So as I gladly creep this site and others, I enjoy the sight of coral color and growth. I long wish to have a tank grow-out like the many I see here. I have faced a problem recently and lost. I have questions that folks are not interested in answering or I cannot find a clear idea of what to do next. I am hoping that the experienced folks here might lend some advice or point me to the right thread to address these issue.
The history:
I am running a 90 gal tank with a +/- 20 gal sump. I would say with rock displacement etc...90 gal volume. It's been running since 1997 with a move in there. Up until recently, I was all about the gadgets that would make things easy. A year ago, I started concentrating on stability (which has brought some gains).
The Tank:
Lighting: (2) 250w 20k Radiums (changed mid October) pendants using (2) M80 Ballasts. (2) Actinic T5 DIY for supplement.
Sump (and contents):
R30 Sump, Lifereef Skimmer, Bubble Magus BM 130 Biopellet Reactor, Phosban running GFO, Mag 9.5 return pump, Geo 520 CaRx w/Planet Aquarium regulator
Fish: I used to have a variety, but thanks to the local power company, I was victim to an all-day power outrage. Did I have access to a generator; yes. Thanks to the continuous lies about that the power returning, my tank suffered a 24 hour outage which killed off 85% of my fish inhabitants.
Now: (2) clowns, A rabbit fish, Yellow Tang, Cardinal Butterfly, Purple Princess Anthia, Ancillaries Angel.
Tank has a couple of LPS but mainly surviving or dying SPS.
Params:
As of Sunday (return home from vacay)
Alk: 6.7 Normally steady at 8.3
Calcium: 475-500
Mag: 1480 - 1510
Phos: .09 (normally .04 - .06)
Nitrate: 50ppm (normally 10)
Salinity: 1.025 - 1.026
SO knowing that something happened which made my Alk, N and P fluctuate, my issue has been slowly creeping up.
Husbandry:
Weekly 10 gallon water changes, using Tropic Marin Pro Salt, sometimes slips to every other week. I make my own RODI water.
Fast Forward to Issue:
Circa April 2017, I noticed that while my N & P read low levels with up-to date test kits (Salifert and Hanna), I still had an issue with Hair Algae and starting to develop Bubble algae. I also noticed that the colors of some SPS were not where I wanted them to be.
Test 1: Upon the advice of one hobbyist; I tried dosing the stump remover remedy. While it raised my Nitrate, did nothing for my Phos. I increased feeding to fish and adding things like Phyto-feast or Oyster-feast. I even started spot feeding with Reef Chilli. Was told that increasing the levels of my N&P would slowly clear out my HA problem. Was also told to turn off my skimmer to every other day. Made this happen with the use of the great Apex.
Result: nothing really changed, and I think (again my opinion only after 3 months trial) this probably works better for heavily stocked and established SPS tanks.
Test 2: Another successful hobbyist informed me that there are (2) different types of algae. While these test kits detect some Nitrates and Phos, something was still fueling the established hair algae and now noticeable BA. Next advice was to stop the stump remover recipe and incorporate Bio-pellets and GFO to address the HA issue. Was also told to start slow and ramp up. For my tank, I should always keep it under the suggested. To treat the Bubble algae, use Vibrant.
Result: I started the Bio-pellet reactor first, and noticed that my HA basically disappeared, and the skim-mate was basically disgusting. I guess that was a plus. Then I also noticed that my SPS were starting to truly color up (YES!). A couple of weeks later, I added the GFO Reactor and noticed that the skim-mate was even more disgusting (WOW). All was good and even started using Vibrant, which over a month, pretty much took care of the Bubble (Triple YES!). I was noticing that my Phos and Nitrates stated to register now. My N were 2.5 - 5 and Phos .04-.06.
Now a month or two has past and out of no-where, these beautiful corals are now pail and some have died.
In this time, I also decided to clean out my CaRx because it looked a bit silt-ish in there which caused a fluctuation in Alk; addressed. Then later, changed bulbs and did not raise to light to help acclimate lumen; addressed.
