Mehaffy's 1100+ gallon Plywood display in North Alabama

OP
OP
mehaffydr

mehaffydr

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 20, 2013
Messages
1,866
Reaction score
5,551
Location
Harvest Alabama
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have been watching your build for a while, and just watched the video with the new fish additions! Pretty awesome to see that many big tangs look small in your tank!

I am about to start adding rock to my new tank, and I’m curious what kind of cleaning process you did before adding your old rock? I want to make sure I get it right
Sorry it too me so long to reply I have been doing a lot of travel lately between a new Grandson and work.
The one place a really failed was cleaning my old rock. I removed from my old tank a few years prior and just let it dry in the sun. I knew my tank was clean so just was nt really concerned. But wow was I wrong the old rock had so much Phosphate it taken me a year to finally get the Phosphate and Nitrate at appropriate levels.
I would suggest a good cleaning and then curing in brute can checking Nitrate and Phosphate before using the old rock.

As of testing today my
Nitrate is 5
Phosphate .05
PH 8.32
ALK 7.74
Mag 1599 This has been high for a while but I can't seam to get it down
CA 397
 
OP
OP
mehaffydr

mehaffydr

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 20, 2013
Messages
1,866
Reaction score
5,551
Location
Harvest Alabama
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Its been a while so Thought I would update on some progress. I will post some new pics in the next few days.
I am still working to keep nutrients down. I have been dosing Vodka for about 2 months and just finished off my fist liter so tomorrow its off to Liquor store.
Phosphates have been somewhat in check.
Current are
Nitrate 8.7
Phosphate below .05 some days .04 others .02
I got some corals from Battle Corals a couple died and others are doing ok. Im sure the fluctuating nutrients are to blame for the struggles.
I got an Apogee par meter and did some PAR testing.
The tank is 36" Deep. The tallest rockwork is about 16" below surface and I'm getting 250-260 PAR there.
At about 24" Down 150 and just under 100 on bottom.
I have the Noopschyce lights on the LPS setting so I will try SPS and see what I get. I think those are decent numbers considering the depth.

I have a couple more fish coming this week from Dr. Reef Quarantined fish.
Copperband
Aptasia eating filefish
Yellow Eye Kole Tang
Also some snails, Urchins and Shrimp.

I already have Live Black worms and Mastic for the Copperband just in case he wants to be finicky.
 
OP
OP
mehaffydr

mehaffydr

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 20, 2013
Messages
1,866
Reaction score
5,551
Location
Harvest Alabama
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
It's been a while since a good update so this may be a little long winded.
First Phosphate and Nitrate still working on getting a good steady balance.

I did take advantage of Black Friday and purchased a DOS/DDR combo so I will be dosing Phosphate E and Vodka so tat I have more precision accuracy and adjust ability.

I tok my wife in the RV and we spent Thanksgiving on Wheeler lake here in N. Alabama and while walking on a beach we found loads of nice shells. I filled my pockets so now I have a lot of spare Hermit houses.
IMG_5181.JPG


I alos ordered some more corals from Adam at Battlecorals. My first experience buying from him went so well I thought I should get a few more.

I also found my Orange camera filter so yesterday I took an updated video. Its amazing how 16 Tangs can devore a sheet of Nori in less than a minute. Their like sharks. The Blue Streak Clear Wrasse's even get in on the Nori a bit.
I also added some additional rock to get some area's up closer to the lights.
Tank Video
 
OP
OP
mehaffydr

mehaffydr

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 20, 2013
Messages
1,866
Reaction score
5,551
Location
Harvest Alabama
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have a 10 piece Battlebox from @Battlecorals coming tomorrow. First Adam thank you, your communication is over the top. Your corals aren't bad either.
I can't wait to see what I get to add to my tank. I just left it to Adam to pick me some good stuff and based on my first order from him I'm sure it will be good.
 

Sltloser

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 23, 2015
Messages
268
Reaction score
364
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
It's been a while since a good update so this may be a little long winded.
First Phosphate and Nitrate still working on getting a good steady balance.

I did take advantage of Black Friday and purchased a DOS/DDR combo so I will be dosing Phosphate E and Vodka so tat I have more precision accuracy and adjust ability.

I tok my wife in the RV and we spent Thanksgiving on Wheeler lake here in N. Alabama and while walking on a beach we found loads of nice shells. I filled my pockets so now I have a lot of spare Hermit houses.
IMG_5181.JPG


I alos ordered some more corals from Adam at Battlecorals. My first experience buying from him went so well I thought I should get a few more.

I also found my Orange camera filter so yesterday I took an updated video. Its amazing how 16 Tangs can devore a sheet of Nori in less than a minute. Their like sharks. The Blue Streak Clear Wrasse's even get in on the Nori a bit.
I also added some additional rock to get some area's up closer to the lights.
Tank Video
Love the video!! The tank and all it's I habitants are looking great, is the spectrum you have on in there the normal programming during the day? I like how white it is (no sarcasm!).
 
