Growing Pains from a First Reef Build - 55g

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Best of luck with the berghias. I went with 16 for my 6ft 125 that has hundreds of baby aips everywhere. Took about 5 weeks before i noticed a large decline in numbers. Dont sweat not seein them. Theyre prolly fine.

Leathers are robust and survive just about everything that would kill other species of coral. I have gone a week with a leather/softie looking like that only to have it come back stronger and bigger. Give it some time.

Also, a simple fresh bag of carbon is a great way to try to possibly remove any unwanted nasties from the water column, including toxins that leathers are known to release under stress.

Just a few ideas. Hope the new cuc keeps things cleaner for ya too.

Cheers
Thanks! I followed the directions to a T for acclimation and placing them, so I think it'll be OK; as with everything in the hobby just need to be patient.

I've been reading the same about leathers, and honestly that's why I picked it as one of my first "big" corals in the first place. Being so robust I try not to worry about things like this, but it's hard not to. I don't have carbon bags, but I do have filter paper embedded with carbon - I'll probably put a sheet between the sump sections or the like to try and grab nasties, as well. Thankfully, the leather shouldn't go nuclear like a nem, at least, so that's a plus.

The cleaners arrived yesterday, as well. I got them acclimated and inside, and they almost immediately started going to town. Like the aiptasia, likely be a couple weeks at least, but glad to see they're all mostly alive at least :D.
 
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It's ALIVE!!!!!

Good news, everyone! No really, it is good. Not only did the leather spring back, but the cleaners got all the nasty algae off the "trunk" of it. My guess is that there may have been some ammonia in with the Bhurgia water, and putting them so close to the leather made it get a high dose. I put one of my carbon filter sheets inside the sock to reduce chemical issues, as @RichtheReefer21 recommended, also :D.

I'm seeing a lot less Aiptasia, as well, and some of the other cleaners are doing great at clearing out the algae from the rocks. I have to flip over a lot of snails, though, but not biggie :p. I really like having the huge amount of stock and small movement in the tank the cleaners offer, as well. It's pretty cool.

20200528_084430.jpg

Yay leather! Plus you can see the algae-cleared section of the rock where the cleaners are going to town.

20200528_084444.jpg

New head on the utter chaos is growing out nicely, and again seeing some nice clearing of the algae from the rocks.

20200528_235916.jpg

I think it's just cool to see how much the hammer has expanded over the years. When I first got it, it was just two heads, but they've since both split.
 

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Great update, and glad to hear things are on the up and up! That algae will eventually burn itself out and ull be good to go. Just watch the feeding etc. Carbon helps too as it mitigates phosphates on some level as well with the higher grade carbons on the market.

Kenya tree looks super happy!
 
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Cleaner update and salty thoughts

Happy to say that things have been going pretty well the last few weeks - the cleaners, both regular and Berghia-specific. Most of the rocks are much cleaner compared to what they previously were, and I've not seen any Aiptasia recently, either. Huzzah! The front glass isn't so clean atm, though - a lot of the smaller cleaners are on there, so I worry about using my scraper.

20200617_085213.jpg

Overflow and rocks having far less algae is nice.

20200617_085221.jpg

Haven't seen more Aiptasia in and around the Zoa colony.

20200617_085228.jpg

Leather looking great and has a trimmed lawn.

20200617_085235.jpg

Much less of the fuzzy stuff all around, not to mention no more Aiptasia.

Random Salty Thought

Not much else to say for the tank itself - it's just sort of plugging along nicely. As a random thought, I ordered some supplies the other day off Amazon (A/B, filter socks, and salt) and a thought occurred. I've been using the Instant Ocean reef salt for ~2 years now, and this always puzzles me. 160 gallon worth of salt in a bucket costs ~US$39. A box for 200 gallons worth, containing 4 individual bags, is ~US$60. Both are Prime eligible, so free shipping. It just seems like such a dumb purchase to make. I'd much rather have a slightly smaller amount (1/5 less), with a reusable bucket, for much cheaper (just over 1/3 less). I've been racking my brain trying to think why this is, as the price differential just doesn't make sense. The only thing I can think of is that the weight makes shipping exponentially more, since the bucket is under the 50 lb mark at 47, while the box is around 58. Either way, fun random thought du jour.

