Daniel's tank upgrade to RSM 250
- Thread starter Danreef
- Start date
My black Friday order plus the Reef Spec T5 that are already in the tank.
I decided to keep my JBJ chiller 1/10 as a backup and take advantage of the nice black Friday discounts and install a JBJ 1/4. Next week I will test it and if all is OK it will be installed ASAP ...
I decided to keep my JBJ chiller 1/10 as a backup and take advantage of the nice black Friday discounts and install a JBJ 1/4. Next week I will test it and if all is OK it will be installed ASAP ...
Lexinverts
Member
That's the JBJ model I have. It's powerful and works quickly.
Yes....see pictures.
The one in the central tank position has some very small algae spots (dead spot ?). See next 2 pictures.
The second one that is at the left of the tank is perfect. See third picture.
Oxylebius
Well-Known Member
I see a slight tinge of neon green! This is good in that the coral still has some zooxanthellae in it and thus is not completely starving. It just might pull through.
I also see the algae spots you pointed out. I also have some algae spots on some of my monties (thanks to my blenny scraping them), a healthy coral can cope w/them. I'd watch the algae closely in the coming weeks. I wouldn't try to scrape it off, you can make it worse and weaken the already struggling coral. Just keep an eye on it and make sure all params in the tank stay pristine, to help the coral come back.
If you find the algae is spreading, I suppose for those locations at the coral tips, you can snip off.
The coral in the central location will be obtaining more par light, maybe this is playing into it. And may also be why the coral at the right is fine, there is less light there.
I also see the algae spots you pointed out. I also have some algae spots on some of my monties (thanks to my blenny scraping them), a healthy coral can cope w/them. I'd watch the algae closely in the coming weeks. I wouldn't try to scrape it off, you can make it worse and weaken the already struggling coral. Just keep an eye on it and make sure all params in the tank stay pristine, to help the coral come back.
If you find the algae is spreading, I suppose for those locations at the coral tips, you can snip off.
The coral in the central location will be obtaining more par light, maybe this is playing into it. And may also be why the coral at the right is fine, there is less light there.
Thank you Oxy.
As I said several times, this tank with less than a year is still evolving and finding the equilibrium.
The other, same bird nest in the corner of the tank, is taking the hit too and the purple beside it in the picture above, is losing color.
Nitrates are high: 16 ppm with red sea test and PO4 still high: 0.16 ppm with hanna and red sea kit.
Started NOPOX treatment at half dose, just in case.
Since I added Chemipure elite and purigen zoas started to recess. I added them in Thanksgiving. I am taken them out at a bag per week. Only left one (of 2) chemipure.
My last fight will be to control the N and P , if I do not win it, I will give up with a full SPS tank. And will switch to a mixed one. Much more easy. I am traveling almost all the,weeks for 3-4 days and started to be difficult to be in details.
I stopped several years ago to chasse numbers and these P and N levels will be my last chase. My 14 G biocube is doing it only with W/C and it was 2 years ago I did measured parameters. No skimmer neither and us a beautiful mix tank with Acro/ SPS /LPS and softies.
Will see.........
Cheers
Daniel
PS: BIRD NEST REPLACED LAST WEEK
As I said several times, this tank with less than a year is still evolving and finding the equilibrium.
The other, same bird nest in the corner of the tank, is taking the hit too and the purple beside it in the picture above, is losing color.
Nitrates are high: 16 ppm with red sea test and PO4 still high: 0.16 ppm with hanna and red sea kit.
Started NOPOX treatment at half dose, just in case.
Since I added Chemipure elite and purigen zoas started to recess. I added them in Thanksgiving. I am taken them out at a bag per week. Only left one (of 2) chemipure.
My last fight will be to control the N and P , if I do not win it, I will give up with a full SPS tank. And will switch to a mixed one. Much more easy. I am traveling almost all the,weeks for 3-4 days and started to be difficult to be in details.
I stopped several years ago to chasse numbers and these P and N levels will be my last chase. My 14 G biocube is doing it only with W/C and it was 2 years ago I did measured parameters. No skimmer neither and us a beautiful mix tank with Acro/ SPS /LPS and softies.
Will see.........
Cheers
Daniel
PS: BIRD NEST REPLACED LAST WEEK
Lexinverts
Member
Be careful with the NOPOX. I used it at the recommended strength and my Nitrates dropped to 0 within 5 days. I am now using about 1/3 of the recommended dose.
If you are running the NOPOX, you probably don't need the Purigen and Chemipure to control phosphate and nitrate. I took mine out. I think I will just add a single bag of normal carbon in their place.
If you are running the NOPOX, you probably don't need the Purigen and Chemipure to control phosphate and nitrate. I took mine out. I think I will just add a single bag of normal carbon in their place.
Thanks Lexinverts !!!!
I took out the purigen and 1 bag of chemipure. I will take the second one next weekend.
I had to start with 6 ml NOPOX based on Red Sea suggestion. And that is related with my N and P levels. BUT !!! I started yesterday with only 3 ml (half the dose)....just in case !!!!
I apreciate very much your comment and if someone else want to write their experiences with NOPOX....you are welcome !!! .
Daniel
I took out the purigen and 1 bag of chemipure. I will take the second one next weekend.
I had to start with 6 ml NOPOX based on Red Sea suggestion. And that is related with my N and P levels. BUT !!! I started yesterday with only 3 ml (half the dose)....just in case !!!!
I apreciate very much your comment and if someone else want to write their experiences with NOPOX....you are welcome !!! .
