TimDanger's CADlights 39g Pro

[Rehype]

Id go with mb7 or full zeo...i cant say im a full supporter of vodka or biopellets considering just about everyone who used it says they got cyano at some point.

[timdanger]

mb7 seems like a good idea -- not going full zeo (i don't have a million dollars)

[timdanger]

well, in light of the Marineland Stealth/Stealth Pro heater stuff going on, I went ahead and ordered new heaters for both this tank and my fresh water tank. I bought Eheim Jagers from Big Al's (on sale, plus the 10% off coupon code "nanoreef", plus free shipping on orders over $75 -- good deal!). 1x 100w going in this tank, and 2x 250w going in my 110g freshwater.

 

I also picked up some Kent Tech M to take a run at my seemingly bryopsis-ish problem (i still can't identify the stuff definitively). My Mg is sitting at 1400 per my new Salifert test kit. I'm going to try loading the Tech M into a large syringe and "injecting" the Tech M right on the worst spots of the bryopsis. I've heard rumors that Seachem has speculated that, because liquid Mg supplements often contain ammonium whereas dry Mg supplements do not), that is what is possibly responsible for killing bryopsis. Seemed like a good enough theory to justify spending the $15 for a 64oz bottle of the Tech M rather than using my BRS 2-part Mg supplement (dry).

[timdanger]

so, i'm returning my 150w radium bulb and 24w ATI Blue Plus bulbs... and i just bought myself a LumenMax Elite mogul reflector, a 250w galaxy select-a-watt ballast and a 20k Coralvue bulb (talked to Joe at Fish World on Saturday -- that's what they use on all their tanks at Fish World, and I was nothing but impressed with the color, growth and price).

[d9hp]

Any updates on the Mg helping with the algae?

 

I'm looking into tackling the vodka challenge stuff too and was considering using some sort of amino acid supplement. I haven't found very much information on it but I feel like something is going on in the tank despite my outrageous feeding regimen now. My skimmer doesn't produce much and I think I could really benefit. My nitrates have been undetectable forever though, so I don't know what the deal is.

 

I think MB7 + some vodka might be the way to go?

 

Id go with mb7 or full zeo...i cant say im a full supporter of vodka or biopellets considering just about everyone who used it says they got cyano at some point.

 

 

mb7 seems like a good idea -- not going full zeo (i don't have a million dollars)

 

 

Not trying to jack your thread Tim but what do you guys know about this:

http://www.marinedepot.com/Korallen_Zucht_...IADSACS-vi.html

[timdanger]

Any updates on the Mg helping with the algae?

 

my algae is some sort of macro -- i really want to say it's bryopsis, but i just have had no luck with identification. some of it is stuck on the rocks like GLUE. i can't even rip it off.

 

re: Mg, i've been adding it slowly (slower than i have to) to avoid system shock -- i don't want to do anything that might undo the hard work i've put into stabilizing my parameters. i wouldn't say things are getting significantly worse, but i haven't noticed an improvement yet. that being said, my Mg is still not up to 1600 (probably closer to 1450).

 

I'm looking into tackling the vodka challenge stuff too and was considering using some sort of amino acid supplement. I haven't found very much information on it but I feel like something is going on in the tank despite my outrageous feeding regimen now. My skimmer doesn't produce much and I think I could really benefit. My nitrates have been undetectable forever though, so I don't know what the deal is.

 

I think MB7 + some vodka might be the way to go?

 

how many fish are you feeding? i have been thinking about just adding a fish or two -- my three tiny fish hardly can put away half a cube of mysis, even with shrimp/nassarius/hermit help.

 

If i were going to start, I would just go with MB7 and maybe vinegar for some added diversity (according to Randy Holmes-Farley, vinegar has been reported to lead to fewer cyano issues than vodka). more than likely, i would just dose the MB7 first, then add vinegar if i wasn't seeing what i was looking for. my biggest problem is that i don't know what i'm looking for since my nitrates/phosphates are at 0.

 

 

Not trying to jack your thread Tim but what do you guys know about this:

http://www.marinedepot.com/Korallen_Zucht_...IADSACS-vi.html

 

I looked at this -- the bottles are just so small (10ml each). I dunno, I guess my personal feeling on the matter is, if i'm going to try the KZ zeo supplements, i'm going to buy the regular sized bottles (which, though still expensive, are a better deal than this package -- e.g., you can get 10ml of Pohl's Xtra for let's say $13.33, or you can get 250ml of it for $45 (and if you don't like it, you can sell your leftovers). i figure, either i've decided to go zeo, or i haven't. waffling is a rich man's luxury.

[Munch]

I'm expecting my Pro X-1 later this week, and looking to pickup some flowheads and heaters:

 

Considering:

2 Tunze 6025's

2 Jager 200 watt heaters

 

Would I be ok with the 150 watt heaters instead?

