NY_Caveman
likes words, fish and arbitrary statistics
Came out nice! Very interesting shape.
Quietman's RSR 170 Mostly Softie - ATS/UV Only
- Nano Build
- Thread starter Quietman
- Start date
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OP
OP
Random updates (Water Station, Cycling and the Radion X15)
So first of all lesson learned: Do not try to save money on your RODI unit. I did (see above) and the DI resin horizontal cartridges channelled badly as the resin shrunk and the resin quality wasn't that high to begin with. I did manage 100 gallons or so out of it, but far less than I expected. So I shelled out another 100+ dollars and got the three stage DI from BRS. 15 TDS going in (I'll be updating the Filters/RO soon but so far it's serviceable) 0 TDS out of the Cation/Anion and of course 0 TDS out of the Mixed Bed.
So learn from me and drop the 200-300+ dollars you'll need on a good RO/DI unit. I won't comment on brands I haven't tried and I know there's other highly rated units for about the same price point. To paraphrase: There are good RO/DI and there are cheap RO/DI units, but there are no good, cheap RO/DI units.
Update: 9/7/19 Striked out the above because after a couple more months with using the BRS 3-stage DI, I'm much happier with the KoolerMax RO unit (with the horizontal DI canisters removed). Input (tap) is 470 TDS now, output (into the DI) is 9 which is 98% and that's exactly as advertised. So...I won't say you should go with inexpensive or that it's better - but you can have a 0 TDS output for much less than top dollar. Staying with the KoolerMax AR-122 RO (with Resin removed) and using the BRS 3 stage DI. So far I've had to replace the anion resin once. Not keeping track of gallons - but have new phone app, so I'll start.
I did manage to put together my Water station. Got a wire shelf with wheels (they hold 200lb each so no worries with my 20 gallons total of water storage) from TheShelvingStore.com and it worked our very well for what I needed. So much so, that now I'm going to buy 4ft x 2ft for my garage storage. The plastic tanks fit, room for 5 gallon buckets underneath, easy tie wrap to attach electrical and route tubing, all in all a good small system.
Put an MaxiJet 400 and a 100W heater (overkill, but I had it. Found a 25W on the back shelf I may use instead) in the 10 gal Norwesco tank. Added a float valve and a spigot valve, worked like just it's supposed to. Need to get a GHT elbow though for a down spout...2 feet of head really shoots the water out. Maybe a barbed hose attachment too. We'll see. Overall very happy with the setup.
Cycling the tank still...I've had more than a few discussions on the nitrogen cycle and preventing algae when people come over and see my tank.
So far it's been a week since I added the NH4Cl to start the cycle. Nitrites are coming back down and nitrates hit 7ppm before I did a water change today (5 ppm now). Trying to keep NO3 <= 10 ppm during the cycle and closer to 5 ppm is better. I'll have more on how I'm trying to cycle next update but so far I'm happy with the results. I'm hopeful to be done next weekend with the cycle and start stabilizing and prepping for livestock, CUC and corals.
Went online with EcoSmart Live and configured my Radion. Still have it off and will keep it off until I finish cycling and then get my nitrate export stabilized but wanted to play with the cool gear.
Busy weekend, but fun finally getting to the good stuff and actually managing the water and cycling.
Later...
Update: 9/7/19 Striked out the above because after a couple more months with using the BRS 3-stage DI, I'm much happier with the KoolerMax RO unit (with the horizontal DI canisters removed). Input (tap) is 470 TDS now, output (into the DI) is 9 which is 98% and that's exactly as advertised. So...I won't say you should go with inexpensive or that it's better - but you can have a 0 TDS output for much less than top dollar. Staying with the KoolerMax AR-122 RO (with Resin removed) and using the BRS 3 stage DI. So far I've had to replace the anion resin once. Not keeping track of gallons - but have new phone app, so I'll start.
I did manage to put together my Water station. Got a wire shelf with wheels (they hold 200lb each so no worries with my 20 gallons total of water storage) from TheShelvingStore.com and it worked our very well for what I needed. So much so, that now I'm going to buy 4ft x 2ft for my garage storage. The plastic tanks fit, room for 5 gallon buckets underneath, easy tie wrap to attach electrical and route tubing, all in all a good small system.
Put an MaxiJet 400 and a 100W heater (overkill, but I had it. Found a 25W on the back shelf I may use instead) in the 10 gal Norwesco tank. Added a float valve and a spigot valve, worked like just it's supposed to. Need to get a GHT elbow though for a down spout...2 feet of head really shoots the water out. Maybe a barbed hose attachment too. We'll see. Overall very happy with the setup.
Cycling the tank still...I've had more than a few discussions on the nitrogen cycle and preventing algae when people come over and see my tank.
So far it's been a week since I added the NH4Cl to start the cycle. Nitrites are coming back down and nitrates hit 7ppm before I did a water change today (5 ppm now). Trying to keep NO3 <= 10 ppm during the cycle and closer to 5 ppm is better. I'll have more on how I'm trying to cycle next update but so far I'm happy with the results. I'm hopeful to be done next weekend with the cycle and start stabilizing and prepping for livestock, CUC and corals.
Went online with EcoSmart Live and configured my Radion. Still have it off and will keep it off until I finish cycling and then get my nitrate export stabilized but wanted to play with the cool gear.
Busy weekend, but fun finally getting to the good stuff and actually managing the water and cycling.
Later...
Last edited:
OP
OP
Cycling notes - Ready for Fish.
So I'm sitting here waiting for my first fish to arrive from LiveAquaria. Before I start posting on the fish just a few notes on cycling my tank.
First of all it approx 21 days to complete but then I caught some plague like head cold that put me out of commission for two additional weeks. Overall very happy and satisfied with how the cycling process worked out for me. In summary: It took the expected 3-4 weeks and no noticeable algae, bacterial or diatom blooms for the first 40 days.
I did a fish-less and dead shrimpless cycle with ammonium chloride (NH4CL). Added for 2 ppm (6ml - in my RSR170) and waited until it was consumed at had some Nitrite/Nitrate build up. After that I added 2 ml (just under 1 ppm) every few days until it cycled and then only added 1 ml occasionally to keep the bacteria alive a well until I added livestock.
I decided to use NH4CL because I wanted to limit phosphates early on until I was actually feeding livestock. This was very successful, I only saw a little .03 blip for a couple days (could've been test error) and then ND (non-detectable) for the remainder of cycling.
The tank was kept wrapped in brown paper with lights off for the first two weeks to minimize light energy for algae.
To try and maximize bacterial diversity (and no, I have no idea if that's actually a good thing or not but it sounds right) I tried to add 3 different bacterial strains. The theory is to provide as much bacterial diversity to allow the best variant to succeed. To do that I let my natural bacteria build up without any additives until I was reading nitrites/nitrates. I then added a bottle of Dr. Tim's and also started a daily dose of 5ml of MicroBacter 7 for a week. I have no way to test and verify if this beneficial or not. I still cycled in 3-4 weeks so I didn't see any quicker times than normal - to be expected really as that's all about population growth. I suppose the increased competition could've made the cycle take longer - but didn't really see that either. I did notice a higher nitrate level than I would expect from my additions of NH4Cl based on the NH3:NO2:NO3 ratio of 1:2.7:3.6. I suspect that came from organics in the additive bottles. Once time enough had passed to consume the added organics, that ratio held very well in predicting nitrate from NH4CL additions. Note: I'm very pleased with the products I listed in not increasing phosphates in the slightest.
