Bruce Burnett
Valuable Member
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2015
- Messages
- 1,296
- Reaction score
- 980
Well I had let my system go other than cleaning glass and keeping ato going, I basically did nothing in the way of maintenance. ATS was not working, out of co2 on calcium reactor, skimmer had not been cleaned in months, wave pumps only 1 out of 4 were working.
I know but I had been trying to decide on tearing it completely down or redo everything. The display was over grown with monti caps, my chalice was over a foot in diameter everything was just a lot.
I should have worked to bring everything in balance before I tore it down and I would have saved the acros but then it would have caused the monti caps to grow even more.
I removed all the monti caps they can look nice but they were growing so fast you could see the growth daily and they would grow over everything. Tank was also getting over grown with Palys so they are mostly gone two.
So far all my SPS have made it. Many of the Acros had already started bleaching from dkh getting to low. I don't think any Acros will make it.
I started pulling rocks out and where I could removed the corals everything went into tubs with water from tank. I removed a good 5 gallon bucket of monti caps and another 5 gallons of assorted stuff including sand and detritus.
I got everything I wanted to keep back in the tank and it went through a big bacteria bloom and is going through cycle. Guess the bacteria level was so high every little nick on my hands became infected never had that happen before.
I really expected that the corals I would lose would have been the torch and frogspawn but they seem to be doing ok.
I was upset at myself at first but now I have room to buy new frags as soon as tank matures. I was not one to buy expensive frags, I stay under the $20 price range as they all color up and grow. I could not see spending hundreds for a frag and then have it die.
I am going without skimmer and only using AC return pump and wave pumps they are more reliable. I am using my ATS but no skimmer this time.
Will take some pictures after things settle down and get some more corals in it.
Just for people that have a big tank spend time planning before re-doing rock scape and be sure everything is in balance and that you have plenty of mixed water ready. My rock scape may not be the best but I now have lots of room for corals and more room for fish to swim in front instead of behind rock work.
I know but I had been trying to decide on tearing it completely down or redo everything. The display was over grown with monti caps, my chalice was over a foot in diameter everything was just a lot.
I should have worked to bring everything in balance before I tore it down and I would have saved the acros but then it would have caused the monti caps to grow even more.
I removed all the monti caps they can look nice but they were growing so fast you could see the growth daily and they would grow over everything. Tank was also getting over grown with Palys so they are mostly gone two.
So far all my SPS have made it. Many of the Acros had already started bleaching from dkh getting to low. I don't think any Acros will make it.
I started pulling rocks out and where I could removed the corals everything went into tubs with water from tank. I removed a good 5 gallon bucket of monti caps and another 5 gallons of assorted stuff including sand and detritus.
I got everything I wanted to keep back in the tank and it went through a big bacteria bloom and is going through cycle. Guess the bacteria level was so high every little nick on my hands became infected never had that happen before.
I really expected that the corals I would lose would have been the torch and frogspawn but they seem to be doing ok.
I was upset at myself at first but now I have room to buy new frags as soon as tank matures. I was not one to buy expensive frags, I stay under the $20 price range as they all color up and grow. I could not see spending hundreds for a frag and then have it die.
I am going without skimmer and only using AC return pump and wave pumps they are more reliable. I am using my ATS but no skimmer this time.
Will take some pictures after things settle down and get some more corals in it.
Just for people that have a big tank spend time planning before re-doing rock scape and be sure everything is in balance and that you have plenty of mixed water ready. My rock scape may not be the best but I now have lots of room for corals and more room for fish to swim in front instead of behind rock work.
