120 Gallon Mixed Reef in progress

[Tristren]

The fuge looks like it is doing great.
Wow at the food you put in, the fox face and the starry blenny should feed themselves, not sure what the others need, I had a 3 inch fox face and star / jewel, they got fed as a treat, they didn't "need" it, just IME.

Yes, the Foxface and the Blenny do have a go at the algae.

I knew that I was "overfeeding" but trying to compensate by spreading it out more throughout the day. I may have underestimated how much though, so I'll take another look at that.

I do, as an overall philosophy, want to have a system that consistently has food available for the various organisms. I recognize that there will be impacts of that, more so before the system is stable. I suppose I should look at being more precise though. Adding ROE for example will provide food for the Firefish that the others won't really bother with.

Getting food for the Filefish that the Foxface and Blenny won't hog will be a challenge...

That way I can reduce the amount of extra food for the others.

They always say they are hungry though! And they do seem healthy.

Thanks very much, Tony

 

[Tristren]

Hi Tristren

You have two fishes that can eat your algae if the get a little bit hungry. I can say that you feed your fishes a little bit more than I feed my 30 + fishes. I only use frozen food and maybe 2 cubes a day - sometimes more and sometime less. I should also look for an urchin or two. The long spin blacks are very good in eating unwanted algae and they are like a ballet dancer between the rocks. They do not push them away – just dancing over rocks and corals.

Like you I use tap water – the quality here in Gothenburg is very good and the only thing I concerned about is copper from the copper pipes that’s is in common use in Sweden. However – it seems not to be a problem in my house and because of all algae you have - I do not think its a problem for you either :).

I think that the best strategy is to ad some more algae eating animals, starve a bit the one you already have, clean you fuge from GHA rather often – take up the Chaeto ball and clean it from unwanted algae and spread it out over the bottom of the fuge. I have hermits and snails in my fuge too.

I will not give the advice to try to lower your PO4 and NO3 levels – you will get a plenty of that type of advises but when a GHA problem already exists – my believe is that its total uninteresting what the levels are – the algae will grow anyway. The only way to get rid of them is to maintain a stable clean up crew and as much as possible manual removing. And what are your NO3 and PO4 levels anyhow because the algae in your fuge does not look like what I’m calling a GHA. I should not be surprised if your NO3 levels actually is low.

Edit Najer was faster with the fishes :)

Sincerely Lasse

Ok, I am consistently impressed with both your system and that of @najer as well... so I will work to reducing the amount of food. Though I do want to keep some diversity in the food and keep it spread out over the day which makes it a bit harder. I do want to have a system that I can feed a lot, but I know that will take time. And I also don't want to make a system that is "polluted" by too much food.

A related issue (I suspect) is that the water in the main tank is a bit hazy. After reducing feeding, a bit, would you recommend a skimmer or an oxydator as the next step?

You both have very full and healthy looking tanks... Is there anything else that you "feed" aside from the frozen fish food? Anything for the corals or phytoplankton?

I am planning on getting a long spined urchin, so maybe sooner rather than later. Hopefully one that comes with a zebra crab like yours Lasse!

On the water, yes I am not really worried about the quality of our tap water (the discussions of many posters about their water makes me a bit concerned about it when I travel to the US though...). But I was finding that there was an ammonia smell in the water tub. I figured it was from the prime. So I decided to move to ro/di to be safe.

That was more for the snails than the GHA though. I don't like how many of them are dying. I'm pretty sure they aren't starving...

I'll do that with the chaeto, thanks for that tip. There are a couple of crabs in there now and I'm planning on moving down some of the snails that are looking a bit sedentary up in the main tank. Thinking it might be a bit easier for them in there, and easier to pull out if they do die.

What do the two of you have in terms of clean up crews and what mortality rate do you see in your snails?

Thanks again to you both for taking the time to help, Tony

 

[Tristren]

If you are still looking for a skimmer. I highly suggest the Bubble magus curve 7. Runs around 300$ and about 220 on sale. I just set up a new seapora 135 so really close to yours witht he same stand just turned it backwards lol. Anyways this skimmer may feel cheap but it works awesome. You can strip it all the at to just the bottom plate so very easy to maintanence. As well as extreamly quiet. I also have a 180 gallon with an external skimz which works good too I forgot the name of it but i bought this one on brs. I really recommend the bubble magus if it is going to be anywhere near you when you enjoy the tank. if you would like video and or pictures of it lemme know:) also I can get the name of the skimz skimmer if you would like :)

That's helpful, thanks. And my LFS has the bubble magus as well, so that's convenient.

