*New 105/G build*

[Reefahholic]

Thanks for the information! Have you considered keeping Gigs again?

Of course! I have. Will probably throw at least one in there.

 

[Reefahholic]

 

[Reefahholic]

Gotta test PAR to see where I am with only (2) XR15’s with diffusers. If it’s under 150 I’ll need to take the diffusers off. Shooting for 150-250. I guess we’ll find out if the majority of Acropora can tolerate living in lower light.

If you look at the pictures below, it is very interesting what you will observe. At the very least I think you’ll come to the conclusion that corals can live in both low and high light environments, but there’s a lot more piece to that puzzle.

Photo credit: Rico’s Aquariums

Photo credit: Unknown

Photo credit: Jake Adams

Photo credit: Jeff’s Reef Tank

 

[Sgchick]

Nice build!! What intensity are you running your XR15's on to get that par?

 

[Reefahholic]

Nice build!! What intensity are you running your XR15's on to get that par?

Has to be 100% to hit 180-250. Nothing is over 250 because I have diffusers and my rocks are pretty low.

 

[Reefahholic]

Going next level soon with MS testing:

ICP-MS

With the Oceamo ICP-MS upgrade, your seawater analysis is carried out with ICP-MS (instead of ICP-OES) . ICP-MS ( ICP with mass spectrometry ) is significantly more sensitive and offers up to 10,000 times lower detection limits than ICP-OES.

This brings the following advantages

Important trace elements can be reliably measured in the relevant concentration range . This is a great advantage, especially for the measurement of selenium, chromium, cobalt, copper and nickel. Many of these elements can only be measured using ICP-OES when they are elevated. Using ICP-MS, we can also reliably diagnose a deficiency in these elements.

- Toxic heavy metals (such as mercury, thallium, bismuth, lead, thorium, uranium, ...) can be reliably detected even in very low concentrations. - And thus long before problems are caused in the aquarium.

- The measurement of other elements (such as cesium, tellurium, cerium and ruthenium) is made possible by ICP-MS.

Due to the sensitive measurement of the trace elements, a targeted adjustment of the ultra-trace elements is also possible.

Using the Oceamo ICP-MS upgrade your sample will be analysed using ICP-MS (instead of ICP-OES). ICP-MS (ICP with mass spectrometry) is by orders of magnitude more sensitive compared to ICP-OES, and allows up to 10,000-fold lower limits of detection.

 

[Miami Reef]

@Reefahholic

Any tank shots/updates?

 

[Reefahholic]

@Reefahholic

Any tank shots/updates?

I’ll be doing a video update soon. A lot of weird and strange things going on with this system despite the 1 year cure time with the dry rock. Really looking forward to doing the next video covering all that and what has been going on with the tank. There has been unexplained and unexpected PO4 depletion and I’ll be talking about that a lot and what I think contributed to it.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

Going next level soon with MS testing:

ICP-MS

With the Oceamo ICP-MS upgrade, your seawater analysis is carried out with ICP-MS (instead of ICP-OES) . ICP-MS ( ICP with mass spectrometry ) is significantly more sensitive and offers up to 10,000 times lower detection limits than ICP-OES.

This brings the following advantages

Important trace elements can be reliably measured in the relevant concentration range . This is a great advantage, especially for the measurement of selenium, chromium, cobalt, copper and nickel. Many of these elements can only be measured using ICP-OES when they are elevated. Using ICP-MS, we can also reliably diagnose a deficiency in these elements.

- Toxic heavy metals (such as mercury, thallium, bismuth, lead, thorium, uranium, ...) can be reliably detected even in very low concentrations. - And thus long before problems are caused in the aquarium.

- The measurement of other elements (such as cesium, tellurium, cerium and ruthenium) is made possible by ICP-MS.

Due to the sensitive measurement of the trace elements, a targeted adjustment of the ultra-trace elements is also possible.

Using the Oceamo ICP-MS upgrade your sample will be analysed using ICP-MS (instead of ICP-OES). ICP-MS (ICP with mass spectrometry) is by orders of magnitude more sensitive compared to ICP-OES, and allows up to 10,000-fold lower limits of detection.

interesting...

 

[Miami Reef]

I’ll be doing a video update soon. A lot of weird and strange things going on with this system despite the 1 year cure time with the dry rock. Really looking forward to doing the next video covering all that and what has been going on with the tank. There has been unexplained and unexpected PO4 depletion and I’ll be talking about that a lot and what I think contributed to it.

I really want to see the tank please!

 

[Reefahholic]

I really want to see the tank please!

Coming soon.

Not much to see right now. Fighting Dino’s. I’ve had all dry rocks systems in the past, but what I’ve never see with any of them is the dry rock binding PO4 this aggressively. To give an example I’ve typically dosed .01-.04 ppm PO4 in the past and PO4 would come right up and stabilize for the most part.

Not this system. PO4 was binding so aggressively that I couldn’t keep up with daily manual dosing (would have killed the corals without auto dosing [spreading out the dose]). It ending up taking about 0.16 ppm to stabilize the tank. Yes, that’s not a typo…0.16 ppm! I finally called Vinny and Josh with GHL to come in on team-viewer to get my doser up and running. However, it was a bit too late. Dino’s started to pop up and despite my consistent manual dosing the entire time (before the GHL came online) the PO4 remained very low and near zero. Rock was binding it like cool aid. NO3 was about 4-5 ppm. At those levels the Dino’s got a foothold due to the low PO4.



