Alex Costa
Member
Big Island
Rebirth - 1500l
- Thread starter Alex Costa
- Start date
Alex Costa
Member
Small Island
Alex Costa
Member
Thanks Conor!
Reef keeping is usually a rollercoaster ride......I'm in a low point right now and this is the most frustrating part of the hobby. Didn't see results of a very hard work is difficult.
But I'm in it too long to know that's a moment....And I really hope that things come back to track soon.
This tank is by far the favorite that I set up and owned.
I'll not give up on it!
Reef keeping is usually a rollercoaster ride......I'm in a low point right now and this is the most frustrating part of the hobby. Didn't see results of a very hard work is difficult.
But I'm in it too long to know that's a moment....And I really hope that things come back to track soon.
This tank is by far the favorite that I set up and owned.
I'll not give up on it!
Alex Costa
Member
In the last 6 months I've lost some acros......some = a lot.....
Now it's time to rebuild.....
This is some of the survivors:
Loripes blue tips
Solitariensis yellow (a lit bit greenish)
Lokani wolverine
Now it's time to rebuild.....
This is some of the survivors:
Loripes blue tips
Solitariensis yellow (a lit bit greenish)
Lokani wolverine
Alex Costa
Member
Well............that's it.
This month the system reachs two and a half years old.
Some errors and some successes, but in general, I've happy with it.
This month the system reachs two and a half years old.
Some errors and some successes, but in general, I've happy with it.
Monkeyfish
Active member
As always, beautiful pictures of a beautiful tank.
AkoAung
aka -iDestroya-
And some FTS.......
No sandbed definitelly isn't my thing!!!!
I never get tired of looking at that aquascape...
it just dawned on me.... there's some element of Japanese sand garden to your tank. Just a lot of harmony and serenity to the composition.
Alex Costa
Member
Alex Costa
Member
Fishes getting bigger and bigger.....
Alex Costa
Member
Although they are not fish that swim a lot, I love these boys.
The shape of the fins, the huge eyes and mouth, the color combination. Everything gives this fish a unique look.
The shape of the fins, the huge eyes and mouth, the color combination. Everything gives this fish a unique look.
Alex Costa
Member
Gradually the corals are recovering.
I believe that another 6 months and, if nothing else goes wrong, we'll back on track.....:dance:
I believe that another 6 months and, if nothing else goes wrong, we'll back on track.....:dance:
Alex Costa
Member
Some chalices.....growing sloooooooooooooooooooowly
Alex Costa
Member
Alex Costa
Member
My initial intention, which has not yet been abandoned, was to have a couple of frostbite clowns.
However, the loss of a couple at the beginning of the setup, caused me to change direction and form this strange pair between an onyx female and a male of picasso that went bad.
I found them both separate, inexpensive, in different stores, at different times, and bought them thinking more about price than anything else.
I don't know if I will keep either or if I go back to the initial goal of a frostbite couple. To sell them now doesn't seem right.
I think clowns have it different from other fish. Something that makes us cling more to them than to a damsel or a goby, for example.
They form a couple ..... they fix residence ...... and take them out after that seems, simply, wrong.
That's it for now.
However, the loss of a couple at the beginning of the setup, caused me to change direction and form this strange pair between an onyx female and a male of picasso that went bad.
I found them both separate, inexpensive, in different stores, at different times, and bought them thinking more about price than anything else.
I don't know if I will keep either or if I go back to the initial goal of a frostbite couple. To sell them now doesn't seem right.
I think clowns have it different from other fish. Something that makes us cling more to them than to a damsel or a goby, for example.
They form a couple ..... they fix residence ...... and take them out after that seems, simply, wrong.
That's it for now.
Alex Costa
Member
After some time (very much actually), I decided to test the water parameters:
Ra - 8.7dKh (Hanna) - I gradually increased from the 7.0 ~ 7.5 that I kept to see if I get any positive effect on some zoas and palys that are not well. In addition it should help in the resumption of growth of some of the sps.
Ca-445 ppm (Salifert)
K - 390 ppm (Salifert) - a little below what I normally keep. But I must not interfere.
NO3 - 8ppm approx. (Nyos) - Above the 3 ppm I had been keeping since the tank setup. Probably because of an increase in fish and coral feeding and a reduction in TPAs that became monthly.
Silicate - 0,0 (Salifert) - Before the value I found was always 0.03 approx.
