Red_Beard's 75 Tank Build

[AbjectMaelstroM]

I probably should.

White sand is where it got stirred when I cleaned the glass. Other than scrubbing the rock I'm not sure how much can be done. I need to get another gravel vac. I do run filter cups with floss, but I suppose that'll have to go when I get some pods.

I have 2 weeks left on my CUC QT.

 

[Red_Beard]

I probably should.

White sand is where it got stirred when I cleaned the glass. Other than scrubbing the rock I'm not sure how much can be done. I need to get another gravel vac. I do run filter cups with floss, but I suppose that'll have to go when I get some pods.

I have 2 weeks left on my CUC QT.

Heck yeah, that is coming along and looking good! The 'crew is going to love it.

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

BTW, how have your PO4 and NO3 levels been? My NO3 has been in the 2-5 range, but PO4 I have to dose every 24 hrs as it bottoms out. This stuff is absolutely devouring it.

 

[Red_Beard]

BTW, how have your PO4 and NO3 levels been? My NO3 has been in the 2-5 range, but PO4 I have to dose every 24 hrs as it bottoms out. This stuff is absolutely devouring it.

Wow!
I need to test again to be honest. I tested no3 two weeks ago before the last water change and was about 5ppm. My phos kit is expired and getting replaced soon so I have no confidence as to what it is, but it was showing 0. I will test no3 later tonight as I am due for a full run up anyhow and give you a full update.

 

[Red_Beard]

Ok, tonight’s parameters:
Salinity: 34ppt
(refracto)

Cal: 290
Alk: 6.4
Mag: 1440
(Red Sea kit)

ph: 8.2
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 10
(API kit)

I didn’t test phosphate, I must have tossed that kit last time I used it...it was pretty old.

Good thing you asked about parameters, it is definitely time for a water change! I got 10 gallons mixing and I’ll change it tomorrow night when I get back. I need to get some tubing ordered to run for my AWC system and get that going. It’s odd that my cal and alk are so low, I didn’t think I had anything in there yet that would really use that much. I did dose a tablespoon each tonight. I have the Kent’s liquid calcium and dKH buffer, but if it is going to go through it that fast it might be time for bulkreef 2 part already.

 

[Red_Beard]

Super busy 2 weeks, with all the crazy going on, I had to get a home office set up and the plastic card table wasn't going to cut it so i built a desk!

But, on a tank related note, i think things are getting closer. I've been taking corrections slow. Two 5 gallon water changes later and 2 teaspoons of kalk in my 5 gallon ATO bucket and the red sea kit says alk is finally coming up. It's sitting at 7.6 dKH now. Calcium is still not doing much, 300 ppm vs 290. I am going to start dosing calcium more regularly along with the kalk i think.

 

[Red_Beard]

Well, might have been wrong about the uglies. Cyano started rearing is ugly head the beginning of this week.

I still have been fighting the big 3 too. For some reason calcium isn't coming up like I'd hoped. Sitting at 8.0 alk, 290 calcium, and 1400 magnesium. I thought it may be my salt mix so i tested it too. It was ideal, 8.3, 440, and 1420. Guess i need to up my dosing game.
On a more fun note, figured I'd give a sneak peak of what's in quarantine. These came from my other tank, fragged them up a few weeks ago, figured they could wait it out with the snails for observation. A few more weeks...

Edited spelling, jumped the proofread :p

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

What are you using for salt mix? How are your nutrients looking?

I finally caved and put up a UV and dosed vibrant. Definitely kicked a lot of the uglies and significantly slowed my nutrient uptake.

 

[Red_Beard]

I am using brightwell neomarine which so far has been awesome. Nitrates are sitting a bit high at 5ppm currently and i need to order a phosphate test kit still. When i do im going to get a di upgrade for my ro and some microbacter 7 to dose too.
I thought about vibrant but couldn't make up my mind on it. I might have to give it a try if you are showing great results!

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

Not sure if vibrant will do anything for cyano. From what I've read, if people get cyano it's typically AFTER using vibrant.

My nutrients haven't bottomed out since I started vibrant and I'm trying to keep it that way. Zoas seem to like it better too. I started dosing my QT with PO4/NO3 to keep ~0.07/5ppm respectively and both my hammers, the OG ounce and mushroom seem to like iy. OG bounce is still small...but that may be lighting related (bounces seem bigger in the morning as the lights come on).

 

[Red_Beard]

UPS dropped off a care package today. Decided to hold off on vibrant for now, thanks for the heads up on that @AbjectMaelstroM. Got a BRS DI addition for my RO, bottle of microbacter 7, tropic Marin compact lab test kit, and yelled at for spending more money :D Got the DI can installed, dosed Microbacter and tested. I was going to do a water change but my 2 year old decided my mixed heated ready to go water looked hungry and gave it half a bottle of flake o_O....
new water parameters:
ph: 8.2
alk: 7.4
cal 300
nitrate: 2.0
phos: .03, bottomed out the chart.

Debating dosing phos, I think I’m going to do it. Leaning toward neophos. Any recommendations? Yes dose, no dose, let it ride and see? Stuff is looking good except the cyano, maybe I am just being hasty...