At day 15; NH3 at 0, Nitrates dropping (0.3), Nitrates at 7 ppm, I added a bottle of Coralline Algae (Purple) from ARC Reef, removed the paper and started a 6 hour blue spectrum, mid power light cycle. Wanting to seed Coralline before adding corals. No results expected yet so no comments. Again, I'm happy product did not increase phosphates or ammonia at all.
After that it was just about adding some NH4CL every few days (1ml) to keep things going and water changes to control Nitrates (goal under 5ppm - which I quickly decided to make under 20ppm when I got sick). Even at 20ppm nitrate with 0 phosphate - no algae which again was my primary concern.
By the way - I've seen a lot of forum chatter on water changes during cycling. I did them and fairly aggressively to keep nitrates in check. I didn't want to come out of cycling with 50ppm+ and a 100% water change. Plus I don't see how doing a WC will impact the population of bacteria that lives on surfaces and not in the water column other than maybe having to re-add NH4CL to make up for dilution - but it's right in the bottle so that's dead easy.
That's about it...nothing too exciting. I enjoyed overthinking this process and probably spending way more time and effort on cycling than was necessary. Could I have dumped a dead shrimp in my tank and had same results? Sure. But what kind of satisfaction would I have had in letting a dead shrimp do all the work.
The big gap in testing (every dot on the line is test) was due to that cold. Luckily, tank was cycled and I had a good idea where nitrates where going to end up so just threw in the 1ml of NH4Cl when I could manage to get off the couch.
Next update will be adding first fish (since I just heard the doorbell a minute ago and brought in my LiveAquaria box). Got to get acclimatizing!
Later...Qm
So I'm sitting here waiting for my first fish to arrive from LiveAquaria. Before I start posting on the fish just a few notes on cycling my tank.
First of all it approx 21 days to complete but then I caught some plague like head cold that put me out of commission for two additional weeks. Overall very happy and satisfied with how the cycling process worked out for me. In summary: It took the expected 3-4 weeks and no noticeable algae, bacterial or diatom blooms for the first 40 days.
I did a fish-less and dead shrimpless cycle with ammonium chloride (NH4CL). Added for 2 ppm (6ml - in my RSR170) and waited until it was consumed at had some Nitrite/Nitrate build up. After that I added 2 ml (just under 1 ppm) every few days until it cycled and then only added 1 ml occasionally to keep the bacteria alive a well until I added livestock.
I decided to use NH4CL because I wanted to limit phosphates early on until I was actually feeding livestock. This was very successful, I only saw a little .03 blip for a couple days (could've been test error) and then ND (non-detectable) for the remainder of cycling.
The tank was kept wrapped in brown paper with lights off for the first two weeks to minimize light energy for algae.
To try and maximize bacterial diversity (and no, I have no idea if that's actually a good thing or not but it sounds right) I tried to add 3 different bacterial strains. The theory is to provide as much bacterial diversity to allow the best variant to succeed. To do that I let my natural bacteria build up without any additives until I was reading nitrites/nitrates. I then added a bottle of Dr. Tim's and also started a daily dose of 5ml of MicroBacter 7 for a week. I have no way to test and verify if this beneficial or not. I still cycled in 3-4 weeks so I didn't see any quicker times than normal - to be expected really as that's all about population growth. I suppose the increased competition could've made the cycle take longer - but didn't really see that either. I did notice a higher nitrate level than I would expect from my additions of NH4Cl based on the NH3:NO2:NO3 ratio of 1:2.7:3.6. I suspect that came from organics in the additive bottles. Once time enough had passed to consume the added organics, that ratio held very well in predicting nitrate from NH4CL additions. Note: I'm very pleased with the products I listed in not increasing phosphates in the slightest.
At day 15; NH3 at 0, Nitrates dropping (0.3), Nitrates at 7 ppm, I added a bottle of Coralline Algae (Purple) from ARC Reef, removed the paper and started a 6 hour blue spectrum, mid power light cycle. Wanting to seed Coralline before adding corals. No results expected yet so no comments. Again, I'm happy product did not increase phosphates or ammonia at all.
After that it was just about adding some NH4CL every few days (1ml) to keep things going and water changes to control Nitrates (goal under 5ppm - which I quickly decided to make under 20ppm when I got sick). Even at 20ppm nitrate with 0 phosphate - no algae which again was my primary concern.
By the way - I've seen a lot of forum chatter on water changes during cycling. I did them and fairly aggressively to keep nitrates in check. I didn't want to come out of cycling with 50ppm+ and a 100% water change. Plus I don't see how doing a WC will impact the population of bacteria that lives on surfaces and not in the water column other than maybe having to re-add NH4CL to make up for dilution - but it's right in the bottle so that's dead easy.
That's about it...nothing too exciting. I enjoyed overthinking this process and probably spending way more time and effort on cycling than was necessary. Could I have dumped a dead shrimp in my tank and had same results? Sure. But what kind of satisfaction would I have had in letting a dead shrimp do all the work.
The big gap in testing (every dot on the line is test) was due to that cold. Luckily, tank was cycled and I had a good idea where nitrates where going to end up so just threw in the 1ml of NH4Cl when I could manage to get off the couch.
Next update will be adding first fish (since I just heard the doorbell a minute ago and brought in my LiveAquaria box). Got to get acclimatizing!
Later...Qm
Last edited:
OP
OP
Fish!!!
My order arrived from LiveAquaria!
1 - Banggai Cardinalfish
1 - Royal Gramma Basslet
1 - Exquisite Firefish
Did the recommended acclimatizing in the bags (not the drip). Worked out well after a few tense moments. Was concerned about the Royal Gramma. He was upside down in the bag and when released into the tank dove for the corner and was still upside down. Immediately jumped on Reef2Reef and typed in "new Royal Gramma upside down" and received the excellent advice in archive to just relax, they're tough little buggers and all will be fine if my parameters are good. Well, they were so I did just that. Also got to look like the fish whisperer (which I'm not) when my wife was worried about the little guy and I said..."just wait, he'll be fine". Sure enough, feeding time that night he was out and gobbling up the chow.
The Firefish looked great in the bag and for the first hour in the tank. Then "poof!" just disappeared. Again, Reef2Reef research said these guys - yes, I know I'm using male pronouns..but I'm doing it inclusively :) - will hide for up to a week in the scape. It was only for a day and now's he's out front almost all the time. Bear of a time finding his hidey hole....but finally saw and blue eye looking back at me from under a rock. That was literally all I could see...just that one eye.
This morning I did my water tests and found I had some nitrites but no ammonia. Odd, I suspect stirring up the sand bed a bit that morning during water change (before fish arrived) caused some gunk to decompose - what gunk I have no idea. I'll test again tonight or tomorrow just to make sure.
Also had the danged-est thing happen....
Checked my salinity this morning and it was 32 ppt (1.024)! Now how in the heck did that happen? I don't have an ATO other than that 1.5 gallon RSR container with the float valve, and it was just fine - still had water expected water level in it. I religiously calibrate my refractometer every week. The only thing I can think of is user reading error when making my last salt batch. I must have seen 30 ppt and read it as 35 ppt. I have done that before but my second checks have always caught it. Plus due to temporarily disengaging my brain, I did not question it when I only added 5 level cups of salt (HW-Marine Reef) when I normally have to add almost 6. I have a few phrases I live by - one of them is "Always ask the next question." Meaning, when I got 35ppt after only 5 cups of salt mix, I should have said "Whaaaa?". I didn't of course and now I have to do an adjustment. On a related note - I recommend watching the Chernobyl series from HBO, excellent and close to accurate as you'll find. Talk about not asking the next question.