 

I'm also considering an Apex controller.

 

Any recommendations for an ATO?

[timdanger]

I'm expecting my Pro X-1 later this week, and looking to pickup some flowheads and heaters:

 

Considering:

2 Tunze 6025's

2 Jager 200 watt heaters

 

Would I be ok with the 150 watt heaters instead?

 

I'm also considering an Apex controller.

 

Any recommendations for an ATO?

 

unless you're talking about serious cold weather situations, i don't know that 2 heaters would be necessary. in any event, i certainly think that the 150w would be fine, and in fact, i only use 1x 100w in my tank (which i believe is the same volume as the X-1). but, my house doesn't get colder than 70F.

 

as far as the tunze 6025s are concerned, they are great powerheads and dead silent, but it depends on what you are trying to keep in the tank as to whether that would be sufficient. they don't give you a ton of flow (even modded, it's not overwhelming).

 

as far as the ATO goes, i like my JBJ ATO well enough, though it has quirks. if you are getting an apex, i'd personally just run an ATO off of that. i do love my apex.

[Munch]

unless you're talking about serious cold weather situations, i don't know that 2 heaters would be necessary. in any event, i certainly think that the 150w would be fine, and in fact, i only use 1x 100w in my tank (which i believe is the same volume as the X-1). but, my house doesn't get colder than 70F.

 

as far as the tunze 6025s are concerned, they are great powerheads and dead silent, but it depends on what you are trying to keep in the tank as to whether that would be sufficient. they don't give you a ton of flow (even modded, it's not overwhelming).

 

as far as the ATO goes, i like my JBJ ATO well enough, though it has quirks. if you are getting an apex, i'd personally just run an ATO off of that. i do love my apex.

 

 

Thanks for the quick reply. My house drops into the low 60's at night in the winter. Once I get the tank, I'll see what she does on her own with water in it.

 

As I'm not sure what exactly I plan on stocking the tank with, I might just upgrade to the 6045, to play it safe.

 

I'll check out the JBJ ATO.

 

Nice thread btw, I'll be re-reading it a few times over the next few weeks I'm sure

[timdanger]

Thanks for the quick reply. My house drops into the low 60's at night in the winter. Once I get the tank, I'll see what she does on her own with water in it.

 

As I'm not sure what exactly I plan on stocking the tank with, I might just upgrade to the 6045, to play it safe.

 

I'll check out the JBJ ATO.

 

Nice thread btw, I'll be re-reading it a few times over the next few weeks I'm sure

 

thanks for the compliment -- it's been a learning experience, to be sure.

 

regarding the powerheads, before you pay for a 6045, i'd recommend considering modding the 6025s (if you are so inclined). it was an easy to way to increase flow at a substantially reduced cost.

 

truthfully, though, if i were going to use all-tunze powerheads in this size tank, i would probably buy two 6055s and put them on a controller (the apex, preferably, but the tunze controller works too).

[Munch]

thanks for the compliment -- it's been a learning experience, to be sure.

 

regarding the powerheads, before you pay for a 6045, i'd recommend considering modding the 6025s (if you are so inclined). it was an easy to way to increase flow at a substantially reduced cost.

 

truthfully, though, if i were going to use all-tunze powerheads in this size tank, i would probably buy two 6055s and put them on a controller (the apex, preferably, but the tunze controller works too).

 

 

Are the 6055s controllable while the 6025/45 are not? Or are they all controllable?

[timdanger]

Are the 6055s controllable while the 6025/45 are not? Or are they all controllable?

 

6055s are controllabe; 6025/6045 are not controllable.

 

just as a matter of discussion, the great thing about the tunzes is how quiet they are. they certainly take up more space than the vortechs inside the tank, but the the mp10 i have (this is my second) is just obnoxious with it's whirring/whining/buzzing, and it is intolerable on either short or long pulse modes... so, maybe it comes down to which is more irritating: what you see or what you hear.

[d9hp]

my algae is some sort of macro -- i really want to say it's bryopsis, but i just have had no luck with identification. some of it is stuck on the rocks like GLUE. i can't even rip it off.

 

re: Mg, i've been adding it slowly (slower than i have to) to avoid system shock -- i don't want to do anything that might undo the hard work i've put into stabilizing my parameters. i wouldn't say things are getting significantly worse, but i haven't noticed an improvement yet. that being said, my Mg is still not up to 1600 (probably closer to 1450).

 

Gotcha well keep me updated on that I'm always interested in hearing about what high Mg does otherwise

 

how many fish are you feeding? i have been thinking about just adding a fish or two -- my three tiny fish hardly can put away half a cube of mysis, even with shrimp/nassarius/hermit help.