When the value was 0.03, my substrate did not have diatoms. Now that it's 0.00 (with the sample completely transparent), I have the bottom glass taken up by diatoms (I'm sure they are diatom since a friend analyzed a sample under the microscope) So I insist that test values need to be looked at critically.
I will now do 2 Silicate tests at the exit of my filtering system and will post soon.
Ra - 8.7dKh (Hanna) - I gradually increased from the 7.0 ~ 7.5 that I kept to see if I get any positive effect on some zoas and palys that are not well. In addition it should help in the resumption of growth of some of the sps.
Ca-445 ppm (Salifert)
K - 390 ppm (Salifert) - a little below what I normally keep. But I must not interfere.
NO3 - 8ppm approx. (Nyos) - Above the 3 ppm I had been keeping since the tank setup. Probably because of an increase in fish and coral feeding and a reduction in TPAs that became monthly.
Silicate - 0,0 (Salifert) - Before the value I found was always 0.03 approx.
When the value was 0.03, my substrate did not have diatoms. Now that it's 0.00 (with the sample completely transparent), I have the bottom glass taken up by diatoms (I'm sure they are diatom since a friend analyzed a sample under the microscope) So I insist that test values need to be looked at critically.
I will now do 2 Silicate tests at the exit of my filtering system and will post soon.
Alex Costa
Member
TDS at the exit of the RO membrane at 002.
I use this membrane since 09/2017.
It's a GE 100GPD membrane that's working with 90psi. I chose to work with the slightly high pressure, to improve the production and so far, can assert that it did not affect the life of it.
I make a manual flush sporadically. Until now I thought about automating this process but I lack the time and willingness to do that.
TDS at the exit of the first stage of the mixed resin (Resin MB 20 - DOW) is 000 and
Silicate is 0.1
This resin should be about 4 months old, approx.
I measure the TDS at the first stage exit so that when the 1st stage marks 001 the water still goes through the second stage that ensures that it reaches tank at 000 reading.
Later I will make the exchange of the resin in the first stage and make the change of position of the cartridges.
Thus the resin used will pass to the first stage and the new one will be in the second stage.
At the output of the second resin stage I do not measure the TDS, so it was explained above.
Silicate is in 0.00 (with fully transparent sample).
I use this membrane since 09/2017.
It's a GE 100GPD membrane that's working with 90psi. I chose to work with the slightly high pressure, to improve the production and so far, can assert that it did not affect the life of it.
I make a manual flush sporadically. Until now I thought about automating this process but I lack the time and willingness to do that.
TDS at the exit of the first stage of the mixed resin (Resin MB 20 - DOW) is 000 and
Silicate is 0.1
This resin should be about 4 months old, approx.
I measure the TDS at the first stage exit so that when the 1st stage marks 001 the water still goes through the second stage that ensures that it reaches tank at 000 reading.
Later I will make the exchange of the resin in the first stage and make the change of position of the cartridges.
Thus the resin used will pass to the first stage and the new one will be in the second stage.
At the output of the second resin stage I do not measure the TDS, so it was explained above.
Silicate is in 0.00 (with fully transparent sample).
Alex Costa
Member
I just finished the RO + DI maintenance.
The system has returned to 7 stages.
A cartridge I had placed in my disc tank came back and was filled with anionic resin. I ended up changing the polypropylenes and the Carbon block too.
Now it looks like this:
PP 5 microns
PP 1 micron
Hydronix Carbon block
RO "“ GE 100gpd membran
DOW MB20 resin - 2 liters
DOW MB20 resin - 2 liters
Purolite A400 resin - 1 liter
The system has returned to 7 stages.
A cartridge I had placed in my disc tank came back and was filled with anionic resin. I ended up changing the polypropylenes and the Carbon block too.
Now it looks like this:
PP 5 microns
PP 1 micron
Hydronix Carbon block
RO "“ GE 100gpd membran
DOW MB20 resin - 2 liters
DOW MB20 resin - 2 liters
Purolite A400 resin - 1 liter
Alex Costa
Member
I ended up getting a new couple of Snowflake clowns, which were my first choice from the beginning.
For now they are in my frag tank.
I still need to decide whether to sell out the old couple or try to keep both couples.
There is enough space but in my other attempts the old couple did not accept the new one.
The female
And the male:
For now they are in my frag tank.
I still need to decide whether to sell out the old couple or try to keep both couples.
There is enough space but in my other attempts the old couple did not accept the new one.
The female
And the male:
