My 65 Gallon Mixed Reef

[biggles]

Mate I have one Bangai in my tank...I had a PJ Cardinal as well...but the regular version one killed it...wouldnt let it go near his half of the tank and used to pester it at feeding times... Bangai's can be pretty mean to thier own kind.

I tell you mate, that is going to make your corals look awesome, but will make photography that much harder. Will look awesome late at night.

I want a Barry LOL. Barry looks cool. I had one of those years ago in my nano tank...back when the LiveRock coming into the UK WAS live...now its mostly cr@p. Mine had orange legs..never saw the central disc, always had a few legs sticking out and stayed in the same place.

Just done a water change on my tank. Really taking care of my tank lately...I miss having a tank thread, so hopefully my corals will reward me with nice colours soon and I can have a tank thread hehehe.

Lesson learned regarding stupid nasty cardinals (fish) mate......:deadhorse1:
The new RB/UV light bar alone at night gives me a ' hahaha that's ridiculous..' look that actinics can't match. I said that out loud when i switched it on
I always go to great trouble to save any brittle stars or acro crabs that i'm going to disturb by chopping up their home, i love anything that likes to reside in my SPS without doing harm as critters are cool
I expect lots of gratuitous acro porn pics when you start your journal mate, if i don't see them you know i'll cut loose with derogatory comments on your reef so don't say i didn't give you fair warning........ :strooper:

While I admit that I suffer from frequent brain-farts, I've been very cautious about dosing anything with the system, still trying to keep things simple. A while ago, my ONLY reefer friend locally, purchased some Reef Iodide, and went a wee....well not really wee....more like "searching for the Titanic" type overboard. He has a 80g system, and was dosing a LOT of it, to the point that almost all acros just turned purple, you could pretty much dip your.....let's go with toe...in there and it'd turn purple. So, the amount I tried out to raise potassium was actually about 2/3rd of the recommended weekly dose. Admittedly, I failed to check out the exact concentrations...but given that I was doing 10ml weekly anyway, didn't see the harm. Happy to report and there's been no changes in the coral colors. So while not an exact science, I was pretty sure that I'd be ok. I did try out KZ K-Strong prior, but found it very diluted as well.

I'm using the Red Sea Regular type salt. K+ tests out at 390ppm, which is good enough for me

I was hoping that I might see some saturation in colors after upping the dosing....nope!. And I've also realized that I'm also really bad at noticing subtle changes in color...., it has to be the "in your face" type of a change, for me to really notice

The interesting question here I feel, is why did I experience low K+....No zeolites....salt at 390ppm...5-10% weekly water changes. So why? Needlewheel skimmer? I do remember Bob ("Aged Salt" from the Zeovit forums) mentioning the skimmer possibility

One more thing....while my friend was doing his overboard thing....his Monti Caps grew like crazy!!!!!....Mine??.... very little..all anecdotal I know

I think the water changes you do won't keep up with alk and calcium demand so why would they keep potassium at the correct levels........ I still think you should drop the bloody iodine and just dose straight potassium considering you haven't seen an impact on colors really. My acro colors are fine despite potassium dropping under 300 so i'm only chasing acro growth and colors on the monti's and seri's to improve once the potassium is back at 400.
If i see a big impact from the potassium dosing i guess i better start doing the regular monthly water changes i'm always saying i'll do because who knows what other trace elements are being depleted that may be having a negative effect on the corals.

I loved your latest video mate.

Apologies if you already mentioned it, but I would like to know the total turnover of the volume in your display tank please. My pumps (4 X Tunze 6055) plus the return from the sump turn over my display tank about 75 times per hour.

By the way, I like the idea of gluing corals to glass. I will borrow the concept as I have run out of space on live rock.

Finally, I also use Brightwell's Potassion-P (powdered form) :fun5: to keep up with Potassium depletion in my tank (about 10 ppm every ten days). When I run out of it, I will purchase potassium chloride directly from Ebay, which works out a lot cheaper.

Glad you liked the video mate
I have 90 times the display volume in circulation with the 4 pumps in the display at present, as long as you're not directly blasting anything you really can't overdo the water flow for SPS imo but you can certainly under do it. I never count the return in my flow calculations as it's only about 250 gal/hour or about 4 times the display volume.
I would strongly suggest swapping out one of your 6055's for a 6095 wide flow mate as you get much greater flow output but it's spread out much wider and softer than any of the other nano streams - just an idea if you're ever thinking about upping the flow in your display.
Go for it with the frags on the glass, lots of wasted real estate on those glass panels lol......
I'll be doing the same as you and Sahin and sourcing a cheap bulk potassium supplement online if i see positive results from raising the level back to 400. :thumbsup:

Biggles. I dose potassium, iodide, and iron. I can notice a difference in my montis almost the next day. When they look a little brown i dose K and Fe and the next day they are glowing. Ive been using the red sea kits. It seems efficient. Youll be happy you started dosing. Heck your tank is awesome now. Just wait til you dose.

