Another Build Thread You Won't Read

[FishLvR]

Can I just point out what a crock of grandmas soup these elements are. Potassium is 80,000 ppm in this bottle. I have no idea what to dose because there is no standard, RM wants me WAY above "normal". So I literally am going to wing it. Brightwell wants me to keep it at 390-410 and RM a bit higher. RM is selling a watered down version because Rm says 43mL for three days, Brightwell says 10ml every other day. Sheesh. The Rubidium is NOT shelf stable so after I open this bottle and expose it to air the clock ticks. You get three months tops. No where does it say what I should dose. Not even on the bottle. So I used Grok to tell me using the volume of my aquarium and current level. Even the darned AI was like, "Why are you doing this?"

It's been 8 days dosing TM A and K. And wow, there is a surprisingly noticeable difference in the softies size and color, and the tips of the acro are growing for the first time. And where there was a spot from the urchin stealing the frag for a ride, it is healed over.

Algae has taken over the lower parts of the tank. I am unsure what type, it might be Dino again. I have not put it under the scope. Green dust algae covers all the glass. I am letting it go for now. I have noticed this new algae where it is less hairy the urchin and snails eat it. They have a spot that is completely clean of any trace of algae. But they never leave that spot. I wish they would head off into other directions and clean all the rocks.

 

[FishLvR]

So dinos is gone but I have a weird brown hair like algae now and Bryopsis in patches that most definitely came in on a frag. So I dosed the tank with Reef Flux but I only have enough for 80 gallons. So hopefully that was enough. I am concerned about my macro algae. I have to remind myself I can always get more. So I dosed it late in the day yesterday and noticed by that evening the Bryopsis was turning white. The weird hairy stuff no effect. I am getting real tired of this BS. There is no fun in this hobby right now for me. None. I am hoping just keeping things simple and slogging along everything will even out.

 

[CBonito]

So dinos is gone but I have a weird brown hair like algae now and Bryopsis in patches that most definitely came in on a frag. So I dosed the tank with Reef Flux but I only have enough for 80 gallons. So hopefully that was enough. I am concerned about my macro algae. I have to remind myself I can always get more. So I dosed it late in the day yesterday and noticed by that evening the Bryopsis was turning white. The weird hairy stuff no effect. I am getting real tired of this BS. There is no fun in this hobby right now for me. None. I am hoping just keeping things simple and slogging along everything will even out.

Are you going to do a good water change after the reeflux? I think it was a mistake for me not to the last time I used it. I was all happy the algae was gone and just forgot about it.

Oh, BTW, I did not read any of this thread. ;)

 

[FishLvR]

Are you going to do a good water change after the reeflux? I think it was a mistake for me not to the last time I used it. I was all happy the algae was gone and just forgot about it.

Oh, BTW, I did not read any of this thread. ;)

It says minimum of 30%. So I will probably do a 20% on like Saturday then another 10% the following day because that is how much water my bins hold for that size water change. I think I might buy this lawnmower blenny and Tomini Tang. Both like the algae. And I don't have many fish. So why not?

 

[CBonito]

It says minimum of 30%. So I will probably do a 20% on like Saturday then another 10% the following day because that is how much water my bins hold for that size water change. I think I might buy this lawnmower blenny and Tomini Tang. Both like the algae. And I don't have many fish. So why not?

I just bought 500 dollars worth of coral today. Got some nice stylos, montis and 3 killer stags.

 

[FishLvR]

I just bought 500 dollars worth of coral today. Got some nice stylos, montis and 3 killer stags.

I did too but had to put everything on hold for the algae issue. Luckily the places I ordered from were cool holding the orders for now.

 

[FishLvR]

So byropsis is turning white after one day. Hair algae grew longer. Those hermits I never see, I see one.

 

[Fish Styx]

 

[FishLvR]

See, SEE! This s word right here is why I have hair algae. The urchin would rather wear it like a toupee looking like President Trump and crud than EAT it. Spreading it ALL over the dang tank.

And to add to all of this I think this snail has a Majano on it.

I can't win.

 

[FishLvR]

So there are thousands of pods in my refugium and not the pods I've been putting in the display tank. A different species. Oh and whatever this spinoid looking worm is.

 

[FishLvR]

I bought a nudibranch for the hair algae. He is very small and cute and hopefully hungry. I think the Reef Flux was starting to wear down on the hair algae but another week with no water change is going to be rough. So massive water change this weekend to remove the med since it annihilated the Bryopsis within the week, and put this little critter to work. I'm going to turn off all the pumps and lay him on a mat and see what happens.

Refugium did great through the Reef Flux and I didn't lose any Macro Algae. I have a ton of pods in both the display and the refugium. Strangely still not the pods I am actually culturing and dosing. Weird but fine.

Or they are baby snails. They move like pods. Hard to say.

