obiwanthegoby
Hair Algae cultivator
Tank survived vacation!!! Woo Hoo!!! Post pictures in a day or so!
The Dream Tank 400 Gallon Display - IN THE WORKS - Input appreciated!!!!
- Thread starter obiwanthegoby
- Start date
Hal
New member
That's the spirit!
My enthusiams for my tank goes up and down. Some months I consider it a royal pain, and react by doing little except feeding and scraping the glass. Eventually, something clicks in my head and I get very excited about reefkeeping again, :bounce3: and I'm oh so glad that I didnt' do anything rash when I was feeling a little blue.
Let's see those pics!
obiwanthegoby
Hair Algae cultivator
For those of you guys still following the ups and downs of my bi-polar reef tank..... 
(Thanks for still following and for the support... I think we all experiance the give up point at least 1 or 2 times,... a good buddy of mine is doing the same right now...)
The stocking list has solidified and I have begun collecting, acclimating and in some cases QTing my fish again. I added a Christmas wrasse about two weeks ago and he is doing well along with the rest of the fish currently in the tank. As for the new stocking it is as follows (List is in Last to already in tank order BUT I will probably mix it up a little with the tangs and some of the smaller fish... the trigger and angel will be last though.)
Niger Trigger
Flame Angel
Green Mandarin - will be added when the 120 gal fuge is established
Blonde Naso Tang
Orange Shoulder Tang
Blue Hippo Tang
Friedmani Pseudochromis
Aleni Damsels- 2
Blue Reef Chromis - 3
Percula Clowns (hoping to find a pair of picasso) - 2
Chalk Bass
Green Wrasse - Or Scotts Fairy havnt decided which wrasse but it will be a wrasse
Royal Gramma
Pink and Blue Prawn Goby - or other prawn goby
Blue Lined Rabbit Fish
Currently In the Tank:
Yellow Tang
Purple Tang
Christmas Wrasse
Yellow Wrasse
Mystery Wrasse
Bi-color Blenny
Bangaii Cardinal - 2
I have decided against the schooling bannerfish even though I would really like to add them. Reason being, the LFS has ordered them in twice and Gotten Heniochus Acumatus instead... I can't seem to find a reputable place to be sure I am getting the correct species, Dont want to end up with the destructo fish.
On other notes... Parameters are still stable at 420ppm Calcium and a High alk at around 11dKH, can't figure out how to get this to drop and stay low... the tank seems to stabilize here.
ORP is steady between 425 and 450 depending on how clean the skimmer is.
The Nutrfin Phosphate still reads 0... and I still havn't bought a reliable nitrate test but strips say 0! hahaha.
Hair Algae is starting to subside in the tank which is awesome, Its a slow process but its subsiding I believe. I am continuing the Vodka dosing and am up to 2.5mL a day,.... Want to switch to VSV just havnt had time to make a mixture. I also started dosing Zeobak as a bacterial source twice a week. After a couple times of the Zeobak I have noticed skimmate production up and a slight orange tint to it. I have only dosed this twice. My turbo snails have started to die off... I suspected something bad amiss in the tank but everything else is striving I think I starved them. I have begun upping the food into the tank again... and have stopped the frozen food as much I think this is contributing to the hair algae dissapation.
I will be adding a blue lined rabbitfish as soon as the LFS gets a good looking specimen and QT's it for me or LiveAquaria gets a nice one in the WYSIWYG. Possibly one of the tangs off the list... a hippo tang?
Lastly... I got one of the new Twin arc Lamps. It has both a 10K and 20K quartz(?) in it. The lamps is set to spend half the time in 10K "mode" and half the day in 20K "mode". Photobucket has been acting silly the last 2 or 3 times I have tried to upload new photos. So as soon as I can get them uploaded I will post new ones... Sorry its been so long. I like the twin arcs but I had hoped the 10K would fire when cold and the 20K would fire 2nd,... it is the opposite situation. I had hoped to burn 10K while I was at work and come home to a 20K, doesn't seem this will be happening unless I ignite the 20K twice each day. I posted on this in equipment forums,... but does any one have any insight on how bad this is on the bulb to be fired twice a day? I planned on replacing these bulbs about every 18 months (due to the fact there is two quartz's in each one they should technically last twice as long.) But if the 20K's will burn out before this because of being arced twice each day I will have to settle for a 10K bulb at night... or reverse the time frame the tank is on. (Comes on at 8 or 9 at night instead of 12 in the afternoon) .
