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G Santana

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I dipped several zoas In hydrogen peroxide in order to kill off GHA on their plugs and i thought i melted two of them.
My Rastas and Blue berry fields were not happy and retreated to the point that I thought they had melted. Today some 18 days later, they are fully open and none were lost. That was my first time dipping them and it was definitely an experience.

Like all new tanks started with dead rock I experienced the ugly stages and the last of those was the GHA stage.
Playing the numbers game with Phosphates is a tough game to win.
I lowered them to the magic .03 in order to stave off GHA but the GHA came back with a fury so I tried dosing Phyto along with Vibrant and syphoning GHA daily and finally after a few weeks I see huge improvement. But I can't say with any degree of certainty what was the winning item or was it a combo.
But as the GHA has waned, dinos started to reappear. I noticed that my nitrates had bottomed out so I am doubling up on feeding and running my skimmer intermittently.

I have never been so aware of tank parameters as I am this go round with a reef tank.

Fuge, skimmer, scrubber oh my lol
So many things to watch and balance.

Reefing is AWESOME!!!
 

CMMorgan

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WOW I would have thought that your scrubber would outcompete the GHA. Dang Sounds like you are fighting a war.
I was in a LFS today that every tank was filled with GHA. My husband looks at the GSP and says ... I love that. Then he points to the GHA and goes, that ... not so much. They also had a big problem with aiptasia. Not a store that I would buy from.
I wish you the best of luck.
 
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G Santana

G Santana

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WOW I would have thought that your scrubber would outcompete the GHA. Dang Sounds like you are fighting a war.
I was in a LFS today that every tank was filled with GHA. My husband looks at the GSP and says ... I love that. Then he points to the GHA and goes, that ... not so much. They also had a big problem with aiptasia. Not a store that I would buy from.
I wish you the best of luck.
My scrubber went ballistic in the first few weeks I put it online, I had to scrape it weekly and it did lower my nitrates almost to the point that it isn't registering on the Salifert test kit and it did drop my phosphates but they are never stable they fluctuate from week to week but never too bad.
The scrubber now takes several weeks before needing to be cleaned.
Still GHA is hanging on lol
 

CMMorgan

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My scrubber went ballistic in the first few weeks I put it online, I had to scrape it weekly and it did lower my nitrates almost to the point that it isn't registering on the Salifert test kit and it did drop my phosphates but they are never stable they fluctuate from week to week but never too bad.
The scrubber now takes several weeks before needing to be cleaned.
Still GHA is hanging on lol
That scrubber was inspiring.... work of art! Are you carbon dosing?
 
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G Santana

G Santana

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That scrubber was inspiring.... work of art! Are you carbon dosing?
No carbon dosing... yet lol
I am trying to get the tank matured with as little gadgetry and interference as possible.

The reason I tried Vibrant was because inspite of my low numbers, it persisted and I was a bit desperate to get passed it.
But what I want to achieve is a tank that exists as best as I can get it without too many bells and whistles.
I love the gadgets that the hobby has created in the past 25 years but I want to get the tank matured without too much interference if you follow me.

My only other experience was many years ago with live rock in the same 130 gallon tank and I achieved a mature tank in what seemed months.
Now I know it's a different ballgame with dry rock, but at some point in time that dry rock has to become live rock.
So I'm waiting and going slow.
 

CMMorgan

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No carbon dosing... yet lol
I am trying to get the tank matured with as little gadgetry and interference as possible.

The reason I tried Vibrant was because inspite of my low numbers, it persisted and I was a bit desperate to get passed it.
But what I want to achieve is a tank that exists as best as I can get it without too many bells and whistles.
I love the gadgets that the hobby has created in the past 25 years but I want to get the tank matured without too much interference if you follow me.

My only other experience was many years ago with live rock in the same 130 gallon tank and I achieved a mature tank in what seemed months.
Now I know it's a different ballgame with dry rock, but at some point in time that dry rock has to become live rock.
So I'm waiting and going slow.
I appreciate that. I only suggested that because I had been using NoPox (my last tank) trying to lower my nitrates and it just would not work. I finally learned that they are connected. I had zero phosphate. I needed to raise my phosphate so I could lower my nitrate. It sounds complicated but I was watching the Macna video today with Lou Ekus and it makes sense from a chemistry standpoint. You have phosphate... it is just being consumed by the GHA. If you can raise the nitrate, you may be able to get it under control.
 
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G Santana

G Santana

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I appreciate that. I only suggested that because I had been using NoPox (my last tank) trying to lower my nitrates and it just would not work. I finally learned that they are connected. I had zero phosphate. I needed to raise my phosphate so I could lower my nitrate. It sounds complicated but I was watching the Macna video today with Lou Ekus and it makes sense from a chemistry standpoint. You have phosphate... it is just being consumed by the GHA. If you can raise the nitrate, you may be able to get it under control.
At the end of the week the family and I are going on vacation to Vegas for two weeks. When I get back I'll access where the tank stands and look at the phosphate/nitrate balance and look into dosing.
Thanks for the input
 

CMMorgan

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Have a great trip!!!
elvis presley rock GIF
 
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