Jimbo's CDA 250 Build
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Jimbo327
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Instead of pulling the GHA out by hand, I've just used a hose syphon into a filter sock in the sump. It's looking much better.
I also added another round of fluconazole last week because the GHA is still holding strong. I'm going to keep syphoning for a couple more days. I do notice that the remaining GHA are all near bubble algae on rocks. I think it is fueling it or keeping it alive.
I do have a bottle of Brightwell Razor that another reefer gave me, but I'm holding off to see if I can beat it with fluconazole first. Besides that, the brown dino looking crap is back on my sand and on my GHA. I will take a look at that under the microscope next week at my friend's work lab.
I also added another round of fluconazole last week because the GHA is still holding strong. I'm going to keep syphoning for a couple more days. I do notice that the remaining GHA are all near bubble algae on rocks. I think it is fueling it or keeping it alive.
I do have a bottle of Brightwell Razor that another reefer gave me, but I'm holding off to see if I can beat it with fluconazole first. Besides that, the brown dino looking crap is back on my sand and on my GHA. I will take a look at that under the microscope next week at my friend's work lab.
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Jimbo327
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I was shooting aiptasia with a syringe with some pickling lime. It's not too effective as it does come back as smaller aiptasia, but it's my way to control them.
I usually would kill the flow because I don't want that stuff getting on corals, but I guess I was injecting too many aiptasia. When I turned the powerheads back on, some of the pickling lime got into the flow and landed on a torch. It melted that head within the hour. ****! It is crazy how fast it killed it. And the next day, I see BJD on the dead head, and spreading fast to the head next to it. I quickly pulled that torch out and dropped it into a cipro dip for 24 hours. I left the container sitting in my sump to keep the temperature. Miraculously, the torch pulled through and I'm so happy that I can save it.
Safe to say that my peppermint shrimps are probably dead and never touched a single aiptasia.
I usually would kill the flow because I don't want that stuff getting on corals, but I guess I was injecting too many aiptasia. When I turned the powerheads back on, some of the pickling lime got into the flow and landed on a torch. It melted that head within the hour. ****! It is crazy how fast it killed it. And the next day, I see BJD on the dead head, and spreading fast to the head next to it. I quickly pulled that torch out and dropped it into a cipro dip for 24 hours. I left the container sitting in my sump to keep the temperature. Miraculously, the torch pulled through and I'm so happy that I can save it.
Safe to say that my peppermint shrimps are probably dead and never touched a single aiptasia.
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Jimbo327
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Not exactly sure what BJD is, I'm guessing it is a combination of dino, coral guts and bad bacteria. I know it started from the melted torch head. But no one really know the pathogen that causes BJD.
One of my long tentacle plates does not look good with brown "stuff" on it. I did a cipro dip, but not sure if it can be saved. I'm going to do an in-tank cipro treatment to try to stop whatever it is that is affecting some of my LPS. Following some other reefers treatment experience, I'm going with 0.125 mg/l dose other day for 3-4 total doses.
One of my long tentacle plates does not look good with brown "stuff" on it. I did a cipro dip, but not sure if it can be saved. I'm going to do an in-tank cipro treatment to try to stop whatever it is that is affecting some of my LPS. Following some other reefers treatment experience, I'm going with 0.125 mg/l dose other day for 3-4 total doses.
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Jimbo327
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Thanks. I've been adding more iodine to the tank as well. I'm going to add 1 drop of Lugol's iodine per day.
This plate doesn't look good. 3/4 of it is smothered by brown stuff. I'm going to take it out of the tank to suction out all that brown crap. Give it a better shot at recovering, but not happy with how quickly it is degrading.
This plate doesn't look good. 3/4 of it is smothered by brown stuff. I'm going to take it out of the tank to suction out all that brown crap. Give it a better shot at recovering, but not happy with how quickly it is degrading.
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Jimbo327
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After fighting this GHA for a couple months, I think I'm finally beating it. Here are some the lessons I learned.