Ok thats about it for the updates... will post pics as soon as I can (HAVE PLENTY) and will keep updates flowing... THANKS FOR READING!
~Obi
(Thanks for still following and for the support... I think we all experiance the give up point at least 1 or 2 times,... a good buddy of mine is doing the same right now...)
The stocking list has solidified and I have begun collecting, acclimating and in some cases QTing my fish again. I added a Christmas wrasse about two weeks ago and he is doing well along with the rest of the fish currently in the tank. As for the new stocking it is as follows (List is in Last to already in tank order BUT I will probably mix it up a little with the tangs and some of the smaller fish... the trigger and angel will be last though.)
Niger Trigger
Flame Angel
Green Mandarin - will be added when the 120 gal fuge is established
Blonde Naso Tang
Orange Shoulder Tang
Blue Hippo Tang
Friedmani Pseudochromis
Aleni Damsels- 2
Blue Reef Chromis - 3
Percula Clowns (hoping to find a pair of picasso) - 2
Chalk Bass
Green Wrasse - Or Scotts Fairy havnt decided which wrasse but it will be a wrasse
Royal Gramma
Pink and Blue Prawn Goby - or other prawn goby
Blue Lined Rabbit Fish
Currently In the Tank:
Yellow Tang
Purple Tang
Christmas Wrasse
Yellow Wrasse
Mystery Wrasse
Bi-color Blenny
Bangaii Cardinal - 2
I have decided against the schooling bannerfish even though I would really like to add them. Reason being, the LFS has ordered them in twice and Gotten Heniochus Acumatus instead... I can't seem to find a reputable place to be sure I am getting the correct species, Dont want to end up with the destructo fish.
On other notes... Parameters are still stable at 420ppm Calcium and a High alk at around 11dKH, can't figure out how to get this to drop and stay low... the tank seems to stabilize here.
ORP is steady between 425 and 450 depending on how clean the skimmer is.
The Nutrfin Phosphate still reads 0... and I still havn't bought a reliable nitrate test but strips say 0! hahaha.
Hair Algae is starting to subside in the tank which is awesome, Its a slow process but its subsiding I believe. I am continuing the Vodka dosing and am up to 2.5mL a day,.... Want to switch to VSV just havnt had time to make a mixture. I also started dosing Zeobak as a bacterial source twice a week. After a couple times of the Zeobak I have noticed skimmate production up and a slight orange tint to it. I have only dosed this twice. My turbo snails have started to die off... I suspected something bad amiss in the tank but everything else is striving I think I starved them. I have begun upping the food into the tank again... and have stopped the frozen food as much I think this is contributing to the hair algae dissapation.
I will be adding a blue lined rabbitfish as soon as the LFS gets a good looking specimen and QT's it for me or LiveAquaria gets a nice one in the WYSIWYG. Possibly one of the tangs off the list... a hippo tang?
Lastly... I got one of the new Twin arc Lamps. It has both a 10K and 20K quartz(?) in it. The lamps is set to spend half the time in 10K "mode" and half the day in 20K "mode". Photobucket has been acting silly the last 2 or 3 times I have tried to upload new photos. So as soon as I can get them uploaded I will post new ones... Sorry its been so long. I like the twin arcs but I had hoped the 10K would fire when cold and the 20K would fire 2nd,... it is the opposite situation. I had hoped to burn 10K while I was at work and come home to a 20K, doesn't seem this will be happening unless I ignite the 20K twice each day. I posted on this in equipment forums,... but does any one have any insight on how bad this is on the bulb to be fired twice a day? I planned on replacing these bulbs about every 18 months (due to the fact there is two quartz's in each one they should technically last twice as long.) But if the 20K's will burn out before this because of being arced twice each day I will have to settle for a 10K bulb at night... or reverse the time frame the tank is on. (Comes on at 8 or 9 at night instead of 12 in the afternoon) .