So, I understand that perhaps, all the things in between may have caused my params to fluctuate and therefore cause my corals to react, but I also developed some brownish (rust color) algae, which some thought was Dino. I seriously cannot remember the last time I got that since my tank build.
Questions and Concerns:
GFO: Can GFO go bad? The recent one I used came from a package I bought some years ago. I have had some say yes (which is what I figured to be the case, but hey, I will ask). Then I have had others say no. While the person who told me no is in the business to sell things, it makes no benefit for them to lie, unless they are not THAT knowledgeable about this product. So be it. I have a new container coming in.
Could the over use of GFO completely pull out the good stuff to the point that it effected my SPS. Before you get mad and say, Read the other threads; I have. While there are great reads and awesome replies, way too many pros and cons.
Bio-pellets and Reactors:
Bio-pellets: I read on here and other places (for shame) that many people use when needed. I know of people who will keep them on continuously as they feed heavily. I will say that I have an auto-feeder on my system, happy fish, happy corals. My fish get fed. Can the pellets themselves be doing more harm than good? I also read that a cause of Dino can come from the presence Silica in your water. Could this have come from the addition of Bio-pellets to my reactor? At one point, reading of Phos was at 10; therefore, add more pellets. Nothing changing, a couple of weeks later; BAM 50.
Reactor: So another thing I have seen on here is that the reactor itself should be making the media tumble. My BM 130 was doing this until about a few weeks ago. Now, a tumble here or there of a couple of pellets. Thoughts?
Hanna Checker: I have always wondered this question and never asked. Here goes: I have the Hanna Phosphate Low Reader. I notice that when I run a test the first time, the number is high. I run the test again, and the number drops. Then I can run the test again, ant the number will be different. So basically, I take an average or get a similar number and use that. Is it just my checker or does this happen to others?
RODI:
How often should you change the RO membrane?
Again, I seriously apologize for the ramble, but it appears I can't get a good answer and I completely drool over other people's tanks and to wish to get to a stable point.
Thanks for reading and having the patience.
The history:
I am running a 90 gal tank with a +/- 20 gal sump. I would say with rock displacement etc...90 gal volume. It's been running since 1997 with a move in there. Up until recently, I was all about the gadgets that would make things easy. A year ago, I started concentrating on stability (which has brought some gains).
The Tank:
Lighting: (2) 250w 20k Radiums (changed mid October) pendants using (2) M80 Ballasts. (2) Actinic T5 DIY for supplement.
Sump (and contents):
R30 Sump, Lifereef Skimmer, Bubble Magus BM 130 Biopellet Reactor, Phosban running GFO, Mag 9.5 return pump, Geo 520 CaRx w/Planet Aquarium regulator
Fish: I used to have a variety, but thanks to the local power company, I was victim to an all-day power outrage. Did I have access to a generator; yes. Thanks to the continuous lies about that the power returning, my tank suffered a 24 hour outage which killed off 85% of my fish inhabitants.
Now: (2) clowns, A rabbit fish, Yellow Tang, Cardinal Butterfly, Purple Princess Anthia, Ancillaries Angel.
Tank has a couple of LPS but mainly surviving or dying SPS.
Params:
As of Sunday (return home from vacay)
Alk: 6.7 Normally steady at 8.3
Calcium: 475-500
Mag: 1480 - 1510
Phos: .09 (normally .04 - .06)
Nitrate: 50ppm (normally 10)
Salinity: 1.025 - 1.026
SO knowing that something happened which made my Alk, N and P fluctuate, my issue has been slowly creeping up.
Husbandry:
Weekly 10 gallon water changes, using Tropic Marin Pro Salt, sometimes slips to every other week. I make my own RODI water.
Fast Forward to Issue:
Circa April 2017, I noticed that while my N & P read low levels with up-to date test kits (Salifert and Hanna), I still had an issue with Hair Algae and starting to develop Bubble algae. I also noticed that the colors of some SPS were not where I wanted them to be.
