ULN

[Scdell]

I don't care if anybody does it "my way" nor do I care if somebody listens to me... only trying to help. I am not selling anything, only offering what I have found works best. I have been reefing since 1992 and got into acropora in about 1994. 25 years with sticks is a long time. After trying all kinds of different stuff over the years, I have settled onto what not only works best for me, but what works best when people need help. These methods work for the locals and people on the national boards who are struggling. It is not even hard - lots of real live rock (this is getting harder unfortunately), lots of light from 350-850nm (you need a mercury-based source for this), flow, heavy import and heavy export of food with very low residual numbers near NSW, routine and reasonable water changes and a very stable way to add calcium, carbonate, magnesium, strontium, mlyob and all other traces (and Iron if you run chaeto). Simple, effective and also nearly the exact same thing that some of the first reefing books wrote about in the 1980s. This is also easy to duplicate, easy to recommend and easy to help people with.

I try and stay in these ranges. As it turns out, this dude is pretty smart... and what he recommends works well.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/o...-reef-aquarium-by-randy-holmes-farley.173563/

I have changed in a few areas... I love using sand, but I have seen enough people have high-level tanks without it to not have it on my list anymore. I also tried for a few years at limiting water changes and using a supplement for trace element additions, but have gone away from this. I have seen a few tanks that don't change much water (there is no such thing as a true no water change tank) that do OK, but I don't want to work that hard or spend that much money - salt is cheap and changing water is easy. I have a CaRx that gets all of the "hard" traces and I use water changes to supply the rest since it is easy and they come in balance. Changing water has seen better results and the limited water change experiment was a failure for me.

Export is interesting and there are many good ways. I use at least two skimmers - two OK skimmers like even older ASMs will crush a single top-of-the-line skimmer like a Bubble king, at a fraction of the cost. Also, fuges can work great too if you keep iron levels up. Small doses of media can be effective, but you really have to be careful not to go into the ULN category. Water changes are good. In the end, any of these will work and you have to find some balance and what works for you. I use a fuge on one tank, but the other one does not need it.

If you have your building blocks at NSW levels, just keep your alk around 7 and you are all set. If you are nervous about being this low, then get a reliable method of addition (CaRx are as reliable as it gets, but many do well with kalk and 2/3 part). There is no reason to get nervous. I had my alk go down to 4.0 twice last year (stupid me) and the corals were all OK - I raised it right back up with baking soda and nothing seemed to notice. I am not recommending this, only saying that 5 or 6 is not al that bad if your tank is healthy, so don't sweat staying at 7.0.

In this area, these corals get nearly no planktonic food, according to the biologist that was studying the site (most planktonic food in more near the shore and in lagoons), are out of the water for much of the day, but still thrive because they are fed well (sun) and the building blocks are kept low to allow maximum calcification and tissue repair. Not my photo, but I like to post it a lot to show how resilient these corals are when they are well-fed and kept in conditions similar to natural seawater:

I did just put a calcium reactor on line. I was using kalk. Adding it to my ATO. I could keep it mostly stable. Every once in a while I'd get a spike. I figured this is the best way. I'm testing every day to dial it in. Actually im shooting for 7.5 to 8. I don't seem to get a ton of Coraline.

 

[jda]

If you need help with the CaRx, start a new thread and invite me to it. Ca1ore is good at them too. You will get the best results by learning to tune it by hand looking only at the dKh of the effluent getting in the mid-20s. Using a pH probe and controller to switch a solenoid on/off is not as good, but can work while your demand is not all that high of if you don't mind some lower pH (wasted co2) and a few mini-spikes. Once you get good at tuning it, a pH probe can be fine to send you a text if it is out of range, but I would not let it "control" anything. I have given up on pH probes about a decade ago... never needed them, but I thought that I did for a brief time. I just let mine run and look for effluent and bubbles every day and that is it.

I wrote a lot on this thread too:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/calcium-reactor-cant-keep-up-with-alk.484529/

 

[Scdell]

If you need help with the CaRx, start a new thread and invite me to it. Ca1ore is good at them too. You will get the best results by learning to tune it by hand looking only at the dKh of the effluent getting in the mid-20s. Using a pH probe and controller to switch a solenoid on/off is not as good, but can work while your demand is not all that high of if you don't mind some lower pH (wasted co2) and a few mini-spikes. Once you get good at tuning it, a pH probe can be fine to send you a text if it is out of range, but I would not let it "control" anything. I have given up on pH probes about a decade ago... never needed them, but I thought that I did for a brief time. I just let mine run and look for effluent and bubbles every day and that is it.

I wrote a lot on this thread too:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/calcium-reactor-cant-keep-up-with-alk.484529/

I do have it set up for the PH probe to control it. My demand is not that high right now. I'll read through your stuff and see which way to go.

 

[SeaDweller]

For what it’s worth, I like to pick the brains of those who are successful. Really try to understand what works for them and then ponder on it. Most people are all over the place with any value (wide spectrum of what works) but you can get a feel about who’s REALLY into the hobby by how they talk or how passionate they are when it comes to acros and I try to implement things from their systems that make sense, I’ve become really close friends with a local reefer here and what he says makes sense. I feel @jda makes a lot of sense with what he writes and his experience. There’s a lot of logic behind his rationale in general, and he doesn’t push an agenda so to speak, he’s just giving some genuine advice. One statement he said sticks out the most to me: “the ocean got it right”.

