Dave's 150G Starphire Zeo Reef~

[blk94rs]

Dave, Great thread/build! Yours and Sonny's treads have been a real inspiration for my new tank!

My tank has been up for 8 weeks, & I'm 6 weeks into Zeovit. My colors are starting to lighten/fade, and am not sure which additive to ad next...I am currently using the basis 4 plus K balance to keep my Potassium in check.

What was your next additive after the basic 4? What had the most impact on your colors? What is your current dosing schedule?

Here's a current pic of my new tank:

 

[JMalone81]

Looking good

 

[Dave's Reef]

Sorry to hear about the GHA issues Dave. It would be nice for you to document the before and after. Also have you vacuumed your sump lately? When I did it a few months ago, my nitrates dropped signifcantly afterwards. Good luck.

Thanks Dan, I'm pretty sure it's my own fault but... oh well.

I haven't vacuumed my sump but it looks pretty clean, I'll give it a try. Nitrates are reading at .02ppm currently on an Elos kit. Waiting for my new Hanna checker meter to arrive and get some updated Po4 readings. My guess is they're likely to be erroneous due to the GHA but we'll see.

Since getting the scoop on proper frozen food handling I'm guessing GHA growth should slow, hopefully to a halt.

I will document with photos but until I see some positive results I don't care to go there by posting up pics. I will definitely put up some before and afters once it clears.

 

[Dave's Reef]

I've heard a lot of folks rinse, but is it really that necessary? I feed 3 cubes a day, but I have never had any WQ or algae problems. I figured the fuge and GFO were doing a fine job.

I think cubes may be a different story, at least if you're talking about something like emerald entree or the like. Mysis and PE mysis should definitely be rinsed. That is my own experience and I think I've got a pretty good case to show for what happens if you don't. I was adding all the Selcon and vitamins too so it was even worse.

Since rinsing thoroughly and once again after selco and vitamins my skimmer doesn't get knocked out of commission anymore and the fish seem just as happy. Water looks notably clearer post feeding as well.

Just my .02

I feel your pain. Always wanted a Leopard Wrasse so I picked one up a couple of weeks ago. In my enthusiasm to make sure she eating well and enough, I went a little heavy handed with the feeding. And of course .... blam .... GHA. Now starts the road to eliminate it but I have only myself to blame.

Well chalk it up to another lesson learned in this patience testing hobby of ours!~ :twitch:

 

[Dave's Reef]

Dave, Great thread/build! Yours and Sonny's treads have been a real inspiration for my new tank!

My tank has been up for 8 weeks, & I'm 6 weeks into Zeovit. My colors are starting to lighten/fade, and am not sure which additive to ad next...I am currently using the basis 4 plus K balance to keep my Potassium in check.

What was your next additive after the basic 4? What had the most impact on your colors? What is your current dosing schedule?

Here's a current pic of my new tank:

Beautiful tank blk94rs!~ :thumbsup:

Thanks for the very kind and generous remarks. I don't quite think of my tank in Sonny's league just yet but your thoughts are appreciated.

I think your corals actually look pretty good but if you want to tweak the colors just a bit I would recommend trying Phols Xtra or Coral Vitalizer as your next additions to the basic four. I would check in with G. Alexander or Bob (Old Salt) over on the Zeovit forum for proper dosing info.

Additionally, I would recommend to just stick with one additive at a time for a few weeks until you can see what each addition does for you good bad or otherwise.

Do you have a build thread somewhere??? I'd like to follow your progress if possible. Very impressive results so far. Keep it up and let me know please.

Thanks and good luck!~

PS: my current dosing is just the basic four with CS and Zeozyme until my GHA clears back up.

 

[Dave's Reef]

Definitely try soaking your mysis and then rinse it through. You can use a small brine net or put the mysis in a ramakin and seperate the water by finger.. lol.

I use Immunstabil instead of Selcon now.. but I only use it every once in awhile.

