Viewpoints – A Photographic Journal of my Reef Tank

[urbaneks]

Viewpoints - 1/25/12 Responses to Feedback

Viewpoints - 1/25/12 Responses to Feedback

Viewpoints - 1/25/12 Responses to Feedback

That thing is SWEET!

synrg - Yes Sir it is sweet. It's been running about 18 hours now, it has a nice foam curtain on it. The foam has just started to roll over into the collection cup. The amount of surface area inside the skimmer is unbelievable. So far, no buyers remorse.

Nice additions! I walked about 8 NYC blocks in the aftermath of a snow snorm to get my Strawberry Shortcake and it is by far one of my favorites today. lol. What I did to aid with maintenance of my sump was a suggestions taken from a past RC member SunnyX.. I use one of my old Tunze's that's placed in the center chamber of my sump. This pump is progrmed to turn on at full blast every day around 1:00AM... It has helped to keep my sump free of detritus, help feed corals and get whatever that does not get eaten or recirculated captured by the skimmer and removed... just a thought.

jbanks - Funny story about the Strawberry Shortcake and the snow storm. Here in Arizona, we just have to brave the heat waves. I want to thank you for your maintenance tip on the sump. I was in the process of placing an order for a dosing pump and added a maxi-jet 1200 based on your input. Inputs like these are what I love about the forums. Thanks again for sharing.

 

[urbaneks]

Viewpoints - 1/25/12 Photo Update

Viewpoints - 1/25/12 Photo Update

Viewpoints - 1/22/12 Photo Update


Since the thread rolled over to page 9, I wanted to post a couple new photos that were taken last week. You can never have too many pictures.

Of all the photos I've taken of fish, this is my all time favorite. The face is perfectly in focus, the detail on the eye is beautiful and the color is true to what you see with the eyes. I also like the shallow depth of focus which really pulls your attention to the face of the fish. Looking at the picture, it's amazing how much the YWG resemble frogs. The only thing that would make this photo better is if his Pistol Shrimp partner were in it as well.

Unfortunately, this photo is underexposed and does not show the true color of the Red Planet. I went ahead and posted the picture because i think it shows good PE and I want to record the growth point of this coral. It's been encrusting quickly so I'm hoping to see new branches soon.

I'm posting this picture for a couple reasons, first because it was my first ever SPS coral. This coral goes back 2+ years to the Nano Cube. It started out as a 1" frag and I now have 4 large colonies from it. I guess you could say that this is the coral that started my obsession with SPS. I'm actually at a point where I need to frag and trade of frag and sell some of it. The other reason I post it is I have yet to see another strain of Birds Nest that has better color. This color really is an atomic green like you see in the photo.

Until next time, thanks for looking and I appreciate your comments.

 

[Reef_Noob]

Extremely well planned and beautifully documented. Speaks volumes of your dedication to this hobby.
The photographs are beautiful.
The attention to detail is just amazing. Great job!!

Just a query,,,,how has the Zeovit additives worked for you? Contemplating in adding any new Zeo additives ?

Happy Reefing!!

 

[CoopMD]

Awesome Brad!

 

[urbaneks]

Viewpoints - 1/26/12 Responses to Feedback

Viewpoints - 1/26/12 Responses to Feedback

Viewpoints - 1/26/12 Responses to Feedback

Extremely well planned and beautifully documented. Speaks volumes of your dedication to this hobby.
The photographs are beautiful.
The attention to detail is just amazing. Great job!!

Just a query,,,,how has the Zeovit additives worked for you? Contemplating in adding any new Zeo additives ?

Happy Reefing!!

Reef_Noob - Thanks for the view and compliment on the tank. The feedback means a lot to me. As for the Zeo products, I'm a believer. I only use the two which are Phol's Xtra and Coral Vitalizer. They have definitely improved my color and PE. You do need to be careful with them because they are powerful. I think when you are running full Zeo you have to put in the recommended doses just to get nutrients back in the tank. When you are not running Zeo, you can quickly overdose the corals. I'm adding 1/4 to 1/2 the recommended dose every 3 days vs. a full dose every day. At this time I'm not looking at any other Zeo products. I also don't love the Zeovit pastel look. I prefer the more natural colors.

Awesome Brad!

CoopMD - Thanks so much!

 

[sonoranaut]

Best documented build journey I've ever taken. Well done my friend!

 

[Acronic]

Acronic - Thank you very much for the compliment. I've eyed your tank many of times. Very, very nice. Thanks for the additional information on the other reef safe angels.