Ok thats about it for the updates... will post pics as soon as I can (HAVE PLENTY) and will keep updates flowing... THANKS FOR READING!
~Obi
Glad to see you back in the saddle, obiewan!
Opinions are worth what they cost you (nothing), so I'll chime in on the fish list...
Always preface with, "if it was me..."
I'd drop anything with Trigger or Damsel in the name... :fish2:
I've had no luck with Green or Blue Chromis. Usually they start fighting and killing each other off until there's just one left. Maybe look into a Disbar Anthias harem if you're looking for schooling action...one male and several lovely ladies...
The grandkids all love the Blue Hippo Tang ("Look it's Dory!!"), but they are ich magnets. Every other fish in the tank is perfect, and the Blue will show up with ich! :thumbdown
Perculas are PITA. If you want clowns, and who doesn't, look at ORA ocellaris clowns. It'll save wear and tear on your hands and the other fish when they get big! :reading:
Consider a Coral Beauty in lieu of a Flame Angel. They seem be have rep of being more reef-safe.
The other selections look like winners.
Still tagging along...
LL
Opinions are worth what they cost you (nothing), so I'll chime in on the fish list...
Always preface with, "if it was me..."
I'd drop anything with Trigger or Damsel in the name... :fish2:
I've had no luck with Green or Blue Chromis. Usually they start fighting and killing each other off until there's just one left. Maybe look into a Disbar Anthias harem if you're looking for schooling action...one male and several lovely ladies...
The grandkids all love the Blue Hippo Tang ("Look it's Dory!!"), but they are ich magnets. Every other fish in the tank is perfect, and the Blue will show up with ich! :thumbdown
Perculas are PITA. If you want clowns, and who doesn't, look at ORA ocellaris clowns. It'll save wear and tear on your hands and the other fish when they get big! :reading:
Consider a Coral Beauty in lieu of a Flame Angel. They seem be have rep of being more reef-safe.
The other selections look like winners.
Still tagging along...
LL
obiwanthegoby
Hair Algae cultivator
The trigger was on my iffy/not gonna list for a long time... But Ive wanted a Niger since I got into the hobby and never had the room for him. Have seen several reef tanks with them over the past 2 years while planning this tank and think its a possibility for me as well. My 400 originally was planned for small schooling fish and ton s of smaller flasher and fairys and the likes but after having 300 worth of anthias and flashers jump from my tank I no longer consider them an option and have decided against them....EVER again... lol.. unles in a fish only tank with a lid. Since this decision was made I decided to go with larger semi/agressive fish and the trigger may fit. Ill get one at a VERY small size and let him grow into the tank see how he does...he may still get evicted.
I have had success in the past with chromis... had a school of 5 blue/green that did VERY well. It was actually a group of 3 from my first 55 gallon and 2 from a tank I aquired a couple years ago. They are actually in a friends tank now still doing welll. So that is why I went ahead with the blues in this tank.. we'll see how they turn out... couldnt be as bad as my school of 8 bartlett/dispars that all commited a hara kiri.
The flame.... I had a flame angel once... in my last mixed reef.. the 120 he too commited hara kiri in the 120. He did GREAT with the corals... not so great with my clams
... and Ill be honest he may have been attributed to the disapperance of a couple zoanthid colonies... but not sure. Niether clams or zoanthids will be in the 400 (I may keep clams in the 120 refugium though) so i wont have torry here..... I am not a fan of the coral beauty, the flame just has so much moore color.
anywho thats my side of those storys. As for the cast of NEMO those fish are mainly for my daughter... she chose the dory and again my original pair of percs in my 55 gallon jumped from the tank on me (noticing a patter here, I am... lost more live stock to the floor than any other reason)and Ive wanted another pair ever since.... Me and the wife talked of replacing the dorry with a differnt tang...but the other choice is a powder blue or achilles which I think could be as much as a ich issue and possibly more of a agressiveness issue. we will see how things pan out though.....