THanks Jay for the feedback, I appreciate it!~

 

[Dave's Reef]

I went the oposite direction and stopped feeding all dried processed foods I just rinse PE mysis everytime I feed.

Good luck Dave :thumbsup:

Thanks Mark,

Duly noted and I have made changes to my feeding regimen!~

 

[v1...rotate]

Hey Andrew,

Yeah it's definitely a bummer, I really feel bad about the poor guy. I actually think I know when he jumped too. I heard a really loud SPLASH the other night after the lights were out but didn't think too much of it. I won't make that mistake again. Just wish I would have checked it out when I heard it. :mad2:

As far as No3 it reads within acceptable range .02ppm. Po4 has read 0.00 for some time on a LFS colorimeter but I haven't checked lately. I have one of the new Hanna Checker P04 meters on order and hopefully should get it soon. I do have an Elos Po4 kit and I get a flat zero reading with that. I presume whatever I get even with the Hanna will be erroneous though based on the GHA. Whatever Po4 that's present will probably get used up by the GHA.

I've been manually removing it for about 2 months now and it's really driving me nuts. Got new pics of the GHA into G. Alexander and am anxiously awaiting his battle plan. As for me I've switched back down to 250Radiums vs. the new 400's I got until this dissipates. Also, I have suspended all frozen foods until the algae is gone. Just flake's and pellets....

Thank you Dave for the detailed response.

It's sad about the fish. My misses has seen some pictures of beautiful wrasses but I quickly quashed that idea due to their jumping tendency plus our cat would definitely be interested in an extra meal.

I've been feeding some frozen cubes twice a week after rinsing with water and the remainder has been flakes/pellets and algae sheets. I also used to use Selcon on my old tank but noticed the skimmer went crazy after wards for a few hours plus also had GHA appear.

I plan on soaking some of my food in Marine C (Kent Marine brand) a few times a week but no more. I'm quickly learning how careful you have to be, especially with SPS involved. Thank you for the info!

 

[Dave's Reef]

Thank you Dave for the detailed response.

It's sad about the fish. My misses has seen some pictures of beautiful wrasses but I quickly quashed that idea due to their jumping tendency plus our cat would definitely be interested in an extra meal.

I've been feeding some frozen cubes twice a week after rinsing with water and the remainder has been flakes/pellets and algae sheets. I also used to use Selcon on my old tank but noticed the skimmer went crazy after wards for a few hours plus also had GHA appear.

I plan on soaking some of my food in Marine C (Kent Marine brand) a few times a week but no more. I'm quickly learning how careful you have to be, especially with SPS involved. Thank you for the info!

Hey Andrew,

I've actually started just feeding PE Mysis that's been thoroughly soaked then rinsed in RODI water prior to feeding. I also soak it in just a touch of Selco but then rinse once again before adding to the tank.

So far with this revised method I've noticed that the foam head on my skimmer doesn't budge at all and the water is much clearer. Additionally, the GHA seems to have slowed considerably. Just need to keep removing it and I have an Orange Spot Rabbit fish I'm adding next month to help out. In June I will add another Blonde Naso as well to help with natural predation of the bubble algae and GHA.

Your tank looks FANTASTIC by the way, I've been following you since day one and am truly impressed so far with what you've come up with. I absolutely LOVE your aquascape and coral placement so far too!~

 

[blk94rs]

Beautiful tank blk94rs!~ :thumbsup:

Thanks for the very kind and generous remarks. I don't quite think of my tank in Sonny's league just yet but your thoughts are appreciated.

I think your corals actually look pretty good but if you want to tweak the colors just a bit I would recommend trying Phols Xtra or Coral Vitalizer as your next additions to the basic four. I would check in with G. Alexander or Bob (Old Salt) over on the Zeovit forum for proper dosing info.

Additionally, I would recommend to just stick with one additive at a time for a few weeks until you can see what each addition does for you good bad or otherwise.

