Pete's 110 build
- Thread starter psteeleb
- Start date
psteeleb
Team RC
psteeleb
Team RC
It was about an hour before lights out so just the royal blue LEDs were on when I noticed some AOG zoa's (or paly's) were glowing on the outside from being curled up. I never picked up on the undersides glowing before, but I guess something disturbed at the right time for me to catch this picture
psteeleb
Team RC
got some stuff in the other day
- TLF bio pellets
- TLF phosban reactor filters for biopellet conversion
- TLF zoplan
- ReefPearls
- Hanna PO4 checker
- Garlic Xtreme
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The gorgonia seem to be responding well to the ReefPearls as they are as full as ever. It's nice to see them doing well after the nitrate issues I've been having (I still haven't hooked up the bio pellets)
these pictures are taken using a flashlight and dim actinics
purple gorg
orange gorg
yellow polyped
red with white polyps
- TLF bio pellets
- TLF phosban reactor filters for biopellet conversion
- TLF zoplan
- ReefPearls
- Hanna PO4 checker
- Garlic Xtreme
----------------------------------
The gorgonia seem to be responding well to the ReefPearls as they are as full as ever. It's nice to see them doing well after the nitrate issues I've been having (I still haven't hooked up the bio pellets)
these pictures are taken using a flashlight and dim actinics
purple gorg
orange gorg
yellow polyped
red with white polyps
psteeleb
Team RC
I'll keep up a status. It's nice to know someone is paying attention.
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I decided to go ahead and make the TLF recomended modification.
So with the TLF screens installed, it's time to re read the NPX biopellet instructions
First off, it states use only half the recommended amount to start. This is to prevent a bacteria bloom, as over time, the nitrates have been building up providing an over abundance of food source for the bacteria we are trying to culture using the bio pellets.
Second is to find what the recommended amount is for my system. The directions indicate 100ml per 25 gallons.
As my system is roughly 110 gallons that would be about 400ml. I decided to go with a little less then half as I can always add.
So with the slightly modified reactor loaded with bio pellets it's time to get a move on
That is, it's time to put a move on the pellets. Without the pellets moving or tumbling constantly you can get dead zones and promote anaerobic bacteria that will generate hydrogen sulfide. The hydrogen sulfide can then build up and be released in burps back into the tank. This would not be considered a good thing.
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TheFishTeen
New member
Looks good! Im curious to see the results.
psteeleb
Team RC
so far, so good
nitrates have lowered to around 4-5. I may give it a couple more days then add some more bio pellets
thanks - posting some invasive acts pictures below
thanks
here is a hammer sweeper killing a favia polyp
The sunset monte and mille have been going after the same place for a bit. At first it looked as if the mille was going to get the upper hand as it won the battle of the filimental sweepers, but now the monte is making a comeback by promoting excess growth in the area under the original attack point. I'll keep an eye on it over the next few weeks or months but will eventully have to cut something
psteeleb
Team RC
some life in the sump
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psteeleb
Team RC
I almost bought an absolutly beautiful coral from Divers Den today but as I was adding something else to my cart it sold to someone else. Odd thing is it was in my cart, I guess I took too long looking at other stuff. UGG, the more I think about it the more I get upset about it
psteeleb
Team RC
sunset monte with mesenteric filaments (I totally flubbed the name of the filaments in the video)
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ZOKU
Resident Ninja
First.... beautiful tank and beautiful photos. I just kinda jumped in here on the last page and intend on reading your build from the very beginning.
In reference to the Diver's Den page, I had a co-worker of mine experience a similar situation with Diver's Den. And it wasn't until AFTER the fact, that a representative from Live Aquaria gave him this link.
In essence, you can add as much to your shopping cart as you want... but the item isn't truly yours until you checkout and complete the transaction IN FULL. In other words, the fastest fingers win.
aquaenthusiast
Member
Your tank is truly inspirational, I am too paying close attention to the biopellets. How is the ozone reactor going? I feel as if I'm in the same boat with regards to maricultured corals, I ordered several sps from the divers den, had them priority shipped, and two out of five of the bali maricultured corals made it, I think from now on I'm just going to play it safe and get hardier aquacultured corals.
drummereef
Team RC
Any bio pellet updates Pete?
psteeleb
Team RC
Thanks and I will.
Thanks for the link - I kind of gathered that once it happened and don't blame them.
Thanks - the monte went from the brown to orange with green polyps in about 3 months. I started to get the purple base under the polyps and some mix of yellow polyps several months later. It stayed the normal orange/green for several months and I assume the added color morph was from changing to LED's.
Thanks for the kind words. I don't have the ozone reactor online right now as I don't want to be frying off bacteria I'm trying to culture with the bio pellets. Once I get the right balance between feeding, biopellet mass and nitrate levels, I'll kick in the O3. I'll go slowly at first and monitor to make sure I don't see an increase in NO3 from killing off bacteria in the water column.
As for the maricultured corals, about a third to half of the ones I buy online just seem to never make the long term change to tank water. They’ll make it through the initial acclimation okay, but tend to slowly wither away. When I buy maricultured corals from a local fish store I’ll check to see how long they had them, and if they’ve been in a tank for a couple weeks or longer and still looking good they certainly tend to do much better. I have always believed corals go through 2 acclimation periods. The first acclimation eriod is when we transport them and get them use to changes in water conditions; such as temperature, pH, salinity etc. The second acclimation period is getting the corals use to changes in flow, light (intensity, spectrum, duration etc) and food sources. It’s this second and long term acclimation that maricultured corals have a hard time dealing with. The second acclimation is all about food source (both light and water born nutrients and chemicals) and aspiration, and is critical for not only survival but also long term growth and health.
Nitrates are down around 2-3ppm, a few days ago they were around 4 so they appear to still be dropping. I'm still only using just over 1/2 the recommended amount of bio pellets. I may add a bit more today as I want to increase my feeding routine close to what I was doing as my sponges and gorgs are suffering from me cutting back. I’m leaning toward going lean on the bio pellets as I don’t want them consuming 100% of available nitrates. Other critters in my reef aquarium also consume nitrates and don’t want to stave them out. There’s always that challenge of balance in this hobby.
