Mehaffy's 1100+ gallon Plywood display in North Alabama
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OP
OP
So I have done a few steps to get it coming down.
1. Started with Phosphate-E I dosed 5 liters over the course of about a month into my skimmer,
2. I have a Refugium set up and I am harvesting Algae from that to allow room for as much growth as possible.
3. I have a reactor with GFO that I started after the dosing of Phosphate E was complete.
I also have some Phos FX that I may put in the reactor in place of the GFO. It appears to be about the same thing just a little more efficient and you can clean and reuse it.
I still think I have a lot bound up in the rock because I will get it coming down and then it will go back up some. When it goes back up it no where near where it was at but still goes back up pretty quickly.
OP
OP
Oh yes I forgot to mention I have the Refugium light on 18 hours a day. that may be why I am pulling so much Algae out of the fuge.
How does your macro algae do with a 20 hour photo period? It’s been a while but I seem to remember that anything over 16 hours didn’t have any additional benefit. The algae needed a longer resting period.
CrimsonTide
Valuable Member
How's the tank doing? Also how's the PO4 battle going?
OP
OP
You know it's like a never ending battle. I am still working on PO4 buts its slowly dropping. Its weird because I get it down and a couple days later its goes back up some which I think confirms its leaching out of the rock but it is coming down and with time I'm sure it will be under control.
I now have a new problem that really sucks but all I can do is face it head on and follow a good procedure.
About a month ago I thought that I noticed spots on my Blue Hippo tang that looked like Ick but it was late in the evening and I couldn't be sure. The next morning I had a flight and so it was a couple of days before I could see the tank again. This time all clear so I just thought that it was nothing. So fast forward to this week and I am seeing what I think is fore sure Ick on my white cheek tang.
With the massive rock work that was actually mortared together in the tank with Marco 400 It would be a massive undertaking to get all of the fish caught and quarantined and I am not at all OK with Ick management.
So because I have very minimal coral at this time I have set up a tank for the couple coral I do have along with Inverts. I am starting to lower salinity and I am going Hypo @1.009 for the next 30+ days.
I am also sectioning off an area for my Quarantine tanks and I am duplicating all necessary equipment so that I have DT stuff and QT stuff I have to just be way more diligent it keeping the DT clean and free of nasty's
So the journey continues. The bright side is that because of the Phosphate I have been holding off on getting corals.
CrimsonTide
Valuable Member
No one wants to deal with Ich especially with tangs. They're like Ich magnets. I dont know why but they always seem to catch Ich better than all other fish. Pulling the corals and going hypo should help for sure. Are you sure the Hippo had it and the new white cheek didn't bring it in?
CrimsonTide
Valuable Member
The snow today took out power at my house for nearly 8hrs. Ive spent all day getting my tank back up to temp with 2 heaters. Everyone seems fine but I thought about your tank while having fun with my tank earlier and just thought to myself I'm glad he got the generator.
AlexG
Valuable Member
Glad to hear the Po4 battle is progressing. I am dosing Po4 right now because its too low.
As for your Ick issues I would not worry much. If you keep a health tank and give it some time it will more or less go away unless there is a problem in the system with water. I have ick in my tanks and if the fish are happy and healthy it goes away on its own. Blue hippo tangs almost always have a spot or two from time to time even in a healthy tank. My last hippo tang had a fair amount as a new addition but later on it was once every couple of weeks I would see a spot or two. Cleaner shrimp and cleaner wrasses will also be a big help.
OP
OP
I would be happy to share some PO4 with you.
Your note on ICK is interesting because it went away on the Hippo and has never came back. It has not gone off of the White Cheek after a couple of days but I was worried about what to do. I had Velvet in a tank a while back that killed fast and that incident has me really paranoid about parasites and diseases.
I won't pretend to be a fish expert, but there is a world of difference between ich and velvet in terms of mortality. It does not seem that there is any "managing" velvet.
I greatly admire those who go the full monty on fish QT. But that includes QT of EVERY wet thing that goes into your system. Inverts, coral, hands...
