Dbrewsky's 120 Gallon Build
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dbrewsky
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Update 05/22/2016
So despite sharing in a previous update about the Montipora Eating Nudibranch situation, day to day life on the 120 has been great! The tank is stabilizing well and the Alk/Calcium usage has sky-rocketed in the last couple weeks. Corals are showing obvious growth and coraline algae is starting to replace diatoms and pest algae. I have begun to complete weekly 15% water changes and am thinking weekly, small water changes are the way to go. I am seeing better growth and color out of my t-5/LED combo than I have ever seen on my previous tanks. As it warms up outside, I am finding that the basement keeps the temp stable and have no had to worry about additional cooling outside of the two canopy venting systems. Which is great news considering we broke down and turned the AC on yesterday when the thermostat read 80!!!
Overall, things are good heading into summer! I mixed up 5 gallon containers of BRS Bulk 2-part yesterday, which should keep me in business for the next six months or so. I haven't made any coral or fish purchases recently, but will potentially start quarantining some new specimens in the next month or so.
Anyways, that is enough dictation! Here are some recent pictures :)
So despite sharing in a previous update about the Montipora Eating Nudibranch situation, day to day life on the 120 has been great! The tank is stabilizing well and the Alk/Calcium usage has sky-rocketed in the last couple weeks. Corals are showing obvious growth and coraline algae is starting to replace diatoms and pest algae. I have begun to complete weekly 15% water changes and am thinking weekly, small water changes are the way to go. I am seeing better growth and color out of my t-5/LED combo than I have ever seen on my previous tanks. As it warms up outside, I am finding that the basement keeps the temp stable and have no had to worry about additional cooling outside of the two canopy venting systems. Which is great news considering we broke down and turned the AC on yesterday when the thermostat read 80!!!
Overall, things are good heading into summer! I mixed up 5 gallon containers of BRS Bulk 2-part yesterday, which should keep me in business for the next six months or so. I haven't made any coral or fish purchases recently, but will potentially start quarantining some new specimens in the next month or so.
Anyways, that is enough dictation! Here are some recent pictures :)
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dbrewsky
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Update 06/14/2016
Wanted to share an update on the Montipora Eating Nudibranch situation. It has been a little over a month since I initially noticed the little buggers. Through religious dipping and observation, I can confirm that I haven't seen a trace of the b@*$%$ds for two weeks. I still continue weekly dips in Revive to be absolutely sure i'm not missing any of them. I find the best way to locate and remove these buggers is to remove the frags after the lights have been off for awhile and physically inspect every surface of the Montipora and it's substrate. Once you see a nudi, simply blast it off with a turkey baster. They don't seem to re-attach to anything once they have released from the coral and the clear Revive dip solution makes it easy to inspect post-dip for any that were removed.
My coral quarantine is pretty simple- a 20 gallon aquarium with only live rock, a powerhead, heater, and a led light. I manually top off the tank with RO/DI every couple days and dose 20ml of 2-part nighty. I am finding this is keeping my parameters stable without a lot of extra work. Weekly, I change 10 gallons of water out with water from the main display. I find that this aids in chemical stability and provides some good nutrients to the corals as there are no fish or other animals in this quarantine, except for some mini brittle stars and copepods. The light was actually a little to intense at first and my montipora faded a bit. However, they are gaining color back and continue to grow well, despite the less stable environment. I don't worry about any alage in this tank, if anything it is beneficial.
I also made a quick restocking trip to my local reef store and surprise,surprise I came back with another frag! :p Picked up the Milka Stylophora in the corner. This is a great shade of purple that is difficult to find in SPS. This coral grows rapidly and develops an interesting growth pattern. The mother colony for this frag is seriously 2'x2' in the reef store's massive display!
I have actually been limiting my coral purchases recently, which I find rather shocking, as I haven't met a coral I did not like! :rolleyes: But with this build I have been trying to focus more long-term. I am attempting to determine what colors, growth pattern, placement, and balance do I want to achieve. More often than not, I find this makes it easier for me to determine If I really want a frag.
