Zach's 120 Gallon Reef Resurgence

[CK00020]

Those containers are great, I have a Milwaukee one twenty bucks at Home Depot

 

[BigDave]

They sell them at harbor freight for $8 on sale every now and then. I have a huge stack of the smaller ones for all my screws and stuff.

 

[zachxlutz]

Very slick and smart! It looks like it might be water proof as well, which from my experience, is very helpful.

Zach, you do so many things right. Maybe you could share a little more about what you are doing and why. What are those parameters? How do you hit them? Why are those parameters important? What are you trying to accomplish and how do you plan to get there?

I've read tons, but some stuff just doesn't seem to get through to me. Hearing real world methods from guys in the trenches seems to work better. Anything you'd care to share would be helpful to a lot of us!

Michael,

I'll write up something soon. Seems like a fun task to try and put into simple terms the what and why of my tank!

Those containers are great, I have a Milwaukee one twenty bucks at Home Depot

Yeah, it's been a huge help in keeping things organized.

They sell them at harbor freight for $8 on sale every now and then. I have a huge stack of the smaller ones for all my screws and stuff.

Organizations is crucial, for sure. Really helps in getting things done.

Question from my local forums:

How has the Nitrate dosing worked out for you after a month? Are you noticing better colors in your SPS?

I believe it has worked exceptionally well with regards to coral coloration.

Some details and notes:

Since beginning dosing on 12/16/16, 245.5 ml of KNO3 solution has been added to the tank, usually between the amounts of 5 ml and 20 ml, but as much as 30 ml when I was first getting started.

245.5 ml of the KNO3 solution equals 49.48 ppm NO3 (nitrate) and 31.24 ppm K (potassium) added to the tank.

I've also dosed Vibrant weekly for 9 weeks at 15 ml for a total of 135 ml.

Vibrant plays a role in the reduction of NO3, as well as the natural uptake of NO3 by coral, algae, etc.

Recently I've noticed I don't have to dose as much KNO3 solution, so I think I'm starting to reach a sort of equilibrium. I believe that the combination of dosing Vibrant and KNO3 has allowed the tank to have appreciable nutrient levels with a lack of nuisance algae and has allowed the tank to avoid almost all of the new tank "uglies".

I've also pulled my GFO offline and have not been running any form of phosphate reduction since 11/28/16 and my phosphates have never risen over .08 ppm, usually hovering around .03 ppm. That being said, I feed A LOT. I have a auto feeder dropping in a pinch of pellets 4 times a day, plus supplemental frozen feeding and nori daily. I believe that keeping the NO3 value elevated higher is helping with the reduction of phosphates due to the Redfield Ratio (debateable, but seemingly verifiable).

I believe that the addition of KNO3 and Vibrant to the system has created a nutrient rich system with almost no algae growth, better coloration and an overall healthy look to the tank.

The most recent additions of Tyree Blue Acro and Orange Fungia have held their colors amazingly well, while the remainder of the corals seem to be coloring up, growing great and showing great polyp extension. The montipora spongodes and setosa are showing the slowest signs of recovery, but they lost almost all color within the first few days of entering the tank during the nutrient poor period. SPS coral seems to be quick to decline and very slow to recover.

Thanks for checking in. I'm hoping to add some more fish to the system soon which should help to reduce my need for supplemental KNO3 dosing.

 

[zachxlutz]

I just ordered a Jebao DP-4 (4 head) dosing pump to automate the dosing of Red Sea Coral Colors A, B, C and D. I'm only dosing 1.5 ml of each a day so I'm thinking about diluting the solutions to a 1/4 strength which would bring the dosing equivalent up to 6 ml a day. I think this will give me a better more accurate dosing regimen. Does anyone have experience dosing like this?

 

[zachxlutz]

PHOTO DUMP!

02/28/2017 FTS:

Chameleon Acro:

Showing really good coloration, growth and encrusting since parameters have been stable at target levels. This one was just purple and brown for the longest time in my system and is steadily improving and coloring up.

Red Planet Acro:

Just added this one to the system on Saturday. Things got a little messy with the superglue... can't wait to see this one color up and start tabling.

Tyree Blue Matrix Acro and Green Psammocora:

Added this acro pretty recently, showing great blue coloration and huge polyp extension... a little peeved in this photo because the flow was off and the tank was stagnant.

Orange Fungia and Meteor Shower Cyphastrea:

Montipora Digitata:

Purple/Pink Birdsnest and some photobombing anthias:

See the bubble algae? Hoping the Vibrant dosing 1x per week knocks that out.

Green Birdsnest:

Mint Pavona:

Montipora Setosa:

Still recovering from the sterile tank situation but starting to show some deeper colors.

 

[zachxlutz]

Mystic Sunset Montipora:

Growth is great, coloration is great. Happy camper over here. Still dosing Vibrant weekly and KNO3 as needed.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Lovin' the dump! Really nice coral selections. They all look splendiferous!

