DrPheel
New member
Hey RC ! Quick update on my progress :wavehand:
Mr Gramma is doing great and enjoying the rock work , I see him every day in a new spot exploring the tank. I guess for now since he is alone he thinks he owns the place. I finally got to set the 2x maxspect on a custom ramp up maxing out at 45% white and 60% blue for 2hrs. Going to take it slow to ramp up the power and evaluate coral response. All the store I get my frags from is either running MH's or Radion's so my guess is that the coral are used to heavy lighting but since they get stressed with move and the change in water parameters I rather take it slow. I did notice a little Diatom bloom in the last few days on my glass and rocks and I guess that comes from the lights / sand / rock leaching some silicate and phosphate. I double tested my RODI output and I'm still at 0PPM so nothing is coming in from the outside at this point, and I would doubt that the light feeding I do is causing a issue. I feed the Gramma once a day alternating from pellets to frozen and the LPS get fed when lights go out and feeder tentacles are exposed about twice a week. I did 2 water changes since the cycle ended to get salinity up a bit slowly from 1.022 to 1.024 and at the same time I suspect it will dilute some of the silicate and phosphate from the sand and rock even tho I washed the sand and dipped the rock for a few days in RODI with a HOB running carbon, floss pad, heater and a powerehead. Hopefully it will clear up in a few days or I will make a cover for my overflow and get a few snails to munch on the growth. Don't want to risk one clogging my overflow :debi: And since I will be running a low nutrient system I don't think il need snails in the long run , I just see them as a opportunity to block my overflow in search of a food source.
Got a few more frags that I will update with pics once I get time to snap some :spin2: I got a nice encrusting Acan colony that I will more then likely try and trade for some of the stalky puffy type. and I got 4x frags from the LFS ( Orange Acan - Light blue w/ orange mouth Chalice - Zoo's and some type of small encrusting flower that I did not find the name yet ) I have placed the frags that I had previously got on the live rock in the tank , removing them carefully from the plugs and superglueing them to the rockscape as I dislike the look of frag plugs / discs. I did have to leave some on the discs because they were impossible to remove so I cut the mounting foot underneath to make it look like a disc.
I also sat down at work and read the whole thread on SWC skimmers and ended up adding 1in of water in my sump. I am so amazed by the results :celeb1: I am getting much better control of the water level and foam head. and I also notice much better skimmate and the ability to make it a little dryer to suit my skimming style. The performance also seems to be less affected by the water evaporation ( yes, I know, I'm getting a ATO soon :beachbum: )
This is all for today folks ! Happy reefing to all :lol2:
Mr Gramma is doing great and enjoying the rock work , I see him every day in a new spot exploring the tank. I guess for now since he is alone he thinks he owns the place. I finally got to set the 2x maxspect on a custom ramp up maxing out at 45% white and 60% blue for 2hrs. Going to take it slow to ramp up the power and evaluate coral response. All the store I get my frags from is either running MH's or Radion's so my guess is that the coral are used to heavy lighting but since they get stressed with move and the change in water parameters I rather take it slow. I did notice a little Diatom bloom in the last few days on my glass and rocks and I guess that comes from the lights / sand / rock leaching some silicate and phosphate. I double tested my RODI output and I'm still at 0PPM so nothing is coming in from the outside at this point, and I would doubt that the light feeding I do is causing a issue. I feed the Gramma once a day alternating from pellets to frozen and the LPS get fed when lights go out and feeder tentacles are exposed about twice a week. I did 2 water changes since the cycle ended to get salinity up a bit slowly from 1.022 to 1.024 and at the same time I suspect it will dilute some of the silicate and phosphate from the sand and rock even tho I washed the sand and dipped the rock for a few days in RODI with a HOB running carbon, floss pad, heater and a powerehead. Hopefully it will clear up in a few days or I will make a cover for my overflow and get a few snails to munch on the growth. Don't want to risk one clogging my overflow :debi: And since I will be running a low nutrient system I don't think il need snails in the long run , I just see them as a opportunity to block my overflow in search of a food source.
Got a few more frags that I will update with pics once I get time to snap some :spin2: I got a nice encrusting Acan colony that I will more then likely try and trade for some of the stalky puffy type. and I got 4x frags from the LFS ( Orange Acan - Light blue w/ orange mouth Chalice - Zoo's and some type of small encrusting flower that I did not find the name yet ) I have placed the frags that I had previously got on the live rock in the tank , removing them carefully from the plugs and superglueing them to the rockscape as I dislike the look of frag plugs / discs. I did have to leave some on the discs because they were impossible to remove so I cut the mounting foot underneath to make it look like a disc.
I also sat down at work and read the whole thread on SWC skimmers and ended up adding 1in of water in my sump. I am so amazed by the results :celeb1: I am getting much better control of the water level and foam head. and I also notice much better skimmate and the ability to make it a little dryer to suit my skimming style. The performance also seems to be less affected by the water evaporation ( yes, I know, I'm getting a ATO soon :beachbum: )
This is all for today folks ! Happy reefing to all :lol2:
The Gramma does not like the Darwin for some reason as I have seen him puff up his mouth and charge him a few times but nothing major. I was able to get my salinity back to its target of .024 with some gradual water changes. My ATO is in the mail and I'm waiting for it to get it hooked to my TOM's aqualifter pump. I also got some coral food from Polyp-Lab. I got reef roids and the polyp booster and WOW , what a instant feeding response from the corals :eek1: Here is how it works ; You drip 1ML of Polyp-booster in the DT with only powerheads on ( no sump / skimmer / return on ) and wait 4-5 minutes to get full polyp response before you turn off powerheads and feed your mix of food or reef roids mixed in tank water. Since feeding polyps are extended the coral are much more prone to the intake of food. I have only feed once and I will try to do it twice a week and monitor growth. No new frags since most LFS in my area are in the dead season but hopefully it will pick up in the next few months with the fall season. I Will get some pics for the next update when I install the ATO and now its time to enjoy my labor day long weekend 
the dusk to dawn effect is in fact one of the options that pushed me to fork out a few more bills for some good lights. and with the deal I found online , I could not say no to those lights! 
Unfortunately our dollar is not that strong and with the custom changes on import you either end up loosing or close to what you pay locally or at a Canadian online retailer. That deal was in fact a steal for 300$ but the seller on the forum had one request ... that the deal for this price would also provide a good home for his 7 year old matted and spawning clowns and the possible shipping of them to BC when he settles in next year in his new house. for now they are in my friends frag tank and we will try to setup a small tank with a clay pot and try to get them spawning again 
