About to quit

[tharbin]

FOBbit,

The main advantage to an ATO would be to reduce the possibility of salinity swings.

 

[Lyss]

I would get a mag test kit, too.

An example of how little things can upset corals quickly: My Hanna Alk checker started giving me lower readings than usual, so w/o double checking I trusted and dosed a little more AFR than my usual dose the other day. But Cal and Mag were still in line — weird. B/c of that I thought to run the test w/my Salifert kit the next day… Oops, the extra AFR was a mistake. As a result my alk went up about .7 in one day, and now some of my LPS are mad.

Even what seems like a small swing can cause issues.

 

[sixty_reefer]

Most test kits have not changed in 20+ years and I doubt they are any more accurate than they were 40 years ago. The only difference is that with a Hanna you have a better calibrated eye interpreting the results and a false sense of accuracy. Today's test kits are no better or worse than the ones in the 70s. What is better is that we now have reference solutions available to test our own ability to use the kits.

Brahm did not advocate 0/0 he merely stated that 0/0 will not kill your coral which is true because 0/0 doesn't exist. The OP did not mention dinos so there is no reason to think his system is overrun with them unless he states otherwise. 0/0 is a red herring. Yes you want some nitrate and phosphate and too much is bad as well but the only way to truly have 0/0 is a sterile tank. Will your corals thrive if your kits read 0/0? No but they won't die in weeks either. 0/0 doesn't really exist.

You need to tell the hole story wend advocating for ULN, they got a large import export level, which will keep the coral feed, most tanks on this section only got export and little to no import that causes coral and microbes to starve slowly, you can’t just advocate for low nutrients without also mentioning that you are adding a lot of nutrients daily and removing them fast. Most people don’t know the difference and will assume that they just need to export hard and forget about the importance of adding nutrients.

edit: I did read an article recently that mentioned the evolution of test kits and accuracy over the years.

 

[tharbin]

You need to tell the hole story wend advocating for ULN, they got a large import export level, which will keep the coral feed, most tanks on this section only got export and little to no import that causes coral and microbes to starve slowly, you can’t just advocate for low nutrients without also mentioning that you are adding a lot of nutrients daily and removing them fast. Most people don’t know the difference and will assume that they just need to export hard and forget about the importance of adding nutrients.

edit: I did read an article recently that mentioned the evolution of test kits and accuracy over the years.

I actually don't advocate ULN at all. I run tanks toward the dirty side of things. Like lots of stuff in the water, especially planktons and bacteria.

Can you tell me where you read the article on test kits? I'd like to read it. I personally don't see any improvements in the kits other than maybe slightly better color comparison cards and some fancy convenience gadgets like titrators or comparison vials. The Saliferts I buy today look just like the ones I bought in the 2000s.

 

[sixty_reefer]

I actually don't advocate ULN at all. I run tanks toward the dirty side of things. Like lots of stuff in the water, especially planktons and bacteria.

Can you tell me where you read the article on test kits? I'd like to read it. I personally don't see any improvements in the kits other than maybe slightly better color comparison cards and some fancy convenience gadgets like titrators or comparison vials. The Saliferts I buy today look just like the ones I bought in the 2000s.

Sorry if I missed spell something, I wasn’t saying you were. If i come across the article i’ll post it here, it’s been a wile back.

 

[tharbin]

Sorry if I missed spell something, I wasn’t saying you were. If i come across the article i’ll post it here, it’s been a wile back.

Thanks

 

[brahm]

This is absolutely true. It is indeed much more complicated to give good advice. I was definitely premature in my suggestion. Thanks for the reminder to not help other people spend their money and time without adequate knowledge of what they really need.

8 years ago wend your tank was featured in that magazine, I would imagine that most test kits wouldn’t be as accurate as today, we live in a different time regarding reef tech. this kind of statement is really counterproductive for new comers to the hobby, advocating success on 0/0 is just irresponsible.

I would be surprised if dinoflagellates are already thriving in the op’s tank, that’s what 2021 brings wend your nutrients bottom out. If he doesn’t have them already is just a matter of time.

We had the same testing capabilities then as we do now minus the automation of things like a trident, or sending things out to a lab. Salifert Tests kits haven't changed, nor have the Hannah checkers. You can run at "0/0" but that's was not my main point nor what I was suggesting, and while I whole heartily disagree that it's irresponsible, that's a conversation for a different topic. As stated above I was pointing out that having your parameters at "0/0" wouldn't instantly melt your corals, nothing more, nothing less.

The main point I was making is that before you suggest someone take a depth gauge to their piston rings, ask them if they are out of gas. Start with the basics and programmatic work your way up to the more complex issues. Otherwise, you'll have folks spinning their wheels chasing numbers, and giving up; when it could be something as simple .as they top off their tank once a week or the temp is gauge is inaccurate, or they bought a half-dead bleached coral

 

[brahm]

I just did my phosphates. .06 Hanna checker

I'm going to get a calcium & alk test kits tomorrow
Other test kits are only about 3 months old

The parameters are checked every other day usually. As they don't swing really at all. I do only check them at night when I get home from work.