Do you have a build thread somewhere??? I'd like to follow your progress if possible. Very impressive results so far. Keep it up and let me know please.

Thanks and good luck!~

PS: my current dosing is just the basic four with CS and Zeozyme until my GHA clears back up.

Dave, I did a build thread on my local reef forum...here is the link if you would like to take a look: http://www.pnwmas.org/forums/showthread.php?t=15427

Do you dose amino acids at all?

 

[PowermanKW]

I think cubes may be a different story, at least if you're talking about something like emerald entree or the like. Mysis and PE mysis should definitely be rinsed. That is my own experience and I think I've got a pretty good case to show for what happens if you don't. I was adding all the Selcon and vitamins too so it was even worse.

Since rinsing thoroughly and once again after selco and vitamins my skimmer doesn't get knocked out of commission anymore and the fish seem just as happy. Water looks notably clearer post feeding as well.

Just my .02

Thanks Dave. I might have alk burned an Acro, or maybe too much GFO... don't know. Trying to look at the basics and consistency now that I have SPS dominate.

I feed 2 cubes of Emerald entre, and 1 cube of Mysis a day for my 90g. I have never rinsed, but also have never had algae or nitrate problems. Run carbon and GFO and even did less water changes cause my water was good. Use Merck PO4 kit and Seachem nitrate.

So I dose 2 part and have tried to keep it stable. Iwant to get some good habits and stability with the basics and see how my tank does. So I might even go back to weekly small WCs.

I guess I'm asking if my PO4 and nitrates are good. Cheato does not even grow fast in the fuge. Do some small regular WCs and keep chemistry stable...... how does rinsing fit into all that? I found it to be a pain when I tried it, but I will do something if it benefits the tank.

My understanding is you can introduce PO4 with food... so as long as my PO4 is in check I should be good. Even if my GFO would last a little longer.

 

[Dave's Reef]

Dave, I did a build thread on my local reef forum...here is the link if you would like to take a look: http://www.pnwmas.org/forums/showthread.php?t=15427

Do you dose amino acids at all?

Thanks blk... I was dosing AAHC but have suspended all additives except the basic four till my GHA clears up.

It's slowed in growth more notably than in some time since changing up my feeding regimen!~

 

[Dave's Reef]

Thanks Dave. I might have alk burned an Acro, or maybe too much GFO... don't know. Trying to look at the basics and consistency now that I have SPS dominate.

I feed 2 cubes of Emerald entre, and 1 cube of Mysis a day for my 90g. I have never rinsed, but also have never had algae or nitrate problems. Run carbon and GFO and even did less water changes cause my water was good. Use Merck PO4 kit and Seachem nitrate.

So I dose 2 part and have tried to keep it stable. Iwant to get some good habits and stability with the basics and see how my tank does. So I might even go back to weekly small WCs.

I guess I'm asking if my PO4 and nitrates are good. Cheato does not even grow fast in the fuge. Do some small regular WCs and keep chemistry stable...... how does rinsing fit into all that? I found it to be a pain when I tried it, but I will do something if it benefits the tank.

My understanding is you can introduce PO4 with food... so as long as my PO4 is in check I should be good. Even if my GFO would last a little longer.

How long have you been doing this routine you mention here? I went about 8-9 months before getting hit out of no where with algae problems. Tank was literally clean as a whistle till then, no problems whatsoever...

You may be alright for now but eventually it may catch up with you. Then again maybe not? However, for myself I will no longer add food (particularly PE Mysis or other mysis) without rinsing first. That's just what I've come to personally. To each his own, what works for one may not for another... all reefs are not created equal but do carry many similarities.

 

[PowermanKW]

How long have you been doing this routine you mention here? I went about 8-9 months before getting hit out of no where with algae problems. Tank was literally clean as a whistle till then, no problems whatsoever...