Obi
obiwanthegoby
Hair Algae cultivator
I guess things are worse than they seem... I thought it may have been the different white balance... I guess the change has been so gradual I didn't realize it was as bad as it is.... Here are some new pics... I just went through my thread and looked at old tank shots of the coral when it was fresh out of the old 120 system... I am browning.... anybody got any ideas? Could my phosphate kit be junk...? Or are my 10 month old Reeflux's in need of replacement? I think im going to run a test by the LFS tommorow and have nitrates and Phosphate checked there as a second look.... but without further avail... the cruddy pictures...
Before white balance
After white balance
Before white balance
After white balance
obiwanthegoby
Hair Algae cultivator
~A Sad Obi....
(but eager to find a solution and get back on track!)
These pictures do not show the tank illuminated with the new Light bulb but here is a picture of the bulb it self....Will post more soon....
Advanced Lighting Solutions - Twin Arc - 10K/20K lamp
melev
Well-known member
The way that bulb works, each time it turns off, it turns on the other bulb next time. If you are running it in 20,000K mode twice a day, then you will have to fire it in 10,000K mode twice a day as well to stay on track. That means you may have to set your timer to click it on one extra time at night for about a minute to keep it on the right 'light schedule'.
Regarding the coloration of your corals - it isn't so much how they look in the pictures as much as how they look to your eyes. Are they brown or are they pretty? Kits age and read falsely, and bulbs wear out. It could be a combination of things.
Regarding the coloration of your corals - it isn't so much how they look in the pictures as much as how they look to your eyes. Are they brown or are they pretty? Kits age and read falsely, and bulbs wear out. It could be a combination of things.
obiwanthegoby
Hair Algae cultivator
I remember colors being much better. The tri color acro had much more purple to it, my blue mille was definitky more blue. The Spongodes ha sturned more of a dull brown than the brighter green it once was. Other corals have shown no change. I think the one that bothers me the most is the blue tort which no longer has the violet it once did but it is now a greyish blue with powder blue corallites(?). Im not sure what the change is due to. I didnt make it to the LFS yesterday and probably wont make it till tommorow now, But with the hair algae dying back Im wondering if it could be extra nutrients in the water? Ill be doing a big water change this weekend which shoud help a little.
As far as the twin arcs, the impression I got from the reading Was that the firing of the second quartz required the first to be hot and turned of, kinda of like using it as "pre-light" mechanism. I had the timer set to fire the 20K first thing in the morning, and then shut off after a few minutes so the 10K would come on. It would burn the 10K for 4 hours and then go out to let the 20K ignite for the last 4 hrs. This worked out on sunday but yesterday I returned home to a 10K on when the 20K should have been lit. I think You may be right melev and maybe i can just manually burn the 20K this morning for a few and then turn it off before the timer schedule kicks in. We'll see what happes....
Obi
As far as the twin arcs, the impression I got from the reading Was that the firing of the second quartz required the first to be hot and turned of, kinda of like using it as "pre-light" mechanism. I had the timer set to fire the 20K first thing in the morning, and then shut off after a few minutes so the 10K would come on. It would burn the 10K for 4 hours and then go out to let the 20K ignite for the last 4 hrs. This worked out on sunday but yesterday I returned home to a 10K on when the 20K should have been lit. I think You may be right melev and maybe i can just manually burn the 20K this morning for a few and then turn it off before the timer schedule kicks in. We'll see what happes....
Obi
obiwanthegoby
Hair Algae cultivator
LFS confirmed it 0 nitrates, 0 phosphates. the corals under the new bulb seem to be brightening back up somewhat. We will see if this continues. I dont know if all the hair algae is sucking up the available nutrients and thats why im getting a zero reading...might be. (there is also a ton of chaeto in the sump that could be contributing to up take. OR i could really be sitting at zero. The algae is definitly fading back in the once densly "populated areas, although a few places seem to striving.
I will execute a 50 gaallon water change this weekend while working on replumbing the returns and finishing the drains. I will be capping of the left and right right corer returns and creating a four way manifold of Loc Line for the center return. Hopefully this will up the flow as there is a lot of static headon the pump now with the three returns. Trying to decide between four 3/4 inch loc lines or 4 - 1/4 loc lines. I know I will get more pressure from the 1/4" and it will seem to move more water around in the display but the 3/4 will actually provide more flow. Any suggestions? I will also try and modify the portion of the drains inside the sump in hopesof eliminating the last of the bubbles in the tank. Between the added live rock in the sump and the huge mat of chaetonow most of the bubbles have dissapatedbut there is still a few. Dosed zeobak again today....using 2.5 ml of vodka and will stay at that point for a couple weeks and see how things progress I may move up to 3ml at that point.
