SPS Dominant Upgrade to 180g

[mshonk]

Some of the rock and coral will be 4 years old in January

 

[mshonk]

In old school fashion I realized I was missing my stock list.

Fish:
NASO Tang
Scopas Tang
Lavender Tang
Mimic Tang
Powder Brown Tang
Powder Blue Tang
Female African Lyretail Anthias
Male African Lyretail Anthias
Green Spotted Mandarin
Bicolor Blenny
Possum Wrasse
1 Picasso Clowns M
1 Unknown Clown
4 Green Chromis
Psychedelic mandarin
Mellanarus Wrasse F

Inverts:
Cleaner Shrimp
Pitho Crab (sump)
emerald crab
Pistol Shrimp

Soft Coral:
4 kinds of GSP
Red Rhodactis
Green Rhodactis
Blue Green Gold Rhodactis
Blue Discoma
Green Clove Polyps
Fireworks Clove Polyps

Zoas/Palys:
Pink Ring Of Death
Sunny D's
Orange Oxides
Utter Chaos
Pink Palys
Armageddon's
Latin Lovers
Captain Americas
Gobstoppers
Fire and Ice Asterinas
Green People Eaters Asterinas
Red People Eaters Asterinas
Gatorades
Daisy Cutters
LA Lakers Asterinas
Cat's Eye
MAS Baby Blues
MAS Highlighter Blues
Keds Reds Asterinas
My Clemitines Asterinas
Purple with indigo ring Asterinas
Purple with green centers Asterinas

LPS:
Meteor Shower Faulty Nero 5
John Deer Leptastrea
Mint Trumpets
Toxic Trumpets
Trumpets
Pink tip Elegance Faulty Nero 5
Red Trachy Faulty Nero 5
Green Trachy Faulty Nero 5
Metallic Green Trachy Faulty Nero 5
Red Cynarina
Orange Eye Favia
Red Favia
Green Favites
Pink/green/gold Favia Faulty Nero 5
Purple Goni Faulty Nero 5
Red/Orange Mouth Goni
Red Mouth Green Goni Faulty Nero 5
Green Goni
Green Alveopora Faulty Nero 5
Little Polyp Green Alveopora Faulty Nero 5
Bowerbanki Acan
Acan Lord
Green Acan
Enchinata Acan
Frammer
Orange Octo
Splatter Hammer
Common Hammer
Hydnophora Faulty Nero 5
Merletti Blastos Faulty Nero 5
Green Mouth Blastos
Mint Mouth Blastos
Pagoda Cup
Miami Hurricane Chalice
Yellow Mouth Orange Chalice
Duncans

SPS:
Green Birdsnest Faulty Nero 5
Ponape Birdsnest Faulty Nero 5
Morphed Hyacinth Birdsnest Faulty Nero 5
Purple Stylo Faulty Nero 5
Pink Stylo Faulty Nero 5
Psammacora
Burnin Banana Faulty Nero 5
Rainbow Poci

Montis:
Forest Fire Digi Faulty Nero 5
Spongodes
Orange cap
Different Orange Cap
Green Cap
Mystic Sunset Faulty Nero 5
Green Undata Faulty Nero 5
Green Orange polyp Faulty Nero 5
Green Blue Polyp Faulty Nero 5
Blue/Green Orange Polyp Undata Faulty Nero 5
Beach Bum Faulty Nero 5
Yellow Orange Polyp Faulty Nero 5
Jedi Mind Trick Faulty Nero 5
Mint Cap
Green with Purple Polyps Faulty Nero 5

Acros:
ORA Gecko Green Faulty Nero 5
Pearlberry Faulty Nero 5
Solar Flare Faulty Nero 5
Walt Disney
The Vihn Faulty Nero 5
PC Rainbow Faulty Nero 5
Blue Green Tenius
Light purple Tenius Faulty Nero 5
Dark Purple Red Coralite Tenius Faulty Nero 5
Pink Fuzzy Tenius
Unkown Common Faulty Nero 5
Pink Acro Faulty Nero 5
Morphed Bonsai Faulty Nero 5
Pink Millie Faulty Nero 5
Orange millie Faulty Nero 5
Purple Gatorade
MAS Awesome Faulty Nero 5
MAS Chewie Faulty Nero 5
Wild Tenius Faulty Nero 5
Unknown Green Faulty Nero 5
Unknown Deep Water Faulty Nero 5
Tricolor Faulty Nero 5
Blue Stag Faulty Nero 5

