A reef, wrasse and a few angels tank in Uttoxeter

[CMO]

Very nice tank! So what's you trick with the trigger and angels not destroying your reef? Did you add them later once the corals were grown out or have them from the beginning? I'd love get one for my tank but worried they'll destroy my frags before they can grow out.

 

[Mortie31]

Very nice tank! So what's you trick with the trigger and angels not destroying your reef? Did you add them later once the corals were grown out or have them from the beginning? I'd love get one for my tank but worried they'll destroy my frags before they can grow out.

Thankyou, i added them later, but they really don’t bother my corals at all, the butterflies show far more interest, but again no damage. The trigger is a new addition, but shouldn’t bother SPS at all... hopefully he’ll leave all of my hermits alone.

 

[Subsea]

Thankyou, i added them later, but they really don’t bother my corals at all, the butterflies show far more interest, but again no damage. The trigger is a new addition, but shouldn’t bother SPS at all... hopefully he’ll leave all of my hermits alone.

I have never kept triggers in my reef. As a fisherman, I have caught them in the Gulf of Mexico. As a reminder of their reputation I have a small scar after 20 years on my right thumb where I jerked my hand back as I was bitten by a trigger fish. I doubt that triggers play nice. Good fortune with yours.

You have a gorgeous tank. Is this the tank that you are removing the sand bed?

 

[Subsea]

Well today was really crappy, I managed to crack my sump!!! I was messing around trying to get my roller filter out, and stupidly got frustrated when it wouldn’t come off the overflow pump... and voila a crack from top to bottom... thankfully it was in my first chamber, so I emptied what was left in the chamber after my floor got soaked, and then replumbed the overflow pipework into the centre chamber, moved the heaters and turned one of my return pumps off. All seems to be running ok..

I cut a piece of glass and siliconed it over the crack, to act as a temporary repair as it will take a month or so to get a new custom sump made, Ive since added a second piece of glass to the outside of the tank. I’ll give it a few days and leak test it... hopefully it will work ok until I can get a new sump, you can see my bodged temporary overflow pipework.. there are times im glad I’m a bit of a hoarder as I had all the bits on hand including a pane of glass that was originally a condensation cover...

Adventures in reefing. My first marine tank, while a student at Texas Maritime Academy in 1971 was gifted to me with a crack on side glass. Overlaid new glass pane with three silicon seams. I operated this 55G rectangle tank for 10 years.

I noticed the anarobic digester for natural nitrate reduction. Are you satisfied with it? Let me get back ro reading the thread. You may have already answered that.

 

[Mortie31]

I have never kept triggers in my reef. As a fisherman, I have caught them in the Gulf of Mexico. As a reminder of their reputation I have a small scar after 20 years on my right thumb where I jerked my hand back as I was bitten by a trigger fish. I doubt that triggers play nice. Good fortune with yours.

You have a gorgeous tank. Is this the tank that you are removing the sand bed?

I love triggers such personality, I think I have chosen one of the more placid varieties.. fingers crossed.. I was intending to remove all of the sandbed, however I’ve stopped for now at just removing as much as possible from under the rock work, and have repositioned and Mp40 to blast under the rocks.

 

[Mortie31]

My DIY nitratereactor, it’s a cross between Donovan’s nitrate buster and AquaMedics nitraductors, the water is recirculated in the chamber, helping to reduce the chance of hydrogen sulphide forming. V&V is added and the redox kept around -300mv. It’s working a treat so far NO3 down from 30 to 10 and falling.

 

[Mortie31]

A new coral I picked up recently (centre top) and you can see the bare bottom starting to happen..

 

[Subsea]

My DIY nitratereactor, it’s a cross between Donovan’s nitrate buster and AquaMedics nitraductors, the wate recirculated in the chamber, V&V is added and the redox kept around -300mv. It’s working a treat so far NO3 down from 30 to 10 and falling.

What is V & V?

Can you explain some of the chemistry of this? Do sulfur bacteria consume oxygen from nitrate molecule, thereby releasing nitrogen gas?

 

[Mortie31]

What is V & V?

Can you explain some of the chemistry of this? Do sulfur bacteria consume oxygen from nitrate molecule, thereby releasing nitrogen gas?

