Will's 300g Mixed Reef Re-Boot

[WLachnit]

Bummer about your Red Dragon. Are others doing ok?

NOPOX is amazingly effective at reducing NO3 and PO4!

Well...I thought my Red Dragon was the only affected coral. But, as I now look more closely, there are several other SPS that have lost some color and one of my acro colonies have the tinest bit of brown algae at the tips which I can blow off with a baster. My nitrates are down to 8 ...so maybe it was too fast.

 

[WLachnit]

Finally got around to installing my Mars fuge light. Holy cow...this thing is a beast!

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[McPuff]

Finally got around to installing my Mars fuge light. Holy cow...this thing is a beast!

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Indeed! I've got one on my refugium and it certainly outperforms the sodium lamp I had on it beforehand (and that thing was no slouch!).

 

[WLachnit]

Indeed! I've got one on my refugium and it certainly outperforms the sodium lamp I had on it beforehand (and that thing was no slouch!).

Yes, not only crazy bright, but you can just tell the spectrum is very different from coral lighting.

 

[WLachnit]

Decided to pull 2 of my 3 BTA anemones out. They had stayed put for months, but started walking around quite a bit a couple of weeks ago. I had given them quite a bit of rom away from my SPS, but after stinging my Birdsnest, it was time to go. I wonder now...I had stopped feeding them Silversides...and may be their light requirements changed, causing them to walk?

 

[WLachnit]

I'm keeping the one nem for now, but he definitely likes to stretch out and his tentacles wave close by my calacali Acro.

 

[WLachnit]

After a couple weeks of fantastic macro growth, it has now stalled out for the last couple of weeks. I'm also dosing some NOPOx which maybe has thrown off my NO3O4 ratio? Maybe my water has low iron?

So, for grins and giggles I'm sending off a water sample for ICP analysis. Perhaps that may giv me some insight.

 

[kenneth wolfe]

I'm looking , I might not see it, but is there some kind of kalk on ato?

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[kenneth wolfe]

If not a simple kalk reactor is great for combating it.

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[kenneth wolfe]

My other thought is in your sump w algae , remove the rock, promote spin of your algae.

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[WLachnit]

I'm looking , I might not see it, but is there some kind of kalk on ato?

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Actually, I don't use kalk. I'm curious how that would help?

 

[WLachnit]

My other thought is in your sump w algae , remove the rock, promote spin of your algae.

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Good point, my algae doesn't spin...and I'm sure that doesn't help. Maybe I'll setup a small power head to see if I can get it to tumble.

 

[McPuff]

Good point, my algae doesn't spin...and I'm sure that doesn't help. Maybe I'll setup a small power head to see if I can get it to tumble.

I don't tumble chaeto at all in the refugium... it grows quite well and very dense. I do have a pulsing action in there though, so maybe that serves the same, or similar, purpose. Your mars aqua light will penetrate pretty deep into some dense chaeto and still light the underside. Trust me.

 

[kenneth wolfe]

Not to split hares , a slow tumble on 24 hour light imo is best, in theory if the algae was so dense that light only penetrates one side then a slow tumble will expose the unlit areas more effectively. Just far more efficient..

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[JVU]

I agree with the tumbling theory for optimization (and cool factor), but practically speaking since you have a bright refugium light the algae should be filling the whole refugium space very quickly without any tumbling, under the right water conditions. Mine doesn't tumble and I'm taking out basketball size clumps every couple weeks or else it gets too packed in there.

I don't think it is likely that the cause of stalled chaeto is because it isn't tumbling. More likely that you don't have enough of some nutrients for it to grow. Since you are using NOPOX, that is the most likely candidate, since it will consume the NO3 and PO4 faster via bacteria that out-compete macroalgae.

 

[WLachnit]

I agree with the tumbling theory for optimization (and cool factor), but practically speaking since you have a bright refugium light the algae should be filling the whole refugium space very quickly without any tumbling, under the right water conditions. Mine doesn't tumble and I'm taking out basketball size clumps every couple weeks or else it gets too packed in there.

I don't think it is likely that the cause of stalled chaeto is because it isn't tumbling. More likely that you don't have enough of some nutrients for it to grow. Since you are using NOPOX, that is the most likely candidate, since it will consume the NO3 and PO4 faster via bacteria that out-compete macroalgae.

Since I know that you also run NOPOX, what are your NO3 and PO4 levels?

 

[JVU]

As a trial I tapered and stopped the NOPOX because it was working too well and zeroing out my NO3 and PO4 in conjunction with the chaeto.

Now my levels are very low (NO3- 5 ppm, PO4 approx 0 ppm with Salifert), with just the chaeto and no NOPOX for a couple weeks. Chaeto is growing like nuts. I'm still a bit fan of NOPOX because it works amazingly well, but I overall prefer a refugium for pods, because it appeals to me as a biological system, and because it's one less thing to do every day.

 

[WLachnit]

Added a Convict Tang to my DT a few weeks ago. He was definitely not thin while I had him in QT and noticed that it looked like he had lost weight even though he's eating well. However, it looks like he's gained a bit of it back now.....Will have to keep an eye on him

Pic from QT