 

[Fish Styx]

I bought a nudibranch for the hair algae. He is very small and cute and hopefully hungry. I think the Reef Flux was starting to wear down on the hair algae but another week with no water change is going to be rough. So massive water change this weekend to remove the med since it annihilated the Bryopsis within the week, and put this little critter to work. I'm going to turn off all the pumps and lay him on a mat and see what happens.

Refugium did great through the Reef Flux and I didn't lose any Macro Algae. I have a ton of pods in both the display and the refugium. Strangely still not the pods I am actually culturing and dosing. Weird but fine.

Or they are baby snails. They move like pods. Hard to say.

Nice work with the bryopsis, it should be all downhill from here. Your game plan sounds solid- keep us updated.

 

[FishLvR]

I bought a nudibranch for the hair algae. He is very small and cute and hopefully hungry. I think the Reef Flux was starting to wear down on the hair algae but another week with no water change is going to be rough. So massive water change this weekend to remove the med since it annihilated the Bryopsis within the week, and put this little critter to work. I'm going to turn off all the pumps and lay him on a mat and see what happens.

Refugium did great through the Reef Flux and I didn't lose any Macro Algae. I have a ton of pods in both the display and the refugium. Strangely still not the pods I am actually culturing and dosing. Weird but fine.

Or they are baby snails. They move like pods. Hard to say.

Nice work with the bryopsis, it should be all downhill from here. Your game plan sounds solid- keep us updated.

I got a tinge of cyano. I made a slurry of chemi clean at less than a quarter of a dose for my tank size mixed with tank water and spot dosed it with pumps off and I haven't seen it since. I was not expecting that to work so color me surprised.

 

[Fish Styx]

I got a tinge of cyano. I made a slurry of chemi clean at less than a quarter of a dose for my tank size mixed with tank water and spot dosed it with pumps off and I haven't seen it since. I was not expecting that to work so color me surprised.

I'm dealing with a small cyano issue myself right now. I just started dosing 3% H2O2 2 days ago. Gonna see how this plays out. If I don't see the results I'm after, I may pick your brain about this method and give it a whirl.

 

[FishLvR]

I got a tinge of cyano. I made a slurry of chemi clean at less than a quarter of a dose for my tank size mixed with tank water and spot dosed it with pumps off and I haven't seen it since. I was not expecting that to work so color me surprised.

I'm dealing with a small cyano issue myself right now. I just started dosing 3% H2O2 2 days ago. Gonna see how this plays out. If I don't see the results I'm after, I may pick your brain about this method and give it a whirl.

It should not have worked. At all. Maybe a fluke.

 

[FishLvR]

Little guy moved around right away. Hopefully helps and doesn't die right off.

The problem is severe.

Maybe part of the solution?

 

[FishLvR]

The sea lettuce is alive and happy to much or suck on the hair algae but maybe clears a square half inch a day which means it would take exactly 9,345 years to rid the tank of hair algae and I am unsure they live that long.

On top of the reef flux I have been using microbacter clean. Unsure which caused it but the hair algae is very loose now. I can actually scrub it off. I used the same method for maximum bort hole cleaning, a toothbrush on a turkey baster and pulled mass amounts of the algae.

Then did a 20% ish water change and called it a day. I don't see an end in site for this algae. I feel like I will always fail so I'm just going to I dunno coast.

I have massive Paul bunions from years of ballet and poor genetics, thanks grandma, so surgery is coming soon.

However, the macro algae is thriving. And the corals have colored up and grown since dosing separately the A and K and the potassium and rubidium. In the mists of the algae the corals seem really unbothered.

 

[FishLvR]

Went on vacation and the wife took care of the tank. It wasn't bad at all. The sea slug thing has destroyed a bunch of hair algae but I'm thinking I need a couple more to really put a dent in it. However I guess I won't have to worry about it starving. The few corals I have are colorful and growing. So I think the trace elements are go sure helping. Never saw the 5 hermit crabs again. I have no idea if they are alive.

Refugium is doing great though. Tons of pods so very happy with it. Doing 10% water changes a week instead of 30% has really improved the corals health. And it's easier and cheaper. With I could automate it but alas.

So just hoping the hair algae burns itself out. It's weakening. Cyano is here and there but when I hit it with chemiclean with spot treatment it dissappears forever and just moves to a new area. I'm hesitant to treat the whole tank because it's such a pain.

As long as fish and coral are fine I'm not pushing treatments.

 

[scooterh928]

I have a little cyan in one tank and some brown stuff on glass in some. I’ve learned to just let tanks be tanks and go from there most time it clears on its own. I do have one tank full of apitasia but can’t put any nudibranchss due to eel and lion fish. Thought about trying a copper band but the three striped damsel in that tank is an butt to most fish and prob bully it to much.

 

[FishLvR]

I have a little aptasia too. Came from old tank I broke down. I have a hook up for the little critters so when it gets to that point I'll pick me up one.