1592491272504.png


1592491307190.png
 

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I could understand the cost involved with seperate bags and the materials to do such a thing, but i completely agree.. that doesnt make any sense at all?

Glad to see the tank is starting to clear out. Just let it do its thing and eventually the algae will run out of a food source and die off. U may have little patches indefinitely, but algae eating livestock will manage it better once its under control.

Slow n steady!
 
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I could understand the cost involved with seperate bags and the materials to do such a thing, but i completely agree.. that doesnt make any sense at all?

Glad to see the tank is starting to clear out. Just let it do its thing and eventually the algae will run out of a food source and die off. U may have little patches indefinitely, but algae eating livestock will manage it better once its under control.

Slow n steady!
Still thinking that it's a shipping weight issue, but either way, I've got my new bucket of salt ready to go :D

It's been a couple weeks since I've seen any Aiptasia, and the various cleaners are always wandering around doing their thing. The fuge has always been good with growing a LOT of algae (though never the one I want), but overall things seem to be calming down a bit.

I've not been able to expand out at all with new livestock, though the corals are all still growing out nicely. Everything just sort of puttering along. I've been very nervous about wiping the front glass, as well, due to all the cleaners frequently stuck there, but managed to clean off a decent amount of nasties.
 
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A loss... and averting disaster

It's been a good while since I've done anything worth mentioning, but I guess that's a good thing, in the end. I've changed things up a bit with adding in a new food type, so that's fun :D . The biggest news is that I've lost Jacques :( . I don't know exactly when he died, but he was a good shrimp, and just over 3 years old, so it's not too surprising. Still a bit sad to lose anyone, but I'd rather it's through natural causes rather than aggression, at least.

A near disaster - redundancy for the win!

So, I've had my Apex set up for just about two years now, and thankfully I has very few problems with it. Recently, though, I noticed that I kept getting a high temperature alarm for some reason. It didn't make any sense, nothing in the house or tank has changed. I was looking for a short, frayed wires, everything. But I was still getting an 82+ alarm constantly.

1598018658615.png

Eventually, I finally put in another thermometer into the sump, and found that the calibration of the Apex probe was WAY off (by ~7 degrees). Thankfully not enough to kill anything, but I can't imagine they were too happy. I forced on the heater and let it use its internal thermometer to re-stabilize the temp, then checked the glass one to re-calibrate the Apex.

1598018849735.png

So much nicer - got that regular control on the Apex again and steady up and down with the controls. Hooray!

It seems like the leathers and hammer in particular are more vibrant after fixing the temp issue, and I'll just need to make a habit of checking the calibration.
 

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Glad to hear! Stability is key! Keep it up!
 

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Hey, I was just thinking about this build the other day. I was going to come check if I had missed some updates but kept forgetting when I was on here. Glad to see the tank is going well. I recently lost my cleaner shrimp too, it sucks. Glad the CUC seems to be working well. Love to see some updated pictures of the tank.
 
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Cleaning, Upgrades, and Updates, OH MY!

As before, it's been far too long since I've been able to be on the site. Work has kept me extremely busy with a lot of COVID-19 research, helping out with remote learning, side hustling, and generally being otherwise engaged. As always, though, I would NEVER neglect my tank, and it's been going great, with me finishing up some upgrades this past weekend, and a few other things here and there, as well.

Clean the sump and other stuffs!

About a month ago, I realized that I'd literally never cleaned my skimmer, ever since I'd gotten it. The inside and outside was well-covered in coraline and other algae, so I figured it was time to do something about it. With some fresh RO water, vinegar, and a bit of elbow grease, I took everything apart down to removing the impeller and scrubbed it all good. While it was out, I cleaned up the sump section, as well, as it had some sand, algae, and other bits.

