Sonny's Rimless Shallow Reef.
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Sonny, I have been following this thread for a while now and thought I should share my thoughts and pick your brain a bit. I have a reef tank that I calculate the total system volume to be about 500 Gallons. The tank is about 1 year old. I had been out of the hobby for many many years and I came back with many old school ideas that I believe have been part of the cause of my problems, Cyno and poor coral growth. It really began about 7 months ago when i changed salt. In the last 2 months I went back to the original brand I started with and have seen better growth again. But the Cyno has been stubborn. It covers zoo colonies and even grows between Acan heads. I had too much rock in the tank and have begun removing it slowly from the main display. The sump also has a lot of rock in it. I recently put some eggcrate in the sump propped up on PVC pipe with two submersible pumps under the eggcrate. A third pump underneath pumps into a filter sock which the overflow from the tank is also plumbed to. These pumps are on a controller and run on hourly cycles. The return pump (ReefFlo Hammerhead) and 7 Vortech MP40's so there is plenty of flow.
I dose Fauna Marin three part and supplement with their trace elements and iodine. Do 75-100 gallon water change every 2-3 weeks. I feed a mix of 8 cubes of frozen foods (which over the course of the day will be fed 2-3 times a day) which i add RODI to help melt then discard the water before feeding. I also feed about 2 oz. of Reef Nutrition products once a day at night.
I am using AI leds lights. They too run through my controller w/ sunrise-sunset, moon cycle, random storms etc.
I run a SSB and only near the front glass. The rock work has little or no sand underneath. Parameters: Salinity 1.025, PH 8.0, Temp. 78-79, Dkh 8, Mag 1475-1500, Cal. 550, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate , Po4 .08
Livestock: Fish mix of 4 tanks, 2 angels, 1 butterfly, 2 gobies, 2 clowns,
2 wrasses, 2 pseudochromis Shrimps, crabs etc.
Corals: SPS, LPS, ZOOs, Clams and a BTA.
On to the questions: I have been dosing MB7 about 3 weeks now and my PO4 is down to 0.08 (Hanna Photometer). Do I have to wait for PO4 to go to 0.0 or can I start dosing Vodka now? Thanks in advance, Neil
ps BTW great thread !!!
I dose Fauna Marin three part and supplement with their trace elements and iodine. Do 75-100 gallon water change every 2-3 weeks. I feed a mix of 8 cubes of frozen foods (which over the course of the day will be fed 2-3 times a day) which i add RODI to help melt then discard the water before feeding. I also feed about 2 oz. of Reef Nutrition products once a day at night.
I am using AI leds lights. They too run through my controller w/ sunrise-sunset, moon cycle, random storms etc.
I run a SSB and only near the front glass. The rock work has little or no sand underneath. Parameters: Salinity 1.025, PH 8.0, Temp. 78-79, Dkh 8, Mag 1475-1500, Cal. 550, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate , Po4 .08
Livestock: Fish mix of 4 tanks, 2 angels, 1 butterfly, 2 gobies, 2 clowns,
2 wrasses, 2 pseudochromis Shrimps, crabs etc.
Corals: SPS, LPS, ZOOs, Clams and a BTA.
On to the questions: I have been dosing MB7 about 3 weeks now and my PO4 is down to 0.08 (Hanna Photometer). Do I have to wait for PO4 to go to 0.0 or can I start dosing Vodka now? Thanks in advance, Neil
ps BTW great thread !!!
newsalt
Active member
I've been using MB7 for about 3 months now. My total water volume is about 198g. I'm currently dosing 5 drops per day. I was dosing Vodka, but I stopped because I was getting this deep red "something" on some of my rocks. I'm not sure it's cyano because it does not siphon off easily. It's only on some of the rocks. Not on the sand. I did some testing today and got the following results:
Alk: 8.06 (LaMotte)
PO4: 0.03 (Hanna)
NO3: 0 (Salifert)
Mg: 1400
Ca: 440
Aside from whatever that deep red stuff is on my rocks, I have these issues: I have a few spots of Hair Algea, I noticed a day or two ago this white-ish/clear growth on my rocks and overflows. The best I can describe it is "peach fuzz". Also, my water clarity is not nearly what I would expect. Looking from the side, I can see through to the other side, but that tank just has this "haze" to it.
