Hi Everybody,
Apologies in advance for such a long post. For those willing to take the time and provide their advice I appreciate it greatly.
I set up my first reef tank in September and it has been running for about a full 7 months. I have a 40 gallon cube with an Eshopps medium cube sump that adds an approximate 24 gallons in volume, so 64-65 gallon total volume.
Parameters as of 4/6:
Temp: 77-78 (inkbird with titanium element)
Salinity: 1.026.5 (refractometer calibrated often)
Ph: 8.1 (hanna)
Alk: 8.6 (hanna)
Mag: 1365 (hanna)
Calc: 454 (hanna)
Phosphate: 0.14 (hanna)
Nitrate: ~15-17 (salifert, getting hanna soon)
Salt brand: Fritz RPM Red box
I do not test trace elements.
I have a 3 stage RODI that runs with sub 7 tds will upgrade later this year
I have been having a lot of issues with GHA. I was running snails only with emerald crabs for the first 6 months. I finally added hermits and a sea hare and topped up my snails last week and they have cleared my algae issues for the most part within three days. This of course caused a huge nutrient swing because of the efficiency of the sea hare and the algae no longer consuming nutrients. The sea hare is way bigger than expected probably 6-7 inches and poops like i have never seen before. I have not had much issues with calc and mag consumption as i do not have too many corals. Found they consume maybe 75 ppms of calc every 3-4 weeks and 120 ppms of mag in the same time. I added the majority of my stock in the last 6 weeks in terms of coral and inverts. I added three fish in the last month (citron, royal gramma, rabbit fish).
Livestock:
Ocellaris Clown
Oyster Blenny
Citron Goby
Electric Blue Damsel
Yellow Banded Possum Wrasse
Royal Gramma
Gold lined rabbit (2 inches, and I have a 450 gallon FOWLR he will move to once bigger)
Inverts:
20-30 snails (nerites, ceriths, margarites, nassarius)
1 tiger conch
2 emerald crabs, i have a big issue with bubble algae (sometimes they can handle it sometimes it spikes)
10 blue leg hermits
1 sea hare (will have to rehome soon, has been good at removing GHA)
7 turbo snails
I know this is overkill but i had so much algae i wanted to go overboard and move cuc to my other tank if too much on this system.
Corals:
1 torch (top of rock work mid-high flow had since week 6, has gone from 1 head to 2)
1 goni (sand bed mid flow, short stem has not grown but not decreased, getting beaten out by bubble algae)
4 acan lords (all sand bed mid flow, 2 doing well, 2 are being taken over by spionids and bubble algae)
1 hg micro mussa (sand bed mid flow, doing well added 2 weeks ago)
1 asian acan (sand bed mid flow, puffy and happy)
1 lobo (sand bed low mid flow, added in last week has protruded Mesentarial filaments after a water change none since)
1 hammer (very small, on sand bed low mid flow as i got a couple weeks ago, seems fine doesnt have a great fleshband)
1 frog spawn (mid rock work mid flow, very fluffy and happy)
4 zoa frags (3 sandbed and 1 lower rock work, low-mid flow, will be mounting the rest on rock this week, 1 colony has extension of ~0.75 inches from the stems)
1 pectinia (sandbed low flow, skeleton broke during shipment had for a couple weeks has not solidified will be gluing the base back together in hopes of recovery, flesh has not deteriorated during this time, acts like a door hinge if touched one side stiff other pivots significantly)
1 fox coral (sandbed low flow is ok)
1 pearl bubble coral (sandbed low flow, is ok)
1 plate coral (sandbed bed low flow, was happy for a week and is now unhappy, got it on march 22, fed it once, ate well but now wont inflate and is showing skeleton)
1 finger leather (moved it around many times, sheds frequently has not been showing polyps lately. Trying to get it to attach by base of rock work by sand bed)
1 tiny scoly (got in the last week is doing okay)
The entire time i have had this tank i have only lost corals twice. Once on vacation, my ato ran out and blasted my corals for 3 days with heavy bubbles. I lost two hammers and a duncan because of it. The second time was last week. I had a torch that seemed to be fine, I got it mid march, then it just wilted away and turned into a white goop. It was receiving one directional flow and was put on mid/too rock work. It did fine but then i upgraded my lights a week later. It withered over the span of three days, i moved to sand bed where it perished. During this time I had salinity swings, high phosphates 0.15 that dropped to 0.01 after a few days of phosguard (i was too aggressive and dint monitor close enough) paired with low nitrates. For the majority of the time i had the tank I had low to no nitrate with high phosphate (0.15-0.3). I assume this is what killed it, maybe bacterial infection.
