OP
OP
Awesome!
Look forward to seeing what your new setup is going to look like!
Perry's 90 Gallon SCA Acro Upgrade
- Build Thread
- Thread starter Perry
- Start date
- Tagged users None
Look forward to seeing what your new setup is going to look like!
OP
OP
Time for an update:
2+ weeks later, and so far quite impressed. I am getting some noise in the biome, I suspect it will calm down in time. A clear bacteria sludge formed in the sump, likely due to new piping, glass, plastics, glues, silicone, etc. Yesterday I vacuumed the sump with my bucket top wet dry vac, replaced with 10 fresh gallons of salwater. Also, I am seeing, dare I say, a possible form of dinos in the display, mainly in sandbed. Despite all of this, I will continue Aquaforest Probiotic Method, but, a slight tweak for now.
So nutrients are good, but.... 0.00 P04 has raised my eyebrows. I am very happy with N03 at 2.5-5ppm. That said, bacteria, possible dinos, I decided, for now to raise P04 by a start dose of 5ml, a Jumpstart dose yesterday, and a continued dose of 2.5ml daily, at least until I reach maturity. The 60 gallon also was naturally P04 limited, so I sort of expect same here, but that system was quite mature, and ill effected.
Finally, I am chasing PH, using a scrubber, I am convinced this is crucial to the health of the system. Only 1 problem, humidity. I have to add water like every other day, as it dries up quickly in the reactor, not running recirculating, nor do I plan. I ordered a Milwaukee PH monitor, it arrives today, and I will be documenting my findings. I will likely fabricate a humidity canister where the scrubber can draw humid air. If not, I will drill for fresh air, lol
2+ weeks later, and so far quite impressed. I am getting some noise in the biome, I suspect it will calm down in time. A clear bacteria sludge formed in the sump, likely due to new piping, glass, plastics, glues, silicone, etc. Yesterday I vacuumed the sump with my bucket top wet dry vac, replaced with 10 fresh gallons of salwater. Also, I am seeing, dare I say, a possible form of dinos in the display, mainly in sandbed. Despite all of this, I will continue Aquaforest Probiotic Method, but, a slight tweak for now.
So nutrients are good, but.... 0.00 P04 has raised my eyebrows. I am very happy with N03 at 2.5-5ppm. That said, bacteria, possible dinos, I decided, for now to raise P04 by a start dose of 5ml, a Jumpstart dose yesterday, and a continued dose of 2.5ml daily, at least until I reach maturity. The 60 gallon also was naturally P04 limited, so I sort of expect same here, but that system was quite mature, and ill effected.
Finally, I am chasing PH, using a scrubber, I am convinced this is crucial to the health of the system. Only 1 problem, humidity. I have to add water like every other day, as it dries up quickly in the reactor, not running recirculating, nor do I plan. I ordered a Milwaukee PH monitor, it arrives today, and I will be documenting my findings. I will likely fabricate a humidity canister where the scrubber can draw humid air. If not, I will drill for fresh air, lol
If you don't have one already, it is time to grab a microscope. Here is mine. Dinos are no joke. If that was a 0.0 on Hanna ULR, keep dumping in PO4. The rock and sand will bind all of it for a while. Avoid aminos like the plague; dinos love them.Time for an update:
2+ weeks later, and so far quite impressed. I am getting some noise in the biome, I suspect it will calm down in time. A clear bacteria sludge formed in the sump, likely due to new piping, glass, plastics, glues, silicone, etc. Yesterday I vacuumed the sump with my bucket top wet dry vac, replaced with 10 fresh gallons of salwater. Also, I am seeing, dare I say, a possible form of dinos in the display, mainly in sandbed. Despite all of this, I will continue Aquaforest Probiotic Method, but, a slight tweak for now.
So nutrients are good, but.... 0.00 P04 has raised my eyebrows. I am very happy with N03 at 2.5-5ppm. That said, bacteria, possible dinos, I decided, for now to raise P04 by a start dose of 5ml, a Jumpstart dose yesterday, and a continued dose of 2.5ml daily, at least until I reach maturity. The 60 gallon also was naturally P04 limited, so I sort of expect same here, but that system was quite mature, and ill effected.
Finally, I am chasing PH, using a scrubber, I am convinced this is crucial to the health of the system. Only 1 problem, humidity. I have to add water like every other day, as it dries up quickly in the reactor, not running recirculating, nor do I plan. I ordered a Milwaukee PH monitor, it arrives today, and I will be documenting my findings. I will likely fabricate a humidity canister where the scrubber can draw humid air. If not, I will drill for fresh air, lol
OP
OP
Gotcha!
And thank you. That explains alot, as I was dosing aminos during feeding time, while food thawed. I will discontinue. Not too worried, I totally believe that P04 dosing going to settle things, alteady has. But... I will continue to monitor, and possibly cut lights to blue for awhile if necessary. Acros looking amazing though, growth exploding everywhere, nearly every piece
Glad to hear the corals are loving the upgrade. Good news indeed.