Any idea what might be causing the "peach fuzz"? What could the red stuff on my rocks be? How can I improve the water clarity?
Thanks
Alk: 8.06 (LaMotte)
PO4: 0.03 (Hanna)
NO3: 0 (Salifert)
Mg: 1400
Ca: 440
Aside from whatever that deep red stuff is on my rocks, I have these issues: I have a few spots of Hair Algea, I noticed a day or two ago this white-ish/clear growth on my rocks and overflows. The best I can describe it is "peach fuzz". Also, my water clarity is not nearly what I would expect. Looking from the side, I can see through to the other side, but that tank just has this "haze" to it.
Any idea what might be causing the "peach fuzz"? What could the red stuff on my rocks be? How can I improve the water clarity?
Thanks
I would up your MB7 dosage and you did the right thing by stopping the vodka. This has worked for me thus far. It will take several weeks to months depending on how much growth you have. Some go as far as to reduce light by an hour or two for a few weeks.
Lavish62
New member
Hey I have been leeching on this forum for some time now and it's amazing. I've learned so much here however I haven't seen anyone post about this before. I hope this will help you guys out as well as myself.
Sonny, I have been dosing vodka for about three weeks now and Ive seen some good changes however all of my reds are fading really bad, my greens are starting, and my orange and green digi is loosing the green base. I'm starting mb7 tomorrow and I feed only a little AA's. The hair alge is starting to die off bit the faded coral are confirming me. Do you have any ideas on wha to do? I don't want to feed too much and get my nutrients up.
Thanks for any help with this.
Sonny, I have been dosing vodka for about three weeks now and Ive seen some good changes however all of my reds are fading really bad, my greens are starting, and my orange and green digi is loosing the green base. I'm starting mb7 tomorrow and I feed only a little AA's. The hair alge is starting to die off bit the faded coral are confirming me. Do you have any ideas on wha to do? I don't want to feed too much and get my nutrients up.
Thanks for any help with this.
saltygeek
New member
I posted a couple crappy pics of this "peach fuzz" here
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1666271&page=33
I was under the impression it was an overdose of the MB7 but if it looks like a type of cyano under the scope maybe an increase in MB7 is the way to go. I just ended up lowering both carbon and MB7 and then stopped altogether to get rid of it. It goes away after a few days of no dosing for me. I will have to try an icrease in MB7 next time and see if it goes away quicker.
SunnyX
New member
Hello and thank you.
As a rule of thumb I dose MB7 for two weeks prior to dosing vodka. I feel that it gives the "good" bacteria enough time to colonize so that the "bad" bacteria doesn't proliferate once vodka dosing commences.
Cyano can be a pain to get rid of sometimes. Unfortunately, it is something that all carbon dosing systems will face. If the problem gets so bad and you are not able to get it under control Red Slime Remover may be your best bet. I have used it in the past with minimal impact on my inhabitants, although one SPS did brown a little but it was no big deal as it colored up two weeks later.
SunnyX
New member
I had the same issues when I started dosing MB7/Vodka. The tank was getting so clean that corals were beginning to fade in color. I believe it was due to the increased clarity of the water(allowing more light to penetrate) and less nutrients in the water that contributed to this. I Scaled back my photoperiod by one hour, increased feeding of fish, and tweaked my dosing.
Carbon dosing can be tricky at first, it will take a few months before you you can find the "sweet spot"(optimal dosage). But, once you do find the right amount to dose it should be smooth sailing from there.
Just keep an eye on the corals and tank.
If the corals lighten up- Feed more/dose less
If the glass and sand are getting dirtier sooner- dose more/feed less
Eventually you will find a happy median. :thumbsup:
SHOmuchFUN
New member
Do you have problems getting any skimmate in your skimmer?
I have been dosing vodka and am currently in the 5ml/day dosing schedule.