 

If i were going to start, I would just go with MB7 and maybe vinegar for some added diversity (according to Randy Holmes-Farley, vinegar has been reported to lead to fewer cyano issues than vodka). more than likely, i would just dose the MB7 first, then add vinegar if i wasn't seeing what i was looking for. my biggest problem is that i don't know what i'm looking for since my nitrates/phosphates are at 0.

I have 7 fish in a 20g tank..about 25g total system volume. I know that sounds crazy but it's great. I feed like crazy and they love it. The corals do better with the heavy feedings but I have to do water changes twice a week. I do them pretty inefficiently because I like to do them slow. Essentially I just do 4 consecutive 1 gallon changes, twice a week. It equates to about a 15% change twice a week.

 

My nitrates and phosphates are also both zero but I am mainly interested in the increased skimmer production so I could effectively feed EVEN more.

 

I looked at this -- the bottles are just so small (10ml each). I dunno, I guess my personal feeling on the matter is, if i'm going to try the KZ zeo supplements, i'm going to buy the regular sized bottles (which, though still expensive, are a better deal than this package -- e.g., you can get 10ml of Pohl's Xtra for let's say $13.33, or you can get 250ml of it for $45 (and if you don't like it, you can sell your leftovers). i figure, either i've decided to go zeo, or i haven't. waffling is a rich man's luxury.

 

Yeah I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I think I'm goign to go ahead and order the brightwell's MB7 and their amino acid stuff and try using some vodka for a few weeks and see how I feel about everything and go from there. I'm basically going to start dosing single drops...read too many horror stories.

[timdanger]

I have 7 fish in a 20g tank..about 25g total system volume. I know that sounds crazy but it's great. I feed like crazy and they love it. The corals do better with the heavy feedings but I have to do water changes twice a week. I do them pretty inefficiently because I like to do them slow. Essentially I just do 4 consecutive 1 gallon changes, twice a week. It equates to about a 15% change twice a week.

 

that is quite a bioload, but it sounds like you take care of it. what kind of algae are you dealing with?

 

Yeah I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I think I'm goign to go ahead and order the brightwell's MB7 and their amino acid stuff and try using some vodka for a few weeks and see how I feel about everything and go from there. I'm basically going to start dosing single drops...read too many horror stories.

 

that sounds like a good plan -- i agree with your conservative approach. horror stories often appear to be the result of impatience.

[d9hp]

that is quite a bioload, but it sounds like you take care of it. what kind of algae are you dealing with?

 

I'm not

 

I just want more color and growth from my SPS and wouldn't mind halting production of the few softies/LPS I have.

 

that sounds like a good plan -- i agree with your conservative approach. horror stories often appear to be the result of impatience.

 

Yeah most of the time. I've heard LOADS of good stuff about the MB7 stuff so I think I'll start with that for a week and then introduce the carbon via some vodka.

[Markushka]

I made my own mag to kill bryposis, so the liquid v. solid mag is nonsense, so its the kent vs. other brands, Get enough Mg in there and the bryopsis will die.

 

Tanks looking amazing btw. we need more pics

[timdanger]

dude sent me a Reeflux 20k bulb instead of the Coralvue 20k bulb I ordered.

 

now i have to figure out whether this is a "good enough" substitute -- i'm leaning toward no, especially given that there appears to be so much of a spike in the red spectrum (which advanced aquarist seems to indicate isn't necessarily better for coral growth even if it helps colors) and given that so many people on RC seemingly have had complaints about spectrum shift.

[timdanger]

talked to Chris (technical contact) at Coralvue. He told me he'd switch the bulbs if i wanted, but he didn't understand why i'd want to since the japanese-made reeflux (manufactured by Fuji) was a better-made/premium bulb compared to the chinese-made coralvue. he said he hadn't heard the kinds of complaints that i was talking about, and that while the occasional bulb might be "bad", it's not any more often than they get a bad radium returned to them. and, he said that he'd replace anything that went bad prematurely (and i've read stories where they have in fact done that -- nice that they stand behind their product!).

 

what convinced me to stick with the reeflux 20k (despite my concerns and the random internet threads suggesting various issues) was that he said that i could try it for 60 days, and if i wasn't happy with it, i could send it back to him and he'd personally send me a coralvue 20k to replace it for free.

 

you cannot beat that. so, now i just have to construct a new suspension system for the LumenMax Elite and set it up!

 

any tips for light acclimation/suggested height? i anticipate that this is going to be some serious light, and i don't want to fry my corals (or boil my water with heat).

 

i guess my plan at this point is to mount it so the base of the reflector is about 16" above the water surface (??? at least to start with), and then i was thinking of starting with a photoperiod of 8 hours a day with 4 layers of window-screen mesh, removing 1 layer every 3 days.

