Perry's 90 Gallon SCA Acro Upgrade

[Perry]

Awesome box of chunky pieces. How do you keep track of who is who once you take them out of the bag? Never been real good with that.

Hey Scott,
The pic I posted on frag rack is in a number sequence based on sheet included, and placing the corals on the rack in same order, front left being position #1, and so on to 17 holes being filled. The picture helped me to remeber and reference back once each placed in their respective homes, which is complete
I decided to tune a500x to 55% intensity, running 20% color, quite blue. The 2 a360we's are at 75%, straight blue. Based on all par mapping info I could find, where thd were tested at 100% maxed out, I feel I am way under desired par levels, but do not want to chance, so each week I will slowly bump intensity on the a500x, probably to around 70%, then in time, begin to increase the color to max at 40%. This as well as 25% color on a360we seems to be close to my favorite 20k Radium, fairly white by led standards, lol.

 

[Perry]

very nice! I see some smooth skins and hairy ones

Yes my friend, I think there was roughly 6-7 millis and a spath, the Hellfire Flower is probably the craziest milli I have EVER seen. The Battlegum, is a sweet one too! But, there were some nice smoothies too, "set for stun" was a personal vault hookup, it's not listed and seems to be elusive...
Cheers!

 

[drawman]

I will definitely be in touch, but tbh, tenuis look really cool up close and under heavy blues, but I prefer a daylight look, something close to nature. I find a true pink stylo to be fascinating for example, and looks amazing in 6500k-20k. This is where Kessil really looks sick, as close as I have seen to halide, as far as led goes. Of course I could run my tank blue, but more old school, and my husbandry, will have to dedicate an entire new update for that, lol... hmmm....Let's just say, 16k daylight appearance, and heavy fish feedings with lots of fish, with very heavy export. The tank will incorporate a hybrid AF/ Zeovit method. To me, heavy nutrients would be a disaster in my desired spectrum settings. One of my favorite scores is the Pearlberry, it will take center stage.
More to come

I'm right there with you Perry...pink stylos are gorgeous too I know my tank needs one. Nice pickup with the battlebox!

 

[Perry]

I'm right there with you Perry...pink stylos are gorgeous too I know my tank needs one. Nice pickup with the battlebox!

Thanks Tim!
It's all perspective, I love distant views of the tank, primary colors, blended properly, give that rainbow appearance many seek in a specific variety of coral. That's great if you are constantly observing with a magnifying glass, readers, or macro lens, that or eagle eye 20/10 vision, which I used to have, lol. The only problem, like other old school reefers mention, is that once you back away from the tank, under white type spectrums, those rainbows actually look dull, sometimes even brown and duddy. Well, I like white lighting, and nothing against blue lit tanks, but it gives me a headache, and I feel brings on stress, anecdotal, but placebos are used for a reason, lol. If you ever view a true pink stylo from a distant view, you will do everything to find one and keep in your tank, same goes with a Palmers Blue Milli....
I digress

 

[Perry]

Ok, for elevated nutrient keepers, you may want to look past my next update, lol
System Update/ Filtration Husbandry:
1. AF Zeomix- .5 liter, slow flow on BRS reactor
2. AF Pro Bio S- 4 drops daily, Probiotic Bacteria
3. NP Pro- 4 drops daily, Polymer based liquid carbon source
4. MicroBacter7- 5ml per week, additional bacteria strain
5. Sera Siporax- 2 liters in mesh bag, placed in middle partion of sump, passive
6. AF Carbon- 1 cup, changed every 4 weeks, passive, placed in return pump chamber of sump

Coral Supplements/ Nutrition
1. AF Build- 4 drops nightly- used to help reduce acidity, to balance ph, and help to facilitate carbonate uptake/ skeletal building
2. AF Energy- 2 drops niighly- used as a nutritious food source targeted for sps feeding polyps/ food
3. AF FishV- used 2 times per week as balanced vitamin source, used to directly for fish health and indirect vitamin source for corals. Eliminates need to supplement AF Vitality
4. KZ Pohls Extra- Essentially a means of aminos and coral vitality- 1ml 2 times weekly
5. KZ Flatworm Stop- 2ml 3 times weekly- Coral health/ slime coat
6. KZ Coral Booster- Used in tandom with Flatworm Stop as a means for additional coral health supplement- 1ml 3 times per week
7. KZ Sponge Power- 2 drops, 2 times per week, used to promote health of filter feeders, like sponges

