Hart's Nano SPS Reef - Deep blue shallow tank, oxymoron?!?
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Well because I am bound and determined to prove I NEVER learn from anything, ever, I have some Dr. Mac clams coming today. I am pretty sure the clam above from the LFS has new growth, so whatever killed the DD clams either died out, or the guy above was able to fight it off. I did learn enough to not get another clam from DD, despite them having AMAZING looking blue squammies... and yes I look every day, haha.
Other then that nothing new to report, tank seems to be going well. I did have my avast ato pump leak some water. I caught it with just a little puddle, looks like the pump cut the tubing and was working on cutting it on the other end too. Showed a pic to avast thinking they would send me new tubing, but got a notice a whole new pump is coming! Great service. It does make sense a new pump is needed if this one has an issue cutting the tubing, but happy they sent a new one out very next morning.
Other then that nothing new to report, tank seems to be going well. I did have my avast ato pump leak some water. I caught it with just a little puddle, looks like the pump cut the tubing and was working on cutting it on the other end too. Showed a pic to avast thinking they would send me new tubing, but got a notice a whole new pump is coming! Great service. It does make sense a new pump is needed if this one has an issue cutting the tubing, but happy they sent a new one out very next morning.
Davy Jones
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Any tips on keeping goni's? Ive never had one but am on the hunt!
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I have found them pretty easy really. They used to be mostly wild, but now we have quite a few aquacultured ones. I would just make sure the vendor has fragged the mother colony a few times and it’s healed and frags are really aquacultured and not just wild and chopped.
Aside from that they seem to put up with various flow well, but I always keep in medium to high flow. Light seems tricker. 100-200 par has been best for me but would move if anything seems off like not extending.
Aside from that they seem to put up with various flow well, but I always keep in medium to high flow. Light seems tricker. 100-200 par has been best for me but would move if anything seems off like not extending.
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All three clams attached for a while now. The one had a hard time staying upright so put it on cut 1" black pvc ring and it attached to the ring and even attached the ring to the bottom of the tank. So far so good.
I have also had to increase my dosing, so perhaps these guys are doing well and sucking up the elements. Tested at 5.5 dkh... yikes. Slowly bringing it up with just more dosing.
I have alkatronic coming today. Yay! I hope it will provide some measure of backup with under or over dosing alk in this relatively small volume. I worry about a colony or clam that stops consuming alk – doesn’t take long for alk to spike, which makes other coral stop consuming which makes the spike worse… Or a doser stops working and alk plummets which is at least better than the other direction. Either way the alkatronic and doser should work together pretty slick.
I have also had to increase my dosing, so perhaps these guys are doing well and sucking up the elements. Tested at 5.5 dkh... yikes. Slowly bringing it up with just more dosing.
I have alkatronic coming today. Yay! I hope it will provide some measure of backup with under or over dosing alk in this relatively small volume. I worry about a colony or clam that stops consuming alk – doesn’t take long for alk to spike, which makes other coral stop consuming which makes the spike worse… Or a doser stops working and alk plummets which is at least better than the other direction. Either way the alkatronic and doser should work together pretty slick.
OP
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No issues setting alkatronic up and matches salifert test. Yay!
It’s not silent for sure but manageable for the few times I will be running it. Very cool gear and the support and updates are amazing. Next level gear!
It’s not silent for sure but manageable for the few times I will be running it. Very cool gear and the support and updates are amazing. Next level gear!
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Weekly WC complete. Best part of a nano is 5g bucket waterchange in just a few minutes!
I have always been a fan of high alk for coral growth but in nano too worried about overshoot if a coral/clam dies. Already pulling 2dkh/day.
But now have alkatronic! Going to set dkh at 12. Will keep eye on nutrients to hopefully avoid Burt tips, but without the alk monitor I would never try all this high.
I have always been a fan of high alk for coral growth but in nano too worried about overshoot if a coral/clam dies. Already pulling 2dkh/day.
But now have alkatronic! Going to set dkh at 12. Will keep eye on nutrients to hopefully avoid Burt tips, but without the alk monitor I would never try all this high.
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OP
Oh yea. The 3 PEA clams been about 1.5 WK in tank. Still attached well. I might see growth on one although it's probably my hope! With the massive increase I have had to make last week in 2 part, almost 50% more, I think it's reasonable to think the clams are growing. At least for now! Fingers crossed.
Upped my lights a little bit a while back. Some acros seemed ok with it but others faded a bit. I would turn the lights back a bit but I don't wanna mess with happy clams.
Upped my lights a little bit a while back. Some acros seemed ok with it but others faded a bit. I would turn the lights back a bit but I don't wanna mess with happy clams.
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Just for my own notes: made up another 2g of Randy/Jim hydroxide 2 part but at 1/4 strength. I will go to half strength next time but I almost forgot what concentration last time so noting it here!
Also set reminder that BRS mixing jugs are not much more than 1g so it gets tight when adding the chemicals. Remember to mark 1 g on the jug (ideally by weight) then put in around 80% of the water, chemical and bring to volume of 1g!