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

UPS dropped off a care package today. Decided to hold off on vibrant for now, thanks for the heads up on that @AbjectMaelstroM. Got a BRS DI addition for my RO, bottle of microbacter 7, tropic Marin compact lab test kit, and yelled at for spending more money :D Got the DI can installed, dosed Microbacter and tested. I was going to do a water change but my 2 year old decided my mixed heated ready to go water looked hungry and gave it half a bottle of flake o_O....
new water parameters:
ph: 8.2
alk: 7.4
cal 300
nitrate: 2.0
phos: .03, bottomed out the chart.

Debating dosing phos, I think I’m going to do it. Leaning toward neophos. Any recommendations? Yes dose, no dose, let it ride and see? Stuff is looking good except the cyano, maybe I am just being hasty...

If you find an answer as to whether to dose or not, let me me know. Hahaha.

I'm having a constant diatom/algea/ugly phase that's using up nutrients. I REALLY don't want to get dinos so I'm dosing PO4 and NO3.... But it may be fueling the ugly stage, so honestly, I dont know.

 

[Red_Beard]

If you find an answer as to whether to dose or not, let me me know. Hahaha.

I'm having a constant diatom/algea/ugly phase that's using up nutrients. I REALLY don't want to get dinos so I'm dosing PO4 and NO3.... But it may be fueling the ugly stage, so honestly, I dont know.

lol, well I guess we can try different courses, the whole ”you take the high road I’ll take the low road“ approach.

I Think I will not dose, barring something crazy (like dino’s!), but increase feeding a bit and hopefully stuff doesn’t bottom out. I might start only running the skimmer every other day or so too. I tried running it super dry so I could keep it going to oxygenate the water but it builds up this nasty gunk in the neck that clumps up and falls off. So now I run it a little wetter. I think the short of it is that I need way more fish, that would be the most fun way to add nutrients :) . Too bad everywhere is out of stock on everything I’ve had my eye on. :/

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

What are you looking for next as far as fish goes?

 

[Red_Beard]

I am thinking of getting a diamond goby, I was leaning towards a pink spotted goby, but keep coming back to the diamond. Also a hawk fish, either a flame or a falco and maybe either a tomini or a squaretail tang, a mccoskers or a carpenters wrasse. Down the road I am going to move my 2 black clowns over, but I was going to get an anemone first and let it get situated so hopefully it would host them when they came over looking for a new home. Then I can’t make up my mind if I should get an Anthias or a few chromis or azure damsel or just leave those all out. Decisions, decisions :)

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

I loved my flame hawkfish before he Emsteined himself out of the QT 2 days before transfer to DT... RIP Burt.


The diamond goby is neat. My Carpenter's flasher is turning into a bit of a turd and chases the Redhead Solon Fairg. Doesn't mess with the Melanarus.

My Tomini (Mrs. Frizzle... Her poops are about the sizs of the magic school bus) is an absolute workhorse, constantly nipping at the power heads, returns, aquascape, sand.

 

[Red_Beard]

Shucks. Tropic marin test kit says nutrients (both po4 and no3) have officially bottomed out. I am starting to think i probably ought to start dosing. I ordered some neophos and neonitro. But, on a more happy note alk is up to 8.4, ca is still a bit low though at 330.
Frag/ snail QT tank is doing awesome though, no3 is sitting a bit high in it, 15 ppm and all the zoas are super puffy and shooting out babies.

I also split my friggin hammer when i was trying to get it on a new plug. The superglue popped off and it slipped out of my hands and hit the sink. Now there are 2. Luckily i had some iodine on hand and soaked them up. They can really suck that stuff up. I was worried i had damaged one or two heads in the drop, but it has been about a week and a half for them and all the heads are looking great!

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

QT looking good! I have big Reef Cleaners order coming in tomorrow. I ended up ripping down my coral QT and dumping the sand and scrubbing the glass and will leave it bare-bottom. I've had a ridiculous bloom of either algae or bacterial (would say bacterial due to no undetectable nutrients) that came out of nowhere and wouldn't go away; coral looked ticked off. Soon as I put fresh water in everything opened up...will see what it happens over next few days. Took the opportunity to pick off any vermetid snails that I could see. They came in on the hammer colony and I thought I got them all before...I guess not.

What are you feeding the snails?

 

[Red_Beard]

Thanks man! Score on the next reef cleaner shipment, i should have doubled what i got. Bare bottom in a QT is definitely the way to go. Hope it gets sorted out. This one thank goodness has been running clear. I had some matrix in my sump as well as that rock in the pic that were cycled. I think that is a large part of why it's been so stable. That and weekly 10% water changes.
I've been feeding a pinch of Hikari seaweed extreme (small pellets) most nights and occasionally 3 or 4 PE energetics pellets for the pep shrimp and emerald crab. They both seem pretty happy to get it.

 

[Red_Beard]

;Rage shoot dang!
Out of curiosity i was looking into dinos a little deeper as what i thought was cyano started getting pretty bubbly, turns out it is probably dinos. Don't know for sure without a microscope but it matches up pretty dang close to descriptions. Decided it was time for war before it got any further. Found a gallery aquatica vid on how they were treating a tank and decided to give it a try, sans dino-x. Put in my filter socks, got my air pump and put a line into the powerhead to micro bubble the water, and went to town with a scrub brush. Gotta say, the micro bubbles are visually working. Most of the crap i scrub off gets bubbled up, floats top the top, and gets pulled down the overflow.

Nutrients won't be here till next Friday :(
I threw a big bag of carbon in the sump, hopefully i don't loose any snails.

Silver lining: no coral to kill and this will be good practice to know what to do when there is! I've never had a dino outbreak before...