Toomnymods
New member
a orange diamond goby and tiger tail cucumber and 2 sand sifting starfish in my tank keep my dino's gone from my sand bed.. looks crystal white just like when i put it into the tank..
drummereef's 180g in-wall build
- Thread starter drummereef
- Start date
psteeleb
Team RC
Thanks Pete.Still battling these stupid Dinos though. Don't really know what else to try at this point. Not a big deal, since they aren't in epic proportions as the pics show, but there's just enough to make the sand bed look dirty. They also cling to the glass a bit as well. Do you think time will just take it's course and they will eventually just go away or is there something else I can try?
they should go away as the sytem goes through all the cycles and matures, but can be a PITA untill then. Having a fuge (macro algea) should help but it still needs to run it's course. You could add a small fighting conch to eat the stuff but they pretty much only clean the sand bed.
drummereef
Team RC
Interesting... What do you think it is then? The stuff I have grows in strands and get's bubbles on it. It's not a severe case like you see in some people's tanks by any means, just enough to annoy me, and my corals. :lol:
Good suggestions Toomnymods. I've stayed away from the Diamond Goby simply because they tend to throw particulates into the water column, which can be annoying. But yes I had one in my old 40g and it did a great job. I'm not opposed to the tiger tail cuc, had one in my old 40g as well. Also did a great job but I was a little concerned about it starving over time. Do you have a SSB or DSB?
Good info... Over the last couple days I've noticed more of the stuff in the sump, in the "fuge" section. I guess the shop light has really fueled them. Will the Chaeto be OK if I turn the fuge light off for a couple days? I'll see if I can find a Fighting Conch too.
Toomnymods
New member
mine is a dsb about 5-6" of oolitic sand..
also have a fuge with chaeto and GFO reactor.. i think a combo of things really keeps it at bay..
also have a fuge with chaeto and GFO reactor.. i think a combo of things really keeps it at bay..
cromedogg33
Member
Brett,
So after 6 months I went to change my filters in my RO/DI and actually orderd a few more DI canisters so that I'm running almost 8 in series. I think I found some of my algae problems oddly enough. My system is hooked up basically identical to you. I was amazed to see my TDS up around 25 ppm.
Are you noticing any TDS creep from having your RO unit hooked up directly to your reservoir? My RO unit stays on 24/7 and definately is suffering massively from TDS creep. Have you checked yours lately?
So after 6 months I went to change my filters in my RO/DI and actually orderd a few more DI canisters so that I'm running almost 8 in series. I think I found some of my algae problems oddly enough. My system is hooked up basically identical to you. I was amazed to see my TDS up around 25 ppm.
Are you noticing any TDS creep from having your RO unit hooked up directly to your reservoir? My RO unit stays on 24/7 and definately is suffering massively from TDS creep. Have you checked yours lately?
psteeleb
Team RC
the cheato should be fine for a couple days without light but as long as the nutrients are there and the dinos are the primary consumer they will grow in the easiest place. IMO I'd just let them grow in the sump (rather then the tank) keep them in check until another cycle kicks in and helps consume the excess nutrients
drummereef
Team RC
Cool, thanks.
Wow, that's surprising after only 6 months. The TDS going into my DI stage is no more than 10 ppm and after the DI is 000. I don't run my RO/DI continuous... unless I forget for a day.
I usually only turn it on to fill the 5g top off bucket every couple days and/or to do water changes. I haven't noticed any significant creep or premature exhaustion of the DI resin by doing so. I check it frequently with the inline monitor, usually test every time I run some water. Thanks Pete. I'm considering buying a couple more balls of Chaeto to throw in the sump too. I'm not seeing any appreciable difference in NO3 levels with the modest amount of Chaeto I'm currently growing, and it's growing slower than I had expected. It's only 3 bucks a ball at the LFS so I could get a few more if you'd think it would help.
dzhuo
Active member
I would consider another type of macro. I don't believe your current nutrient level will be able to sustain healthy chaeto grow to outcompete the dino. Although adding more bio-mass (a few more chaeto balls) might increase its chance, the entire colony will also slow down. John (at reefcleaners.org) has a great article which he categorizes different macro according to grow and nutrient requirement. Chaeto is what he considered "consistent macro" which basically means it needs a consistent high level of nutrient to thrive. It's extremely efficient at absorbing N & P but once level drop down, grow also slow down significantly. It's not uncommon to heard stories of people wondering why their chaeto colonies which have been doing fine for a few months and then all the sudden stop growing and cover in cyano. I would suggest you try a "pulse macro" or "middle of the road macro" described below. Once you have a colony established, it should quickly outcompete the dino.
