GoVols: Red Sea S-400

[GoVols]

Huge improvements. Those aiptasia had to be causing him pain. Attempting to solve that problem with a syringe and Aiptasia-X looks exhausting.

Micheal,
I can't thank you enough.
If it were not for you I would have been tearing down all the live rock and trying to kill the aiptasia with Aiptasia-X. I had totally forgot about the Berghia Nudibranchs until you tossed it out right before I was going to tear apart the rock scape and some of my corals are encrusted over more than one rock.

Still got a long ways to go but the pictures don't lie about how the Berghia Nudibranchs have been making progress.

I just hope they stay alive to complete the job. ;Nailbiting

Freddie

 

[Maritimer]

Those Berghias seem to be making short work!

Thanks for sharing - not only pretty pictures, but the day-to-day thoughts of a reefer, and tales of life in the coral trenches.

~Bruce

 

[GoVols]

Those Berghias seem to be making short work!

Thanks for sharing - not only pretty pictures, but the day-to-day thoughts of a reefer, and tales of life in the coral trenches.

~Bruce

Bruce,
Thank you, it means a lot and (lol) there is more to come with-in the GoVols "reefer's dairy".

Freddie

 

[GoVols]

How did GoVols build (assemble) the Red Sea S-400?

As you can see the S-Series comes with an awesome frame and power center.





Regards, GoVols

 

[MonsterReef]

 

[GoVols]

Thank You, Sir

 

[GoVols]

@matthew crowson
I don't have a clue how this season will be.

 

[Maddlesrain]

How do you keep your harlequin shrimp from eating your starfish? Just constantly keep them occupied with another one?

 

[GoVols]

How do you keep your harlequin shrimp from eating your starfish? Just constantly keep them occupied with another one?

Good Question.
They do not eat that species of starfish.
I bought the pair about 9 months ago to consume a huge Asterina starfish out break. Sadly the pair has done the job and I'm going to take them back to the local reef shop. I really do not want to go down the road with freezing starfish that they do eat to keep them alive.

They are really neat shrimp but they do have special eating needs.
If you get an Asterina starfish outbreak they will do the job but hard to take them back and say goodbye.

 

[Maddlesrain]

Good Question.
They do not eat that species or starfish.
I bought the pair about 9 months ago to consume a huge Asterina starfish out break. Sadly the pair has done the job and I'm going to take them back to the local reef shop. I really do not want to go down the road with freezing starfish that they do eat to keep them alive.

They are really neat shrimp but they do have special eating needs.
If you get an Asterina starfish outbreak they will do the job but hard to take them back and say goodbye.

I'm sorry to hear you're having to give them up that's too bad, but I can also understand not wanting to keep up with their demand for starfish. I'd really like to add a pair to my tank at some point.

You learn something everyday! I didn't realize they were choosy about which starfish they'd eat and which would be ignored! That's fascinating. Any others you know of that are 'safe?'

 

[GoVols]

I'm sorry to hear you're having to give them up that's too bad, but I can also understand not wanting to keep up with their demand for starfish. I'd really like to add a pair to my tank at some point.

You learn something everyday! I didn't realize they were choosy about which starfish they'd eat and which would be ignored! That's fascinating. Any others you know of that are 'safe?'

Yes,
They are choosy about the species that they eat. They eat a lot of the non-reef safe starfish species.
With-in the hour of putting them in. almost all the Asterina starfish could sense their presence and went up the glass walls.

If you do get a pair and are able to keep their diet up, then they are the neatest shrimp species that I've ever had.
They do stay behind my Wall Hammer most of the daylight hours but they are pretty bold little guys. They'd rather hold up their pincer's and stand their ground than run in fright.

There's a guy that I saw on google that keeps up with the species that they eat and don't. He freezes the common ones that they do eat and feeds a little of the frozen starfish at a time. Most of the species that I saw on his list were not considered reef-safe.

 

[Maddlesrain]

Yes,
They are choosy about the species that they eat. They eat a lot of the non-reef safe starfish species.
With-in the hour of putting them in. almost all the Asterina starfish could sense their presence and went up the glass walls.

If you do get a pair and are able to keep their diet up, then they are the neatest shrimp species that I've ever had.
They do stay behind my Wall Hammer most of the daylight hours but they are pretty bold little guys. They'd rather hold up their pincer's and stand their ground than run in fright.

Very cool! Thanks for the insight! I certainly think they're one of the most appealing shrimp species out there!

 

[GoVols]

Very cool! Thanks for the insight! I certainly think they're one of the most appealing shrimp species out there!

Your Welcome

 

[GoVols]

@Maddlesrain
Today's update...
Just returned the harlequin shrimp pair to my local reef shop.

Got $60 in store credit and will save for rainy day.

 

[GoVols]

Why and how did GoVols come to run a GFO reactor???

First off I've never really fought hair algae in the past. Cyano, yes. Hair algae, No.

Two springs ago I got an hair algae outbreak for the fist time. All testing was spot on. Took water to local reef shop and same thing, spot on.
They said it has to be the lights. I did not think so. I was using the same T5's and changing them every six months. So, I'm stumped.

