Higher Calcium Level for SPS Growth? (vs Health)

[Wally.B]

"Tinker Town" will be "Doom Town", I have a better idea.

So I got the test frags at a very good Cash Price. But even these I couldn't bear to loose in an experiment heading towards doom.

I've been researching a lot on peoples Frag Tanks.
Sound like this isolated Frag Tank will be a failure.
No fish, NO Nutrients, and end result (with isolation/false nutrients) leading to brown corals and my personal depression at the end.
PLUS a "TRIPLE MAINTENANCE Nightmare" !!!

So I look at my sump room and realize I have room to setup the Frag tank over the Kitchen Tank Sump (after I did the recent swap of sumps).

It will be hooked up to my Kitchen Tank (Mixed/LPS) which I trust. Just the one 10 Gallon Frag area, and I keep the other as a QT.

Proof that SPS corals may survive is that small Frag I place in there, and it's doing better than any of my SPS Tank Attempts (long term).

All I need to do is bring down the NO3 which is current at 50ppm, down to a more reasonable number 25pm or a bit less.

But not much less since the Zoas, Acans, Frogspawn/Torches and other LPS have done well at higher Nitrate levels. Priority will be to keep that tank happy.

Plus I do feed that Tanks fish a lot (6 Blue Green Damsels, Algae Blenny and Long Nose Hawkfish).
And I target feed the various corals too.
So plenty of nutrients to run the SPS Frag tank.

Who knows these Frag might even do well. Much better chance then in the Isolated Frag tank.

If the Frags do well in the Mixed Coral System, I can frag them and test in the SPS tank.
AND IF things really go well. "I WILL JOIN THE TANKS into the one SUMP, and have the Large Capacity RLSS DB8i Skimmer running both".

But that DUAL TANK JOIN won't happen till the SPS tank get's stable and show some progress for quite some time (1 year minimal), since the last thing I want is my other tank to fail.

 

[Wally.B]

Conclusion for the SPS Tissue Necrosis. (Copper Mirror and Possibly Lower Grade Salt (AquaForest "Sea Salt" Label mistake??)

- So Initially the Test Kit came up vague with the Mirror Soak.

- Understood that Even undetectable levels of Copper could be harmful to corals and invertebrates.

- So I got a hermit and put him into the mirror water. (Hermit died in just two days)
- I checked Copper levels with Test kits again after more soaking (Now I see a very light blue). Test Kit picked up Copper this time.

While pondering about the Copper theory, I got a clue from my other tank.

Whenever I've done water changes, my LPS/Trumpets would always perk up the next day. (Last couple of water changes that didn't happen as much).

I then notice my AquaForest Salt from Last purchase. Something odd. The bucket is labelled "Sea Salt", but the Spec icons show like "Reef Salt". Sea salt is not bad salt, but lower Mag, lower K, etc. This explain my recent More drastic drops in Mag. BOTH TANKS, and a big drop when I started up the new Sump (Needing a lot new water).

(I've emailed Aquaforest to find out about the mis labeling)

So conclusion is I did a Double-Whammy on my tank. Copper and Trace Elements drop on SPS.

Here a photo proof.

So I got bent on removing that Mirror from Scrubber. Was easy. I remembered I didn't want it permanent. SO just lightly Siliconed in.

This picture shows how the Copper Film corroded on the Edges of the Mirror, and contaminated my Tank! Light behind the mirror is shining thru the corroded edges.

So time for some clean up:

- Will rinse rocks since Copper does settle.
- Will rise sump and clean.
- Will sweep substrate surface.
- Will run Seachem CurpriSorb to fine polish clean any remaining copper.

Will move beyond this Mirror Mistake for a hopefully last restart on this tank. Hoping the Frags grow so I can populate it eventually. (Actually will break off small SPS pieces to tes the tank readiness)

 

[gtareef]

Hey Wally,

I'm sorry about your loss. Don't worry I will take care of you when you are ready for more frags

Please continue with your tests because I'm sure we all can learn something from you. I know I did

Thang

 

[reefmutt]

Hey Wally, just read through your latest copper issues. Very interesting.. I never new about copper on the mirror film.
You could throw a Poly Filter pad or two in the system to try to extract dissolved copper. Copper seems to be absorbed by rocks and silicone in the tank so can take a bit of time to build up to toxic levels.
It can also take a bit of time to remove all the copper because of this as well. The Poly filters can be good for this or Seachem's cuprizorb resin..
Edit: just noticed you mentioned cuprizorb..

