reef-rc IM Fusion 20v2

[reef-rc]

Potential Aha Moment...

Freaking STN on acro only is still a problem child for me. I just did a water change a few hours earlier and it dawned on me that it may be because of the salt I am using. I changed salt a little while ago when I started to setup the automatic water change system. The salt I was using is not recommended for use with an automatic water change and so I switched. The ALK for the new salt is @ 7. This is just a theory but does make sense. I have lost a number of SPS frags due to STN around that time and it's just frustrating. A few frags with STN

Starting next week I will be switching back to the original salt I was using and monitor the issue. Really looking to address this issue soon.

 

[Steven Garland]

Oh man that sucks !!! Which salt are you using now and before ?

 

[reef-rc]

Oh man that sucks !!! Which salt are you using now and before ?

To be fair it's a theory I have and will be testing it out. Nothing else has been affected expect a number of acro frags. Generally I do 5 gallons water change on a weekly basis. 25% may be much for a 20 gallons tank...idk. It could be just that it's approaching the 1 year anniversary and generally the 1st year is the most challenging on a new tank. This may also be related to over-crowding.

I use the same salt across my other tanks without experiencing the same issues. On the Reef-RC IM Fusion 20 Nano, I have a smaller number of acro there but have not seen the same issue.

Having said all that...
BEFORE: Tropic Marin BIO-ACTIF Salt
AFTER: Tropic Marin PRO REEF Salt
SWITCHING BACK TO: Tropic Marin BIO-ACTIF Salt

I have a feeling it's related to the ALK difference. With a potential 1 dKH difference, it may be enough to cause a little stress on the more sensitive corals.

Open for suggestions / ideas

 

[Steven Garland]

Hmmmm that is odd,I mean if you think switching back will possibly fix the problem then go for it. I would start with mixing 50/50 with the salts until the one salt is finished. I hope it works though,its probably just something simple and dumb honestly.

I will say when I was running RSCP,I got a bad batch and the numbers were way off,and the salt had a ton of PO3 and just caused so many problems.,not to mention the alk reading on RSCP is high but it was reading 15-16dkh which I knew wasn't right. Soo that being said,maybe its just a bad batch of salt maybe ?

 

[reef-rc]

Hmmmm that is odd,I mean if you think switching back will possibly fix the problem then go for it. I would start with mixing 50/50 with the salts until the one salt is finished. I hope it works though,its probably just something simple and dumb honestly.

I will say when I was running RSCP,I got a bad batch and the numbers were way off,and the salt had a ton of PO3 and just caused so many problems.,not to mention the alk reading on RSCP is high but it was reading 15-16dkh which I knew wasn't right. Soo that being said,maybe its just a bad batch of salt maybe ?

I agree. I don't believe it's the salt either. It's confusing the heck out of me. In all likely hood it's the reefer who is "simple and dumb" honestly ;Shamefullyembarrased.

Going back may help diagnose the issue and maybe at the very least keep the parameters relatively stable after the water change. I just need to re-stabilize for a little while. Everything is growing very well. All the anacropora and monti are really taking off and so were all the acro. For the past 1-2 months...acros are declining except for anacropora.

Top view as of today during feeding....

 

[reef-rc]

Orange hammer vs Chalice

This is what happen when the orange hammer did not keep it's tentacles to itself.

It gotten eaten/digested from the outside by the chalice. This is what I had to suck out so it would not pollute the tank. You can see who lost a pound of flesh in this encounter.

 

[flchamp89]

Orange hammer vs Chalice

This what happens when the orange hammer did not keep it's tentacles to itself.

It gotten eaten/digested from the outside by the chalice. This is what I had to suck out so it does not populate the tank. As you can see who lose a pound of flesh in this encounter.

Really crazy. Shows what kind of warfare takes place.

 

[reef-rc]

Really crazy. Shows what kind of warfare takes place.

Yes. Territory warfare is fierce. Chalices are deadly for those that get near it. The tank is just too crowded is the main reason. Reality is it's my fault for trying to add the hammer a few weeks back.

Top view of the impact. This will take a while to heal based on the growth rate of hammer imo

 

[reef-rc]

Final Update for 2019

As 2019 come to a close and this jewel box mark it's first year, this tank has had good growth and progress given the circumstances. Corals are growing all over the tank floors, across the tank back walls and onto rock works. Below is a video of the tank during a partial feeding from today.



Lesson learned:

• Acropora is very sensitive and it has been a bit of challenge to keep the tank stable; especially ALK.
• Outside Acro, everything else in the tank has shown great growth and tank is showing signs of over-crowding. A number of corals are attacking it's neighbors due to space issues.
• Over crowding is real thing and it can also be a pain in it's own right
• Too much water change (>20%) can cause tank stable issue for acropora; using salt that have big parameter differences than the water parameters in the tank can cause stress to the corals - especially acropora

EOY Equipment and Supply list:

• 1 Neptune APEX EL controller
• 2 MP10WQD pumps with FOAM GUARDS
• 1 IM MightyJet 326 return pump
• 2 Kessil 360x Tuna Blue
• 1 Kessil SPECTRAL CONTROLLER X
• 1 IM NuvoSkim DC Protein Skimmer - Desktop
• 1 Cobalt 75Watt Heater
• 2 IM SpinStream for 2 return nozzles
• 1 5G Jug for top off RODI + Kalwasser
• Tropic Marin BIO-ACTIF salt
• Xp Aqua ultimate ATO
• MarcoRocks Reef Saver rocks
• Marine Pure Biofilter Media in the back of the tank
• 2 FishGuard Overflow Protector for small gobies
• 1 IM CustomCaddy Customizable Filter Media Basket
• 1 INTANK MEDIA BASKET
• 1 Kamoer X1 dosing pump for Tropic Marin ALL-FOR-REEF
• 1 Neptune Systems DOS - not in used. was meant for AWC but never fully implemented.
• Tropic Marin ALL-FOR-REEF supplement
• Weekly water change

 

[Krokilus]

Looks great man sorry I havent posted but with new year im really going to try and post more. And Happy New Year. Ps sorry to hear about the hammer.