Thank you very much :wavehand:

 

[coralreefdoc]

Urbaneks. Dont worry much about the redbugs in the short term, at this stage theyre likely just an irritant ... Certainly dont treat with Interceptor on a whim as it will likely kill the invertebrate half of your highly regarded Pistol Shrimp/YWG symbiotic relationship ... Theres a seldom known treatment dip, Imidacloprid based, which is inexpensive and efficient for the removal of redbugs. The only downside is that it being a remote dip you would need to extract the infested specimen, and likely/inevitably all smooth-skinned Acros, from its position on the reef. Ill explain in detail next week, if youre interested :beer:

 

[coralreefdoc]

On a whim ... What was I thinking, wrong person/reefer :spin2:

 

[Reef_Noob]

Thanks a lot for the input on Zeo. Iv also started dosing Zeo additives. Though I was following the manufacturer recommended dosages I was corrected by Andrew (v1..Rotate) to go easy on the dosing. Thus saving my tank from unwanted issues.
I have documented the details of my dosing schedule and the changes iv noticed on my thread.
I do agree with you and these 2 Zeo products have worked for my tank.
Thank you for your patient response.
And always a pleasure sharing a "viewpoint"

Happy Reefing!!

 

[urbaneks]

Viewpoints - 1/27/12 Responses to Feedback

Viewpoints - 1/27/12 Responses to Feedback

Viewpoints - 1/27/12 Responses to Feedback

Best documented build journey I've ever taken. Well done my friend!

sonoranaut - Thanks for taking the time to read some/most/a little of it. I appreciate the kind words.

Urbaneks. Dont worry much about the redbugs in the short term, at this stage theyre likely just an irritant ... Certainly dont treat with Interceptor on a whim as it will likely kill the invertebrate half of your highly regarded Pistol Shrimp/YWG symbiotic relationship ... Theres a seldom known treatment dip, Imidacloprid based, which is inexpensive and efficient for the removal of redbugs. The only downside is that it being a remote dip you would need to extract the infested specimen, and likely/inevitably all smooth-skinned Acros, from its position on the reef. Ill explain in detail next week, if youre interested :beer:

On a whim ... What was I thinking, wrong person/reefer

coralreefdoc - Thanks for your advice, I look forward to hearing more about this method in person.

Thanks a lot for the input on Zeo. Iv also started dosing Zeo additives. Though I was following the manufacturer recommended dosages I was corrected by Andrew (v1..Rotate) to go easy on the dosing. Thus saving my tank from unwanted issues.
I have documented the details of my dosing schedule and the changes iv noticed on my thread.
I do agree with you and these 2 Zeo products have worked for my tank.
Thank you for your patient response.
And always a pleasure sharing a "viewpoint"

Happy Reefing!!

Reef_Noob - Thanks again for the views and comments. I think you need to change your name on here. Based on your tank, you no longer appear to be a Noob. And thanks so much for your "viewpoint" Love it.

 

[urbaneks]

Viewpoints - My Thoughts on Filtration

Viewpoints - My Thoughts on Filtration

Viewpoints - My Thoughts on Filtration

I had a fellow reefer email me today with a question about my thoughts on filtration. After typing up a response, I thought I might as well post the information here. If one person has a question chances are others might. This is by no means reefing gospel, just my thoughts and learnings after 8 months of running this tank.


Question:
How did you decide on your filtration setup?

Answer
I read and read and read and read. Mostly tank of the month entries on RC.com. I figure the best place to find systems that work are to look at the ones that make TOTM. What I found through my research was that there are a few key items you have to have: 1) Sump 2) Skimmer 3) Biological Filter (Live Rock) and there are some optional things you can do to supplement your filtration; 1) Vodka dosing 2) Refugium 3) Zeovit 4) GFO in a reactor. The number of these optional systems depends on your tank and personal preference.

Mandatory Filtration
Live Rock - I'm a firm believer that the number one portion of your filtration is your live rock. Don't skimp here and if you want to use dry rock just know that you are going to add 8-10 weeks before that tank is ready for SPS. I also like a sand bed but I like it clean. I knew this upfront which meant I needed enough live rock so that I did not need to count on my sand bed for filtration. I vacuum the sand bed regularly which pulls some of that biological filtration out of the tank. If you don't want to count on your sand bed, I think you need 1lb of live rock per gallon of water in your system.

Sump and Skimmer - What I've learned now after installing is that your sump can never be too big and you should not go cheap on your skimmer. There is a difference between a $200 skimmer and a $500 skimmer and a $1200 skimmer. If I were to rebuild again right now, I would build a stand that was bigger than the tank so that I could have a larger sump and an area for the water change system that I described above. I would also move the tank to a different wall where I could bring and RODI line from the kitchen to the stand. I got a little off topic there but wanted to get that in.