Luckily, I don't have corals yet, just the three fish and I suspect they were more than happy with the reduced salinity. Probably a check mark now on the "pro" side of buying a digital salinity meter...going to wait a bit though and just be more careful because my next test equipment is a Hanna Alkalinity checker (on order an hour ago). That's mostly because I can't get consistent readings on the RSR titration for the life of me (and I've done titrating quite a bit in my life). Plus the HW-Marinemix Reef salt is supposed to be in the 9 dKH range and I can't break 7.8 so just want some confidence in the readings. Probably wouldn't have pulled the trigger so quick but that last BRS test equipment video gave me some confidence in the Alk checker.
And no....I didn't do a quarantine. Only thing in the tank is the three new fish.
Starting NOPOX dosing today - added 4 ml (nitrates at 15ppm, phosphates at .03ppm). I plan on doing weekly water changes still but in between I would like to keep nitrate in the <5 ppm range. I'll keep you up to date on how that goes.
Well..let me see if these guys will pose for a few shots.
So two out of three....the Gramma just isn't interested in coming out of the shadows just yet.
Other Notes:
John at Reef Cleaners is shipping my CUC Monday so I should have them Wed/Thursday.
I built the RSR screen top kit - I'll post some details on that later on.
That's all for now...Qm
My order arrived from LiveAquaria!
1 - Banggai Cardinalfish
1 - Royal Gramma Basslet
1 - Exquisite Firefish
Did the recommended acclimatizing in the bags (not the drip). Worked out well after a few tense moments. Was concerned about the Royal Gramma. He was upside down in the bag and when released into the tank dove for the corner and was still upside down. Immediately jumped on Reef2Reef and typed in "new Royal Gramma upside down" and received the excellent advice in archive to just relax, they're tough little buggers and all will be fine if my parameters are good. Well, they were so I did just that. Also got to look like the fish whisperer (which I'm not) when my wife was worried about the little guy and I said..."just wait, he'll be fine". Sure enough, feeding time that night he was out and gobbling up the chow.
The Firefish looked great in the bag and for the first hour in the tank. Then "poof!" just disappeared. Again, Reef2Reef research said these guys - yes, I know I'm using male pronouns..but I'm doing it inclusively :) - will hide for up to a week in the scape. It was only for a day and now's he's out front almost all the time. Bear of a time finding his hidey hole....but finally saw and blue eye looking back at me from under a rock. That was literally all I could see...just that one eye.
This morning I did my water tests and found I had some nitrites but no ammonia. Odd, I suspect stirring up the sand bed a bit that morning during water change (before fish arrived) caused some gunk to decompose - what gunk I have no idea. I'll test again tonight or tomorrow just to make sure.
Also had the danged-est thing happen....
Checked my salinity this morning and it was 32 ppt (1.024)! Now how in the heck did that happen? I don't have an ATO other than that 1.5 gallon RSR container with the float valve, and it was just fine - still had water expected water level in it. I religiously calibrate my refractometer every week. The only thing I can think of is user reading error when making my last salt batch. I must have seen 30 ppt and read it as 35 ppt. I have done that before but my second checks have always caught it. Plus due to temporarily disengaging my brain, I did not question it when I only added 5 level cups of salt (HW-Marine Reef) when I normally have to add almost 6. I have a few phrases I live by - one of them is "Always ask the next question." Meaning, when I got 35ppt after only 5 cups of salt mix, I should have said "Whaaaa?". I didn't of course and now I have to do an adjustment. On a related note - I recommend watching the Chernobyl series from HBO, excellent and close to accurate as you'll find. Talk about not asking the next question.
Luckily, I don't have corals yet, just the three fish and I suspect they were more than happy with the reduced salinity. Probably a check mark now on the "pro" side of buying a digital salinity meter...going to wait a bit though and just be more careful because my next test equipment is a Hanna Alkalinity checker (on order an hour ago). That's mostly because I can't get consistent readings on the RSR titration for the life of me (and I've done titrating quite a bit in my life). Plus the HW-Marinemix Reef salt is supposed to be in the 9 dKH range and I can't break 7.8 so just want some confidence in the readings. Probably wouldn't have pulled the trigger so quick but that last BRS test equipment video gave me some confidence in the Alk checker.
And no....I didn't do a quarantine. Only thing in the tank is the three new fish.
Starting NOPOX dosing today - added 4 ml (nitrates at 15ppm, phosphates at .03ppm). I plan on doing weekly water changes still but in between I would like to keep nitrate in the <5 ppm range. I'll keep you up to date on how that goes.
Well..let me see if these guys will pose for a few shots.
So two out of three....the Gramma just isn't interested in coming out of the shadows just yet.
Other Notes:
John at Reef Cleaners is shipping my CUC Monday so I should have them Wed/Thursday.
I built the RSR screen top kit - I'll post some details on that later on.
That's all for now...Qm
OP
OP
CUC, RSR Screen Top Kit, Inkbird Temp Controller
Status of tank - very small diatom bloom (well timed with arrival of CUC), just a spot here and there on the sand and rock. Nitrates managed and not increasing (as measured before last water change) - think the NOPOX is working, kinda-sorta, maybe. Still early. Parameters are stable. Tunze skimmer has settled in very nicely. Fish are all doing well after a week in their new home.
CUC - purchased the following from www.reefcleaners.org
With shipping: $20.85 (shipping was more than the order - to be expected). Very satisfied with my order and with reefcleaners - they'll be my go to on CUC. Got way more than 5 dwarf cerith to boot. Love the look of the empty hermit shells in my tank. too.
Any thoughts on that being overload on CUC? Did I miss anything I need to have? I've seen every recommendation from 1 per gallon to 1 per fish. Best advice from numerous sources was to start smaller and add CUC as you add bio-load. Made sense to me. So far everyone is happy and healthy. I'll let you know if any starve, but I am feeding them a bit extra and I did wait until tank was 6 weeks old so thinking we're going to be just fine.
That's the CUC (and the remains of empty shells) dotting the landscape. You can see some diatoms on the rock and maybe a slight discoloration on the sand. If this is bad as "Ugly Phase" gets, I'll consider myself lucky....somehow, I doubt this is the worst.
As I mentioned previously, I had purchased the RSR screen top kit from BRS (shout out to those guys for recommending a non-BRS product simply because it's better - what a concept in today's business world). Went together fairly easily but if you'll allow a couple words of advice...
Get yourself a fairly decent (but still very reasonable) miter box (plastic one does fine), a decent hacksaw/blade (think I spent $12 on it) and a pair of clamps.
Those clamps made all the difference. Attach them close to either side of the line you want to cut and saw away. Blade only binds if the aluminum frame moves so make sure they're attached securely.
I tried to use what I had on hand....
And even with clamping to my workbench it was completely inadequate. I cut through the frame material alright...but that 15 degree angle wasn't exactly optimal. So out to the hardware store and back with the right tools for a very reasonable 30 bucks.
By the way...all my aquarium stand and accessory build work has been done on a Worx Pegasus Workbench. Recommend one highly - approx $100 and well worth it. I'm sure any name brand portable folding bench would be a big help...that's just the one I purchased - couldn't be happier and I've used it for everything else around here.