You may be alright for now but eventually it may catch up with you. Then again maybe not? However, for myself I will no longer add food (particularly PE Mysis or other mysis) without rinsing first. That's just what I've come to personally. To each his own, what works for one may not for another... all reefs are not created equal but do carry many similarities.

Thanks Dave. I didn't want to be obsessive about my food.... I make up for that everywhere else Anyway.... the over time part makes sense and rinsing is common enough and simple enough to put in the routine. The Emerald Entre may be hard cause it is sort of mush. but the Mysis for sure.

 

[rekn]

dave, on the PE mysis handling i ran into the same problem. was in a hurry and instead of rinsing like i normally do i just dumped the whole thing in...over night masive GHA =(.

 

[Dave's Reef]

Thanks Dave. I didn't want to be obsessive about my food.... I make up for that everywhere else Anyway.... the over time part makes sense and rinsing is common enough and simple enough to put in the routine. The Emerald Entre may be hard cause it is sort of mush. but the Mysis for sure.

Yeah, I'm only rinsing straight mysis or in my case PE Mysis. The emerald entree, angel & butterfly, etc... pre-made cubes I let thaw and only add 1 or 2 of each (alternating) a couple times a week to the PE Mysis.

dave, on the PE mysis handling i ran into the same problem. was in a hurry and instead of rinsing like i normally do i just dumped the whole thing in...over night masive GHA =(.

Well, I'm sorry for your troubles but glad to see I'm not the only one, lol!~ :lol:

Since making these changes my glass is staying cleaner longer, my skimmer isn't having to work as hard and I can "finally" see that the GHA isn't re-growing at the rate it was. If anything I finally get a sense that I'm gonna actually get past this!~ :hammer:

 

[Tony Romano]

Yeah, I'm only rinsing straight mysis or in my case PE Mysis. The emerald entree, angel & butterfly, etc... pre-made cubes I let thaw and only add 1 or 2 of each (alternating) a couple times a week to the PE Mysis.



Well, I'm sorry for your troubles but glad to see I'm not the only one, lol!~ :lol:

Since making these changes my glass is staying cleaner longer, my skimmer isn't having to work as hard and I can "finally" see that the GHA isn't re-growing at the rate it was. If anything I finally get a sense that I'm gonna actually get past this!~ :hammer:

I assume we are talking RO rinse...

Thanks

 

[Dave's Reef]

I assume we are talking RO rinse...

Thanks

RODI actually... if we're getting technical, lol!~ :clown:

 

[klepto]

Here is some excellent info on thawing Mysis. Granted, it is tailored for seahorses.. but none the less it is useful info. I thaw all frozen reef food in the manner he describes (with cold tank water) and then decant the solids with a baster after thawing/enrichment.

http://www.seahorse.com/index.php?o...Itemid=218&func=view&id=739&view=flat&catid=2

"Nor should you thaw it in tap water, distilled water, or any other source of freshwater. You want to thaw the shrimp in water that is about as salty as their own bodily fluids so there is little or no difference in osmotic pressure. Freshwater will tend to move into the mysids as they thaw and can break down their integument and rupture cell walls as they swell; excessively salty water will tend to draw water out of the Mysis as they thaw, desiccating them in the process. Normal strength seawater is just right for thawing."

As he explains, this will not only preserve the nutrition of the mysis, it will also reduce the excess oils that end up in your tank's water column.

 

[Tony Romano]

RODI actually... if we're getting technical, lol!~ :clown:

I stand corrected!! :lol: (I am same way, drives people nuts)

This is a very technical hobby, yesterday I was 100% worried about too much NO3 and PO4. This am I noticed some corals lighting up and others looking "hungry". I may have reduced nutrients too fast after the big tank rebuild of 2010!
Are you 100% ZEO? DO you have many fish? I am to point where I am wondering if my Tangs and Tigger are too much for zeo system alone. I can't stand starving them, I damn near killed them three years ago by undrfeeding.