 

[Wally.B]

This Thread will be coming to "An End"

Yes, the latest mistake "Self Inflicted Copper Contamination" was my biggest mistake thus far.

No, I'm not giving up.

But I am going to start from scratch (really from scratch).

Just spent Friday preparing, and Saturday did a major overall.

No way I was going to let "Copper in system" Haunt me this Halloween or in the future.

THIS IS WHAT THE OVERHAUL WAS: (Done slowly, and carefully)

- I took the whole Tank Apart, and scrubbed everything clean (to rid of any possible Copper settling" anywhere.)
- Siphoned off 1/4" of Sand Bed, both in Tank and Refuge.
- All rocks any corals fragments scrubbed/scraped to bare rock. Tripple rinsed and dipped in stages of old, and new water.
- I drained the sump and cleaned it like new.

- I filtered the water I was going to keep (thru sock with Carbon). (I kept 30% water since didn't want a 100% Water Change). Tank will cycle but hoping minimal and quick.
- All new water was made from a bucket of Tropic Marine Pro (Salt I trust)

- Running Fresh GFO in Reactor to polish any remaining Copper.
- Small baggies of Carbon in various stages of the system
- Waiting to get some CurpriSorb or Triton Detox for extra Copper removal

- System is back online (Kickstarting things with the following)
---- Algae Scrubber fixed and fully online. Clean but Mature screen in place so working.
---- Added a bottle of Doc's Eco Matter Copepds and Rottifers
---- Adeeded bottle of Doc Eco Bytes Live Phytoplankton
---- Drop Dosing AquaForest BioS
---- Drop Dosing AquaForest Pro Bio-S
---- DropDosing AquaForest -NP Prod

The New Frag Tank is running and it will be used for bringing in new Frags into this Tank, but new Frags will be acclimatized to the Custom Led Lights that are in Frag tank and Display tank.

I'll be posting pictures of the new setup once things clear up, and as Tank hopefully stabilizes. Hoping for no fish loss during this System Shock.

Once the New Tank Setup reaches some stability, THIS THREAD WILL BE ENDED and I'll START A NEW THREAD..

I think I've learned a lot over last two years. Which I will reference a lot.
Done possibly everything wrong possible.

I believe I have a superior setup compared to when I started two years ago.

So hoping for a brighter, more positive and successful future.

STAY TUNED!! More to come.

Wally B.

 

[Wally.B]

So the Black Capped Basslet is gone. Darn!!

At first I thought is was something I did during overhaul. I checked all around tank and siphon buckets. No sign. Photo's of empty tank show him missing.

However, after thinking back I haven't seen him for a while.
Reviewing Photo's, the last time he was seen was Sept 25th. So he must have died sometime afterwards. No sure why. Did Blue Chromis kill him? Probably not, they got along.

Too bad, my fish load is now smaller.

Last time Lesson #1 : More Fish is the first thing I plan to address in this tank. (Proper Quarantine for sure.).

I can confidently add more fish since I have a Very Effective Nutrient Export System (Well designed Sump, Bio Filter, Working Skimmer, and Algae Scrubber, plus good In-Tank and Return Circulation/Flow)

 

[Scorpius]

Been dealing with aefw in my system currently. Needless to say I will quarantine everything from now on. Lesson learned the hard way. At least now I'll learn how to eradicate aefw. Sorry to hear you're restarting from scratch.

 

[Wally.B]

The New Rock Scape after Overhaul (Still Clearing up)

I learned a lot about what works good with my Rock Scape.

What may look idea initially, doesn't work for the long run.

So this setup is SO-SO, but once Corals are in things will fill in over time.

Since more fish is plan, I used up a good portion of Rock for a Solid, latticework foundation. For the fish to have their places to hide and sleep.

I left plenty of room all around for easy maintenance and glass cleaning.

