Eel Freak's 205g Build
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Eel Freak
Fimbriated Moray
Haha, well... I may have been loving the Brutes as a sump, but boy. After reading this: http://forum.marinedepot.com/Topic101230-9-1.aspx not so much. AT ALL.
I don't have a thriving pod population despite my 125g fuge, and I have had cyano/diatom algae since day 1. It thrives!! Not to mention that my phosphates always test.... No matter what. Done with them. I'm buying a 75g for myself for Christmas as a new sump.
I don't have a thriving pod population despite my 125g fuge, and I have had cyano/diatom algae since day 1. It thrives!! Not to mention that my phosphates always test.... No matter what. Done with them. I'm buying a 75g for myself for Christmas as a new sump.
Eel Freak
Fimbriated Moray
YES! It all makes sense!! I went back and checked my records... My first large tank (125g) was a resounding success for the first year or so. I had coralline to no end, I had every coral from Zoas to thriving Acros, it was great. And then, about a year ago, I began my ATO days and no longer used buckets and making 5g of RO/DI at a time. I used a Brute to store said water... Never again did I go without on a system (now they're even my sump!!), and every system since has been fraught with phosphate issues and coral problems. I have eliminated everything BUT that because it's so inconspicuous... I mean, it's the ATO, right?
Well, this all ends tomorrow. I'm picking up a 75g glass tank for my new sump at the LFS, and I'll just use a spare 20g tank or something to hold RO/DI water for top-off and do so as needed until I get a nice glass tank to fit up on my water tower.
The documentation of this transition begins.
Well, this all ends tomorrow. I'm picking up a 75g glass tank for my new sump at the LFS, and I'll just use a spare 20g tank or something to hold RO/DI water for top-off and do so as needed until I get a nice glass tank to fit up on my water tower.
The documentation of this transition begins.
Eel Freak
Fimbriated Moray
I settled for a 55g tank instead... I switched them out this morning!
All went well until the end... Plugged in the internal pump I planned on using and have had for years, and BAM. Shocked. Hard. Gotta love a GFCI though... So, I'm using another one that's smaller so I don't have tons of circulation flow between the display and sump. Might be okay since I have two MP40s. I can't feed my refugium with the pump though, so I have some powerheads in there until I get a small internal from the LFS tomorrow.
All went well until the end... Plugged in the internal pump I planned on using and have had for years, and BAM. Shocked. Hard. Gotta love a GFCI though... So, I'm using another one that's smaller so I don't have tons of circulation flow between the display and sump. Might be okay since I have two MP40s. I can't feed my refugium with the pump though, so I have some powerheads in there until I get a small internal from the LFS tomorrow.
Eel Freak
Fimbriated Moray
Just finished getting flow to the refugium again... Gonna go to the LFS to order a bigger pump for more flow to the DT and fuge tomorrow. Anyhow, it IS functional as of now.
SO. Here begins the numbers part of this stage of the project. This is all using API kits.
Display Phosphate: 2.0ppm
Direct from RO unit: 0ppm TDS, 0ppm Phosphate
In the Brute for a couple days: 1.0ppm+ Phosphate
Also, the water in the Brute tasted almost like it's chlorinated... Not sure why. But I eliminated that too and am using an old glass tank to store RO water. And so, I am officially Brute-free! Let's see what this does to the system! :fish1:
SO. Here begins the numbers part of this stage of the project. This is all using API kits.
Display Phosphate: 2.0ppm
Direct from RO unit: 0ppm TDS, 0ppm Phosphate
In the Brute for a couple days: 1.0ppm+ Phosphate
Also, the water in the Brute tasted almost like it's chlorinated... Not sure why. But I eliminated that too and am using an old glass tank to store RO water. And so, I am officially Brute-free! Let's see what this does to the system! :fish1:
Eel Freak
Fimbriated Moray
An update on my parameter correction saga...
Nitrates finally bottomed out at zero!! Woo! Gotta love Caulerpa taxifolia and its huge demand for Nitrate...
I also got my flow sorted out, as I got a Mag 18 from the LFS yesterday.
Phosphates. Well. 2.0ppm recorded 12/26. I got a Salifert kit for the system yesterday (12/27) and it read about 1.0ppm, whether from an inaccuracy in my API kit or a significant drop, I cannot say. I also picked up a bucket of Tropic Marin ProReef. I'll be using that as my new salt instead of Reef Crystals. I did a 30g water change last night...
Today, I did a 60g water change around noon. Phosphates tested out at around .75ppm. While at the LFS today, I picked up a bottle of Brightwell's Phosphat-E that's supposed to bind and remove Phosphates. I dosed for 280 gallons based on a calculation of .8ppm early this afternoon. It says it can cause a false positive test for Phosphate kits, but I get a reading now of around .15ppm. At this point the blues kind of run together... :spin2:
Needless to say, it's coming around... Hopefully the Phosphates stay down with all my Caulerpa.