 

[Perry]

Yesterday was a day!!!
I pulled my sandbed, and in the process knocked off frags from glued locations, and ultimately a new scape, very similar, but I wanted all the sand gone. I did this by off setting with pre-made saltwater, scooping and removing, then 15 gallons more, as the final removal was post re-scape. I believe this helped not having a nutrient bomb explode in the tank. I told my son that he needed to remind me about this Sunday, if I ever get the crazy idea to add sand again!
This morning, all frags are the furriest they have been since receiving them. I am confident that with the direction, bare bottom is the way to go. I am truly ready to relax and start enjoying the tank, lol. Every time I remove sand, I am reminded of exactly why I ever add it in the first place, not even a year, and the sand was full of junk!
Cheers

 

[drawman]

Yesterday was a day!!!
I pulled my sandbed, and in the process knocked off frags from glued locations, and ultimately a new scape, very similar, but I wanted all the sand gone. I did this by off setting with pre-made saltwater, scooping and removing, then 15 gallons more, as the final removal was post re-scape. I believe this helped not having a nutrient bomb explode in the tank. I told my son that he needed to remind me about this Sunday, if I ever get the crazy idea to add sand again!
This morning, all frags are the furriest they have been since receiving them. I am confident that with the direction, bare bottom is the way to go. I am truly ready to relax and start enjoying the tank, lol. Every time I remove sand, I am reminded of exactly why I ever add it in the first place, not even a year, and the sand was full of junk!
Cheers

Welcome to the dark side Perry!

 

[ScottB]

Yesterday was a day!!!
I pulled my sandbed, and in the process knocked off frags from glued locations, and ultimately a new scape, very similar, but I wanted all the sand gone. I did this by off setting with pre-made saltwater, scooping and removing, then 15 gallons more, as the final removal was post re-scape. I believe this helped not having a nutrient bomb explode in the tank. I told my son that he needed to remind me about this Sunday, if I ever get the crazy idea to add sand again!
This morning, all frags are the furriest they have been since receiving them. I am confident that with the direction, bare bottom is the way to go. I am truly ready to relax and start enjoying the tank, lol. Every time I remove sand, I am reminded of exactly why I ever add it in the first place, not even a year, and the sand was full of junk!
Cheers

Dude!

In your last two posts alone, you have described more change than I have implemented in the last five years combined!

 

[Perry]

Dude!

In your last two posts alone, you have described more change than I have implemented in the last five years combined!

Yes some dramatic changes, but really not tok drastic, just seems that way.
Something was not right with my sand bed, and it never really settled in to begin with. That said, I am already seeing a better response in polyps, as detritus in suspension is feeding them constantly.
Running a Probiotic Method is not new to me, really the majority of my tanks ran this way in the past, transitioning to AF system is really gentle. I am simply trying to create the best possible conditions for a thriving acro dominant tank.
Yes my ways of doing things are a bit unconventional. Hopefully I will be able to "show" results of my mad scientist ways....
Time will tell

 

[Mystikal]

Geezzzz Perry! I wanted to go BB as well...But planned on having some wrasse buddies in the tank. Ill have to do the WWC method and add some sand areas, if I end up going your route!

 

[Perry]

Geezzzz Perry! I wanted to go BB as well...But planned on having some wrasse buddies in the tank. Ill have to do the WWC method and add some sand areas, if I end up going your route!

Every time, and I mean EVERY time I have moved, upgraded, or whatever reason I had to remove sand is 100% why I did this, it's pretty gnarly, and to think about years and years, yeah, it was also a fail in my system, rush job, using live sand, unrinsed, but we live and learn. A better choice would have been tropic eden reef flakes. Anyway, it it truly about flow, and I can now blast away and see a tremendous polyp response. Following me and my tank journey can be a bit much for some folks, but sometimes rules are meant to be challenged, lol

 

[Daniel@R2R]

Yes my friend, I think there was roughly 6-7 millis and a spath, the Hellfire Flower is probably the craziest milli I have EVER seen. The Battlegum, is a sweet one too! But, there were some nice smoothies too, "set for stun" was a personal vault hookup, it's not listed and seems to be elusive...
Cheers!

I may have to add these to my next order.

