Perry's Shallow Water Acro Dominant Build Thread

[eg8r210]

Hey Perry, great to see you back in the SPS business. :). Long time no chat. I have been out of the game about 3 years myself. Hoping to put some water in the tank next month.

 

[Perry]

Love it! I like using leds to go with halides. I finally got my or2 bars straightened out so I have 96 blue LEDs to go with my two 250w radiums in my 100 gallon Rubbermaid. I was about to go with two led fixtures but couldn’t find any that fit. I would have rather went that way like you did but this is a good second option.
My screen name on RC was piper27 and still is on my local forum if I ever get back on there. The “biggles juice” was pretty good for getting some nice green fluorescent shine on certain corals. Once my tank starts growing well I will probably go with supplementing more manganese and zinc.
I like how you are using live rock in the first chamber. I used a 40 gallon breeder full of it in the same spot and used a carbon source dosed in it to grow bacteria so I didn’t have to worry about jelly mats in funny spots when I was using a lot. Sponges grew amazingly well in there and even with low flow detritus was not bad. I still have some large sponges under my rocks that I kept from that tank, they were so big they stuck rocks together. Are you planning to use a carbon source in this tank? If so what?

Lol,
Totally remember that username now :)
Glad you got the orphek bars worked out. My lighting came by mistake, but I am trying to work with what I have for now. As far as C-source and B-source, I am using Nitraphos Minus, as I have a full bottle, but only .5ml per day, alternate Pro Bio s and Bio S daily at 2 drops. I added a strong CUC to handle hair algae, and will suspend this dosing once it clears. Tests have indicated very low nutrients, but trying to keep the skimmer pulling hard with dosing lightly. Colors are holding just fine, so this will be temporary while the tank fully breaks in. I can throw chaeto online at any point as i have a free chamber available. Would prefer not use use dosing long term. :)

 

[Perry]

Hey Perry, great to see you back in the SPS business. :). Long time no chat. I have been out of the game about 3 years myself. Hoping to put some water in the tank next month.

What is up Ed!!!
Thanks for stooping by, hope to see you back in the game my friend!
Cheers!

 

[Perry]

Update:
A few days ago I mentioned that I was seeing some hair algae. So on Wednesday, I picked up 20 more hermits, they were a mix of blue legs, and Mexican Red Legs. In the old tank, I moved over 15 or so large Red Leg Hermits a couple days prior. I also picked up 24 astreas and 5 bumblebee snails.
I was turned on to Mexican Red Legs by my buddy Chris, who I worked with in the Industry, a few years back. At the office, we were setting up a new tank, and imported rock, hand picked by Walt Smith, air freighted in from Fiji. Regardless, it stunk! Chris and I cycled the tank, ran skimmer, a couple weeks later, boom, hair algae. We went and specifically got Mexican Red Legs hermits, like 50, 2 days later, the rock was pristine! Like gorgeous beautiful clean rock. From that day forward, they will always have a home on my reef.....ah....I digress :)
Saturday morning:
Hair alge now 80+% gone.
I mentioned above in a reply, I also decided to kick my skimmer into overdrive by dosing Nitraphos Minus from Aquaforest. Only .5ml per day as well as Pro Bio S and Bio S at 2 drops. 25% of recommended dose on Nitraphos minus and 50% on bacteria.
This will likely not be longterm, but for now, I will and see impacts for nuisance algae, once I see the reduction, I will discontinue based on observations. I have been thinking about running chaeto on an opposite cycle to skimmer, so my thoughts are as follows;
Skimmer on 7am and off 10PM.
Chaeto lights on at 9PM and off 8AM. An hour overlap between transition. I am also thinking about running a good airstone 24/7, and drawing air through CO2 Scrubber. If I don't proceed with this plan, I will draw air to my skimmer through the scrubber. So if anyone has tried anything like this, chime in :)
Lastly, played around with the scape, moved a few corals, and just sitting back watching the fun, windows open here today, great morning for me, and the reef!
Cheers

 

[najer]

We went and specifically got Mexican Red Legs hermits, like 50, 2 days later, the rock was pristine! Like gorgeous beautiful clean rock. From that day forward, they will always have a home on my reef.....ah....I digress :)

My lfs used to import them, hands down the best hermits. :)

 

[Perry]

My lfs used to import them, hands down the best hermits. :)

I also, as well as a another reef bud think that blue legs, specifically small ones, pick and eat AEFW eggs, anecdotal, but always welcome on my reef. But, Mexican Red Leg Hermits, now those guys are amazing at algae, and picking the rock clean :)
So that brings up another point in live rock efficiency and bacteria homing, and how that works from a biofiltration stand point. Rock that is losing surface area, due to algae, I believe loses it's biological filtering capability. This is exactly why I want Mexican Red Legs, and Blue Legs too.
Oh man, I am revealing my reefing playbook, lol :)
Cheers my friend!

