Brand New 8 gallon bio cube

[Why-Me]

I see things inversely. A skimmer won’t export nutrients, it just prevents gunk from breaking down into them. I keep my fuge light off at all times to ensure I keep good phosphates and nitrates.

If you dry skim, and feed often, you’re keeping things at a fantastic level.

You and robin both have good points, depends on the tank and what the goal is for the tank.

 

[living_tribunal]

Several ways to skin a cat.

That’s the most succinct explanation of the reefing experience.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

looks like your sump has been machined through a solid block of acrylic
fap fap

Trigger sapphire cube 20.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

How many gallons is that?

I am already a firm believer in WC, just gotta figure out a plan for a fuge!

My normal water change routine is to pull the chaeto and put in a bucket of some old water, pump as much of the sump out as I can and clean then fill with new mix at temp. This last time I did the whole sump and about a third of the tank. Ended up being about a 50% WC. I try and target 25% monthy. I either put chaeto back, or trim and put back. Depends on how thick it is. I had about 3/4 of a 5g bucket of dense growth so I pulled about half of it this time and put the rest back in. It was SUPER full of amphipods and I'm sure copepods I can't see with my bat eyes.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

@sebaseau that looks like an interesting contraption. It would be neat for weaning leopard wrasse onto frozen. My black leopard didn't touch frozen for 3 months. She lived on pods from my fuge until one day, about a year ago, she decided that frozen was indeed food... and has been eating it since.

 

[Magellan]

Sounds like your fuge is the powerhouse there! I change 5g of water about every 2 weeks, or close to 20%. My tank says it’s 28g, but that’s with no rock or sand or media basket or pumps or heater.

Starting out as a complete reef noob, it seemed to me that people with massive complicated filtration also had massive complicated dosing...and were constantly putting stuff into the water only to take it right back out. I figured, the KISS principle has taken me far in life, I’m going with the less is more approach. The only automation I have are my lights and an ATO...and I hate relying on the ATO!

Of course, now I’m starting 2 part, feed corals 2-3x a day, dose amino acids, and have as much filtration as I can fit in the back...an automatic doser sounds nice ;Dead

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Sounds like your fuge is the powerhouse there! I change 5g of water about every 2 weeks, or close to 20%. My tank says it’s 28g, but that’s with no rock or sand or media basket or pumps or heater.

Starting out as a complete reef noob, it seemed to me that people with massive complicated filtration also had massive complicated dosing...and were constantly putting stuff into the water only to take it right back out. I figured, the KISS principle has taken me far in life, I’m going with the less is more approach. The only automation I have are my lights and an ATO...and I hate relying on the ATO!

Of course, now I’m starting 2 part, feed corals 2-3x a day, dose amino acids, and have as much filtration as I can fit in the back...an automatic doser sounds nice ;Dead

Sounds like we have similar approaches. The less I have to mess with, the better it is for me.

I want to start an amnio dose, I have a spare compartment in my dosing container... might look into that for next year.

Check out the Coralbox wifi doser. It's a great budget doser with wifi controls... big improvement over the Jebao I was using. Only odd thing it comes with 3mm hose. Not a big deal, but it wouldn't fit the standard 4mm fittings on my container I changed out the barbs on the pump heads to ones that accept either 3mm or 4mm hose and problem solved.

 

[Magellan]

Sounds like we have similar approaches. The less I have to mess with, the better it is for me.

I want to start an amnio dose, I have a spare compartment in my dosing container... might look into that for next year.

Check out the Coralbox wifi doser. It's a great budget doser with wifi controls... big improvement over the Jebao I was using. Only odd thing it comes with 3mm hose. Not a big deal, but it wouldn't fit the standard 4mm fittings on my container I changed out the barbs on the pump heads to ones that accept either 3mm or 4mm hose and problem solved.

Glad I’m not the only one! For a long time I felt like I must surely be doing things drastically wrong and had no idea why things stayed alive and growing. That coral box seems like exactly what I’m looking for :)

 

[living_tribunal]

Sounds like your fuge is the powerhouse there! I change 5g of water about every 2 weeks, or close to 20%. My tank says it’s 28g, but that’s with no rock or sand or media basket or pumps or heater.