Nitrates finally bottomed out at zero!! Woo! Gotta love Caulerpa taxifolia and its huge demand for Nitrate...
I also got my flow sorted out, as I got a Mag 18 from the LFS yesterday.
Phosphates. Well. 2.0ppm recorded 12/26. I got a Salifert kit for the system yesterday (12/27) and it read about 1.0ppm, whether from an inaccuracy in my API kit or a significant drop, I cannot say. I also picked up a bucket of Tropic Marin ProReef. I'll be using that as my new salt instead of Reef Crystals. I did a 30g water change last night...
Today, I did a 60g water change around noon. Phosphates tested out at around .75ppm. While at the LFS today, I picked up a bottle of Brightwell's Phosphat-E that's supposed to bind and remove Phosphates. I dosed for 280 gallons based on a calculation of .8ppm early this afternoon. It says it can cause a false positive test for Phosphate kits, but I get a reading now of around .15ppm. At this point the blues kind of run together... :spin2:
Needless to say, it's coming around... Hopefully the Phosphates stay down with all my Caulerpa.
Eel Freak
Fimbriated Moray
Phosphate crept up to about .05 or so earlier today. I haven't checked it since... I suspect that my rock may leach phosphates back into the water after being immersed in 2.0ppm or worse water for such a long time... If it comes to it, I'll resort to running GFO, but I'd like to limit the system to as much biological filtration as possible...
Some pictures! The tank is noticeably clearer.
FTS
A couple weeks ago, looking down the length of the tank:
And this morning (Kenya is closed in this pic for some reason, it's fine now):
Some pictures! The tank is noticeably clearer.
FTS
A couple weeks ago, looking down the length of the tank:
And this morning (Kenya is closed in this pic for some reason, it's fine now):
Eel Freak
Fimbriated Moray
My phosphates tested at .25ppm this morning... However, that is very likely due to the rocks having had phosphate bound to the calcium carbonate in them and now are leaching back into the water until an equilibrium is met. I dosed Phosphat-E just now to maintain low levels and promote leaching such that in time (hopefully soon!) the rock won't leach any more and my levels will stay low enough that the Caulerpa can handle it.
Eel Freak
Fimbriated Moray
Good news! My phosphates are holding down pretty low. Tested at about 0.03ppm this evening, and I haven't dosed Phosphat-E in a couple days. The rock is undoubtedly going to leach some back into the water, but my massive cyano outbreak is consuming that letting it stay low. Given more time, it should balance out. Cyano is only in the DT right now... It is waning though, in certain areas it has noticeably retreated...
muttley000
MTS Sufferer!
Good news! Love that view down the lenght of the tank! Someday 
Eel Freak
Fimbriated Moray
Some updated shots of the refugium, the algae has grown A TON.
Caulerpa taxifolia
No idea, two local varities though
Chaeto has darkened up and grown considerably
How I grow my Mangroves now that they have roots. It's a ~20" length of 4" diameter PVC pipe filled with sand. It acts sort of like a really long pot with an open bottom that keeps the roots of the mangroves underwater and the growth tips out. I've noticed awesome root growth and two of the propagules are beginning to sprout their first pair of leaves!!!
The necessary FTS:
Caulerpa taxifolia
No idea, two local varities though
Chaeto has darkened up and grown considerably
How I grow my Mangroves now that they have roots. It's a ~20" length of 4" diameter PVC pipe filled with sand. It acts sort of like a really long pot with an open bottom that keeps the roots of the mangroves underwater and the growth tips out. I've noticed awesome root growth and two of the propagules are beginning to sprout their first pair of leaves!!!
The necessary FTS:
Eel Freak
Fimbriated Moray
Some big changes still underway... Slow going though... The skimmer has been moved, creating space for a new addition to the system, which can be found here. Things are going pretty smooth now, phosphates seem to have held steady at 0.2ppm or so, I haven't dosed Phosphat-E in a while now, which leads me to believe it is my rock leaching back into the water... That's fine by me, as my refugium is growing voraciously, so it'll catch up to the demand soon, and if not, this new project will satisfy that. In addition, ALL of my Cyano has DIED. FINALLY. The display is CLEAN. I have coralline growing, I have less nuisance, and only a little bit of diatoms/brownish algae on the sand. That's all. 
FTS tomorrow, lights are off now...
Refugium isn't though!
FTS tomorrow, lights are off now...
Refugium isn't though!
Eel Freak
Fimbriated Moray
FTS from today!
Things are starting to look awesome, and coralline algae has taken off all over the rocks, especially the left side. Things are coming around... I picked up a small Orange-Spotted Diamond Goby to help keep the substrate clean as well as a Fire Shrimp, but both are too skiddish to allow for any good photography as of yet...
Things are starting to look awesome, and coralline algae has taken off all over the rocks, especially the left side. Things are coming around... I picked up a small Orange-Spotted Diamond Goby to help keep the substrate clean as well as a Fire Shrimp, but both are too skiddish to allow for any good photography as of yet...
