Anirban's Aquaforest journey

john.m.cole3 · Sep 24, 2016

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Anirban · Sep 27, 2016

My target with this tank is to achieve a stable probiotic system in combination with probiotics. So, I am currently testing the effect of these two over my tank. I decided to check how long I can go without water change and currently aiming at once a month. Now does no water change effect the tank chemical balance? Logically if balling system works then my ionic balance should be spot on. Another Aquaforest user @jsker is trying to do the same and he is currently doing it biweekly. So I moved ahead and targeted to do it once a month. I posted my parameters last week which was my third week without water change and today I checked them all again and this is my 4th week.

In between I installed my new GHL Proflux doser 2 and currently it is dosing total 48ml of each 1+2+3+ components divided in 4 shifts a every 6 hours.

3rd week parameters:

Salinity-1.025
Temp: maintained at 79 degree
pH: runs between 8.05-8.3
Alkalinity: dKH 7.3 to 7.6 (Hanna)
Calcium: 435 (salifert)
Magnesium: 1320 (salifert)
Nitrate: 1-2 ppm sometime less (red sea)
Phosphate: 0 (hanna)
Potassium: 400 ppm (salifert)

4th week parameters:

Salinity-1.025
Temp: maintained at 79 degree
pH: runs between 8.05-8.3
Alkalinity: dKH 7.2 to 7.3 (Hanna)
Calcium: 430 (salifert)
Magnesium: 1410 (salifert)
Nitrate: 1-2 ppm sometime less (red sea)
Phosphate: 0 (hanna)
Potassium: 340 ppm (salifert) (I stopped adding additional Potassium 4 days back. I think the system needs it)
I also checked iodine and thats also in range. (I used to dose Tech I but stopped dosing it since last 4 days as my Pikachu started showing a bit more greenish yellow colour)

Overall there is no negative effect on any of the corals and every single of my SPS has great PE. The water change is due by end of this week which will be more than a month.

jsker · Sep 27, 2016

Anirban said:
My target with this tank is to achieve a stable probiotic system in combination with probiotics. So, I am currently testing the effect of these two over my tank. I decided to check how long I can go without water change and currently aiming at once a month. Now does no water change effect the tank chemical balance? Logically if balling system works then my ionic balance should be spot on. Another Aquaforest user @jsker is trying to do the same and he is currently doing it biweekly. So I moved ahead and targeted to do it once a month. I posted my parameters last week which was my third week without water change and today I checked them all again and this is my 4th week.

In between I installed my new GHL Proflux doser 2 and currently it is dosing total 48ml of each 1+2+3+ components divided in 4 shifts a every 6 hours.

3rd week parameters:

Salinity-1.025

Temp: maintained at 79 degree

pH: runs between 8.05-8.3

Alkalinity: dKH 7.3 to 7.6 (Hanna)

Calcium: 435 (salifert)

Magnesium: 1320 (salifert)

Nitrate: 1-2 ppm sometime less (red sea)

Phosphate: 0 (hanna)

Potassium: 400 ppm (salifert)

4th week parameters:

Salinity-1.025

Temp: maintained at 79 degree

pH: runs between 8.05-8.3

Alkalinity: dKH 7.2 to 7.3 (Hanna)

Calcium: 430 (salifert)

Magnesium: 1410 (salifert)

Nitrate: 1-2 ppm sometime less (red sea)

Phosphate: 0 (hanna)

Potassium: 340 ppm (salifert) (I stopped adding additional Potassium 4 days back. I think the system needs it)

I also checked iodine and thats also in range. (I used to dose Tech I but stopped dosing it since last 4 days as my Pikachu started showing a bit more greenish yellow colour)

Overall there is no negative effect on any of the corals and every single of my SPS has great PE. The water change is due by end of this week which will be more than a month.

My parameters have been staying on track during water changes, I am still making a couple of tweeks and in December I will be going to three weeks then a month.

Nice job on the build

Anirban · Sep 27, 2016

jsker said:
My parameters have been staying on track during water changes, I am still making a couple of tweeks and in December I will be going to three weeks then a month.

Nice job on the build

Thanks, I am going on a month long holiday in December too....so before I leave I need it to run perfectly.

FDAWG · Sep 28, 2016

@Anirban You say your tank is due for a water change next week but your parameters presently look good. Are trying to replenish some of your micro trace elements?

Anirban · Sep 28, 2016

FDAWG said:
@Anirban You say your tank is due for a water change next week but your parameters presently look good. Are trying to replenish some of your micro trace elements?

Not really, AF balling method replenish everything but still I need to clean the system a bit. I will continue doing water change once a month for next 2-3 month and then increase the time upto 2 months and then more. Also, I am waiting for AF water taste in USA. Its been launched in USA but not available yet for general use. Tasting of water over the period will give a better idea about stability and element loss.

john.m.cole3 · Sep 28, 2016

Anirban said:
One new thing I tried with this build is the H2overflow sytem. Its not like regular overflow. It takes very less space and is not visible at the back. Depending on our choice we can change their orientation. Its also quiet.