Some people TRY to keep nutrients super low, some HAVE to, that’s why I find it funny when people say “I feed enough so each fish gets 3-4 morsels of food once a day”. That’s not how it works in nature, I’m sure we can all agree on that. It’s like feeding you 6-8 shrimp and then saying you’re good for the day, and that’s it. I don’t care to have low nutrients, it just happens to be like that and I have checks in place just in case they get out of hand (because I have let them get out of hand after a crash). I truly believe in feeding the fish/tank to maintain health and just have export matching import because I’m seeing the results for myself at home, daily. So, personally I’d try feeding your tank more and maybe not sweat the fact you’re in low territory.

 

[Scdell]

For what it’s worth, I like to pick the brains of those who are successful. Really try to understand what works for them and then ponder on it. Most people are all over the place with any value (wide spectrum of what works) but you can get a feel about who’s REALLY into the hobby by how they talk or how passionate they are when it comes to acros and I try to implement things from their systems that make sense, I’ve become really close friends with a local reefer here and what he says makes sense. I feel @jda makes a lot of sense with what he writes and his experience. There’s a lot of logic behind his rationale in general, and he doesn’t push an agenda so to speak, he’s just giving some genuine advice. One statement he said sticks out the most to me: “the ocean got it right”.

Some people TRY to keep nutrients super low, some HAVE to, that’s why I find it funny when people say “I feed enough so each fish gets 3-4 morsels of food once a day”. That’s not how it works in nature, I’m sure we can all agree on that. It’s like feeding you 6-8 shrimp and then saying you’re good for the day, and that’s it. I don’t care to have low nutrients, it just happens to be like that and I have checks in place just in case they get out of hand (because I have let them get out of hand after a crash). I truly believe in feeding the fish/tank to maintain health and just have export matching import because I’m seeing the results for myself at home, daily. So, personally I’d try feeding your tank more and maybe not sweat the fact you’re in low territory.

I like to figure things out on my own for the most part. I do read a lot. And I go along with your theory. I find things I think are on sound reasoning. Even if I don't use it right then. I'll keep it till I need it.
I'm most likely wrong about jda. And I did apologize. I don't know why he bugged me. Sometimes it just happens. E mail and text seem to take the context out of a conversation. Might be the way he said some things.
Anyway I have been feeding more. I'm not really sweating the fact that I have low nutrients. But I am concerned. I've read enough to know that it can be dangerous territory.
I've tried my hand at tennis about 5 or 6 times. Always a lost cause. But I bought a WD 4-5 weeks ago and it's still going strong! So I bought a SC OP last week. It too is doing good. So I feel I'm on the right track!

 

[Scdell]

For what it's worth. Full tank shot.

 

[Scdell]

If you need help with the CaRx, start a new thread and invite me to it. Ca1ore is good at them too. You will get the best results by learning to tune it by hand looking only at the dKh of the effluent getting in the mid-20s. Using a pH probe and controller to switch a solenoid on/off is not as good, but can work while your demand is not all that high of if you don't mind some lower pH (wasted co2) and a few mini-spikes. Once you get good at tuning it, a pH probe can be fine to send you a text if it is out of range, but I would not let it "control" anything. I have given up on pH probes about a decade ago... never needed them, but I thought that I did for a brief time. I just let mine run and look for effluent and bubbles every day and that is it.

I wrote a lot on this thread too:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/calcium-reactor-cant-keep-up-with-alk.484529/

I read through your explanation on how to set up a calcium reactor. Good explaining there. My needs aren't that great as of right now, so I think I'll stay with the PH probe controlling it. See how it goes. Practice a little. As my needs increase I'll be going the way you explained. It does sound more bullet proof. Thanks!

 

[jda]

Get good at tuning the thing before you NEED to. ...nothing worse than learning when there is something at stake when you had time to figure it all out beforehand.

 

[Scdell]

Get good at tuning the thing before you NEED to. ...nothing worse than learning when there is something at stake when you had time to figure it all out beforehand.

I read quite a bit on here where most people say you don't need a calcium reactor unless your demands are high. Figured I don't know too much about them. Better to learn now than later. My alk has been climbing a little. I'm trying to find that "sweet" spot. Adjusting the effluent flow and the PH setting. From what I understand, you don't want the flow too slow.

 

[Scdell]

Wow! PE is really good without filter socks. I've read in one of these forums that higher ammonia can cause that. Any truth to that?????

 

[jda]

Corals can have more PE with more ammonia, but it is not always good. A trace is always good since corals prefer to get their nitrogen from ammonia and ammonium in urea. Too much more than a trace and the polyps will be out more since gas exchange is not as efficient or good since ammonia at elevated levels is a poison. ...so this might not be a good sign, but it also can be.

PE is not really a sign of much. Some tanks have nearly none and the corals are colorful and grow well. Some have a ton and are no more colorful or grow any better. If the PE changes, then just pay attention and make sure that everything is OK. Otherwise, do not worry about PE.

 

[Scdell]

Corals can have more PE with more ammonia, but it is not always good. A trace is always good since corals prefer to get their nitrogen from ammonia and ammonium in urea. Too much more than a trace and the polyps will be out more since gas exchange is not as efficient or good since ammonia at elevated levels is a poison. ...so this might not be a good sign, but it also can be.

PE is not really a sign of much. Some tanks have nearly none and the corals are colorful and grow well. Some have a ton and are no more colorful or grow any better. If the PE changes, then just pay attention and make sure that everything is OK. Otherwise, do not worry about PE.

I was planning on doing all tests again in the am. That would be 3 days with no filter socks. If the numbers are that much higher then I'll put the socks back in.