I will be ordering more of the Twin arcs. I can not comment on growth yet, but I do like the idea and I like the colors of the tank. If it continues to brighten the corals and the growth improves I will be a big fan. I think Ive fixed the timing for the differnt lamps to be on... we'll see tonight.
Wife provided me with some funds to make coral and fish purchases for my birthday...will wait for some good options on live aquaria...
obi
I will execute a 50 gaallon water change this weekend while working on replumbing the returns and finishing the drains. I will be capping of the left and right right corer returns and creating a four way manifold of Loc Line for the center return. Hopefully this will up the flow as there is a lot of static headon the pump now with the three returns. Trying to decide between four 3/4 inch loc lines or 4 - 1/4 loc lines. I know I will get more pressure from the 1/4" and it will seem to move more water around in the display but the 3/4 will actually provide more flow. Any suggestions? I will also try and modify the portion of the drains inside the sump in hopesof eliminating the last of the bubbles in the tank. Between the added live rock in the sump and the huge mat of chaetonow most of the bubbles have dissapatedbut there is still a few. Dosed zeobak again today....using 2.5 ml of vodka and will stay at that point for a couple weeks and see how things progress I may move up to 3ml at that point.
I will be ordering more of the Twin arcs. I can not comment on growth yet, but I do like the idea and I like the colors of the tank. If it continues to brighten the corals and the growth improves I will be a big fan. I think Ive fixed the timing for the differnt lamps to be on... we'll see tonight.
Wife provided me with some funds to make coral and fish purchases for my birthday...will wait for some good options on live aquaria...
obi
obiwanthegoby
Hair Algae cultivator
Yes Ive read this artical as well. People were using it to rid their tanks of bryopsis. They were driving the MG concentrations through the roof. I havnt gotten to the point of it over running the tank or I would think of this as a solution. Most of them saw little effects to their coral but some saw pretty negative side effects. the majority of them were dosing Kent Marine Tech M, for me to raise Mg in my tank using the Tech M would cost me a small fortune. at last resort I have plans to try this.... I think it is subsiding now though. Im going to try and plumb the 120 in tommorow afternoon while plumbing the returns and drains....I think getting some more macro in the loop will go a long ways in eliminating the green hair!
Sometimes we have to reassess what we want out of our tanks and the direction it goes in. I've had my fair share of frustrations over the years and it got to the point where i just lost interest completely. I would feed teh fish and do an occasional water change. I didn't clean the front panel for 4 months once and could barely see inside the tank. But I knew deep down that I would one day feel the energy to sort things out and that came around this year. I listed everything I needed to do to make me happy with things and knuckled down and did it.
As for your fish you should make net covers. I lost loads of fish to jumping. It was actually the loss of my male Clarki Clown in March that gave me the kick up the *** to fix everything that was wrong. I since replaced the male and the female accepted him right away which was so cool to see. I added a Niger Trigger at the same time. It was small, around an inch but has since doubled in size. I love Triggers at the moment and have a male BlueJaw in QT along with 2 Emperor Angels and a big Bird Wrasse.
Make up teh VSV asap. I put it off because it was somnething I hadn't done before but so simple. Measure out 200-250ml Vodka, add 50ml Vinegar and a tablespoon of sugar and shake. I made it up in an empty vodka bottle. Takes no time at all. Also you can increase the dosage a lot quicker as long as you're in tune with the tank. I'm increasing my 1ml a week instead of the standard 0.5ml and I think you could increase by 1ml every 3 days and I'm going to be doing that when I back from a trip. Do it for a month and then ease off a bit. You have an algae issue that you want to fix so be more aggressive with the Vodka. It might be 20ml or even 40ml before it starts working and that's years away at your current dosing level. Do that in conjunction with manual removal and get some Rabbitfish asap. I have a pair of One Spot Rabbits - they are awesome. You can mix Rabbits so you can still get Blue Lined you want and meanwhile other Rabbits can mow your hair algae.