What are the advantages of the external or internal Skimmer?

My sump is in the basement, so I have entry of room for either.


Cheers, Tony

 

[Lasse]

On the water, yes I am not really worried about the quality of our tap water (the discussions of many posters about their water makes me a bit concerned about it when I travel to the US though...). But I was finding that there was an ammonia smell in the water tub. I figured it was from the prime. So I decided to move to ro/di to be safe.

By this I can tell you that your water provider use Chloramine to disinfect the water. The prime break it and you get ammonia ion/gas. You can also use C-vitamin (ascorbic acid) to do the same. A tablespoon to around 300 litres of water. And to make you very (un)happy RO filters do not take away all chloramines. If your water provider use a lot of chloramine - use some ascorbic acid in your RO water - its better than active carbon. You can get small amounts of NH4/NH3 but active carbon can give you small amounts of PO4 :) Your choice - IMO its so small amounts that´s not matter

Snails - normally I need to take in more snail now and then - many thing can happens to them and if they will be weak - the hermits will eat them. Not only for their shells but mostly because its food ! This time (this new aquaria) it looks like the survival rate it much better – probably because I have been very high in silicates. I think that you should at least have around 0,1 ppm Si in your water. I had also reproduction of Trochus snails in the beginning of the aquarium

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Dilan Patel]

That's helpful, thanks. And my LFS has the bubble magus as well, so that's convenient.

What are the advantages of the external or internal Skimmer?

My sump is in the basement, so I have entry of room for either.


Cheers, Tony

Internal takes more space inside the sump while external does not. If you choose to do an external recirculating skimmer you really do not have to deal with watter depth at all and there is another advantage but I totally forgot what it was.

the internal is if it overflows goes back in sump with not a huge mess. and I think it is quieter but that is in my opinion.

 

[Tristren]

By this I can tell you that your water provider use Chloramine to disinfect the water. The prime break it and you get ammonia ion/gas. You can also use C-vitamin (ascorbic acid) to do the same. A tablespoon to around 300 litres of water. And to make you very (un)happy RO filters do not take away all chloramines. If your water provider use a lot of chloramine - use some ascorbic acid in your RO water - its better than active carbon. You can get small amounts of NH4/NH3 but active carbon can give you small amounts of PO4 :) Your choice - IMO its so small amounts that´s not matter

Snails - normally I need to take in more snail now and then - many thing can happens to them and if they will be weak - the hermits will eat them. Not only for their shells but mostly because its food ! This time (this new aquaria) it looks like the survival rate it much better – probably because I have been very high in silicates. I think that you should at least have around 0,1 ppm Si in your water. I had also reproduction of Trochus snails in the beginning of the aquarium

Sincerely Lasse

Thanks very much.

So how do I go about adding ascorbic acid / how much should I add (presumably to the water container when I make the ro/di?

I think that the baby snails I've been seeing are turbos...

 

[Tristren]

Internal takes more space inside the sump while external does not. If you choose to do an external recirculating skimmer you really do not have to deal with watter depth at all and there is another advantage but I totally forgot what it was.

the internal is if it overflows goes back in sump with not a huge mess. and I think it is quieter but that is in my opinion.

Thanks, the external ones look a bit more expensive too. Presumably because there is an extra pump?

 

[Dilan Patel]

yes

 

[Lasse]

Thanks very much.

So how do I go about adding ascorbic acid / how much should I add (presumably to the water container when I make the ro/di?

I think that the baby snails I've been seeing are turbos...

I normally use a tablespoon (15 ml) to 200 - 300 litre (if you use these gallons and so on - you have to convert by yourself :)) But as I see it you can´t overdose

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Tristren]

I normally use a tablespoon (15 ml) to 200 - 300 litre (if you use these gallons and so on - you have to convert by yourself :)) But as I see it you can´t overdose

Sincerely Lasse

In terms of "overdosing", Presumably the amount of ammonia created is limited by the amount of chloramine. But wouldn't you reduce the ph level further by adding more ascorbic acid?
Or is that negligible?

