Myka
Reefing since '93
Thanks for the confirmation. I'd like to bump alk back to the usual 7.1-7.2 dKH.
I'll be ordering a 4th doser head for my GHL doser.
Myka's 69 SPS Tank 2015
- Thread starter Myka
- Start date
Thanks for the confirmation. I'd like to bump alk back to the usual 7.1-7.2 dKH.
I'll be ordering a 4th doser head for my GHL doser.
MichaelW
New member
Thanks for the confirmation. I'd like to bump alk back to the usual 7.1-7.2 dKH.
Will you be using the np pro doser version? Or are you putting something else in the 4th head? Once you get everything balanced where you want you shouldn't need the 4th head for bicarb it should all balance fine with the components strong. My tank I set dosing based on alk consumption and the ca and mag doesn't move either.
Myka
Reefing since '93
I don't use NP Pro - don't need it.
The 4th dosing head would be for bicarb. This is the third time I've had to re-balance it, so it's obvious my tank is using more alk than the rest of the Components. Not a lot, just a little - about 0.05 dKH per day. I added 0.5 dKH bicarb manually on June 23rd, and same thing yesterday.
However, the K could be sneaking up because I'm not using any zeolite stones. I imagine the K in the Components is taking stones' uptake/absorption into consideration. Maybe I should add some stones...
Here is June 16th test results:
S 35 ppt (freshly calibrated)
Ca 410 ppm (S)
Alk 121 ppm, 6.8 dKH (H) (added 1/2 tsp dry bicarb manually)
Alk 6.55 dKH (S) (new test kit...noticed it reads 0.2 dKH lower than the previous kit)
Mg 1320 ppm (RSP)
K 410 ppm (S)
NO3 0.25 (RSP)
NO3 0.5 ppm (S)
PO4 4 ppb, 0.01 ppm (H ULR)
And a re-post of yesteday's results for easy comparison:
SG 35 ppt (freshly calibrated w/ solution)
Ca 420 ppm (Salifert)
Alk 6.7 dKH (Salifert)
Alk 122 ppm, 6.8 dKH (Hanna)
Mg 1350 ppm (Salifert)
K 420 ppm (Salifert)
PO4 5 ppb, 0.015 ppm
NO3 2.5 ppm (Salifert) I may or may not have one of the bad test charts...not sure
NO3 0.75 ppm (Red Sea Pro)
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Myka
Reefing since '93
Nice update Mindy, I spy growth going on in the tank, acros look to be encrusting into their homes, and the layout looks super clean! Great stuff Mindy
Crappy cell phone pic from lastnight - too much blue for a good pic with my phone. It looked SO much better in person. :lol: I was looking at my tank just yesterday and thinking it is really starting to look good. I have some pieces that are still doing nothing, but for the most part everything is encrusting, and lots of new shoots. I need to do another round of plug removal and glue down for frags that I've found their happy spot. I'm using 0.5 dKH per day now, so the growth must be picking up. :dance:
Myka
Reefing since '93
Thanks Jim! The tank is actually only 13 months old right now, so the progression is months not years.
Hmmm...I think the hair algae was in the tank for 2-3 months. I'll check the pics on my laptop. Yes the BTA is a good boy -or he'd be on the first ship out! Thanks Josh! Oh boy, if you like the capitata you won't like what I did to it... I was using it to hold back the anemone so it's in pretty rough condition now. I finally gave up and moved the capitata because the anemone was nearly engulfing it. Poor thing...
Myka
Reefing since '93
Thanks Conner. It's coming along.
It looks like a tub from that direction, but it's an auto feeder. It has pellets in it. I coat them in Salmon Oil and astaxanthin.
I hate the stoopid Gyre crap. A few of my clients have them too, and really they suck. If you have one on each end they are better, but my tank is too short for that. If two of them would actually talk to each and work synchronized they be much better too. Plus, you go to clean the stoopid things and they always works a bit different when they are reinstalled. Too many stoopid little pieces to put back together. I'm replacing it first chance I get.
Reef Roids are in the fridge. I like Reef Chili better though.
Thanks Mark! Funny you mention it, I was just taking photos tonight...I'll upload some, and be right back.
Myka
Reefing since '93
So, I think there is trouble in paradise...
I have been noticing a backwards step in the color and PE areas lately. I attributed it to being lazy in the summer since June and July I only did 1 waterchange each month instead of weekly. I have been watching some new smooth skins real close lately since they came in VERY bleached and they've been coloring up pretty quickly. However, I noticed on my old caroliniana and also the new smooth skins that they have some sketchy looking tissue.
What's your first thought? I know what mine is... :facepalm:
I have been noticing a backwards step in the color and PE areas lately. I attributed it to being lazy in the summer since June and July I only did 1 waterchange each month instead of weekly. I have been watching some new smooth skins real close lately since they came in VERY bleached and they've been coloring up pretty quickly. However, I noticed on my old caroliniana and also the new smooth skins that they have some sketchy looking tissue.
What's your first thought? I know what mine is... :facepalm:
reefmutt
Active member
Mindy aren't you transitioning to full AF?
That caroliniana looks similar to some corals in my tank and I always thought it was a light stress thing- like too much light and not enough nutrients..
Your blueberry wine may also have it a bit at the base..