I am looking for advice on how to keep my phosphates and nitrates stable. Ph, Alk, calc, and mag have been okay. Now that my livestock list is higher i am less concerned about nitrate but for the whole duration of my tank i have had issues stabilizing phosphate.
Maintenance & Feeding:
I do a 5-10 gallon water change every 2 weeks. I test before and after each change +- 24 hours. I try to test 2 times a week in general. Sometimes i will also do a 5 gallon water change weekly it depends. If there is a lot of waste on the sand bed i try to siphon out every few days. I stir up my sand every water change. I feed my corals twice a week. Reef roids with mysis for euphyllia/fox/bubble/pectinia, reef roids for my softies/goni and reef roids/mysis/pellets for my acans/lobo/scoly. I feed my fish daily at night which varies, i feed mysis/spirulina/oyster eggs/rotifers and i mix everything with selcon concentrate. Sometimes i melt a few cubes of each and make a blend and refreeze it. I also have pellets but none actually eat them. Will get algae sheets soon for my rabbit.
Lighting Details:
Light: Radion XR15 G5 Pro mounted dead center 8” high
Mount: two RMS mounts with track for level mounting (no lean)
Program: AB+
Kelvin: ~19k heavy blues minimal whites reds and greens (100% for blues and 7% for red green and cold white i believe)
Schedule: 11:30 - 8:30 duration with peak around 3:30 using sinusoidal curve
Intensity: 55%
Par at top of rockwork: 100-115
Par at mid level: 85-95
Par at sand bed: 60-80
Par Meter: amazon brand, semi-accurate within reason
I feel I could increase par but everything I am googling tells me my ranges are fine for my stock list. I am not planning on sps at of this point in time. But reading on here I see people run similar coral stocks at higher intensity's. Is my duration too short or long? Based on the mobius sinusoidal curve it seems like my corals only get ~1 hour of peak intensity (if even that). Is it better to build a custom schedule with longer flat steps rather than a parabolic ramp? Can i download a better schedule somewhere else? I run the tank later as I dont get home til 7:30 and want to see the corals under the lighting during the week. Willing to change if this is bad for them.
Mechanical Elements:
Pump:
Vectra S2 - runs custom schedule going from reef crest to lagoon to fixed. I run at 40-55% intensity during day and a constant 25% intensity overnight (9pm to 8am). Nozzle is located in top right and is aimed towards front left.
Wave makers:
Two sicce voyager 1000 nanos (270 gph). One is mounted on the left side with upper mid level height, positioned towards the back of the tank blowing across the back wall of the tank towards the opposite wall behind the rock work. The other is mounted on the right side with mid level height in the middle of the tank aimed towards the front center glass. These create circular flow which caused the one directional flow where the torch was located that died. I have dead spots towards along the right side sand bed and front right corner where my bubble and fox corals sit. I eventually want to upgrade to MP10s but dont know ideal placement for my rock work.
Skimmer:
Eshopps S120, runs with a mostly wet skim, dont have any issues here. Runs all the time except i turn it iff for 24 hours post water changes.
Doser:
I do not have a doser in place, will probably get something like a jebao to start, upgrade after i feel absolutely necessary. 3-4 heads but only plan on dosing mag and calc as of now. My salt brand mixes higher dkh already so if I need to dose something to correct alk then i will.
Conclusion:
I would appreciate any advice you have. Whether lighting, coral placement, stability suggestions etc. Thank you all!
