SouthFla
New member
For an OCD control-freak like myself, this was as close to "throwing caution to the wind" as I can get with my reefing. For the first time since starting reef tanks 30 years ago, I started my 125 with uncured, crammed-full-of-unknown-critters Live Rock (see my start-up thread HERE ). No sterile, obsessively-controlled tank this time, no sir!
Anyway I thought I'd post a 2-month update. The tank parameters have held steady since startup. I use IO regular and add Mg and Ca to the mix. I do 10% WC weekly, and have Kalk in my ATO. My Parameters:
NH4 0
NO2 0
NO3 0.2ppm
Mg 1380-1400ppm
Ca 450ppm
PO4 undetected w/Salifert
Alk 8.9-9.3dKH
PH 8.0
Salinity 1.025
I run two reactors, one with Rox Carbon and one with RowaPhos. There's a Bubble Magnus Curve 5 which fills a cup a week of dark gunk, and I have removed all mechanical filtration (I was using floss in between bubble traps in sump, but it's no longer in).
So I never got a cycle. Pretty crazy as that's never happened before. I never registered NH4 or NO2. From day one I put quite a bit of food in the tank, as the rock was LOADED with critters. I guess the rock had enough bacteria to handle the waste, and the die-off was consumed by the myriad of snails, worms, brittle stars and such. The rock looks quite a bit different today as it did 2 months back-pretty much all of the sponges are gone, as is all of the algae. Turns out the army of Mithrax crabs absolutely picked the rock clean, leaving just a bunch of tunicates (still brightly colored and apparently thriving), feather dusters and coralline.
I've removed almost all of the Mithrax (leaning glass trick), leaving only a handful of tiny ones. The tank inhabitants currently include a trio of Royal Grammas (Larry, Mo and Curly), a fat piggy Bicolor Angel, three gorgonians, some Montipora Cap, a Frogspawn and Birdsnest SPS.
Some Pics:
FTS:
Gratuitous polyp shots
And a few formal "Portraits" :thumbsup:
Thanks for reading, and Happy reefing all!
John
Anyway I thought I'd post a 2-month update. The tank parameters have held steady since startup. I use IO regular and add Mg and Ca to the mix. I do 10% WC weekly, and have Kalk in my ATO. My Parameters:
NH4 0
NO2 0
NO3 0.2ppm
Mg 1380-1400ppm
Ca 450ppm
PO4 undetected w/Salifert
Alk 8.9-9.3dKH
PH 8.0
Salinity 1.025
I run two reactors, one with Rox Carbon and one with RowaPhos. There's a Bubble Magnus Curve 5 which fills a cup a week of dark gunk, and I have removed all mechanical filtration (I was using floss in between bubble traps in sump, but it's no longer in).
So I never got a cycle. Pretty crazy as that's never happened before. I never registered NH4 or NO2. From day one I put quite a bit of food in the tank, as the rock was LOADED with critters. I guess the rock had enough bacteria to handle the waste, and the die-off was consumed by the myriad of snails, worms, brittle stars and such. The rock looks quite a bit different today as it did 2 months back-pretty much all of the sponges are gone, as is all of the algae. Turns out the army of Mithrax crabs absolutely picked the rock clean, leaving just a bunch of tunicates (still brightly colored and apparently thriving), feather dusters and coralline.
I've removed almost all of the Mithrax (leaning glass trick), leaving only a handful of tiny ones. The tank inhabitants currently include a trio of Royal Grammas (Larry, Mo and Curly), a fat piggy Bicolor Angel, three gorgonians, some Montipora Cap, a Frogspawn and Birdsnest SPS.
Some Pics:
FTS:
Gratuitous polyp shots
And a few formal "Portraits" :thumbsup:
Thanks for reading, and Happy reefing all!
John
. A fire/bristle worm which appeared similarly thankful for the Monti Cap snack I provided, a few bubble algae and assorted macro algae that could be considered nuisance, a few gianormous Mithrax crabs...
