Six weeks ago we purchase a 65 gallon tank from a local marine supply on July 23rd. We immediately added water and salt until we reached 1.025. We added approximately 25 pounds of live rock that had been purchased back from an established reef tank. The rocks came with green star polyp, green palys, yellow polyps, some mushrooms and lots of coralline algae.
We have a combination of a shell gravel product and fine sand from the Bahamas on the bottom of our 36"x18"x25" tank.
We began adding 1.5 ml of ammonium chloride each day to increase bacteria growth. After a test showing high a ammonia level we added a bottled bacteria product. We added another live rock on August 5th.
On August 6th, two weeks after bringing the tank home we added two clowns and an anemone. At this point we decreased to six drops of ammonium chloride per day.
A week later we added four new corals. A xenia, a cluster of zoanthids, an acropora and one I am not certain about. We began adding 10 ml of purple tech each day to feed the corals.
We have used a system developed by our marine supply store of adding purple tech any day that dKH is between 8 and 12 or super buffer on days that dKH is below 8. We have probably added the buffer 4 times over the 7 weeks.
We added 60+ pounds of dry rock to the bottom of the tank as well as two wave makers. The rock is stacked so that the fish can swim under and though the rocks. The rock is placed at angles so that minimal rock is touching the sand.
Soon we began to have a growth of long haired algae. We increased our calcium chloride to 1.5 ml and began adding 2 ml of vodka every morning. We also added a protein skimmer that runs 24/7.
During the second half of August everything grew well. The vodka seemed to be removing the algae's food so it would die off then come back. We added 10 snails and liked how they were cleaning the rocks. We also added a scooter blenny.
On Sept 4th we added a 50 critter clean up crew that consisted of mainly tiny snails and tiny hermit crabs as well as a few larger snails and a lettuce nudibranch. At the same time we added 1,000 copepods / antipodes and four more corals. Those corals were blue mushroom, painted war coral, red war coral and tequila sunrise zoanthids.
A coral that we do not know the name of, it is a green puff above the clown in the picture at the bottom of this post, went inside and did not open for three days. On the first day I went to the marine supply who sold me three additives. One was Kent Coral-Vite which is 4.9% calcium with other balanced stuff. I believe the other two were magnesium and iodine. I began adding these weekly per the instructions. I also changed 12 gallon of water. This was the first and only water change that I have performed. I also removed the carbon from our Emperor 400 filter. The green puff opened slowly on the fourth day.
On Sept 12th we added a very small goniopora and a pink fish (seen below).
I have been testing dKH every morning. It has typically been 9.5 but has ranged from 8 to 11. I also check ammonia with a API kit every morning, it is almost always undetectable. Most evenings I check nitrates and PH. The nitrates are undetectable. With the exception of some algae die offs where the KH fell as well PH has been 8.2 to 8.4. I believe 8 is the lowest it has dropped and 8.4 has been the highest.
Roughly 5 days ago I bought an API calcium test kit. I tested calcium at the time and found it to be around 300. I was surprised by the low calcium but believe the Coral-Vite would correct it. So I added Coral-Vite and the other two additives. I tested calcium again four days later and found the calcium level was at 260. I added more Coral-Vite and increased the purple tech dosage to 15 ml. The calcium level was closer to 280 this morning.
We are seven weeks in. We have not lost any coral or fish. Everything seems to be growing well. I believe that the low calcium levels are due to the growth of coralline algae onto the dry rocks at the bottom of the tank. Even our snails are covered in pretty shades of pink and purple.
I am hoping that you can advise me on how to increase the calcium levels. I know that this was long winded but I felt that might be the best way to explain where our tank it. Thank you for your help.
We have a combination of a shell gravel product and fine sand from the Bahamas on the bottom of our 36"x18"x25" tank.
We began adding 1.5 ml of ammonium chloride each day to increase bacteria growth. After a test showing high a ammonia level we added a bottled bacteria product. We added another live rock on August 5th.
On August 6th, two weeks after bringing the tank home we added two clowns and an anemone. At this point we decreased to six drops of ammonium chloride per day.
A week later we added four new corals. A xenia, a cluster of zoanthids, an acropora and one I am not certain about. We began adding 10 ml of purple tech each day to feed the corals.
We have used a system developed by our marine supply store of adding purple tech any day that dKH is between 8 and 12 or super buffer on days that dKH is below 8. We have probably added the buffer 4 times over the 7 weeks.
We added 60+ pounds of dry rock to the bottom of the tank as well as two wave makers. The rock is stacked so that the fish can swim under and though the rocks. The rock is placed at angles so that minimal rock is touching the sand.
Soon we began to have a growth of long haired algae. We increased our calcium chloride to 1.5 ml and began adding 2 ml of vodka every morning. We also added a protein skimmer that runs 24/7.
During the second half of August everything grew well. The vodka seemed to be removing the algae's food so it would die off then come back. We added 10 snails and liked how they were cleaning the rocks. We also added a scooter blenny.
On Sept 4th we added a 50 critter clean up crew that consisted of mainly tiny snails and tiny hermit crabs as well as a few larger snails and a lettuce nudibranch. At the same time we added 1,000 copepods / antipodes and four more corals. Those corals were blue mushroom, painted war coral, red war coral and tequila sunrise zoanthids.
A coral that we do not know the name of, it is a green puff above the clown in the picture at the bottom of this post, went inside and did not open for three days. On the first day I went to the marine supply who sold me three additives. One was Kent Coral-Vite which is 4.9% calcium with other balanced stuff. I believe the other two were magnesium and iodine. I began adding these weekly per the instructions. I also changed 12 gallon of water. This was the first and only water change that I have performed. I also removed the carbon from our Emperor 400 filter. The green puff opened slowly on the fourth day.
On Sept 12th we added a very small goniopora and a pink fish (seen below).
I have been testing dKH every morning. It has typically been 9.5 but has ranged from 8 to 11. I also check ammonia with a API kit every morning, it is almost always undetectable. Most evenings I check nitrates and PH. The nitrates are undetectable. With the exception of some algae die offs where the KH fell as well PH has been 8.2 to 8.4. I believe 8 is the lowest it has dropped and 8.4 has been the highest.
Roughly 5 days ago I bought an API calcium test kit. I tested calcium at the time and found it to be around 300. I was surprised by the low calcium but believe the Coral-Vite would correct it. So I added Coral-Vite and the other two additives. I tested calcium again four days later and found the calcium level was at 260. I added more Coral-Vite and increased the purple tech dosage to 15 ml. The calcium level was closer to 280 this morning.
We are seven weeks in. We have not lost any coral or fish. Everything seems to be growing well. I believe that the low calcium levels are due to the growth of coralline algae onto the dry rocks at the bottom of the tank. Even our snails are covered in pretty shades of pink and purple.
I am hoping that you can advise me on how to increase the calcium levels. I know that this was long winded but I felt that might be the best way to explain where our tank it. Thank you for your help.
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