Sonny's Rimless Shallow Reef.

[50hexman]

So let me get this striaght, as long as you dose AA you can have P04 at zero with no problems to the corals?

 

[LISound]

tagging along on the peach fuzz. I have it to. I only noticed when I started using Reef Crystals a month ago. I only did 2 water changes with it but noticed the algae within a week. what salt do you use?
I started MB7 a week ago and have NOT noticed a difference.

 

[newsalt]

what salt do you use?

I use Red Sea Coral Pro. I'm at a loss with this fuzz. I checked my RO/DI water and it's 0ppm. I can't figure this out:hammer:

 

[LISound]

are you running any GFO? That's what I'm going to do next. I'm not sure I want to jump into vodka. If i can get the same results with just MB7, great.
My problem with GFO was the expense. It's a great product and works well but I found it counter productive. I was having to feed more to keep my corals from going pastel. It was a tough balancing act.

 

[newsalt]

are you running any GFO? That's what I'm going to do next. I'm not sure I want to jump into vodka. If i can get the same results with just MB7, great.
My problem with GFO was the expense. It's a great product and works well but I found it counter productive. I was having to feed more to keep my corals from going pastel. It was a tough balancing act.

I don't know if you're asking me this question, but I'll answer anyway. Yes, I run RowaPhos 24/7 and change it every month.

 

[platax88]

Hey guys ... I got a question about dosing MB7. I have a barebottom tank and minimal rockwork. Should i be dosing more to make up for the surface area missing for bacteria to attach to? Right now i dose 14 drops on a 180gal. I have a few patches of Cyano that i want gone!

 

[mcliffy2]

Kaser, the aquascience 22k is basically the same thing as the blue+ with less PAR.

Not sure if this was addressed elsewhere, but this isn't quite accurate. According to Grim Reefer's measurements the Blue+ have more PAR, but Leonardo has done some spectral work (and there was an actual test done elsewhere if you dig around the internet, its on some german site), showing that the AS 22K has a spike in a different spectrum that actually produces more growth. The statement more PAR usually implies more growth, but it isn't the case with these two bulbs, which is why I say the statement isn't entirely accurate. (I actually said the same before Leonardo pointed this out to me.)

 

[SunnyX]

Not sure if this was addressed elsewhere, but this isn't quite accurate. According to Grim Reefer's measurements the Blue+ have more PAR, but Leonardo has done some spectral work (and there was an actual test done elsewhere if you dig around the internet, its on some german site), showing that the AS 22K has a spike in a different spectrum that actually produces more growth. The statement more PAR usually implies more growth, but it isn't the case with these two bulbs, which is why I say the statement isn't entirely accurate. (I actually said the same before Leonardo pointed this out to me.)

Mike, Here is the test: http://archiv.korallenriff.de/Lichttest/T5-1.pdf

The ATI blue+ is 3 band spectrum, the Aquascience is 5. You can clearly see fro the tests that the Aquascience provided better growth.

The bulbs may look the same, but according to this test the Aquascience provides better growth. I have an Aquascience 22K in my fixture and will be replacing it with an ATI Blue+ soon. Aquascience bulbs are hard to come by in my area.

 

[layer3switchguy]

Curious on the MB7... Would it be a good or bad idea to dose both MB7 and KZ's ZeoBac or just stick with one bacteria source?

Thanks!
L3

 

[kkris]

Of course Aquascience came out ahead in that test. They paid for it.
I have both bulbs running side by side and can't see a difference in color or growth. Greg at reefgeek sells both if you really need the Aquascience.

 

[luther1200]

Can I ask what you do to get your blue colors so good? I have a blue Tort specifically that had started to get a lot of green on it. Its not a bad green like theres a nutrient problem. I run Polyp Labs Reef Resh system and have been for almost a year. My NO3 and PO4 are undetectable. If your not familiar with it its basically a, carbon source-bacteria starins-AA-coral food. It has good PE and decent growth, but its really only blue on the tips and the rest is flourecent green pigments. It used to be all blue with only hints of the FGP. What do you think is going on?

 

[9501gle]

tagging along on the peach fuzz. I have it to. I only noticed when I started using Reef Crystals a month ago. I only did 2 water changes with it but noticed the algae within a week. what salt do you use?
I started MB7 a week ago and have NOT noticed a difference.

I also had the peach fuzz pop up after starting mb7 & vodka. I think its the rocks releasing their stored up nutrients that causes this. It lasted about 2 months after start of dosing but is gone now and my tank looks amazing. From what i've experienced with Sunnys dosing is it definately works. Seems to me as the main factor in getting it just right is to watch your tank very closely and adjust your dosing as needed. Right now i've been getting some of the white stringy stuff, which is excess bacteria, on top of my water. I've since lowered my dosing a little and it has gone away. From looking at my tank this seems to be the sweet spot. The greatest advantage to this dosing is it has created a ulns that allows me to feed the fish very heavily and also target feed my corals with no algee problems. Corals are just like every thing else, the more you can feed them the faster they grow.