20201016_222603.jpg

Pre-disassembly, you can see the coraline buildup in particular on the inside.

20201016_223809.jpg

Time to scrub!

20201016_232545.jpg

So much nicer! The impeller had some debris from the sock(s) inside, along with some minor calcium buildup and the like, but I got it all cleared out and re-assembled pretty easily.

20201016_224824.jpg


20201016_230011.jpg

Quick bit of before and after for the skimmer section. I got as much of the sand as I could, but short of a pump, I can't quite get everything.

20201016_232742.jpg


20201016_232947.jpg

Back in and running like a champ! As always, took a bit to tune it back in, but still.

The temp is ridiculous!

As I mentioned in my last post, I had to re-calibrate my Apex temperature probe, as it was WAY off. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that it was just a warning of things to come. A little while after, the temp kept climbing higher and higher, eventually steadily saying 115 F. Obviously not the case, and unfortunately the calibration function stopped working to let me reset it effectively. Just last week @Bulk Reef Supply finally got some probes in, so I ordered one and got it installed this past weekend.

1605021148738.png

Now I have the heater power control back on the Apex, with a standard suction thermometer in the sump and, of course, the heater's internal remaining as a backup.

Other upgrades!!

I never really showed it, but waaaaay back when I first set up the Apex, I did a couple of weird/ stupid things:
  1. I ran out of wire. This meant that, even if I had the breakout box capacity, I couldn't connect all the switches and buttons.
  2. For the buttons, they were all collectively spliced and plugged into an "always on" outlet directly into my UPS, so lights on 24/7. Unfortunately, 3 of the buttons used incandescent bulbs, with the other two using LEDs.
For anyone unfamiliar, incandescent bulbs generate a LOT of heat. In this case, so much so that all three buttons not only broke, but did so spectacularly. The front piece snapped off and the coiled spring launched the thing across the room with a loud "SNAP!". Finally, I decided to fix things. I got more wire and new buttons. I decided to re-splice the power cable so that it could head into the cabinet and be controlled by the Apex, as well. As for the wire, I set up all the remaining switches to be ready if/when I get another breakout box. I also hooked up another 2 switches to fill out by breakouts that I've already got. Unfortunately, with all this, I couldn't solder them in place, which I would've preferred, but did some compression and tying along with tape and heat wrapping to keep everything together. I think.

20201107_121600.jpg

Before wiring them up, you can see that 3 switches have nothing coming off them. Now, they all do, and are stripped and capped.

20201107_121605.jpg

Button wiring for power (sides of the boxes) and switch control (middle and bottom). I snipped all these off for the 3 broken ones and had to reconnect everything.

As part of this, I also wanted to upgrade things with a better look, as well. I had used some painter's tape for small labels, and wanted to put in some better stuff.

20201107_205737.jpg

Obviously can't read most of them. Also note that this was before the temp probe swap, so 114 F. Apparently a nice sauna in there.

20201107_205743.jpg

New buttons (red, yellow, and blue) along with the old green and white are all controlled by apex now. The power for the lights are connected to the same switch as the cabinet lights, so they're only on when the door's open.

20201107_211447.jpg

New labels! So easy to read.

20201107_211456.jpg

The label maker also lets you use little symbols, so you gotta have some cute stuff.

Let's reduce ATO burden!

The last major upgrade I did for things was finding, at long last, an ATO reservoir that fits in the slim cabinet. It's a 5 gallon one, so I won't have to fill my mini 2 L one every other day. It's not enough to make the sump overflow, and I'll only have to fill it ~twice a month.

20201107_124758.jpg

Just getting the thing in place - you can see the old "container" in front - the left side of the 3-part dosing container acted as my topoff. So much refilling. Really tight fit, so I put the dosing container on the ledge above, leaning slightly against the new reservoir.