OP
OP
mehaffydr

mehaffydr

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 20, 2013
Messages
1,866
Reaction score
5,551
Location
Harvest Alabama
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I am using the LPS setting that is preprogrammed. The reason the video is so white is that I actually use am Orange filter when I did the video
 
OP
OP
mehaffydr

mehaffydr

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 20, 2013
Messages
1,866
Reaction score
5,551
Location
Harvest Alabama
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have been dosing Lanthanum Chloride (Phosphate E) to lower Phosphate and Vodka (carbon) to lower nitrate.
I am considering both a complete success but not complete. Based on the testing I will need to continue dosing.
Today
Nitrate 9.1
Phosphate .12
But in the interest of stability in the tank I needed a plan.
I travel for work, Not a lot but typically a few days a couple times a month and I was doing all dosing manually and so there were always these days I would miss and numbers would climb, Algae would grow.
So on Black Friday I ordered an additional DOS/DDR combo.
I have Phosphate E in one chamber and Vodka in the other.
Now I have very consistent dosing of very minor amount all throughout the day everyday.
I will continue to test and see how this levels out the numbers. I think this will be a great addition.
Also just because of how the lanthanum works doing this continual small dosing should improve its effectiveness.
 
OP
OP
mehaffydr

mehaffydr

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 20, 2013
Messages
1,866
Reaction score
5,551
Location
Harvest Alabama
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I just received an nice bunch of CUC from Saltwater Aquarium. These are by far the largest CUC I have ever seen
Monster size Nausarius snails
Golf ball size Tubo's
nice hermits
Approx 300 critters all together
I am very happy with this purchase
 
OP
OP
mehaffydr

mehaffydr

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 20, 2013
Messages
1,866
Reaction score
5,551
Location
Harvest Alabama
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
So I have not updated in a while so thought this would be a good time.
Building a Monster tank and maintaining is a humbling experience.
I had well over a decade of experience with Large reef tank 225 gallons
Don't get me wrong I love this tank and would do it all over again but just would do a couple things different.
if you've followed you know about my challenges with nutrients that came from using old dry rock. So I started dosing Phosphate E and Vodka about 6 months ago and things were going great. I steadily lowered bit Nitrate and Phosphate and started adding corals that were also doing great.
Then while out of town for a week and no testing the Nitrates hit ZERO.
BOOM Cyano outbreak.
So I decided to add a lite dose of nitrate but somehow miscalculated.
I thought I was adding enough to bring Nitrates up to maybe 1 or 2 and instantly brought them up to almost 60.
So lost some coral but luckily no fish losses
I have been doing water changes but with an 1100 gallon tank tat not so simple. Lots of RODI water and lots of salt. I have been bringing them back down again. Over the last mo th Nitrates have come down from 57.5 to 29.1
Phosphates hangin at .02-.03
I have now dosed 4 liters of vodka and done numerous water changes.
Just trying not to overreact and take it slow.
Hopefully I will start adding corals back in within the next month or so.

GOOD NEWS all my fish are doing Great and getting fat. I have added a few fish from Dr. Reef and really like buying from him.

Not equipment or tank issues

One more thing this moth marks one year since I went Fallow to rid my tank of ICK and so far so good no issues at all.
 
OP
OP
mehaffydr

mehaffydr

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 20, 2013
Messages
1,866
Reaction score
5,551
Location
Harvest Alabama
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Good evening guys and thank you for the interest. It’s been a busy summer I bought a new motorcycle and have been having fun on that
09C6989B-03D7-428E-8A56-9A0A889F4004.jpeg

Tank is doing good the whole phosphate nitrate thing has been a pain but I seam to have a handle on that.
I lost all but 1 SPS I thought I had lost them all and then a few months ago one started growing.
I’m in Florida this week I’ll get some pics up when I get home
 

wmb0003

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 3, 2020
Messages
327
Reaction score
419
Location
Auburn AL
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
Good evening guys and thank you for the interest. It’s been a busy summer I bought a new motorcycle and have been having fun on that
09C6989B-03D7-428E-8A56-9A0A889F4004.jpeg

Tank is doing good the whole phosphate nitrate thing has been a pain but I seam to have a handle on that.
I lost all but 1 SPS I thought I had lost them all and then a few months ago one started growing.
I’m in Florida this week I’ll get some pics up when I get home
Looking forward to some update pics. If you come through Auburn on the way back from the beach, shoot me a pm and I can give you a few sps frags to try.
 

NautiTang

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 30, 2020
Messages
273
Reaction score
622
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Good evening guys and thank you for the interest. It’s been a busy summer I bought a new motorcycle and have been having fun on that
09C6989B-03D7-428E-8A56-9A0A889F4004.jpeg

Tank is doing good the whole phosphate nitrate thing has been a pain but I seam to have a handle on that.
I lost all but 1 SPS I thought I had lost them all and then a few months ago one started growing.
I’m in Florida this week I’ll get some pics up when I get home
Man you’ve been in Fl for a minute…
 
OP
OP
mehaffydr

mehaffydr

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 20, 2013
Messages
1,866
Reaction score
5,551
Location
Harvest Alabama
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
It is still going. I’ve just been really busy with life lately. Fish are great and finally getting the phosphate and nitrate under control. Have a couple of SPS growing
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 65 37.1%
  • Not currently, but I have had feather dusters in my tank in the past.

    Votes: 59 33.7%
  • I have not had feather dusters, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 25 14.3%
  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 26 14.9%
  • Other.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
Back
Top