 

[Tigé21v]

Sonny, I know you have posted in the past that you run GFO, but only for a short period of time with intervals in between. Do you always use new GFO when you run it? If not, what do you do with it (how do you store it) between uses?

 

[fernandokng]

So I started dosing vodka + MB7 again. It's been two weeks, and you can see all the polyps start to retract and corals slowly start dying, and algae to start to grow on it.

I can't figure out why this happens every time. Nitrates are at 5. Calcium/Alk/Mag are the right levels. I'm running GFO. The thing that I don't get is that PH is at 8.3-8.4.

Could this be causing it? PH was normal before I started dosing.

 

[coralmojo]

Curious on the MB7... Would it be a good or bad idea to dose both MB7 and KZ's ZeoBac or just stick with one bacteria source?

Thanks!
L3

For what it is worth...everyother day I dose Zeobac in the am and mb7 in the evening...don't know for sure whether it is making big difference but can only assume diversity is best...

DrMerle

 

[SunnyX]

Sunny,
Wow that's awesom about having such a low number of CUC. Ok so let me ask one more question here. If I was going to start using this system how would I impliment it with where I'm at now.

My tank is in week two of the cycle stage. I have a ton of dead rock that has been seeded with a couple pieces of live rock, some water/sand from my nano, and some cocktail shrimp (shrimp are now decomposed into the water column).

I've just started getting my first diatom bloom, and I already see pods on the glass/rocks. In what order, at what times, and what dosages would you recommend I be testing for & adding MB7, Vodka, AA, Lugols, etc.?

Thanks. I'm very excited about this method, and would love to get it going before I add livestock.

Edit: You should make a thread called the "SunnyX System" that oulines all this stuff for nubs like me

Hello,

Since your system is fairly new I would add the MB7 for one month before starting up the vodka. This should give the system plenty of time to settle and stabilize.

I dont know if I could handle another thread. What I need to do is put together a guide explaining the entire process.

 

[Zach.Attack6]

hey sonny did you get that pm I sent you?

 

[aquaph8]

+1 on the guide. How many times have you answered the same ?s. Im just waiting for the next sunnyX system. Do you still have the Sohal? Whats the chances of a bigger tank in the near future? If you did a bigger tank how big would you go?

 

[SunnyX]

Hi Sunny - can you help me out here? Rapid fire questions

1) What's the substate you're using? I assume you syphon it to keep it clean, since you have barely any CUC

2) What setting do you have your Vortech's on? Short Pulse? Reef Crest?

3) Does your T-5 unit get any salt creep or splash on the reflectors/bulbs? If so, how do you deal with that.

Thanks! Great tank, and an inspiration to us all.

Hello,

1. I use Caribsea Seaflor Special Grade. The Siphon the sand once a month or so, not to keep it looking good but to prevent the buildup of waste. With very little nutrients in the tank the sand stays nice and bright. :beer:

2. The MP40 is on 100% Reefcrest, The MP20 is on 100% Lagoon.

3. The shield on the T5 fixture is wiped done once a month. I dont get much salt creep, and the bulbs/reflectors are protected behind the acrylic shield.

 

[SunnyX]

Great looking tank. Ive slowly read through the entire thread over the last week and I'm really impressed by both your system and the amount of effort you put in to helping out fellow reefers. I had a few things I wanted to ask your opinon on. First off I see that you run Eheim water pumps submerged in your sump. Do you like them, and why did you decide on running them submerged? Is it just for ease of setup or does it cut down on noise. The reason I ask is because I'm trying to decide on a new return pump. My panworld is so loud that I would like something quieter. Secondly I know you dose everything manually but had expressed interest in maybe setting up a top off for your two part and maybe vodka. Have you looked at any of the different dosing pumps and if so which ones would you recommend? Finally the vortech pumps. I know you had a problem with your first one but they repaired it and sent it back to you. Have you had any other problems with it? How about the noise, as you can tell I'm trying to quiet things down and every little bit helps. Everyone says they make amazing flow but some people complain that they are much louder than the Tunze pumps.

Thanks for all your efforts!

Taylor

Hello Taylor

The Eheim pump is a great piece of equipment. I decided on the Eheim 1260 because I wanted less heat, noise,microbubbles and energy usage. In my prior setup I ran a Reeflo DART which was a great pump but much too powerful for the new setup. Because the Eheim doesn't put out a large amount of flow I have no issue with heat and microbubbles. The pump is quiet and you couldn't hear it even if you tried. I have an Eheim 1260 running on my Deltec AP851 and it is also quiet. A smaller return pump is the way to go.

As for a doser, I have looked into these: http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/drew-s-doser-peristaltic-dosing-pump.html I know a few reefers running them and they say that they work great.

The Vortechs have been doing great. I had a minor issue with one in the begging but it was replaced immediately with no questions asked. The flow they put out is amazing! The pump was noticeable load for the first couple weeks, but since then it has quieted down.

Sonny