1) Don't try to pull it out of the tank by hand, instead use a hose and syphon it into a fresh filter sock. You can get a brush to help loosen the GHA. I think mine is actually some type of green turf algae mixed with GHA because the roots were crazy strong. But this way is way way more efficient, I removed like 5x more GHA in the same amount of time. Also replace your filter socks often.
2) Fluconazole works. If you have a bad outbreak, you may need more than 1 round of fluconazole and you may need higher dosage to get results.
3) Keep up with the CUC snails. I think I had some snail die off in previous months combined with stray natural sunlight hitting the tank, and that really let the GHA grow out of control. And once it is out of control and past the tipping point, it's like trying to put out a raging fire. They won't touch any of the long stuff, and it is growing much faster than your snails/fish can eat it. Turbo and Trochus snails are the most efficient. I would get a mix of both.
1) Don't try to pull it out of the tank by hand, instead use a hose and syphon it into a fresh filter sock. You can get a brush to help loosen the GHA. I think mine is actually some type of green turf algae mixed with GHA because the roots were crazy strong. But this way is way way more efficient, I removed like 5x more GHA in the same amount of time. Also replace your filter socks often.
2) Fluconazole works. If you have a bad outbreak, you may need more than 1 round of fluconazole and you may need higher dosage to get results.
3) Keep up with the CUC snails. I think I had some snail die off in previous months combined with stray natural sunlight hitting the tank, and that really let the GHA grow out of control. And once it is out of control and past the tipping point, it's like trying to put out a raging fire. They won't touch any of the long stuff, and it is growing much faster than your snails/fish can eat it. Turbo and Trochus snails are the most efficient. I would get a mix of both.
Always worth keeping a plate even after they look dead. They can sometimes resurrect.
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Jimbo327
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GHA is pretty much gone. I'm getting a huge diatom/film algae bloom on my sand:glass, and letting the snails go munch on it. This is probably because I have turned off my skimmer about 2 weeks ago during the fluconazole treatment. I'm going to leave the skimmer off for another 1 week to see if the fluconazole treatment can kill off some bubble algae as well. I’ll take the brown film/diatom over the GHA. But overall, I’m feeling pretty good about my tank. I did lose some SPS frags to all the GHA outbreak, but my tank at least feels like it is going in the right direction. The SPS that is surviving looks good with decent polyp extension. Don’t want to jinx myself, but it’s been awhile since I’m feeling optimistic.
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Jimbo327
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Since diatoms incorporate silicates to grow, I was wondering what happens to the silicates when diatom dies or is eaten by snails/pods. Does silicate get released back into the water column to fuel more diatoms? Interestingly, it does not. Diatom converts it to silica into its shell and when they die, it become diatomaceous earth. Mind blown on where DE comes from, I use it in my pool filter LOL. I learned a great deal by reading this thread.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/when-diatoms-die-where-does-the-silicates-go.906356/
I guess I'll just wait and hopefully the diatom will be eaten up. It's ugly as hell, but just gotta roll with it. The snails have been feasting on the glass.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/when-diatoms-die-where-does-the-silicates-go.906356/
I guess I'll just wait and hopefully the diatom will be eaten up. It's ugly as hell, but just gotta roll with it. The snails have been feasting on the glass.
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Jimbo327
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Tested the tank water for nutrients since most GHA is gone.
Nitrate: 12.5 ppm
Phosphates: 0.30 ppm
As expected, my phosphates have definitely creeped up as I was below 0.10 ppm phosphates when I started the fluconazole. I don't want the phosphates to keep going higher. I'm going to change the filter floss and restart my skimmer. I can live with a little bit of bubble algae, and again, I have no idea where any of my 5 emerald crabs are. Maybe I have a crab/shrimp killer in my tank o_O because they are all MIA except my cleaner shrimp because he hangs out on the top of the return nozzle.