20201107_205024.jpg

Filled and set up! Let's do this!

The family!

Of course, an update wouldn't be complete without at least something of the fishies and stock.

20200908_071511.jpg


Everyone's always excited for feeding time. Yum yum yum. I think the chromis isn't in this one, but s/he is still around and kicking.

20200816_101138.jpg

I had a random terrestrial visitor on the return plumbing, as well. Hooray for a full ecosystem! Or something. It's fun :D .


Well that's it for today/the last few months, thanks for coming by, and hope that you're all being safe and doing well!
 

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Just a useful tip if you want. I try to clean my equipment each month and read that vinegar can be bad for your pumps and cause damage over time with continued use. Instead I use Critic Acid and it works great to clean everything off and is safe for your pumps.

 
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Curious - when your temp (erroneously) rose to 115 - did you get an alert from Apex fusion?

Yes, the alarm was constantly on and sending me emails and push notifications every hour or so. Got really annoying, so I just set the outlet to ON and relied on the heater's thermometer to keep things going steadily.
Just a useful tip if you want. I try to clean my equipment each month and read that vinegar can be bad for your pumps and cause damage over time with continued use. Instead I use Critic Acid and it works great to clean everything off and is safe for your pumps.



I've heard about doing the Citric Acid instead of vinegar as well. I heavily dilute the vinegar before using and just soak for awhile. I don't immerse the pumps, but the impellers will be in there and work well. At some point, I'll probably change out to the citric, though. Thanks so much!
 

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Cleaning, Upgrades, and Updates, OH MY!

As before, it's been far too long since I've been able to be on the site. Work has kept me extremely busy with a lot of COVID-19 research, helping out with remote learning, side hustling, and generally being otherwise engaged. As always, though, I would NEVER neglect my tank, and it's been going great, with me finishing up some upgrades this past weekend, and a few other things here and there, as well.

Clean the sump and other stuffs!

About a month ago, I realized that I'd literally never cleaned my skimmer, ever since I'd gotten it. The inside and outside was well-covered in coraline and other algae, so I figured it was time to do something about it. With some fresh RO water, vinegar, and a bit of elbow grease, I took everything apart down to removing the impeller and scrubbed it all good. While it was out, I cleaned up the sump section, as well, as it had some sand, algae, and other bits.

20201016_222603.jpg

Pre-disassembly, you can see the coraline buildup in particular on the inside.

20201016_223809.jpg

Time to scrub!

20201016_232545.jpg

So much nicer! The impeller had some debris from the sock(s) inside, along with some minor calcium buildup and the like, but I got it all cleared out and re-assembled pretty easily.

20201016_224824.jpg


20201016_230011.jpg

Quick bit of before and after for the skimmer section. I got as much of the sand as I could, but short of a pump, I can't quite get everything.

20201016_232742.jpg


20201016_232947.jpg

Back in and running like a champ! As always, took a bit to tune it back in, but still.

The temp is ridiculous!

As I mentioned in my last post, I had to re-calibrate my Apex temperature probe, as it was WAY off. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that it was just a warning of things to come. A little while after, the temp kept climbing higher and higher, eventually steadily saying 115 F. Obviously not the case, and unfortunately the calibration function stopped working to let me reset it effectively. Just last week @Bulk Reef Supply finally got some probes in, so I ordered one and got it installed this past weekend.

1605021148738.png

Now I have the heater power control back on the Apex, with a standard suction thermometer in the sump and, of course, the heater's internal remaining as a backup.

Other upgrades!!

