Rovster's Custom Reef Savvy build......FINALLY!!!

[Adrnalnrsh]

I actually made this post in another forum but thought it deserved to be here as well. Any comments or suggestions welcome. Tank looks really good overall but lately I've been struggling with some nutrient mini swings.

I've got or can get really quickly my alk/cal levels balanced and rock steady. I am still struggling with dialing in my nutrients. It seems as if it's been a delicate juggling act as of late.

For example my tank will start to run clean. Cyano appears and colors pale slightly. I compensate by reducing the gfo, upping the nitrate dosing and upping the feeding of fish and corals. Tank starts to look really good. Coral colors are rich and I back off the feeding and nitrate. Now it swings in the other direction. I might see some loss of luster, maybe some stn, some corals look burnt. Then I put the tank on a diet, increase gfo, halt the additives, then things will go through the sweet spot before swinging in the other direction once again and the cycle begins yet again.

I'm getting good at recognizing the upper and lower limits but I feel like there is a week or 2 latency period before the effects of what you are currently doing are realized. It's rather frustrating.

I have noticed that the swings are getting less extreme so in effect I'm working on dialing things in, but I'm having s hard time getting into any kind of long term rhythm. The alk part I've got down pat, it's the nutrient balancing that I feel is the key to taking my reef to the next level...

Couple of thoughts.

Add live phyto/pods and perhaps add some more cleanup crew, worms etc.
Add a few more fish so that when you lower your feedings you wont run too clean.

Also too much carbon might be causing the cyano if your phosphate or nitrate limited, which I'm sure you know this.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1859662
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2124355

 

[rovster]

Cleanup crew I think I'm good. Cyano shows up here and there but not too bad. I am qting a handful of fish currently which should help with my "lower end". Haven't noticed a correlation with cyano and carbon dosing, but have when either nitrate or phosphate bottoms out, more so with nitrate. I'll check out the links, thanks

 

[reefsahoy]

i personally think carbon dosing will eventually create HAVOC in a tank. The dosing seems to work initally but i've found, at least in my experience, that cyano, then a type of stringy hair like, redish/black type of algae start to show up. then it gets touch an go, like you said above, you cant get into a rythm. just my .02 cents

for me, im sticking to the tried and true, water change, gfo, activated carbon.

 

[rovster]

What are you basing that off? I think regardless of carbon dosing things are always touch and go. FWIW, I dose about 1/3 of the usual dose for carbon dosed tanks. By no means does the tank look bad or have any major issues. But I am a perfectionist and won't stop until expert level achieved LOL

For now I'll settle for young grasshopper......

 

[itz frank]

If you're seeing such huge swings, maybe just change one thing instead of two.
Dose up and keep your gfo the same.
Or keep dosing the same and remove gfo.

 

[reefsahoy]

I basing from just my previous experience with my other tank. No expert here, hopefully you find the answer.

 

[rovster]

If you're seeing such huge swings, maybe just change one thing instead of two.
Dose up and keep your gfo the same.
Or keep dosing the same and remove gfo.

Huge swings? Wrong thread buddy

Fwiw, that video was taken last weekend

 

[itz frank]

I meant relative to your situation. I know you keep things pretty steady but it would probably be in your favor to just pull or add one thing to find a half way point.

 

[nivram]

Took this video last weekend during a waterchange. Sorry it looks all screwy....





In other news I can't friggin catch my purple chromis! Have had the fish trap in there for over a week and every other fish has been in there. Some fish just like to hang out in there. Same thing happened when I was trying to catch my flame. ITS LIKE THEY KNOW!!!!!!!!!!

Awesome video.

I'll catch your damsel for frags

What kind of trap are you using? Are you feeding only via the trap?

 

[rovster]

Awesome video.

I'll catch your damsel for frags

What kind of trap are you using? Are you feeding only via the trap?

Come on down. Trap is an acrylic acclimation box with a sliding trap door. I've been exclusively feeding in the trap for almost two weeks. Every fish and every shrimp and snail has gone in except the chromis. My clowns like to hang out in there. When I feed my powder blue is the first one in there. What a glutton!

I'm going to keep trying. I did lose a couple of anthias in qt unfortunately. They were doing great but I have a male bimac in there that is worse than the chromis lol. He's beautiful but he's a bully too haha.

Any tips on getting the chromis would be great. I feed in the trap but with all the flow in my tank it slowly works its way out and the chromis always brings up the rear....

 

[rovster]

Marvin, here is s pic of the trap as it sits tonight. Excuse the poor pic quality and I haven't cleaned the glass in a few days but you get the idea. The door is tied to a string that is attached via clip to my light rack. This is how I caught my flame angel....

 

[AquamanE]

I actually made this post in another forum but thought it deserved to be here as well. Any comments or suggestions welcome. Tank looks really good overall but lately I've been struggling with some nutrient mini swings.

I've got or can get really quickly my alk/cal levels balanced and rock steady. I am still struggling with dialing in my nutrients. It seems as if it's been a delicate juggling act as of late.