Tony

 

[najer]

I would add an oxydator as a matter of course, clearer water and extra oxygen.
I have a mixed cuc, I don't appear to have a very high mortality rate but add things occasionally.

 

[Lasse]

We are talking about 1 tablespoon to 100, 200 or 300 litre of water - the pH effect is more of a theoretical one. And so the ammonia. Of experiences - active carbon is not very effective to pick up Chloramine either.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Tristren]

I normally use a tablespoon (15 ml) to 200 - 300 litre (if you use these gallons and so on - you have to convert by yourself :)) But as I see it you can´t overdose

Sincerely Lasse

Also, I'm Canadian, so I speak gallons and liters :)

 

[Tristren]

I figured that I should post an update as this past week was the one year anniversary of starting the process of getting this tank up and running. It's been a long ride so far, mainly covered in algae. But I can absolutely say that I don't regret it and still love the tank.

It looks quite a bit better than it did at the new year. But mainly because I've been physically removing the GHA. But I do feel optimistic. Not that I've beaten it, but that I'm on the right track.

I've cut back on feeding (but still keeping some diversity with LRS and some different Reef Nutrition things in rotation. And as of a couple of weeks ago I finally added a skimmer. That's been pulling out plenty of goop.

I've added a few more fish, all of which seem to be doing well. So now I have a Magnificent Foxface, a Starry Blenny, a Purple Firefish, two Filefish, a Yellow Wrasse, and a Yellow Watchman Goby with Tiger Shrimp buddy.

Our original Cleaner Shrimp from last year is still doing well, though his partner disappeared a couple of months back. And we now also have a Halloween Urchin and as of Friday also two Long-spined Urchins.

The corals have been surviving, but not much more than that. I am really hoping that the new lights will help with that. The Mitras Lightbars have arrived from Germany in Florida. Now just need to get them up here!

I am still striving for balance, and my plan now is to keep knocking back the GHA physically, get the new lights on, and get the coral to a place where is out competes the algae.

So fingers crossed for that.

In the meantime, I'll post a couple of photos over the last while. I haven't been able to get a good FTS as the longer days mean more reflection off the glass.

Cheers, Tony

 

[Tristren]

Yellow Coris Wrasse

New Hammer Coral

Halloween Urchin



Long-spined Urchin and Hammer Coral.

 

[Tristren]

So the eShopps Skimmer has been in and running for a couple of weeks now.

This seems like a pretty good amount of skimmate over four days or so?

I'd say that the algae has slowed down. I've reduced the lights a bit and the urchins are definitely making an impact as well.

The one real change that I'd say I have noticed is one of the Zoa frags has finally started opening up more like what I see online.

So still feeling pretty positive about things but definitely need to keep on top of it. This weekend will be some more scrubbing and another clear out of the refugium.

Unfortunately the new Mitras Lightbars will only ship next week as they're all up at reefapalooza.

But really looking forward to seeing it conc together.

Cheers, Tony

 

[Tristren]

Our Yellow Coris Wrasse has started coming out more in the display (after a week or two in). So that's nice to see.

 

[Tristren]

A quick full tank shot in our system just past the one year mark.

Still need to keep clearing off the algae. I assume that I will for some time. It's obviously not where I would have hoped it would be after a year. But I am really happy with parts of it.

The fish all seem happy and healthy. The GHA is definitely slowing down. The amount of skimmate coming out of the eShopps shows that I have plenty of "stuff" in the tank to pull out.

On the whole I think that the balance is getting closer to where it should be. I hope that the new lights will help with that as well.

As the lights come up, and I add more corals and fish, the bioload will go up too. I'm thinking of adding some beneficial bacteria through some Aquaforest Biofil.

 

[Tristren]

Mitras Lightbars have arrived! Hope to get them up and running this weekend.

 

[Tristren]

The Mitras Lightbars are running very nicely.

With the skimmer also doing well and a more appropriate feeding regime the algae has slowed down a lot. Unfortunately the last group of snails to go in didn't last long, though the crabs from that batch are still doing ok. So I really do want to completely clear out all of the GHA that's in there. So I have started dosing Vibrant. It's been 1-2 weeks and so not much change there yet. That is to say there is slight reduction in growth but I wouldn't say anything is dying back yet.

I am optimistic though...

Also five Blue Reef Chromis went through QT well and moved up to the main tank yesterday. Four are out and about. The fifth I haven't seen since they went in, so I hope it's ok.