Keep an eye on NO3 while you bump PO4 back up. When a system is deficient in one nutrient, I have found the bacteria colonies pull back. When you reintroduce (PO4 in your case) they can bounce back and knock down the "other" nutrient.
In my case it was nitrates. As soon as I added those back, my PO4 collapsed. Always something.
Keep an eye on NO3 while you bump PO4 back up. When a system is deficient in one nutrient, I have found the bacteria colonies pull back. When you reintroduce (PO4 in your case) they can bounce back and knock down the "other" nutrient.
In my case it was nitrates. As soon as I added those back, my PO4 collapsed. Always something.
OP
OP
Definitely be checking, as I am very happy with N03 right now. I would prefer not to drop too much more.
I am keeping a close eye on this noise, as to not let things gwt unmanageable. I will be testing P04 soon, and report back. I am thinking my corals and the system will benefit from dosing, so dar they seem to appreciate it, polyps are out and dancing. Thanks Scott, for all your insight, it's nice to have the feedback!
Cheers!
OP
OP
Wow,
I can't get P04 to register, yesterday dose was 10ml. So, I pulled bio-media, as it was working TOO good. That and a new sandbed, plus more volume, yeah, I am not going to continue dosing any carbon source or bacteria source, at least not for now.
I can visually see corals perk up post P04 dosing, but the system is definitely absorbing it, and quickly. I dosed 5ml this am, and nada, so looks like I will up it to 20ml and see what happens. At this point I will simply run my system Berlin Method, as it seems dosing and bio-media is unnecessary with already nutrient limited system.
I am happy with my minerals, but will be starting kalkwasser soon, again, ph is the number I am chasing. Added a Milwaukee PH monitor, and the system is holding steady at 8.1 daytime, and 7.9 dark time. That said, I really need to get myself up .2 both peak and dark periods. I think kalkwasser is exactly the answer
Corals still growing and looking colorful, so something is working, but I am not interested in dinos taking off, so hopefully I can get my nutrients up, as well as ph, time will tell.
I can't get P04 to register, yesterday dose was 10ml. So, I pulled bio-media, as it was working TOO good. That and a new sandbed, plus more volume, yeah, I am not going to continue dosing any carbon source or bacteria source, at least not for now.
I can visually see corals perk up post P04 dosing, but the system is definitely absorbing it, and quickly. I dosed 5ml this am, and nada, so looks like I will up it to 20ml and see what happens. At this point I will simply run my system Berlin Method, as it seems dosing and bio-media is unnecessary with already nutrient limited system.
I am happy with my minerals, but will be starting kalkwasser soon, again, ph is the number I am chasing. Added a Milwaukee PH monitor, and the system is holding steady at 8.1 daytime, and 7.9 dark time. That said, I really need to get myself up .2 both peak and dark periods. I think kalkwasser is exactly the answer
Corals still growing and looking colorful, so something is working, but I am not interested in dinos taking off, so hopefully I can get my nutrients up, as well as ph, time will tell.
OP
OP
P04 saga continues, man am I glad I caught this before trouble ensues After dumping 17.5 ml of seachem phosphorus into the tank yesterday, 7.5ml in am, and 10ml pm, I registered 0.02 for P04. So, I will split dose again today, and bump to 20ml, and repeat test tomorrow. I have a brand new bottle of BW Nitro on hand just in case my N03 plummets. That said, 2 more bottle of seachem phosphorus on order.
Side note, I will get some pics tomorrow, but I am experiencing a color and growth boom. Even dormant ones coming alive. Fox Flame is putting out new tips and showing pe, plus almost colored back up. I have a couple rescues as well, and the Pink Caddi was stn'ng, and now healing and coloring. Thanks for following along, something special brewing, I hope to not disappoint
After dumping 17.5 ml of seachem phosphorus into the tank yesterday, 7.5ml in am, and 10ml pm, I registered 0.02 for P04. So, I will split dose again today, and bump to 20ml, and repeat test tomorrow. I have a brand new bottle of BW Nitro on hand just in case my N03 plummets. That said, 2 more bottle of seachem phosphorus on order.Side note, I will get some pics tomorrow, but I am experiencing a color and growth boom. Even dormant ones coming alive. Fox Flame is putting out new tips and showing pe, plus almost colored back up. I have a couple rescues as well, and the Pink Caddi was stn'ng, and now healing and coloring. Thanks for following along, something special brewing, I hope to not disappoint
Good that you caught the PO4 depletion early. Back before I had a ton of fish in my frag system, I went through two liters of DIY phosphate before I could keep any residual. But once the aragonite (sump rock) became saturated the need to dose went away. And yeah, I had to go through dinos a couple times too. I got so sick of testing PO4 and nitrate every. single. day.P04 saga continues, man am I glad I caught this before trouble ensues
Side note, I will get some pics tomorrow, but I am experiencing a color and growth boom. Even dormant ones coming alive. Fox Flame is putting out new tips and showing pe, plus almost colored back up. I have a couple rescues as well, and the Pink Caddi was stn'ng, and now healing and coloring. Thanks for following along, something special brewing, I hope to not disappoint
OP
OP
Well it's always something. I picked up a goby pistol paired today. They rode in the same bag, and released together, already burrowing
I also picked up a baby ORA file fish. My hawkfish fish was eying it upon release, but so far so good. Also added kalkwasser to top off, hoping to see a rise in ph. Pretty much going back in time in reefing, lol.