 

after the last layer is gone, i'm contemplating kicking it up to a 10 hour photoperiod over the next week or two, or maybe lowering it? again, i don't want to buy a chiller if i can avoid it (come oooon Air King fan), so i want to keep it up away from the water if it's an option.

[d9hp]

I like your idea about the window screen mesh...it definitely blocks a good amount of light.

 

I'd give that a shot and go from there!

[Rehype]

Sounds like a good ides tim although i would suggest starting your photo period between 4-6 hours and see how your corals respond. Then go upward from there. I wouldnt want your corals to start bleaching from the intensity of the bulb

[timdanger]

let's hope so!

 

i'm also going to add at least one more fish, maybe more, to complement my current stock (ocellaris clown, royal gramma, mccosker's flasher wrasse).

 

I'm thinking about trying out another Midas Blenny, but I don't know -- i want something that will be out/active. my last midas was ok with that, but he was just as likely to perch on rocks all day.

 

i'd love to grab a couple anthia, but i don't think i've got enough open swimming space for them.

 

hype, i love the chromis you have in your tank -- but i can't get the wife to buy into the green chromis for some reason.

[mikellini]

I'm using the KZ nano power pack, and I'm liking it so far. 1 drop per day out of ten mil bottles should last a while... And if I'm not happy with it at the end of that time, then I haven't wasted $180, only $50. Makes more sense to me

[timdanger]

i definitely see the amount i'm dosing as an issue, but i don't really know what to do about it. when i was only dosing 10ml/day of 2-part, i was having trouble keeping my Alk stable (it would slide all around from 6.5 to 7.5-8dkh). upping the dosing to 16ml/day, it was pretty stable (7.5-8dkh). now at 22ml/day, i've been testing consistently at 8dkh (and 410ppm for Ca).

 

the only reason i haven't been more concerned about this is that, according to RHF's 2-part article, when beginning 2-part dosing, he recommends starting at 0.3ml of 2-part per gallon for a low demand reef, 0.5ml/gal for a mixed reef, and 1ml/gal for a heavy demand SPS reef. based on my estimated water volume, i'm dosing about 0.55ml/gal.

 

the only other thing is, I've been using D-D H2Ocean+ salt for at least a year, but i buy it pre-mixed from the LFS. When I've tested it, the Ca/Alk test lower than what it's supposed to (even at a specific gravity of 1.025). Thinking that this may be causing instability and requiring more dosing, I just purchased my own bucket of the salt so I could mix it myself and see if that makes a difference.

 

update: this pre-mixed salt water was the problem, for sure. I have been able to raise my Alk for the first time above 9dkh by holding off on the water changes and dosing 2-part at 22ml/day (i got it all the way up to 11.5dkh, but i've since let it fall back down to 10dkh so that it will be more in line with what my salt mixes to). i've now reduced my dosing down to 16ml/day, which i've calculated will hold my parameters stable.

 

 

just an update on the coral, it looks the same this morning. no more tissue loss. it actually is showing some very limited polyp extension, which is an improvement over "none whatsoever."

 

update: the papillare seems mostly back to normal. i fragged off one of one branch that had gone "skeleton" a few weeks ago, and the rest is fine now -- polyps extended, a little color returning, and it's growing again (basing out more -- my corals can't get enough base).

 

I'm using the KZ nano power pack, and I'm liking it so far. 1 drop per day out of ten mil bottles should last a while... And if I'm not happy with it at the end of that time, then I haven't wasted $180, only $50. Makes more sense to me

 

fair enough - hope it works for you!

[tundrashaul]

let's hope so!

 

i'm also going to add at least one more fish, maybe more, to complement my current stock (ocellaris clown, royal gramma, mccosker's flasher wrasse).

 

I'm thinking about trying out another Midas Blenny, but I don't know -- i want something that will be out/active. my last midas was ok with that, but he was just as likely to perch on rocks all day.

 

i'd love to grab a couple anthia, but i don't think i've got enough open swimming space for them.

 

hype, i love the chromis you have in your tank -- but i can't get the wife to buy into the green chromis for some reason.

 

Atlantis had what they were advertising as a canary blenny last night, It looked just like a Midas and was a decent price/size.

 

Thats pretty scary about the water and I'm a little worried now. Might start mixing my own up also.

[timdanger]

Atlantis had what they were advertising as a canary blenny last night, It looked just like a Midas and was a decent price/size.

 

Thats pretty scary about the water and I'm a little worried now. Might start mixing my own up also.

 

oh, really? they actually had a canary and two midas blennies when i was in there on Tuesday night. one midas was in the same tank as the canary -- i hope he didn't get sold already! the other was in a tank with a bunch of anthia, with which he blended in so well that i couldn't tell them apart from a distance.