You have a big tank and access to awesome fish (like LiveAquaria) so you can really keep a diverse range. I'm more into bigger fish but I'm going to be trying a large harem of Royal Grammas next month. I'll probably level out at around 40 fish including 5-6 large angels, 4-5 tangs, some triggers, butterflies (CBB and heni), dwarf angels and i have 6 Bangaiis in there at the moment (4 born in the tank). Going to try lots of pairs. Maybe a pair of Flameback Pygmys, pair of Sixline Wrasses or pair of Orchid Dottybacks. We have big tanks so we can get away with alot of crazy stuff.
As for your fish you should make net covers. I lost loads of fish to jumping. It was actually the loss of my male Clarki Clown in March that gave me the kick up the *** to fix everything that was wrong. I since replaced the male and the female accepted him right away which was so cool to see. I added a Niger Trigger at the same time. It was small, around an inch but has since doubled in size. I love Triggers at the moment and have a male BlueJaw in QT along with 2 Emperor Angels and a big Bird Wrasse.
Make up teh VSV asap. I put it off because it was somnething I hadn't done before but so simple. Measure out 200-250ml Vodka, add 50ml Vinegar and a tablespoon of sugar and shake. I made it up in an empty vodka bottle. Takes no time at all. Also you can increase the dosage a lot quicker as long as you're in tune with the tank. I'm increasing my 1ml a week instead of the standard 0.5ml and I think you could increase by 1ml every 3 days and I'm going to be doing that when I back from a trip. Do it for a month and then ease off a bit. You have an algae issue that you want to fix so be more aggressive with the Vodka. It might be 20ml or even 40ml before it starts working and that's years away at your current dosing level. Do that in conjunction with manual removal and get some Rabbitfish asap. I have a pair of One Spot Rabbits - they are awesome. You can mix Rabbits so you can still get Blue Lined you want and meanwhile other Rabbits can mow your hair algae.
You have a big tank and access to awesome fish (like LiveAquaria) so you can really keep a diverse range. I'm more into bigger fish but I'm going to be trying a large harem of Royal Grammas next month. I'll probably level out at around 40 fish including 5-6 large angels, 4-5 tangs, some triggers, butterflies (CBB and heni), dwarf angels and i have 6 Bangaiis in there at the moment (4 born in the tank). Going to try lots of pairs. Maybe a pair of Flameback Pygmys, pair of Sixline Wrasses or pair of Orchid Dottybacks. We have big tanks so we can get away with alot of crazy stuff.
obiwanthegoby
Hair Algae cultivator
I have mixed up my first batch of VSV. ~200ml of vodka, 50ml of Vinegar and a tablespoon of granular sugar. Dosed 3mL, I was dosing 2.5mL of VOdka for the past 2 weeks. Tank maintenance tommorow and maybe some replumbing as planned, some things came up today that prevented me from getting to it. Still waiting for that rabbit fish.... no blue lines as of yet....
~obi
~obi
obiwanthegoby
Hair Algae cultivator
Had a very low dip in PH yesterday... mid light cycle I got a 7.58. I dont think the miniscule ammount of Vinegar that is being introduced into the tank would do this. This morning before lights kicked on it was 7.96. Added 3mL of VSV to tank, and fed the corals some coralfrenzy/spray dried phytoplankton. Everyone seems happy in the tank, Algae is turning white and falling back. I actually had to clean out my overflow traps (plastic wire mesh) because they were getting clogged with dead algae and the tank water level had risen about 1/4" .
The blue is coming back in my echinata not sure if its because the change in nutrients or the lights. I think its a mixture of it all. Im feeding the tank more, adding reef solutions once a week for now, and feeding the coral with coral frenzy one or twice a week. The spongodes is also starting to brighten up back to the neon green instead of hunter green and brown. Im going to give it a few more days before I decide to order the other two Twin Arc Bulbs.
I should be selling about 90 lbs of live rock from the old tank end of next week .... if so Ill be ordering a set of Eco techs MP40W to up the flow even more in the tank. I have a feeling one of the older Tunze is going to fail just as the other older one did. Leaving me with 1 Tunze... (and hopefully 2 eco techs).
will be writing....