Hi sorry V&V is vodka and vinegar, the reactor uses a carbon source rather than sulphur to feed the denitrifying bacteria. This creates a zero oxygen environment for the bacteria which is perfect for them to convert NO3 into Nitrogen.

 

[Subsea]

Can you see bubbles escaping?

When I first set up Jaubert Plenum 25 years ago, NNR or Natural Nitrate Reduction was the goal and with substrate at 6” deep, the denitrification filter took up 7” over the complete footprint of the display tank. That is a big investment in tank volume to lose to a denitrification filter. It sounds like you fixed that problem.

I now use my sandbed to feed my tank thru the microbial loop.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microbial_loop

I no longer require denitrification. In fact, in addition to feeding heavy with dry food, frozen food and live mussels from seafood counter, I dose ammonia everyday. For me, either my food ratio of nitrogen to phosphate is low or I have phosphate leaching from my sand bed. In either case, I run a high nutrient mixed garden lagoon display with some ornamental macro and numerous filter feeders including flame scallops, sea apples, Chilli Coral and two deep water gorgonions.

I say this “tongue in cheek”, I dose ammonia to reduce phosphate so that I can grow coral thru nutrient recycling and I frag & sell coral for nutrient export.

I seek a ratio of of nitrogen to phosphate of 30:1.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/2...m-on-top-with-30g-ecosystem-mud-macro.421526/

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/wet-salty-for-christmas-2017.428100/

 

[Mortie31]

There are lots of bubbles being formed in the reactor, way more than I anticipated, so much so I’m going to have to think about how to get them out of the reactor more efficiently. I’m assuming it is nitrogen, as it doesn’t smell at all so can’t be hydrogen sulphide.

 

[Subsea]

There are lots of bubbles being formed in the reactor, way more than I anticipated, so much so I’m going to have to think about how to get them out of the reactor more efficiently. I’m assuming it is nitrogen, as it doesn’t smell at all so can’t be hydrogen sulphide.

Kudos to you.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Kudos to you.

Now that I have you here @Subsea, what sand you use that releases calcium with low ph 7.6, let me know. Thanks

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

My DIY nitratereactor, it’s a cross between Donovan’s nitrate buster and AquaMedics nitraductors, the wate recirculated in the chamber, V&V is added and the redox kept around -300mv. It’s working a treat so far NO3 down from 30 to 10 and falling.

Very nice

 

[Subsea]

Now that I have you here @Subsea, what sand you use that releases calcium with low ph 7.6, let me know. Thanks

CaribSea aroggonite begins to dissolve at 8.05 pH. It is passive. If you use a calcium reactor, you will get Good results.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

CaribSea aroggonite begins to dissolve at 8.05 pH. It is passive. If you use a calcium reactor, you will get Good results.

Thx

 

[Geebs19]

Beautiful tank!

 

[Mortie31]

Beautiful tank!

Thank you

 

[Mortie31]

A disaster is unfolding before me... 2 weeks ago I made a decision I’m really regretting, a goldflake angel came up for sale from a local reefer, it’s one of my dream fish... my heart won over my head and I decided to go for it, as it had been in its current tank for over 2 yrs was fat and looked healthy. My head was telling me I was fully stocked and everything was happy and had been so for 6.5yrs... but I came back with the fish. Didn’t quarantine as it had been In his tank for a few years...Everything was fine for a day or 2 some bullying but nothing OTT, then my yellow tang went nuts, I’d upset the hierarchy and balance, sleeping caves etc. World war 3 erupted... then white spot emerged... So far I’ve lost the goldflake, pearlscale and 4 spot butterflies and 3 anthias... I’m currently feeding the hell out of the fish, added some bacteria, upper my V&V dose and have upped my AWC. My majestic angel, purple tang and sargassum trigger are covered but still active and feeding... 14 years I’ve been in this hobby and never experienced anything like this.... and self inflicted.. feel so dang guilty and stupid... cause of my rockwork it’s impossible to catch any of my fish and I think if I tried I’d stress them out even more and make matters even worse, so I’m trying to ride it out.... and crossing everything I have...

 

[Mortie31]

Since my last post, ive lost all of my angels, my trigger, the remaining anthias, this only leaves my 3 tangs, 2 clownfish and cleaner wrasse... so upset.. my Naso tang which I’ve had for 13 years doesn’t look good either...