Stocking the Sump/Refugium
drummereef
Team RC
Interesting article dzhuo. My NO3 levels are steady at 15ppm, which is why I thought the tank could handle some more Chaeto. PO4 is still 000, but it's the nitrate I've been dealing with lately.
psteeleb
Team RC
I'm sure it would help but my experiance with macro algeas (although limited) is consistant with that article. Cheato just happens to be a very low maintenance macro algea but is not as good at excess nutrient removal as others. Regardless you may find you need to dose some chelated iron to help promote any macro growth, just a thought.
drummereef
Team RC
Chelated Iron... Care to expound?
Would dosing Iodine (Lugols) do the same thing? I don't know anything about chelated iron dosing. 
psteeleb
Team RC
Chelated Iron... Care to expound?
just an iron additive that makes it soluable in water
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_chelate
this stuff
http://www.marinedepot.com/Kent_Mar...pplements-Kent_Marine-KM3191-FIADMILS-vi.html
the last time I bought some was a couple years ago and it was just the Iron without manganese. I oly used it to jump start the macro algea in the fuge, I don't normally dose it
drummereef
Team RC
OK gotcha. I saw Microbe-Lift also makes a product too. Do you think it had a direct impact on your macros, specifically Chaeto? Obviously you recommended it so I'm guessing you thought it made a difference...
psteeleb
Team RC
I got substantial growth after using the product more so with caulerpa then the cheato, but still significant in both. That said the tank was young and there were a lot of other cahnges going on so the growth could very well have been influenced by something else.
drummereef
Team RC
Thanks for the info. I'll keep an eye on my Chaeto, if it doesn't pick up the pace in the next few weeks I'll look into adding some. Thanks Pete.
iwishtofish
Active member
Alright Brett, you're always tinkering with something! What's the latest?
Have you acquired any new corals or fish?
Have you acquired any new corals or fish?
drummereef
Team RC
Alright Brett, you're always tinkering with something! What's the latest?
Have you acquired any new corals or fish?
Sorry I've been away for awhile. Been crazy busy with work and other stuff... Nothing new to report as far as fish and coral go. This week I have been doing another lights-out period (again), since after adding the Chaeto I had another Dino bloom. Corals and fish are happy and staying feed, I've been turning the lights on for 30 minutes or so at night just to keep them feed. I'll try and get a FTS up later this weekend once I get the lights back on their normal schedule.
iwishtofish
Active member
Sorry I've been away for awhile. Been crazy busy with work and other stuff... Nothing new to report as far as fish and coral go. This week I have been doing another lights-out period (again), since after adding the Chaeto I had another Dino bloom. Corals and fish are happy and staying feed, I've been turning the lights on for 30 minutes or so at night just to keep them feed. I'll try and get a FTS up later this weekend once I get the lights back on their normal schedule.
Thanks for the reply - I can relate to the busy thing. And I'm sorry to hear the Dinos are persisting. I'm certain you will lick them (figuratively) eventually!
Looking forward to the pictures, as always.
Brett,
I've been following your build for the last year but never actually come out to congratulate you! It's so obvious how much time, thought and effort you put into every last detail of your build. I actually just finished my 120 in-wall build, and modeled it off of yours. The manifold is a phenomenal idea, and is so much better than 5 maxijets. I can't wait to see your tank grow out.
I've been following your build for the last year but never actually come out to congratulate you! It's so obvious how much time, thought and effort you put into every last detail of your build. I actually just finished my 120 in-wall build, and modeled it off of yours. The manifold is a phenomenal idea, and is so much better than 5 maxijets. I can't wait to see your tank grow out.
henrystyle
Member
I think the marco rock is the cause of all the algae blooms. Dead rock. No anaerobic bacteria. You should seed you tank with some bacteria. Its gonna take awhile until the tank matures and for bacteria to build up. Stop cleaning that sump. Your doing more harm than good. looks good but the tanks needs to mature.
