Blue's 40G Mixed Reef

[Blue Space]

Since I don't have the versa dosing pumps doing my auto water changes yet, guess what day it is... ?

That's right wc day!! I'm really not going to miss this day once the pumps are back in stock somewhere.... anywhere...

 

[Pancho75]

Looking good Blue, I think you will not miss the wc once you got your versa.

 

[Blue Space]

All done with tank maintenance. I placed some carbon and Matrix (each in their own media bag) into the media chamber of my sump along with a phosphate remover pad and I covered it with some filter floss. I also run SeaGel in a LifeGard reactor. The Clarisea is still functioning normally but I don't seem to be burning through the initial roll as fast as I thought I would, so that's good. I dosed the usual amount for alk, cal but mag is testing higher than usual after the wc. RPM must have higher mag than I'm used to or maybe my test kit (just expired) is off. I'll get a new mag test kit and test again and compare.

Salinity: 1.026
Temp. 78 F
po4 : 0.00
dKH: 8.56
Cal: 450
Mag:1500

 

[Pancho75]

Have you notice grow in your chaeto with the red light?

 

[Blue Space]

Yes, the little LED fixture did well in my old sump for the past two years so I decided to move it to the new setup. We'll see how it does with the added real estate.

 

[Blue Space]

Did a wc yesterday and refilling my saltwater reservoir with rodi so that I can make up a new batch.
All parameters normal. I took some phone pics just after feeding some reefroids. They love it...

 

[Pancho75]

Great reactions to the feeding.

 

[Blue Space]

I installed a new hydor Koralia 1350 gph (G3) in the 40 gallon display to augment the MP10. It was relatively low cost and it's flow is a perfect compliment to the mp10 on reef crest mode. As soon as I installed it and disrupted the former water flow, detritus started flying everywhere and I mean it was like the tank started snowing. The Koralia is a magnet mounted power head that you can aim literally anywhere due to forward thinking design. I aimed it directly at the MP10 on the opposite site of the tank. Now I'm getting exactly the type of flow I wanted.

 

[PSU4ME]

Tank looks super healthy! Flow is so important when trying to keep detritus suspended. I just added 4 mp40s to my tank so the flow is definitely rocking!

 

[Blue Space]

Thank you, Bryan! You're so right. I figured that I had plenty of flow to begin with, using the only the mp10, and as far as moving water I accomplished that. However, the flow was all going one direction in the tank. With the additional power head I now have opposing currents meeting at the center of the tank, creating turbulence. And with you having four mp-40's I'd say that you're flow is definitely rocking'!

 

[Pancho75]

I installed a new hydor Koralia 1350 gph (G3) in the 40 gallon display to augment the MP10. It was relatively low cost and it's flow is a perfect compliment to the mp10 on reef crest mode. As soon as I installed it and disrupted the former water flow, detritus started flying everywhere and I mean it was like the tank started snowing. The Koralia is a magnet mounted power head that you can aim literally anywhere due to forward thinking design. I aimed it directly at the MP10 on the opposite site of the tank. Now I'm getting exactly the type of flow I wanted.

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Blue your tank looks awesome!
The euphilia on the left side is massive, love it.
What is that center a bit in the back? a huge mushroom?

 

[Blue Space]

Thanks Pancho! That's a mini-maxi carpet anemone.

 

[Blue Space]

I wanted to provide an update on the Clarisea Gen2 SK-5000 roller mat filter that I installed a while back now (March 15th, 2021).

So far, I'm very pleased with its performance and the water clarity. The model I chose is over-sized for my system but I did that on purpose because I read that some folks were burning through their rolls using the smaller model. Plus, there is little difference in price. Being that the total water in my system is only about 63 gallons (that's what I dose at anyhow and it seems to be spot on) I haven't even used a quarter of the roll yet. No issues with it whatsoever. I haven't cleaned it or performed any maintenance. I did encounter some false alarming caused by me advancing the roll manually but after I let it alone and let it fill up to the point that it activates the float switch through the normal process, I've not encountered any issues.

 

[Blue Space]

ClariSea update: This unit went online back on March 15th of 2021 and I'm half-way through the FIRST roll. And have not cleaned a filter sock since... well, let's just say I was never really good at cleaning filter socks or replacing them fast enough to make a difference anyhow. lol!

No issues to report. It's functioning as expected and I have yet to perform any maintenance on the unit. It auto-advances the roll and I hear it move a little, a few times throughout the day and can usually get it to trigger if I decide to scrape the glass.



Tank is doing well and I recently caught these two Astraea snails on top of the tiger conch... Warning: Kessil Shimmer!!

 

[Blue Space]

Added a fromia starfish and a red ridge sponge. I also added a cleaner shrimp that is quite friendly when feeding time comes.

 

[Blue Space]

I wanted to provide an update on the Clarisea roller mat filter. Honestly, I was a little worried when I first laid down the hard earned cash because some people seemed to burn through their first roll and then how much was it going to cost to operate?!! I mean the unit wasn't cheap and neither are the replacement rolls. I am pleased to now look back to March... (record scratching sound)... yes, that's right it's been in operation on my tank since last March and I'm not even finished with the first roll yet. Albeit, I implemented the Gen2 SK-5000 which is oversized for my current system. I have my replacement roll waiting in the wings but I'm not going to need it for a little while yet. Not sure how much longer my first roll will last but I'll bet it can make it another couple of months and any concerns related to operational cost have been put to bed.

So far, it's performed admirably during the sea trials and I don't see myself ever going back to filter socks.

 

[PSU4ME]

Interesting, how about some more pics of how you have it “plumbed in”? I don’t run any type of mechanical filtration at all but I will vacuum the sump out once every 6 months. I’d consider adding something like this if it doesn’t require daily maintenance.

 

[Blue Space]

Sure! Granted, my tanks are side-by-side... Here are a few of shots that show how I tied in both drains using some 1" spa flex and a T fitting. Not the prettiest but it works.

 

[Blue Space]

 

[Blue Space]