Starting out as a complete reef noob, it seemed to me that people with massive complicated filtration also had massive complicated dosing...and were constantly putting stuff into the water only to take it right back out. I figured, the KISS principle has taken me far in life, I’m going with the less is more approach. The only automation I have are my lights and an ATO...and I hate relying on the ATO!

Of course, now I’m starting 2 part, feed corals 2-3x a day, dose amino acids, and have as much filtration as I can fit in the back...an automatic doser sounds nice ;Dead

I’ve noticed the same. I see people as new to the hobby as I am running gfo, full photoperiod, dosing is verything, etc. then complaining why they are struggling

 

[living_tribunal]

 

[Why-Me]

Ooooo
Nice fat sack of goodies

 

[living_tribunal]

Ooooo
Nice fat sack of goodies

Popping my scoly cherry. I’m sure it will provoke an addiction.

Time will tell.

 

[living_tribunal]

I dose just 2ppm of nitrate and the tank looks like this lol, Duncan still isn’t very happy. I think it’s too much flow. The wilsoni also has a little bit of recession.

Even the dang Kenya tree is limp.

New tanks smh

 

[living_tribunal]

I think I’m going to try chemi clean given the severity of the outbreak. The only thing I’m worried about is the Duncan. He looks incredibly stressed.

Should I wait a day or start it given how bad it is?

 

[SashimiTurtle]

I think I’m going to try chemi clean given the severity of the outbreak. The only thing I’m worried about is the Duncan. He looks incredibly stressed.

Should I wait a day or start it given how bad it is?

I don't really care for chemiclean. It works, but I don't like what it does to the tank. Do you have a sump on that frag tank? Any rock in there? I'd try to manual remove it in a small water change, should go away with a few of those.

 

[living_tribunal]

I don't really care for chemiclean. It works, but I don't like what it does to the tank. Do you have a sump on that frag tank? Any rock in there? I'd try to manual remove it in a small water change, should go away with a few of those.

I don’t have a sump. I do have some rock.

The one drawback of the 10g is its impossible to clean without ticking everyone off. I just did a water change a day ago. Every time I do water changes it gets worse.

This cyano doesn’t seem to be affected by nutrients whatsoever, I’ve had it for months now.

Given how bad it’s affecting the corals at this point I think it’s worth finally removing.

I’m interested in chemi clean but am curious if it removes nutrients. If so, then I might have to think of an alternative.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

I don’t have a sump. I do have some rock.

The one drawback of the 10g is its impossible to clean without ******* everyone off. I just did a water change a day ago. Every time I do water changes it gets worse.

This cyano doesn’t seem to be affected by nutrients whatsoever, I’ve had it for months now.

Given how bad it’s affecting the corals at this point I think it’s worth finally removing.

I’m interested in chemi clean but am curious if it removes nutrients. If so, then I might have to think of an alternative.

It chemically disintegrates the cyanobacteria. Need to oxygenate the tank while treating. Do you have a HOB skimmer?

 

[living_tribunal]

It chemically disintegrates the cyanobacteria. Need to oxygenate the tank while treating. Do you have a HOB skimmer?

No just power filter. I was thinking of pointing the two Koralias on the surface or running an air stone.

 

[living_tribunal]

It chemically disintegrates the cyanobacteria. Need to oxygenate the tank while treating. Do you have a HOB skimmer?

Do you think this is enough oxygenation? I took the other pump offline as I think the flow was wayyy too intense in there and don’t have space to move the Duncan down to the lower rows.

Since taking the other pump offline, the Duncan has opened up slightly.

 

[JoshH]

Do you think this is enough oxygenation? I took the other pump offline as I think the flow was wayyy too intense in there and don’t have space to move the Duncan down to the lower rows.

Since taking the other pump offline, the Duncan has opened up slightly.

I'd be going the airstone route myself..