Step-by-step account of my first reef (with lots of pics)

[bcoons]

Dudester - Any updates? How is that MH light burning in? Has it changed color at all? I'm starting to get serious about a lighting upgrade for my tank. My research so far is showing fewer options for a 30" tank than a 36" or a 48". I'm still trying to decide whether to go for 110W to 130W of PC lights and just do softies and LPS, or to try to figure out a way to mount a MH sorta like you did. I just got Fenner's book, so I'm studying some more. Do you have any off the top of your head recommendations for a 20L tank?
Remember our discussion a while back?":

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6559672#post6559672 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Dudester
Trust me, my friend, your pH is swinging like a pendulum! Just use your test kit and test the pH just before "lights off" and again just before "lights on." You won't need a pH probe to tell that the pH has changed, since I'm sure the color will match a different color on your indicator card. I'm not trying to talk you out of the pH probe, but you don't need corals to cause swings in pH. There are enough microorganisms in your maturing tank that produce increased CO2 without illumination that your pH will almost certainly drop during the night. And I understand your frustration with your pH kit. That's exactly the reason I got my pH monitor. Thanks also for your insight into UV sterilization. I'll certainly look into it.

Well, I've tested pH four different days at just before lights out and just before lights on and I get NO difference in color/reading. Zippo, nada, zilch. Solid 8.2 pH all the way. In fact, looking back over my notes it has never varied more than 0.1 either way from 8.2. And that requires me to interpret between colors. Hmmmmmmm? Now I gotta wonder. Is my test kit screwed up? Or do I really have no pH swings? (I REALLY gotta get that new Reef Keeper II with the pH monitor ) Thinking about it, there are no photosynthetic critters in my tank yet. No corals, and I really don't have any algae to speak off (don't know how I have avoided that) other than the cheato in my new 'fuge. I may be severely short of microorganisms that produce CO2 at night. Anyway, just thought I'd throw that out there for discussion. This will MAKE me get a pH monitor!

The little AC 500 HOB 'fuge seems to be doing something. It's been on for two weeks now and my tank nitrates have reduced from roughly 20 ppm before water change to what looks like 10-15 ppm tonight before tomorrow's water change. I guess that cheato is doing it's thing. The ball seems to have grown about 30% in size so far.

Mike, have you seen/heard www.reefcast.com yet? Pretty cool. I talked to Quicksilver (Evan) on Skype last week. It looks like it's going to be a fun thing.

Bruce

 

[Dudester]

The bulb's still burning blue. My SPS seem to like the new bulb, as my montis are showing very nice polyp extension. My blastos, on the other hand, ain't diggin it as much. Two of the polyps seem like they're on the way out, while the others are doing well and the little babies are growing nicely. My acan lord has also sprouted another baby and it's growing nicely. My calcium is around 400, and for some unknown reason my alkalinity has dropped again. Maybe I'll dose some baking soda to get it up right quick. About a week ago I re-added kalk and my pH is drifting up again, so I may have to do without kalk altogether, not sure.

Bruce - Sorry man, but I'm definitely NOT the guy to ask for lighting recommendations. Perhaps some of the more experienced reefers following this thread can help you out? I only know about what I've used, and my experience is very limited thus far.
I guess you're fortunate to have such a stable pH. With my monitor I'm seeing HUGE swings. In fact, after dosing B-Ionic last night, I checked my monitor and my pH was 8.7 :eek2:. Over the subsequent few hours it drifted back down, but that really freaked me out. None of my critters rebelled, not even my brand new tridacna CROCEA CLAM!! Yep, that's right, Dudester's got himself a clam. :rollface:. It's gorgeous, about 4 inches (a real monster), metallic blue with splashes of gold on the mantle. I promise to take pics tomorrow and post them ASAP!

Oh yeah, back on topic, glad to hear your 'trates are dropping. I'm amazed that I can't seem to grow macro, yet my nitrates and phosphates consistently read 0. Trust me, I'm not knocking it, just wish I could grow some, especially since my pod population is dwindling.


By the way, now that I have a clam, the coral beauty is dropping down on my fish wish list; I'd freak if I saw it nipping at my beautiful clam. So I need some more fish suggestions.

Pics to follow soon.

