Acer new 150 build

acer · Mar 17, 2017

Getting some new substrate this weekend- since by pulling out the sand with the sticky Hair algae I am now down to an inch or less in places. So, will vacuum the substrate and pull out as much HA as possible. Then add about an inch of new ,very well cleaned, substrate on top.

I think it may also be my T5 lights. They are toward the front of the tank , and I noticed the algae is much worse in the front of the tank. So, will shut off the t5 lights for a while as well.

hybridazn · Mar 17, 2017

How old are the bulbs and what kind of bulbs are they?

acer · Mar 18, 2017

The are 2 x 24 watt blue bulbs "ATI blue-plus" that are not very old ( maybe 2 months old, before I started the tank 6 months ago - total about 8 months) - only run in mid afternoon for 4 hours, they are used as supplemental lighting to my Reefbreeder 24 and my Gen3 Radion xr30.

acer · Mar 19, 2017

OK cleaned/picked the algae yesterday, got as much out of my substrate and off the rocks as I could. Last night I did obtain 2 x 15 pound bags of "Reef Flakes" and I unplugged the T5's as I am doing everything I can think of to stop the hair algae. Today I took out one big rock that has the tougher algae on it - May be Bryopsis, but not sure as the rock surface is very uneven. Anyhow, took it out and replaced it with a rock that was in the refugium that has no algae on it. I then took out about 10 pounds of live substrate that was on the bottom of my refugium and added it to the front half of the display tank - where I am having the biggest issue with hair algae growing on my substrate. The rock I took out of the display tank with the algae on it I placed in a 5 gallon bucket with 32 ox of Hydrogen peroxide and about 2.5 gallons of tank water - took that much to cover the rock. Because of the diluted solution ( 32 oz/ 2.5 gallons) - I left the rock "soak" for 30 minutes. Then rinsed well with spayed RODI water and placed the rock in my refugium. Will see if the algae continues to die off or not. Next, I rinsed 15 pounds of new substrate " Reef Flakes" in tap water until the water coming off the substrate was nearly clear. Then I rinsed with RODI water, then added it to the refugium bottom. Pics to follow.

acer · Mar 19, 2017

Ok pics:

Rock with remaining Algae in refugium.

New sand in display tank.

acer · Mar 21, 2017

Re-arranged the refugium so that rock gets no light and I separated my 2 macros from each other as the cheato was infiltrating and killing the red grape calaurpa. Will check it in a week or two to see if any algae remains.

I also lost my flame Hark I got form John K - somehow he had gotten over weir and into the overflow and went down the 1 inch full siphon drain into the sump- in spite of netting. He was pretty beaten up when I found him 2-3 days ago in the sump, and lasted till today after I caught him and moved him back up into display. So, I took out my netting looking for a possibility of how the hawk got thru and sure enough- about a 1 inch gap in one of the corners. So, I took out the netting and gave it a good washing to rid anything caught in it,etc. Replaced it and made sure that corner was not open. Guess what, today I noticed one of the clowns was missing and sure enough I found him in the overflow box. He must have gotten over the weir 2 days ago when I was washing the netting - REALLY!! stupid fish...

pmoneyt · Mar 31, 2017

nice build

acer · Apr 1, 2017

Thanks- pmoneyt.

So far pulling top 3/4 -1 inch sand out of the tank ( where I could get at it without too much difficulty ) , replacing it with sand from the refugium, and then putting new live sand ( well washed) sand in the refugium has worked. I also have not used any supplemental T5 lighting. So, not sure if the lights or the new sand or both is doing the trick - but I have significantly less algae in sand that was replaced in the front of the tank. I still have some hair algae and bubble algae on rocks and in the sand where I did not replace it. But overall the tank looks much improved. Today I am ordering some higher grade hydrogen peroxide and will be "dipping" several of my rocks that have algae issues. It certainly worked, using the regular drug store type, for the one test I did both on a large rock and on a frag of Zoa's. Still cant figure out why this setup has much worse hair algae issues, then my prior setups. I actually have been much more diligent on this one = Muriatic acid bath for all rock, all new live sand, regular water changes, cycled tank for weeks with a dead shrimp and then fish without putting any frags or corals from other tanks for some time. Hmm...

acer · Apr 6, 2017

Update:

Received new T5 24 inch bulbs from bulk reef. Decided to try Geissman super Actinics instead of ATI blue+. My immediate impression is they are not as bright, but that may be ok as i dont want to start an Algae farm on my sand again.

Also recieved reef cleaner package of snails. Hopefully, provide additional algae control.

Still having some corals getting light and losing color, and some are browning. Will try the Elos Omega amino acid product to see if that helps coral colors or not.