For example my tank will start to run clean. Cyano appears and colors pale slightly. I compensate by reducing the gfo, upping the nitrate dosing and upping the feeding of fish and corals. Tank starts to look really good. Coral colors are rich and I back off the feeding and nitrate. Now it swings in the other direction. I might see some loss of luster, maybe some stn, some corals look burnt. Then I put the tank on a diet, increase gfo, halt the additives, then things will go through the sweet spot before swinging in the other direction once again and the cycle begins yet again.

I'm getting good at recognizing the upper and lower limits but I feel like there is a week or 2 latency period before the effects of what you are currently doing are realized. It's rather frustrating.

I have noticed that the swings are getting less extreme so in effect I'm working on dialing things in, but I'm having s hard time getting into any kind of long term rhythm. The alk part I've got down pat, it's the nutrient balancing that I feel is the key to taking my reef to the next level...

IMHO- you are TOO MUCH of a perfectionist. Some times you just need to let things go. Let nature take its course.

That coming from someone that is having less success than you BUT>>>>>>think about it.

KISS (keep it simple stupid)

 

[AquamanE]

BTW- you are using my trap which is not the best. In your case you might need a deeper one. LMK is you want me to get you one at MACNA at end of the month.

 

[nivram]

Marvin, here is s pic of the trap as it sits tonight. Excuse the poor pic quality and I haven't cleaned the glass in a few days but you get the idea. The door is tied to a string that is attached via clip to my light rack. This is how I caught my flame angel....

I agree with Eddie. You need a deeper trap. I have one of the tube type traps. Let me see if I can track it down. I'll shoot you a text.

If the chromis is aggressive and big enough, you can also try fishing for him.

What I like to do is not feed for a day and then close the trap, squirt some live brine in it. And tease the fish. Try to get the chromis to start swimming up to the trap trying to get the live brine. It's really nice when the trap has a hole in it to squirt the food in without touching the door.

Only fee live brine. Next lift the door open a 1/4 to half way with live brine in it. Usually the fish will swim in to get to the live brine.

Just have to be patient. It's also better to not have failed attempts at dropping the door on the fish. Let them get used to swimming in and out of need be.

 

[Adrnalnrsh]

I caught a neon dottyback in a 2 liter trap

 

[Lacy]

Who is selling 1/4" nubs or were they freebies? 1/4" to me is a frag of a frag of a frag. Even as a freebie that is awfully tiny.

 

[rovster]

IMHO- you are TOO MUCH of a perfectionist. Some times you just need to let things go. Let nature take its course.

That coming from someone that is having less success than you BUT>>>>>>think about it.

KISS (keep it simple stupid)

I can't help myself. I'm not stressing too much. I'm happy overall with the tanks. Only reason I made a comment is that over the last couple of months I've noticed that trend, where things clean up then dirty up then back again. It happens over the course of several weeks so its not a swing or anything. Maybe I should have used the word trend. Like the tide coming in and out. SLLLLOOOOWWWWWW:rolleye1:

Anyway, I would love to develop a rhythm without much modification. Each tide becomes less and less prominent so I think I'm getting close. My changes are subtle but despite that after 2-3 weeks I feel I need another small tweak. Maybe that just the way its supposed to be?

BTW, thanks for the offer for the trap. I'll take you up on that one! Yours sucks

 

[rovster]

I agree with Eddie. You need a deeper trap. I have one of the tube type traps. Let me see if I can track it down. I'll shoot you a text.

If the chromis is aggressive and big enough, you can also try fishing for him.

What I like to do is not feed for a day and then close the trap, squirt some live brine in it. And tease the fish. Try to get the chromis to start swimming up to the trap trying to get the live brine. It's really nice when the trap has a hole in it to squirt the food in without touching the door.

Only fee live brine. Next lift the door open a 1/4 to half way with live brine in it. Usually the fish will swim in to get to the live brine.

Just have to be patient. It's also better to not have failed attempts at dropping the door on the fish. Let them get used to swimming in and out of need be.

That would be awesome thanks! I figured it would only be a few days. It took a week to catch my flame angel, I figured the chromis would be dumber. Not so! I'm getting tired of seeing that trap in the tank. Pretty soon it will be covered in coralline:hammer:

Let me know if you find it!

 

[rovster]

Who is selling 1/4" nubs or were they freebies? 1/4" to me is a frag of a frag of a frag. Even as a freebie that is awfully tiny.

I don't really sell those but I've bought them. Supply and demand I guess. By 1/4" that probably is an embellishment of a frag that is not quite 1/2". I would never trim a frag that close. I have given away or sold tiny nubs, but usually for about $5. Anything less than an inch is an accidental frag you can count on that....

These are the smallest, nastiest, and most expensive frags I've bought to date. They were probably around 1/2" or slightly more.....(those are small plugs)



One of them looks amazing today, they other one still looks like crap but its a unicorn with papers. I could probably cut 4 1/4" nubs from that one and sell them for $100-150 each all day, LOL! Before you ask, I won't do that.......:dance:

 

[AquamanE]

BTW, thanks for the offer for the trap. I'll take you up on that one! Yours sucks

Remind me Labor Day weekend when we are at MACNA. I send you pis and you tell me yah or neh. BTW- I charge for shipping and handling, lol. Just kidding.