Englishrebel's 260 Gallon System Build

[EnglishRebel]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15226799#post15226799 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by edandsandy
Alan,
I know you have the best advisors on here (WaterKeeper) and I am no expert.... but, we too had a difficult time with our PH for a few months. I still think you are experiencing a new tank set up, and it will settle down, ours finally did.

You know Sandy, several people have said that to me. At the moment I'm having another small outbreak of hair algae on the rock at one end and the sand. I think it's because that end is exposed to the windows in the sunroom and gets more light. Tine for a Tang I think. Funny thing is, the PH was at 7.75 at 7:00AM and now it's 7.70 -- go figure.

 

[WaterKeeper]

:lol:

If I'm so great at this then Alan's pH should be rock steady at 8.2. I've thrown everything in my bag of tricks at the pH problem but the kitchen sink (hmm-I forgot about really high pH Liquid Plumber ).

I'm with you Sandy, the best course may be to give it some time. The pH is not in a critical area and Alan is adding mainly fish, not corals. I'd keep adding the KW at the rate you are using and see what happens over the remainder of the month. Just remember to keep track of the alkalinity as well as pH duing that period.

 

[edandsandy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15227759#post15227759 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by WaterKeeper
:lol:

If I'm so great at this then Alan's pH should be rock steady at 8.2. I've thrown everything in my bag of tricks at the pH problem but the kitchen sink (hmm-I forgot about really high pH Liquid Plumber ).

I'm with you Sandy, the best course may be to give it some time. The pH is not in a critical area and Alan is adding mainly fish, not corals. I'd keep adding the KW at the rate you are using and see what happens over the remainder of the month. Just remember to keep track of the alkalinity as well as pH duing that period.

See, that is exactly what I'm talk'in about!

 

[tonyf]

I'm with Waterkeeper ... give it time. So long as your alk and calcium is maintained and the pH doesn't have violent swings, all will be good.

pH in my tank often settles low at 7.75 / 7.8 during the day and then rises at night to 8.1 / 8.2 when the fuge light comes on. Sometimes it'll rise up to 8.4 and stay there for a few days at a time. I don't even try to understand it.

Tone

 

[EnglishRebel]

Okay I stopped dosing Lime water as it doesn't seem to have much effect. I'm just going to wait it out and see what happens.
Got a few new additions this last week. This is my Long Tentacle Anemone (macrodactyla doreensis) it's about 4" across . I didn't realize at first that this is a sand dwelling anemone which is why it would attach to a rock. I scooped little depression in the sand and put him in. Next morning he looked like he had burrowed a little deeper.

I also got a few more corals. This is a Cynarina (doughnut coral) it's quite large -- about 6" fully inflated).

I also hot a multi-head Candy Cane.

This is my outbreak of hair algae. It's on the rocks and the sandbed.

I got three Lettuce Nudibranches that seem to like the stuff but I think they are overwhelmed. It's mainly at the right end near the sunroom windows so it gets more light than anywhere else. I also got a Mithrax crab (Emerald crab). He started eating it too as soon as he went in but I haven't seen him since (must be under the rocks).

I'm still getting that white stringy stuff out of my pipes when I turn the main pump back on. When it blows out it gets broken up and scatters all over the tank. It got so bad that I stopped turning the pump off. I have no idea what it is but it's in all my supply pipes. I turned up the flow to the fuge the other day and it came out of that supply pipe. If anyone has any idea what it is I would love to know.

 

[Elliott]

the white stringy stuff is probably a bacterial bloom from a carbon source (dosing vodka or vinegar?) or precipitation from too much Kalk , either way won't hurt anything and if it's a bacterial bloom you will have xtall clear water afterwards

 

[EnglishRebel]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15270110#post15270110 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Elliott
the white stringy stuff is probably a bacterial bloom from a carbon source (dosing vodka or vinegar?) or precipitation from too much Kalk , either way won't hurt anything and if it's a bacterial bloom you will have xtall clear water afterwards

Elliott
I'm not dosing vodka but was using lime water. My Kalk at the last reading was 11.9 dKH. I did notice that in the area of the sump where I was dosing lime water, there was a lot of white stuff floating around. Didn't look the same as the stuff coming out of the pipes, more like cottage cheese. I netted it out. I've added filter screens to my Vortechs and they collect a lot of the stuff out of the water column.