Parameters will be tested again and posted soon. Have been consistently changing filter socks, and doing 20 gallon water changes. Have been slacking on testing parameters though.

acer · Apr 11, 2017

I took out and worked on several rocks that have corals attached to them yesterday due to algae (hair and bubble). I put the rocks ( one at a time) in the sink in a large mixing bowl, physically scraped off the algae , then used a turkey baster to do a controlled application of Hydrogen peroxide - making sure not to spay it on the attached coral. Then rinsed the areas where I had applied the peroxide with RODI water. I let that stand for a few minutes and then put the rock back into the display. SO far so good.

acer · Apr 11, 2017

Well I tried to edit the last post- but apparently the edit timer is now 15 minutes - I was unaware.

Anyhow - part of the reason I was taking out the rocks was I attempted to add a new fish - a Copperbanded butterfly. Purchased on 4/9 the night before and stayed in the upper corner all night. When I moved the rocks around yesterday after cleaning algae off several of them - the butterfly came out and seemed fine at first. Then my large Coral Beauty Angel saw him and the fight was on - by the time I caught the Copperbanded a few hours later - it was too late. So , now I have a decision to make. Either get a fish that can handle the large Coral Beauty, like a blue throat trigger ( on the list of preferred future fish) , or catch and get rid of him. The problem is that he is getting along with the other fish in the tank currently, does not pick on corals, and is very pretty. I picked him and a large Royal Gramma as a rescue from a local who was shutting down their tank. So, if I add a Blue Throat- will that change the "pecking order" enough to mellow out the Coral beauty so I can add more timid fish like a Copperbanded ( a favorite of mine) , some Anthias or fairy wrasses, or will he just attack even though he is not the alpha of the tank anymore?? Maybe catch him and keep him in the refugium tank for a few months - then after the new fish are established bring him back into the community. Hmmm.....

oh ya- latest parameter tests:

Ca= 510
Alk= 9.5
N03= 0
PO4 = .021
PH= 8.1-8.2
Mg= 1250

Due to slighly low Mg- I went over to the bulk reef calculator to determine how to raise it up to 1400 ( better algae control) = for my 200 gallons of water and using the bulk reef Magnesium sulfate mixture solution it said I should add about 80 oz. of the Mg solution. I added 40 oz and will add the other 40 oz in a few days. Also due to the high Ca and Alk I will decrease the strength of my Kalk water solution that I am using in the Auto Top off until the Alk is reading 8.5 consistently. When the corals start consuming more Ca+ or Alk than the ATO can provide - I will start to use my dosers.

JaimeAdams · Apr 11, 2017

The angel if left in the tank will continue to terrorize even after adding a trigger. You can remove him to the sump and get all the other fish established and then add him back in after a couple of months. There is a chance that he will become a jerk again, but there is a good chance that it will be fine. Worth the shot.

acer · Apr 14, 2017

OK - quick update. Have been testing ALK daily- after getting "advice" from several of you about the need to do so. I reduced the ATO Kalkwater to 2 tablespoons of Kalk to a 5 gallon ATO reservoir. Started at 9.5 and now down to 9.2. Have been contemplating how to catch my coral beauty and rehouse him - I do have a fish trap- but expect that I will probably catch nearly every other fish before him as he tends to worry about other fish instead of food. Anybody want a large very nice Coral beauty Angel who is a bully - let me know.

hybridazn · Apr 20, 2017

A couple years back my powder blue was a terror, so I used bird netting to catch him. I did it while the lights were out. I laid the bird netting on the top of the tank and then in the middle of the tank I put the bird netting down into the water essentially cutting the tank in half. I encouraged the pbt to swim towards the net and when he did I slowly raised the netting up around him just enough to not let him escape. I then took a plastic container and scooped him out. It took me about 10 minutes to get him out this way. I've caught a few fish this way, it seems to be the quickest and safest on the fish.

acer · May 5, 2017

Well- new things= time for an update: Ended up taking out several fish from the display a few weeks ago. The coral beauty, the royal gramma, and the damsel. Traded the CB and the Gramma + some cash for a nice fairy wrasse at a local store. And i purchased three new fish from "Among the reef" - a Copperbanded butterfly, a male Blue throat trigger, and a Blue sided flasher wrasse. I also donated 90% of my large Hollywood stunner coral to the local reef club to frag up in the club fraging coral workshop. As that same club meeting I obtained a few new corals. So, tank is looking very different. Pics to follow later today.

acer · Aug 13, 2017

Update: well been a while, so figured some pics new pics are in order. Have given away and picked up several corals. A few fish have passed and some added. I think my copperbanded passed from starvation- he was eating brine ,etc but decided to stop and the tank did not have enough natural foods for him. Also, have several aggressive eaters so he may not have had enough time. New pics Coming.