Hello,
I am into week 10 of new tank 90g / 150g total volume -75g sump
I just got through the first diatom bloom and ugly phase and noticing CUC catching up and water looking ultra clear. I am cleaning algae regularly from glass. Lots of pods on glass.
Stock:
15000 pods,etc.
5 - Nerrites
5 - Turbos
10 - Nassarius
20 - Cerith
1 - Strawberry Conch
1 - Frogspawn 2.5 weeks
1 - Hammer 2.5 weeks
I am reverse cycling fuge lights 12 hours from DT.
I am feeding algae pucks, Mysis pellets, scraped frozen red snapper from vacation for Nassarius, Coral Frenzy, and Marine snow to keep CUC alive.
First,
Params:
Last Week
Temp: 77.9-78.6 degree swing
PH: 7.9
Salinity: 35.5 Apex / 1.026 Refractometer
NO3 : 2
PO4 : .03
Alkalinity: 8.3 dkH
Ca : 435
Mg : 1400
This week I noticed Hammer not extending all day like usual, but Frogspawn still pretty happy.
So I wondered if the clear water was causing Hammer to deal with extra PAR. Then I checked NO3 and PO4 and it apears that filtration is stripping NO3 to 0, while PO4 is still .03 from last week.
I have a feeling that I have not enough bio-load to keep up with the denitrifying filtration in sump.
So I loaded up autofeeder to start adding pellets in everyday in the morning to have a measurable addition each day.
Should I be doing something else or step back and watch. I thought about pulling a marine pure block.
I was planning on next to add mud, gunk, or something else to refugium and continue to grow the bottom food chain up to increase "bio-diversity" before the next corals. Now, I am at a pause tho. I wasn't planning on adding fish until the tank looks alive with micro-organisms, inverts, corals and even corraline.
Being so new at this, I really don't want to add NO3 or PO4 chemically this early in the new tank.
Any experienced advise would be greatly appreciated.
Pics below
Corals ,
then sump components, then tank.
2-Marine Pure Blocks 8x8
1- Bag of Siporax ( going to use to seed QT observation tank)
1- Box of Marine Pure Spheres in tray
2 - Bags of Pond matrix in tray
2# of refugium seed sand from Liveplants.com
misc macro algae with red and chaeto
Thanks,
Chris
I am into week 10 of new tank 90g / 150g total volume -75g sump
I just got through the first diatom bloom and ugly phase and noticing CUC catching up and water looking ultra clear. I am cleaning algae regularly from glass. Lots of pods on glass.
Stock:
15000 pods,etc.
5 - Nerrites
5 - Turbos
10 - Nassarius
20 - Cerith
1 - Strawberry Conch
1 - Frogspawn 2.5 weeks
1 - Hammer 2.5 weeks
I am reverse cycling fuge lights 12 hours from DT.
I am feeding algae pucks, Mysis pellets, scraped frozen red snapper from vacation for Nassarius, Coral Frenzy, and Marine snow to keep CUC alive.
First,
Params:
Last Week
Temp: 77.9-78.6 degree swing
PH: 7.9
Salinity: 35.5 Apex / 1.026 Refractometer
NO3 : 2
PO4 : .03
Alkalinity: 8.3 dkH
Ca : 435
Mg : 1400
This week I noticed Hammer not extending all day like usual, but Frogspawn still pretty happy.
So I wondered if the clear water was causing Hammer to deal with extra PAR. Then I checked NO3 and PO4 and it apears that filtration is stripping NO3 to 0, while PO4 is still .03 from last week.
I have a feeling that I have not enough bio-load to keep up with the denitrifying filtration in sump.
So I loaded up autofeeder to start adding pellets in everyday in the morning to have a measurable addition each day.
Should I be doing something else or step back and watch. I thought about pulling a marine pure block.
I was planning on next to add mud, gunk, or something else to refugium and continue to grow the bottom food chain up to increase "bio-diversity" before the next corals. Now, I am at a pause tho. I wasn't planning on adding fish until the tank looks alive with micro-organisms, inverts, corals and even corraline.
Being so new at this, I really don't want to add NO3 or PO4 chemically this early in the new tank.
Any experienced advise would be greatly appreciated.
Pics below
Corals ,
then sump components, then tank.
2-Marine Pure Blocks 8x8
1- Bag of Siporax ( going to use to seed QT observation tank)
1- Box of Marine Pure Spheres in tray
2 - Bags of Pond matrix in tray
2# of refugium seed sand from Liveplants.com
misc macro algae with red and chaeto
Thanks,
Chris
Last edited: