Ivan's pico reef!
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- Thread starter Iván Olalla
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OP
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Iván Olalla
Well-Known Member
Also did the math and with a flow sensor know i know my turnover:
Flow to back sump is 4.5 times water volume
Turnover on the display and flow is 30 times water volume per hour, zoas, gorgonian and euphilias are very well adapted to the flow and the SPS love it!
Flow to back sump is 4.5 times water volume
Turnover on the display and flow is 30 times water volume per hour, zoas, gorgonian and euphilias are very well adapted to the flow and the SPS love it!
reeferKen
Active Member
Appreciate you sharing your photos and all your information here. Beautiful tank ! and that little light seems to have worked out real good. It's a good idea you and your buddy can share the Par meter function
good job it’s tank of the month material anywhere, just great!
Hey if you could list the top five or so things that kept your tank uninvaded, from any invader, we want to track those trends relative to tank volume since you’ve attained dense growth with no invasion
Did it invade then become clean, or stay clean the whole time?
At this point literal exclusion of vital space by coral flesh becomes the most powerful algae/ invader resistant area in the tank
Why do large tank keepers have such trials with algae and dinos yet nanos don’t
Hey if you could list the top five or so things that kept your tank uninvaded, from any invader, we want to track those trends relative to tank volume since you’ve attained dense growth with no invasion
Did it invade then become clean, or stay clean the whole time?
At this point literal exclusion of vital space by coral flesh becomes the most powerful algae/ invader resistant area in the tank
Why do large tank keepers have such trials with algae and dinos yet nanos don’t
OP
OP
Iván Olalla
Well-Known Member
Tks! I do have a zoa hoarding habit!
OP
OP
Iván Olalla
Well-Known Member
Tks! Yes, very happy with the light and a PAR meter is a game changing toy for sure!
OP
OP
Iván Olalla
Well-Known Member
Tks a lot! I try to mimic and emulate some of the amazing reefs here in R2R. It's a non stop source of reef knowledge and i love the site!
I'll try to make a simple and understandable explanation of my personal aproach to dealing with unwanteds in the reef, i'll do it from the office before the weekend.
But i must say that i'm kind of old school regarding my "method", keep it simple, adress the issues in a subtle way, let things balance out, test, test, test and do some more tests...but don't chase numbers, or react in a hurry, the biotope must be left alone to mature on it's own, just correct little things to keep them in a range where the reef can roam and adjust itself. Also i do very long cycles on the start, i let the biotope to go trough all the ugly phases and reach a balance on it's own.
Tks again for your kind words, i'll try and answer the questions providing some data from my reef log before this weekend!
Regards!
I'll try to make a simple and understandable explanation of my personal aproach to dealing with unwanteds in the reef, i'll do it from the office before the weekend.
But i must say that i'm kind of old school regarding my "method", keep it simple, adress the issues in a subtle way, let things balance out, test, test, test and do some more tests...but don't chase numbers, or react in a hurry, the biotope must be left alone to mature on it's own, just correct little things to keep them in a range where the reef can roam and adjust itself. Also i do very long cycles on the start, i let the biotope to go trough all the ugly phases and reach a balance on it's own.
Tks again for your kind words, i'll try and answer the questions providing some data from my reef log before this weekend!
Regards!
OP
OP
Iván Olalla
Well-Known Member
Good afternoon:
Q:"Did it invade then become clean, or stay clean the whole time?"
A: i let my tanks start with long cycles, i´ve seen the cycle extend to the 8th or 9th month mark several times, of course i´ve livestock in them but the balance is more noticeable around that time, i´m talking in the 10-100 gallon range since i´vent owned bigger tanks. During the cycle i do get green hair algae, diatomea and film algae. Cyano on some but the fewer of the lot. To me those type of algae are perfectly normal and the tank will find an equilibrium where these are less and less an issue over time. I do scrape and pick out some patches, but mostly for nutrient export and help the balance on the start, not as a solution to a problem as i don´t see that kind of algae as a problem but as a symptom of the chemical balance and maturity of the tank. In other words: no, it didn´t start clean, but became clean after a while.
"Hey if you could list the top five or so things that kept your tank uninvaded, from any invader, we want to track those trends relative to tank volume since you’ve attained dense growth with no invasion"
-let the tank mature and balance itself, test, observe and do something if needed, but try keep your hands out of it and work on it´s own
-dry cured rock for start and seed the biofilter with aragonite and rubble samples of other reefers to increase biodiversity (always from a pest free tank)
-don´t crack up lighting chasing par numbers for your corals, they will be fine with a low intensity and adjust to bigger number afterwards, but if you give nutrients and light to the algae it will outcompete your corals on the start for sure
-don´t bring unwanteds...dip corals and if possible loose the frag plug and use a new and cured one from your display
-Redfield ratio and balance of nutrients is a good start to keep things in range
-keep your hands out but don´t skip on your testing and maintenance routine to keep the tank inside the range of numbers you and your critters feel comfortable with
-test, observe and if there´s some issue that needs your intervention or you want to dial something do it always in a very subtle way and make small adjustments, unless it´s an emergency situation (which i only have had with equipment failure)
-thrive for stability inside a range but dont chase numbers
"At this point literal exclusion of vital space by coral flesh becomes the most powerful algae/ invader resistant area in the tank
Why do large tank keepers have such trials with algae and dinos yet nanos don’t"
Totally agree with you here, with dense population i can dial my nutrient levels and tweak them for experimentation without worrying about an invasion or outbreak...regarding large aquaria i would think that the chemistry is a lot more stable due to the volume of water, but the biofilter takes a lot more time to reach maturity...don´t get me wrong, the nitrogen cycle could be almost perfect in a large tank, but the bacteria strains are still fighting between themselves to establish dominance, i would think that these "little wars" with fights, retreats and comebacks is a good environment for oportunistic unwanteds....either by having a monoculture of bacteria after the establishment of the dominant or a battle between strains... IMHO
As an example: i dont add bacteria to my tank... i might have a monoculture established by now, dont know...or maybe i seed biodiversity a little with new frags coming in all the time...who knows? but it works for now!
Happy reefing and weekend!
OP
OP
Iván Olalla
Well-Known Member
Extra tip regarding algae: i do use an oxidator in my tanks, keeps oxygen high, breaks down nasties and keeps the water clean (no yellow or green tint), helps a lot with algae, i clean film algae from the glass once a week and not a lot of it to clean anyway...highly recomended, low cost and non electricity dependant device to keep water crystal clear!
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