This is my 75g mixed reef thread. Enjoy :)

[ilikefish69]

Here’s the refugium

 

[ilikefish69]

SO I added a third orphek or3 bar, reef day +. Ordered it one day before the new violet day + came out. Guess I'll have to order a fourth in the future.

As soon as the light turned on, I was able to see my tank truly for the first time since I had it. The two lights I had created a "blacklight" spectrum and there were only extreme blues and violets.

I am afraid my fish & coral thought they were living in a lazer tag building rather than an ocean. I just want to say, make sure you have some type of 'white' lighting for these animals. The LED look is pretty boss but make sure you're including the white spectrum if you're going that route.

 

[ilikefish69]

Minus the GSP that decided it wasn’t going to open today how do the corals look?

 

[Sharkbait19]

Everything looks healthy to me!

 

[ilikefish69]

Only thing I’m worried about are the utter chaos, dude at LFS said “have u ever seen any for sale?” And upon saying other than what I have no, he said well there is a reason cause they’re almost impossible to keep alive mine have been relatively healthy, after my peroxide dip about a week ago took 3 days to open but I’m hoping they pull through.

also a little worried adding the third orphek bar has now given “too much” light to the coral and they’re losing color, but I also only had blue spectrum and added the day plus+ so there’s now just white light where there wasn’t any.

thanks for confirmation! Got a 30g under the 75 now for the refugium, I have a problem with tinkering. At this point I should have just bought the used $75 all in one refugium fromLFS cause I’ve spent more $$ on tubs and acrylic sheets for baffles than if I would have went the “buy once cry once” route lol

 

[ilikefish69]

Also got the Yuma mushroom and not sure if it was “tank acclimated” or not

 

[Sharkbait19]

The zoas are a bit closed, but that happens with softies from time to time. I haven’t heard that utter chaos were impossible before - most zoas are low maintenance last I checked.
What are your params? Good place to start to see if there’s a specific reason.

 

[ilikefish69]

Ammonia/nitrite no detectable for months.
nitrate - 0 freakin ppm I can’t get nitrate to save my life
Phosphates - too high, close to 0.25 - using some of the green mechanical phosphate and levels are dropping w/ WC and phsobut don’t want them to hit 0 cause then dinosaurs grow in my tank
kH - super high, 12 drops didn’t turn the color blue so past the API chart of 214 PPM
pH - 7.8 to 8
Temp is at 79
Salinity 1.0245, gives a little wiggle room until I get ATO set up.
Calcium right about 400 ppm

all API tests, but I am pretty sure they’re at least ballpark.

no way to test for magnesium, not sure what it is yet anyway…. Ignorance is not bliss I am workin on it chemistry not my forte.

I am not giving up on anything, but the GSP was closed all day yesterday. Has done this before and opened back up, but I just am not sure “what” to do to get these corals growing

 

[ilikefish69]

Also when lights go out the mandarin orange zoas open up more than when the lights are on…. Almost like they’re getting fried, but didn’t think the or3 would ever be too much light for anything

 

[Sharkbait19]

I don’t know lighting too well so I couldn’t help there. As for params, api isn’t too good but a decent enough ballpark. Try to get a better kit for the future.
Nitrate is low. Corals like to have a bit of it in the water (5-10 is good). Get that up and your corals should open up more.

 

[ilikefish69]

I've been thinking this is going to be my route. I said when I started I would go the 'au natural' route and try to keep from dosing, but this has to stop. or start, i dont even know.

Neo-nitrate, is the standard for dosing nitrates? stump remover? (uhhh...) nitrogen flourish?

man it is nerve-wracking thinking about pouring this stuff into that water I have been so protective of...

 

[Sharkbait19]

Before trying chemicals, consider just increasing feedings and reducing the water change rate for the time being. Nitrate is the end product of the nitrogen cycle, so feeding that cycle is the best way to produce it.

 

[ilikefish69]

So I have been putting a tiny, tiny bit of stump remover into some RO/DI water, mixing it around, and squirting 2-6 mL into my 30g sump, and letting it slowly shoot up into the DT.

My corals have NEVER LOOKED BETTER!!!! The utter chaos is growing 3 new polyps, mushrooms are splitting AGAIN, and everyone is happy.

My API nitrate test is however, still showing 0. lol really need to just bite the bullet and invest in some actual parameter testing gear. ughhhhhhhhhh so expensive of a hobby

 

[ilikefish69]

NEW TANK WHOO WHOO any recommendations on properly moving I’ve from the other??

 

[ilikefish69]

Zoa garden, early spring time. Duncan finally opening, had him in a bit too high of par, dont think im giving @Orphek enough credit for how much these or3 bars put out, and that color is unbeatable. Gotta grab me a uv/day+ soon, ordered my 3rd bar 2 days before new product launch lol.

clowns are getting really tame, they recognize me vs other people, gonna train them to sit next.

and best part got a COMPLETE SETUP FOR 90G DRILLED OVERFLOW WITH CUSTOM SUMP, SKIMMER, STAND, HOOD for free i repeat free one more time for the ppl in the back FREEEEEEEE there are good people in the world and i met one 2 hrs away.

gonna slowly setup and prepare the 90 and move all the 75 over to it then put it up for free to pass on the good juju.

also i have scrambled egg and fruit loop zoas, any other breakfast items that zoas are named after? Maybe isolate a rock and make a “breakfast plate”

 

[ilikefish69]

Added 4 T5 bulbs to my light set up on the 90. Really really happy corals, and added UV, water is super clear

 

[ilikefish69]

mystic sunset montipora

mystery coral ?>

LA Lakers

scrambled eggs and fruit loops

rainbow bubble tip

orange yuma and it's baby

some kinda SPS

rasta

not sure

Hollywood stunner

 

[Susan Edwards]

looking great. Adding some powdered coral food can also help with nitrates. And feeding more. Using some flake and pellet food with frozen is what I do.

 

[ilikefish69]

looking great. Adding some powdered coral food can also help with nitrates. And feeding more. Using some flake and pellet food with frozen is what I do.

I have been resorting to potassium nitrate, i make a mix of mysis brine clam frozen and algae pellets new life and nori sheets soaked in seachem and freeze in plastic bags. I feed the tank literally 5 times a day with a 1x1x0.5 square inch frozen mash, and still 0 nitrates with all tahat food. Ive resorted to upping my bioload. Just put in 2 fish today , a royal gramma and green mandarin. Now its those 2 clowns a kole tang and 2 wrasse, so hoping i can get some detectable nitrates with increased bioload.

there seems to be some kind of worm infesting and eating my zoas. I have been peroxide and redsea coral dipping them, but not sure exactly what is happening.

i have been on a schedule of about a capful of stump remover a week, gets tank to about 15 ppm and then slowly decreases to about 5 before i replenish . Phosphates have remained at a stable little higher than preferred at about 0.16-0.2 but i am ok with it as i would rather be too dirty than too clean lol

 

[ilikefish69]

need to give some love to the livestock