Rebirth

[Alex Costa]

I wanted to increase the micro life on the system long ago. In addition to improve the feed offer for animals, I read that pods can help control dinos. So, I give it a try
In some time I must introduce a Mandarin, a fish that was in my plans from the beginning, and this should help.

About the dinos, after the removal of the sand they really retreated. The spots that still persisted in certain sandbed sites that were kept underneath the larger island have now disappeared. In addition, the overall appearance of some corals has improved considerably over the past two weeks. I have already bought a new batch with 10 new species of zoanthus and palythoas and I should soon put some new sps to test their reaction to the current conditions of the system. If the answer is good, I start coming in with new species of sps next month.

The removed substrate was washed and will now be dried and stored. I must replace it within 4 to 6 months, depending on the evolution of the system and the health of corals.

 

[Alex Costa]

Fishes getting bigger and bigger.....

 

[Alex Costa]

Although they are not fish that swim a lot, I love these boys.
The shape of the fins, the huge eyes and mouth, the color combination. Everything gives this fish a unique look.

 

[Alex Costa]

Gradually the corals are recovering.
I believe that another 6 months and, if nothing else goes wrong, we'll back on track.....

 

[Alex Costa]

Some chalices.....growing sloooooooooooooooooooowly

 

[LBReefer]

Some chalices.....growing sloooooooooooooooooooowly

Where did you place the chalices in the tank?

 

[Alex Costa]

Where did you place the chalices in the tank?

In the bottom of the tank.
You can see them (with a little effort) en the left corner of this photo:

 

[Alex Costa]

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[Alex Costa]

My initial intention, which has not yet been abandoned, was to have a couple of frostbite clowns.
However, the loss of a couple at the beginning of the setup, caused me to change direction and form this strange pair between an onyx female and a male of picasso that went bad.
I found them both separate, inexpensive, in different stores, at different times, and bought them thinking more about price than anything else.
I don't know if I will keep either or if I go back to the initial goal of a frostbite couple. To sell them now doesn't seem right.
I think clowns have it different from other fish. Something that makes us cling more to them than to a damsel or a goby, for example.
They form a couple ..... they fix residence ...... and take them out after that seems, simply, wrong.
That's it for now.

 

[Janci]

My initial intention, which has not yet been abandoned, was to have a couple of frostbite clowns.
However, the loss of a couple at the beginning of the setup, caused me to change direction and form this strange pair between an onyx female and a male of picasso that went bad.
I found them both separate, inexpensive, in different stores, at different times, and bought them thinking more about price than anything else.
I don't know if I will keep either or if I go back to the initial goal of a frostbite couple. To sell them now doesn't seem right.
I think clowns have it different from other fish. Something that makes us cling more to them than to a damsel or a goby, for example.
They form a couple ..... they fix residence ...... and take them out after that seems, simply, wrong.
That's it for now.

Very true.
They are not my favourite fish at all, but I cannot take them out of the tank. They are just part of it.

 

[Alex Costa]

After some time (very much actually), I decided to test the water parameters:

Ra - 8.7dKh (Hanna) - I gradually increased from the 7.0 ~ 7.5 that I kept to see if I get any positive effect on some zoas and palys that are not well. In addition it should help in the resumption of growth of some of the sps.

Ca-445 ppm (Salifert)

K - 390 ppm (Salifert) - a little below what I normally keep. But I must not interfere.

NO3 - 8ppm approx. (Nyos) - Above the 3 ppm I had been keeping since the tank setup. Probably because of an increase in fish and coral feeding and a reduction in TPAs that became monthly.

Silicate - 0,0 (Salifert) - Before the value I found was always 0.03 approx.
When the value was 0.03, my substrate did not have diatoms. Now that it's 0.00 (with the sample completely transparent), I have the bottom glass taken up by diatoms (I'm sure they are diatom since a friend analyzed a sample under the microscope) So I insist that test values need to be looked at critically.
I will now do 2 Silicate tests at the exit of my filtering system and will post soon.

 

[Alex Costa]

TDS at the exit of the RO membrane at 002.
I use this membrane since 09/2017.
It's a GE 100GPD membrane that's working with 90psi. I chose to work with the slightly high pressure, to improve the production and so far, can assert that it did not affect the life of it.
I make a manual flush sporadically. Until now I thought about automating this process but I lack the time and willingness to do that.

TDS at the exit of the first stage of the mixed resin (Resin MB 20 - DOW) is 000 and
Silicate is 0.1
This resin should be about 4 months old, approx.
I measure the TDS at the first stage exit so that when the 1st stage marks 001 the water still goes through the second stage that ensures that it reaches tank at 000 reading.
Later I will make the exchange of the resin in the first stage and make the change of position of the cartridges.
Thus the resin used will pass to the first stage and the new one will be in the second stage.

At the output of the second resin stage I do not measure the TDS, so it was explained above.
Silicate is in 0.00 (with fully transparent sample).

 

[Alex Costa]

I just finished the RO + DI maintenance.
The system has returned to 7 stages.
A cartridge I had placed in my disc tank came back and was filled with anionic resin. I ended up changing the polypropylenes and the Carbon block too.
Now it looks like this:
PP 5 microns
PP 1 micron
Hydronix Carbon block
RO – GE 100gpd membran
DOW MB20 resin - 2 liters
DOW MB20 resin - 2 liters
Purolite A400 resin - 1 liter

 

[Alex Costa]

I ended up getting a new couple of Snowflake clowns, which were my first choice from the beginning.
For now they are in my frag tank.
I still need to decide whether to sell out the old couple or try to keep both couples.
There is enough space but in my other attempts the old couple did not accept the new one.

The female

And the male:

 

[Alex Costa]

 

[Alex Costa]

3 of my favorite lps, showing some growth:

Plate wagon whell

Goni red

Leptoseris Jack O'lantern

 

[Alex Costa]

A coral that felt very much the problems of the tank but that little by little recovers its colorful

Hyacinthus pink green

 

[Alex Costa]

Loripes blue
A new frag to replace my lost colony

 

[Alex Costa]

This Orange Milepora, when proper colored, is one of my favorites.
Unfortunately it is a coral that reacts poorly to high Nitrate levels and is not currently in a cool color.
I hope that in the coming months I will be able to bring the Nitrate back to the level of 2 ~ 3ppm and that it will return to the light orange of the first photo.


03/18

08/18

07/19

 

[Alex Costa]

New inhabitant.
A fish I wanted some time ago.
A female Macropharyngodon bipartitus