Nitrate: 12.5 ppm
Phosphates: 0.30 ppm
As expected, my phosphates have definitely creeped up as I was below 0.10 ppm phosphates when I started the fluconazole. I don't want the phosphates to keep going higher. I'm going to change the filter floss and restart my skimmer. I can live with a little bit of bubble algae, and again, I have no idea where any of my 5 emerald crabs are. Maybe I have a crab/shrimp killer in my tank o_O because they are all MIA except my cleaner shrimp because he hangs out on the top of the return nozzle.
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Jimbo327
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My tuxedo urchin wearing like 10+ trophy’s snails on his back. The snails are alive. He must first eats the coralline off their shells.
Nitrates: 14.1ppm
Phosphates: 0.28 ppm
Nitrates: 14.1ppm
Phosphates: 0.28 ppm
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Jimbo327
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The diatoms cleared up after starting the skimmer. My sand is clean with no brown crap at all. Feeling good.
The key to starting a diatom bloom is to turn off your skimmer and have high DOC. That may be handy if dino's show up.
Same shot as few days ago.
The key to starting a diatom bloom is to turn off your skimmer and have high DOC. That may be handy if dino's show up.
Same shot as few days ago.
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Jimbo327
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Merry Christmas everyone!
The tank finally looks good enough for me to take some photos, and feel like I know what I'm doing. LOL. I must have lost about 50% of my SPS frags since I started on the tank due to the immature/new reef biome, GHA, or dino's.
I still need to pull out every fish and snail to do a QT soon, so this may be the last time this tank looks this clean. Fingers crossed.
The tank finally looks good enough for me to take some photos, and feel like I know what I'm doing. LOL. I must have lost about 50% of my SPS frags since I started on the tank due to the immature/new reef biome, GHA, or dino's.
I still need to pull out every fish and snail to do a QT soon, so this may be the last time this tank looks this clean. Fingers crossed.
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Jimbo327
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For some reason, yellow SPS in my tank does well. While the other color SPS seem to STN, these survived through all my issues. They don’t grow fast, but at least they are alive and encrusting. They all started as tiny nubs/frags.
OG Tyree Pink Lemonade
RR Pink Floyd
WWC Afterparty
TCK Pikachu
RMF Tiger's Blood
(This one almost died from the GHA outbreak, the GHA killed the base)
OG Tyree Pink Lemonade
RR Pink Floyd
WWC Afterparty
TCK Pikachu
RMF Tiger's Blood
(This one almost died from the GHA outbreak, the GHA killed the base)
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Jimbo327
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I got this tiny "banana lokani" SPS nub at the last local coral show (a couple months back). I've been struggling with my SPS STN/RTN recently, so I got the smallest frag (in case I killed it).
It reminded me of a neon green candy cane coral with how bright radioactive green it is. My vision is going downhill fast, but even I can see this thing glow across the room. :cool:
It reminded me of a neon green candy cane coral with how bright radioactive green it is. My vision is going downhill fast, but even I can see this thing glow across the room. :cool:
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Jimbo327
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Week in review:
- My favorite torch is melting. Totally sucks because the 2 torches next to it is doing well. Did a water change, but no improvements. Just reminds me that reefing is hard.
- Some zoas and yuma decides to detach from its plug and just float away. Was able to get a couple mushroom boxes from another local reefer, so currently holding the floaters in them.
- Met up with a local reefer and bought some SPS frags to replace the ones that died during the last GHA outbreak. I have no idea what frags I got as they were mostly brown and seller didn't recollect the names, but hopefully there are some really nice pieces.
My magician zoas (palys?) did that. Just off they went and got lost under the rocks. I managed to recover one polyps but it melted on me. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Good luck with the fish! Catching fish is not something I want to do, ever, but going to happen soon for me due to upcoming tank transfer. SCR probably keeping you busy too!
Good luck with the fish! Catching fish is not something I want to do, ever, but going to happen soon for me due to upcoming tank transfer. SCR probably keeping you busy too!
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