joaocdestro
Community Member
I started to cycle this 230g tank on 01/03/2019
No Water changes since new, and no water changes planed...
Tests weekly: Red Sea - Ca, Kh, Mg, No3 and Po4
1 Triton ICP test each 6 months - just to make sure everything is on check.
Water Parameters: Salinity 33ppt, MG 1400, Alk 8, CA 400, No3 <2 (never zero), Po4 <0,08 (never zero)
biopellets reactor - to release carbon on water to make food for corals and export bacterioplankton -> no3 and po4 at skimmer.
Temperature:
25,5 - 26
Lights:
2 bars -> DiY 2,8m long each -> two bars pointing to the center of the aquarium to avoid dead spots, led lighs are very sharppen, that's why 2 light bars with 80o lens.
About Led Quantity:
30% Cool White Cree XPG3 / 30% Royal Blue 455nm Cree XT-E/ 30% Violets (410nm and 420nm)
About Power setting:
Blue and Violets 100%, Cool White use only at 30% for best looking purpouses!
Dosing pump 4 channels daily dosing:
Calcium Solution - 6 liters of water + 2kg calcium chloride dihydrate + 25ml Fauna Marin Trace 1 + 25ml Fauna Marin Trace 2
dosing: 5x4ml - 03AM, 10AM, 11am, 14PM, 23PM,
Alkalinity Solution - 6 Liters of Water + 500g sodium bicarbonate + 25ml Fauna Marin Trace 3
Dosing: 4x25ml - 10am, 12pm, 16pm, 23pm
Red Sea Reef Energy A
3ml at 12:00 and 3ml at 00:00
Red Sea Reef Energy B
3ml at 12:00 and 3ml at 00:00
Manual dosing:
Magnesium only if needed... rarely used!
Circulation Pump: *scheme photo attached
4 Jebao RW-20 on apex controller - only 2 at each time
Every 6 Hours I change the water flux from clockwise to counter clockwise.
Coral Food:
once or twice a week: sometimes during day and sometimes at night (for sps)
Reef Roids + DiY Frozen Food + Polyp Booster + Coral Vitalyzer
*dosing pump Red Sea Energy A+B
Fish Food: 3 times a day
Thera A+ sinking pellets 1mm
Repositon Water:
Use 4 stage filter - 1 sediment, 2 carbon, 3 and 4 Resin mb 400 or 478. I don't use Reverse osmosis.
During Vacation:
I don't need to do anything for 20 days, dosing pump do the job for me.
No Break:
This is a must have on any aquarium I put only a circulation pump to maximise battery time.
And this pump isn't on apex, because if some electrical problem happens with heater the controller will shut down...
Generator:
if you have a budget, I recommend a Generac Guardian (LGP or Natural gas) generator.
Gas generator fuel never get's clogged or get old.
Considerations and tips:
FEED THEM! Corals eat a lot of invisible things, it's very rewarding to feed with fish poop, powder foods, liquid amino acids, DiY frozen foods, the best aquariums in the world feed a lot!
The Skimmer exports only fish poop, proteins, not eaten foods, before they break down, but in all corners of your aquarium will be decomposition and will inevitably accumulate No3 and Po4.
After decomposition No3 and Po4 are not exported by the skimmer, because they are chemicals that are diluted in the aquarium water, here is the first error of a beginner, if your skimmer stops producing skimmate, and you have Nitrate and Phosfate it is lack of CARBON!!!
I believe faithfully in the use of carbon for aquariums, Biopellets, Sugar, Vinegar, Vodka, Nopox, etc... because you give raw material (carbon) for the bacteria to reproduce (carbon + no3 + po4 = bakteroplankton) and this bakterioplakton will feed your corals and be exported in the skimmer taking away the no3 and po4, it’s a win win strategy.
Corals well fed on your aquarium allows a much greater chemical variation like MG 1100 - 1500 / Ca - 330-500 / KH 6.5 - 14, you do not need to hunt a specific number but it’s very imperative to be stable; so corals will reciprocate you with beautiful colors, example, if you vary more than 1dKh a day, corals start to loose colors.
I never siphon, let the bacteria and cleaning crew to the job for you.
You don't need a big return pump, you need good circulation pumps! Using a return pump to create flow it's energy costly.
Water is like a truck and Magnesium is the trailer - You can put some Alkalinity and some Calcium on it... but if you full the trailer with one of them (Alk or Ca) it will not have space for other elements. (ionic inbalance). That's why some aquarists can't raise their parameters.
Do not full your water! If you go 1500Mg, 500Ca, 14dKh, you will loose performance, because corals need to exchange water on their skin/body.
Never go Zero No3 and Po4, they are your friends and they fertilize the algae zooxanthellae on your coral tissue, and No3 and Po4 are the base for bakterioplankton, that will be food!
*you can run a aquarium without detectable no3 and po4 but you will have to use a lot of products to sustain you corals.
Ph is a consequence of dKh, above 6dKh you will have a good PH! and PH swing 0,20 from moring to evening. Example: 7.9 at 9am and 8,1 at 7PM.
ORP have an oposite effect to PH, when ORP raises, PH decrease, ORP is nice to measure because if something dies on your aquarium it will reduce drasticaly.
If your coral is pale and your chemichal is on range... probably your skimmer is taking the precious food out of water... using a biopellet reactor will help to have food 24hrs day on your water, only take your skimmer cup off if you are measuring zero No3 and zero Po4.
If zero no3 or zero po4; carbon dosing will not work, because you will need all of them to make bacteria!
If you have algae Briopsys: pharmacy fluconazole 20mg per galon will kill a protein on it's primitive cells, in 7 days they disapear, there is a tread on r2r about this, after 7-10 days a 2nd dose is needed to kill Green Hair.
If you have a brow slime thing on everything it is dinoflagelates (smal guys) purchase Dino X will solve.
If you have a purple/violet thing on sand or stones, it is a bacteria, cyanobacteria... Ultralife or Chemiclean red slime on them! *take your skimmer cup off for one week... it will make a lot of bubbles. *I use this every 6 months.
Water Overflow Diy:
Iphone Pictures: on actinic i'm using a orange filter to reduce blue excess
2 light bars
Apex Pump Clockwise is on gray, and Pumps counter clockwise on yellow.
No Water changes since new, and no water changes planed...
Tests weekly: Red Sea - Ca, Kh, Mg, No3 and Po4
1 Triton ICP test each 6 months - just to make sure everything is on check.
Water Parameters: Salinity 33ppt, MG 1400, Alk 8, CA 400, No3 <2 (never zero), Po4 <0,08 (never zero)
biopellets reactor - to release carbon on water to make food for corals and export bacterioplankton -> no3 and po4 at skimmer.
Temperature:
25,5 - 26
Lights:
2 bars -> DiY 2,8m long each -> two bars pointing to the center of the aquarium to avoid dead spots, led lighs are very sharppen, that's why 2 light bars with 80o lens.
About Led Quantity:
30% Cool White Cree XPG3 / 30% Royal Blue 455nm Cree XT-E/ 30% Violets (410nm and 420nm)
About Power setting:
Blue and Violets 100%, Cool White use only at 30% for best looking purpouses!
Dosing pump 4 channels daily dosing:
Calcium Solution - 6 liters of water + 2kg calcium chloride dihydrate + 25ml Fauna Marin Trace 1 + 25ml Fauna Marin Trace 2
dosing: 5x4ml - 03AM, 10AM, 11am, 14PM, 23PM,
Alkalinity Solution - 6 Liters of Water + 500g sodium bicarbonate + 25ml Fauna Marin Trace 3
Dosing: 4x25ml - 10am, 12pm, 16pm, 23pm
Red Sea Reef Energy A
3ml at 12:00 and 3ml at 00:00
Red Sea Reef Energy B
3ml at 12:00 and 3ml at 00:00
Manual dosing:
Magnesium only if needed... rarely used!
Circulation Pump: *scheme photo attached
4 Jebao RW-20 on apex controller - only 2 at each time
Every 6 Hours I change the water flux from clockwise to counter clockwise.
Coral Food:
once or twice a week: sometimes during day and sometimes at night (for sps)
Reef Roids + DiY Frozen Food + Polyp Booster + Coral Vitalyzer
*dosing pump Red Sea Energy A+B
Fish Food: 3 times a day
Thera A+ sinking pellets 1mm
Repositon Water:
Use 4 stage filter - 1 sediment, 2 carbon, 3 and 4 Resin mb 400 or 478. I don't use Reverse osmosis.
During Vacation:
I don't need to do anything for 20 days, dosing pump do the job for me.
No Break:
This is a must have on any aquarium I put only a circulation pump to maximise battery time.
And this pump isn't on apex, because if some electrical problem happens with heater the controller will shut down...
Generator:
if you have a budget, I recommend a Generac Guardian (LGP or Natural gas) generator.
Gas generator fuel never get's clogged or get old.
Considerations and tips:
FEED THEM! Corals eat a lot of invisible things, it's very rewarding to feed with fish poop, powder foods, liquid amino acids, DiY frozen foods, the best aquariums in the world feed a lot!
The Skimmer exports only fish poop, proteins, not eaten foods, before they break down, but in all corners of your aquarium will be decomposition and will inevitably accumulate No3 and Po4.
After decomposition No3 and Po4 are not exported by the skimmer, because they are chemicals that are diluted in the aquarium water, here is the first error of a beginner, if your skimmer stops producing skimmate, and you have Nitrate and Phosfate it is lack of CARBON!!!
I believe faithfully in the use of carbon for aquariums, Biopellets, Sugar, Vinegar, Vodka, Nopox, etc... because you give raw material (carbon) for the bacteria to reproduce (carbon + no3 + po4 = bakteroplankton) and this bakterioplakton will feed your corals and be exported in the skimmer taking away the no3 and po4, it’s a win win strategy.
Corals well fed on your aquarium allows a much greater chemical variation like MG 1100 - 1500 / Ca - 330-500 / KH 6.5 - 14, you do not need to hunt a specific number but it’s very imperative to be stable; so corals will reciprocate you with beautiful colors, example, if you vary more than 1dKh a day, corals start to loose colors.
I never siphon, let the bacteria and cleaning crew to the job for you.
You don't need a big return pump, you need good circulation pumps! Using a return pump to create flow it's energy costly.
Water is like a truck and Magnesium is the trailer - You can put some Alkalinity and some Calcium on it... but if you full the trailer with one of them (Alk or Ca) it will not have space for other elements. (ionic inbalance). That's why some aquarists can't raise their parameters.
Do not full your water! If you go 1500Mg, 500Ca, 14dKh, you will loose performance, because corals need to exchange water on their skin/body.
Never go Zero No3 and Po4, they are your friends and they fertilize the algae zooxanthellae on your coral tissue, and No3 and Po4 are the base for bakterioplankton, that will be food!
*you can run a aquarium without detectable no3 and po4 but you will have to use a lot of products to sustain you corals.
Ph is a consequence of dKh, above 6dKh you will have a good PH! and PH swing 0,20 from moring to evening. Example: 7.9 at 9am and 8,1 at 7PM.
ORP have an oposite effect to PH, when ORP raises, PH decrease, ORP is nice to measure because if something dies on your aquarium it will reduce drasticaly.
If your coral is pale and your chemichal is on range... probably your skimmer is taking the precious food out of water... using a biopellet reactor will help to have food 24hrs day on your water, only take your skimmer cup off if you are measuring zero No3 and zero Po4.
If zero no3 or zero po4; carbon dosing will not work, because you will need all of them to make bacteria!
If you have algae Briopsys: pharmacy fluconazole 20mg per galon will kill a protein on it's primitive cells, in 7 days they disapear, there is a tread on r2r about this, after 7-10 days a 2nd dose is needed to kill Green Hair.
If you have a brow slime thing on everything it is dinoflagelates (smal guys) purchase Dino X will solve.
If you have a purple/violet thing on sand or stones, it is a bacteria, cyanobacteria... Ultralife or Chemiclean red slime on them! *take your skimmer cup off for one week... it will make a lot of bubbles. *I use this every 6 months.
Water Overflow Diy:
Iphone Pictures: on actinic i'm using a orange filter to reduce blue excess
2 light bars
Apex Pump Clockwise is on gray, and Pumps counter clockwise on yellow.