Thanks for the info on the results you're seeing from the dosing mate. I hope i see an improvement in the seri's and monti's as they aren't earning their keep at the moment compared to the colors on my acros. I'm using the Salifert kit for potassium so hopefully it's accurate. If it's not i'm blaming Reef Noob for any dramas i encounter.......

Hi Biggles, are you still running your Tunze pumps without a controller?

Yes mate only the WP-25 is controllable, all the Tunze streams are running flat out with the WP-25 ramping up and down to disrupt the flow patterns of all the other pump outputs. I'm used to the old fashioned powerheads so these stream pumps are a novelty still to me lol. As i always say, you only need one pump controllable to have good random water movement if you place its output in the right direction.

 

[biggles]

The stylo crab still has no clue about how to hide in a colony or frag, yeah mate i can't pick you out from the stylo........

Everything present and correct with that stylo frag he's off to check the next stylo behind the blue stag branch.

Happily hidden away in another of his stylo's....... he's a busy boy after lights out keeping track of all his corals.....

Sorry for not getting back to anyone recently but i have the flu so i haven't been online much recently - i haven't forgotten any of you and will catch up soon once my nose stops dripping in the tank lol.....:beer:

 

[Rossreefer]

How are you finding the WP25, I have 2 x Tunze 6095s running flat out 24/7 may tank is 100x800x500 LWH 3 sides viable, I have both pumps on the one short side pumping out and find it is not enough flow. I also need to have random flow and was thinking about wp40 but I hear they will be too strong for my size tank.

What would you suggest, also if you could advise about where I should place my pumps.

Thanks

And greetings from South Africa.

Your tank is such an inspiration, as I am also working with a tight budget.

 

[Rossreefer]

sorry tank dimensions are 1100x800x500

 

[biggles]

Hey Ross,

In case you aren't aware there is a 2 pump wave controller made by Tunze that's only about $75- instead of the 4 pump USB contoller or the same with manual controls. The WP-25 hasn't missed a beat and if you're thinking of improving your flow it will only cost you a similar price to the cheapest Tunze controller. I'm going to get more for the bigger tank along with another 6095 and a controller eventually.

My tank is slightly smaller than yours at 100x60x45cm. This is how i have my pumps. The 6025 is modded and puts out nearly as much flow as the 6045. The WP-25 points slightly left of the flow from the 6095 so that it bounces off towards the front glass rather than both pumps wasting energy with direct head to head flow. With your 6095's i'd have one where my WP-25 is mounted pointing straight down the tank and the other where i have my 6095 pointing in a similar direction. Have them at least 4" apart in height as well since you only have the 2 pumps at the moment.
Trust me when i say that adding a controllable pump to your 2 x 6095's will make the world of difference to your circulation mate, the WP-25 easily punches the length of my 40" display. :thumbsup: Not liking the larger sized pumps, i think the narrower but high flow output of the WP-25 fills a gap between the nano 6055 and the larger 6100 series. Even if you were happy to add another 6095 i'd still suggest the WP-25 purely for its ability to punch a driving stream through the wider and gentler 6095's flow patterns and still remain the same small size as the Tunze nano's.

Hope all that made sense Ross, i would make another pump a priority as you won't believe the flexibility it will give you in creating good random circulation.

 

[Rossreefer]

Hi Biggles

Thanks for the advise, sounds good. Where should I place the WP25 when I get it if I place my 6095s where your 6096 and wp25 is placed?

 

[martinphillip03]

New record, no posts for 12 days

Marty

 

[sahin]

New record, no posts for 12 days

Marty

He is too busy sniffing acro slime...hence the slacking... :lol2:

 

[echopiece]

He is too busy sniffing acro slime...hence the slacking... :lol2:

That, or fighting back acro eating roos...

 

[Bello]

I blame the ReefSex

 

[sahin]

That, or fighting back acro eating roos...

Yeah...I heard about Roos that go collecting Strawberry Shortcake...its their favorite apparently... :lol:

 

[biggles]

Hey guys, sorry for being all over the place lately but i'm dealing with my sister's 18 year old son who has recently manifested severe schizophrenia symptoms and tried to kill himself twice in the last 2 weeks so i'm driving 200 miles to her and then back every few days after work trying to manage the situation - i'm pretty pooped and mentally drained not to mention gutted to the core to see my nephew self destructing before my eyes.

The tank is pretty neglected as frankly i'm too worn down at the moment to do more than the bare minimum to keep things ticking along. I will tell you this though, Potassium levels will impact greatly on your SPS and particularly growth as i raised mine from 300 to 400 two weeks ago and all my sleeping acros have woken up so check and maintain Potassium if you don't already as it's bloody important.
Going into work for a few hours but i'll try to get some top downs this arvo and answer some PM's

Here's a recent FTS, as always i have a challenge correcting the colors but i try my best. You might not see it but i can assure you the growth has picked up considerably in just a couple of weeks since correcting the Potassium. There's now 27 SSC frags spread around the tank Bello lol.