Edit: I love bristle worms too ;)

 

[najer]

Edit: I love bristle worms too ;)

So do my cave gobies! ;)

 

[Perry]

Update:
Time for the good, bad, and ugly, please chime in with experiences, very interested to hear :)
1. Hair algae with no phos or nitrate readings. Clean up crew and manual removal, but have lost a couple of acros, and a couple more looking smug. Now, it is either starvation, or another issue.
Solution:
Am definitely using bacteria and carbon source, now using BW Micro bacter, 3 drops per day. .5ml a day of Aquaforest Nitraphos Minus. To combat bottomed out NO3, now dosing 5ml per day, BW Neo nitro, will monitor every other day, once target reached of 2ppm, will continue to dose until my fish population increases.
I believe some of the rock was not very clean, I most definitely know the low po4 is being consumed by hair.
2. I changed out carbon, with catalytic carbon, in RODI setup. In the past I used regular carbon pass, after sediment, before RO. With 155 TDS, I never really put 2 and 2 together, assuming that didn't warrant any additional filtration other than my 4 stage RODI unit. After several times of smelling chlorine from tap, it makes perfect sense that maybe chloramine leaching is why I have had issues with my past tank, and presumably some in this current setup. Either way, after always smelling heavy chlorine smell from the tap, I think catalytic is the way to go. Our neighboring city most certainly uses chlorine and chloramines, I dont recall on last water report, but plan to call the city soon to find out.
3. Some good news, lol. Alk consumption finally kicked in, seeing daily consumption, this is encouraging despite other issues. Some acros are showing growth. 2 days ago I changed water with 10 gallon water change using TMPR salts. Of course after I changed carbon pass on RODI. This change seems to have halted some of the poor acros.

That is about it for now :)
More to come :)

 

[Perry]

Well crap!!!
As it turns out, chloramine is added to disinfect water, so now this is starting to make sense :( Ughh... So, if you want to save money, read your water report, do not rely on TDS as your guide to a proper RODI setup. Planning on doing a 25% water change today!!!

 

[drawman]

Update:
Time for the good, bad, and ugly, please chime in with experiences, very interested to hear :)
1. Hair algae with no phos or nitrate readings. Clean up crew and manual removal, but have lost a couple of acros, and a couple more looking smug. Now, it is either starvation, or another issue.
Solution:
Am definitely using bacteria and carbon source, now using BW Micro bacter, 3 drops per day. .5ml a day of Aquaforest Nitraphos Minus. To combat bottomed out NO3, now dosing 5ml per day, BW Neo nitro, will monitor every other day, once target reached of 2ppm, will continue to dose until my fish population increases.
I believe some of the rock was not very clean, I most definitely know the low po4 is being consumed by hair.
2. I changed out carbon, with catalytic carbon, in RODI setup. In the past I used regular carbon pass, after sediment, before RO. With 155 TDS, I never really put 2 and 2 together, assuming that didn't warrant any additional filtration other than my 4 stage RODI unit. After several times of smelling chlorine from tap, it makes perfect sense that maybe chloramine leaching is why I have had issues with my past tank, and presumably some in this current setup. Either way, after always smelling heavy chlorine smell from the tap, I think catalytic is the way to go. Our neighboring city most certainly uses chlorine and chloramines, I dont recall on last water report, but plan to call the city soon to find out.
3. Some good news, lol. Alk consumption finally kicked in, seeing daily consumption, this is encouraging despite other issues. Some acros are showing growth. 2 days ago I changed water with 10 gallon water change using TMPR salts. Of course after I changed carbon pass on RODI. This change seems to have halted some of the poor acros.

That is about it for now :)
More to come :)

Good to find that out early chloramines do suck! I've installed a giant BB chloramine carbon block on my system so I can be a little more lazy about changing it out.

 

[Perry]

Good to find that out early chloramines do suck! I've installed a giant BB chloramine carbon block on my system so I can be a little more lazy about changing it out.

Hey Tim,
It's totally making sense, I have always used a cheap carbon pass, not catalytic.
What does every reefer turn to when things go wrong... water change! In this case, in past cases, water changes were worsening the issues... so irradiated right now. Will be adding another separate carbon pass to the system soon. Life on the reef man ;)

 

[siggy]

For a minuet it sounded like you were having fun. :p
I used neo-nitro when corals faded, overnight they bounced back. Im not a fan of fuges, too much work, time and mess, my corner overflow was filled with marine-pure and would out work the fuge. At the end I only had 3 larges rocks and still had to feed heavily to keep dinos away.