My higher up Jawdrop always looks like that but the lower one doesn't..
I can't say for sure since I'm messing with so many things but I reduced my over all photoperiod and I think it helped..
I forget.. Are you using any LEDs?
Where's n and p for you these days?
You have reply nice colours on other coral,though.
That dark blue coral near the top of your post looks purrrrrrfect and you OP also looks great. As do most others.
That caroliniana looks similar to some corals in my tank and I always thought it was a light stress thing- like too much light and not enough nutrients..
Your blueberry wine may also have it a bit at the base..
My higher up Jawdrop always looks like that but the lower one doesn't..
I can't say for sure since I'm messing with so many things but I reduced my over all photoperiod and I think it helped..
I forget.. Are you using any LEDs?
Where's n and p for you these days?
You have reply nice colours on other coral,though.
That dark blue coral near the top of your post looks purrrrrrfect and you OP also looks great. As do most others.
Myka
Reefing since '93
Hey Matt,
I've been on full AF (minus NP Pro, Coral B, and using AcroPower instead of Coral A) since April when I started the Components. I did use NP Pro from May 25th to July 14th which coincidentally (or not?) coincided with the highest nutrient levels I've been able to achieve (N 0.5-0.75, P 0.01-0.018) and also the best color and growth, so maybe I should consider adding it back in. I have been wanting to transition off of Coral V and E as I'm not sure they do much in my tank - I'm almost out now - the Components were the big changer for me. I'm going to add in Zeovit Sponge Power as I have a big bottle and it's done great things in my tank in the past.
I have been working on turning my lights up. CH1 has been 100% for 11.5 hours for a long time. On Jul 31 I turned up CH2 from 70% for 5.5 hours to 75% for 6 hours. I think I'll probably turn it back. No LEDs.
I get lots of algae on the glass. I could clean it everyday, but I usually only do it every 3 days or so at which point you can't really see into the tank. The hair algae that collected under the Gyre for a few months is gone. There is bubble algae, but it's not bad. There is also an unidentified green bush algae (Siphonocladus sp?) that is very coarse and stuck to the rock very strongly. You can see it in the Garf Bonsai pic above. It grows very slowly, and the population has been the same since the beginning of the tank. Yesterday nutrients are very low - NO3 <0.25 ppm on Red Sea Pro and Salifert, and PO4 read 0 ppb on Hanna ULR
I feed a lot of food to the tank. The fish get homemade mash in the morning - about an 1/8 tsp goes flying around the tank. Midday the auto feeder gives them NLS pellets that I coat Salmon oil and astaxanthin (two heaping red Salifert scoops). Then in the evening they get homemade mash again. Sometimes their mash will be replaced with Hikari Mysis, Hikari Ocean Plankton, or Hikari Spirulina Brine. Every couple months I order up some live blackworms too, and they feast on that for about a week. I've been considering adding live phyto to the tank too, and I just bought some Clams on the Half Shell to see if anyone might be interested in pecking at those all day. I'm going to start adding nori on a clip too even though I think there is enough film algae for them to peck at.
Livestock:
- Tomini Tang (I'm trying to catch him, he's grown fast)
- Yellow Coris Wrasse (try to catch him too, he's too much for the other fish)
- 2 Onyx Clowns
- Panamic Barnacle Blenny
- Pelicier's Perchlet
- Royal Gramma
- Pajama Cardinal
In quarantine:
- 3 Lyretail Anthias females
- Hooded Fairy Wrasse (very skittish, hope it calms down)
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So, I think there is trouble in paradise...
I have been noticing a backwards step in the color and PE areas lately. I attributed it to being lazy in the summer since June and July I only did 1 waterchange each month instead of weekly. I have been watching some new smooth skins real close lately since they came in VERY bleached and they've been coloring up pretty quickly. However, I noticed on my old caroliniana and also the new smooth skins that they have some sketchy looking tissue.
What's your first thought? I know what mine is... :facepalm:
Is it only the one coral with bite marks?
reefmutt
Active member
Well. The new fish should help..
All that food sounds lovely- if I were a fish..
I wouldn't restart the np pro, with nutrients so low..
Were you thinking aefw on that caroliniana, like geeray mentioned?
I don't really see typical aefw damage on that coral.. But I guess it's possible.
It just looks hungry to me..
I find many of my deep waters begin to look like that when n goes below 4 ish ppm.
All that food sounds lovely- if I were a fish..
I wouldn't restart the np pro, with nutrients so low..
Were you thinking aefw on that caroliniana, like geeray mentioned?
I don't really see typical aefw damage on that coral.. But I guess it's possible.
It just looks hungry to me..
I find many of my deep waters begin to look like that when n goes below 4 ish ppm.
Myka
Reefing since '93
A couple other deepwater Acro look a bit sketchy. It doesn't look like typical round AEFW bite marks though. And it's only on the top side of the branches, not the shaded sides.
Yeah, even though it doesn't look typical AEFW was the first thing zooming through my mind. I'm going to dip tonight or tomorrow and see if I find anything.
NP Pro didn't affect nutrients in my tank. Like I mentioned, nutrients were highest when I was using it, but I only used 2 drops per day. NO3 hasn't ever hit 1 ppm in my tank no matter I keep my fish stuffed. I bumped the pellet feedings to 2 per day today.