Apologies in advance for such a long post. For those willing to take the time and provide their advice I appreciate it greatly.
I set up my first reef tank in September and it has been running for about a full 7 months. I have a 40 gallon cube with an Eshopps medium cube sump that adds an approximate 24 gallons in volume, so 64-65 gallon total volume.
Parameters as of 4/6:
Temp: 77-78 (inkbird with titanium element)
Salinity: 1.026.5 (refractometer calibrated often)
Ph: 8.1 (hanna)
Alk: 8.6 (hanna)
Mag: 1365 (hanna)
Calc: 454 (hanna)
Phosphate: 0.14 (hanna)
Nitrate: ~15-17 (salifert, getting hanna soon)
Salt brand: Fritz RPM Red box
I do not test trace elements.
I have a 3 stage RODI that runs with sub 7 tds will upgrade later this year
I have been having a lot of issues with GHA. I was running snails only with emerald crabs for the first 6 months. I finally added hermits and a sea hare and topped up my snails last week and they have cleared my algae issues for the most part within three days. This of course caused a huge nutrient swing because of the efficiency of the sea hare and the algae no longer consuming nutrients. The sea hare is way bigger than expected probably 6-7 inches and poops like i have never seen before. I have not had much issues with calc and mag consumption as i do not have too many corals. Found they consume maybe 75 ppms of calc every 3-4 weeks and 120 ppms of mag in the same time. I added the majority of my stock in the last 6 weeks in terms of coral and inverts. I added three fish in the last month (citron, royal gramma, rabbit fish).
Livestock:
Ocellaris Clown
Oyster Blenny
Citron Goby
Electric Blue Damsel
Yellow Banded Possum Wrasse
Royal Gramma
Gold lined rabbit (2 inches, and I have a 450 gallon FOWLR he will move to once bigger)
Inverts:
20-30 snails (nerites, ceriths, margarites, nassarius)
1 tiger conch
2 emerald crabs, i have a big issue with bubble algae (sometimes they can handle it sometimes it spikes)
10 blue leg hermits
1 sea hare (will have to rehome soon, has been good at removing GHA)
7 turbo snails
I know this is overkill but i had so much algae i wanted to go overboard and move cuc to my other tank if too much on this system.
Corals:
1 torch (top of rock work mid-high flow had since week 6, has gone from 1 head to 2)
1 goni (sand bed mid flow, short stem has not grown but not decreased, getting beaten out by bubble algae)
4 acan lords (all sand bed mid flow, 2 doing well, 2 are being taken over by spionids and bubble algae)
1 hg micro mussa (sand bed mid flow, doing well added 2 weeks ago)
1 asian acan (sand bed mid flow, puffy and happy)
1 lobo (sand bed low mid flow, added in last week has protruded Mesentarial filaments after a water change none since)
1 hammer (very small, on sand bed low mid flow as i got a couple weeks ago, seems fine doesnt have a great fleshband)
1 frog spawn (mid rock work mid flow, very fluffy and happy)
4 zoa frags (3 sandbed and 1 lower rock work, low-mid flow, will be mounting the rest on rock this week, 1 colony has extension of ~0.75 inches from the stems)
1 pectinia (sandbed low flow, skeleton broke during shipment had for a couple weeks has not solidified will be gluing the base back together in hopes of recovery, flesh has not deteriorated during this time, acts like a door hinge if touched one side stiff other pivots significantly)
1 fox coral (sandbed low flow is ok)
1 pearl bubble coral (sandbed low flow, is ok)
1 plate coral (sandbed bed low flow, was happy for a week and is now unhappy, got it on march 22, fed it once, ate well but now wont inflate and is showing skeleton)
1 finger leather (moved it around many times, sheds frequently has not been showing polyps lately. Trying to get it to attach by base of rock work by sand bed)
1 tiny scoly (got in the last week is doing okay)
The entire time i have had this tank i have only lost corals twice. Once on vacation, my ato ran out and blasted my corals for 3 days with heavy bubbles. I lost two hammers and a duncan because of it. The second time was last week. I had a torch that seemed to be fine, I got it mid march, then it just wilted away and turned into a white goop. It was receiving one directional flow and was put on mid/too rock work. It did fine but then i upgraded my lights a week later. It withered over the span of three days, i moved to sand bed where it perished. During this time I had salinity swings, high phosphates 0.15 that dropped to 0.01 after a few days of phosguard (i was too aggressive and dint monitor close enough) paired with low nitrates. For the majority of the time i had the tank I had low to no nitrate with high phosphate (0.15-0.3). I assume this is what killed it, maybe bacterial infection.