About a month later I noticed one thing and a light bulb came on. The hair algae was only growing on my live rock. So, now I'm thinking could my old live rock be leaching trapped in phos. like new untreated dry rock?

So, I took a gamble and bought the ole Phos. Ban reactor and started tumbling Rowaphos. After two weeks the hair algae was gone and has never returned.

My old live rock from previous reefs was leaching trapped in phos. and fueling the hair algae. The hair algae was holding in the phos. so the phos. was not in the water column, thus tricking all test results.

Last spring Aquamaxx came out with a new media reactor that is built very good at a great price. So, I dumped the cheaply made Phos. Ban reactor and plumbed in the Aquamaxx reactor.

If you want to run GFO. Then I'd highly recommend letting GFO tumble in it's own reactor to get the full benefit of the GFO.
Please start off well below the recommended dose so that you do not shock your corals. To this day, I still run a lower dose and just re-charge more often.

Regards, GoVols

 

[GoVols]

Today's "Assassin" Update...

Have not seen anything new to report since last weekend. Must wait to see if they move to other areas of the reef.
Cleaned the two recirc. pumps in the S-400 overflow section, (mid) last week.
There were pods in the the overflow section and I've read that pods can eat Berghia nudibranchs. ;Nailbiting ;Nailbiting ;Nailbiting

Regards, GoVols

 

[GoVols]

Why and how did GoVols come to run a Purigen reactor???

Hopefully this will answer some of @MrMichael great questions from previous post.

The goal was to run a very close to (ULNS) phos. and nitrates parameters without the need to carbon dose.

I was already running the GFO reactor for about a year but I was still carbon dosing for nitrates.

About the time things would get in-sink then my phos. and nitrates would come unbalanced and then I'd have Cyano.

So I wanted to stop carbon dosing and stop the Cyano from coming back.

I've used Purigen in the past but it can exhaust fairly quickly when used in media bags and I was using the 100ml bags.
The reactor was never intended to strip out all the organics for crystal clear water. I wanted it to complement the BK skimmer but still let some of the organics to make the nitrogen cycle run so I'd be able to keep acceptable nitrates in the reef.

I figured if I could suspend the Purigen then it would capture some organics but still let enough pass and then the live rock could keep up and gas off most of the remaining from the completing the nitrogen cycle.

I could pack the Purigen tightly like ROX but then it would absorb too much organics.

So with the Purigen being suspended then the media last longer too because some of the organics can pass by the suspended Purigen beads.

Well, After a lot of tinkering, it tuned in and the nitrates always test in to 4ppm with the Salifert nitrate kit.

In January I wanted to see if it was really making a difference and I wanted to test Seachem Matrix without carbon dosing.

So, I filled the same reactor with Matrix to the hilt and tuned it to a 20 gallon per hour reactor flow. After 8 weeks the nitrates had risen to 20ppm because the Matrix was spewing lose nitrates into the water column, just like Bio-Balls.
I could have pushed it further to see if I could get it to gas off nitrates but I'd seen enough. I could not pull it off and the Purigen was doing the job.

On that same note: BRS has been trying the Pure Marine Blocks and after 14 weeks they just hit 50ppm in all their test tanks and one of the tanks has no media in it at all.

So between the two reactors my reefs Phos. and Nitrates have stayed inline and balanced and no more cyano from carbon dosing.

I did have some older cyano that would not die from carbon dosing but when I was able to kill it off, it has never returned because the two reactors keep the phos. and nitrates in balance.

I do dose "Reef Energy" almost ever night to keep the organics (nutrients) up in the water column for coral health.

Every reef is different and we all find our way. What works for one reef may not work for another and the Purigen reactor is only one piece to the puzzle.

If you have no troubles with carbon dosing, then I'm not knocking you. It just was not for me.

Hope this is typed in an understandable way.

Regards, GoVols

 

[Maddlesrain]

@Maddlesrain
Today's update...
Just returned the harlequin shrimp pair to my local reef shop.

Got $60 in store credit and will save for rainy day.

Aw, I'm sorry you had to see them go
Hopefully you'll find something just as fascinating to replace them with!!!

 

[hybridazn]

@Maddlesrain
Today's update...
Just returned the harlequin shrimp pair to my local reef shop.

Got $60 in store credit and will save for rainy day.

Boo! I'm actually in the market for either a single or pair of harliquin shrimp

 

[prsnlty]

Hey Freddie, lots of good info! I've been debating on using purigen for a while now. I've heard too many "not so good" things about the Matrix and doubt I will be going down that path.

It is great to see that the nudibranch's are doing an excellent job! My aiptasia are out of hand in one tank and in the 180 the ones I do have are getting quite sizable. I'm going to have to do something pretty soon but I don't want to give them a shot of Aptasia X because that's how they spread in the other tank. It's going to be a few weeks before I can actually spend some money on them though, have other priorities first.

I love my harlequin shrimp he did an excellent job on the 180 and the only thing that can be found a real high and real small. However I have some in another tank so if I must I will move him to that tank.

Your tank is looking great