I never really had much skimmate from my skimmer. I think I suffer from the soda-fizz, but still have patches of GHA that plague me. I'm hoping that the addition of vodka will help me eliminate whatever the GHA is using for growth. The problem with GHA is that it harnesses its own detritus for food. It may not be feeding from dissolved organics, which is evident from the soda fizz I'm getting from my cone skimmer. I have a very light bioload on my tank (1 tang, 4 chromis, and 1 goby) so I try not to feed it often. My corals grow like weeds, but aren't as colorful as I'd like. Ugghhh, it's always something.
During your daily vodka dosings, when and how much MB7 do you add?
I have been dosing vodka and am currently in the 5ml/day dosing schedule.
I never really had much skimmate from my skimmer. I think I suffer from the soda-fizz, but still have patches of GHA that plague me. I'm hoping that the addition of vodka will help me eliminate whatever the GHA is using for growth. The problem with GHA is that it harnesses its own detritus for food. It may not be feeding from dissolved organics, which is evident from the soda fizz I'm getting from my cone skimmer. I have a very light bioload on my tank (1 tang, 4 chromis, and 1 goby) so I try not to feed it often. My corals grow like weeds, but aren't as colorful as I'd like. Ugghhh, it's always something.
During your daily vodka dosings, when and how much MB7 do you add?
SunnyX
New member
Hello,
I still get a decent amount of skimmate, 3/4 full in about 6 days(thick and dark). I dose MB7 and Vodka at the same time everyday in the afternoon. My current dosages is 10 drops MB7, 2ML of Vodka.
The dosages change from week to week based on my observations.
SunnyX
New member
I think so. It should have split by now but I am happy that it hasn't. Its better to have the thread in one big thread instead of being split up.
SHOmuchFUN
New member
Wow, only 2ML? That doesn't seem like much. I'm currently dosing about 5ML/day and haven't observed much change. I'll be sure to start dosing MB7 along with my vodka doses.
SunnyX
New member
Well, I dose maybe half of what a normal tank would. I am sure I could dose more and get an even cleaner tank but this dosage has worked out best for me.
Some systems may need more or less depending on many factors. You will have to play around will the dosages until you find a happy median.
Lavish62
New member
Im still in the early phase of dosing and I have only stepped up the dose once. I still have an algae problem as well so I know my nutrients isn't gone quite yet. At this point I'm only dosing 0.8 of vodka, and I'm supposed to bump it up tomorrow to 1.2ml although I think I may bumpbit up to 1.05ml. I'm kind of nervous to overdose. I'm waiting for the algae to go away before I cut the dose.
I will cut the photo period however I only have my lights on from 3:00 to 9:30 for when Im home. Instead of cutting light down an hour can I split the photo period into two periods?
Thx foe the help.
I will cut the photo period however I only have my lights on from 3:00 to 9:30 for when Im home. Instead of cutting light down an hour can I split the photo period into two periods?
Thx foe the help.
Hello Sunny,
I was dosing Mb7 and I was on the third week of dosing vodka about a month ago. I was having a huge problem with red slime algae. I quit dosing the vodka and continued dosing the mb7 daily for 3 weeks. The red slime wasn't going away at all. So I finally caved in and treated with blue life red slime control. My red slime is gone now but I do have some green hair algae left. I want to start dosing mb7 and vodka again but am not sure where I should start. Should I start dosing MB7 from the beginning again and start the vodka after 2 weeks or maybe I can start the vodka right away also to help get rid of the green hair algae. What would you recommend?
Thanks in advance
I was dosing Mb7 and I was on the third week of dosing vodka about a month ago. I was having a huge problem with red slime algae. I quit dosing the vodka and continued dosing the mb7 daily for 3 weeks. The red slime wasn't going away at all. So I finally caved in and treated with blue life red slime control. My red slime is gone now but I do have some green hair algae left. I want to start dosing mb7 and vodka again but am not sure where I should start. Should I start dosing MB7 from the beginning again and start the vodka after 2 weeks or maybe I can start the vodka right away also to help get rid of the green hair algae. What would you recommend?
Thanks in advance
SunnyX
New member
Hello,
The red slime likely killed off some of the beneficial bacteria so I would start over. Run the MB7 for two weeks and then start up the vodka once more.
As I stated before, Red slime is something that is inevitable with carbon dosing. You have to keep a close eye on the tank and take action once the slightest cyano appears.
newsalt
Active member
That's it. What you show in the pictures is what I have.
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