 

[Elliott]

I noticed your ph went a little high due to Kalk, you are probably experiencing precipitation from that, again nothing to worry about, will resolve on its own, has happened to me several times

 

[rpeeples]

Like a carrot on the end of stick you have us anticipating your next communication to this build. Can't wait....please update us

 

[RGibson]

Alan if you used half-Knop Korallith and half Gen x crm media in your calcium reactor you would not need to add lime water to your tank to keep your ph up.

 

[GlassReef]

Hi Alan - long time no post (both of us ). Maybe you should think about setting up your Gro-Tech doser. All your Kalk, etc. problems will be over. Probably will even help your pH situation, if that still exists.

 

[AcroSteve]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15356677#post15356677 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RGibson
Alan if you used half-Knop Korallith and half Gen x crm media in your calcium reactor you would not need to add lime water to your tank to keep your ph up.

Got any more info on that?

 

[RGibson]

Steve the Knop Korallith coarse 15 lb is put in the calcium reactor first next Gen x crm is put on top thay are not mix togther.The reactor i used is a Geo 624. the PH at night and until the lights come on in the tank the next day 7.8 7.9 Nothing else is added to the tank water to keep the ph up.

 

[EnglishRebel]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15356677#post15356677 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RGibson
Alan if you used half-Knop Korallith and half Gen x crm media in your calcium reactor you would not need to add lime water to your tank to keep your ph up.

I don't have a calcium reactor -- I have a Profilux dosing pump for ALK CALC and MAG.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15356878#post15356878 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GlassReef
Hi Alan - long time no post (both of us ). Maybe you should think about setting up your Gro-Tech doser. All your Kalk, etc. problems will be over. Probably will even help your pH situation, if that still exists.

Tom
Yes I thought about starting dosing but my Calcium, Hardness, and Magnesium are all up to snuff. I'm going through a green hair algae and red cyano right now. I think I need to treat for the cyano and the Turbo snails and Lettuce Nudies are slowly getting the GHA under control. My LT anemone is surrounded by a ring of GHA and red cyano and has retreated into the sand bed. Didn't know they were sensitive to it.

 

[GlassReef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15371238#post15371238 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by EnglishRebel
... I'm going through a green hair algae and red cyano right now. I think I need to treat for the cyano and the Turbo snails and Lettuce Nudies are slowly getting the GHA under control. My LT anemone is surrounded by a ring of GHA and red cyano and has retreated into the sand bed. Didn't know they were sensitive to it.

Isn't reefing a treat?

 

[tonyf]

Alan, re your alage issues ... this is a normal occurence and so long as you look after the water parameters, it will subside in time. There is no escaping the need for the system to 'mature' on its own account as it develops the necessary bacterial equilibriums to sustain the bioload.

Tone :cheers:

 

[edandsandy]

+1 tonyf
our tank is still having alage blooms too!

 

[rpeeples]

+2 Tonf

the inevitability of reaching maturation.

Keep plugging away....

 

[RGibson]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15357443#post15357443 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by AcroSteve
Got any more info on that?

Steve i have found useing this mix i get more out put from the protein skimmer ,i am no sure why.
Ralph

 

[EnglishRebel]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15371333#post15371333 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GlassReef
Isn't reefing a treat?

Keeps me busy (and out of trouble)
Some reefing buddies and I went on another road trip Saturday to Richmond Va. We went to two stores (well three really but the last was a dive) but by far the best I've been to yet was Fish World on Busy Street. Joe Genero the owner runs a very nice clean store. They have quite a few large display only tanks -- one of which is a thousand gallons :eek2:. It has probably the largest clam I've ever seen outside of the boob tube. It must have been 3 feet long :eek1:
Their frag and fish collection are excellent. I was looking in one frag tank and poking it's head out from a mushroom was a Blue Spotted Jawfish. Now when I was first stocking my tank I really wanted a pair of these as they are quite beautiful but expensive (at around $150 each). The one Joe had was the last of four that he had in the store (he normally gets some in every week) was a bargain at $95. I kept going back to the tank and every time he would poke his head out and look at me as if to say take me home :rollface:
After the fourth or fifth time I finally told Joe that I had to have him. I also got a beautiful Crocea clam.
The Blue Spot has now taken up residence at the opposite end of the tank to the two pearly Jawfish that we have named Oscar and Felix The Odd Couple.
I'll take some photos when the Blue Spot comes out more.