I've been considering one of the h20 overflows. What size return pump are you using it with?

Anirban · Sep 28, 2016

john.m.cole3 said:
I've been considering one of the h20 overflows. What size return pump are you using it with?

I am currently using a eheim compact +3000 with this. It feeds my return and two TLF reactors. I like this overflow as it is silent, nice and sleek.

john.m.cole3 · Sep 28, 2016

Anirban said:
I am currently using a eheim compact +3000 with this. It feeds my return and two TLF reactors. I like this overflow as it is silent, nice and sleek.

Perfect. I was wanting to run an eheim compact + 2000 turned down a bit with this overflow. Now, I definitely will! Thanks for the feedback.

I finished reading your whole build thread last night. I really like your aquascape and how you placed tape on the back panel to measure for the rule of thirds. About your starboard bottom... Did you silicone it in place on the edges or just place it in there?

Anirban · Sep 28, 2016

john.m.cole3 said:
Perfect. I was wanting to run an eheim compact + 2000 turned down a bit with this overflow. Now, I definitely will! Thanks for the feedback.

I finished reading your whole build thread last night. I really like your aquascape and how you placed tape on the back panel to measure for the rule of thirds. About your starboard bottom... Did you silicone it in place on the edges or just place it in there?

Thanks, yes there are actually two starboards. One smaller one fits perfectly in between the bottom braces and then the top one which cover all of them. I siliconised the corners as well as the bottom surface so if by chance the corner silicon get destabilised then I still have bottom surface silicon to hold it.

Anirban · Oct 4, 2016

Update after water change. I changed 10% water after a month and let the system sit for 2 days. So currently the parameters are s follows,

4th week parameters:

Salinity-1.025
Temp: maintained at 79 degree
pH: runs between 8.05-8.3
Alkalinity: dKH 7.2 to 7.3 (Hanna)
Calcium: 430 (salifert)
Magnesium: 1410 (salifert)
Nitrate: 1-2 ppm sometime less (red sea)
Phosphate: 0 (hanna)
Potassium: 340 ppm (salifert) (I stopped adding additional Potassium 4 days back. I think the system needs it)
I also checked iodine and thats also in range. (I used to dose Tech I but stopped dosing it since last 4 days as my Pikachu started showing a bit more greenish yellow colour)

After water change......

Salinity-1.025
Temp: maintained at 79 degree
pH: runs between 8.1-8.3
Alkalinity: dKH 7.67 (Hanna)
Calcium: 430 (salifert)
Magnesium: 1320 (salifert)
Nitrate: 1 ppm (red sea)
Phosphate: 0 (hanna)
Potassium: 340 ppm (salifert) (I will add up more to make it 400 ppm)
Iodine is in range. (My pikachu is yellow again)

I will keep an eye on these to see how they behave....

Daniel@R2R · Oct 12, 2016

Anirban said:
Update after water change. I changed 10% water after a month and let the system sit for 2 days. So currently the parameters are s follows,

4th week parameters:

Salinity-1.025

Temp: maintained at 79 degree

pH: runs between 8.05-8.3

Alkalinity: dKH 7.2 to 7.3 (Hanna)

Calcium: 430 (salifert)

Magnesium: 1410 (salifert)

Nitrate: 1-2 ppm sometime less (red sea)

Phosphate: 0 (hanna)

Potassium: 340 ppm (salifert) (I stopped adding additional Potassium 4 days back. I think the system needs it)

I also checked iodine and thats also in range. (I used to dose Tech I but stopped dosing it since last 4 days as my Pikachu started showing a bit more greenish yellow colour)

After water change......

Salinity-1.025

Temp: maintained at 79 degree

pH: runs between 8.1-8.3

Alkalinity: dKH 7.67 (Hanna)

Calcium: 430 (salifert)

Magnesium: 1320 (salifert)

Nitrate: 1 ppm (red sea)

Phosphate: 0 (hanna)

Potassium: 340 ppm (salifert) (I will add up more to make it 400 ppm)

Iodine is in range. (My pikachu is yellow again)

I will keep an eye on these to see how they behave....

How's everything doing?

Anirban · Oct 12, 2016

Thanks for asking @mdbannister. I was doing some sort of experiment since last 72 hours to understand the effect of different nutrient control process in my system. But first with this weeks parameter update...

After water change......

Salinity-1.025
Temp: maintained at 79 degree
pH: runs between 8.1-8.3
Alkalinity: dKH 7.67 (Hanna)
Calcium: 430 (salifert)
Magnesium: 1320 (salifert)
Nitrate: 1 ppm (red sea)
Phosphate: 0 (hanna)
Potassium: 340 ppm (salifert) (I will add up more to make it 400 ppm)
Iodine is in range.