 

[martinphillip03]

Hey Big, Sorry to here about your problems. Good luck.
In the meantime, since you don't have time to post, How about if Bello took over posting on your thread. That way we can keep your thread running.

Marty

 

[DiscusHeckel]

Bloody hell mate. I am awfully sorry to hear your problem. This news has brought back bad memories for me too. Please ask your sister to make sure that your nephew takes his medication.

 

[Arkayology]

It doesn't look like the tank is worse for wear with the recent problems. I hope they get worked out.

 

[sahin]

Sorry mate. :sad2: Thats tough. Hang in there.

Your tank looks super mate.

 

[biggles]

Hey guys thanks for the kind words Unfortunately the illness only manifested itself 3 weeks ago so meds etc are still being worked out, the ones now aren't working since i had to knock him out at one point when he came after his mom and then me with a bloody carving knife when i blocked his path - i was laughing with the kid a few months back and he was just like any well raised boy.
The tank is fine except for a few acros stinging each other and that ungrateful one clawed bastard crab has begun eating stylo flesh - he's now been re-entered in the SPS Olympics javelin catching competition and i expect him to win gold. The fact that he does it in broad daylight is annoying but yesterday he actually looked at me when i got close to the front glass and then calmly went back to tearing stylo polyps off in front of me kinda got me a tad hot under the collar. :angryfire:

Anyway enough doom and gloom. Back to doing weird things with acros...........
I'll give you one guess what i'm going to decorate this little acrylic xmas tree with......... anyone up to a little tree decorating contest in the SPS forum if i start a thread ?

Ross, i would add the WP-25 like this in my tank with one 6095 low and one high and the WP-25 at the middle height so you not only get flow interruption horizontally but also vertically. I hope you get what i mean mate.

 

[Bello]

Damn Biggles, that's awful!!... Unfortunately, I've seen instances of illness within my extended family, and that's terrible...Hopefully, he takes the meds regularly and comes back around...18 years old, his whole life is ahead of him, hope everything works out :thumbsup:

Tank looks wild, looks like a lot of growth. Doesn't seem like the lack of attention has hurt it much. 27 SSC's? You planning on making a bloody SSC Christmas Tree? BTW, my lil SSC has started extending its polyps, but just the long fighty ones

Think you'd better get rid of Lefty though, the one armed badass , ............ looks like its time to check on my POT levels

Hope things get better soon :thumbsup:

 

[biggles]

Damn Biggles, that's awful!!... Unfortunately, I've seen instances of illness within my extended family, and that's terrible...Hopefully, he takes the meds regularly and comes back around...18 years old, his whole life is ahead of him, hope everything works out :thumbsup:

Tank looks wild, looks like a lot of growth. Doesn't seem like the lack of attention has hurt it much. 27 SSC's? You planning on making a bloody SSC Christmas Tree? BTW, my lil SSC has started extending its polyps, but just the long fighty ones

Think you'd better get rid of Lefty though, the one armed badass , ............ looks like its time to check on my POT levels

Hope things get better soon :thumbsup:

Thanks Bello The water is pretty locked in now with my daily dosing levels sorted. Currently adding 130ml of alk and cal a day to keep things stable. I'm deadly serious about the Potassium mate so grab a test kit and keep it at 400 if it's lower when you check it. I must thank Reef Noob for the heads up on the Potassium.
Temp - 26 C
Alk - 7.8
Cal - 400
Mg - 1350
K - 400
pH - who cares....

A bloody xmas tree has lots of different colored decorations Bello, quite a few different colored acros are going to take one for the team tomorrow...... no point making a SSC tree, they're all reserved for the ridiculous display of tables i intend to jam into the big tank.:spin2:
That's great news on your SSC frag starting to wake up, i'm using that 'fighty' term from now on lol - best description yet i've seen of those nasty filaments.

Speaking of Lefty........... i particularly like how he sits on a blue acro frag to rest when he's stuffed full of stylo polyps before going back for more. He's chowed down on 3 pink stylos near his cave so far the little bastard. I'm going to pulverize Lefty when i get him and feed him to the acros with some reef roids on the side. :strooper:

 

[DiscusHeckel]

I like the XMAS tree.

Regarding potassium, as I said to Sahin the other day in a UK forum, I have seen no difference in the appearance of my corals when K is at different levels. My first ever testing result with the Salifert K test kit, K was 280 ppm!!!. I try to keep it at 400 ppm in these days. This is not because of the appearance of my corals, but because I believe that bacteria use up potassium. I am wondering if K is a food source for bacteria! Potassium must be used by bacteria for whatever reason, which are then skimmed out by my skimmer. According to chemists in RC, including RFH, there is no known sink for potassium in a reef tank. The only sink must be bacteria. Otherwise, there is no explanation for a drop rate of 1 ppm per day in my tank.

Here is another unrelated topic: I observed that what makes the difference in coral growth is the addition of strontium. Sadly, I cannot automate strontium dosing because I cannot test Sr reliably. I am relying on regular water changes instead to keep up the levels, assuming that my salt mix must have plenty of Sr in it.