Mission Impossible: Reefer 250, 3 reactors, refugium, skimmer, lights, action! Pic heavy.

[Butuz]

Nice I see you went for the chromis your new fish will appreciate them they get shy fishes out they feel safe also help teaching others to eat you will love them, as for the clowns I’m not an expert but paired up a few currently attempting a gold nugget & lighting maroon by far the nastiest pair I’ve had, how big are they ? If about 1.5” and under they most likely haven’t sexed yet so you will see some fighting don’t feel bad it’s in their nature it gets really nasty when one starts turning into a female they are Bi****s to the males, you will notice a shake like they are shivering it’s normal. Notice their fins if they are not nipping fins a lil fight is ok, my maroon male is still getting beat up but he’s allowed into her BTA now but not sleep over only lil visits. The largest of the 2 will turn female and force her partner to stay male by force! Literally

Thanks! I have some good news and some bad news. From 3 chromies, threnis only one left. However, he is droing great. My two picasso clownfish are no longer fighting, they hang out together, so I think they have paired. Btw, all are in display tank now. My clean up crew is working 24/7 shifts, all good. I also bought a few zoas, they seem to be doing great, been less than 2 weeks, and I already have a few new polyps showing. On no so good news, I also bought a red anemone, he has been moving around the structure on the left (where I first put him), he doesnt seem to like it. I want to move him to the right side, but when he is out, he is wedged between the rocks, so I cant really grab him to “plant’ to let him explore the rock pile on the right. He has been truning white from its base and now only the tips are red/purple. I tried feeding him a piece of raw shrimp, he wont take it (albeit he ate a somwwhat large piece 10mdays ago). I have also tried target feeding him reef roid, cant tell if he is eating. I am running david suxby light routine on AI Hydra 26s. So, not sure what to do. I am on the road, but will upload a pic and my water parameters when Inreturn on Friday. Would love advice on this. Want to turn him back. Would hate to lose him.

 

[Oshengems]

Nice, yeah chromis have that reputation of killing each other until one or just a few are left they will do better if they have enough places to hide when being bully I tossed 3 in then a month or so later I added a 4th and he used to be bullied but hid right away, I had other bullies at that time so they all kinda bunch up together they all good now just lip locked from time to time that’s all, the clowns probably are just getting used to each other the pairing takes a while, you will see some submissions shake from the male that’s a good sign. The anemone don’t even bother trying to place it where you want it it does what it wants! Let him find his spot on his own it will settle eventually but even if it finds a spot it could chill for 6-7-8-9 months and then say ok I want a new spot so let it be for now

 

[RichtheReefer21]

Same thing with me. Bought a harem of 4, 1 survived, who was the largest. Always overnight.. good luck with the nem... they are a pain, but once they are comfy they always compliment a reef!

 

[Butuz]

Well, you guys asked for tank pics, here you go! Battling hairy type of brown algea that traps air bubbles. Holding on ok so far. Blenny and cuc are working hard. My anemone finally was in the open, so I moved it to the rock pile on the right. It seems to like the new spot, will see tomorrow morning. Great news is that he ate a small picece of raw shrimp. He is bleached at the base, I am hoping to nurse him back. Dialed back the water flow.

Btw, bought some corals from my LFS, but forgot to write down the names. If you happen to know, lmk please. The triple head tree one has golden colour at the bottom of each stem. Also, added some new equipment. First one is an AA Algea UV sterilizer. Easy install. I have also added the magnetic feeder thingy, amazing, pellets stay in it to soak, then get released. Food dispensed into this thing directly. One less thnig to worry about.

 

[PDR]

What are your current parameters, and what chemical filtration are you running?

 

[RichtheReefer21]

Well, you guys asked for tank pics, here you go! Battling hairy type of brown algea that traps air bubbles. Holding on ok so far. Blenny and cuc are working hard. My anemone finally was in the open, so I moved it to the rock pile on the right. It seems to like the new spot, will see tomorrow morning. Great news is that he ate a small picece of raw shrimp. He is bleached at the base, I am hoping to nurse him back. Dialed back the water flow.