Is the nitrate dosing for coral coloration? If so, it's working!

Nice touch with the ghost fish too.

 

[zachxlutz]

Lovin' the dump! Really nice coral selections. They all look splendiferous!

Is the nitrate dosing for coral coloration? If so, it's working!

Nice touch with the ghost fish too.

Thanks, I'm really starting to feel good about the direction the tank is heading. Getting proper coloration and growth out of some of the harder to keep acropora is giving me motivation to keep adding nice pieces to the tank.

The Nitrate dosing is for color and keeping the tank balanced with proper ratios of NO3 and PO4. I'm sure once the bio load continues to increase with more fish additions, I may have to move to a carbon dosing setup to keep my parameters where I want them, but for now I'm having to help out the system with a little bump to the NO3.

I can't take credit for the ghost fish... My Bartlett's are always out and about and showing off their beautiful purple and yellow colors. The male has really transitioned into a beautiful specimen. The purple accents on his tail fins absolutely glow under the bright T5 lighting.

 

[BigDave]

Wow. Those are some great pics.

I really Need to get some more corals in my tank.

 

[zachxlutz]

Wow. Those are some great pics.

I really Need to get some more corals in my tank.

Thanks Dave. I appreciate that. Just a matter of patience and your tank will be filled to the brim in no time.

 

[zachxlutz]

I did a little clean-up work on the reactor plumbing the other night... I'm quickly running out of room under the stand, so I'm trying to get things as clean and organized as possible. I need to come up with a plan to mount my new Jebao DP-4 dosing pump along with the 4 bottles of diluted Red Sea Coral Colors. I'm thinking about redesigning the entire dosing setup and building a new mount for the BRS dosing pumps and somehow incorporating the DP-4 to be mounted all in the same area. I also need to come up with a solution for the Cal/Alk containers. Thoughts?

 

[zachxlutz]

Sneak Preview:

I built a simple dosing pump stand out of some extra red acrylic I have for my new DIY sump project. Dosing containers and final touches coming soon.

 

[zachxlutz]

...and now we've automated Red Sea Coral Color dosing!

I fabricated this little acrylic shelf for the Jebao DP-4 dosing pump, some 500ml Voss water bottles for the Coral Color solutions and some tubing routing and we're in business.

The Voss bottles are holding 50 ml of each A,B,C and D (respectively) with 450 ml of RO/DI water. This provides a lower concentration of the solution, therefore providing a more consistent and even dosing regimen.

I still need to make another dosing tube holder to fit on the trim of the sump similar to the tube holder the ATO, Cal and Alk lines fit in.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Slick setup!

 

[zachxlutz]

Slick setup!

Thanks, as always. It's not AS slick as I'd like but it's functional and not too hard on the eyes.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

I've noticed the trend of having super clean cabinet/sump areas lately. They look so cool! Not to mention very functional. Keeping all the stuff organized and presented in a professional looking manner I imagine is another satisfying aspect of the hobby.

I say I imagine because I'm nowhere close to this!

 

[zachxlutz]

I've noticed the trend of having super clean cabinet/sump areas lately. They look so cool! Not to mention very functional. Keeping all the stuff organized and presented in a professional looking manner I imagine is another satisfying aspect of the hobby.

I say I imagine because I'm nowhere close to this!

Speaking of super clean sumps and cabinets... Have you seen Broadfield's tank on R(2)R? This guy's tank is drool worthy!

 

[zachxlutz]

So, someone (I'm not pointing fingers but I'm looking at you Mr. Magnificent...) got spooked last night when I was cleaning the glass or doing something in the tank and broke a frag off of the Montipora Spongodes. This Monti had been through some stress when my tank was nutrient poor and was just finally starting to color back up and show some growth. Hopefully, the stress of the impromptu fragging doesn't set back the progress of the main colony.

This was my first time gluing one of my own frags to a disk... The BRS superglue took forever to set up and I felt like I was doing some damage to the coral while I was holding it from falling over. Any tips or tricks for getting the super glue to set up faster?

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Woo! Beam me up, Scotty! That is a clean setup. Thanks for sharing the link Zach.

I have immense respect for that kind of attention to detail. Especially after I look into my own aquarium cabinet. But hey, if it's hidden in the cabinet and it works, I'm good. I don't have any really neato gizmos to feature anyway.

But I do enjoy seeing how the other half lives!

As an alternative to super glue you might try the two part epoxy stick they sell for fragging 'n stuff. It's kinda like clay.

 

[zachxlutz]

New Fish!

I picked up two female leopard wrasses and a blue stripe threadfin fairy wrasse (Temminckii) today, acclimated them and tossed them in QT. The Leopard wrasses are out hunting pods like crazy and the blue stripe is a little more timid. All three ate frozen mysis at my LFS, so I'm hoping they all transition to their new homes without incident.

Leopard Wrasses:

Blue Stripe / Threadfin (Temminckii) Wrasse:

...and VIDEO!