Here's the finished product.
The screen isn't perfect but it's much closer than I thought it would be. The only gap more than 1/4" is in front of the overflow box. The screen was just me using clamps to keep things tight and taking my time with the screen gasket tool. It's a tad loose in the back in one corner and I haven't tried any hair dryer heating action - anyone have any experience tightening up screen?
Oh, there is one slightly annoying thing about the RSR directions. The inches are in decimal format. For example: 17.01 inches. Helps to know that 1/16 = .0625. I don't think you need a 1/32 division, the tolerances just aren't in hundredths, especially when you're using a hacksaw in a miter box. I did keep an eye on which side of the pencil mark I made I wanted to cut on though....and measured everything two and three times. Even then I blew it once and cut a piece too long. There's enough extra that if you plan it ok, you can mess up once (maybe twice) and still come out ok....well at least I did. All in all a great product for even the most newbie DIY-er.
Updated 12/24/20: The Inkbird controller failed last month and I'm not longer recommending it. 18 months just isn't enough. Considering my heaters were only cycling 6-7 times a day, this should've lasted much longer. I'll post a write up in the thread in the next day or two. Still going with my idea of temperature ranges but going with an old school solution. Good news, it failed but because of my separate backup - temperature didn't go too low and the Apex notified me of the issue just like it was programmed to do (love having a monitor separate from control - read on for more on that. - Qm
Last update for today is the new Inkbird controller ITC-306T (the blue one). $29.99 on Amazon. I got it because adjusting those Jagers manually is a pain and this has the ability to set one temperature range (off and on) for day time and one temperature range for night. Which is important to me (see my post earlier on temperature goals and the below link). I'm not convinced that expensive temp controllers are necessary as I've been using a Bayite for 5 years on my freshwater tank with no issues. Ask me that after I have a crash due to failure - but I have designed safety features in my heating system.
For one, I use the 2 75 watt Ehiems Jagers on the controller - one of which cannot over heat the tank with a "stuck on" failure. Plus, I have an AutoAqua Smart Temp Security controller to prevent overheating if the controller fails on (or the temp sensor fails low) and lastly I have the 100 watt Eheim Jager heater on a separate outlet set to 74 F to keep the tank from ever going out low on failure. The 100 watt heater alone is not enough alone to overheat the tank under normal household temperatures.
The controller allows 0.1 C of control band (although oddly only down to 1.0 degrees in Farenheit - go figure), but Celsius isn't a big deal for me at all to work in. There is no cooling function on the controller, but honestly, why would anyone put the fan (don't need a chiller where I am) that cools the tank due to a failure on the same controller that might have failed in the first place?
Here's my plan for maintaining daily and seasonal temperatures.
The yellow is what I'll be setting monthly. I'll have it laminated and keep in my stand so when my calendar reminder goes off, I can easily adjust. Takes about a minute to do on the controller. Yes, I know - Apex seasonal control will do the same thing and probably a tad smoother but so far...I haven't come close to considering that value prop yet on what I've spent.
For anyone's reference the best summary I found on why varying temps is a good thing (and I'm sure this is referenced often) is from Chris Jury. Although the first I read about this was a scientific paper on impacts of bleaching but I didn't capture the reference source - apologies. Not diving into the debate here - by all means do your own thing. Just explaining why I'm doing what I'm doing (at least for now - all this could change). https://www.reefsmagazine.com/the-great-temperature-debate-part-iv/
Ordering first corals this week!!!!
Later....qm.
Status of tank - very small diatom bloom (well timed with arrival of CUC), just a spot here and there on the sand and rock. Nitrates managed and not increasing (as measured before last water change) - think the NOPOX is working, kinda-sorta, maybe. Still early. Parameters are stable. Tunze skimmer has settled in very nicely. Fish are all doing well after a week in their new home.
CUC - purchased the following from www.reefcleaners.org
Qty | Product Name |
| 2 | Blue Leg Hermit Crab |
| 5 | Dwarf Cerith |
| 5 | Empty Hermit Shells |
| 5 | Medium/Larger Empty Hermit Shells |
| 5 | Nerite Snail |
| 5 | Nassarius Vibex |
With shipping: $20.85 (shipping was more than the order - to be expected). Very satisfied with my order and with reefcleaners - they'll be my go to on CUC. Got way more than 5 dwarf cerith to boot. Love the look of the empty hermit shells in my tank. too.
Any thoughts on that being overload on CUC? Did I miss anything I need to have? I've seen every recommendation from 1 per gallon to 1 per fish. Best advice from numerous sources was to start smaller and add CUC as you add bio-load. Made sense to me. So far everyone is happy and healthy. I'll let you know if any starve, but I am feeding them a bit extra and I did wait until tank was 6 weeks old so thinking we're going to be just fine.
That's the CUC (and the remains of empty shells) dotting the landscape. You can see some diatoms on the rock and maybe a slight discoloration on the sand. If this is bad as "Ugly Phase" gets, I'll consider myself lucky....somehow, I doubt this is the worst.
As I mentioned previously, I had purchased the RSR screen top kit from BRS (shout out to those guys for recommending a non-BRS product simply because it's better - what a concept in today's business world). Went together fairly easily but if you'll allow a couple words of advice...
Get yourself a fairly decent (but still very reasonable) miter box (plastic one does fine), a decent hacksaw/blade (think I spent $12 on it) and a pair of clamps.
Those clamps made all the difference. Attach them close to either side of the line you want to cut and saw away. Blade only binds if the aluminum frame moves so make sure they're attached securely.
I tried to use what I had on hand....
And even with clamping to my workbench it was completely inadequate. I cut through the frame material alright...but that 15 degree angle wasn't exactly optimal. So out to the hardware store and back with the right tools for a very reasonable 30 bucks.
By the way...all my aquarium stand and accessory build work has been done on a Worx Pegasus Workbench. Recommend one highly - approx $100 and well worth it. I'm sure any name brand portable folding bench would be a big help...that's just the one I purchased - couldn't be happier and I've used it for everything else around here.
Here's the finished product.
The screen isn't perfect but it's much closer than I thought it would be. The only gap more than 1/4" is in front of the overflow box. The screen was just me using clamps to keep things tight and taking my time with the screen gasket tool. It's a tad loose in the back in one corner and I haven't tried any hair dryer heating action - anyone have any experience tightening up screen?
Oh, there is one slightly annoying thing about the RSR directions. The inches are in decimal format. For example: 17.01 inches. Helps to know that 1/16 = .0625. I don't think you need a 1/32 division, the tolerances just aren't in hundredths, especially when you're using a hacksaw in a miter box. I did keep an eye on which side of the pencil mark I made I wanted to cut on though....and measured everything two and three times. Even then I blew it once and cut a piece too long. There's enough extra that if you plan it ok, you can mess up once (maybe twice) and still come out ok....well at least I did. All in all a great product for even the most newbie DIY-er.
