Mark's 150 (NanoBox Retro)

[markalot]

What are you feeding and what's your regiment, regarding color?

 

I'm not sure I have one. I do feed a small amount of reef roids mixed with tank water every morning, which may be helping, but not long enough to know if it's THE thing to do. I used to feed a larger amount every few days but switched to the daily morning feeding since the basement is still dark and acros have good polyp extension.

 

 

I think you need to frag this and name it after my favorite ice cream flavor.... Black Cherry!!

 

That is an excellent name, my wife loves that flavor as well.

 

Nice tank, I like the pops of green

 

Thanks Lalani!

 

--

 

I have added one more thing do dose daily, 2 drops of vinegar. It's amazing that just two drops can turn my skimmate from brown and not very smelly to black and stinky ... just two drops. This has also cleared the water up dramatically ... just two drops. Carbon dosing is primarily used to drop nutrients but I'm using it to help increase water clarity, skimmer efficiency, and filter feeder populations. There is also another reported side effect ... Xenia hates it. Perhaps this is why it's gone nuts in here when before, when I regularly added vinegar, it would die out? Muhahahahahah *cough* *weez*. We shall see.

 

2 drops vinegar

4 drops PhosphateRx

2 dropper bottle squirts of AcroPower

1 drop Kalum (Potassium)

5 drops SpongePower

1/4 tsp of Reef Roids or Coral Frenzy mixed with tank water

 

New page, a few more pics.

 

 

 

This little monti plate has struggled for the longest time but is now plating out. Interesting color combo.

Side shots

 

 

This one focussed on the 'baby' katropora.

[Mariaface]

H'ohmygod.

 

It's so amazing.

 

[Veng]

Mark, what does your reactor setup on this tank look like? I'm assuming from your vingear comment, you aren't running bio pellets. GFO/Phosguard, Carbon, Purigen any of that? Metro has me reconsidering some of my setup for my new tank. This tank has been one I've always admired so I figured I'd get your input on this as well.

[Mariaface]

Standing by to hear the answer...

[teenyreef]

Looks like Mark's been busy, but from what I recall he stopped doing the bio pellets some time ago last year.

 

The tank just gets more jaw-dropping every week now

[markalot]

Mark, what does your reactor setup on this tank look like? I'm assuming from your vingear comment, you aren't running bio pellets. GFO/Phosguard, Carbon, Purigen any of that? Metro has me reconsidering some of my setup for my new tank. This tank has been one I've always admired so I figured I'd get your input on this as well.

 

Howdy,

 

I run a single Phosban reactor, the bigger one, filled with Seachem Matrix and a lot of built up muck that I shake out every month or so. This beast has managed to keep nitrates annoyingly low, amazingly enough. I also have 3 tupperware containers of Walt SMith mud which is either doing something or taking up space, not sure. Skimmer is the only other filtration.

 

Since my first bottle of PhosphateRx ran out I am trying something a little different to see what happens. I do 4 drops of vinegar every morning plus 4 drops of my mixed up CaNO3 solution of unknown strength. Trying to dial it in slowly but so far nothing has changed. New tests this weekend.

 

I have not used GFO in a year now and I will occasionally use carbon but the last bag has been in there for 2 months now.

 

I have not cleaned the sump, detritus is everywhere, and the messier the sump gets the better the display gets. I believe I'm in the middle age zone where it seems I can do no wrong. At some point I will have to clean out something ... or not.

 

Looks like Mark's been busy, but from what I recall he stopped doing the bio pellets some time ago last year.

 

The tank just gets more jaw-dropping every week now

 

Thanks!

[Veng]

 

Howdy,

 

I run a single Phosban reactor, the bigger one, filled with Seachem Matrix and a lot of built up muck that I shake out every month or so. This beast has managed to keep nitrates annoyingly low, amazingly enough. I also have 3 tupperware containers of Walt SMith mud which is either doing something or taking up space, not sure. Skimmer is the only other filtration.

 

Since my first bottle of PhosphateRx ran out I am trying something a little different to see what happens. I do 4 drops of vinegar every morning plus 4 drops of my mixed up CaNO3 solution of unknown strength. Trying to dial it in slowly but so far nothing has changed. New tests this weekend.

 

I have not used GFO in a year now and I will occasionally use carbon but the last bag has been in there for 2 months now.

 

I have not cleaned the sump, detritus is everywhere, and the messier the sump gets the better the display gets. I believe I'm in the middle age zone where it seems I can do no wrong. At some point I will have to clean out something ... or not.

 

Thanks!

[vlangel]

Your tanks are stunning!

[MikeTR]

woo man... gonna have to re-read the last couple pages. your growth is puttin mine to shame.

[metrokat]

I haven't checked in here for a bit but those pictures are stunning, how awesome are those colors.

Whatever you are doing - you've found the sweet spot. Stay there Mark, don't even twitch.

[markalot]

Your tanks are stunning!