Btw, bought some corals from my LFS, but forgot to write down the names. If you happen to know, lmk please. The triple head tree one has golden colour at the bottom of each stem. Also, added some new equipment. First one is an AA Algea UV sterilizer. Easy install. I have also added the magnetic feeder thingy, amazing, pellets stay in it to soak, then get released. Food dispensed into this thing directly. One less thnig to worry about.

Just went thru this... ended up pulling the rock and scrubbing in a container after doubling cuc and a hundred other things to fight it. Trying to avoid dosing vibrant etc...

Was a nightmare, but the results are good now 4 days later... time will tell.

Keep me updated.

 

[Stpatrick]

Thanks, despite all the work, I enjoyed building it. Better yet, every time I open the cabinet doors and the lights come on, its like therapy.

I got the colored pvc pipes from https://formufit.com.

Good luck, please feel free to reach out if you have any further questions.

That’s fantastic. Where’d you get the switch to turn on lights on when you open the cabinet doors?

 

[Butuz]

That’s fantastic. Where’d you get the switch to turn on lights on when you open the cabinet doors?

Got this from Amazon. Here is the link.

TORCHSTAR LED Safe Lighting Kit, (6) 12’’ Linkable light bars + Motion Sensor + Power adapter, Under Cabinet, Gun Safe, Locker, Closet, Under Counter, Shelf, Showcase Lighting, 5000K Daylight https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FDAFC3Q/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_vTo6BbD8BW7YK

 

[Butuz]

Just went thru this... ended up pulling the rock and scrubbing in a container after doubling cuc and a hundred other things to fight it. Trying to avoid dosing vibrant etc...

Was a nightmare, but the results are good now 4 days later... time will tell.

Keep me updated.

I am afraid my rock pile is immovable at this point. What type of CUC members should I get? Its brown hairy type with tiny micro air bubbles. My lawnmower blenny loves it. Btw, I used a toothbrush and it brushes off very easily. I do not overfeed and nitrates and phosphates are nearly undetectable. So, puzzled what may be causing it (albeit my tank is new, so not sure if this is expected). On a positive side, anemone ate another small piece of raw shrimp, so hoping that is a good sign towards recovery.

 

[Butuz]

What are your current parameters, and what chemical filtration are you running?

Running carbon. Plus Nyos 120 skimmer. Got tons of marine pure blocks and pond matrix in the sump.
Nitrates zero, phosphates 0.25
Salinity 0.025
Magnesium 1500
Alk 8.9
Calc 390

 

[PDR]

Running carbon. Plus Nyos 120 skimmer. Got tons of marine pure blocks and pond matrix in the sump.
Nitrates zero, phosphates 0.25
Salinity 0.025
Magnesium 1500
Alk 8.9
Calc 390

Your phosphate is quite high. Ideally, it should be under .1 (but over 0). You also typically want some detectable nitrates. I am a big fan of heavy in, heavy out. You definitely have the equipment for heavy out so don't be afraid to feed your fish properly. Do you have any CUC? Also what is your water change schedule?

 

[NY_Caveman]

I am afraid my rock pile is immovable at this point. What type of CUC members should I get? Its brown hairy type with tiny micro air bubbles. My lawnmower blenny loves it. Btw, I used a toothbrush and it brushes off very easily. I do not overfeed and nitrates and phosphates are nearly undetectable. So, puzzled what may be causing it (albeit my tank is new, so not sure if this is expected). On a positive side, anemone ate another small piece of raw shrimp, so hoping that is a good sign towards recovery.

Does the algae fall apart when you pull it off? I have Trochus, Cerith and Turbo snails. When I had that algae I added more Trochus and the Turbos and it was gone in a week, so I tend to credit one of them. I also have some red leg hermits that seem to like hairy algae.

 

[Butuz]

Does the algae fall apart when you pull it off? I have Trochus, Cerith and Turbo snails. When I had that algae I added more Trochus and the Turbos and it was gone in a week, so I tend to credit one of them. I also have some red leg hermits that seem to like hairy algae.

Thanks, guys. Yes, it comes off easily when i brush it off with a toothbrush. I have some trochus, cerith and turbo, albeit just a handful of each. Bought them early on and didnt want to starve a large population. I will add more. On phosphates, I will add GFO, as I have one unused reactor. I have not done any water changes yet, trying to go without. My doser should arrive in a few weeks, so that should help.

 

[PDR]

Thanks, guys. Yes, it comes off easily when i brush it off with a toothbrush. I have some trochus, cerith and turbo, albeit just a handful of each. Bought them early on and didnt want to starve a large population. I will add more. On phosphates, I will add GFO, as I have one unused reactor. I have not done any water changes yet, trying to go without. My doser should arrive in a few weeks, so that should help.

Be careful with GFO, it is easy to screw stuff up fast with that stuff. Going without water changes rarely works well from the beginning. It is usually something that is best implemented on a mature tank. By far the easiest (and best) thing you could do for your tank would be to implement a decent water change schedule over the next few months, then slowly decrease them over time as the tank matures and stabilizes.

 

[siggy]

WoW! just made it threw from start to finish, very impressive build. I hope you got the algae under control, I did a lot of water changes 25-35% weekly when starting out and algae was not an issue also the Rock may be adding to your nutrients. IF it were me weekly large WC until it slows. I think you mentioned using high end salt maybe us RC or LA until you get thru it. best of luck!

 

[Butuz]

WoW! just made it threw from start to finish, very impressive build. I hope you got the algae under control, I did a lot of water changes 25-35% weekly when starting out and algae was not an issue also the Rock may be adding to your nutrients. IF it were me weekly large WC until it slows. I think you mentioned using high end salt maybe us RC or LA until you get thru it. best of luck!

Thanks, did a 10% water change after the guys responded above. In Spain on vacation now, will do 3 more consecutive weekly changes. My blenny is super fat from eating non stop! I have also placed an order for additional snails (only have a few now, disnt want them to starve, now its gone the other way around!). Will get and add them next week when we are back.

 

[Butuz]

WoW! just made it threw from start to finish, very impressive build. I hope you got the algae under control, I did a lot of water changes 25-35% weekly when starting out and algae was not an issue also the Rock may be adding to your nutrients. IF it were me weekly large WC until it slows. I think you mentioned using high end salt maybe us RC or LA until you get thru it. best of luck!

Thanks for your kind words. Yes, was lots of work, greatly enjoyed going through this experience. Most importantly, designing and building every piece had some reading and reasoning behind it, which helped me immerse in this hobby a little deeper.

 

[Butuz]

Guys, update on a couple of items. My clearview lid has finally arrived. Simply awesome, the guys at @ArtFully Acrylic have done a great job.

On a side note, getting QT ready again, waiting for a few fishes from @FishyBusinessAq . Two bartlett anthias, blue flasher wrasse, tail spot blenny and two diamond gobies. Supposed to arrive on Friday. Their customer service is great btw. Anyway, I can’t believe I did not think of this before. I was tired of removing and dropping a small piece of eggcrate for feeding QT fish before ... 3 zip ties later, I now have a fully functioning egg crate door with hinges and handle for my QT. Btw, also got my Chihiros A-series 5730 LED from ebay (was shipped from Hong Kong a few weeks ago). This thing is awesome for its price point. Just the right size and low profile for my 10g QT.

 

[Butuz]

Who knew, got one more update for today. Just received my @eKoProCS eKoral Doser. Almost forgot about the shipment since I pre-ordered this a month or so ago. This completes the list of equipment for my tank and, to be honest, I have no more room! Things are busy at work and given travels, I am likely to install this doser over Christmas. I have done zero research/reading on dosing, so if you guys have any helpful links to dosing, please feel free to share. I only have zoas, torch, small sunset montipora, so not sure what and how much I should dose. Will share the pics after I have installed this. Likely to mounth this doser on the cabinet ceiling above the small refugium. Not posting detailed pics of the doser, as there are a few youtube videos already. Great feedback on it so far. And this completes my eKoral equipment list, I now have every dang item they have made and happy so far! Controller, doser, sensors, mini pump, leak detector, ect. All in one easy and intuitive app.

 

[powers2001]

@Butuz, a note on the algae. It most likely didn't spring up with a spike but more likely you have a steady accumulation of nutrients. The CUC just alleviates the symptoms and doesn't stop the source entirely. Keep testing for awhile after algae is gone or it might come back worse. It needs a steady source of nutrients continously to live. Take that away and you have the upperhand. But corals need nutrients too so only limiting the nutrients to what the corals need is the trick my friend !!! B-)#