Shaun's 2000 Litre (530 USG) Living Reef & Red Sea Max S 650 LED Design & Build

[SPR]

I added a second Brightwell Xport NO3 brick a few weeks ago and I think they or something else has started to kick in as my nitrates have reduced from around 12-16 to 8 and today 4ppm.

I've cut the NoPox dose down from 18ml to 12ml per day and will start to maybe give the fish more food. I have by no means been starving them but just cut back just a little on my generosity!

I've put my 17 new frags into place. In fact it's more like 23 as I accidentally broke some of the tips on a few of the SPS so free corals!

A few weeks ago I lost my beautiful blue clam. I noticed it stopped closing and lifted it up and it had snails and crabs eating it through a hole in it's foot. Looked like something had eaten its way through the shell. Most grotesque!!

*


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[Pat24601]

Awesome pics, as always! It's a fantastic tank!

 

[SPR]

Despite adding some frags last week, I happen to be driving near my LFS and happen to accidentally purchase some more corals, as you do.

I think I must be like a frustrated artist and my tank it an outlet or I'm just a coral maniac!

Anyway photos I believe speak volumes!

The new corals arnt in final places but just acclimatising at bottom of tank for a few days. The new Elegance Coral hasn't fully come out yet.

 

[SPR]

Anybody got any idea what this is?

There like little pods?




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[mr_tap_water]

It looks like what They call a pineapple sponge.


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[Nobbygas]

Yep +1 for the Sponge.

 

[SPR]

Thanks Nobbygas and Mr Tapwater

Just checking it wasn't anything bad!

I'll go research sponges now!

 

[Nobbygas]

These NO3 bricks, or Marine Pure blocks (pretty much the same) seem to do the trick don't they!

As for the Pineapple Sponge, I've got loads of them in my Sump. Now and again I give the inside of the Sump a bit of a scrape to clean them off, as they can look untidy. I also seem to get a lot in the rear chamber.

 

[SPR]

These NO3 bricks, or Marine Pure blocks (pretty much the same) seem to do the trick don't they!

As for the Pineapple Sponge, I've got loads of them in my Sump. Now and again I give the inside of the Sump a bit of a scrape to clean them off, as they can look untidy. I also seem to get a lot in the rear chamber.

Yes they certainly seem to be working. I've also got some Purigen in The Bag in the sump so a combination of all factors is bringing the Nitrate down but I'm happy around 5-10 as everything is blooming.

I think I have some of the sponges in the rear chamber as well. I took the lid of yesterday as part of a water change to hoover out sand which gets in there (and then spits out of the pumps) At the back of the overflow combs there were rows of Aiptasia growing. Non in the tank anymore as I have some peppermint Shrimps or something that's keeps it clear of aiptasia now. Just shows how creatures can adapt to an environment. Well until some lunatic with a Python cleaner takes the roof off and scraps you off! Lol

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

http://www.melevsreef.com/critters/scypha-sponge


http://www.melevsreef.com/critters/white-sponge

 

[SPR]

Ive put into place the new mainly SPS corals i got a week or so ago, oh and a few more besides which i happened upon at my LFS!

I had been looking at the 'large pink wavy' coral at the top front of the tank for months because it was in the wrong place and I couldn't see anything behind it. I.e. I could then get more corals!! So i started tugging and twisting at it and basically it just peeled off. So its now at the back if the tank were it can grow as much as it wants.

Anyway pictures.....




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[Stacef]

Looking fabulous!


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[Nobbygas]

Shaun - I just flicked through your thread again, and I noticed the metal hose clamps you have on the UV-C Mega Rocket Launcher of Death! Have you thought about replacing them with something like this....

 

[SPR]

Shaun - I just flicked through your thread again, and I noticed the metal hose clamps you have on the UV-C Mega Rocket Launcher of Death! Have you thought about replacing them with something like this....

How very observant off you! Lol

The clamps I've got on my 'Mega Rocket Launcher Of Death lol!' are made from marine grade stainless steel (grade 316 i think) which i checked out before using them

I do have some of the plastic clips but the reason i used the 316 grade steel is that i can tighten them much better and they are out of the water anyway.

This is the only piece of equipment which is out of the protection of the sump so i wanted to take a bit more precautions when installing it. I thought it was a better option than the clips just because of the tightness

I did however use a plastic cable tie on the eheim pump hose outlet as that's submerged and i didn't want to take any chances with corrosion or metal contamination of any kind.



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[Nobbygas]

Picking your brains again, but what size hose do you have on th uv?

 

[Nobbygas]

Forgot to say that I bought my UV today, with an Eheim Compact 1000 to feed it.

 

[SPR]

Its uses the 16/22mm eheim hose or at least thats what ive got on it.


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[SPR]

Its quiet amazing that whenever i go away for a week and leave the tank in the care of my mother to basically just feed, that whenever i get back the tank and corals look better than when im constantly faffing around with it! Lesson to oneself, leave the tank alone!!

Anyway just got back from 7 days and all is fine

There was an issue when i turned the NYOS skimmer off for feeding Red Sea Reef Energy in so much as its was grinding when i restarted it so something was stuck somewhere. It did eventually start up but time for a strip down.

So thats what i did and soaked the parts in citric acid and all up and running as good as new. Well a bit more smelly but....

Im also trying a bigger skimate container that i got with a home made wine kit for my wife (she gets the cheap kits! Lol). I have been using a milk carton and this is just slightly taller but much wider. As long as the skimmer cup can empty into it ok it should be fine




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[Nobbygas]

Ccccccccchrist....How much skimate do you pull out? Lift that bugger out too many times when full and you'll have forearms like Popeye !

How do you find room to put the backplate up on the UV? And my OCD is screaming that the green hose should run inside the vertical brace thingy, and not the outside.

Hope you had a good break

 

[SPR]

Ive put the bigger container in because its more stable balanced on the ledge of the return chamber were the carbon is. The milk carton can fall over and its more for when im away. Oh and it will last longer between emptying. Just trying it out but might need to go back to the milk carton.

Ive got to position the UVC hose a bit better and when i turn it the opposite way around ill sort it a bit better.

The UV-C bracket will fit snug against the side wall as long as your sump was pushed right to the back


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