I am looking for advice on how to keep my phosphates and nitrates stable. Ph, Alk, calc, and mag have been okay. Now that my livestock list is higher i am less concerned about nitrate but for the whole duration of my tank i have had issues stabilizing phosphate.
Maintenance & Feeding:
I do a 5-10 gallon water change every 2 weeks. I test before and after each change +- 24 hours. I try to test 2 times a week in general. Sometimes i will also do a 5 gallon water change weekly it depends. If there is a lot of waste on the sand bed i try to siphon out every few days. I stir up my sand every water change. I feed my corals twice a week. Reef roids with mysis for euphyllia/fox/bubble/pectinia, reef roids for my softies/goni and reef roids/mysis/pellets for my acans/lobo/scoly. I feed my fish daily at night which varies, i feed mysis/spirulina/oyster eggs/rotifers and i mix everything with selcon concentrate. Sometimes i melt a few cubes of each and make a blend and refreeze it. I also have pellets but none actually eat them. Will get algae sheets soon for my rabbit.
Lighting Details:
Light: Radion XR15 G5 Pro mounted dead center 8” high
Mount: two RMS mounts with track for level mounting (no lean)
Program: AB+
Kelvin: ~19k heavy blues minimal whites reds and greens (100% for blues and 7% for red green and cold white i believe)
Schedule: 11:30 - 8:30 duration with peak around 3:30 using sinusoidal curve
Intensity: 55%
Par at top of rockwork: 100-115
Par at mid level: 85-95
Par at sand bed: 60-80
Par Meter: amazon brand, semi-accurate within reason
I feel I could increase par but everything I am googling tells me my ranges are fine for my stock list. I am not planning on sps at of this point in time. But reading on here I see people run similar coral stocks at higher intensity's. Is my duration too short or long? Based on the mobius sinusoidal curve it seems like my corals only get ~1 hour of peak intensity (if even that). Is it better to build a custom schedule with longer flat steps rather than a parabolic ramp? Can i download a better schedule somewhere else? I run the tank later as I dont get home til 7:30 and want to see the corals under the lighting during the week. Willing to change if this is bad for them.
Mechanical Elements:
Pump:
Vectra S2 - runs custom schedule going from reef crest to lagoon to fixed. I run at 40-55% intensity during day and a constant 25% intensity overnight (9pm to 8am). Nozzle is located in top right and is aimed towards front left.
Wave makers:
Two sicce voyager 1000 nanos (270 gph). One is mounted on the left side with upper mid level height, positioned towards the back of the tank blowing across the back wall of the tank towards the opposite wall behind the rock work. The other is mounted on the right side with mid level height in the middle of the tank aimed towards the front center glass. These create circular flow which caused the one directional flow where the torch was located that died. I have dead spots towards along the right side sand bed and front right corner where my bubble and fox corals sit. I eventually want to upgrade to MP10s but dont know ideal placement for my rock work.
Skimmer:
Eshopps S120, runs with a mostly wet skim, dont have any issues here. Runs all the time except i turn it iff for 24 hours post water changes.
Doser:
I do not have a doser in place, will probably get something like a jebao to start, upgrade after i feel absolutely necessary. 3-4 heads but only plan on dosing mag and calc as of now. My salt brand mixes higher dkh already so if I need to dose something to correct alk then i will.
Conclusion:
I would appreciate any advice you have. Whether lighting, coral placement, stability suggestions etc. Thank you all!