How would an ATO work on a tank like this?

I attached a pic of the tank

Czoolander, don't be sorry. If we have similar issues

Any one of the ATO systems should work. Can't tell if you have a sump or not. If you don't have a sump you put the line in from the water reserve and float in the DT if you do in the sump.

 

[Nburg's Reef]

An AI Prime on a 40G IM is underlit.

I was just going to say this and the lighting schedule attached looks like it’s lit at ~50% power. If you really only have 1 ai prime, that thing needs to be at 100% and raise it a bit and find a new light as soon as you can.

if money is tight, a single Chinese black box at 25%-40% would be more than light.

 

[Miami Reef]

Most ppl who pose your question about corals not doing well.... I think... comes down to the lineage of live rock they use.

If 90% of the LR was dry rock at one point and the other 10% was LR but came from like Petco.... you really haven't established great live bacteria in your tank.

I mean, you have nutrifying bacteria thst can be bought in a bottle. But I'm talking about dozens of strains of beneficial bacteria that can only come directly from the Ocean, not a bottle.

I think.... the most important and MOST OVERLOOKED step in setting up a Reef Tank is starting with LR from a LFS that can tell you they bought the LR from a Vendor who harvests LR out in the Gulf of Mexico or from Caribbean waters

LR that has lineage back to a direct source from the ocean is sooooooo important. I think its critical.

If all your LR came from a tank where none of it actually came DIRECTLY from an Ocean source, you have your answer why your tank is blaaaaah.

This post irks me. Lol sorry.

 

[brahm]

I actually don't advocate ULN at all. I run tanks toward the dirty side of things. Like lots of stuff in the water, especially planktons and bacteria.

Can you tell me where you read the article on test kits? I'd like to read it. I personally don't see any improvements in the kits other than maybe slightly better color comparison cards and some fancy convenience gadgets like titrators or comparison vials. The Saliferts I buy today look just like the ones I bought in the 2000s.

Sorry if I missed spell something, I wasn’t saying you were. If i come across the article i’ll post it here, it’s been a wile back.

Imop the ULN thing is something I don't worry much about when looking into why someone is having issues unless there are specific signs. It's not easily achievable without a direct effort to go after it, and anyone chasing that method most likely will mention it. (It did work btw but I was never a fan of pasty looking corals)

He has some fish a few corals, and some inverts, it's a 40-gallon tank he feeds, and the tank has been running for 3 years. No talk of roller-mats, carbon dosing, zeo products, or other methods to totally strip the water clean maybe 5 gallons on a 40 gallon is a bit a much for weekly water changes for some but if I were to put my money on it I'd say it's something to do with either fundamentals, faulty equipment or maybe an issue with how/where the corals are coming from.

On a personal note, I run middle of the road, I've never advocated for extremes on one end of the spectrum or the other. I also was setting up tanks with dead rocks way back when it was cheaper and I felt they cycled faster than "live rock", so my methods haven't changed much over the years minus some fancy automation.

 

[FOBbit]

Ok. To add. I top off with about 2 cups 16 oz of water twice a day. Morning and night.

I'll double check temp today. Going to borrow another thermometer.

 

[czoolander]

Ok. To add. I top off with about 2 cups 16 oz of water twice a day. Morning and night.

I'll double check temp today. Going to borrow another thermometer.

So I made some changes in first week of November and the corals are responding in a good way

- decreased my lighting from 70% blues 50% whites to 40% blues and 20% whites
- Changed my flow from reefcrest " more turbulent " to lagoon " less turbulent"
-Added two bags of carbon to my sump
-Increased feeding . 5-6 days a week frozen Mysis 4-5 days pellets and every second day Red Sea AB+

I do have diatoms in my sand in spots but my corals are looking happier lately for sure

 

[FOBbit]

Called a friend who has a tank. did water tests on my FS water. magnesium and calcium are a bit low. Alk is ok

He is helping me with getting a RODI unit to make my own water. He thinks the FS uses a cheeper saltmix to keep costs down.

In talking to him I also noticed that I dont have coraline algea like i used to, when I made my own water years ago. My RODI unit got destroyed in a move.

So thats where Im at.

 

[Chief Reef Corals]

I don’t know how true this is but I have a friend that is growing zoas and other corals like wildfire. My tank is healthy but just not growing corals much at all. I have two large Kenya Trees in my tank and mostly zoas and shrooms besides that. My friend said that when he removed his large Kenya Tree, that’s when he noticed his growth take off and corals thriving. Hence chemical warfare could be the culprit for corals dying or not growing. I’m taking my Kenya Trees out.

 

[PokeFish]

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