My lil reef

[Rick.45cal]

So this afternoon I started running 106g of ROWA Phos in reactor with a flow rate of approximately 180 liters/hr. (The tank is roughly 600 liters). When I tested last night and this afternoon the PO4 was at 1.0 ppm in the tank. So I’ll test again tomorrow and see where we are at. Fingers crossed I dont overdo it!

 

[Rick.45cal]

So as of this evening we are somewhere between .5ppm and 1.0 ppm on the salifert kit so it’s working. I feel relatively confident that I’m not going too fast. Everything seems happy so far, I’ll test again in 24 hours.

 

[Rick.45cal]

It’s been a busy weekend. I cleaned out my saltwater mixing reservoir with the powerwasher, reassembled it all and filled it with DI and made a big batch of Instant Ocean, and have turned the auto water change back on. I seem to have regained control of my phosphates with the ROWA Phos and have noticed that the coralline algae has turned SUPER purple again and is beginning to cover everything again. So I‘m feeling confident I’ve made some good choices. I’ll take some photos of the tank tomorrow to post. (life has been busy)

It’s been a little over 8 months since I turned the Calcium reactor on, it‘s nearly time to refill it! I’m going to do some things differently this time around. the ARM media I put in the second chamber hasn’t dissolved at all in 8 months. I suspect it’s melting point is higher than the Reborn media in the main chamber. I think I am going to fill it with Reborn media this time around. For the main chamber last time I added 2.2 lbs of ReMag to 22 lbs of Reborn. My magnesium is higher than I would like. I suspect with the high demand my tank has (having dissolved over 11 lbs of media in 8 months for a 160 gallons system volume) that the 10% ReMag to ReBorn ratio is a little high. I think this time around I may just fill my reactor main chamber with 100% ReBorn media and if I need to add magnesium down the road I will dose it via the Balling Part C I have left over. (I also want to see what happens if I take this approach). I am 100% open to suggestions from those more experienced CaRx users out there, feel free to drop a comment, or opinion.

Hard to believe this is 8 months of media usage in an 8“ diameter x 18” tall reactor (22lb capacity). I‘m also still on my first 20# tank of CO2. This has been a very easy/efficient/cost effective way to maintain this tank. I couldn’t be happier with this setup.

 

[Rick.45cal]

 

[SkiCatTX]

nice!

 

[drawman]

Rick remind me how did you like the Fauna Marin 3 part? Did you does anything else with it? I'm thinking of switching after my B ionic runs out.

 

[Abhishek]

Rick remind me how did you like the Fauna Marin 3 part? Did you does anything else with it? I'm thinking of switching after my B ionic runs out.

Go for Tropic Marin instead ! There’s something innit that grows coralline out to the world .

 

[drawman]

Go for Tropic Marin instead ! There’s something innit that grows coralline out to the world .

Shoot that's what I meant Tropic Marin!

 

[Rick.45cal]

Rick remind me how did you like the Fauna Marin 3 part? Did you does anything else with it? I'm thinking of switching after my B ionic runs out.

Tropic Marin balling salts are definitely the best of the best. It’s hard for me to say the CaRx is better than them, it’s cheaper to operate and easier on me, but at the end of the day I think the corals were happier when I was dosing TM balling salts. Some of that may be life getting in the way of me and the tank it’s hard to say. The tank and I are struggling a little bit right now, but such is life. I just have to keep plodding along until I figure it out (or don’t).

 

[Abhishek]

Tropic Marin balling salts are definitely the best of the best. It’s hard for me to say the CaRx is better than them, it’s cheaper to operate and easier on me, but at the end of the day I think the corals were happier when I was dosing TM balling salts. Some of that may be life getting in the way of me and the tank it’s hard to say. The tank and I are struggling a little bit right now, but such is life. I just have to keep plodding along until I figure it out (or don’t).