Equipment:
Jacod 2500gph Return
36w UV
9w UV
Vertex 130 Skimmer
Nero 5
Jebao Crossflow 6000gph
Jebao Crossflow 3000gph
Jebao nero mock 3000gph
Jebao PH 1200gph
Finnex 500w Heater
Ehiem 150w Heater
Inkbird
1/4 HP JBJ Chiller
500 gph sump PH
Media Reactor [carbon mix]
4 viparspectras
4ft, 2 bulb t5 fixture
Jecod 3 channel dosing pump
Jecod 4 channel dosing pump
10g ATO reservoir
Tunze ATO
40g breeder sump

 

[mshonk]

CUC consists of red leg, blue legs, Astreas, Nasarrius, Cerinths, Turbos, Trochus, Nerites, Limpets, chitons, mini brittles probably something else.

 

[mshonk]

I have been slacking and had to do a bit more rearranging but the system is doing great. Some orange filter acro colony shots to go along with the post.

 

[mshonk]

More pics and some broken acros because I had to put my hands in the tank.

 

[mshonk]

So the cyano kept getting worse on my sand.

1. Flow isn't an issue the tank now turns over 100 times in the hour. Not including the return pump.
2. I reduced fish and coral feedings as the po4 was on the higher side at .1 -.14 which it may have pushed that way but didn't seem right being that the old franken system was about 125g total and this on is 180g-200g total after rock and sand etc etc. The old system never pushed above .06 and the current set up has 75lbs more of fully cured LR and about another 25lbs of new rock on top of the old 45lbs that was running that old setup clean.
3. I suspected the new fish but it didn't make sense since I dose no3 and that wasn't moving at all. A steady 2ppm no3. Then I decided to put some gfo in with my next carbon change and run the sump lights longer over my macro algae. and the po4 went down to .09ppm.
4. Then I remembered to check my rodi and BAM .042924ppm. I had forgotten to change my di resin! I have been dosing po4 into my tank with my top off probably for 2 months now. Fortunately the saltwater for WCs is less then the amount in the system but I am handling that business as we speak.

SMH I know better.

 

[JonezNReef]

Things look great...have you considered a few conch sails for your sand bed. I always use them to keep the sand turned over and cleaned and they do great. Not saying its a fix all but thats on CUC member I use in every tank with sand

 

[mshonk]

Thank you, I have some nassarius and some cerinths but the sand is new so I was holding out. I never have done conch's before. May have to pursue it. I have a bunch of sand in there.

 

[mshonk]

Cyano is getting better and i know it'll take about a month or so to get it to where I want but I was taking more pics and here they are. Oh and I made a rock arch for a friend. That pic is in there somewhere. I have some nice side tank shots in blue and whites but the files are too big. I will get around to it sooner or later.

 

[mshonk]

So the cyano did not get better. It started getting works and my levels started getting out of whack. I know the cause and will mention at the end but ab listing observations for others. normally my no3 is between 4 - 8ppm and po4 .07-.1ppm.
Weekly 10-15g WC's temp, salinity and params are matches. Ato is set up with 10g reserve of RODI [5 stage 0 on the TDS], also change filter socks 3-4 x's a week [ 3 socks ], and replaced UV bulbs while trouble shooting cyano [36w and 9w. hits the 36w then goes directly into the 9w coralife screw style then back to the filter socks to pic up the dead stuff.] Same with the carbon media filter it doubles back to increase possible contact with the filter. My carbon mix is BRS Rox, Bituminous carbon, Purit, and gfo as of recent while trouble shooting the po4. Generally do not run gfo. I change the carbon out monthly.

1. Notice slightly elevated no3 15ppm and po4 .12ppm.
2. Notice glove polyps retracting.
3. Notice pink stylo is angry and thinning on top, green birdsnest has shorter PE and surface flesh is getting pale, montis going pale.
4. Notice the no3 30ppm and po4 .15ppm are higher yet.
5. Notice my alk and ca consumption decreasing.
6. Finally can't place why and decide to change my carbon mix and do a 30g WC.
a. At this time the beach bu monti appears half dead PC Rainbow getting burnt tips 3/4 of my pink millie colony is gone, grenn birdsnest is 90% dead, numeros other montis losing surface flesh, pink stylo colony mostly dead, glove polyps look like they are done too.
7. While doing the water change I notice my nero isn't running. Figure its a snail or hermit. I unplug it and finish the WC.
8. Pull the pump and find...

the housing cracked and the magnet was leeching metal into the tank. makes so much sense now. I clan all pumps every 3 months and this was two weeks out from being cleaned, SMH.
9. Did a 60g WC the next day.
10. Changed the carbon mix one more time.