The Gyre setup will no longer be TOP Down. That shifted the sand too much.
Will try side mounting the two Gyre's to create a swirl around flow.
I Rio pump will be center for top-down.
Plus the Sea Swirl on Variable Speed Return does a good circulation mix.

Leaving space at back for some coral growth as well.

I can tell Fish are Enjoying the variety of swim places and room to swim all around.

 

[Wally.B]

Hey Wally, just read through your latest copper issues. Very interesting.. I never new about copper on the mirror film.
You could throw a Poly Filter pad or two in the system to try to extract dissolved copper. Copper seems to be absorbed by rocks and silicone in the tank so can take a bit of time to build up to toxic levels.
It can also take a bit of time to remove all the copper because of this as well. The Poly filters can be good for this or Seachem's cuprizorb resin..
Edit: just noticed you mentioned cuprizorb..

Can't find either (Poly Filter, or Cuprizorb) at any LFS, except online.

However I did drop by a LFS having a 40th Anniversary Sale (Big Als).

- Noticed "KENT Regenerable Toxic Metal Sponge". Just as good as Cuprizorb, so I'm running some thru Sump Sock Section.
- And I did pick up two fish (A Multi Color Fairy Wrasse, and a Tomini Tang). Nice variety for tank (and if I do proper QT then it will be close to Christmas before this go in, so want to get something in tank soon for nutrients. Also replacement for Missing Black Cap)

 

[Wally.B]

Hey Wally,

I’m sorry about your loss. Don't worry I will take care of you when you are ready for more frags

Please continue with your tests because I'm sure we all can learn something from you. I know I did

Thang

Hey Thang (GTA).
Looking forward to some new start frags, once things are safe.
You have some high quality dream frags, that I wish I could have in my future tank.
Not quite yet, but hopefully in a few weeks.

 

[Wally.B]

Aquaforest "Sea Salt" Update (Corrected Labeling)

So I have been in contact with Aquaforest. They replied saying they corrected the "Sea Salt" labeling, to no longer include the "LPS" & "SPS" logos. The "Sea Salt" version of their salt is Low on Micro-Elements. Thus the reason I saw the no-improvement on my Water Changes in my LPS stable tank. I'm pretty sure this salt didn't help when I used a large quantity of it for swaping in the new Sump. (Double whammy is confirmed). That salt did come in handy since I used it for final rinsing of rocks, before going back into the tank.

They apologized for my inconvenience and are shipping me a replacement bucket of "Pro Biotic Reef Salt" for free.

 

[shih87]

Man!!! Got to spend more time read through your lately development and findings.... Too many good stuff here. Thanks for sharing...

 

[Wally.B]

Man!!! Got to spend more time read through your lately development and findings.... Too many good stuff here. Thanks for sharing...

Hey Shih,

Enjoy the reading, and feel free to add any comments, corrections to my next attempt. (Which I will be documenting over next while).

Actually over the last while I've been digging through your threads and cherry picking out good ideas. Even before you got crowned TOTM. Using many of your approaches, especially automation, and hoping to get some SPS corals to be like yours someday. You actually have me believing I can dose some additives to add some punch to my coral colors. BUT....First I have to keep my SPS corals alive .

 

[Wally.B]

Tomini Tang in QT

So the Tomini Tang has quickly adjusted after a few hours. Eating flake, Frozen Brine, and pecking a the few Live Rock pieces I added to the Frag/QT tank.

I love Tangs, and my Yellow is my Favourite.
Hoping the Tomini get's along once he is in Tank. (I've never seen one before, so it's exciting).

My Spot Breast Angel has similar Colors, but I hope the different Species/Shapes keeps things friendly.

The Angel is quite assertive and doesn't allow the Blue Green Chromis to bother him at all. They scrap a bit and move on.

The Multi-Color Fairy Wrasse is beautiful. He was the nicest of all the selection at the store. Not a juvenile like the Tang, so acclimatization may be a challenge.

He's still hiding under the rock, and I'm being patient for him to come out.

 

[Wally.B]

Been dealing with aefw in my system currently. Needless to say I will quarantine everything from now on. Lesson learned the hard way. At least now I'll learn how to eradicate aefw. Sorry to hear you're restarting from scratch.

