ScottB

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I use Potassium Chloride. 2 Tablespoons per gallon
Interesting finding about using potassium chloride versus the tea tree oil or bayer dips:

Potassium chloride actually KILLS aefw. They shrivel up. The other stuff stuns and dislodges but they stay alive merrily cruising around the bottom and sides of the dip tray many hours later.

I had one small milli colony that did not like the dip and has largely bleached. It was already ailing for some reason. Just 1 of roughly 100. Similar loss rate to my other dips.

I appreciate the tip @shane backer; I'd never heard about potassium chloride for this purpose. Its cheap, seemingly effective, seems safe, easier to use than Bayer, and no harsher than melaleuca oil.
 
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Interesting finding about using potassium chloride versus the tea tree oil or bayer dips:

Potassium chloride actually KILLS aefw. They shrivel up. The other stuff stuns and dislodges but they stay alive merrily cruising around the bottom and sides of the dip tray many hours later.

I had one small milli colony that did not like the dip and has largely bleached. It was already ailing for some reason. Just 1 of roughly 100. Similar loss rate to my other dips.

I appreciate the tip @shane backer; I'd never heard about potassium chloride for this purpose. Its cheap, seemingly effective, seems safe, easier to use than Bayer, and no harsher than melaleuca oil.
It this the 1st time you where using it? i do 2 Tablespoon per 10 minutes. Really no colonies should die...
 

ScottB

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It this the 1st time you where using it? i do 2 Tablespoon per 10 minutes. Really no colonies should die...
Yup first time. Previous was Bayer (mild), Coral RX (harsh), and then Melafix (middle). None of them KILLED aefw but all of them would stun and get them to release when basting.

The colony that died was my last Event Horizon Mili colony. A very touchy coral. I lost another to aefw and or dipping. Although my ALK has bounced from 7 to 8.5 a couple times so might contribute. While I travel less than before c19, I m still on the road a fair amount. Does not help.
 

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Mr Backer how do you lower your nutrients when they get too high out of your range? Do you just believe in water changes? Or just depend on the algae scrubber?
 
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Mr Backer how do you lower your nutrients when they get too high out of your range? Do you just believe in water changes? Or just depend on the algae scrubber?

Hello- I have a special way of feeding i use american reef HPD and hang the food from a bag... this way nothing gets wasted and it keeps the no3 and po4 down naturally. I use a skimmer and an Algae Scrubber to remove any excess nutrients. I most have to dose no3 and po4 in my tank since it naturally stays so low. hope that helps!
 

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ok good change it out asap. Also it is very important once you change it out.. you need to burn off like 35 gallons of water before you use it.. but i already know you monitor the rate coming out of the membrane so you probably already do this lol
Curious how you came up with 35 gallons? I know you're supposed to run it for roughly an hour to get the preservative out of the filter.
 
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Curious how you came up with 35 gallons? I know you're supposed to run it for roughly an hour to get the preservative out of the filter.
35 gallons is what i have been burning off. probably way to much but i want to get the system fully ready before i use the water. I like to be over cautious
 
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A lot of people have been asking how I keep my no3 and po4 so low naturally with only using a skimmer and algae scrubber. I don’t run any GFO or Carbon.

See video and my methods below:

In the video you can see that all the food is suspended in a bag that the fish pick on for hours a day. No food gets wasted or blown all around the tank. There is no detritus going into a corner like a raw piece of food that then decomposes. The food I am using is a Gummy Consistency from American Reef HPD. I believe this method of feeding virtually brings the no3 and po4 down to 0.. I then control po4 and no3 by dosing them up with additives.

I try and keep my no3 between 16 and 32 and my po4 .08-.15

Feeding this way also keeps the fish super fat so they poop more on the corals and also keeps the fish less aggressive since they are always fed. I also use reef chili in the mix so as the fish pick on the food the reef chili comes off and feeds the corals. The food never disintegrates in the bag so the fish usually take about 3 hours to finish it. so, the reef gets fed for 3 hours a day. most people just throw in a bunch of food and a lot of it gets wasted and just dies off in your system create a nutrient spike.

Hopefully this help!
 

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A lot of people have been asking how I keep my no3 and po4 so low naturally with only using a skimmer and algae scrubber. I don’t run any GFO or Carbon.

See video and my methods below:

In the video you can see that all the food is suspended in a bag that the fish pick on for hours a day. No food gets wasted or blown all around the tank. There is no detritus going into a corner like a raw piece of food that then decomposes. The food I am using is a Gummy Consistency from American Reef HPD. I believe this method of feeding virtually brings the no3 and po4 down to 0.. I then control po4 and no3 by dosing them up with additives.

I try and keep my no3 between 16 and 32 and my po4 .08-.15

Feeding this way also keeps the fish super fat so they poop more on the corals and also keeps the fish less aggressive since they are always fed. I also use reef chili in the mix so as the fish pick on the food the reef chili comes off and feeds the corals. The food never disintegrates in the bag so the fish usually take about 3 hours to finish it. so, the reef gets fed for 3 hours a day. most people just throw in a bunch of food and a lot of it gets wasted and just dies off in your system create a nutrient spike.

Hopefully this help!

That feeding bad looks great. Do you know what brand it is?
 
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I got mine from American reef HPD

Appreciate sharing this stuff with us. Do you have any idea what that food is made of that makes it set up like that? I think Im going to buy some but kind of would like to know.
 

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This may be the nicest Frag in our whole system at the moment. Going to be Hard to let this one go as i really want to save it for the grow out :(


My favorite, too. Mine starting to take off

20201010_202508.jpg
 
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Appreciate sharing this stuff with us. Do you have any idea what that food is made of that makes it set up like that? I think Im going to buy some but kind of would like to know.



CHeck out this youtube video below it goes over the whole thing








also you can contact russ who owns the company and tell him Shane referred you. this stuff is legit it has worked very well for me the last 3 years and i will never switch back to regular food
 

When to mix up fish meal: When was the last time you tried a different brand of food for your reef?

  • I regularly change the food that I feed to the tank.

    Votes: 34 27.0%
  • I occasionally change the food that I feed to the tank.

    Votes: 41 32.5%
  • I rarely change the food that I feed to the tank.

    Votes: 38 30.2%
  • I never change the food that I feed to the tank.

    Votes: 9 7.1%
  • Other.

    Votes: 4 3.2%
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