Mattgsa 315 gallon build

[mattgsa]

Is anyone else spending too much money on the black Friday event at BRS? I spend a lot of money every year hoping to win a freebee, but that has never happened. However, I'm always optimistic it will happen this year.

 

[Tahoe61]

Are your algae issues in the display and or in a sump? The best algae eating machine I have ever had were Abalone.
Pro: They are out at night mowing down the algae. Long lived, hardy. Fish don't typically bother them.
Cons: They are strong and can move rock structures, heaters and pumps. At certain times of year they are difficult to find on the market.

 

[mattgsa]

Are your algae issues in the display and or in a sump? The best algae eating machine I have ever had were Abalone.
Pro: They are out at night mowing down the algae. Long lived, hardy. Fish don't typically bother them.
Cons: They are strong and can move rock structures, heaters and pumps. At certain times of year they are difficult to find on the market.

Just in the tank, I have actually had two Abalone; one died the day after I bought it, and the other died a few months ago. I agree they are great. I seem to have the worst luck with the clean-up crew. Every time I buy them, half or more die within the first day or two. For example, I just spent 300 on Blue Tux's and half died the next day. Right now, I can only find 3 of the 10 I bought. Before that, I purchased 25 turbo snails; they all died the same day. I bought ten more of them, and some are still alive. Spending money on the cleanup crew is getting harder and harder.

 

[85173]

Is anyone else spending too much money on the black Friday event at BRS? I spend a lot of money every year hoping to win a freebee, but that has never happened. However, I'm always optimistic it will happen this year.

No! Imagine the cost of shipping to Australia! Would definitely make it an expensive purchase!

 

[Tahoe61]

Just in the tank, I have actually had two Abalone; one died the day after I bought it, and the other died a few months ago. I agree they are great. I seem to have the worst luck with the clean-up crew. Every time I buy them, half or more die within the first day or two. For example, I just spent 300 on Blue Tux's and half died the next day. Right now, I can only find 3 of the 10 I bought. Before that, I purchased 25 turbo snails; they all died the same day. I bought ten more of them, and some are still alive. Spending money on the cleanup crew is getting harder and harder.

Do you think the tank was ever treated with medications like copper. It doesn't really make any sense that hardy inverts die off.

 

[mattgsa]

Do you think the tank was ever treated with medications like copper. It doesn't really make any sense that hardy inverts die off.

I have never put copper in the tank. That said, the last time the tank was moved, something got put in the water, and all the fish died 2-3 days later. Then I bought new fish, and they started dying. So I did 2 200 gallon water changes back to back, and all the fish were OK. I still don't know what got in the water that caused all the die-off. I paid a well-known LFS to do the move and provide the water. I never expected to have that problem. I have been having issues ever since. That being said, I have started to see an improvement here recently. However, I have been doing automatic water changes every day since then. I think I ordered the new DOS yesterday, and I intend to use it to do a continuous water change. I bought an ICP test and never took it to the post office. I will try to do that this week.

 

[mattgsa]

I think I'm going to cut back on how much I worry about PH. I will focus on the main three: Alk, calc, and mag. I have been watching the WWC channel on YouTube, and they don't really worry about PH. They due drip kalk which I will do, however, that's it.

 

[mattgsa]

Well, I got some of the things I ordered. I may have gone a little overboard

 

[lbacha]

I think I'm going to cut back on how much I worry about PH. I will focus on the main three: Alk, calc, and mag. I have been watching the WWC channel on YouTube, and they don't really worry about PH. They due drip kalk which I will do, however, that's it.

Keep nutrients in check and Alk stable (number doesn’t matter much as long as it is above 7) cal and mag are less important to monitor as they don’t change very quickly

 

[mattgsa]

Keep nutrients in check and Alk stable (number doesn’t matter much as long as it is above 7) cal and mag are less important to monitor as they don’t change very quickly

My calcium was testing at 0 with the Trident, so luckily, I ordered some and added it, and now the Trident says it's in the 200s. Once I get them stable, I think I will put the Calcium reactor back on.

 

[Janci]

Is anyone else spending too much money on the black Friday event at BRS? I spend a lot of money every year hoping to win a freebee, but that has never happened. However, I'm always optimistic it will happen this year.

And? did it happen this year?

 

[mattgsa]

And? did it happen this year?

No, once again, nothing but a bunch of 10-dollar coupons that have to be used before the end of December. However, I already bought everything I needed. The good news is I think I did save some money.

 

[mattgsa]

However, I'm getting my first set of coral in since the tank crashed. I ordered three corals from Black Label Aquatics, including my first-ever Torch.
BLA Green Envy Torch
TSA Princess Peach
ARC Master Yoda

 

[lbacha]

However, I'm getting my first set of coral in since the tank crashed. I ordered three corals from Black Label Aquatics, including my first-ever Torch.
BLA Green Envy Torch
TSA Princess Peach
ARC Master Yoda

Nice I added a ARC Master Yoda to my new tank and my first torch as well (Hellfire). Hope all does well for you.

 

[mattgsa]

The new corals came in yesterday, and I just put them on some disks and put them at the bottom of the tank. I decided to go ahead and test PO4 and NO3, and to my surprise, PO4 was at .009 and NO3 was at 0. I assumed it was higher due to the Alage problem, however, my mangrove has started to go down, now I know why. So I had a bottle of sodium nitrate and dumped in what I thought was the right amount to get to 5; I then dosed some Phos-Feed, Fuel, and some Phyto. I just wanted to make sure the corals have something to eat. I tested the water this morning, worried I may have put too much in the tank, and once again, I'm surprised I'm at 5.2 nitrates. I understand that Phos-Feed is organic and will not register on the test. My only problem is finding a place in the tank with a low enough flow for the torch.

 

[mattgsa]

I’ve decided I’m not happy with the type of rock in my tank, so I’m considering switching to Marco shelf rock. I’ve always admired the unique and intricate rock structures I’ve seen in other aquariums, and I’m excited about the opportunity to create something similar in my own setup.

Does anyone have advice on transitioning from live rock to dead rock and starting fresh?

This time, I plan to design and build the rock structures rather than just stacking the rocks. One challenge I’ve faced is securing and keeping corals in place, so I’d like to address that by creating more stable and intentional structures. I also want to incorporate a variety of caves, both large and small, to provide comfortable sleeping spaces for my fish.

For example, my Dumasarius tang is quickly outgrowing the current caves and often has to squeeze in sideways, which doesn’t look very comfortable. I want to ensure the new caves better accommodate him and the other inhabitants.

Additionally, I’m considering elevating the entire rock structure to improve water flow beneath it and reduce areas where fish poop can accumulate. If anyone has experience or tips on achieving this, I’d love to hear them.

Thanks in advance for your input!

 

[lbacha]

Glue up smaller structures outside the tank and then add them a couple at a time so they can build up bacteria. The rockwork in my tank looks like a solid structure but it is completely open underneath and I get great water flow through it

 

[mattgsa]

Well, we will be moving to a new house in January. We are set to close in the middle of January. The good news is it's a bigger house with more room (Bigger tank. LOL). I will do more research; I don't want to lose any animals this time. I also want to get a new stand from Alufab.

 

[lbacha]

You will love Alufab, mine is great and so open and easy to work under.

 

[Dorking It]

You will love Alufab, mine is great and so open and easy to work under.

I'm excited as I have the stand ordered for myself. Can't wait to get mine. Shipping was however expensive going to California and being 8'. I'm hoping it's worth it.