Updated 12/24/20: The Inkbird controller failed last month and I'm not longer recommending it. 18 months just isn't enough. Considering my heaters were only cycling 6-7 times a day, this should've lasted much longer. I'll post a write up in the thread in the next day or two. Still going with my idea of temperature ranges but going with an old school solution. Good news, it failed but because of my separate backup - temperature didn't go too low and the Apex notified me of the issue just like it was programmed to do (love having a monitor separate from control - read on for more on that. - Qm
For one, I use the 2 75 watt Ehiems Jagers on the controller - one of which cannot over heat the tank with a "stuck on" failure. Plus, I have an AutoAqua Smart Temp Security controller to prevent overheating if the controller fails on (or the temp sensor fails low) and lastly I have the 100 watt Eheim Jager heater on a separate outlet set to 74 F to keep the tank from ever going out low on failure. The 100 watt heater alone is not enough alone to overheat the tank under normal household temperatures.
The controller allows 0.1 C of control band (although oddly only down to 1.0 degrees in Farenheit - go figure), but Celsius isn't a big deal for me at all to work in. There is no cooling function on the controller, but honestly, why would anyone put the fan (don't need a chiller where I am) that cools the tank due to a failure on the same controller that might have failed in the first place?
Here's my plan for maintaining daily and seasonal temperatures.
The yellow is what I'll be setting monthly. I'll have it laminated and keep in my stand so when my calendar reminder goes off, I can easily adjust. Takes about a minute to do on the controller. Yes, I know - Apex seasonal control will do the same thing and probably a tad smoother but so far...I haven't come close to considering that value prop yet on what I've spent.
For anyone's reference the best summary I found on why varying temps is a good thing (and I'm sure this is referenced often) is from Chris Jury. Although the first I read about this was a scientific paper on impacts of bleaching but I didn't capture the reference source - apologies. Not diving into the debate here - by all means do your own thing. Just explaining why I'm doing what I'm doing (at least for now - all this could change). https://www.reefsmagazine.com/the-great-temperature-debate-part-iv/
Ordering first corals this week!!!!
Later....qm.
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Quick pic....got them all in one shot just after feeding time. This is the view from behind the front so to speak. Open and airy and for a nano - lots of caves, tunnels and overhangs.
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Quarantine and Power
Just a quick note...my wife went out and bought me a quarantine tank today. And the UPS man brought my power switch. So now I have a weekend project in getting things wired up cleanly in my cabinet. Was going to go behind the stand but this little box is going to fit nicely inside and I hope with a small wire shelf handle all my cable management. Of course, pics to come on that Sunday.
And hat's off to my significant other...buying me a quarantine tank just because I was watching coral quarantine vids on youtube. By the way....is there anything scarier than the little destructive critters than can show up on your coral frags? If those videos don't convince you to dip and quarantine...
Oh, not buying corals this week....sad. My nitrates are still 15 ppm so I'm going to spend this next week and half getting those down with water changes and setting up quarantine tank. I did get the email from LiveAquaria that the Yellow Watchman Goby is in stock...so probably going to do that instead. With a pistol shrimp of course. Might go with Chromis instead...or too?
Later...Qm.
Just a quick note...my wife went out and bought me a quarantine tank today. And the UPS man brought my power switch. So now I have a weekend project in getting things wired up cleanly in my cabinet. Was going to go behind the stand but this little box is going to fit nicely inside and I hope with a small wire shelf handle all my cable management. Of course, pics to come on that Sunday.
And hat's off to my significant other...buying me a quarantine tank just because I was watching coral quarantine vids on youtube. By the way....is there anything scarier than the little destructive critters than can show up on your coral frags? If those videos don't convince you to dip and quarantine...
Oh, not buying corals this week....sad. My nitrates are still 15 ppm so I'm going to spend this next week and half getting those down with water changes and setting up quarantine tank. I did get the email from LiveAquaria that the Yellow Watchman Goby is in stock...so probably going to do that instead. With a pistol shrimp of course. Might go with Chromis instead...or too?
Later...Qm.
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Cleaning Up Wiring, New Fish and a Coral QT
What a weekend...two trips to Lowe's, power tools and infinite zip ties.
No need this time to go into any great how-to detail...it was just cleaning up the wiring and electrical that I've been putting off for while. Part of it was because I just wasn't sure how much access I need to various equipment and how much could go in the cabinet without interfering with maintenance on the sump. At least that what I was telling my wife when she asked how long she was going to trip over wires. Figured I'd best get my tank in order before she took a header...nothing good would come from that, for her, for me, for the tank.
Here's my before pics...I'm particularly proud of the 3/4" plywood on the floor. This was delaying tactic #14. Bring out some wood and say you're thinking of how everything would fit on an electrical board NEXT to the tank. That suggestion was met with doubt on how it would fit in with the room decor, but it did buy me a couple weeks.
To be honest, I was thinking about putting an electrical board on the back of the tank, but started moving away from that when I got the PDU and realized I could put that in the very top of the cabinet.Then I figured I'd get a one of those wire closet shelves so I could easily wrap up extra cords out of sight but still accessible.
Update 2/8/21: Lined that shelf setup out. Yeah, it looks pretty slick and it definitely keeps things out the way. Never had any moisture issues either after a year and half, but....it turned out to be an incredible PITA. You wouldn't think you'd be up there much and yeah, that's true, but every now and then you want to clean a skimmer or dip a power head. Had to bring everything over to the tank to do all that, very workable but then you add equipment change out. And I really haven't done much of that. Added a UV filter, but instead of dropping it down and rearranging the outlet usage, I just routed the long cord (BTW - very nice of AquaUV to have that long of cord) to the outlet around the corner. Then my Inkbird stopped working after a year and again it's such a pain dropping that tray down, that for the last three months I routed power from another outlet to a heaters right in my tank. So yesterday, I took everything off the shelf and put the power switch on a cabinet next to the tank (with plans to put it IN the cabinet soon). The shelf is still there, very handy for hanging UV filter, cabinet light and such. But as an equipment rack - those days are over. So much easier taking things to the sink for cleaning and having access to the plugs when you need it. Now everything reef is back on the power switch. I'll post a more last in order, but wanted anyone reading this for ideas to understand that I wouldn't do this again. Never realized how big a drag it was on me until I took it all out.
By the way...that power strip was unplugged. Started making popping noises and i had the smell of ozone in the air (no, I'm not running ozone - so bad, very bad). It's in the trash now. I've seen online reviews commenting on that happening occasionally. I will say I've been using the white model for 4 years without issue and will continue. Guess you just get a bad one every now and then.
So after those trips to Lowe's to pickup all the zip ties, cord anchors, etc. Here's the final product.
Everything fit in the cabinet without issue...well, lots of work but nothing I couldn't resolve with time, effort and patience...and gin and iced tea. Very happy with how it all came out.
So, LiveAquaria sent me two Yellow Watchman Gobies. Or more likely, I accidentally ordered two. One is camping out in what will soon be my coral QT but I'm very likely to switch him out with the one in my tank. The one I put in my tank is seriously fading out and ignoring the pistol shrimp. Not sure if I'll keep both, does a Goby do well in QT tank long term? If not, I do have an LFS local and I'm sure I won't have any issues re-homing him.
The other fish I got Friday in my order was a Black Axil Chromis. Only got one though. I know they school but everything I read online said that no matter how many you get, you end up with one (at least in smaller tanks), so figured I'd just start with one. :)
I'll post more on my coral QT next time. First coral order to arrive this Friday I'm hoping. Depends on nitrates coming down (currently 8 ppm). Another 25% WC earlier today. Been a really busy day plus I cleaned my planted tank today as well.
Well, it's dark-ish now...do not see any of the red lights shining around the door opening in the cabinet...was worried about that. I guess putting that PDU up behind the bracket the Red Sea cabinet has took care of it.