I never really showed it, but waaaaay back when I first set up the Apex, I did a couple of weird/ stupid things:
  1. I ran out of wire. This meant that, even if I had the breakout box capacity, I couldn't connect all the switches and buttons.
  2. For the buttons, they were all collectively spliced and plugged into an "always on" outlet directly into my UPS, so lights on 24/7. Unfortunately, 3 of the buttons used incandescent bulbs, with the other two using LEDs.
For anyone unfamiliar, incandescent bulbs generate a LOT of heat. In this case, so much so that all three buttons not only broke, but did so spectacularly. The front piece snapped off and the coiled spring launched the thing across the room with a loud "SNAP!". Finally, I decided to fix things. I got more wire and new buttons. I decided to re-splice the power cable so that it could head into the cabinet and be controlled by the Apex, as well. As for the wire, I set up all the remaining switches to be ready if/when I get another breakout box. I also hooked up another 2 switches to fill out by breakouts that I've already got. Unfortunately, with all this, I couldn't solder them in place, which I would've preferred, but did some compression and tying along with tape and heat wrapping to keep everything together. I think.

20201107_121600.jpg

Before wiring them up, you can see that 3 switches have nothing coming off them. Now, they all do, and are stripped and capped.

20201107_121605.jpg

Button wiring for power (sides of the boxes) and switch control (middle and bottom). I snipped all these off for the 3 broken ones and had to reconnect everything.

As part of this, I also wanted to upgrade things with a better look, as well. I had used some painter's tape for small labels, and wanted to put in some better stuff.

20201107_205737.jpg

Obviously can't read most of them. Also note that this was before the temp probe swap, so 114 F. Apparently a nice sauna in there.

20201107_205743.jpg

New buttons (red, yellow, and blue) along with the old green and white are all controlled by apex now. The power for the lights are connected to the same switch as the cabinet lights, so they're only on when the door's open.

20201107_211447.jpg

New labels! So easy to read.

20201107_211456.jpg

The label maker also lets you use little symbols, so you gotta have some cute stuff.

Let's reduce ATO burden!

The last major upgrade I did for things was finding, at long last, an ATO reservoir that fits in the slim cabinet. It's a 5 gallon one, so I won't have to fill my mini 2 L one every other day. It's not enough to make the sump overflow, and I'll only have to fill it ~twice a month.

20201107_124758.jpg

Just getting the thing in place - you can see the old "container" in front - the left side of the 3-part dosing container acted as my topoff. So much refilling. Really tight fit, so I put the dosing container on the ledge above, leaning slightly against the new reservoir.

20201107_205024.jpg

Filled and set up! Let's do this!

The family!

Of course, an update wouldn't be complete without at least something of the fishies and stock.

20200908_071511.jpg


Everyone's always excited for feeding time. Yum yum yum. I think the chromis isn't in this one, but s/he is still around and kicking.

20200816_101138.jpg

I had a random terrestrial visitor on the return plumbing, as well. Hooray for a full ecosystem! Or something. It's fun :D .


Well that's it for today/the last few months, thanks for coming by, and hope that you're all being safe and doing well!
Love the toggle panel and buttons. Nice rework and upgrades! I have used 4:1 vinegar for all my stuff. But i agree that citric acid is prolly the way to go.
 

MnFish1

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Love the toggle panel and buttons. Nice rework and upgrades! I have used 4:1 vinegar for all my stuff. But i agree that citric acid is prolly the way to go.

Do you mean 4:1 or 1:4 (4:1 would be 4 parts vinegar to 1 part water)?
 
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Love the toggle panel and buttons. Nice rework and upgrades! I have used 4:1 vinegar for all my stuff. But i agree that citric acid is prolly the way to go.

Thanks very much! It's all been a long time coming, and I'm glad to finally get around to it all. Hoping that the holidays will allow me to get some new stock and the like, as well as some more new equipment. Someday, those XR30s will be mine....... but not any time soon. My Orbital Marine just doesn't cut it for the coral growth I want to see.

Do you mean 4:1 or 1:4 (4:1 would be 4 parts vinegar to 1 part water)?

I imagine this is the case, yes, and I'll typically do 1:3 at MOST, for really stuck on stuff, then rinse heavily in fresh RO.
 

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