GoVols: Red Sea S-400
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GoVols
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How did GoVols get to a Bare Bottom Reef...
Welp, Years ago I used to run deep sand beds and if done properly they will gas off nitrates. Once you see tiny bubbles work there way up threw the deep sand bed then it is gassing them off but I was also too scared to disturb the deep sand bed.
So, I started going with sallower sand beds and I would vacuum them once a week. They would be white as snow but over time my phos and nitrates would climb. I read an article on one of the most beautiful and stable reefs that I had seen. This guy had deep pockets and he has a crew that maintains his reef while he is out of town on business. (Over time your sand can hold in phos and other goodies and start leaching them back into the water column) He has a crew that changes out some of his sand once a week and puts in new sand to replace the small section that was removed.
So, Once a year I would pull out all my sand slowly and over a few weeks and then I would put in all new live sand and it stopped my phos. and nitrates from climbing over time.
One year I got all the sand out and I did intend to replace it but I just never got around to do it. So, I just got used to the bare bottom and I just let the live rock do it's job. I do take the time to keep it's deep pores as open and clean as possible.
To this day I still miss sand dwellers like Diamond Goby's etc... but for myself the trade offs are worth staying bare bottom.
Regards, GoVols
Welp, Years ago I used to run deep sand beds and if done properly they will gas off nitrates. Once you see tiny bubbles work there way up threw the deep sand bed then it is gassing them off but I was also too scared to disturb the deep sand bed.
So, I started going with sallower sand beds and I would vacuum them once a week. They would be white as snow but over time my phos and nitrates would climb. I read an article on one of the most beautiful and stable reefs that I had seen. This guy had deep pockets and he has a crew that maintains his reef while he is out of town on business. (Over time your sand can hold in phos and other goodies and start leaching them back into the water column) He has a crew that changes out some of his sand once a week and puts in new sand to replace the small section that was removed.
So, Once a year I would pull out all my sand slowly and over a few weeks and then I would put in all new live sand and it stopped my phos. and nitrates from climbing over time.
One year I got all the sand out and I did intend to replace it but I just never got around to do it. So, I just got used to the bare bottom and I just let the live rock do it's job. I do take the time to keep it's deep pores as open and clean as possible.
To this day I still miss sand dwellers like Diamond Goby's etc... but for myself the trade offs are worth staying bare bottom.
Regards, GoVols
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HolisticBear
Valuable Member
I'm leaning towards bare bottom for my new reefer. A thin clean white sand bed is beautiful, but a slightly 'dirty' sand bed or one the fish decided to mess up, bugs my visual ADHD.
I mounted my small LPS to rubble from BRS. There are some fun shaped pieces and I think rubble islands on the bare bottom is my new favored look.
Plus, my digitate hydroids outbreak all over the sand bed soured me. They were easily killed, but still.
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GoVols
Cobb / Webb - 1989
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GoVols
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GoVols update up the day:
Did my weekly 18% water change and recharged the GFO reactor. I've always used Rowaphos and if it ain't broke then I'm not fixing.
Side Note: I recharge my Purigen reactor every six weeks with 500ml of Purigen. It's been a great system. I could push the Purigen longer but I don't wont the Purigen to turn into a bacteria bio-media so I change it out every six weeks.
So the last time that I bought he Purigen, I bought a bigger size to save money. On the first recharge all was fine just like the 5ooml bottles but on the second recharge of the 1000ml bottle (2 weeks ago) there where a lot more of the smaller beads settled at the bottom of the larger bottle that wants to float up and try to escape the reactor. So I will be going back to buying the 500ml bottles and pay a little more.
Regards, GoVols
Did my weekly 18% water change and recharged the GFO reactor. I've always used Rowaphos and if it ain't broke then I'm not fixing.
Side Note: I recharge my Purigen reactor every six weeks with 500ml of Purigen. It's been a great system. I could push the Purigen longer but I don't wont the Purigen to turn into a bacteria bio-media so I change it out every six weeks.
So the last time that I bought he Purigen, I bought a bigger size to save money. On the first recharge all was fine just like the 5ooml bottles but on the second recharge of the 1000ml bottle (2 weeks ago) there where a lot more of the smaller beads settled at the bottom of the larger bottle that wants to float up and try to escape the reactor. So I will be going back to buying the 500ml bottles and pay a little more.
Regards, GoVols
HolisticBear
Valuable Member
I don't have much experience with Purigen. It's supposed to change color as it's exhausted, yes? I understand replacing it so it doesn't become part of your biological filter, but do you have any idea how much capacity is left?
I use chemical media in bags (no reactor), some of it can be fully exhausted in 48 hours (phosguard). GFO absorbs slower than phosguard, and while purigen is for other substances I sort of assumed it was a fast absorb-er like phosguard. So six weeks already sound impressive.
