My first Reef tank

[scubasteve]

I wish I could Steve, it died a little while ago. I had it for 2.5 years and it was doing so well...

ohhhhh nooooo that makes me a sad panda.... maybe ill bring ya a peice of my purple one.... im debating on 1 more female sh

 

[saltyair]

If I can give my 2cents and hopefully help.

Look at a few things
The turn over rate might be on the low side
Added flow in the dt
Maybe lower the photo period for a month and see if that helps.
Check your skimmer is it undersized?
Have you tried Gfo ?
Also try to cut the coral/invert food in half - they can be high in po4 and yeast.
Do you use ro water?

Also look into bio-pellets


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[yveterinarian]

If I can give my 2cents and hopefully help.

Look at a few things
The turn over rate might be on the low side
Added flow in the dt
Maybe lower the photo period for a month and see if that helps.
Check your skimmer is it undersized?
Have you tried Gfo ?
Also try to cut the coral/invert food in half - they can be high in po4 and yeast.
Do you use ro water?

Also look into bio-pellets


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Thanks for your ideas saltyair

You are most likely right about the turnover rate. My tank is limited due to the size of the hole drilled (it was pre-drilled on the bottom) and I am turning over as much as it can without overflowing. I just purchased 2 powerheads from spyd and put them into my tank. They were way too big for the tank (one is a 2700 and the other doesn't say but looks like it is a 2000 judging by the size) so my husband and I traded power heads and the large ones are now in his 220 gallon tank and I have his two 1400s in mine. Both of us are very happy with the new flow in our respective tanks
My Duncan is now fully extended and looks very happy. My frogspawn also looks great.

I will try lowering the photoperiod and see what happens. Currently it is on a pre-programmed 12 hour cycle with a sunrise and sunset feature. It can be changed but I lose the sunrise and sunset.

I am running a Super Reef Octopus rated at 125 gallons so I think that one is okay.

I have not tried GFO but have just started up the carbon reactor yesterday and am doing the Vodka dosing. I would like to see how these do before I investigate a new thing. As we all know, making many changes at once can be detrimental.

I will try cutting the coral food dose in 1/2.

Yes, I use RO water. I purchase it at a wine store that has a huge filter system and makes more water than he can use. I also put Prime into it before it goes into my tank.

I haven't tried biopellets before but have used phosban in the past.

 

[yveterinarian]

In a previous post this past week I mentioned that the plastic cover on my LED lights had burn marks in it. I thought I would post a picture of it.

Honestly, now that I look at it and see how discolored the entire thing is it's no wonder all my corals looked brown! They definitely have more color now that these covers are off. My only concern now is the possibility of corrosion of the light fixture. I'm thinking of buying a piece of glass that I can put over the lights to prevent that but I'm not sure if the glass would also discolor. I think it wouldn't since it is glass instead of plastic, what do you think?

 

[barebottomcouple]

I think you would be safe with glass I used to have glass under my halides when they where only a couple inches away from water so pretty sure that leds would be fine..jmo

 

[EricTMah]

Yvet. You should be fine with glass.

Don't you run glass lids on the tank?

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[yveterinarian]

Yvet. You should be fine with glass.

Don't you run glass lids on the tank?

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No I use eggcrate on the top of the tank so that it helps keep my pH levels regulated.

 

[davesolo29]

Dam. Had I realized you hadn't any carbon I could have given you some. I thought you had already sourced it.


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[yveterinarian]

Dam. Had I realized you hadn't any carbon I could have given you some. I thought you had already sourced it.

Thanks Dave, when I saw you I had ordered the Rox08 and fully thought I would get it soon. It is over a month now and it still hasn't come in. I think I will cancel that order now because if it takes that long to come in I can't see that I'll be able to get any more very easily for my future needs. I went with Eric's suggestion and bought a different carbon.
I do have one question though...how do you know when it is time to switch the carbon out and do you switch all at once or a portion of it?

 

[barebottomcouple]

not to butt in here but I switch out about 1/3 to 1/2 every 2 weeks

 

[EricTMah]

I use a small reactor for my carbon. TLF 150 to be exact. I fill it about 2/3 full and change all of it every two weeks.

But lately. I've been running it for two weeks. Then empty it and keep it off line for two weeks.

So I run carbon 2 out of 4 weeks.

The only reason I'm doing it this way now is because I can't get my no3 or po4 above zero. No matter how much I feed.

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[saltyair]

In a previous post this past week I mentioned that the plastic cover on my LED lights had burn marks in it. I thought I would post a picture of it.

Honestly, now that I look at it and see how discolored the entire thing is it's no wonder all my corals looked brown! They definitely have more color now that these covers are off. My only concern now is the possibility of corrosion of the light fixture. I'm thinking of buying a piece of glass that I can put over the lights to prevent that but I'm not sure if the glass would also discolor. I think it wouldn't since it is glass instead of plastic, what do you think?