Test 1: Upon the advice of one hobbyist; I tried dosing the stump remover remedy. While it raised my Nitrate, did nothing for my Phos. I increased feeding to fish and adding things like Phyto-feast or Oyster-feast. I even started spot feeding with Reef Chilli. Was told that increasing the levels of my N&P would slowly clear out my HA problem. Was also told to turn off my skimmer to every other day. Made this happen with the use of the great Apex.
Result: nothing really changed, and I think (again my opinion only after 3 months trial) this probably works better for heavily stocked and established SPS tanks.
Test 2: Another successful hobbyist informed me that there are (2) different types of algae. While these test kits detect some Nitrates and Phos, something was still fueling the established hair algae and now noticeable BA. Next advice was to stop the stump remover recipe and incorporate Bio-pellets and GFO to address the HA issue. Was also told to start slow and ramp up. For my tank, I should always keep it under the suggested. To treat the Bubble algae, use Vibrant.
Result: I started the Bio-pellet reactor first, and noticed that my HA basically disappeared, and the skim-mate was basically disgusting. I guess that was a plus. Then I also noticed that my SPS were starting to truly color up (YES!). A couple of weeks later, I added the GFO Reactor and noticed that the skim-mate was even more disgusting (WOW). All was good and even started using Vibrant, which over a month, pretty much took care of the Bubble (Triple YES!). I was noticing that my Phos and Nitrates stated to register now. My N were 2.5 - 5 and Phos .04-.06.
Now a month or two has past and out of no-where, these beautiful corals are now pail and some have died.
In this time, I also decided to clean out my CaRx because it looked a bit silt-ish in there which caused a fluctuation in Alk; addressed. Then later, changed bulbs and did not raise to light to help acclimate lumen; addressed.
So, I understand that perhaps, all the things in between may have caused my params to fluctuate and therefore cause my corals to react, but I also developed some brownish (rust color) algae, which some thought was Dino. I seriously cannot remember the last time I got that since my tank build.
Questions and Concerns:
GFO: Can GFO go bad? The recent one I used came from a package I bought some years ago. I have had some say yes (which is what I figured to be the case, but hey, I will ask). Then I have had others say no. While the person who told me no is in the business to sell things, it makes no benefit for them to lie, unless they are not THAT knowledgeable about this product. So be it. I have a new container coming in.
Could the over use of GFO completely pull out the good stuff to the point that it effected my SPS. Before you get mad and say, Read the other threads; I have. While there are great reads and awesome replies, way too many pros and cons.
Bio-pellets and Reactors:
Bio-pellets: I read on here and other places (for shame) that many people use when needed. I know of people who will keep them on continuously as they feed heavily. I will say that I have an auto-feeder on my system, happy fish, happy corals. My fish get fed. Can the pellets themselves be doing more harm than good? I also read that a cause of Dino can come from the presence Silica in your water. Could this have come from the addition of Bio-pellets to my reactor? At one point, reading of Phos was at 10; therefore, add more pellets. Nothing changing, a couple of weeks later; BAM 50.
Reactor: So another thing I have seen on here is that the reactor itself should be making the media tumble. My BM 130 was doing this until about a few weeks ago. Now, a tumble here or there of a couple of pellets. Thoughts?
Hanna Checker: I have always wondered this question and never asked. Here goes: I have the Hanna Phosphate Low Reader. I notice that when I run a test the first time, the number is high. I run the test again, and the number drops. Then I can run the test again, ant the number will be different. So basically, I take an average or get a similar number and use that. Is it just my checker or does this happen to others?
RODI:
How often should you change the RO membrane?
Again, I seriously apologize for the ramble, but it appears I can't get a good answer and I completely drool over other people's tanks and to wish to get to a stable point.
Thanks for reading and having the patience.
id you test nutrients after biopellets went in line and the ha died off? Yes I did. With the same test kit, I started to see levels rise or register in my water. Not sure why, but I did the same procedure all the time.