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GoVols
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I used to run Purigen longer until it got a dark brown color but the color change to full exhaustion can be different. The color change depends on the color of the organics that the Purigen absorbs. I get longer life with the Purigen since I let it tumble inside it's own reactor, like GFO in it's own reactor. I'd say that tumbling it in it's own reactor has been less aggressive that ROX but at the same time it also last longer.
Either way I just recharge every six weeks. Within my reef it is still not fully exhausted and I just don't want it turning into a bio-media and taking away from the live rock by gassing out nitrates.
My skimmer still pulls out organics before they hit the nitrogen cycle and Purigen does the same thing and other kinds of organics that the skimmer does not. So the skimmer and Purigen reactor are a team in removing organics before they run the nitrogen cycle and I just let the live rock do it's job to handle the rest of the organics that do run the nitrogen cycle.
I'm not saying that a Purigen reactor would do the same for others. I also keep a fairly low fish bio-load, do 18% weekly water changes, run Bare Bottom with high flow but I also dose Red Sea "Reef Energy" just about every evening too.
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GoVols
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@MrMichael @prsnlty @bif24701
Guys, I hope this is not a fluke
but if you look at the last shot on post #44...
and this shot. I see something missing. I saw it gone Friday but just now took the new shot.
Guys, I hope this is not a fluke
but if you look at the last shot on post #44...and this shot. I see something missing.
I saw it gone Friday but just now took the new shot. 
Woohoo!!!!@MrMichael @prsnlty @bif24701
Guys, I hope this is not a fluke
and this shot. I see something missing.
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GoVols
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(lol) 1 big one down.
I hope it's a good sign.
Like you said earlier, Hopefully most of them have or are starting to lay egg sacks.
If I see anymore signs, then I'll post more pictures as we go.
HolisticBear
Valuable Member
I see something missing.
There were at least nine in that original shot, the huge sucker is gone and maybe more! The assassins are good. I bet that is a great feeling, made your weekend.
I, on the other hand, threw away a meat coral today that I bought online. It came covered in aiptasia and while I tried killing them with Aiptasia-X, they spread off the frag to elsewhere. I decided I didn't want to fight it anymore and risk them taking over my tank. I feel bad about throwing it away, but it never should have come to me in that condition and I don't have an available frag tank.
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GoVols
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Micheal,
It feels good but (lol), I don't want to Jinx the assassins...
I'm sorry about your meat coral and your right, it should have not came to you that way.
Side Note: When I fragged the Digi to play it safe after the dip, I moved the Pink/Red bushy to the right, in place of the Digi. It has started looking really nice and is really coloring up. I can't really take a picture do it justice.
(lol) I've got Digi frags all over the rock scape.
Digits grow and spread like crazy in my tank. So much so that I started to think of them like I do my green palys and clove polyp Lol!Micheal,
It feels good but (lol), I don't want to Jinx the assassins...
I'm sorry about your meat coral and your right, it should have not came to you that way.
Side Note: When I fragged the Digi to play it safe after the dip, I moved the Pink/Red bushy to the right, in place of the Digi. It has started looking really nice and is really coloring up. I can't really take a picture do it justice.
(lol) I've got Digi frags all over the rock scape.
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GoVols
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Sorry for my pictures... old cell phone.
But today's post is our female Picasso clown.
Bought her as a pair in 2011 and the male had the markings of the Red Baron but he jumped to his death in 2015??? Tried to pair her up with another male and that was not happening. Had to save him and take him back to the local reef shop, ASAP.
Over the years a lot of her orange markings with black outlines have turned into almost solid black.
We do have some beautiful tangs and lost an Achilles (after 2 years) to my fault, but she will always be our favorite.
This is her reef and she does not want to pair up again. Our two bta's do host her and she sleeps in them each night.
But today's post is our female Picasso clown.
Bought her as a pair in 2011 and the male had the markings of the Red Baron but he jumped to his death in 2015??? Tried to pair her up with another male and that was not happening. Had to save him and take him back to the local reef shop, ASAP.
Over the years a lot of her orange markings with black outlines have turned into almost solid black.
We do have some beautiful tangs and lost an Achilles (after 2 years) to my fault, but she will always be our favorite.
This is her reef and she does not want to pair up again. Our two bta's do host her and she sleeps in them each night.
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govolsguy31
Active Member
Off topic, but every time I see you post, I smile inside.
Go Vols!
Go Vols!
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GoVols
Cobb / Webb - 1989
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GoVols
Cobb / Webb - 1989
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I'm getting close to catching up with @hybridazn.
Jackie,
If you don't mind, I want to take on you build next.
Freddie
hybridazn
Acro killer.....
I'm getting close to catching up with @hybridazn.
Jackie,
If you don't mind, I want to take on you build next.
Freddie
Hahaha sorry it's so long. Hopefully you found some useful stuff in there