On a side-note, it was rather cool to see this picture on Facebook last night !!;)
Wanted to share an update on the Montipora Eating Nudibranch situation. It has been a little over a month since I initially noticed the little buggers. Through religious dipping and observation, I can confirm that I haven't seen a trace of the b@*$%$ds for two weeks. I still continue weekly dips in Revive to be absolutely sure i'm not missing any of them. I find the best way to locate and remove these buggers is to remove the frags after the lights have been off for awhile and physically inspect every surface of the Montipora and it's substrate. Once you see a nudi, simply blast it off with a turkey baster. They don't seem to re-attach to anything once they have released from the coral and the clear Revive dip solution makes it easy to inspect post-dip for any that were removed.
My coral quarantine is pretty simple- a 20 gallon aquarium with only live rock, a powerhead, heater, and a led light. I manually top off the tank with RO/DI every couple days and dose 20ml of 2-part nighty. I am finding this is keeping my parameters stable without a lot of extra work. Weekly, I change 10 gallons of water out with water from the main display. I find that this aids in chemical stability and provides some good nutrients to the corals as there are no fish or other animals in this quarantine, except for some mini brittle stars and copepods. The light was actually a little to intense at first and my montipora faded a bit. However, they are gaining color back and continue to grow well, despite the less stable environment. I don't worry about any alage in this tank, if anything it is beneficial.
I also made a quick restocking trip to my local reef store and surprise,surprise I came back with another frag! :p Picked up the Milka Stylophora in the corner. This is a great shade of purple that is difficult to find in SPS. This coral grows rapidly and develops an interesting growth pattern. The mother colony for this frag is seriously 2'x2' in the reef store's massive display!
I have actually been limiting my coral purchases recently, which I find rather shocking, as I haven't met a coral I did not like! :rolleyes: But with this build I have been trying to focus more long-term. I am attempting to determine what colors, growth pattern, placement, and balance do I want to achieve. More often than not, I find this makes it easier for me to determine If I really want a frag.
On a side-note, it was rather cool to see this picture on Facebook last night !!;)
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dbrewsky
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UPDATE 07/01/2016
Small update tonight, I'll keep this one short and let the pictures talk. Did my last dip on my Montipora colonies after nearly 2 months of quarantine. I havent seen any signs of the nudis in the last several dips. I will be taking a short vacation soon and wanted them back in the display before leaving. They have been growing while in quarantine and should color back up shortly.
Fish and corals are doing great. The tank is really stabilizing. Diatoms and nuisance algae are replaced with coraline growth now. Got a re-supply on nori for the foxface and tang. I picked up a feeding ring for my auto-feeder in preparation for the trip and had some fun getting it set up. Enough talk, enjoy the pictures and have a good 4th!
Transitioning from morning to afternoon with the Kessils and ATI dimmable
Small update tonight, I'll keep this one short and let the pictures talk. Did my last dip on my Montipora colonies after nearly 2 months of quarantine. I havent seen any signs of the nudis in the last several dips. I will be taking a short vacation soon and wanted them back in the display before leaving. They have been growing while in quarantine and should color back up shortly.
Fish and corals are doing great. The tank is really stabilizing. Diatoms and nuisance algae are replaced with coraline growth now. Got a re-supply on nori for the foxface and tang. I picked up a feeding ring for my auto-feeder in preparation for the trip and had some fun getting it set up. Enough talk, enjoy the pictures and have a good 4th!
Transitioning from morning to afternoon with the Kessils and ATI dimmable
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dbrewsky
Active Member
UPDATE 07/20/2016
When you go on vacation for 8 days and you come home to this :
It could be worse ;)
Had no issues over the trip except for a forgotten bit of code on my APEX DOS that would prevent two-part additions if the PH crept over 8.5. Unfortunately, my ph probe is end-of-life and has not been calibrated in some time since I have been meaning to replace it. The probe reported PH over 8.5 for some of the day while I was gone, but was able to diagnose it in FUSION while out of town.
This caused a small fluctuation in alk/calcium levels which were corrected by my local reef shop staff who came by the house mid-trip. I highly recommend reaching out to a skilled reef maintenance provider while out of town rather than a non-reefing friend or family member. Small price to pay for someone who knows what they are doing and is able to really assess issues and fix them!!! Definitely added some peace-of-mind during my trip :)
When you go on vacation for 8 days and you come home to this :
It could be worse ;)
Had no issues over the trip except for a forgotten bit of code on my APEX DOS that would prevent two-part additions if the PH crept over 8.5. Unfortunately, my ph probe is end-of-life and has not been calibrated in some time since I have been meaning to replace it. The probe reported PH over 8.5 for some of the day while I was gone, but was able to diagnose it in FUSION while out of town.
This caused a small fluctuation in alk/calcium levels which were corrected by my local reef shop staff who came by the house mid-trip. I highly recommend reaching out to a skilled reef maintenance provider while out of town rather than a non-reefing friend or family member. Small price to pay for someone who knows what they are doing and is able to really assess issues and fix them!!! Definitely added some peace-of-mind during my trip :)
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dbrewsky
Active Member
6-Month Anniversary Update 08/18/2016
It's official, six months has passed since the first gallon of saltwater was introduced to my 120 gallon reef tank. A lot has happened during this time, both with the aquarium and with our new home. The aquarium has really stabilized in the last couple months and the health of the fish and corals has been astounding. I have never had corals in my prior tanks that visibly looked so healthy, with fast growth, and rich colors. Aside from my wake up call with the Montipora Eating Nudibranchs, I have not encountered any major issues with the livestock or the equipment. The affected Montipora colonies have bounced back quickly after their treatment in the quarantine system and have regained their prior placement in the aquascape. Overall, I couldn't be happier with the progress of the last half year. The reef truly has become a focal point in our home, with guests awe inspired and captivated by the inhabitants and the life-support equipment. My girlfriend, reef-assistant Lily, and I have made a habit of enjoying the reef daily, even if only for 15 minutes during feeding time. I believe the efforts made initially in the planning and design stage has really paid off in easier maintenance and increased aesthetics. I find it easier with this system to find time to sit back and enjoy it's beauty, rather than constantly tinkering and working on it.
As the chaos of summer activity begins to wane, I am super excited to watch the reef continue to evolve over the next six months. I still have quite a few projects to complete, changes to make, and livestock to acquire as I continue to follow my long-term strategy for this system. I plan to finalize the small projects and equipment installs on the actual reef over the next couple months. I would like to work further on maximizing the potential of the fish room by improving the organization and working space of this area. I plan on putting in a dedicated RO/DI and NSW storage system to reduce the effort needed to complete water changes and make mixing and storage of saltwater more efficient. I will also begin to bring more fish,coral, and invertebrates into my quarantine systems now that summer activities slow and I can commit more time to focus on the quarantine process.
Unfortunately, I don't have any great pictures to share at this time, but I will make an effort to provide those shortly. I was able to borrow my local reef store's Apogee PAR meter the other day and was able to get some rough numbers and wanted to provide both the PAR map and my lighting schedule. I wasn't able to capture peak PAR readings, due to timing, however the readings captured are fairly close. I can also see based on the lighting schedule and how the individual light channels interact, that my peak intensity photo-period is actually relatively short. I will probably attempt to lengthen it over the next couple months.
Ball park par readings are displayed below. (The yellow indicates a reading above my Derasa clam towards the back of the aquarium.) I did not intend for these readings to be precise as I did not catch the exact peak of the light cycle and I personally don't see the value in focusing on precise par readings.
The chart below represents the two light channels on the ATI Dimmable 8x54 watt t-5 fixture and the two Kessil A360WE pendants that all work together to simulate my dawn/dusk light cycle and simulate sun travel across the reef. This chart displays intensity ramping and does not display color temperature transitions.
Thank you all who have been following on this reef tank build thus far and those who are seeing this for the first time, welcome! Please feel free to watch this thread or check back as I am far from done with this build and it will continue to evolve over time! :)
It's official, six months has passed since the first gallon of saltwater was introduced to my 120 gallon reef tank. A lot has happened during this time, both with the aquarium and with our new home. The aquarium has really stabilized in the last couple months and the health of the fish and corals has been astounding. I have never had corals in my prior tanks that visibly looked so healthy, with fast growth, and rich colors. Aside from my wake up call with the Montipora Eating Nudibranchs, I have not encountered any major issues with the livestock or the equipment. The affected Montipora colonies have bounced back quickly after their treatment in the quarantine system and have regained their prior placement in the aquascape. Overall, I couldn't be happier with the progress of the last half year. The reef truly has become a focal point in our home, with guests awe inspired and captivated by the inhabitants and the life-support equipment. My girlfriend, reef-assistant Lily, and I have made a habit of enjoying the reef daily, even if only for 15 minutes during feeding time. I believe the efforts made initially in the planning and design stage has really paid off in easier maintenance and increased aesthetics. I find it easier with this system to find time to sit back and enjoy it's beauty, rather than constantly tinkering and working on it.
As the chaos of summer activity begins to wane, I am super excited to watch the reef continue to evolve over the next six months. I still have quite a few projects to complete, changes to make, and livestock to acquire as I continue to follow my long-term strategy for this system. I plan to finalize the small projects and equipment installs on the actual reef over the next couple months. I would like to work further on maximizing the potential of the fish room by improving the organization and working space of this area. I plan on putting in a dedicated RO/DI and NSW storage system to reduce the effort needed to complete water changes and make mixing and storage of saltwater more efficient. I will also begin to bring more fish,coral, and invertebrates into my quarantine systems now that summer activities slow and I can commit more time to focus on the quarantine process.
Unfortunately, I don't have any great pictures to share at this time, but I will make an effort to provide those shortly. I was able to borrow my local reef store's Apogee PAR meter the other day and was able to get some rough numbers and wanted to provide both the PAR map and my lighting schedule. I wasn't able to capture peak PAR readings, due to timing, however the readings captured are fairly close. I can also see based on the lighting schedule and how the individual light channels interact, that my peak intensity photo-period is actually relatively short. I will probably attempt to lengthen it over the next couple months.
Ball park par readings are displayed below. (The yellow indicates a reading above my Derasa clam towards the back of the aquarium.) I did not intend for these readings to be precise as I did not catch the exact peak of the light cycle and I personally don't see the value in focusing on precise par readings.
The chart below represents the two light channels on the ATI Dimmable 8x54 watt t-5 fixture and the two Kessil A360WE pendants that all work together to simulate my dawn/dusk light cycle and simulate sun travel across the reef. This chart displays intensity ramping and does not display color temperature transitions.
Thank you all who have been following on this reef tank build thus far and those who are seeing this for the first time, welcome! Please feel free to watch this thread or check back as I am far from done with this build and it will continue to evolve over time! :)
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dbrewsky
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Thanks! luckily I caught it quick and was able to isolate the frags in quarantine and aggressively dip them to break the life cycle. The tank sat fallow without Montipora for 60 days.
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dbrewsky
Active Member
6-Month Anniversary Photo Update 08/21/2016
Here are some photos of the tank at the 6 month mark taken with my not-so-trusty iPhone camera. I'll just post pictures and keep the typing to a minimum.
Here are some photos of the tank at the 6 month mark taken with my not-so-trusty iPhone camera. I'll just post pictures and keep the typing to a minimum.
This is an awesome build! The methodical and slow process of setting up the equipment has really paid off.
As I was reading and saw the changes to the position of the ATI fixture, my immediately wanted to know how high the fixture was above the water line and how that was affect the PAR. You posted the PAR numbers, which aren't that bad TBH, but I wonder if a bit more PAR would be a good thing? Do you think the PAR is enough, specifically for the derasa?
As I was reading and saw the changes to the position of the ATI fixture, my immediately wanted to know how high the fixture was above the water line and how that was affect the PAR. You posted the PAR numbers, which aren't that bad TBH, but I wonder if a bit more PAR would be a good thing? Do you think the PAR is enough, specifically for the derasa?
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dbrewsky
Active Member
@Arkayology- the ATI is sitting roughly 11-12" above the water due to the canopy height. The par reading are pretty rough and due to timing I wasn't able to measure the actual peak intensity. I had borrowed the meter from my local reef store and needed to get it back to them quickly. My PAR readings were more a ballpark confirmation to ensure I was at least close. I have since made some changes to intensity and would like to re-test in the near future.
