The Fredericks' RSM C130

[AFrederick]

I had some issues balancing Ca and Alk a month or so ago, so since about 3/26/16 I have been changing one gallon each day to try and keep the chemistry stable. It's a 34 gallon tank.

I use a 6-stage 75 gpd BRS RO/DI system with a built-in TDS meter (tests after RO, after 1st DI, and after 2nd DI). The meter reads 000 after the RO membrane (as well as the first and second DI).

One more thought is my dry base rock might be leaching phosphate? I've read of that happening and fueling dinos in new tanks. I have a phosphate test headed my way right now. My tank has only been running since 10/15.

 

[AFrederick]

Things are looking up. The clowns look great. The two brains and the monti are showing good color and new growth. The hammer seems happy but no growth. The stylo, sadly seems on its way out - but it still has some purple flesh and some polyps.

I had an acro crab in the stylo and he bailed when the stylo went downhill. I read that those crabs die if they lose their host coral. I was more worried about that cool little crab than I was about the stylo. But, acro crab seems to be holding his own. He's taken to the insides of the rockwork. It's BRS dry rock, so it is riddled with a network of holes big enough for him take refuge in and navigate. When I feed the tank he pops out to try and snag a piece with his big claws.

I got a cool video of him that I haven't figured out how to post yet but here's a pic:


He's very cool. I hope he makes it without his stylo.

 

[Oxylebius]

You can try to feed the little crab. My acro crabs will take food from the end a a wooden skewer (like the ones you by for use on the BBQ).

 

[AFrederick]

Time for an update: I lost the stylo. I think I just made it suffer too many parameter fluctuations caused by me being new.

But acro crab seems to be thriving! He lives inside the rocks. At feeding time he cautiously sneaks out just far enough to grab himself a good piece of food and darts back into his cave network.

Clara and I just got back from a week in Colorado. We were there to see my little brother Tommy graduate from the Air Force Academy. Here are the Thunderbirds flying over the Falcon's stadium just as the graduates tossed their caps:



Here's the chapel with an F-15 in front of it:

The F-15's twin engines have more lbs of thrust than the weight of the aircraft, so it can accelerate even in a vertical climb!

We had an awesome time in CO but I was nervous leaving the tank for a week. A family member came over every other day while we were gone to drop a piece of Rod's Food into the tank and generally confirm that nothing had died, or sprung a leak, or caught on fire.

When we got back everything was alive! The clowns looked great like always, but the corals were struggling. Some tissue recession on both brains and a small bleached spot in the middle of the monti cap.


The salinity had dropped to 1.021sg. So Ca and Alk and everything else crashed as well I'm sure. I brought the salinity back up about 0.001 per day until I got back to 1.025.

So far, everything seems re-stabilized. Bleaching on the monti appears to be halted. And the two brains might even be regaining tissue.

 

[mtsully71]

updates?

 

[AFrederick]

Hey Sully, the last several months have been challenging.

All this time I've been battling what I think are dinos. Herbivors cannot survive in the tank. Everything that eats this algae dies. Snails mainly.

I thought I had to whip this algae to progress. So I cut feedings. I replaced the chemipure elite and purigen. I dabbled with carbon dosing (RedSea NOPOX and dosing pump). Didn't go well. Some algae died but the corals got very upset. Pretty much everything was STN'ing. Still thinking there was something bad in the water (nutrients or toxins), I replaced the CPE and Purigen again. The next morning STN turned RTN and I lost the two frags of brain coral. At some point in the last couple months of this ordeal I started getting corraline all over my rocks, which was very encouraging, but then it pretty much all died.

My latest theory is that I stripped too many nutrients from the water and the corals suffered badly. I started this tank very sterile, with dry rock. I've been reading that it can take up to a year to mature a tank set up with dry rock. Maybe I just need to stop fiddling with stuff and let it mature.

My new strategy is to return to normal, everyday feedings, stop the carbon dosing, pull out the CPE and Purigen, and just keep doing water changes all the time. The monti cap and the hammer frags appear to be surviving, but just barely. All in all though, I'm staying positive. I'm learning a lot and I think things will stabilize soon. Here's the tank:


I welcome any thoughts or suggestions!

 

[Pat24601]

Wow, that's tough! I don't have great advice, but I'm glad you are hanging tough.

 

[mtsully71]

You'll pull through, I like going back to the basics. When things are not right, all ya need is basics. Some things to verify if this was my tank is RODI, salinity, alk, ca, mg, temp, PH and your lighting schedule. With the 130 IMO, I would think dosing would not be necessary with such young coral. WC's should be plenty for now for corals, fish etc and will improve the environmental factors. Don't overfeed the fish, if your going to do it daily just what they will eat in about 1-2 min. Fish truly do need much to survive, mine be fat and I only feed every two days 2-3 minutes, occasional pellets or nori.

I understand your pain of starting the sterile tank, using dry rock is different from the live. I have mixed opinions about it. Give your rocks some toothbrush love before WC's. I have been having minor cyno problems on rock for about 3-4 months. I just spend 5 min twice a week hitting the spots. I think I have solved my problem though.........lighting. I'll know more in a few weeks

Do you you have test kits to post some numbers, I would be interested in seeing them, I think a few other members could chime in on thoughts if they could see them.

I like the plan though and GL

Sully