I have stopped using my CaRX as am lazy to set it up and using TM balling salts after your advice . Honestly I have nothing but great things for it and also my triton test agrees .

Regarding the T5 combo , you seem to love the spectrum from Actinic Blue and Super Actinic ? Have you ever had a chance to measure the PAR ?

Wondering if you didn’t have the leds to emulate blue plus , would you have kept the same combination ?

Regards,
Abhishek

 

[drawman]

Tropic Marin balling salts are definitely the best of the best. It’s hard for me to say the CaRx is better than them, it’s cheaper to operate and easier on me, but at the end of the day I think the corals were happier when I was dosing TM balling salts. Some of that may be life getting in the way of me and the tank it’s hard to say. The tank and I are struggling a little bit right now, but such is life. I just have to keep plodding along until I figure it out (or don’t).

I have stopped using my CaRX as am lazy to set it up and using TM balling salts after your advice . Honestly I have nothing but great things for it and also my triton test agrees .

Regarding the T5 combo , you seem to love the spectrum from Actinic Blue and Super Actinic ? Have you ever had a chance to measure the PAR ?

Wondering if you didn’t have the leds to emulate blue plus , would you have kept the same combination ?

Regards,
Abhishek

So I'm assuming you guys haven't had to follow up with any trace elements. Just curious if the TM balling salts were deficient in anything...

 

[Rick.45cal]

I have stopped using my CaRX as am lazy to set it up and using TM balling salts after your advice . Honestly I have nothing but great things for it and also my triton test agrees .

Regarding the T5 combo , you seem to love the spectrum from Actinic Blue and Super Actinic ? Have you ever had a chance to measure the PAR ?

Wondering if you didn’t have the leds to emulate blue plus , would you have kept the same combination ?

Regards,
Abhishek

I think I would keep the same bulb combo. I‘m not sure the LED’s change the spectrum all that much how they are set. They maybe add a little more of the warmer wavelengths. I really thought I would dislike it but fell in love with the look fast.

 

[Rick.45cal]

So I'm assuming you guys haven't had to follow up with any trace elements. Just curious if the TM balling salts were deficient in anything...

I really need to send in a triton sample. I never did while I was running the balling salts. Things always looked phenomenal so I never thought I needed to. I think I’ve tinkered too much and gotten some things out of whack right now and a triton test would probably shed some light on the situation.

 

[BkReefBaby]

Nothing looks better than a nice mature display tank...love your thread can’t believe I’m finding it now

 

[a4edwin]

Amazing tank!! I’ve only had softy’s and lps. But seeing your slimeball anacropora makes me want one badly!!!!

 

[Lasse]

What a tank!!!!

Sincerely Lasse

 

[SkiCatTX]

Hey, how's it going?

 

[Daniel@R2R]

@Rick.45cal how's your reef doing, bro? I miss seeing you around!

 

[Rick.45cal]

@Rick.45cal how's your reef doing, bro? I miss seeing you around!

Sorry to be absent for so long Daniel, this has been a trying year for me and my family, but we’ve gotten through it so far. The tank got neglected for far longer than I care to admit, and has suffered some losses, but is still kicking butt. I‘ve managed to solve some of the neglect issues, and catch up on some much needed maintenance on it. So it’s back on the upswing, it will just take time. Thank you for thinking of me, I’ll try to get back to updating my thread. As for the tank, it’s still kicking, in spite of me.

 

[drawman]

Sorry to be absent for so long Daniel, this has been a trying year for me and my family, but we’ve gotten through it so far. The tank got neglected for far longer than I care to admit, and has suffered some losses, but is still kicking ***. I‘ve managed to solve some of the neglect issues, and catch up on some much needed maintenance on it. So it’s back on the upswing, it will just take time. Thank you for thinking of me, I’ll try to get back to updating my thread. As for the tank, it’s still kicking, in spite of me.

Wish you and your family the best Rick! That said if that's neglected maybe you need to come over and neglect my tank lol.