 

[Bax]

Dudester

Here's a pick of my 26 g just before I moved it to my office as we werre moving into a new house. Sad to say, the two croceas died sudenly after the move. But, if you look in the top left you'll see my CB zipping by.

He grazes off the live rock, around corals and yes any food matter on the clams, but has never damaged anything. That said all dwarf angels are hit or miss.

The derasa and a new tear drop max still live in peace with the CB in my 75.

 

[Dudester]

Bruce - Sorry, forgot to respond to your Reefcast comment. Yeah, I'm familiar with it and it seems like a cool thing. I'll look into it more in-depth and will probably follow it along, just like the hundreds of threads I follow here. That's my problem, I just don't spend enough time on this hobby :lol:.

Bax - Wow, what an awesome photo. I think I want a derasa clam next, I love how open they get and how wide their mantle is. Although, your purple crocea was truly laying it all out in that photo, much more expanded than mine. My clam sits in an area where there may be too much flow for it's ultimate happiness. It's just enough current to lift the flesh of the mantle a little every time my SCWD alternates to the left-sided return. Maybe I should move him??

Thanks for your comment about the CB. I'm now seriously considering the following fish as my next addition (in no particular order):

coral beauty
flame angel
chalk bass
true percula (juvenile)
?goby or ?blenny
Swissgard basslet (if John can ever find me one )

The other thing I need to figure out is this whole pH shift with my B-Ionic addition. I did it again last night ... pH 8.3 prior to adding B-Ionic ---> pH 8.7 2 minutes after adding it. Clearly the solution is highly alkaline, but I don't know if this is normal. I think I'll ask RHF.

 

[Bax]

My pH still sometimes swings between 8.0 (ocasionaly 7.94) to 8.41-8.42, I just don't know why. Fresh Kalk in the mixer and a teaspoon of Baking Soda seem to tighten things up, so I still suspect overall low Alk.

And man I loved those croseas, my proide & joy of that tank .... sniff ... sniff

Dreasas get big fast so consider that before getting one I knew I was going to a 75 whne I bought this one.

Chalk Bass is a good choise swiss guard is am awsome choice

 

[melev]

Dudester, why are you dosing enough Part I to cause the pH to rise to 8.7? I used B-Ionic for more than two years.

 

[Dudester]

melev

melev

When I started using the B-Ionic, I followed the instructions and added 1 ml per 8 gallons of system water (since I was dosing kalk). It said to increase the volume daily until Ca was at the desired level. Even after adding 45 ml (about 1 ml/gallon of system water) my Ca wasn't high enough, and I had to add Turbo Calcium. I tried reducing the amount of B-Ionic but my alkalinity drifted down, so now I'm back to 45 ml/day of each solution. I think I'll just add baking soda and try to reduce my B-Ionic addition. Make sense? How much were you adding to your previous small system?

 

[melev]

On my 29g, half of the dosing cup of each part, late night or very early morning. I would add it in an area of high flow very slowly over 30 seconds or so. On the 55g, it was almost the full dosing cup (45ml?), daily.

 

[Dudester]

... yawn ... hmm, what? wiping crud from eyes Oh, hey there. Been away from this thread for a while. Let's see, what's been happening?

melev - I asked RHF about my use of B-Ionic and my huge pH swings, and he wisely recommended that I add my solution in the early morning (like you did). When I add it (at about 6 a.m.) my pH is around 8.1, and it increases to about 8.4. This I can live with!

I've increased my alkalinity to 3, and my calcium is currently at 415, both of which please me. Other tank news includes continued Bryopsis growth requiring frequent pruning. This is frustrating in that each time I rip it out, I get a new outcropping of the algae in a different location. No doubt this occurs because some must fall off of my fingers during pruning despite my efforts to prevent this from occuring. It then travels through the water column to a new location when I turn the pumps back on. I've decided to reduce the amount of food I add to the tank, primarily by cutting back on the spot feeding of my corals. Hopefully this will reduce nutrients enough to quell the growth of the Bryopsis. I sure hope this phase of my tank maturation passes soon. The stuff is growing all over my corals (montis, zoos, GSP and lord acan) to the point that the corals are almost hidden by the algae until I peel it off.

After changing to the Phoenix 14K bulb (which is still quite blue, by the way), 2 of my blasto polyps died. This doesn't bother me because the others look well, and I count 6 baby polyps growing along with the colony.

