Back from Vacation....

[Jon Fishman]

My take, would be to just stick with water changes, no dosing on a newer tank, and I would get more rocks. What is the flow, if not addressed?


Edit: My tank has been doing awesome. I run this strategy currently:

Water-changes every 2-3 weeks, but 20% or so

Heavy filtration and low bio-load (Algae scrubber, Ozone, UV, 400g rated skimmer for 140g tank, filter socks, lots of rock, lots of flow, bare bottom

I don’t dose because I don’t test my water. If my corals don’t have the polyp extension I’m use to seeing, I do a water-change.

I tested Calcium one time this year, and it was 440-450 about a week after a water-change.

I had Kalkwasser in my ATO reservoir but saw no changes so I stopped using it.

I think there are “scientific” approaches to keeping a reef, as well as methods of using common practices and watching and taking a reactionary approach based on what the tank inhabitants do.

I think I will actually start this as a new tooic also, to see if anyone else does this, or if I’m just crazy/lazy

 

[ScottB]

I can't argue with anything said here so far, so I will summarize and add a few points:

1) Gradually nudge up your nutrients (nitrates & phosphates) by adding more fish/food/poop. You have socks, skimmer, (and by the looks of it) a refugium all removing nutrient. Not enough left over for algae or corals. At risk for dinoflagellates and you don't want to be there.

2) Nitrate of 3-10 and Phosphate of .03 to .08 is enough for coral and should not cause an algae outbreak IF YOU GO SLOW.

3) Unless you have a bunch of MarinePure block in that sump somewhere, you need more biological filtration to keep things running smoothly. Minimal aquascape is fine and cool, but you need to compensate for that in the sump. My 80G frag system has 256 cubic inches of the stuff in the sump.

4) In a low nutrient system, I am with @Water Dog on keeping ALK relatively low and smooth around 7-8.

5) Weekly testing of ALK, NO3, and PO4 is cool. Unless fish are appearing to suffer, you are beyond the need to test nitrite and ammonia. pH test once each season -- and don't try to chemically increase this measure at all -- instead open a window or run your skimmer airline outdoors, or run a CO2 scrubber, or simply stop breathing indoors.

6) In case you overshoot nutrient, consider an algae blenny or a juvenile tang.

Enough? Oh, and have fun darnit.

 

[SicZ06]

thank you all! Flow is good, I have a gyre 230. What do you reco for percents? I have around 40%

Just did my first Hanna ppm phosphate ulr - it came in at .06. Just feed the clowns and did reef roids - will write more later thank you!!! I am worried and hope to save everything.

 

[Bayareareefer18]

I think there were several things going on here so take things slow and keep them stable.

If salinity was high so were your other params. If you started dosing without knowing values they may have risen even higher. With a new tank consumption is probably fairly low.

Hopefully some stability will allow everything to bounce back

 

[SicZ06]

I can't argue with anything said here so far, so I will summarize and add a few points:

1) Gradually nudge up your nutrients (nitrates & phosphates) by adding more fish/food/poop. You have socks, skimmer, (and by the looks of it) a refugium all removing nutrient. Not enough left over for algae or corals. At risk for dinoflagellates and you don't want to be there.

2) Nitrate of 3-10 and Phosphate of .03 to .08 is enough for coral and should not cause an algae outbreak IF YOU GO SLOW.

3) Unless you have a bunch of MarinePure block in that sump somewhere, you need more biological filtration to keep things running smoothly. Minimal aquascape is fine and cool, but you need to compensate for that in the sump. My 80G frag system has 256 cubic inches of the stuff in the sump.

4) In a low nutrient system, I am with @Water Dog on keeping ALK relatively low and smooth around 7-8.

5) Weekly testing of ALK, NO3, and PO4 is cool. Unless fish are appearing to suffer, you are beyond the need to test nitrite and ammonia. pH test once each season -- and don't try to chemically increase this measure at all -- instead open a window or run your skimmer airline outdoors, or run a CO2 scrubber, or simply stop breathing indoors.

6) In case you overshoot nutrient, consider an algae blenny or a juvenile tang.

Enough? Oh, and have fun darnit.

thank you. Two bio blocks and one thing of LR in the sump. I have another bag of fiji pink sand - ill add a cup or two a day to help.

 

[ScottB]

Glad you had some phosphate in there. Do you have a detectable NO3 reading yet?

Most importantly: How is the tank doing?

 

[SicZ06]

Well, I can't seem to catch a break. I need to add biological filtration, let me know how you would do it...

Out of the blue my skimmer went CRAZY. (Only items added to tank are daily reef roids and food - but I have a 2.5 year old and I'm wondering if he got his hands in there.....) Luckily my wife came home and turned off the power before the entire tank poured out. (See pic) I didn't get home until late and I lost both my clowns and most my coral. I was exhausted, added salt water to get the tank going and went to bed. Did a big WC over the weekend and tested. (info at bottom)

Luckily, some zoa's are showing signs of life and our shrimp survived. I figure, I have nothing to lose, what should for biological filtration / rock? Do I get some good LR and do it right? Should I order more reef saver? I think the best bet is to redo my scape...I have enjoyed BRS TV but wanted to get all your opinions for what to do with a tanks thats been running for 10 months / best steps to take. Thank you!

FYI I have not been running my fuge light / I just turned it on to help w pic.

Nitrite 0 Nitrate 0 Ammonia 0 PH 8. Calcium 385 Alk 7.0 Phosphate ULR PPM .02
1.026 , 78 temp