Hermie's 23 Gallon Nano Build

[Hermie]

Just Tested:

• Alkalinity 10 dKH

 

[Hermie]

Just Tested:

• Alkalinity 11.5 dKH

So I recently added a carbon reactor and phosguard reactor. That seems to have done something to strip my water of whatever was helping keep alkalinity stable. Alkalinity is going up and some coral tissue is receding. I've removed the carbon/phosguard reactor and slightly lowered my all-for-reef dosing. I will continue to monitor alkalinity hoping it will go down. Worst case scenario I will do a water change with lower alkalinity water, or I will dose acid buffer...

 

[Hermie]

Just Tested:

• Phosphates: 0.75 ppm to 1.25 ppm

I guess I didn't strip the phosphates as much as I thought I did. I could use more phosguard at this level...

 

[Hermie]

Just Tested:

• Alkalinity 10.5 dKH

 

[Hermie]

Massive tissue recession going on, montipora (multiples), platygyra (first time ever), other corals as well. However the Walt Disney and Appleberry monti look 100% fine. I'm not sure what is going on.

Alkalinity: 10 dKH
Salinity: 1.026 sg

I do need to do a water change...

 

[Hermie]

Just had a skimmer overflow onto the floor. In the process of cleaning that up now.



Just now tested,

• Salinity: 1.0254 sg

 

[Hermie]

Just now tested,

• Salinity: 1.0253 sg

Tanks not doing great but it's mainly LPS struggling right now. The SPS are doing alright... montis and the WD.
Working on an overhaul right now including fully cleaning skimmer and will try to get pictures after.

 

[Hermie]

Just tested:

14.5 dKH


In response, I added 4 grams acid buffer; will retest alkalinity in a few hours and possibly add more.

Tank is going though a slow crash atm including polup bailout and aiptasia explosion.

I am now thinking the aiptasia is taking over because the corals are having a really bad parameter environment. I thought the aiptasia was the cause of the coral problems but it's the water parameters that are preventing the corals from natural defenses against aiptasia.

 

[Hermie]

Just tested:

9 dKH

 

[Hermie]

Just tested:

8.5 dKH

In response, I plugged the carbo calcium dosing back in.


The tank seems to have stabilized; the sps are doing fine and recovering while the LPS have a long road to recovery. Mainly because most of them attempted polyp bailout but since the water parameters are good again they've ceased deteriorating and seem to be attempting to settle. I may super glue some of the polyps to ceramic plugs or plates.

I also plugged the 1/4" return line back into the sump refugium chamber to better circulate water through the chaeto. The chaeto is all healthy as far as I can see.

I'm still dialing back in the skimmer.

 

[Hermie]

Had a skimmer mishap earlier now corrected.

Just tested,

• Salinity: 1.0246 sg

Will add 300 grams of salt to the tank to compensate back to 35 ppt

 

[Hermie]

Just tested,

• Alk: 9 dKH

I turned off dosing until it gets under 8. I want to swap back to kalkwasser from AFR.

 

[Hermie]

Just Tested:

• Alkalinity 8 dKH
• Calcum 500 ppm
• Mag 1350-1400

So my calcium is high

 

[Hermie]

Just Tested:

• Alkalinity 7.5-8 dKH

Going to hook up kalk dosing tonight

 

[Hermie]

Just Tested:

• Alkalinity 7.5 dKH
• Calcum 460 ppm

 

[Hermie]

Just Tested:

• Alkalinity 9 dKH

Corals are not looking good. I don't know why...

I need to do a water change soon I believe.

BTW the Walt disney is a goner. Not sure what I changed recently but I did stop the All for Reef and started Kalk again... That maybe did it?

 

[Hermie]

Tested last night:

• Alkalinity 9.5 dKH

 

[Hermie]

Tested last night:

• Alkalinity 10.5 dKH

in response I lowered the kalk dosing

 

[Hermie]

QUESTION OF THE DAY - What types of Macroalgae do you have in your Reef System? Are they beneficial so far?

I have Halimeda and came on live rock, chaeto in sump, and whatever this is. What is this?

www.reef2reef.com

I just removed a literal pound of chaeto from my 15 gallon sump.

How do I know it was a pound?
I weighed it.

The entire refugium space was completely PACKED with chaeto. I have a feeling this might be why my tank has been suffering really bad lately. The refugium was literally stripping everything out of the water column.

 

[Hermie]

Tested Alkalinity:


10.5 dKH