Mhucasey's SPS obsession

[mhucasey]

Groovy stuff Matt!

Thanks Greg!

 

[Piper27]

The yellow dragon is a beauty, that's the one I have too. Looking forward to updates!

 

[mhucasey]

The yellow dragon is a beauty, that's the one I have too. Looking forward to updates!

Yeah, its pretty awesome, I love the way the tips almost look translucent. Updates are not a problem, I love being able to ramble on about reef stuff on the thread

 

[DamonG]

Hi.

Quick question, and I know it is going to vary, but how soon did you begin to notice the effects of the KC, either on algea or increased color? Or, what were the first things you noticed to say "Hmmnnn, something is different here".. I am going to ask on biggles thread also. But I'm a few days in, and just want to be on the lookout..

I'm dosing Lugols and the KC. 4 drops of Lugols and 2ml of KC on 210 gallons twv..

Thanks a ton..

Lol, I'm posting on all you guys threads to just find out as much as I possibly can..

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[mhucasey]

Hi.

Quick question, and I know it is going to vary, but how soon did you begin to notice the effects of the KC, either on algea or increased color? Or, what were the first things you noticed to say "Hmmnnn, something is different here".. I am going to ask on biggles thread also. But I'm a few days in, and just want to be on the lookout..

I'm dosing Lugols and the KC. 4 drops of Lugols and 2ml of KC on 210 gallons twv..

Thanks a ton..

Lol, I'm posting on all you guys threads to just find out as much as I possibly can..

Sent from my SM-N920F using Tapatalk

I don't use KoralColor or Lugols, sorry

 

[DamonG]

I don't use KoralColor or Lugols, sorry

Sorry,I thought you did...

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[Reefvet]

ReefVet!!! Welcome back! While the tank actually looked really good after the few Alk adjustments, I went ahead and changed out 25 gallons of water this evening.

Hah! Thanks. Yeah research is notching up in my field with the Great Barrier Reef suffering the worst bleaching in history. So I'll continue to be scarce around here but it's fun to see what you, Biggles and Sahin have been up to.

Glad to hear you did that water change. It's still one of the best practices in reef tank husbandry.

I won't be dosing any Strontium in the near future and I'll follow a modified version of Joes plan, turning the calcium reactor down to where it won't keep up with Alk demand and making up the difference with two part until the Calcium and Magnesium levels are where they should be.

Be sure to check the pH in the reactor and in the effluent as you reduce it's output. Don't create a slurry in the reactor by accident.

That particular media is being mined half way around the planet from where your corals are native. I'm sure it was picked because an assay indicated good levels of Strontium.

 

[mhucasey]

Be sure to check the pH in the reactor and in the effluent as you reduce it's output. Don't create a slurry in the reactor by accident.

That particular media is being mined half way around the planet from where your corals are native. I'm sure it was picked because an assay indicated good levels of Strontium.

I have a probe inside the reactor, so I can see pH at all time and shut down CO2 automatically if it goes too low. I use a peristaltic pump to pull water through it and was only able to slow the flow down from 33mL/min to 27mL/min as that was the lowest speed setting the pump would achieve. It hasn't affected the pH inside the reactor much, but I will keep an eye on it.

 

[Acronic]

What I have done many time is turn down the Ca reactor to almost nothing, just so you have some effluent coming out, just to keep some circulation going. Then dose alk only for a while and keep testing while the Ca gets to where you want, then dose alk and Ca (calcium chloride) till the Mg comes down, then turn the ca reactor back on.

I would shoot for 430-450 Ca and 1400 Mg.

Sorry I missed your question Matt, been swamped.

This is what I would do also.

Often I find this happens after a big clean. Even just removing coraline or bio film seems to trigger these fluxes for me sometimes. It's a constant struggle even though I test daily for alk, cal and mg. this is why I chose using a dosing pump over a carx. I try to keep balanced doses but like the ability to tweak when needed. Also I didn't like the PH tax of a carx but it's still a great piece of equipment.

 

[Acronic]

Oh and I wanted to mention that this could be in conjunction with your mn dosing.

The corals may just be over excited about this new ion and spending all their energy showing it what an awesome host it can be. Lol.

Don't sweat it really. Things look great. I would like to see some pics of the abnormal growth if you have any though?

 

[swk]

With a quality calrx media, like reborn, most trace element dosing shouldn't be needed

I've never had it raise mag in my tank and have never had things go out of balance. I would think it has to do with some of your other additions to the water. Just my 2 cents.

 

[mhucasey]

Sorry I missed your question Matt, been swamped.

This is what I would do also.

Often I find this happens after a big clean. Even just removing coraline or bio film seems to trigger these fluxes for me sometimes. It's a constant struggle even though I test daily for alk, cal and mg. this is why I chose using a dosing pump over a carx. I try to keep balanced doses but like the ability to tweak when needed. Also I didn't like the PH tax of a carx but it's still a great piece of equipment.

This high Magnesium has just been lingering and stuck at 1500 for 5+ months, its not a rise, just to clarify. I scanned through a lot of threads about this issue and collected all the things that could be contributing factors around the central ion imbalance issue.

These are the two most affected corals:

I had low Potassium(~375) that I corrected a week or two ago as a possible contributing factor.
To combat the bubbling specifically, I reduced NP Pro dosing to the recommended daily dose per AF recommendations, discontinued Strontium dosing, and reduced flow(I forgot that I had upped it two weeks ago.)
To correct the ion imbalance, I started dosing Sodium bicarbonate solution while reducing CalRX output. Finally, I did a 25 gallon water change Wednesday night after a few days of implementing the other measures. By the time I did the water change, I was already seeing improvements in the corals. That is continuing, the corals appear to be forming proper growth tips.

Oh and I wanted to mention that this could be in conjunction with your mn dosing.

The corals may just be over excited about this new ion and spending all their energy showing it what an awesome host it can be. Lol.

Don't sweat it really. Things look great. I would like to see some pics of the abnormal growth if you have any though?

With a quality calrx media, like reborn, most trace element dosing shouldn't be needed

I've never had it raise mag in my tank and have never had things go out of balance. I would think it has to do with some of your other additions to the water. Just my 2 cents.

I haven't added any Magnesium since last summer. The reborn media appears to replenish Magnesium at almost exactly the same rate that the tank uses it. Its really been a problem with rising calcium and me starting with a too-high Magnesium level. I just need to get the Magnesium level down to the correct level and the CalRX should be good on its own.

 

[Acronic]

Is your PH low?

 

[Quiverfull]

Matt, your tank is an inspiration. Keep the pics coming. I've been following for a while. Cool to see your documentation of your AF experience. Detail is everything.

Greg


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[mhucasey]

Is your PH low?

Not at all:

 

[mhucasey]

Matt, your tank is an inspiration. Keep the pics coming. I've been following for a while. Cool to see your documentation of your AF experience. Detail is everything.

Greg


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Thanks very much, I like being able to share what is going on, hopefully it will help other people in some way with their tanks.

 

[Acronic]

hmmm, well i was going to suggest high C02 levels but i guess not

 

[tomae]

stunning pics Matt!!!

 

[mhucasey]

hmmm, well i was going to suggest high C02 levels but i guess not

Well keep in mind that these two corals were the worst affected, and I'm super picky and watch very closely. Many corals in the tank show no signs of the bubbling. The two in question have improved a bit already, for example the green Speciosa at the beginning of the week:

And tonight:

Some prettier coral pics:

 

[slavetonet]

I dont think having mag at 1500 ppm would have any ill effect.
Mines been always at 1450 ppm to 1500 ppm..
Strontium is 28 ppm... Way high... Lol
No problem so far.