Daniel
Day 3 of NOPOX treatment (yesterday). Started with half of recommended dose.
Nitrates 16 ppm (no changes)
PO4. 0.08 ppm (down from 0.16 ppm).
Other parameters:
ALK 8 dkh (measured at 2 pm. I normally do it at 7 PM and is ~7-7.5 dkh)
Ca: 380 ppm
Salinity 1025
Temp: 78
PH 8.1-8.25 (Night / day)
Nitrates 16 ppm (no changes)
PO4. 0.08 ppm (down from 0.16 ppm).
Other parameters:
ALK 8 dkh (measured at 2 pm. I normally do it at 7 PM and is ~7-7.5 dkh)
Ca: 380 ppm
Salinity 1025
Temp: 78
PH 8.1-8.25 (Night / day)
for all that have been reading this thread I wanted to provide an update. It will be the last one for a long time.
The tank is slowly dying and it is a non stopping problem.
Just a few corals are not being affected. 3 big colonies of birdnest are gone and many more are just dying slowly.
I will stop whatever I have been doing. As I always said, chasing numbers is very difficult. I was chasing now to lower the NO3 and PO4 levels. It is not working.
I started to take out the chemipure elite and will stop the NOPOX. In almost 3 weeks the N levels are still the same. P went down but they can't go lower than the levels that my NSW have (0.08 ppm). That is not bad. N are now at 12 ppm. I will give 1 more week to the NOPOX treatment and that will be all.
I will not start to buy reactors, pellets, gfo etc etc. . If I can not keep a full SPS tank, then it is what it is. It will have to be other corals.
All zoas I have seeded started to die. So I took out all the stones with the main zoas colony and passed them to my son's tank. We hope they will open again.
I knew all was going too good to be true.
Bottom line, I will continue with the tank, feeding the fish every other day and Changing 10% water per week. Dosing pumps will stay working to keep Alk and Ca and.......that is all. I will wait and see what survives.
Some parameters for the records from yesterday :
Salinity 1025
temp. 78
PH 8.1 - 8.23 (Reefkeeper ph probe)
NO3 12 ppm
PO4 0.08 ppm
Alk 8 (for the last months)
Ca 380-390 ppm (for the last months)
Mg 1400
Cheers to all,
Daniel
The tank is slowly dying and it is a non stopping problem.
Just a few corals are not being affected. 3 big colonies of birdnest are gone and many more are just dying slowly.
I will stop whatever I have been doing. As I always said, chasing numbers is very difficult. I was chasing now to lower the NO3 and PO4 levels. It is not working.
I started to take out the chemipure elite and will stop the NOPOX. In almost 3 weeks the N levels are still the same. P went down but they can't go lower than the levels that my NSW have (0.08 ppm). That is not bad. N are now at 12 ppm. I will give 1 more week to the NOPOX treatment and that will be all.
I will not start to buy reactors, pellets, gfo etc etc. . If I can not keep a full SPS tank, then it is what it is. It will have to be other corals.
All zoas I have seeded started to die. So I took out all the stones with the main zoas colony and passed them to my son's tank. We hope they will open again.
I knew all was going too good to be true.
Bottom line, I will continue with the tank, feeding the fish every other day and Changing 10% water per week. Dosing pumps will stay working to keep Alk and Ca and.......that is all. I will wait and see what survives.
Some parameters for the records from yesterday :
Salinity 1025
temp. 78
PH 8.1 - 8.23 (Reefkeeper ph probe)
NO3 12 ppm
PO4 0.08 ppm
Alk 8 (for the last months)
Ca 380-390 ppm (for the last months)
Mg 1400
Cheers to all,
Daniel
Thank you !! ....... now is a shadow if what it was.
Lexinverts
Member
Sorry to hear that Daniel. FYI: Birdsnests, in my experience, are difficult to keep happy long-term. They grow quickly and get to a large size look beautiful for about 8 months, and then they seem to become susceptible to all kinds of things. I think it has to do with lack of flow making it to tissue in the center of the "nest." I lose my large colonies after about 8-12 months. Then I start over with a frag, and they look nice again. Maybe try some of the hardier Acros and Montipora instead.
Weird that your Nitrates are not going down after dosing with NoPox. That stuff worked like magic in my tank.
Weird that your Nitrates are not going down after dosing with NoPox. That stuff worked like magic in my tank.
Very sorry to hear Daniel, I have never had great success with sps corals - I have always attributed it to me not keeping my tank stable enough...
One of the best reef keepers on RS for SPS corals is Bryan (PSU4ME) - there are several RS members with long term sps success, but Bryan been keeping them for several years and has been a RS member since 2003 with great sps success - if this helps any, this is who I would look to for advise... GlennF another, but his methods are very different, thought very successful too.
and as I know you know... you can have a very beautiful reef tank without sps corals, don't be to discouraged & keep on posting ! All the best mate ! Here hoping someone like Byran can offer you some good sps advise. Here a link to his thread...
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/reef-chronicles/74274-bryans-120-reef-16.html#post1284983
One of the best reef keepers on RS for SPS corals is Bryan (PSU4ME) - there are several RS members with long term sps success, but Bryan been keeping them for several years and has been a RS member since 2003 with great sps success - if this helps any, this is who I would look to for advise... GlennF another, but his methods are very different, thought very successful too.
and as I know you know... you can have a very beautiful reef tank without sps corals, don't be to discouraged & keep on posting ! All the best mate ! Here hoping someone like Byran can offer you some good sps advise. Here a link to his thread...
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/reef-chronicles/74274-bryans-120-reef-16.html#post1284983