OP
OP
And yet another twist!!!
Just switched back to Lamotte for alk testing, and today, cough, cough, 2 tests, and 6.04dkh. So in my chasing ph, it appears my alk consumption has gone up, and big time. Thursday night was 7.4dkh, so thats quite a swing. That said, adding a tsp per gallon of kalkwasser for top off, and will increase saturation in due time. I guess this confirms my what I am seeing growth wise
Just switched back to Lamotte for alk testing, and today, cough, cough, 2 tests, and 6.04dkh. So in my chasing ph, it appears my alk consumption has gone up, and big time. Thursday night was 7.4dkh, so thats quite a swing. That said, adding a tsp per gallon of kalkwasser for top off, and will increase saturation in due time. I guess this confirms my what I am seeing growth wise
OP
OP
Oh fogot to mention that Scott, you are spot on, N03 is down to 2.5ppm, so I will be having to test that and possibly dose N03 too, dang you are so right, lol...
OP
OP
Tim,
My system is so wompy right now, alk depletion, P04, just can't add enough, and yeah, now N03 is plummeting, lol. Some good problems to have, but getting dialed in may take a moment. I have obviously stopped any carbon/bacteria dosing, going to let the system run, and do my best to keep up
APEX Fusion measurement charts and logs are crucial to me for piecing some of these interactions together.
For me now with nutrients it is more about dialing in the export side. Work in progress, but skimming out vodka-fueled gunk is more fun than dosing I think. Fish certainly agree. Acros don't seem to care much one way or another on nutrients high/low as long as fish poo is flying and bugs are managed.
I too am slowly tinkering with kalk dosing for pH at night. Still work in progress there for sure; going slow and dancing against my calcium reactor. So many variables here that this is going to become more of a "gut feel" process. Not my favorite challenge but think (like you & @drawman ) there are some benefits here to be had with keeping pH in a cool 8-8.3 range consistently.
OP
OP
Good morning!
This morning I tested P04 straight away, and after 2x10ml doses am/pm, I registered 0.00... Ughh! So, I am upping dose to 2x15ml doses for a 24 hour total of 30ml. I tested alk, and my 12 hour usage was my dose yesterday of 15ml, and that includes 1 tsp saturation of kalkwasser in top off per gallon. I have a bubble magus 3 channel doser, looks like I need to order and replace the heads. I will be testing alk and P04 every morning, same time, until I can wrap my head around the system.
This morning I tested P04 straight away, and after 2x10ml doses am/pm, I registered 0.00... Ughh! So, I am upping dose to 2x15ml doses for a 24 hour total of 30ml. I tested alk, and my 12 hour usage was my dose yesterday of 15ml, and that includes 1 tsp saturation of kalkwasser in top off per gallon. I have a bubble magus 3 channel doser, looks like I need to order and replace the heads. I will be testing alk and P04 every morning, same time, until I can wrap my head around the system.
OP
OP
So, if you see in some pics, I have some healthy aptasia in the tank. Yesterday I picked up the ORA Aptasia Eating File Fish. The little guy is about an inch. Today I am seeing him picking around the rocks, also noticing shriveled aptasia, maybe I get lucky! Cool little fish nonetheless
drawman
2500 Club Member
Very cool fish I had a biota one for a few years that I gave away before I moved. Keep an eye on him though mine had an expensive taste for Euphyllia and any exposed polyps.So, if you see in some pics, I have some healthy aptasia in the tank. Yesterday I picked up the ORA Aptasia Eating File Fish. The little guy is about an inch. Today I am seeing him picking around the rocks, also noticing shriveled aptasia, maybe I get lucky! Cool little fish nonetheless
OP
OP
Well, back to the P04 saga, lol. So after a 30 ml dose yesterday, I tested at .32, so no dose today, will measure tomorrow. Alk was 6.2 dkh. So it appears that 25ml is likely the sweet spot dose, but I need to get it up just a hair, so I will continue 30ml, to get a daily rise by .1 or .2, until I am up around 7.5dkh. I am getting some useful info from alk at least, P04 is confusing me
OP
OP
I will Tim, It's an interesting fish indeed, I hope it likes aptasia instead of polyps, lol
Similar threads