There are many (most?) reefers that "manage ich" and I am among them. Going fallow with a full SPS reef to rip apart is just beyond my work limits. I have had 2 (maybe 3) outbreaks in 9 years with the current DT. Each time, half get attacked and 10% don't make it. Usually after some kind of stressor event. If I even suspect something, I slap a UV on the side, shorten light period and feed more often. It usually clears in a week or two. My Hippo and powder blue have each had it twice and are strong today.
That all said, I am no fish expert, and most of my fish are utility fish.
Skynyrd Fish
Valuable Member
Unless it’s getting worse, I would feed well and keep the tank stable. Cleaner shrimp and or wrasse are great at keeping a small outbreak under control. Also a UV sterilizer will kill what runs through it.
OP
OP
Just thought it was time for a update.
I am in the process of lowering the Salinity to go 30+ days HYPO to kill off any ICK but now having a really difficult time making a decision. I've been getting advice from Jay Hemdal (what a great guy) I can't imagine how much time he must spend on Reef 2 Reef just helping people with their fish problems. He a couple of time has questioned whether I really have ICK and I sure do't know. Last week I had started lowering salinity and it is down to 30 and I was planning on dropping it quite a bit this weekend until a small family emergency pulled me out of town. I returned home tonight and there is no signs at all of any ICK on any fish. I have 14 fish in the tank now.
White Cheek tang
Blue Hippo tang
Sailfin tang
Naso Tang
Scopas Tang
Clown tang
5 Blue Green chromis
Leopard wrasse
2 pajama cardinal
So now I'm trying too decide do I proceed with Hypo or just slowly return salinity to 35 and keep a close eye on things?
Still working to reduce Phosphate I've got it currently at .230 and Nitrate has dropped down to .1 so I think that I need to bring the Nitrate up a bit and continue efforts to reduce Phosphate.
I do have some Green Hair algae but not too concerned with that until I get nutrients right and increase CUC.
I am in the process of lowering the Salinity to go 30+ days HYPO to kill off any ICK but now having a really difficult time making a decision. I've been getting advice from Jay Hemdal (what a great guy) I can't imagine how much time he must spend on Reef 2 Reef just helping people with their fish problems. He a couple of time has questioned whether I really have ICK and I sure do't know. Last week I had started lowering salinity and it is down to 30 and I was planning on dropping it quite a bit this weekend until a small family emergency pulled me out of town. I returned home tonight and there is no signs at all of any ICK on any fish. I have 14 fish in the tank now.
White Cheek tang
Blue Hippo tang
Sailfin tang
Naso Tang
Scopas Tang
Clown tang
5 Blue Green chromis
Leopard wrasse
2 pajama cardinal
So now I'm trying too decide do I proceed with Hypo or just slowly return salinity to 35 and keep a close eye on things?
Still working to reduce Phosphate I've got it currently at .230 and Nitrate has dropped down to .1 so I think that I need to bring the Nitrate up a bit and continue efforts to reduce Phosphate.
I do have some Green Hair algae but not too concerned with that until I get nutrients right and increase CUC.
Adding a bit of nitrate will help your biome process/consume some of the PO4. As to GHA, I just feel that comes with the territory at this point.
Great fish list; we are wishing you well.
Agreed with Scott, I would look to keep your nitrate around 3-5ppm right now as you work on dropping phosphate. I've been using the brightwell aquatics neonitro for my tank and it seems to work pretty well!
NeoNitro is good stuff. Given the volume, you might also consider DIY solution of food grade sodium nitrate.
85 grams per liter. The stuff stays very stable for a long time.
85 grams per liter. The stuff stays very stable for a long time.
I agree with this. Amazon is your friend for some sodium nitrate. Super easy to mix up, super easy to store and super easy to dose. James plated tank calc works for figuring the dose. You just have to use potassium nitrate for the item to calculate. Then dose a hair less, as sodium nitrate is a bit more conentrated. I cannot remember how much more, but when I was dosing it, I just mixed to 3ppm per the calc and I was always at 4-5 after testing. Randy wrote a post about it at one point as well.
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