My Glassboxreef
- Thread starter Pife
- Start date
Pife
Active member
It changed my Auto feeders, skimmer, and heater's to be controlled differently. ATF's were changed to be controlled like heater's and were way over feeding. The heater's and skimmer were turned into lights. This explains my heat issues and why my skimmer was randomly overflowing. I hope to see so marked improvement in the next couple of days and weeks. My nitrates are at 10 and my po4 is .04. I think the temp swings have been the biggest killer of acros.
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DiscusHeckel
Acropora Gardener
NO3 seems to be ~10 ppm. Do you test under artificial lights, Brandon? I carry out my tests during day time in a north facing room.
Moreover, I still use an old colour card because I found that the new colour cards are slightly darker giving rise to higher readings. By the way, I check my NO3 test kits with a reference solution. I have never needed to adjust readings of my Salifert test kits with the old colour card.
Moreover, I still use an old colour card because I found that the new colour cards are slightly darker giving rise to higher readings. By the way, I check my NO3 test kits with a reference solution. I have never needed to adjust readings of my Salifert test kits with the old colour card.
Pife
Active member
Bulent I agree that it's around 10. I use an LED light that I used for many years to get a color that I can see well. I have two test kits that I check against each other. I like that my nitrates are around 10 it's the 300ml a day of vinegar I don't like putting into my tank. I would like to run a more hands off system that is a huge draw to the RDSB.
This morning several acros in my DT have much more PE! There are about half of them that still look like crap with very little to no PE and quite a bit of STN. I'm betting the temp swings were the ultimate demise of the majority of corals.
Pife
Active member
Me too. Nothing cures anything like a couple new acros.Mmmmmmmmmm new acros....
I can't remember the last time I was this excited to see corraline algae growing. It's back to getting on the glass after several days. Things are looking up indeed.
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Pife
Active member
So today I think I found the source of my nitrates. I completely cleaned my entire sump out. I removed all of the Rock and water. I found my lyretail damsel it has beautiful streamers and a yellow Watchman goby in there. After removing all of that there was two to four in of detritus left. I vacuumed all that stinky crap out. I put all my Matrix and siporax and rock back into my sump but not before I rinse them off in old tank water. I stacked The Rock much tighter so that I would have a larger area to grow chaeto. On that front I also ordered a new 300 watt grow light that should be here Sunday. Hopefully with these wholesale changes my system will be balanced back out and back to growing and coloring up beautiful acros.
DiscusHeckel
Acropora Gardener
Hi Brandon, what you perceive as detritus is more likely to be silt. I personally do not think it will have any impact on NO3 or PO4. Detritus that initially accumulates on sump floor is quickly consumed by copepods, bacteria and microbes. Its remains then settle as silt. Some people have the opposite view and do not allow any detritus to settle by using very fine filter socks. I hope in your case I am wrong.
Pife
Active member
Well dang. I was hoping that was the issue. Any ideas where they could be coming from?
Thanks man.Hi Brandon, Looking good, glad to see things coming along
Pife
Active member
My new fuge light is here and installed. Holy crap is it bright! I hope this is why I could grow cheato. This is my plan to get away from carbon dosing. I also bought 5 killer acros. Let's how everything is in line as they are going straight into the display.
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Pife
Active member
Any tips to offer?
I need to get and better pictures but the blue teniusish coral I bought yesterday is so blue. It rivals any Oregon tort I've seen in person. There is also a little taste of how I mount frags.
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Pife
Active member
I do not. I dry the frag at where I'd like to mount it(typically the cut edge). I then apply super glue gel. I then add putty by touching it to the frag and twisting it back and forth until it creates a bond which is very tight. I then add super glue gel to the end of the putty and let a drip begin to form and then put it under water to my desired spot. I also twist and push the putty/glue into the rock work. I then smooth the edges or push sand into the putty for a more natural look.
If you look at the frag in the center, front of my tank that I just mounted I left it up on a stick of putty. This will allow the mille to sprout more branches faster in my experience.
It may have been more detail then needed but it could help others. A little tip that I do too is pour some super glue onto the plate so I can dip the putty into it instead of trying to use the bottle every time. I also pre mix and divide the putty before all of this. Oh yeah one more tip. I place the corals on to the plate in the appropriate locations in correlation to my tanks Aquascape.