Week 1 after water change:

Salinity-1.025
Temp: maintained at 78 degree
pH: runs between 8.1-8.3
Alkalinity: dKH 7.67 (Hanna)
Calcium: 465 (salifert)
Magnesium: 1395 (salifert)
Nitrate: 0 ppm (red sea)
Phosphate: 0 (hanna)
Potassium: 310 ppm (salifert) (I dont understand really what is eating up that much of potassium) I am dosing it extra 3 times mor than the system needs but still its getting lower. Need to find out why)
Iodine is in range.

Anirban · Oct 12, 2016

Now the experiment part...

I am curious about the effect of low nutrient specially unavailability of detectable nitrate. I use a small refugium with some chaeto and lettuce. They never get bigger but survive. So, I thought how much nitrate can they consume. Since last 3 days I am dosing KNO3 and trying to keep it at 8ppm nitrate. Interesting thing is that within next 12-16 hours the level become 0.75 or less. Now the light of the refugium is on for 12 hours a day. During this time my GFO is not running neither my carbon. The only filtration operates are my skimmer and refugium. Definitely I can not disregard the probiotic bacteria which are in the system but the speed is phenomenal. I tested the other parameters during this period they are stable as rock. So, I am thinking probably I will toss out the refugium to test how the nitrates stays.....

revhtree · Oct 13, 2016

Keep us updated on this!

Any new FTS?

Salty1962 · Oct 13, 2016

Very nice! Keep us posted..

Anirban · Oct 13, 2016

revhtree said:
Keep us updated on this!

Any new FTS?

Thanks David for watching, I will update soon possibly today.

The tank is not as photogenic as you think. I am bit lazy these days focussing mostly over the nutrient balance stuff and ned to clean the glass. So, this weekend I promise you a new FTS.....till then wait and hope.....

Anirban · Oct 13, 2016

I am back with the results .....

As I doubted that my nitrate is probably eaten up by very small fuge. Yesterday after measuring the nitrate I took out the fuge and dosed nitrate to test. After 3 hours of dosing my initial nitrate was 5 ppm by red sea kit then today after 24 hour I tested again and it was a bit less than 5 ppm. This was great and so it was my small fuge which was eating up 7-8 ppm nitrate a day....

. I tossed out them and will observe how the nitrate falls down over time....

Anirban · Oct 17, 2016

I am back with Monday night parameter update.....

Week 1 after water change:

Salinity-1.025
Temp: maintained at 78 degree
pH: runs between 8.1-8.3
Alkalinity: dKH 7.67 (Hanna)
Calcium: 465 (salifert)
Magnesium: 1395 (salifert)
Nitrate: 0 ppm (red sea)
Phosphate: 0 (hanna)
Potassium: 310 ppm (salifert) (I dont understand really what is eating up that much of potassium) I am dosing it extra 3 times mor than the system needs but still its getting lower. Need to find out why)
Iodine is in range.

Now week 2 :

Salinity-1.025
Temp: maintained at 78 degree
pH: runs between 8.1-8.3
Alkalinity: dKH 7.67 (Hanna)
Calcium: 450 (salifert)
Magnesium: 1350 (salifert)
Nitrate: 5 ppm (red sea)
Phosphate: 0 (hanna)
Potassium: 340 ppm (salifert) (Its still low and I am running out of ideas )
Iodine is in range.

Now from this week onwards I am going to see how strong my Probiotics are so stopping my GFO and I already stopped my fuge. So, this will be interesting.

revhtree · Oct 18, 2016

Anirban said:
I am back with Monday night parameter update.....

Week 1 after water change:

Salinity-1.025

Temp: maintained at 78 degree

pH: runs between 8.1-8.3

Alkalinity: dKH 7.67 (Hanna)

Calcium: 465 (salifert)

Magnesium: 1395 (salifert)

Nitrate: 0 ppm (red sea)

Phosphate: 0 (hanna)

Potassium: 310 ppm (salifert) (I dont understand really what is eating up that much of potassium) I am dosing it extra 3 times mor than the system needs but still its getting lower. Need to find out why)

Iodine is in range.

Now week 2 :

Salinity-1.025

Temp: maintained at 78 degree

pH: runs between 8.1-8.3

Alkalinity: dKH 7.67 (Hanna)

Calcium: 450 (salifert)

Magnesium: 1350 (salifert)

Nitrate: 5 ppm (red sea)

Phosphate: 0 (hanna)

Potassium: 340 ppm (salifert) (Its still low and I am running out of ideas )

Iodine is in range.

Now from this week onwards I am going to see how strong my Probiotics are so stopping my GFO and I already stopped my fuge. So, this will be interesting.