I'm bushed and think I'll sign off.
Later...Qm.
What a weekend...two trips to Lowe's, power tools and infinite zip ties.
No need this time to go into any great how-to detail...it was just cleaning up the wiring and electrical that I've been putting off for while. Part of it was because I just wasn't sure how much access I need to various equipment and how much could go in the cabinet without interfering with maintenance on the sump. At least that what I was telling my wife when she asked how long she was going to trip over wires. Figured I'd best get my tank in order before she took a header...nothing good would come from that, for her, for me, for the tank.
Here's my before pics...I'm particularly proud of the 3/4" plywood on the floor. This was delaying tactic #14. Bring out some wood and say you're thinking of how everything would fit on an electrical board NEXT to the tank. That suggestion was met with doubt on how it would fit in with the room decor, but it did buy me a couple weeks.
To be honest, I was thinking about putting an electrical board on the back of the tank, but started moving away from that when I got the PDU and realized I could put that in the very top of the cabinet.
Update 2/8/21: Lined that shelf setup out. Yeah, it looks pretty slick and it definitely keeps things out the way. Never had any moisture issues either after a year and half, but....it turned out to be an incredible PITA. You wouldn't think you'd be up there much and yeah, that's true, but every now and then you want to clean a skimmer or dip a power head. Had to bring everything over to the tank to do all that, very workable but then you add equipment change out. And I really haven't done much of that. Added a UV filter, but instead of dropping it down and rearranging the outlet usage, I just routed the long cord (BTW - very nice of AquaUV to have that long of cord) to the outlet around the corner. Then my Inkbird stopped working after a year and again it's such a pain dropping that tray down, that for the last three months I routed power from another outlet to a heaters right in my tank. So yesterday, I took everything off the shelf and put the power switch on a cabinet next to the tank (with plans to put it IN the cabinet soon). The shelf is still there, very handy for hanging UV filter, cabinet light and such. But as an equipment rack - those days are over. So much easier taking things to the sink for cleaning and having access to the plugs when you need it. Now everything reef is back on the power switch. I'll post a more last in order, but wanted anyone reading this for ideas to understand that I wouldn't do this again. Never realized how big a drag it was on me until I took it all out.
By the way...that power strip was unplugged. Started making popping noises and i had the smell of ozone in the air (no, I'm not running ozone - so bad, very bad). It's in the trash now. I've seen online reviews commenting on that happening occasionally. I will say I've been using the white model for 4 years without issue and will continue. Guess you just get a bad one every now and then.
So after those trips to Lowe's to pickup all the zip ties, cord anchors, etc. Here's the final product.
Everything fit in the cabinet without issue...well, lots of work but nothing I couldn't resolve with time, effort and patience...and gin and iced tea. Very happy with how it all came out.
So, LiveAquaria sent me two Yellow Watchman Gobies. Or more likely, I accidentally ordered two. One is camping out in what will soon be my coral QT but I'm very likely to switch him out with the one in my tank. The one I put in my tank is seriously fading out and ignoring the pistol shrimp. Not sure if I'll keep both, does a Goby do well in QT tank long term? If not, I do have an LFS local and I'm sure I won't have any issues re-homing him.
The other fish I got Friday in my order was a Black Axil Chromis. Only got one though. I know they school but everything I read online said that no matter how many you get, you end up with one (at least in smaller tanks), so figured I'd just start with one. :)
I'll post more on my coral QT next time. First coral order to arrive this Friday I'm hoping. Depends on nitrates coming down (currently 8 ppm). Another 25% WC earlier today. Been a really busy day plus I cleaned my planted tank today as well.
Well, it's dark-ish now...do not see any of the red lights shining around the door opening in the cabinet...was worried about that. I guess putting that PDU up behind the bracket the Red Sea cabinet has took care of it.
I'm bushed and think I'll sign off.
Later...Qm.
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Here's what and where I purchased. Shipped quickly without issue. You can also find similar products under different brands at other online retailers.
8 switch PDU
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Quarantine Tank, First Corals and Algae
Was sick again this past weekend...just a head cold but didn't feel much like taking pics and posting. I did feel like cutting out a plexiglass lid for my QT and a water change but that was it.
So...here's my QT all set up. The hardware includes the heater that comes with the Top Fin 10 gallon kit (probably need to get something with separate control in the near future). the rest is upgraded....in addition to plexiglass lid, I added a Finnex 16" Marine II LED (On sale now) from Premium Aquatics and AquaClear 30 (Amazon). Running some Matrix from the display, charcoal that came with the HO filter and some Poly Filter. Working out great....think I'll want to cut a hole in the top at some point but the light resting on top is working out well. Nice little light for 10 gallon. Separate blue and white switches are nice. My older Finnex on my freshwater you had to cycle the switch through the lights.
Need to do a bit of trimming on the lid, but I like the look and the cut down on evaporation. Also want to drill a finger sized hole and maybe cut the top in half length wise for ease of access. Only have the one fish and the water fall from the AC 30 looks good enough to maintain O2 levels.
As you can see also got my first corals from Tidal Gardens.
Here are some closer up pics.
Amber Sea Fan
Pink Bird's Nest
Starscream Zoanthids
Aussie Teal Duncan
Purple Pavona
Meteor Shower Cyphastrea
Equalized with the tank temperature in the bag but then totally forget to drip acclimate them. Work out well but feel I got lucky. Dipped them all in a CoralRx and then Bayer Complete - instructions on forums for your reference. Not an expert on that, those chemicals are harsh and do not want to provide advice directly. I do recommend a well ventilated area. That Bayer will give you a nice little headache if you're paying attention. Had the full safety gear on tool...protective goggles and full gloves. I was a bit skeptical of the reviews on these gloves but I have to admit, well constructed and lined. Plan on having these for years.
Gloves - Amazon
The corals were then under very low lighting for 2 days (the stock Top Fin 6 Led strip). I've been feeding the tank Reef Chili every other day. Coral are now fully open and the color is coming back nicely. Not sure how long I'll leave them in the QT. Didn't see any bugs after dipping but again, new at this so don't want to trust my eyes just yet. I'm thinking another few weeks and maybe another dip session in there before putting them in my display tank.
Overall, I'm very happy with the corals I purchased and the service from Tidal Gardens. The product matched the pictures on the web site and I had no surprises. To be honest, my question was a test on their response - they passed with flying colors and replied almost immediately. Always good to test that BEFORE you start doing business with a company. If you don't get satisfactory service when they're trying to win you as a customer, they aren't going to satisfy when you are a customer.
Algae
Got my first algae today.
So now time for a bit more CUC - maybe one or two Astrea snails and a Tail Spot Blenny that's been on my list for a long time. I could use an Astrea in my QT as well. Any issues moving those back and forth from Display to QT?
I should do another WC tonight in the QT...need to muster up the energy for that though. It's only 10 minutes for both tanks - 5 gallons from QT, transfer 5 from Display to QT and then add 5 to the Display from storage. Well, no time like the present.
Later....Qm.
Was sick again this past weekend...just a head cold but didn't feel much like taking pics and posting. I did feel like cutting out a plexiglass lid for my QT and a water change but that was it.