 

[Perry]

For a minuet it sounded like you were having fun. :p
I used neo-nitro when corals faded, overnight they bounced back. Im not a fan of fuges, too much work, time and mess, my corner overflow was filled with marine-pure and would out work the fuge. At the end I only had 3 larges rocks and still had to feed heavily to keep dinos away.

Having fun yes!!!
It's always something, not all is bad, consumption shows growth, this is good. HW still looks great, cali tort upset, miyagi tort upset, malificent upset. All others appear fine, WD looking good too. I do however need to keep an eye on nutrients, this skimmer really pulls!!!

 

[Perry]

@siggy
Did you like the BW neo nitro product? Seems to have stimulated PE, What dose did you do on what volume? Barely a color change on NO3 Salifert test. Given I have hair algae, and despite very low PO4, I am certain it's there, but algae is inhibiting a valid test. So, I am not to worried over it, at least until I see a deduction in hair algae.
Thanks!!!

 

[Fishfinder]

@Perry since you’ve done some research can you explain the difference between catalytic carbon and the other type? What do I want to run in my RO system to combat cloramines?

 

[Perry]

@Perry since you’ve done some research can you explain the difference between catalytic carbon and the other type? What do I want to run in my RO system to combat cloramines?

Hey bud,
Based on what I can gather, I am not a chemist, scientist, biologist, nothing at all like that :) That said, I have concerns with my water based on something non reef related. In our home, we do not drink tap water, we do not drink bottled water, we use a gravity filter made by Berkey Systems, which is designed to take out everything bad in our drinking water, and capable of being used with water from a pond, rainwater, dysentery water, essentially a filter that takes out all the that we do not want to drink in our home. We upgraded our filters to include sodium flouride attachments which remove that as well. So, not a water expert by any means, but as it pertains to my drinking water, as well as reef water, obviously I go to great efforts to understand the importance of quality, purified water.
So, to understand the recent efforts to know more, I look back in my memory bank, and try and remember anything significant that would allow chlorine past my reef water. I do recall a few times per year where the water seems very carbonated while filling the vessel(1 gallon pitcher) that we use to fill the Berkey system, also, a very heavy smell of chlorine during these times. The pitcher we use to fill would look cloudy, like massive micro bubbling, really weird, my wife would always come and get me and ask what is this each time it occurred. We would always laugh it off like, "glad we have a Berkey". Understanding the way the local water works, is not something I ever gave tons of thought too, I always thought that my 4 stage filter would handle anything, and so long as TDS registered 0.00, no harm no foul. I am certain regular carbon, in most cases can handle chlorine or chloramines. However, I have come to realize that municipalities usually do blasts as well, periods or events where they send larger than normal amounts of chlorine's and chloramine's to counter anything in the water supply. However, if for whatever reason, you happen to be making water during these times, it would be possible to expire these filters quickly, thus making them susceptible to leaching in later use, prior to changing out these carbon filters. From my understanding, catalytic carbon is more efficient at chloramines, but also works well on chlorines.
I know this is long winded, and I apologize, for that. These signs were in front of me, and maybe this is the nudge I need to call the municipality and ask that before blasts are made, could they contact or message me accordingly. Also, reading the report thoroughly provided by our local municipality is as important as the ICP analysis we do so often as reef keepers. I am amazed at the quality of our tap, that said, I also understand the need to use chemicals for safe consumption. The main thing to consider, as to why I do not drink or choose to use tap for myself or reef, is by and large based on what happens from the plant, to my house.
Cheers

 

[Fishfinder]

Wow Perry. I really can’t explain all the questions you answered in your long winded response. I have had many questions about my reef lately. And hopefully this resolves the issue. Thank you for the answer. I’m glad to see you have solved your problem. Time to get back on track

 

[Perry]

Wow Perry. I really can’t explain all the questions you answered in your long winded response. I have had many questions about my reef lately. And hopefully this resolves the issue. Thank you for the answer. I’m glad to see you have solved your problem. Time to get back on track

Lol,
This has long been a thought, but, an afterthought. I hope clarity, pun intended, helps. You have an amazing collection, clearly evidenced by your results :)
Cheers :)

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

Houston uses a ton of chlorine/chloramines. I just add 2 drops of prime per gallon of ro/di and haven’t had any issues.

 

[siggy]

Did you like the BW neo nitro product? Seems to have stimulated PE, What dose did you do on what volume?

3 doses at 5ml maybe 8 on the 75, even then I barely got a reading on the Elos test kit. That was the only kit I could get a color change from, the colors returned so I left it, later I removed the fuge and life is good without those woe's.