paulojbsilva
New member
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No sand or sand bed
- Thread starter paulojbsilva
- Start date
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I like pulsing xenia & plan to get one but heard that they can be invasive and take over a tank.
Since ur GHA on live rock is long, u should try Meleev's method of using Phosphate RX and pull them out.
also FYI, here's a breakdown of tank maintenance schedule I follow;
Daily:
1) visually inspect entire system
2) Dose 2-part
Weekly:
1) clean glass of algae so CUC will focus on cleaning rocks
2) clean/rinse sump sponge
Monthly:
1) test the water & maybe do water change? 10%...
2) replace chemipure & media (3-4 months)
3) clean pumps every 6 months. May need to use distilled vinegar, soak/run pump in bucket of vinegar & water solution (2 hrs). more vinegar the better
4) clean ATO float
5) clean powerhead 8-10 months period
Yearly:
1) replace bulbs (if u'r using LED this wont apply)
Daily:
1) visually inspect entire system
2) Dose 2-part
Weekly:
1) clean glass of algae so CUC will focus on cleaning rocks
2) clean/rinse sump sponge
Monthly:
1) test the water & maybe do water change? 10%...
2) replace chemipure & media (3-4 months)
3) clean pumps every 6 months. May need to use distilled vinegar, soak/run pump in bucket of vinegar & water solution (2 hrs). more vinegar the better
4) clean ATO float
5) clean powerhead 8-10 months period
Yearly:
1) replace bulbs (if u'r using LED this wont apply)
Last edited:
paulojbsilva
New member
Well, the Xenya can grow real well. On a tank I had a few years I had lot of growth. I was fragging the colony a lot.
My sand bed is between 3 cm and 1 cm. Depends on the place of the tank. It's not completely leveled.
As for the routines, I clean a lot more...hope it's just until it is all resolved. I don't have much to look at, but although I like cleaning I prefer watching the tank.
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My sand bed is between 3 cm and 1 cm. Depends on the place of the tank. It's not completely leveled.
As for the routines, I clean a lot more...hope it's just until it is all resolved. I don't have much to look at, but although I like cleaning I prefer watching the tank.
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r u siphoning the sand during water change? looks like some areas of the sand can use cleaning.
LOL!!! dont we all. Just be patient and once tank is cleaned and settled, it'll be all worth it and very rewarding to look at.
paulojbsilva
New member
I didn't shiphon quite well in the last two wc because I was vacuuming the loosen algae. Hope tomorrow I can do a nice wc and shiphon the sand bed properly.
A guy is giving me some chaeto. You think it's worth giving it a shot? It's supposed to consume nitrates right?
Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk
A guy is giving me some chaeto. You think it's worth giving it a shot? It's supposed to consume nitrates right?
Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk
yes, if u can grow it. Some people (like myself) can't seem to grow chaeto while for others this stuff grows like weed in their sump!
paulojbsilva
New member
Yeah...same happened to me once. I didn't understood why the chaeto died. It just didn't grew and started to get brownish tips.
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paulojbsilva
New member
So, most of the rock is back in the DT. Sump is squeaky clean, ready for the chaeto, and WC is done. I'm adding some resin or adsorbing material to help maintain the nutrients very low. CUC is munching on the algae like crazy and I do my best to clean the places they can't reach. Seems like a plan? Eheh
Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk
Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk
sounds good.
going forward I'd ck the ammonia, nitrate (NO3) and phosphate levels daily. then once they all stabilize, u can ck it's level weekly. Typically as tank becomes established the ammonia stabilizes while NO3 and phosphate can/does go up. Even though ammonia stabilizes at 0, I'd ck NO3 and phosphate daily and do water change when these spike up otherwise do WC every 2 weeks for 1st 6 months or until NO3 stabilizes. Ck especially NO3 more frequently during the 1st yr to prevent algae taking over.
going forward I'd ck the ammonia, nitrate (NO3) and phosphate levels daily. then once they all stabilize, u can ck it's level weekly. Typically as tank becomes established the ammonia stabilizes while NO3 and phosphate can/does go up. Even though ammonia stabilizes at 0, I'd ck NO3 and phosphate daily and do water change when these spike up otherwise do WC every 2 weeks for 1st 6 months or until NO3 stabilizes. Ck especially NO3 more frequently during the 1st yr to prevent algae taking over.
paulojbsilva
New member
I'll surely do that. I can't keep guessing. Testing will for sure be the best way to get the tank in good conditions.
Got the chaeto in. I'm planing on making a chaeto reactor. Today if I have time I'll start it and try to put pictures here.
Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk
Got the chaeto in. I'm planing on making a chaeto reactor. Today if I have time I'll start it and try to put pictures here.
Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk
Good luck with the chaeto, not sure if u already know but the lighting for chaeto should be reverse to daylight...i.e. light on during night and off during day. Some people keep it lit 24/7. Some also keep chaeto tumbling/spinning which seems to help it grow and absorb more nitrate
paulojbsilva
New member
Well for now I was planning on keeping the light on 24/7, but I'm aware of the reverse light hours, to help balance the ph, but I really wanted the chaeto to start growing. I'm planning on making a diy reactor, using the flow from the UV filter.
One thing for sure, I'm out space in the cabinet...so soon will be needing to negotiate some home real estate to put a new tank
Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk
One thing for sure, I'm out space in the cabinet...so soon will be needing to negotiate some home real estate to put a new tank
Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk
paulojbsilva
New member
Eheh[emoji23] nice to know things aren't that different across the Atlantic!
Maybe one day I can make something like this:
Well, until I have time to build the chaeto reactor, I managed to get a bathtub plastic thing, full of holes, and directed a hose from the UV filter to get some nice flow
And seems like one of the killer hermits is having cyano bacteria for lunch
And the other seems to like GHA
Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk
Maybe one day I can make something like this:
Well, until I have time to build the chaeto reactor, I managed to get a bathtub plastic thing, full of holes, and directed a hose from the UV filter to get some nice flow
And seems like one of the killer hermits is having cyano bacteria for lunch
And the other seems to like GHA
Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk
BigCountry74
New member
Me personally I would run a larger skimmer. I skim 3x on my tanks. So a 35 gallon tank for example, I would run a skimmer spec'd for 90g. Sure does make life easier. Just my .02
paulojbsilva
New member
Well, I do run a skimmer, maybe not an overkill skimmer but it's still a nice one. And it's skimming like crazy. Every two days I clean the cup.
And every opinion counts, so thanks! I learn every day.
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paulojbsilva
New member
I've just checked cause I didn't remember, my tunze 9004 is suited for a mixed reef up to 250 liters and a sensitive one up to 150...it's for sure not an overkill, but it will have to do for now. Maybe in the future, I'll upgrade it.
Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk
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paulojbsilva
New member
Decided to keep a close record of the tank values, and add more tests as I can. Star an excell sheet or something. I really want to see if there is any progress with nutrient export. Tomorrow is clean up day. The skimmer keeps getting lots of juice and the sock seem to be a good idea. By the way, what kind of filter socks do you guys use? What material?
Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk
Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk
