ggNoRe's Prostar 200 Peninsula Build Thread

[ggNoRe]

I have been slowly but surely increasing my lights. Also, I tried using Reefroids and boom! Dinos are back. Not messing around this time. Ordered a microscope and some silicates. Think it's Amphidium this time as the sand is covered and they don't seem to go away at night. Nitrates and phosphates are higher than they have ever been at 15 and .11.

Also, re-homed my flame angel and diamond sitting goby. Flame angel was becoming way too aggressive with my other fish. The diamond goby wouldn't allow me to keep anything on the sand bend as he would constantly spit sand on them.

 

[Reef craze]

I dosed vibrant and it killed them off. This was year ago. I’m sure someone on here has a better method by now.

 

[A Young Reefer]

2 weeks and 2 water changes later and dinoflagellates look to be gone!! :)

Corals that survived are slowly recovering and looking better.

What kind of Anthias are those , if you don’t mind me asking .

 

[ggNoRe]

What kind of Anthias are those , if you don’t mind me asking .

Of course not. Tierra Anthias

 

[A Young Reefer]

Of course not. Tierra Anthias

Thank you .

 

[ggNoRe]

Unfortunately, after an hour of frustration I gave up trying to get a proper ID with microscope. Fortunately, I don't think it was even dinos rather a mix of grunge and detritus. Now the tank is looking amazing again and rid of almost all nuisance bacteria, algae, grunge, and detritus!

 

[ggNoRe]

Really happy to say I think I have surpassed all uglies and reach a level of maturity/stability. System has been looking good and I made a few new additions.

 

[A Young Reefer]

tanks looking good! wish me luck still battling the seemingly undefeatable red turf algae.

 

[A Young Reefer]

Any updates?

 

[ggNoRe]

Hahahaa! I love your signature. Add me to that quote. So as usual a lot of up and downs. I have a killer clown that has ripped a scopas tang to shreds that I'm trying to get rid off. Taking another shot at SPS corals. Some seem ok while others STN. My goniopora, zoas, and torches never seem to thrive no matter what I do for the most part they don't die but never seem happy or grow.. Hammers, frogspawn, and octos doing really well. Made a short little video on Youtube:

 

[A Young Reefer]

any updtaes?

 

[ggNoRe]

any updtaes?

Having a salinity dilemma. My freshly mix saltwater tested higher than expected 1.030. So I calibrated my refractometer and after calibrating it showed 1.024 so .006 difference. I recalibrated 3 times to be sure and same thing everytime. Tested my display and it was 1.020. So I bumped it up to 1.0235. Ordered a cheap hydrometer to compare. Hydrometer test at 1.0275. Sent in a API ICP test and just waiting for the results. But until then I have no idea what my salinity actually is. My SPS are still alive but not colored very nicely.

 

[A Young Reefer]

Having a salinity dilemma. My freshly mix saltwater tested higher than expected 1.030. So I calibrated my refractometer and after calibrating it showed 1.024 so .006 difference. I recalibrated 3 times to be sure and same thing everytime. Tested my display and it was 1.020. So I bumped it up to 1.0235. Ordered a cheap hydrometer to compare. Hydrometer test at 1.0275. Sent in a API ICP test and just waiting for the results. But until then I have no idea what my salinity actually is. My SPS are still alive but not colored very nicely.

oh snap, I remember in my nano I used to run through similar issues. I would even test at different fish stores and each would give e a reading. Did you try to let your lfs check it out for you?

 

[ggNoRe]

oh snap, I remember in my nano I used to run through similar issues. I would even test at different fish stores and each would give e a reading. Did you try to let your lfs check it out for you?

Not a bad idea but I have not. Hopefully my ICP results will come soon

 

[ggNoRe]

Took a loooong time but I'm finally happy with the way things are going..

 

[A Young Reefer]

Looking good!

 

[ggNoRe]

Things were going really well for about 6 months and everything was coming along nicely:

And then this past month has just been random problem after problem. First my anemone that started at about half dollar size grew to about 8" and split 3 times. They moved around and stung about 5 different corals. It was absolute hell to remove them. Poking, prodding, icing, blasting with a pump, surrounding with sponges, and removing rocks over the course of one months time to finally get the job done. Only one coral died in this situation and of course it was the most expensive coral I've ever purchased, FCA 24K Holygrail torch. The rest lost some color but are still alive.

If that wasn't enough I started having some serious fish aggression issues. A large percula clown, purple tang, and blue hippo were going at it like gladiators. I managed to catch the large clown and remove him as well. He is suspect #1 and literally biting the fins off of any new fish I introduce. The blue hippo is very large and very aggressive to any fish I introduce so I'm trying to catch and remove her as well.
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRmdUftV/
AND my foxface who has been in my tank almost 2 years decided to start eating corals. Saw him munching down on a new open brain I recently added. So he's out as well.

In summary I'm having to remove 5 anemones, one clownfish, one hippo tang, and a foxface all over the course of the last month. I have a feeling the purple tang may need to go as well after but we shall see.

This hobby can really kick you in the nuts sometimes.

I'm also working on lowering and stabilizing nutrients. At the highest I had 50 nitrates and 1.0 phosphates. I've slowly reduced them to currently 30 nitrates and .4 phosphates (over 45days time) with Rowaphos and very recently minimal vodka dosing. Thankfully this process does not seem to have effected my corals at all.

 

[ggNoRe]

Just making a quick update for myself.. working hard to get my system healthy again. Phosphates and nitrates have been reduced drastically from 50/.9 to 20/.29. Dosed FluxRX fluconazole 4 days ago. Added 2 urchins. Fighting turf hair algae and hopefully will keep it gone once my nutrients are fully lowered and stabilized. All gonis dead. Holygrail and KYN torch dead. Couple acros dead. Zoas and mushrooms getting strangled by turf but still fighting. Euphylias, fish, and rock flowers, acantho, blasto, acan, yumas and some sps doing well. Got tropic marin bacto balance and elimi np. Plan to try and stabilize lower nutrients by feeding less, using said additives for carbon dosing, and possibly keeping some Rowaphos if phosphates continue to rise without. Trying my hardest not to add more corals until this process is done.

 

[A Young Reefer]

Updates?

 

[ggNoRe]

Updates?

Things are going in the right direction just slowly. Green hair algae has been drastically reduced on the rocks. Nutrients are somewhat stabilized and lower. No more coral casualties thankfully. A few of my euphylias that were stung by anemones but survived are just a shade of their former selves. I'm starting to add some new corals slowly.

Battling cyano on my sand. Not doing too much to fight it since it's not harming anything. But it is very unsightly.

I also started using kalkwasser mainly because it's cheap, was very easy to setup, raises PH, and gives me more top off. My previous top off was only 3 gallons and has to be refilled twice a week. I added a 5 gal bucket for kalkwasser dosing so now I don't have to worry when I go on vacations one week or less.

Will make some vids sooner or later. It's just so hard to do when things went backward and you don't like how your tank looks. :(