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mattgsa
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I'm sure it is going to happen, one of these days while I'm on a cruise. Not to mention I don't have a tank sitter that knows anything about reef tanks.
Mattgsa 315 gallon build
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mattgsa
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I have decided to give Kalk another try in an attempt to raise my PH. But this time I have hooked my Kalk reactor directly to my ATO since I have no idea how to calculate the number of gallons the system evaporates every day. I dropped the calcrx down to 7mls a minute. I will of course keep a close eye on my Alk and Calcium.
I also broke down today and decided to give Flux RX another go, I really want to nip this algae problem in the butt now and not later. I think I stopped the treatment to soon last time. I think I know how I got it in the system and that will not happen again.
I also broke down today and decided to give Flux RX another go, I really want to nip this algae problem in the butt now and not later. I think I stopped the treatment to soon last time. I think I know how I got it in the system and that will not happen again.
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cmaxwell39
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Sorry for all the issues. When it rains it pours it seems.
Glad you were able to get everything figured out. Are you going to be running Kalk in your ATO? Or are you going to dose a set amount of saturated kalk every day?
Glad you were able to get everything figured out. Are you going to be running Kalk in your ATO? Or are you going to dose a set amount of saturated kalk every day?
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mattgsa
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Thanks, certainly hope so.
I hooked the ATO pump to the Kalk reactor, that way my ATO pump never comes in contact with the Kalk.
SA is bound to have some decent LFS around. They make most of their money from servicing tanks. Do some reconn and introduce yourself to one of those service techs. Negotiate an "on the side" cash rate with him/her. You will save 50% and the kid will make 50% more than they make through the LFS.
My guy is awesome. Between him and my APEX, I can vacation pretty safely.
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mattgsa
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I just need to find one that I trust. I quit buying livestock at the LFS because they all come with some sorta parasite, and I don't have the space for quarantine. I love your idea.
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mattgsa
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I was watching Reef Beef on Youtube, and they keep stating that if you let your rock sit for months without light you will avoid the algae. I started my tank on Oct 25 or 26, and the lights were not added to the tank until March. I still got every type of algae could possibly imagine.
cmaxwell39
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I personally feel that it is biological balance that has to be achieved. If you start with dead rock and let it sit for years without introducing beneficial bacteria strains through dosing or real live rock I think you are going to have issues While the tank naturally builds up those "good" bacteria populations through fish/invert/coral introductions.
As a personal anecdote, in 2010 I started a 150 gallon tank with all bleached and acid bathed dead rock. Started dosing MB7 from day one and was putting fish in in less than a month, and SPS in in three months. That tank thrived. I had one hair algae outbreak that lasted about a month and resolved pretty much on its own, but SPS not only survived, they grew significantly with in the first few months on starting the tank.
when I started up my current tank I once again used all dead rock that had been cured in saltwater for 6+ months before the tank started. Other than having some starter bacteria thrown at them I didn't consistently dose bacteria. For over a year I couldn't keep SPS alive and was fighting random algae issues constantly. Finally started dosing MB7 and corals that had been STNing started to recover within weeks. I still have some algae in the tank, but never seems to get out of control.
I am not saying that just dosing a bacteria product like MB7, zeo, or probido is a magic pill, Just that it has worked for me. I do also dose a bit of vodka, but for my system volume it is very little.
As a personal anecdote, in 2010 I started a 150 gallon tank with all bleached and acid bathed dead rock. Started dosing MB7 from day one and was putting fish in in less than a month, and SPS in in three months. That tank thrived. I had one hair algae outbreak that lasted about a month and resolved pretty much on its own, but SPS not only survived, they grew significantly with in the first few months on starting the tank.
when I started up my current tank I once again used all dead rock that had been cured in saltwater for 6+ months before the tank started. Other than having some starter bacteria thrown at them I didn't consistently dose bacteria. For over a year I couldn't keep SPS alive and was fighting random algae issues constantly. Finally started dosing MB7 and corals that had been STNing started to recover within weeks. I still have some algae in the tank, but never seems to get out of control.
I am not saying that just dosing a bacteria product like MB7, zeo, or probido is a magic pill, Just that it has worked for me. I do also dose a bit of vodka, but for my system volume it is very little.
I don't think I have ever completely avoided any uglies, but there is no question in my mind that live rock starts go infinitely smoother.
The last build I did was 100% sump rock from 3 different systems, 2 coral systems and one huge fish system. We went with the instan-tank method, having it pretty much stocked within about 4 weeks. Fish, softies, LPS and a bunch of staghorn. We only lost one of about 30 fish, and only a couple specie of coral did not make the transition. The tank had a small run with dinos, and then some brown furry algae for a couple months and that was it. It has a pretty heavy stocking of herbivores. That tank is in my build thread.
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mattgsa
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You're making me want to give MB7 another try. Thanks
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mattgsa
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I have seen your thread, you have a beautiful tank. I added live rock to the tank, I can't say with any certainty what it did or didn't do. However, I'm still having algae issues. The urchins I bought are all dead. I found their remains last night when cleaning up the tank.
cmaxwell39
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Just make sure to go slow with it. I started with a 25-30% dose and have ramped up to a 50% of recommended daily dose. Also watch your nutrients while dosing. It has done good things for me, but there are many ways to run a successful SPS tank.
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mattgsa
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Well, I was looking over things and noticed that the pump to the Kalk reactor was not working. I figured it was gummed up with old Kalk since it has been sitting a while. So I took it apart, and I broke the impeller. 
So I have ordered another pump online. However, it will not be here until the 7th.
So I have ordered another pump online. However, it will not be here until the 7th.
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mattgsa
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I've decided to try fluconazole again. I added enough for 100 gallons today. I'm hoping that if I up the dose slowly it will be less of a shock to the corals. I just hope I don't lose a lot of them. I'm really tired of pulling out dead corals.
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mattgsa
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Alright, I was just reading another article that stated raising mg levels could also kill bryopsis algae. Has any heard of this before? I have lots of MG around hear and I don't think it would be as toxic to the corals.
GBRsouth
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I've heard of that before, but have not experienced bryopsis myself. Be aware that I have also heard of high magnesium levels killing snails, so you need to put them in another system while your mag levels are elevated.
cmaxwell39
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I have heard of that. From what I remember best results were from using a specific brand of mag supplement. I think it was Kent, but I can't remember for sure. With BRS or other mag supplements results were mixed if I remember correctly.
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mattgsa
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Well perhaps in the future, I have too many snails in the system with nowhere to put them. I really don't want to buy all new clean-up crew.
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