I currently have a UV on the system, have been dosing NuAlgi, dosing live Phyto, Bacteria, Pods, and have stopped all fluorescent liquids along with Iron. I had them beat back several times and started back some of those element’s and they popped up again. The good thing is that I've lost very few Acro’s. I do contribute that to the Phosphorus -N. Had it not been for that element, I would have for sure lost about 50-75% of the corals just due to the depleted PO4 alone. Corals we’re looking so dry no matter how much TSP I dosed.

This is the first time I’ve ever had Dino’s (not sure now) and let me tell you…they’re no joke. If you ever get them, hit them hard and fast. Never do a water change, do not dose amino’s, iron, vitamin’s, etc. They will love you for any of those things and any destabilizing events. I am glad that I got them, because I’ve always wondered if I could defeat them. I think I have them figured out now. Another tool in my toolbox.

Between the Dry rock binding so aggressively (I have two theories why that I’ll go over in the next video), and the fact that I made sure only to introduce live Acro tissue into the system. I pretty much gave the Dino’s the most favorable environment I could have. The biodiversity was lacking.

Since then, I decided to add 10 lbs of live rock. To be honest it hasn’t helped all that much like your would think it would. I think I have Coolia which is a species that does respond to UV, but much slower than Ostreopsis. They need to be basted into the water column every evening before lights out. Pretty much a PITA species. The others like LCA, SCA and Prorocentrum hardly bother coral at all, and can be handled with 41% Water Glass (Silicate dosing), Ostreopsis and Coolia are a whole 'nother thing. I did add a third XR15 which didn’t help the situation.

Anyway, they’re on their way out for the 3rd or 4th time and I’m going to wait awhile before I start my typical nutrition dosing again, and let the tank’s microbiology become more established with Pods, microfauna, microflora, etc…so I don’t encourage the Dino’s to come back again.

 

[Miami Reef]

Did you say you have coolia?! That’s the only dino I’ve ever had and I’ve got it like 4 different times! It’s extremely difficult to beat IME.

In my experience, UV does absolutely nothing for it. Coolia doesn’t really like to free swim. However, UV won’t hurt.

 

[Reefahholic]

Did you say you have coolia?! That’s the only dino I’ve ever had and I’ve got it like 4 different times! It’s extremely difficult to beat IME.

In my experience, UV does absolutely nothing for it. Coolia doesn’t really like to free swim. However, UV won’t hurt.

Yep, I sent a sample to David Martin (Saltyhog) Reef Squad Leader here on R2R and Dino expert.

He said the cells were DOA, but he’s pretty sure they’re Coolia. He’s gonna have Steph and Jason look at them also.


They are hard AF to get rid of and can easily come right back. It’s no doubt a tough fight. My CUC is stunned by the toxin’s I believe.

 

[Miami Reef]

Yep, I sent a sample to David Martin (Saltyhog) Reef Squad Leader here on R2R and Dino expert.

He said the cells were DOA, but he’s pretty sure they’re Coolia. He’s gonna have Steph and Jason look at them also.


They are hard AF to get rid of and can easily come right back. It’s no doubt a tough fight. My CUC is stunned by the toxin’s I believe.

Why don’t you try carbon dosing? Curious.

 

[Reefahholic]

Why don’t you try carbon dosing? Curious.

I’m thinking about it after reading that article, but David was telling me that they never identified the type of Dino or even if it was Dino’s. No doubt bacteria can help outcompete dinos just like Phyto and Diatoms can. However, the risk of nutrient reduction makes that risky especially for this system. He basically thinks the study is poorly executed. I tend to agree, although it was a very interesting read.

 

[Reefahholic]

Why don’t you try carbon dosing? Curious.

Have you tired Carbon dosing yours? Any luck?

 

[Reefahholic]

You can Turkey Baste them off the rocks and the next day they’re back in same exact spot. Even in a few hour’s if it’s peak photo.

 

[Reefahholic]

I had them beat the 1st time and I got the bright idea to do a large water change to bring down Lithium, Barium, and Aluminum. They appreciated that. Came right back.


2nd time I had them beat and started back Amino’s, Iron, Vitamins, etc…boom back again.


3rd time I had them beat and I tried to go back up on my Red, White’s, and Green and they came back again. So I took advantage and added a 3rd XR15 since they were there again anyway. I almost have them gone again, and this time I’m going to be extremely careful not to invite them back.

 

[Miami Reef]

Have you tired Carbon dosing yours? Any luck?

I never had dinos in my new tank setup, but I am carbon dosing in it

 

[Rhapsody in Blue Reef]

Protected the glass moving the rock structures in. With Covid slowing all orders, production, shipping, etc. If you break a glass panel or scratch it, you may find yourself waiting for a year to get a replacement tank. Didn’t want to take any chances. Don’t ask about the water and fish in there…that’s due to a custom sump taking 11 weeks to ship. Not ideal to transfer the rock with water and fish, but we got it done.

Tank before I started the return pump. (Water level low) FYI, this is what Marco rock looks like that’s been cured for one year in a brute can with live sand, bacteria, and high flow.

Wow, one year? What was your thinking on that long cure? I just finished my scape but was only going to cure it for about a month