The derasa has most definitely been putting on new shell and has overall looked healthy since the transition. Its mantle coloration and density seems consistent with other lighting that I have had him under for almost a year and a half now and have had good growth and health. I haven't seen an indicator that the clam is not getting enough light so far.
I still have the ability to turn up my kessil's intensity by 50% at this time, which should boost par even higher. Based on the growth and color of the corals under the light thus far, I would believe that they are getting enough intensity, but I would like to experiment with the duration of the peak photo period. As the graph indicates the peak photo period is actually pretty short and I will look to increase this and monitor for the next several weeks for results.
Thank you for the compliments, I will update this thread with the new light data and results in the near future.
The derasa has most definitely been putting on new shell and has overall looked healthy since the transition. Its mantle coloration and density seems consistent with other lighting that I have had him under for almost a year and a half now and have had good growth and health. I haven't seen an indicator that the clam is not getting enough light so far.
I still have the ability to turn up my kessil's intensity by 50% at this time, which should boost par even higher. Based on the growth and color of the corals under the light thus far, I would believe that they are getting enough intensity, but I would like to experiment with the duration of the peak photo period. As the graph indicates the peak photo period is actually pretty short and I will look to increase this and monitor for the next several weeks for results.
Thank you for the compliments, I will update this thread with the new light data and results in the near future.
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dbrewsky
Active Member
UPDATE 09/20/2106
Small update, but an update none the less.
It's the end of summer "get back in the swing of things" time. It's time for my 3-month maintenance schedule, including a thorough cleaning of the skimmer, return pump, vortech wet sides, overflow and changing the intake siphon screen, and calibrating the dos dosing pump and ph probe.
Not the most glamorous part of the hobby, but crucial to success. It also marks the beginning of "reef season," where cold weather and short days draws us to our bright and tropical reefs. Looking forward to this time, and the tank is looking good coming off the summer.
I have increased my photo period by about an hour total and increased the intensity slightly. This in turn has increased the 2-part consumption and I have been having to tweak my daily dosage to compensate. The corals seem to be pretty happy with some decent growth on the sps.
I have a re-supply order for salt and other goodies coming in this week and I hope to share an exciting update here shortly!
Time to get back to scrubbing!!! ;)
Small update, but an update none the less.
It's the end of summer "get back in the swing of things" time. It's time for my 3-month maintenance schedule, including a thorough cleaning of the skimmer, return pump, vortech wet sides, overflow and changing the intake siphon screen, and calibrating the dos dosing pump and ph probe.
Not the most glamorous part of the hobby, but crucial to success. It also marks the beginning of "reef season," where cold weather and short days draws us to our bright and tropical reefs. Looking forward to this time, and the tank is looking good coming off the summer.
I have increased my photo period by about an hour total and increased the intensity slightly. This in turn has increased the 2-part consumption and I have been having to tweak my daily dosage to compensate. The corals seem to be pretty happy with some decent growth on the sps.
I have a re-supply order for salt and other goodies coming in this week and I hope to share an exciting update here shortly!
Time to get back to scrubbing!!! ;)
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dbrewsky
Active Member
UPDATE 09/27/2016
I finally broke down....
and started carbon dosing! ;)
I have been watching the carbon dosing systems evolving over the years from dosing cheap vodka and mysterious blue bottles to the more recent bio pellet reactors and dosing programs. There has been no doubt in my mind that carbon dosing dose help manage nutrients in the aquarium, but there has always been a steep learning curve on the DIY options and some mystery surrounding the various systems such as Zeovit.
What finally converted me was the Red Sea Reef Care Program.
I was researching Zeovit for my reef from the planning stage, but something always threw me off about the whole system. Not only is it a substantial investment in a reactor and the initial blue bottles, nobody seems to understand how it really works and the manufacturer is not transparent about the compounds and how they actually achieve the results!!! :mad: This makes no sense to me personally. They do have a following of users who have been successful and a forum to support the products, but it seems like people are still facing a learning curve and have to rely on others experiences in troubleshooting issues with the Zeovit system.