 

 

woo man... gonna have to re-read the last couple pages. your growth is puttin mine to shame.

 

 

I haven't checked in here for a bit but those pictures are stunning, how awesome are those colors.

Whatever you are doing - you've found the sweet spot. Stay there Mark, don't even twitch.

 

Thanks you all for the nice words. Things are still going well, even though I did twitch.

 

First I raised the lights to lower the par, which did help Cousin It recover some color. Next I stopped dosing MicroE for a couple of weeks when I started some vinegar dosing and it made a difference. Colors dropped a few notches and growth slowed as well with KH staying around 7. I started up again this week and yesterday KH down to 6.1 and colors on the rebound. I would not draw a specific conclusion from this other than I had something that worked and changed.

 

I am back to a regular daily schedule except I have increased MicroE over what I was using before.

 

3 drops MicroE

3 drops Kalum

3 drops PhosphateRx

5 drops vinegar

5 drops CaNO3

5 drops SpongePower

2 squirts of AcroPower

1/4 tsp of ReefRoids or Reef Chili.

 

Cousin It still has no polyp extension but the center section which looked dead is regaining color.

 

The little test frag is also doing well, though hairless.

 

The Red Robin is brown again but growing fast. Joe Peck, a RC TOTM winner and experienced acro grower warned me this was damn hard to color up and browns at the slightest change to tank params. Confirmed. Not the most flattering picture of the Anthias.

 

Trifecta

 

Pinky doing quite well.

 

The stag side. Slimer is growing alarmingly fast again. Fun, but also frustrating.

 

While I wasn't looking my little chip of blue polyp green monti has grown.

 

 

Right side, with the peach dragon also kicking into high gear.

 

FTS

[DaveFason]

Things are looking insane. I wonder how I could make a trip to KY

[markalot]

KH dropped to 5.9! I'm trying to wrestle it slowly back up and start the doser.

 

I wonder which art of the magic drops is doing this?

Things are looking insane. I wonder how I could make a trip to KY

 

Thanks Dave.

[markalot]

Slimer might be growing at an insane pace. These are all LED only pics.

 

3 months ago

 

Now

 

The right side cracks me up. Colors under LED look great but check out the green digitata. Small frag in back and on the right frag rack getting as big as the parent.

 

I am now adding 30ml of each part 2part daily, alternating hours over 12 doses. Alk still 6.2ish and I'mm adding 2 part manually to try and raise it up. I'm either riding a growth curve or the tank has been Alk starved and is responding by using it all up.

[GtTap]

Have you used kalk before.

[markalot]

Have you used kalk before.

 

I am using saturated Kalk, 2 tsp per gallon, the two part is added to that. I do timed topoff, meaning it tops off at regular intervals and I correct any errors due to evaporation changes by adding water or turning a fan on to increase evaporation.

 

One other option is to add vinegar to the topoff mixture to increase potency, but it's a slippery slope and prone to errors that could swing Alk. 45ml of vinegar added to a gallon of topoff will allow using 3 tsp Kalk per gallon rather than just 2.

[GtTap]

Sounds like its time for a calcium reactor.

[teenyreef]

Sounds like its time for a calcium reactor.

^this

[markalot]

^this

 

No pressurized co2 in the house, had an incident with a planted tank and I won't be going that route due to the cost in getting professional equipment.

[teenyreef]

 

No pressurized co2 in the house, had an incident with a planted tank and I won't be going that route due to the cost in getting professional equipment.

as bad as it sounds?

[markalot]

as bad as it sounds?

 

The regulator or whatever goes on top with the dials exploded with glass and pieces going everywhere. Fortunately no one was around the tank but my kids were young at the time and it scared the hell out of me. Granted equipment for calcium reactors is much better made (I assume) but never again.

[teenyreef]

Yeah, I can see how that would be the end of CO2 bottles in the house for you! Yikes.

[Mariaface]

...Yikes. And here I am, considering a paintball tank setup with an aquatek regulator mini for the planted tank I just set up.

[xiaoxiy]

The regulator or whatever goes on top with the dials exploded with glass and pieces going everywhere. Fortunately no one was around the tank but my kids were young at the time and it scared the hell out of me. Granted equipment for calcium reactors is much better made (I assume) but never again.

Jesus that's crazy.

 

 

...Yikes. And here I am, considering a paintball tank setup with an aquatek regulator mini for the planted tank I just set up.

I used to run a 5lb CO2 tank on my planted tank for a couple of years without issue. Get a decent regulator and you should be fine.

[markalot]

Jesus that's crazy.

 

 

I used to run a 5lb CO2 tank on my planted tank for a couple of years without issue. Get a decent regulator and you should be fine.

 

Yea, I agree that a good regulator should be fine but you have to pay good money for it. At the time I thought I was buying one of the best built by someone running an aquarium fert store. I have no idea if it was the fault of the bottle, the regulator, or a faulty install. I cleaned up the pieces and walked away from CO2.