Knocking on Wood. Probably the only thing I haven't gotten is AEFW. Sorry to hear, but I hear it's tough/hard work. Can't offer any advice since I never been down that path. All the best on your challenge.

I don't mind this restart. That dragged out constant adjustments, and bad luck journey wasn't fun. I was patching constantly. This time I'm a bit more prepared for the expected and the unexpected.

 

[Scorpius]

Knocking on Wood. Probably the only thing I haven't gotten is AEFW. Sorry to hear, but I hear it's tough/hard work. Can't offer any advice since I never been down that path. All the best on your challenge.

I don't mind this restart. That dragged out constant adjustments, and bad luck journey wasn't fun. I was patching constantly. This time I'm a bit more prepared for the expected and the unexpected.

I took all my acroproa out of my main display so it'll sit fallow for 6-8 weeks.

Acropora are in their own separate quarantine setup and I'm dipping twice a week with Bayer,

 

[Wally.B]

The NEW In-Tank Circulation Setup (Two Wave Pumps - Gyre & Jebao)

With the centered Island Rock Setup, I changed things from Top Gyre Circulation.

Didn't like the Top Gyre Pushing my sand around from one side of tank, exposing Glass Bottom.

- Gyre XF150 is Running on IceCap Controller via Apex. (A few Profiles scheduled thru day) [Single Direction Only]

- Jeabo CP-25 is running [Variable Wave] but on Apex ON/OFF timer for quiet time.

- The Rotating Sea Swirl on a Dual-Y Coupler is running off DCWavline 10000 (Controlled Variable Speed via Apex)

I had to Tilt the Gyre to get it higher at the Overflow box (to avoid blasting Sand around), but it's actually nice since at angle I bounced the flow off back glass wall.
This causes a corkscrew effect on the water column, and no laminar flow hot spots (Especially when all 3 circulation feeds are crashing into each other randomly) .

Pumps are nicely hidden, especially when I sit working in office (Left of tank)

With full control over Return flow-SeaSwirl, Left flow, and Right Flow I can customize various water movements.
One mode I'll program after some careful observation is a Weekly Tank Power Wash.
Plus I can really quiet things down to let fish sleep, but NOT STOP any of the Powerful circulation pumps.

Not sure if I need to put back the Single Korallia Pump in the Center after observing the improved overall water movement. (kind of an eye sore).

 

[Wally.B]

TICKING TIME BOMB (High Nitrates in Mixed LPS Tank)

So this is about my Mixed LPS/Zoa/Acan Kitchen tank.

It was plague for years with Hair Algae problems. Those problems went away when I removed my MH lights and convert to T5/LED, along with a Tank Scrub.

The tank has been doing very well over last year or so.

But I've have been concerned with High Nitrate levels (25-50ppm), yet the Zoa's, Acans etc seem to love these conditions.


I feed like crazy, (both fish and corals), and have been lucky no nuisance algae has come up.

However recently I have noticed a patch of this Algae growing where it always has grown. (It is contained to one rock, as always). This look like a Macro Algae (Turf I think). Easily removable.

I am afraid to prune/remove it, since I think it's controlling things.

I am afraid to lower Nitrate too much since that could hinder the Coral conditions which appear to be ideal for these kind of corals.

I am thinking or moving my Santa Monica Scrubber (which I don't need with New In-Sump Scrubber) over to this tank.

Plus work on some Nitrate reduction strategies (water changes, Nitrate reduction products (AquaForest ProBio-s, -NP, and Probiotic Salt). I even thought about setting up a PhosBan reactor with "Two Little Fishes NPX Pellets", but got scared reading about other related problems.

Any thoughts?

 

[Wally.B]

NEW Fairy Wrasse is OUT in QT TANK (Tang is Eatting, will he?)

He is out. Wow, started eating right away. Eating Gut Loaded Frozen Brine Shrimp.

 

[Wally.B]

QT-Frag Tank Improvement (Bit of Territory War Going on) - In Bare Tank

The Tang and Wrasse are getting along, but there was constant shoving who get's the Single Live Rock piece.

Plus Wrasse got stuck under the Egg Crate Floor .

This bit of QT Dress Up has helped. Everyone has their own spot.

It's going to be a many weeks in QT so Everyone needs their space.