Wow that is crazy amount of heat coming off the led's - what type are they? it must make a huge difference taking that off. i would go with glass for sure and check the heat sink too.

 

[yveterinarian]

Wow that is crazy amount of heat coming off the led's - what type are they? it must make a huge difference taking that off. i would go with glass for sure and check the heat sink too.

That's what I thought, the difference was amazing! It is a K.E.Y. E7848-D light fixture like this one: http://www.aquariumwholesaleshop.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=457 . It has two fans on top of it that appear to be working but I'm wondering if they are not working efficiently anymore. That plastic was right up against the lights which I think was a little close. It is interesting, I don't feel any heat coming from the light fixture but that plastic definitely tells a different story.

 

[yveterinarian]

I use a small reactor for my carbon. TLF 150 to be exact. I fill it about 2/3 full and change all of it every two weeks.

Thanks Eric, that is the reactor I'm using as well. I'll have to mark it on the calendar in the beginning so that I don't forget to change it.

 

[Kman]

If you do small weekly water changes just remember to do it every other one. If you get into a set routine it is easier to remember maintenance on that type of stuff.

 

[EricTMah]

If you do small weekly water changes just remember to do it every other one. If you get into a set routine it is easier to remember maintenance on that type of stuff.

That's exactly how I plan mine

 

[yveterinarian]

Thought I would post a few pictures of the tank as it looks now

This is a little hitchhiker coral that came in on one of my first frags purchased. It started out as one head the size of a pin head and now measures approximately 1/2" across on the largest head. Still small but definitely growing. I think it is a plate of some sort. There is a hard skeleton under it.

My new Emerald crab getting acquainted with the tank.

If you do small weekly water changes just remember to do it every other one. If you get into a set routine it is easier to remember maintenance on that type of stuff.

Thanks, I usually do a large water change once every 4 weeks so the calender will have to be my reminder.

 

[yveterinarian]

On Saturday I picked up another TLF 150 reactor from Brandon and filled it with Phosban since I have had luck with it in the past. I tested the water parameters on Sunday as per my usual routine and they were as follows: NO3 25 ppm, PO4 0.75 ppm, Alk 207 ppm and Cal 430 ppm. Today I tested just to see how the Phosban was affecting the tank and got a shock. PO4 had dropped to 0.03 ppm! That is the lowest it has ever been since I started the tank!

Alk is 202 ppm and I tested pH since the Phosban label said it can affect pH. PH today is 8.2. NO3 still 25 ppm. Things are finally looking better.
I have decided I am going to try to collect some of the more brightly colored leathers for my tank since I always seem to do well with the leathers so I am now on the lookout. If anyone has seen any in your travels I would appreciate a "heads up".

 

[yveterinarian]

not to butt in here but I switch out about 1/3 to 1/2 every 2 weeks

Ed, you aren't butting in, all answers are appreciated. I am only just learning about carbon so need all the input I can get. Since it doesn't change color when it is ready to be changed and I haven't seen any difference in my NO3 yet I can't tell when it needs changing. I still have no idea if it is helping at all. I will only know once the zoanthids start growing again I guess since that's the reason I started the carbon in the reactor in the first place. Ahhh, patience is difficult at times.

 

[Kman]

A good thing to learn is the basics of filtration. You need a proper mix of Biological, Chemical and Mechanical because each one has plus and minus attributes. Some have byproducts as part of the process (like biological does) that need to be taken into account. So if you have a mixture of all three you can make sure you don't get a build up of the byproducts.

Biological filtration are things like sandbed, rocks, bacteria that help process nutrients. Mechanical are things that physically remove waste from the water before they start to break down and add to the nutrient load. Like filter floss, socks. Chemical are things like protein skimmer, carbon, resins, GFO etc. That chemically bond things like Phosphate, Nitrates, fatty acids, lipids, dissolved organics.

If you have a proper mix of all three you will have proper balance of coverage and the best management of waste in your reef tank. Keep in mind some things fit is mutable areas. Like carbon is chemical but if left alone it will also process nutrients by the bacteria that form on it so it is also biological. A Refugium that contains a fast growing species of algae like Caulerpa or Chato are excellent for nutrient export. As the algae grown it stores nutrients in itself for future growth and by removing the algae weekly you are exporting nutrients before they are broken down in your system. These levels are way above the levels that you have in your system.

This is a basic break down and I have not covered everything on the different types of filtration on a reef tank. If you want to properly learn how to maintain a reef tank, I would do some reading on nutrient cycling. It will teach you how to curb algae blooms and go a long way towards maintaining a healthy reef. People tend to skip the basics and try to rely on the toys to keep a reef without truly understanding what is really going on in it.