During this research is when I discovered the Red Sea system and it's ease of explanation, transparency of design and components, and the actual scientific documentation on how it works is what sold me. The carbon source no3:po4-X is really nothing different that any other carbon source, but what does make it stand apart is the Reef Care system built around it and the well defined end goals for it's use does not involve the anecdotal "I dose ___much vodka in my tank" approach. Further more, the trace elements are dosed based on actual proportional uptake determined by the calcium demand of the tank. Everyone knows that trace elements are impossible to accurately test with hobbyist-level test kits and this concept of proportional usage makes more sense than any other system of trace element supplementation I have encountered.
I have been using half of the minimum dose for the "enhanced coloration" program since Thursday as I ease into carbon dosing and can actually say I see positive results. During this time I have intentionally done nothing to modify the tank outside of regular maintenance and feeding.
I am Currently dosing, for at least the next couple weeks, these amounts based on 120 gal system volume. These are very conservative and actually are less than half the recommended minimum daily doses:
Normally after two days, I would be forced to clean the glass. There is hardly a dusting of algae present now!
So far I am impressed and I will continue to document the effects of this system over the long term and provide those results in future updates!
I finally broke down....
and started carbon dosing! ;)
I have been watching the carbon dosing systems evolving over the years from dosing cheap vodka and mysterious blue bottles to the more recent bio pellet reactors and dosing programs. There has been no doubt in my mind that carbon dosing dose help manage nutrients in the aquarium, but there has always been a steep learning curve on the DIY options and some mystery surrounding the various systems such as Zeovit.
What finally converted me was the Red Sea Reef Care Program.
I was researching Zeovit for my reef from the planning stage, but something always threw me off about the whole system. Not only is it a substantial investment in a reactor and the initial blue bottles, nobody seems to understand how it really works and the manufacturer is not transparent about the compounds and how they actually achieve the results!!! :mad: This makes no sense to me personally. They do have a following of users who have been successful and a forum to support the products, but it seems like people are still facing a learning curve and have to rely on others experiences in troubleshooting issues with the Zeovit system.
During this research is when I discovered the Red Sea system and it's ease of explanation, transparency of design and components, and the actual scientific documentation on how it works is what sold me. The carbon source no3:po4-X is really nothing different that any other carbon source, but what does make it stand apart is the Reef Care system built around it and the well defined end goals for it's use does not involve the anecdotal "I dose ___much vodka in my tank" approach. Further more, the trace elements are dosed based on actual proportional uptake determined by the calcium demand of the tank. Everyone knows that trace elements are impossible to accurately test with hobbyist-level test kits and this concept of proportional usage makes more sense than any other system of trace element supplementation I have encountered.
I have been using half of the minimum dose for the "enhanced coloration" program since Thursday as I ease into carbon dosing and can actually say I see positive results. During this time I have intentionally done nothing to modify the tank outside of regular maintenance and feeding.
- I have seen visibly clearer water
- Increased coloration, not huge changes,but noticeable improvements in saturation and intensity
- Improved polyp extension
- less algae on the glass between cleanings!
I am Currently dosing, for at least the next couple weeks, these amounts based on 120 gal system volume. These are very conservative and actually are less than half the recommended minimum daily doses:
- NO3:Po4-X -2.5 ml
- Reef Energy A- 10ml
- Reef Energy B- 10ml
- Reef colors A-D 2ml
Normally after two days, I would be forced to clean the glass. There is hardly a dusting of algae present now!
So far I am impressed and I will continue to document the effects of this system over the long term and provide those results in future updates!
Jackcarp
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- Joined
- Sep 30, 2014
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- Lovell WY
- What state or country do you live in
- Wyoming
I started dosing my own mixture of NO3-PO4-X a few weeks ago during the cycling. I used the Red Sea reef mature to cycle the tank but ran out of it so I researched online to find the correct mixture of vodka and vinegar. So far I have seen my nitrates come down and my cuc doesn't have to work so hard. I haven't put any corals on yet so I can't comment on that. Hopefully soon[emoji1303].
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dbrewsky
Active Member
A straight forward 15-gallon water change last night turned into a system test and clean up when I forgot to turn off my skimmer and it drained an inch of standing water into my stand!!! I honestly don't know how I forgot to turn off the skimmer, but I am glad that I took the time to fully enclose, seal, and thoroughly paint the inside of the stand. After several towels and fans, you couldn't tell there was a spill in the first place! ;)
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