Introducing myself and lots of questions...

[scumbag_gli]

Hey guys! So I am pretty new here, always have used the forums, never have really joined and posted until recently. I wanted to introduce myself in this section, cause I am an SPS guy (at least I have become one recently) and am looking for some pointers.

Tank: 90 gal (3x2x2) acrylic
Sump: 30 gal
Lighting: 4 bulb & 1 bulb T5 units (until I order my 8 bulb ati unit)
Flow/Movement: MP40, 2 x Hydor 425, 800 gph return
Dosing: Calc, Alk, and Mag
Maint: 15-20% weekly water changes

Stock List: no fish (had a bad ich break out awhile back, and I decided to focus on coral for the next couple months
Inverts: 10 turbos, 5 hermits, 5 nassarius, 2 cleaner shrimp, 1 linckia star fish

CORALS: ALL SPS (branching, encrusting, rare and common) except 2 BTAs. Yes I know the risk involved, but they have been in my tank for over a year and have never moved.

So just last night, I added a Carbon & GFO reactor on my tank, without the GFO. I have read some horror stories on using GFO in sps dominant tanks and just am curious your guys opinion? The carbon is only 1/3 full in the BRS Reactor. I would rather under-shoot than over-do it.

I have been dosing strictly B-Ionic Calc, Alk and Mag and have seen good results, but nothing crazy. Levels have been pretty steady over the last 4-5 months...but is there anything MORE? Am I missing a key element that I should be adding to this tank? I used to add other "stuff" to my softies and lps tanks, but I have tried to keep it simple this time around.

Is 15-20% water changes weekly too much for my tank? Am I taking too much out of the tank on a weekly basis? As in nutrients, etc? I strictly use red sea coral pro salt.

I just set up a refugium in my sump the other day as well. Something I have been meaning to do for a long time, just never remember to buy the stuff when I am at the store lol. So my question, do you guys have a fuge? If so what do you keep? All I have now is a football clump of chaeto...was thinking about adding some LR and a small circulation pump in there as well.

Last thing...Last month I had a HORRIBLE cyano and hair algae break out. Thanks to chemiclean (i under dosed the heck out of it, only half the recommended) All of the cyano and 1/2 of the hair is gone. Now, I still have about 30% of the green chunky hair algae left...I usually dont like ALOT of CUC, so any other options here?

I appreciate your guys help. I will get some full tank shots up here shortly

 

[Browndawg80]

Welcome to Reefcentral. Sounds like you are well on your way already.

To answer your first question about the GFO a lot of folks around here use it and also try to measure their phosphate levels as well. Personally I believe in the K.I.S.S. method and don't fool with it. I think it has its place but it can also do some serious harm if you don't know what you're doing with it. I run my system bare bottom with strong LED lights and lots of flow and my SPS have excellent color and good growth in the 6 months that I've had it set up. I feed frozen food almost every day and have to clean my glass with my magnet probably every 2-3 days but like I said I've never measured my phosphate.

Like you I also use the ESV bionic in my system, my understanding is that it's the only product out there that also replenishes all the trace elements like strontium, boron, etc. so IMO you shouldn't have to be adding anything else at all.

As far as the WC's go I don't think changing 15-20 percent every week is going to hurt anything, IMO you could probably cut that back to every other week or every third week and be fine.

I use a 90 gallon tank for a sump which I keep another 20-30 lbs of live rock in along with a large handful of chaeto which doesn't really seem to be growing but isn't shrinking either.

Let's see that FTS soon and Go Browns!!

 

[ajcanale]

CORALS: ALL SPS (branching, encrusting, rare and common) except 2 BTAs. Yes I know the risk involved, but they have been in my tank for over a year and have never moved.

Not quite the threat you might think. BTA's are on the more docile side when it comes to stings. Whatever they settle next to will be at risk if there is frequent contact. If either happen to touch any form of (healthy) sps, regardless of genus or species, there will be little to no damage. When it comes to roaming if they brush up on a coral, it shouldn't be a big deal. I've kept multiple BTA's with SPS for quite a while, only losing one encrusting montipora colony, which took months to die off.

So just last night, I added a Carbon & GFO reactor on my tank, without the GFO. I have read some horror stories on using GFO in sps dominant tanks and just am curious your guys opinion? The carbon is only 1/3 full in the BRS Reactor. I would rather under-shoot than over-do it.

If you keep using GFO it might become one of those horror stories for you. Seeing as you have no fish you likely have no significant source of phosphates, as you are not feeding fish and therefore adding phosphates to the system. I suppose the one source would be feeding anemones and coral, but even then its relatively minimal. I would remove the GFO immediately, and keep it aside until there is a demand for lowering phosphates. When that time comes keep in mind that fresh GFO will lower/absorb alkalinity, especially considering phosphate is alkaline.
See more here: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2012/2/chemistry

I have been dosing strictly B-Ionic Calc, Alk and Mag and have seen good results, but nothing crazy. Levels have been pretty steady over the last 4-5 months...but is there anything MORE? Am I missing a key element that I should be adding to this tank?

Simple answer is No, but in reality, yes. Like mentioned above without having any livestock in the form of fish, you are not providing nutrients to the corals. While demand (phosphate and especially nitrate at low levels) for nutrients is small, it is demand nonetheless, and a necessity in my opinion.
There are also trace minerals that are used as coral grow. Given your frequency of water changes (more on that later), trace mineral levels should be a moot point.

Is 15-20% water changes weekly too much for my tank? Am I taking too much out of the tank on a weekly basis? As in nutrients, etc? I strictly use red sea coral pro salt.

Completely unnecessary, for the same reasons as stated above. One 15-20% change a month should be more than enough for now, even if only to replenish trace minerals.

So my question, do you guys have a fuge? If so what do you keep?

I don't run a fuge personally but did a while. I kept Chaeto as well. Some have said that only large fuges (think almost the same size as tank) can be truly effective, but in reality it depends on the bioload. A small fuge probably wouldnt be effective at removing nutrients from a high bioload system. In small spaces algae turf scrubbers probably outperform refugiums. Chaeto also removes requires iron and iodine (i think) to thrive, something to keep in mind.

Last month I had a HORRIBLE cyano and hair algae break out. Thanks to chemiclean (i under dosed the heck out of it, only half the recommended) All of the cyano and 1/2 of the hair is gone. Now, I still have about 30% of the green chunky hair algae left...I usually dont like ALOT of CUC, so any other options here?

Its hard to understand how you could have had outbreaks without any source of nutrients in the system... unless you are overfeeding SPS or anemones. Either way, I agree with your stance on CUC, and less is more sometimes. Tangs, pods, featherdusters, etc. have always been my main forms of CUC, rather than snails and crabs.

Hope that helps

 

[scumbag_gli]

You guys rock, thanks for all of the replies. I just took some FTS a few minutes ago, so I'll upload them shortly.

I decided against GFO for now, from more research I have done - seeing more nightmares then successful stories for SPA keepers. I kept my carbon only 1/3 full in the chamber to not over do it.

I set up my fuge this weekend, seems to be doing alright so far, but I deff need a better light for growth.

Now let me try to figure out posting from mobile hahaha

 

[scumbag_gli]

 

[scumbag_gli]

 

[scumbag_gli]

Getting over this huge algae issue has been rough, but I'm about 85% there...and corals are finally happy again. This little guy was looking super happy last night after my WC and dosing [emoji16]

 

[Oldude]

Getting over this huge algae issue has been rough, but I'm about 85% there...and corals are finally happy again. This little guy was looking super happy last night after my WC and dosing [emoji16]

Hydnophora - give it some space as they can be aggressive.