Since adding the clam, my skimmer production has taken off! I don't know what else could be the cause, but I'm now filling my collection cup with about an inch/day of skimmate, whereas before adding the clam it only filled about 1/4 inch/day. I'm not sure if the clam had anything to do with this or not, but temporally that's what happened. (?) Nitrates and phosphate still test 0. My ammonia test had a slightly brownish-yellow discoloration (level between <0.25 to 0.25), but I'm not sure if this was a result of the film that has developed in the ammonia test container or a true color change. Even if it is 0.25, this isn't a problem, is it?

John has talked me out of the coral beauty due to the possibility of clam and SPS nipping. I understand that it's a gamble, but I'd hate to have to catch the thing if it did nip at my other inhabitants. So maybe a chalk bass or another perc (?), still not sure.

The clam is doing great, and I think it's happy by its extension. Last night I got pics, and I'll load them into this thread very soon. Sorry for the delay, just woke up you know.

 

[melev]

In fighting bryopsis, be sure to take a turkey baster to it daily, and blow it out well. You want all trapped detritus to be blown out of the base of this weed, because it uses that to feed upon.

Everything else sounds pretty good, other than the clam vs skimmate thing that really makes little sense to me.

 

[Bax]

melev

Good tip on the bryopsis, it is taking its turn in my 75 right now.

Dude

A pair of chalk bass in that set up would be sweet!

... and about half the cost of a swiss guard!

 

[Dudester]

a close call

a close call

melev - Thanks for the tip - I've begun to do just that, and hopefully the bryopsis problem will subside soon. Does this stuff eventually just go away, kind of like the predictable algae blooms of a new tank, or is this something that truly requires active treatment for eradication? As far as the clam and my skimmate, I don't think they're related, either. It's just wierd how my skimmer is producing so much more skimmate all of a sudden. I'm not complaining, especially since I can't seem to grow macro to keep my nutrients down, so I'm glad my skimmer's working well. I've actually had to raise my collection cup to make the skimmate a little dryer, otherwise I'd have to empty the cup daily.

Bax - I agree, 2 chalk basses would be cool, but I think I'd like to limit the number of fish in my tank to a total of 4 or 5. I've decided to go ahead and get another juvenile true perc to hopefully mate with my current fish, then if all goes well (i.e. it doesn't die), I'll get a chalk bass. I haven't given up on the Swissgard, though, but John hasn't seen one listed as available as far as I know.


So now, for my close call. Last night I got home from work, dead tired. I sat on the couch with my daughter to watch Dora the Explorer, and as usual, the cartoon did not hold my interest. I peered to the right to view my tank instead, and immediately noticed a lack of rippling at the surface. When I got up I saw that the water level was about 2 mm away from the top edge of the tank :eek2:. I immediately unplugged my sump return pump and allowed the water to drain into the sump, and the sump overfill alarm then went off. Fortunately the sump didn't overflow. The autotopoff reservoir was empty. The next thing I noticed was that my AquaLifter pump was not siphoning. The airline tubing was clogged with algae (bryopsis :mad2: ) and the overflow box was similarly just packed with a combination of bryopsis and coralline algae. I changed the air line tubing from the AquaLifter pump, and cleaned out the overflow box as best as I could. When I turned the sump pump back on, everything worked as it should. My sump level was much higher than usual, and I'm lucky that my autotopoff reservoir was low when this obstruction occurred, because if it hadn't been, then the tank surely would have overflowed again. I changed the air line tubing to my AL pump just about a month ago, but with this bryopsis problem that I have, I guess I'll have to watch it much more closely now to ensure patency. I now know EXACTLY what happened when my tank overflowed the first time. John suggested that I cover the air line tubing with electrical tape to keep out the light and prevent algae from clogging it, but this would make me nervous not to be able to see it. I guess I could wrap it with tape and just remove it frequently to check it. Yep, I think I'll go ahead and do that (I'm thinking while I type).

My snail population has dwindled significantly. In the past, during feedings, the nassarius snails would emerge from the sandbed for their feast, and I now only rarely see them. Same goes for the ceriths. I'll need to get more soon. Flatworms are still there, but the population doesn't seem to have grown at all, so my sixline wrasse must be keeping them in check. I've also noticed that the soft, MagFloat-able algae is growing on my glass much more than in the past, and I have to clean it off at least every other day. Not sure why, maybe it's a snail deficiency thing.

My astrea snail shells are becoming covered with bryopsis, and they look like little green-haired Don Kings moving around my tank. I've even started to prune the bryopsis off of them, too.

 

[melev]

Bryopsis is a pain. It doesn't just fade away like you'd hope, but a Foxface will mow it down. I refuse to get one because I don't like the look of that horse-fish, nor how it changes colors when its mood changes. I plucked off all I could stand, and bought 6 Lettuce Nudibranchs to help get it under control. It took several months but I finally got rid of it.

You can cover the airline tubing with some of that plastic flex wrap that people use to hold computer cabling together. It would shield the tubing as it is black, but it would be removable. You can use aluminum foil, or black acrylic as a cover as well. Like you, I think electrical tape is a bad option because you can't remove it easily to see if all is well.

Glad you caught that problem in time. Aren't you glad you don't have an RO/Di connected directly to your tank now?

 

[Dudester]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6712788#post6712788 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
Glad you caught that problem in time. Aren't you glad you don't have an RO/Di connected directly to your tank now?

I sure am, but even more so, I wish I had a reef-ready tank and NOT an external overflow! My original plan was to eventually get a much bigger tank, and I thought I'd just keep my 30g as well. With all of the potential hazards inherent to this system, I think I'll just break it down when that time comes instead.

Lettuce nudi's, hu? I thought about it in the past but decided against them since they'd basically serve that single purpose then die. But now that I'm dealing with this minor plague and hating it, I think I'll give it some reconsideration. Hey John, can you order me some of those?

 

[KingfishJohn]

Yeah I can get lettuce nudi's no problemo. What worked for me fighting it was:

1. Use AZ-NO3. Worked great and killed it all, then it came back, then I did it longer and it killed it all again.

2. Got a freaking monster Euro-reef skimmer on a small tank and ripped out the sandbed. That was what really helped me. Not so much the ripping of the sandbed, but more along the lines of greatly increasing the flow.

 

[Bax]

thedude

Wow! An ER CS 6-1 on a 30 g!!!

That is a monster skimmer for that size tank ... cool!

 

[Dudester]

John - I don't plan on upgrading my skimmer, nor do I plan on ripping out my sandbed. I just like the look of sand far too much. In what state (solid, liquid, gas) was your AzNO3? I'm familiar with the solid form only. Was there any collateral damage with its use, i.e. is it otherwise "reef safe?"

p.s. I'll call you after I'm finished work today, I'd like to check out your tank.

 

[bcoons]

Mike - Your incidents with the CPR type overflow with the vaccuum pump (two now, IIRC) really make me nervous about ever using one on a tank. I even have one that I bought for evaluation and tried out for a few days in my garage. I don't think I would ever trust it in the house. I keep it around thinking I may use it someday for a liverock curing tank or something in the (detached) garage. In my thinking for my future bigger tank I'm pretty sure I'll go with an internal overflow. In fact, after reading a bunch of threads about them, I'm leaning towards a custom acrylic tank from www.socalcreations.com. They sure seem to do nice work.

Speaking of threads, I've got one going over on the nano-reef forum on a lighting upgrade for my 20L tank.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=772962

Sure would appreciate it if you, Melev, Thedude, and the other knowledgable folks here on this thread would go over and give me your $0.02 worth.

I've come to think of this thread as my "home" thread. This is the first place I check when I get home in the evening and fire up the computer, just to see what's going on. Sorta' like Happy Hour. :rollface:

Regards,
Bruce

 

[Dudester]

bcoons - Yeah, I hear that! It makes me nervous, too. Very nervous!! But I simply can't do without the sump for my intended goal, that is, to keep the tank free from equipment clutter. I'll just have to make sure my attention to detail doesn't wain, especially in light of my bryopsis problem. This is why I'm so anxious to eradicate this weed, since it grows so quickly and has the potential to clog my air line tubing in a second. I'm with you, though, in that a reef-ready tank with internal overflow(s) will be my ultimate goal.

Since this is your home thread, we'll all be sure to shout "BRUCE" whenever you stop by for happy hour .

p.s. checked out your thread

 

[KingfishJohn]

AZNO3 is a liquid additive. It says it is a combination of "enzymes," whatever the hell that means. Do a search for it as there is a reasonably long thread about it.

John