Optional Filtration
Once you've decided on the sump and skimmer you need to decide how you want to help the skimmer get rid of phosphates. IMO there are 4 great options here; 1) GFO in a reactor 2) Carbon/Vodka Dosing 3) Refugium and 4) Zeovit System.

Carbon/Vodka Dosing - I actually tried the vodka route when the tank was new. What I learned was that the vodka dosing does not work unless you have a presence of Nitrates and Phosphates. I've yet to get a detectable limit of nitrates so the system did not work for me. There may be a day if my nitrates climb that I try this again.

Zeovit - Zeovit is also something that I've considered and may try in the future. It's got a couple things going against it which is it's expensive, it's time consuming and I really don't love that pale and pastel colors it creates in the corals.

Refugium - I still kick around the idea of adding a refugium to my existing sump. I have a unused chamber that is for this very purpose. While a fuge will reduce your phosphates it will not get you all the way to 0. The real benefits I see to the fuge is to help blance the pH swing from days to nights by running the fuge light at night and the 2nd benefit is to give a safe place for copapods to breed and live which would replenish what is eaten by my mandarin.

GFO in a Reactor - This leaves the GFO route which I think is the easiest and most economical option for removing phosphates. I'm still very much in the discovery phase here as I've worked slowly to get my phosphates to read 0 on my Hanna Meter. I've taken it real slow and slowly added more and more GFO to my reactor every 2 weeks. It has just been in the last month that I'm consistently getting phos readings that are .03 or less which is what I have determined is acceptable for SPS and zero algae growth. I tried to run GFO in a media bag sitting in the sump and this just did not do it for me. I think you really have to have that constant water that is forced through the media in order to get the GFO to work. I bought a 2 Little Fishes Media Reactor which is inexpensive, when I replace it I will go with a media reactor from Bulk Reef Supply. They have one that makes changing media much easier.

Let me recap a quick summary for you. On a bigger tank you need a sump, skimmer and live rock. Beyond that you need to supplement your filtration with one or more of the optional items I mentioned. For me I've found that a skimmer, live rock, water changes and GFO is all you need to be successful in the hobby. If I ever decide to do carbon dosing or zeovit it will be for enhanced color and not filtration.

 

[iwishtofish]

Excellent post! What is your current water change schedule? Any percentage/time-period recommendations?

 

[burnah]

subscribed, nice tank! like your photoskills

 

[urbaneks]

Viewpoints - 1/27/12 Responses to Feedback

Viewpoints - 1/27/12 Responses to Feedback

Viewpoints - 1/27/12 Responses to Feedback

Excellent post! What is your current water change schedule? Any percentage/time-period recommendations?

iwishtofish - Thanks, glad you liked my entry and thoughts on filtration. In this hobby there are as many opinions as there are people keeping tanks so take my thoughts just as that; thoughts.

As for the water changes, if you go to page 8 post 195 I provided a water change summary. You can also get directly to that entry by clicking here.

subscribed, nice tank! like your photoskills

burnah - Thanks for subscribing and the kind words on the tank. Photography and Reefing are two of my favorite hobbies and they go hand in hand. Thanks again.

 

[urbaneks]

Viewpoints - Maintenance Schedule in Detail

Viewpoints - Maintenance Schedule in Detail

Viewpoints - Maintenance Schedule in Detail

I posted a screen shot of my maintenance schedule about a week ago and I've received several PM's asking for it along with follow up emails with questions about it. I thought I would provide an explanation here for anyone who is interested. The maintenance schedule is an excel file that has multiple tabs, I will explain each tab and provide some screen shots of each.

Tab 1 - Maintenance Schedule

The primary tab in the spreadsheet is the maintenance schedule. The schedule is broken down into 3 main sections; maintenance tasks, dosing schedule and coral feeding schedule. The purpose of this tab is to track the maintenance that is coming up as well as what has been performed in the past. In addition, I track what has been dosed and what has been fed. This allows me to compare what has been done with my test results and know if I can increase feeding, need to dose more, etc, etc.

My maintenance schedule can be broken down into 8 different preventative maintenance tasks or PM's. Daily PM, Bi-Weekly PM, Quarterly PM, Semi Annual PM, Annual PM, Water Changes and last Phoslock and Carbon Changes. I will take a minute to explain the tasks that are in each PM and the time it takes to complete the PM.