~obi
The blue is coming back in my echinata not sure if its because the change in nutrients or the lights. I think its a mixture of it all. Im feeding the tank more, adding reef solutions once a week for now, and feeding the coral with coral frenzy one or twice a week. The spongodes is also starting to brighten up back to the neon green instead of hunter green and brown. Im going to give it a few more days before I decide to order the other two Twin Arc Bulbs.
I should be selling about 90 lbs of live rock from the old tank end of next week .... if so Ill be ordering a set of Eco techs MP40W to up the flow even more in the tank. I have a feeling one of the older Tunze is going to fail just as the other older one did. Leaving me with 1 Tunze... (and hopefully 2 eco techs).
will be writing....
~obi
obiwanthegoby
Hair Algae cultivator
mAintance day:
Phosphate 0
Nitrate 0
Calcium 430
Alkalinity 11.2
Magnesium 1250
PH 8.04
45 gallon water change, blew detritus around sump while doing water change to siphone off a bit. cleaned out skimmer cup and neck ORP was 414..normally 430 - 440.
Got QT tank for possible new arrivals.... (looking for blue line rabbit, orange shoulder tang and a couple smaller fish)
Changed Reeflux 12K's out for Twin Arc 400W 10K/20K. All 3 bulbs now Twinarcs.
~Obi
Algae is still falling apart and clogging overflow strainers.... WOO HOO BACK IN THE GAME!
Phosphate 0
Nitrate 0
Calcium 430
Alkalinity 11.2
Magnesium 1250
PH 8.04
45 gallon water change, blew detritus around sump while doing water change to siphone off a bit. cleaned out skimmer cup and neck ORP was 414..normally 430 - 440.
Got QT tank for possible new arrivals.... (looking for blue line rabbit, orange shoulder tang and a couple smaller fish)
Changed Reeflux 12K's out for Twin Arc 400W 10K/20K. All 3 bulbs now Twinarcs.
~Obi
Algae is still falling apart and clogging overflow strainers.... WOO HOO BACK IN THE GAME!
obiwanthegoby
Hair Algae cultivator
Also .... VSV is up to 4mL per day and a 16 - 18 drop supplement of Zeobak twice a week.
As phosphats and nitrates are zero and I am experiance a good ammount of die back on the hair algae I will probably bump it up to 5 mL over the next week or two and maintain until I see a rise in phosphates or nitrates. I am also going to start dosing Reef Solution twice a week as well as the Coral Frenzy coral food a couple times a week and see how things go. I have seen an increase in coral growth and think its time to start adding more food for them in and see what it does to nutrient levels. (this is of coarse as long as the algae continues to fade back.
~Obi
As phosphats and nitrates are zero and I am experiance a good ammount of die back on the hair algae I will probably bump it up to 5 mL over the next week or two and maintain until I see a rise in phosphates or nitrates. I am also going to start dosing Reef Solution twice a week as well as the Coral Frenzy coral food a couple times a week and see how things go. I have seen an increase in coral growth and think its time to start adding more food for them in and see what it does to nutrient levels. (this is of coarse as long as the algae continues to fade back.
~Obi
obiwanthegoby
Hair Algae cultivator
Picture TIME!!!! unfortunatly the lights were switching over to 10K when I went down to take pictures so I will try to narrate why some of the colors are so off. Some of the pictures were taken in under 20K lighting and 10K white balance ect. It will also show how not adjusting the white balance can effect pictures DRAMATATICALLY!!!! and why I never let a picture dictate what a coral looks like until I see it in person........
......
......
obiwanthegoby
Hair Algae cultivator
Obviosuly I havnt cleaned the glass..... but here is the camera White balanced for the Reeflux 12 K.... the left lamp is in 10K and the right is in 20K
10K shot with 12K white balance
10K shot with 12K white balance
Shot of entire tank in a 12K white balance....
12K white balance... 10K light
10K shot with 12K white balance
10K shot with 12K white balance
Shot of entire tank in a 12K white balance....
12K white balance... 10K light