Seems to be back on track again.
Things I observed with my coral.
1. Glove polyps, birdsnest, montis, Stylocoeniella, and pink stylos seem the most effected by the metals that were leeched. More sensitive than acropora.
2. The montis react by going pale and thinning of the surface flesh like in a nutrient deficient environment.
Stylo and birdsnest just start dying back and dropping polyps, glove polyps recede until they are stumps, Stylocoeniella melts away and the same for the pink millie.

I sent a not so happy email to AI and regardless of my demeanor they were still polite and responded. I will follow up with them today.

Hope this helps others.

 

[mshonk]

So after tons of losses persistant issues out of my control from power outages, to finding poor wiring in my house, the nero that cracked and put metals in the tank, not securing my hoses on the dosing pumps, switching salt and the chemicals that I dose with, I think I finally have things back on track. It is disheartening to look at my tank now vs when I transferred everything. I also took some coral from someone breaking down a tank which ended up having zoa eating asterinas on it. I tried to keep up with everything but that wasn't enough my zoa garden was desimated. Either way I feel things are getting back on track.

For the first time since last May my no3 is under 20ppm though it didn't help that I added fish as well.

I miss the coral I had and take pride in the fish being happy and healthy. Also that I keep generally non compatiable fish in a mixed reef without issue. I have 4 Acanthurus tangs in my tank, Lavender, powder blue, powder brown, and a mimic. Also I have two male mandarins who leave each other alone. This happend by accident. and I was not ripping apart a 180g to catch a mandarin.

Either way fingers crossed that it continues to imporve. The only thing left on my list is to shoot PAR since my lights are 5 years old.

Cheers

 

[Gumbies R Us]

So after tons of losses persistant issues out of my control from power outages, to finding poor wiring in my house, the nero that cracked and put metals in the tank, not securing my hoses on the dosing pumps, switching salt and the chemicals that I dose with, I think I finally have things back on track. It is disheartening to look at my tank now vs when I transferred everything. I also took some coral from someone breaking down a tank which ended up having zoa eating asterinas on it. I tried to keep up with everything but that wasn't enough my zoa garden was desimated. Either way I feel things are getting back on track.

For the first time since last May my no3 is under 20ppm though it didn't help that I added fish as well.

I miss the coral I had and take pride in the fish being happy and healthy. Also that I keep generally non compatiable fish in a mixed reef without issue. I have 4 Acanthurus tangs in my tank, Lavender, powder blue, powder brown, and a mimic. Also I have two male mandarins who leave each other alone. This happend by accident. and I was not ripping apart a 180g to catch a mandarin.

Either way fingers crossed that it continues to imporve. The only thing left on my list is to shoot PAR since my lights are 5 years old.

Cheers

Sorry about all the crazy stuff happening to you, hopefully, this year will be one of the best years for your tank!!

 

[mshonk]

Sorry about all the crazy stuff happening to you, hopefully, this year will be one of the best years for your tank!!

Thank you, As much as it kills me with all of the losses I saw I realized it was time to pick myself up by my boot straps and get it back together. I updated my stock list to show what was lost. I helped someone break down their tank and was gifted a fair amount of stuff from livestock to equipment and realized that even though stuff has been going wrong I still have a large amount in my favor. I have been on an excellent maintenance routine I have a few kinks to work out but some of the coral that I thought would be complete losses are coming back. Particularly montis.Still have a long road of growth to even get back to where it was and a bunch of acros to buy but it can be done.

 

[mshonk]

So this year may turn around for the tank but the damage is done. I thought I had everything under control but the downward spiral continued to get worse. I bought some coral when I thought I was on the up and up but then the dino's hit, and they hit hard. My once fully stock reef looks like a stable and cycled year old tank with some coral. I get a little sad when I look athe pictures in this thread realizing all the coral I grew from frags are gone. Either way the system looks like it has stablized and I have some aptaisia to handle this weekend but I still keep trying. The oldest parts of the system are approaching 5 years come January. Fingers crossed it continues to get better.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

So this year may turn around for the tank but the damage is done. I thought I had everything under control but the downward spiral continued to get worse. I bought some coral when I thought I was on the up and up but then the dino's hit, and they hit hard. My once fully stock reef looks like a stable and cycled year old tank with some coral. I get a little sad when I look athe pictures in this thread realizing all the coral I grew from frags are gone. Either way the system looks like it has stablized and I have some aptaisia to handle this weekend but I still keep trying. The oldest parts of the system are approaching 5 years come January. Fingers crossed it continues to get better.

Hoping the best for your tank!