Daily PM - Duration: 5 minutes
Feed and Observe Live Stock
Dose Per Schedule
General Equipment Check
Clean Glass if Needed

Bi-Weekly PM - Duration 15 minutes
Test Water
Clean Skimmer Cup
Use baster on rocks and corals
Fill ATO
Clean Salt Creep from Sump and Equipment
Clean Overflow Sponges

Water Changes - Duration: 1 hour
My typical water change is 12g which accounts for just over 10% of the water volume. I like to alternate where I pull the water/detritus from. For example, water change one will start in the overflow box, after cutting the return pump and shutting an isolation valve, I vacuum the water from the overflow box while pulling all the waste from the bottom of it. This is a common place for waste to collect. Once the overflow box is empty, I complete the rest of the water change from the tank as I vacuum about 1/3 of the sand bed. 2 weeks later I will start by pulling water from the sump and vacuum all the waste from the sump, once the waste is gone, I move to the tank and vacuum the middle 1/3 of the sand bed. Two weeks after than I will pull water from just the tank and vacuum the remainder of the gravel. When I had my nano, I went about a year without vacuuming the sand bed, I will not do that anymore. Even with as much as I vacuum, it is down right amazing how much waste I pull out of the sand bed.

Quarterly PM - Duration: 1.5 hours
Clean Return Pump
Clean Skimmer Pump
Clean Heater
Clean pH and Temp Probes
Clean Media Reactor and Pump
Clean Inside Pipe Work

Semi-Annual PM - Duration: 30 minutes
Replace RODI Filters
Restock CUC as Needed
Frag Corals
Calibrate pH and Temp Probes

Annual PM - Duration: 30 minutes
Replace pH and Temp Probes
Replace Bulbs
Replace Heater


Tabs 2 and 3 - Water Test Data and Charts
The 2nd and 3rd tabs are where I log my water tests and those tests are then charted onto line graphs. I test my water twice a week which I'm sure is more than I have to but it allows me to catch undesirable changes to my water chemistry so it can be corrected quickly. I test for Calcium, Alkalinity, Phosphates, Nitrates, Magnesium and Specific Gravity. I've tried several different test kits and the ones that I like are as follows; Calcium - Elos, Alkalinity and Phosphates - Hanna Meters, Nitrates and Magnesium - Salifert and I use a Sybon Refractometer to test my Specific Gravity.

Water Test Data Entry
The image below shows a screen shot of what the data entry tab looks like. You will notice that I have a goal for each parameter as well as an upper control limit and lower control limit. I use these limits to help make decisions on when actions are required to address the water chemistry.

Control Charts
The image below shows one of the graphs that is produced with the data that is entered into the sheet shown above. The nice thing about the spreadsheet is that all you have to do is enter your data and it will graph it for you. In the graph below you can see the upper and lower control limits as well as the goal and the current reading. Where you see the shift down in the goal and control limits is a point where I decided to run the aquarium at a lower alkalinity. From time to time, I will make changes to the goal of a parameter based on how the tank is progressing.

Remaining Tabs in the Maintenance Schedule
I have additional tabs in the spreadsheet that track the following;
- Light Schedule
- Dosing Calculators for the products that I use
- Logs for Bulb Install Dates, RODI Filter Install Dates, Calcium and Alkalinity readings from new batches of salt.
- Previous Months of Maintenance
- Shopping List

 

[Reef_Noob]

Reef_Noob - Thanks again for the views and comments. I think you need to change your name on here. Based on your tank, you no longer appear to be a Noob. And thanks so much for your "viewpoint" Love it.

I am very glad to be a part of your journey... and reading all your viewpoints...and the different approach to the presentation just makes this thread stand apart

lol yea i do have people telling me to change my id after they come across my humble build thread...but honestly, though i have got few years of reefing experience...i will always consider myself a noob coz our beautiful hobby is such a learning experience and so much varied subjects. So the learning never ends... I dont wana be an expert i always want to be a learner...that why Reef_Noob

Thanks so much for visiting my thread....do feel free to give me your suggestions....

Happy Reefing!!

 

[Reef_Noob]

Goodness,,,,thats the most amazing maintenance schedule iv ever seen....so much detail going into it...
Puts public aquariums to shame!!

Well done my man! The chart screams out one thing and that is "DEDICATION"

This thread should have a sticky and is a must read....a guide to everyone experienced or amatuer on "How to do things the RIGHT way"

The fishes and corals under your care are gonna be happy for sure...
Great job!!

 

[urbaneks]

Viewpoints - 1/28/12 Photo Update

Viewpoints - 1/28/12 Photo Update

Viewpoints - 1/28/12 Photo Update

Current FTS

ORA Pearl Berry

Poker Star Montipora

Torch Coral​

 

[ange062]

Dang I want that pearlberry!! If only I could find one!

And I thought I was anal, your maintenance and logbooks are insane, lol! Love it!