So...here's my QT all set up. The hardware includes the heater that comes with the Top Fin 10 gallon kit (probably need to get something with separate control in the near future). the rest is upgraded....in addition to plexiglass lid, I added a Finnex 16" Marine II LED (On sale now) from Premium Aquatics and AquaClear 30 (Amazon). Running some Matrix from the display, charcoal that came with the HO filter and some Poly Filter. Working out great....think I'll want to cut a hole in the top at some point but the light resting on top is working out well. Nice little light for 10 gallon. Separate blue and white switches are nice. My older Finnex on my freshwater you had to cycle the switch through the lights.
Need to do a bit of trimming on the lid, but I like the look and the cut down on evaporation. Also want to drill a finger sized hole and maybe cut the top in half length wise for ease of access. Only have the one fish and the water fall from the AC 30 looks good enough to maintain O2 levels.
As you can see also got my first corals from Tidal Gardens.
Here are some closer up pics.
Amber Sea Fan
Pink Bird's Nest
Starscream Zoanthids
Aussie Teal Duncan
Purple Pavona
Meteor Shower Cyphastrea
Equalized with the tank temperature in the bag but then totally forget to drip acclimate them. Work out well but feel I got lucky. Dipped them all in a CoralRx and then Bayer Complete - instructions on forums for your reference. Not an expert on that, those chemicals are harsh and do not want to provide advice directly. I do recommend a well ventilated area. That Bayer will give you a nice little headache if you're paying attention. Had the full safety gear on tool...protective goggles and full gloves. I was a bit skeptical of the reviews on these gloves but I have to admit, well constructed and lined. Plan on having these for years.
Gloves - Amazon
The corals were then under very low lighting for 2 days (the stock Top Fin 6 Led strip). I've been feeding the tank Reef Chili every other day. Coral are now fully open and the color is coming back nicely. Not sure how long I'll leave them in the QT. Didn't see any bugs after dipping but again, new at this so don't want to trust my eyes just yet. I'm thinking another few weeks and maybe another dip session in there before putting them in my display tank.
Overall, I'm very happy with the corals I purchased and the service from Tidal Gardens. The product matched the pictures on the web site and I had no surprises. To be honest, my question was a test on their response - they passed with flying colors and replied almost immediately. Always good to test that BEFORE you start doing business with a company. If you don't get satisfactory service when they're trying to win you as a customer, they aren't going to satisfy when you are a customer.
Algae
Got my first algae today.
So now time for a bit more CUC - maybe one or two Astrea snails and a Tail Spot Blenny that's been on my list for a long time. I could use an Astrea in my QT as well. Any issues moving those back and forth from Display to QT?
I should do another WC tonight in the QT...need to muster up the energy for that though. It's only 10 minutes for both tanks - 5 gallons from QT, transfer 5 from Display to QT and then add 5 to the Display from storage. Well, no time like the present.
Later....Qm.
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Quick pics of my Yellow Watchman Goby and the Shrimp pair.
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Quick pic post...they all popped out at the same time.
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New frag rack just arrived. Starting to look like I know what I'm doing. Corals are all doing well except maybe the Meteor Shower Cyphastrea (on bottom). Seems to have lost the blue coloring. Polyps are extending well though. Time will tell...wondering if some amino acid supplement might help in recovery from stress of shipping.
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More livestock on its way...Tailspot Blenny, Cleaner Shrimp,and more CUC support.
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New Inhabitants, Diatom Bloom, Corals, NOPOX, Revising RO System Opinion
So first things first...the Tailspot Blenny has adjusted nicely. Found a little hole to hide in, but it's actually in the top of the scape, so he feels safe and I never have a problem finding him.
Less good news on the Cleaner Shrimp. Showed up with a parasitic isopod attached to his side and gills. Going to have to try a little surgery if I can ever catch the bugger - those long antennae make it challenging to say the least. Read up on the isopod and the removal process and the impact to tank. Seems if this is going to be my first parasite, not a bad one to have. Species specific, only one organism (that even if lays eggs requires specialized host to mature) and likely will not kill my shrimp if I can get it off soon. I'll post some pics of the process if it's not too traumatic when I work on him (or her).
You can see the white spot on the side...this is the isopod (large female with small male attached at back from what I found in research).
I was going to move my corals from quarantine this weekend but still dealing with a diatom bloom. And by dealing I just mean, doing water changes, turned down the lights to 20%, cranked up my skimmer (loving the Tunze 9410 DC) and cleaning the sand bed when I get sick of brown. I know it's not forever so just being patient.
I would like to say a point about quarantining if you're a new reefer and setting up a new tank. Other than all the benefits you get from isolating new corals to observe and being able to treat pests, I'm finding it very nice not to be rushed into moving corals into tank before the tank is ready as well. Probably isn't a big gain for reefers with mature tanks, but looking at my "new tank" diatom situation or nitrates being a tad off and being able to say "No, not this week, still needs a bit of stability before moving corals in" takes a lot of pressure off. Plus I do enjoy getting to know my corals up close. Watching how they respond to feeding (Reef Chili) and the amino acids (coloring up nicely from shipping fade - didn't see them bouncing back until I added the Acropower), reacting to lighting changes, just their normal stuff, is I hope, allowing me to learn their rhythms before being in a big tank where it's hard to watch up close.
Bit of algae but corals healthy. The zoanthid is unhappy because the Astrea was just munching the frag plug clean...does show how great those guys are though.
Blue is coming back nicely. I'm thinking it's the Acropower, but could be just time.
NOPOX: Speaking of nitrates - really never had a crazy stupid high levels and I'm very pleased overall with how they've been managed. I've used NOPOX since nitrates started increasing during the cycle. But I did start at the minimum or slightly under the recommended amount of dosing. I only wanted NOPOX to maintain my nitrate levels, not reduce them. That I wanted to do with water changes until I had some stability and could adjust NOPOX dosing with some expected results instead of guessing where things end up. Prior to last week my WC were keeping up but not quite where I wanted and had some weeks where I needed a quick 10% WC to hit my desired ppm for that week. Nothing fast here....from 10 ppm I wanted to drop 1-2 ppm a week until I reached <4 ppm. So last week, I upped my dose by 1 ml a day and the results have been exactly as I hoped. I now do one 20% WC a week and nitrates are steady at 2-3 ppm. I may have to reduce the NOPOX by .5ml/day but we're talking fine tuning not wild swings. If you're starting NOPOX, take your time (weeks and weeks), change dosing gradually, rely on water changes and find the balance before going for your final desired concentration and dosing amount.
RO system opinion revision: I've edited an earlier post where I made some negative comments about my RO system. I'll add the revised comments here in case you don't want to scroll back.
I'm much happier with the KoolerMax RO unit (with the horizontal DI canisters removed). Input (tap) is 470 TDS now, output (into the DI) is 9 which is 98% and that's exactly as advertised. So...I won't say you should go with inexpensive or that it's better - but you can have a 0 TDS output for much less than top dollar. Staying with the KoolerMax AR-122 RO (with Resin removed) and using the BRS 3 stage DI. So far I've had to replace the anion resin once. Not keeping track of gallons - but have new phone app, so I'll start.
About wraps up the update for now. Future plans now are to get a Yellow or Citrus Clown Goby and more Astrea Snails. Yeah, they need help when fall and can't get up, but the few times I have to do that are far outweighed by the amount of stuff these guys eat. Especially around frag plugs. I watched that video from Than at Tidal Gardens on Astrea snail, bought 4, then 2 more (after I put 2 in my quarantine tank, and now I'm looking at another 4 for my display (as with everything, go gradual). In the 4-5 weeks I've had them...maybe had to right one 4 times (not the same one - at least I don't think it was the same one).