 

[Perry]

Not much to look at yet, but the basic structure down, 2 more coral orders, totaling 25 pieces yet to arrive, then things will start heating up. I really lovd the clean look on the revised bommie

 

[Perry]

So 21 more acros are set to arrive in the next 2 weeks, and 13 other assorted sps as well. So that makes for 40 acros and 13 non acros. 53 total corals! I think that should just about do it
Cheers

 

[Perry]

Scored these from Bacon(previous ROTM) in a trade, they should be here on Tuesday! Weds I received my fox flame, tyree Pinky The Bear, pink lemonade, tsa bill Murray, and sunset Milli! I have 9 millis, and still don't have enough, lol.

 

[Perry]

Update Time:
Sand Removal-
This was 100% the best move I could have made for my longterm approach to an ALL SPS aquarium. I am still fighting some uglies, a bit of cyano, some bacteria dusting, just unsightly stuff that is bound to a flow limited environment where sand and rock binded nutrients. I siphon 5 gallons of whatever, bits of sand, detritus, cyano, bactera strands, that still are working their way out of the rock. Some rock was submerged in sand even, so this process has been going on for weeks. No worries though, twice per day I max out all pumps to 100%, I call it export mode. Invariably, stuff comes out of the rock, I also turkey baste, and toothbrush rock at this time. 2 days later, I siphon and offset with fresh salwater. My tank is fringing "OCD" clean.
Coral Update-
I have lost 2 pieces, well, they were alive, but losing tissue, so I chucked them to avoid a rtn event, sometimes better to cut your losses. All corals are settling, some even growin. I am currently homing 30 acros, with 7 more coming soon with 13 other sps including some montis. All incoming non acros will encrust the bottom of the tank, for that, it leads me to my next update....
T5 unit is back in place, I just cannot do leds, I love the Kessil look, but for this scape, I want to grow sps on the bottom, I have already accomplished this before, so all LEDS are sold, this to eliminate the knee-jerk desire to flip flop. I still have 2x 75 watt blue reefbars at 100% on either side of 6 T5's. The unit is 10" off the water, but will eventually go lower, more like 8"
All in all, I am very pleased with my system. Don't worry all, I will begin with pics soon, so get ready, I have 50 sps corals to document

 

[Perry]

 

[ScottB]

Two casualties out of 50 new pieces is a loss rate I would be totally fine with.

And you will never hear me poo poo a decision to go T5 or T5 hybrid.

 

[Perry]

Sump now tidy.
I had LOTS of detritus silt on the sump floor, it had been forever since I cleaned it, and after pulling sand, invariably some made it's way to the sump. This may have contributed to my DT nasties. Also, I noticed my TMPR salts were made in Turkey, nothing seems wrong, but given my massive water changes, it could have also been an issue. Either way, I got a bucket of Red Sea, blue bucket. I found the TMPR salts mixing a bit higher on alk than ever, so as a precaution, it's shelved.
Going to continue siphoning 5 gallons of whatever daily over the weekend, then every 2-3 days during the week. I am still pulling sand, so my $ is on laden nutrients in rock, makes complete sense that everything went whacky after adding a fox face, it destroyed the bubble and hair, so the bubble algae was feeding on the binded nutrients, then eaten, so p04 and n03 jumped, as it was leaching, instead of being consumed. I am fairly certain this is what caused my crash. Anyway, this rock still appears to be leaching, but trying to use bacteria to out-compete surface area. With 5ppm N03, and .05ppm P04, I am content heading the same course.
Cheers

 

[drawman]

Sump now tidy.
I had LOTS of detritus silt on the sump floor, it had been forever since I cleaned it, and after pulling sand, invariably some made it's way to the sump. This may have contributed to my DT nasties. Also, I noticed my TMPR salts were made in Turkey, nothing seems wrong, but given my massive water changes, it could have also been an issue. Either way, I got a bucket of Red Sea, blue bucket. I found the TMPR salts mixing a bit higher on alk than ever, so as a precaution, it's shelved.
Going to continue siphoning 5 gallons of whatever daily over the weekend, then every 2-3 days during the week. I am still pulling sand, so my $ is on laden nutrients in rock, makes complete sense that everything went whacky after adding a fox face, it destroyed the bubble and hair, so the bubble algae was feeding on the binded nutrients, then eaten, so p04 and n03 jumped, as it was leaching, instead of being consumed. I am fairly certain this is what caused my crash. Anyway, this rock still appears to be leaching, but trying to use bacteria to out-compete surface area. With 5ppm N03, and .05ppm P04, I am content heading the same course.
Cheers

Were you using the TMPR when you had acros dying Perry?