Also set reminder that BRS mixing jugs are not much more than 1g so it gets tight when adding the chemicals. Remember to mark 1 g on the jug (ideally by weight) then put in around 80% of the water, chemical and bring to volume of 1g!
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I spend way too long looking at clam shells to see new growth! It does appear the new clams have new growth but hard to tell 100% at this point. I see Dr Mac has some nice greens in, very tempting… but IF these guys are doing well I really shouldn’t push my luck particularly after the rocky start this system had, to put it mildly. It’s just so tempting, but I shall remain strong! Better to have 4 healthy maximas than 4 dead ones from disease…. PLUS I don’t have much space PLUS the money… BUT so temping!
I wanted to run alk around 12, this becomes a balancing act with precipitation though. I don’t want to start dosing excessive amounts of 2 part just so I can hit a number. The tank seems to be settling in around 10.5 dkh-11dkh night/day cycle, much higher and seems to hit diminishing returns with amount added gaining very little rise although I don’t notice precipitation on the heater or pumps, but there is no need to push it. Using the hydroxide 2 part pH will be higher, if I was using bicarbonate I might attempt to go a higher alk, but again, tank seems to settle here so no need to rock the boat.
Overall tank is going well, I am keeping a close eye on nitrates to keep them from bottoming out and add sodium nitrate when it starts getting low. Phosphate seem to run pretty high in this system probably with all my feeding of baby brine shrimp, it’s tricky to manage in this system and I think I will just let the fuge handle it unless it gets above 0.1.
Few SPS are starting to branch out on bottom of the tank, nice to see. I wonder if they will bond with the glass. Still am wondering if I don’t need to drop intensity just a little bit.
I wanted to run alk around 12, this becomes a balancing act with precipitation though. I don’t want to start dosing excessive amounts of 2 part just so I can hit a number. The tank seems to be settling in around 10.5 dkh-11dkh night/day cycle, much higher and seems to hit diminishing returns with amount added gaining very little rise although I don’t notice precipitation on the heater or pumps, but there is no need to push it. Using the hydroxide 2 part pH will be higher, if I was using bicarbonate I might attempt to go a higher alk, but again, tank seems to settle here so no need to rock the boat.
Overall tank is going well, I am keeping a close eye on nitrates to keep them from bottoming out and add sodium nitrate when it starts getting low. Phosphate seem to run pretty high in this system probably with all my feeding of baby brine shrimp, it’s tricky to manage in this system and I think I will just let the fuge handle it unless it gets above 0.1.
Few SPS are starting to branch out on bottom of the tank, nice to see. I wonder if they will bond with the glass. Still am wondering if I don’t need to drop intensity just a little bit.
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Coming up on 3 weeks. Still attached and looking good. I think I can see new growth, but I can't tell 100% yet on all 3. The other clam is now around 10 weeks and has clearly grown. It will need few more weeks to be sure, but it seems that whatever happened with the Diver's Den clams - disease or parasite - died out when the tank was empty, but again it's too soon to tell with the PEA clams, however the growth in 10 weeks from the LFS clam is great and more than any others since the DD mess. For the record, and one can look back, the cherry corals clams looked good, the direct from ORA clams were also good every time and attached quickly. The DD squammy and derasa has no growth. Ironically 5 years ago or so I bought a blue squammy from DD that killed all my clams in my old system that previously had been doing well. Doesn't mean anything conclusive, but hard to dismiss. I did also switch from Kessil to orphek, but I had one of those clams in a pico with a160 that was growing and it died when introduced to the other clams, so I don't think it was the lighting. DD facilities are top notch, so it's odd for sure, but at this point I don't see what other conclusion I can draw.
I wanted to keep alk pretty high, but using Randy/Jim hydroxide 2part means high pH so was having precipitation. I am letting alk drop to the 9.0 range and will see how it settles out there. Might have to go down to 8 range, but will see what the system stabilizes at. I am sure could run higher alk with baking soda, but I think the growth seen with high alk is also with high pH so it doesn't really matter.
Will try and get some quick pics in a bit here! SPS is starting to spread on the bottom glass, that is fun to watch. I did reduce light intensity a little bit and added cloud feature as while some acros looked happy others were a bit bleached.
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A testimony to the coverage, but it's hard to get pics of tank without light reflection on surface hence the dark top down of clams since had to block the light.
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Phosphates 0.043ppm, nitrate ~1ppm. Will manually dose some nitrate tonight. Also am dosing 3ml acropower so that will help nitrates, had plastic crack on a dosing head so had it shut off but repaired the fitting.
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I have a coral I really like right in the front. Some type of acro, it hasn't done every well and not sure why.
Well I saw one of the blue/green chromis picking at it! Several times, swims down and bites it!
Not sure why or what to do...
Well I saw one of the blue/green chromis picking at it! Several times, swims down and bites it!
Not sure why or what to do...
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