last 4 hours panning through the last 58 pages in detail, and all I can say is wow. You've crafted so many pieces together just how I've imagined my next build will go once I have a house of my own. Fantastic craftsmanship!

Have you considered getting a multi-testing bench top spectrometer for all of your water analysis needs. You still of course need reagents, but they set up quite nicely, especially for reading really ambiguous color changes on test sheets. I got a HANNA 83200 (called it a school expense (I'm in Biology and Environmental Hydro Science)) and it's really been helpful. I considered purchasing the PO4 spectrometer, then I also really wanted the DO spectrometer, and when I saw this thing and all it could do I was sold for merely a few hundred dollars more.

Hey keep up the great work, and thanks to yet another person for showing reef keepers every where that a job is worth doing right!

 

[Elliott]

Have you considered getting a multi-testing bench top spectrometer for all of your water analysis needs. You still of course need reagents, but they set up quite nicely, especially for reading really ambiguous color changes on test sheets. I got a HANNA 83200 (called it a school expense (I'm in Biology and Environmental Hydro Science)) and it's really been helpful. I considered purchasing the PO4 spectrometer, then I also really wanted the DO spectrometer, and when I saw this thing and all it could do I was sold for merely a few hundred dollars more.

Impressive list of tests is can do however some of the ranges are a bit narrow for our use with reef tanks, such as Magnesium 0 to 150 mg/L. Can you dilute the sample to expand a tests range? How expensive are the reagents? How much time does it take to run a test compared to the common color chart tests?

btw I did my residency in Iowa City, go Hawkeyes !!

Tom, I'm on my 2nd week using Algaefix, so far it appears to be working nicely, my green and red algae is slowly diminishing, no harm to livestock to date

 

[ReefTECK]

Can you dilute the sample to expand a tests range? How expensive are the reagents?

I actually went for the more modest $400 HANNA 83206 which only tests; Ammonia LR/MR, Chrommium, Chlorine, Copper, Nickle, pH, Nitrate LR/HR, Phosphate LR/HR, DO, Silica, and a few others.

I imagine dilutions are possible.

Most all of the reagents supplied by HANNA are between 18-25 bucks with a few ranging into the 50 dollar range. Most of them are the same reagents used by sailfert, labontte, etc. So I'm using up alot of that stuff that I have now.

How much time does it take to run a test compared to the common color chart tests?

It takes exactly the same amount of time to run the test, because you have to mix reagents by hand, but reading the color chart is obsolete, you just put it in, choose which test you are running, and it translates the color into a digital display in mg/L. Really sweet!

btw I did my residency in Iowa City, go Hawkeyes !!

Yeah it's been a long time coming, Ferrance hasn't done crap for us until this season. We miss the days of Hayden Fry!

I'm a townie and it just made sense to pursue my degree at the U of I. I'm in my last semester, I'll graduate double majoring in Evolutionary Biology, and Environmental Hydro Science.

I work up at the hospital now, and I still serve a couple days a week at local fish store that I've worked for full time for the last 5 years. It's pretty awesome I know a half a dozen doctors that are aquarium enthusiasts, and a couple that are full blown reef nerds! All the lab scientists I work with in the Pathology Lab are always like, "That doctor is always an ******* to me." lol

Cheers! Send me some warm weather from AZ will ya?

ltz,
Andy Long

 

[GlassReef]

Cool looking pics.

Got your pH up yet. What's going on with the dinos?

Thanks about the pics. I just got some calcium hydroxide from a friend. Started using it last Wednesday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Tom Wow , What cool pics . I wish I could take pics like that . Ted

If you have a tripod and a lens that will focus down to 1/1, it's easy. Give it a try.

 

[GlassReef]

reefTECK - Thanks for the compliment! And thanks for the info on the Hanna - sounds interesting. I've looked at a couple, in the past, and Elliott's comments describe what I found - not really useful for reefing. If this is a new one, might be worth the effort to do a little research. Still big bucks, though.

Elliott - thanks for the update. Are you following the dosing instructions, exactly?

 

[stealle]

I'll have to look at that $400 HANNA 83206. Since I am considering the $200 HANNA Phosphate Photometer, it only makes senses to consider this one that can test so much more. It is a little discouraging that the HANAA Phosphate Photometer has a margin of error of +/- .04. That's a pretty big margin of error considering .04 a fairly good level, but if you get a reading of .04 that could mean .08 which is not so good.

Is the margin of error any better with the 83206?

 

[noobtothereef]

Speachless................

 

[ReefTECK]

Is the margin of error any better with the 83206?

Yeah I agree that is disappointing, I assumed that it is the same when I was doing my research before purchasing my benchtop unit, however I haven't looked through the manual, these things are really easy to use if you have a little lab experience you already know what to do. I'll look through the manual when I get off work this evening and let you know.

 

[Elliott]

Tom, yes, I'm dosing every 3 days, 50 ml for 500g total volume, when algae is under control I'll dose weekly, from what I've read people seem to get in trouble (loss of livestock) at around #10 of the every 3 day dosing. I'm also running Kent Tech M (Mg) simultaneously for Bryopsis, there is apparently an impurity solely in Tech M that kills Bryopsis. So far both are working, albeit slowly

ReefTECK, thanks for the information, Hayden Fry was the coach when I was there, excellent coach, I have very good memories of Iowa City even though I spent most of it inside the hospital as a resident btw I use the Hanna phosphate meter which I like, especially compared to the color chart kits.

 

[noobtothereef]

Fellow iowans!! except im a fan of Ames! My brother just recieved his phd in chemistry at fall commencement this year........ Iowa city is fun also.....

Amazing build elliot, i am currently designing my dosing and auto water change setup around yours. Arent you you using 2 dosing pumps for auto water change? Isnt it the pump with the replaceable heads? One sucks water out of the sump and one brings fsw from reservoir?