- Qm
So first things first...the Tailspot Blenny has adjusted nicely. Found a little hole to hide in, but it's actually in the top of the scape, so he feels safe and I never have a problem finding him.
Less good news on the Cleaner Shrimp. Showed up with a parasitic isopod attached to his side and gills. Going to have to try a little surgery if I can ever catch the bugger - those long antennae make it challenging to say the least. Read up on the isopod and the removal process and the impact to tank. Seems if this is going to be my first parasite, not a bad one to have. Species specific, only one organism (that even if lays eggs requires specialized host to mature) and likely will not kill my shrimp if I can get it off soon. I'll post some pics of the process if it's not too traumatic when I work on him (or her).
You can see the white spot on the side...this is the isopod (large female with small male attached at back from what I found in research).
I was going to move my corals from quarantine this weekend but still dealing with a diatom bloom. And by dealing I just mean, doing water changes, turned down the lights to 20%, cranked up my skimmer (loving the Tunze 9410 DC) and cleaning the sand bed when I get sick of brown. I know it's not forever so just being patient.
I would like to say a point about quarantining if you're a new reefer and setting up a new tank. Other than all the benefits you get from isolating new corals to observe and being able to treat pests, I'm finding it very nice not to be rushed into moving corals into tank before the tank is ready as well. Probably isn't a big gain for reefers with mature tanks, but looking at my "new tank" diatom situation or nitrates being a tad off and being able to say "No, not this week, still needs a bit of stability before moving corals in" takes a lot of pressure off. Plus I do enjoy getting to know my corals up close. Watching how they respond to feeding (Reef Chili) and the amino acids (coloring up nicely from shipping fade - didn't see them bouncing back until I added the Acropower), reacting to lighting changes, just their normal stuff, is I hope, allowing me to learn their rhythms before being in a big tank where it's hard to watch up close.
Bit of algae but corals healthy. The zoanthid is unhappy because the Astrea was just munching the frag plug clean...does show how great those guys are though.
Blue is coming back nicely. I'm thinking it's the Acropower, but could be just time.
NOPOX: Speaking of nitrates - really never had a crazy stupid high levels and I'm very pleased overall with how they've been managed. I've used NOPOX since nitrates started increasing during the cycle. But I did start at the minimum or slightly under the recommended amount of dosing. I only wanted NOPOX to maintain my nitrate levels, not reduce them. That I wanted to do with water changes until I had some stability and could adjust NOPOX dosing with some expected results instead of guessing where things end up. Prior to last week my WC were keeping up but not quite where I wanted and had some weeks where I needed a quick 10% WC to hit my desired ppm for that week. Nothing fast here....from 10 ppm I wanted to drop 1-2 ppm a week until I reached <4 ppm. So last week, I upped my dose by 1 ml a day and the results have been exactly as I hoped. I now do one 20% WC a week and nitrates are steady at 2-3 ppm. I may have to reduce the NOPOX by .5ml/day but we're talking fine tuning not wild swings. If you're starting NOPOX, take your time (weeks and weeks), change dosing gradually, rely on water changes and find the balance before going for your final desired concentration and dosing amount.
RO system opinion revision: I've edited an earlier post where I made some negative comments about my RO system. I'll add the revised comments here in case you don't want to scroll back.
I'm much happier with the KoolerMax RO unit (with the horizontal DI canisters removed). Input (tap) is 470 TDS now, output (into the DI) is 9 which is 98% and that's exactly as advertised. So...I won't say you should go with inexpensive or that it's better - but you can have a 0 TDS output for much less than top dollar. Staying with the KoolerMax AR-122 RO (with Resin removed) and using the BRS 3 stage DI. So far I've had to replace the anion resin once. Not keeping track of gallons - but have new phone app, so I'll start.
About wraps up the update for now. Future plans now are to get a Yellow or Citrus Clown Goby and more Astrea Snails. Yeah, they need help when fall and can't get up, but the few times I have to do that are far outweighed by the amount of stuff these guys eat. Especially around frag plugs. I watched that video from Than at Tidal Gardens on Astrea snail, bought 4, then 2 more (after I put 2 in my quarantine tank, and now I'm looking at another 4 for my display (as with everything, go gradual). In the 4-5 weeks I've had them...maybe had to right one 4 times (not the same one - at least I don't think it was the same one).
- Qm
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OP
OP
Three months to the day since I started cycling. 6 weeks of cycling and 6 more of adding fish and getting parameters stabilized. I think that's about right. I could've gone faster but I really feel that would've caused more issues and stress. Make changes slowly and deliberately, evaluate response and impact, adjust processes and wait for stability. Repeat until it's where you want it. Then go on to next change.
The next six weeks will be putting in first corals from quarantine and seeing how my chemistry reacts.
The next six weeks will be putting in first corals from quarantine and seeing how my chemistry reacts.
OP
OP
Corals Are In the Tank!
Looks the diatom bloom has ran it's course. Still somewhat there but it took almost a week to build up last time (instead just a few days) and even then looked much less and really was never heavy to begin with.
So decided to move corals from quarantine to display today. Did an in-depth cleaning of the display yesterday - scrubbed rock and did an extra thorough sand cleaning to prep.
Last night I decided to give the zoas one more treatment with H2O2 to get the remaining GHA from between the polyps. Think that went ok, zoa's still a bit closed up but I think will recover. Needed to do it, because the waving algae was keeping the polyps closed. Unfortunately, or fortunately, while I was working on it, the frag came off so I took the opportunity to swap out with frag plugs I had purchased (not wild about thought of putting the frag from store/facility in the tank with GHA on it (even if I am treating it). Also did the same for the Duncan. Let the Birdsnest and the Pavona alone until today.
So this morning...got out the tools and finished up the job and now with the help of crazy glue and Tunze's coral putty (just to cover some of the plugs), things are looking good.
I left the amber sea fan in the quarantine tank...just not sure I like the look enough to put in display.
Time to order more corals now. Keeping the quarantine tank up and running (plus my extra yellow watchman goby is still hanging out in there) so I can keep putting new arrivals in there.
Later - Qm.
Looks the diatom bloom has ran it's course. Still somewhat there but it took almost a week to build up last time (instead just a few days) and even then looked much less and really was never heavy to begin with.
So decided to move corals from quarantine to display today. Did an in-depth cleaning of the display yesterday - scrubbed rock and did an extra thorough sand cleaning to prep.
Last night I decided to give the zoas one more treatment with H2O2 to get the remaining GHA from between the polyps. Think that went ok, zoa's still a bit closed up but I think will recover. Needed to do it, because the waving algae was keeping the polyps closed. Unfortunately, or fortunately, while I was working on it, the frag came off so I took the opportunity to swap out with frag plugs I had purchased (not wild about thought of putting the frag from store/facility in the tank with GHA on it (even if I am treating it). Also did the same for the Duncan. Let the Birdsnest and the Pavona alone until today.
So this morning...got out the tools and finished up the job and now with the help of crazy glue and Tunze's coral putty (just to cover some of the plugs), things are looking good.
I left the amber sea fan in the quarantine tank...just not sure I like the look enough to put in display.
Time to order more corals now. Keeping the quarantine tank up and running (plus my extra yellow watchman goby is still hanging out in there) so I can keep putting new arrivals in there.
Later - Qm.
OP
OP
As promised....
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