Me and My 4g Reef

[Magellan]

I would really try to increase your water change routine! Perhaps 25-50% every week? I wouldn’t worry about the numbers so much with water changes, (your tank will find its happy balance) and you definitely wouldn’t need to dose either. I love this tank, and those blennys are amazing! So much personality in those tiny fish

 

[VKP01]

I would really try to increase your water change routine! Perhaps 25-50% every week? I wouldn’t worry about the numbers so much with water changes, (your tank will find its happy balance) and you definitely wouldn’t need to dose either. I love this tank, and those blennys are amazing! So much personality in those tiny fish

Thanks!! I’m playing around with the wc schedule, I’m trying out changing one 16oz cup a day, similar to my original plan. We’re on day 5, on day 7 I’ll test and see how everything looks and let that guide my next decisions.

 

[Magellan]

Thanks!! I’m playing around with the wc schedule, I’m trying out changing one 16oz cup a day, similar to my original plan. We’re on day 5, on day 7 I’ll test and see how everything looks and let that guide my next decisions.

so 1g (25%) is getting changed every 8 days, sounds about right!

My other recommendation would be: what are you doing about detritus on the sandbed? In my nano, things really took off when i started paying more attention to that. I use a turkey baster to blow everything I can to one spot in the tank (with the flow turned off) and then after it settles I’ll siphon it out. I noticed a tremendous reduction in the algae growth as well once I started doing that. I don’t actually put the siphon in the sand, I just kinda lightly bounce it near the sand so it grabs the detritus off the top without getting anything more important out of my live sand bed.

 

[VKP01]

so 1g (25%) is getting changed every 8 days, sounds about right!

My other recommendation would be: what are you doing about detritus on the sandbed? In my nano, things really took off when i started paying more attention to that. I use a turkey baster to blow everything I can to one spot in the tank (with the flow turned off) and then after it settles I’ll siphon it out. I noticed a tremendous reduction in the algae growth as well once I started doing that. I don’t actually put the siphon in the sand, I just kinda lightly bounce it near the sand so it grabs the detritus off the top without getting anything more important out of my live sand bed.

With each water change I usually siphon around the spots where it collects, but that’s a good point. I’ll start watching that more closely

 

[VKP01]

Alright! So I adjusted my wc schedule to 3.5% - 7% daily (for a total of 30% this week). That wasn’t enough to keep up with demand - I believe they were less effective as I did a small one every day as opposed to a large one once. My levels have further dropped, testing today at:
Ca - 360ppm
KH - 7dKH
Mg - 1050ppm

The barnacle blenny’s eye is continuing to heal, the cloudiness is hardly visible.

I’ve also added a few more snails, a couple nassarius and a chestnut turban to take care of the algae on the rocks because the nerites are slackers. May have also picked up a bubblegum digi...

 

[Magellan]

Alright! So I adjusted my wc schedule to 3.5% - 7% daily (for a total of 30% this week). That wasn’t enough to keep up with demand - I believe they were less effective as I did a small one every day as opposed to a large one once. My levels have further dropped, testing today at:
Ca - 360ppm
KH - 7dKH
Mg - 1050ppm

The barnacle blenny’s eye is continuing to heal, the cloudiness is hardly visible.

I’ve also added a few more snails, a couple nassarius and a chestnut turban to take care of the algae on the rocks because the nerites are slackers. May have also picked up a bubblegum digi...

when I came up with a WC schedule, i imagined in my mind what is actually happening to the water when I change it. (From a math perspective). First, it’s important to know what levels your new water is testing at. For example, if you add 9.5dkh water to 7dkh water, that could be a problem! (Should be similar to what you are keeping your tank at on a regular basis, otherwise you’re going to be constantly dealing with parameter swings). so, (for me) the easiest thing was to keep my tank as close as possible to the water I add on w/c day. For detritus removal and to minimize swings further, instead of changing 5gal at once, I change 2.5 twice in a 10 day-14day period, but I wouldn’t want break that up further as I would be removing good water and replacing it with good water.

 

[Magellan]

7dkh seems a little low, but it’s still within the range that corals can thrive. Don’t chase a higher number if your tank is happy at 7. Your calcium is definitely low, but I am not the person to help you with that as I am able to keep mine high enough with water changes alone and don’t do anything to dose it. (I have seen numerous posts detailing adding Kalkwasser to the top off water and having success with that, but don’t personally have any experience with that process). Your solution could be as simple as a new salt mix/ larger volume water changes, or it might take some more finesse lol

 

[Steven Garland]

Yeah cal and mag are definitely low. More water during the wc or dose. I just wouldn't think too much into it,I kinda feel like you are.

 

[VKP01]

Yeah cal and mag are definitely low. More water during the wc or dose. I just wouldn't think too much into it,I kinda feel like you are.

I am, but not in the bad way lol. I’m just really interested to learn how it works in general, so I can apply that here (but also get a head start on my college studying lol). I’m going to have to explore it all in depth at some point, might as well be now

 

[Steven Garland]

As long as you know you are lol. I'm not trying to be rude,I have just seen it too many times where people think way into and it becomes a problem for them and they create problems trying to fix one and so on and so forth.

Majority of the time you just have to let things run its course especially in the beginning of the set up,where most "problems" occur which really aren't problem. Just a balancing act.

 

[Magellan]

As long as you know you are lol. I'm not trying to be rude,I have just seen it too many times where people think way into and it becomes a problem for them and they create problems trying to fix one and so on and so forth.

Majority of the time you just have to let things run its course especially in the beginning of the set up,where most "problems" occur which really aren't problem. Just a balancing act.

I don’t see him overthinking, he’s got some issues (in a tank that isn’t brand new) and isn’t over reacting and is trying to understand the underlying causes. I wish I had this kind of patience when i started!

 

[VKP01]

I don’t see him overthinking, he’s got some issues (in a tank that isn’t brand new) and isn’t over reacting and is trying to understand the underlying causes. I wish I had this kind of patience when i started!

Thanks! After four years and seven tanks I’m starting to learn patience is the most important part

 

[VKP01]

Sunday FTS plus some macros! Did some scrubbing today. I pulled the micro frag out to clean it and was surprised to find not one, but two babies! I didn’t think to snap a picture of the digi before I cleaned, so I’ll have some pictures later once it stops sulking

 

[VKP01]

day I got it vs today (1 week later). Still a bit grumpy from the cleaning. This is my first sps, so it’s pretty exciting to be able to see growth after only a week

 

[Magellan]

Lookin good!

 

[VKP01]

It’s starting to get colorful

 

[VKP01]

The Mystery Favite is coloring up more, I still think it might be a piece of Ice Dragon

 

[Tom Giddens]

Pics from September up to yesterday! It was a display at MACNA Las Vegas that I bought and flew back with. Took it as my carry on lol.
The rock is CaribSea life rock, supplemented with some old dry rock. Barnacles are some that I collected beach-combing, secured with aquarium silicone. Just got the sand in a couple nights ago! I accidentally ordered a bag of CaribSea Fiji pink (instead of Bimini pink. My all time favorite sand) but it looks really nice with this tank! Pretty much ready for livestock

Sweet Where did you get all of the barnacle shells?

 

[VKP01]

Sweet Where did you get all of the barnacle shells?

I collected them beachcombing in Florida

 

[CavalierReef]

Pics from September up to yesterday! It was a display at MACNA Las Vegas that I bought and flew back with. Took it as my carry on lol.
The rock is CaribSea life rock, supplemented with some old dry rock. Barnacles are some that I collected beach-combing, secured with aquarium silicone. Just got the sand in a couple nights ago! I accidentally ordered a bag of CaribSea Fiji pink (instead of Bimini pink. My all time favorite sand) but it looks really nice with this tank! Pretty much ready for livestock

Love your aquascaping!! Looks amazing.