 

[reef-rc]

Happy new year.

For me, jumping onto the computer couple times a day and going here keeps the interests going. Life do get in the way of reefing at times so I understand

The hammer looked to have healed up nicely. From looking at it, you could not tell it lost in a fight. It's currently right nex to the frogspawn and the two seems to get along just fine even if touched on a frequent basis. This will have to suffice until I can move the tank in another 4-6 months.

 

[Krokilus]

Thats great to hear and yeah im forgetful so without notifications i completely forget to check on things like this. The only reason I can take care of animals is they are right there in front of me so whem i see them its like oh yeah you need food or oh yeah i need to do a water change today. That and google calender alerts for everything.

 

[reef-rc]

Fathead...

I added 1 Fathead Anthias to the tank earlier today; it was available and I have been eyeing these little fish for some time. It will not stay in here long. Within another 4 months I will be moving this tank.

 

[reef-rc]

April Update...

A view across the top of the tank



The following is the latest update:

• Overall I am happy with the progress.
• Since I mostly moved earlier this year, the tank has been on cruise control for months. Most of what I do is daily feeding, filter pads change every few days and weekly water change plus the associated maintenance (i.e. pump cleaning).
• I believe I have my ALK and parameters back in relatively stable conditions
• I did loose a number of Acro due to STN. STN has stopped and no sign of STN for a few months. I believe most of that was due the differences in water parameters in the tank versus parameters in the new water change (salt). As a result of this, I have adjust the tank parameters to be relatively alignment with the salt I am using instead of having to adjust parameters with each water change. I think if this was a much larger system, this would not be much of an issue. Second, my dosing pump had bubbles and was not that consistent.
• I have slightly increase feeding to keep up with coral feedings. Additionally I have been using amino acid more than weekly to help.
• I did loose the tail spot blenny due to wood floor surfing ;Sorry
• A number of corals are now battling each other for space and so space is at a premium.

 

[Daniel91]

Looks amazing - I find it pleasant that you have been relatively conservative with green corals - we see them too often.

Could you share your dosing regime and goal parameters? (Sorry if already asked)

 

[reef-rc]

Looks amazing - I find it pleasant that you have been relatively conservative with green corals - we see them too often.

Could you share your dosing regime and goal parameters? (Sorry if already asked)

Thanks for the compliment. Green corals are definitely very common so I make a point to limit green when possible and select a variety of colors as much as possible. Who doesn't want a rainbow of sea garden instead of just a green sea garden ?

Dosing is simple using: All-for-reef. I currently us an Kamoer X1 pump. Below is the latest daily dosing amount (this has gradually evolved and increased over time for sure).

I try to stay close to the parameters of the salt (FritzPRO R.P.M. Salt Mix) as it aligns with the parameters I am shooting for. The majority of the time, I am only concern with ALK. Ideally it's should be above 8ish and below 9 DKH. 8.5 DKH is the goal.

As for other parameters, I don't bother with it too much since all-for-reef takes care of it relative to DKH. Since it's a small system, with weekly water change, I have found adjusting other parameters so far has not been necessary. That could potentially change but I am mostly concern with ALK fluctuation.

 

[Krokilus]

Looks great and hope your are doing well.

 

[reef-rc]

TANK MOVE...Done!...1 more to-go

Today was nano tank move. As summer approaches, I figured better to get things done before outside temperature get too hot for moving. Since this was the 3rd nano tank move within the the last few months, I think I am beginning to get this down to a decent process . Total tore-down took about 2 hrs. Getting tank back up and running with basic water flow, temperature took a little less time.

Some pics of the process. At this point, I have the basic things setup to ensure stability (pumps, skimmer, heater, wave pumps and lighting on acclimation mode for 5 days. I still have the PH probe and dosing pump to finish later this evening along with better cord management.

Overall I am satisfied with the move. Everything accounted for:

• 1 storm clownfish
• 1 wrasse
• 5 Greenbanded Goby
• snails

During the move I did also frag a number of the encrusting corals on the back-wall while I was at it. I plan to propagate these across the other tanks.

Before:

After:

 

[reef-rc]

Shutting down....

With a heavy heart I am shutting down this tank after a disastrous power and water outage within the state that lasted for days. I lost everything within this tank except for a couple of LPS and SPS corals in this tank. It's unfortunate for sure; not only money-wise but the two years of time, effort, corals and fish I had in this tank

I had not realized I had not been updating this thread till now but the tank was full of montipora of various kinds and SPS and was getting dense. During water change, it was hard not to break corals in the process.

For the near term, I am going to put the rocks in a bin and continue to run in normal saltwater in case it can be use for other purpose.

Below is a few pics I took while cleaning out the mess across a few of my tanks.