Disaster's 80gal + 15gal SPS Reef Tank

[disaster999]

Yup, dont worry, they arent eating my SPS tho.... I have no idea how to kill them. Ive tried Saliferts FWE with little to no success. They would die, but return after a while. KZ's Flatworm Stop doesnt do anything but they said it needs a month at least for it to work.

 

they arent harming anything so I left them alone. One day when I bored I might go in with a hose and just siphon them all out

[4x5]

It's a good excuse to get some wrasses.

[Arce]

 

Thats alot of FW...

[disaster999]

It's a good excuse to get some wrasses.

Not really a huge fan in them killing my shrimps tho

 

 

Thats alot of FW...

yup...tell me about it

[1.0reef]

Not really a huge fan in them killing my shrimps tho

 

 

yup...tell me about it

Pink streaks should eat flatworms along with orchid dottybacks without harming shrimps.

[Arce]

Not really a huge fan in them killing my shrimps tho

 

yup...tell me about it

 

I would pull out what you can and dip in bayer. I do 5ml bayer to 100ml water for 15 minutes. I had some crazy smothering FW come in on a hammer when i started my 20, did a dip and none of them came back.

[disaster999]

Pink streaks should eat flatworms along with orchid dottybacks without harming shrimps.

what are pink streaks? I had a dottyback before and it was a monster in the tank, harassing any fish that comes near it

 

 

I would pull out what you can and dip in bayer. I do 5ml bayer to 100ml water for 15 minutes. I had some crazy smothering FW come in on a hammer when i started my 20, did a dip and none of them came back.

It pretty much means taking down my tank and basically dipping every single piece of rock, coral, and grain of sand cuz thats how much FW I have.

 

Honestly If they arent doing any harm to my corals I might just put up with them and siphon as much as I can periodically or every water change.

[1.0reef]

what are pink streaks? I had a dottyback before and it was a monster in the tank, harassing any fish that comes near it

 

 

It pretty much means taking down my tank and basically dipping every single piece of rock, coral, and grain of sand cuz thats how much FW I have.

 

Honestly If they arent doing any harm to my corals I might just put up with them and siphon as much as I can periodically or every water change.

Pink Streaks are the ones Gena kept in her TOTM 45 gallon, they're usually cryptic and peaceful. Some dottybacks like orchids and indigo dottybacks are usually peaceful as well.

[disaster999]

Sometimes my tank baffle me...A few months back after the introduction of DD's Rowaphos into my tank, all the brown hair algae in my tank magically disappeared and it was clean as a whistle. I enjoyed my clean tank for a month or 2 then it started going downhill again. The algae is making a comeback. Ive changed out the Rowa more often and even went on using GFO as well in hopes of stripping my tank clean of phosphate, but it doesnt seem to be working. My sand is covered in algae, so are my rocks. The tangs are nomming them once in a while but its not as clean as it once was.

 

I thought about buying an ATS as a lot of people locally have pretty good success in keeping their tank clean. Someone was selling a Poseidon hybrid ATS/Fuge at a good price so i nabbed it. Its a bit small for my tank but if Im able to grow algae and keep nutrients in check, its better than nothing.

 

 

Here it is installed.

[disaster999]

Pink Streaks are the ones Gena kept in her TOTM 45 gallon, they're usually cryptic and peaceful. Some dottybacks like orchids and indigo dottybacks are usually peaceful as well.

Ah, pink streaks are like 6line but prettier. Will be VERY hard to find that in Hong Kong.

 

Are purple dottyback the same thing as an orchid dottyback? They both are purple and google image search is not helping at all. I went and bought a purple dotty back for like...$2.58 and added it to my tank. So everything is fine. Hopefully they will munch on the flatworms

[1.0reef]

Ah, pink streaks are like 6line but prettier. Will be VERY hard to find that in Hong Kong.

 

Are purple dottyback the same thing as an orchid dottyback? They both are purple and google image search is not helping at all. I went and bought a purple dotty back for like...$2.58 and added it to my tank. So everything is fine. Hopefully they will munch on the flatworms

The rarest fish always go to HK, I'm sure you could find one. Purple dottybacks are much more aggressive but cheaper than Orchids. Not sure if they eat flatworms.

[disaster999]

The rarest fish always go to HK, I'm sure you could find one. Purple dottybacks are much more aggressive but cheaper than Orchids. Not sure if they eat flatworms.

Yeah, you can find some really fancy fish here, but not like you can order it and get a phone call telling theyve arrived. :/

 

If else fails Im just gonna keep dosing salifert FWE and siphoning as much worms as I can get them under control

[disaster999]

Can anyone suggest any additives to color up my corals? Dosing 2 part solution, and keeping my parameters constant doesnt seem to cut it anymore. My corals are growing really well, but their colors are very drabby and dull to say the least.

 

Im suspecting I have a phosphate issue right now since im getting a nice covering of algae all over my sand and rocks, which my tangs are busy trimming back. Im waiting for my ATS to kick in and actually start producing algae inside. other than that my parameters are rock steady at 400-420ppm calcium, 7-8dkh, 1350ppm magnesium. 0.5-1ppm nitrate.

[metrokat]

Potassium. I use Brightwell Potassion.

[disaster999]

I was actually looking at your TOTM article and went out and bought a bunch of additives you used...boron, strontium, vitamin and amino. I always had the brightwell potassion-p and dosed it every now and then. will dose everything together every and see if that helps

[jedimasterben]

ATS reduce potassium like mad, so I agree with Kat.

[disaster999]

ATS reduce potassium like mad, so I agree with Kat.

Good to know. My ATS isnt fully running yet, but I am starting to get something in there.

[disaster999]

So its been around a month since i have the ATS running. So far Its growing really well. Im starting to get a lot of stringy green algae and coralline algae loves to grow in my ATS as well. Not sure if this would affect anything. Hoping this would take care of the algae in my display tank as well as lower the nutrients and hopefully color up my corals.

[dropped]

MIght have to try one of these ATS devices... Maybe ill make one.

[4x5]

Any updates?

[disaster999]

Hey, Sorry for the lack of updates, I just let the tank go on autopilot and other hobbies occupied most of my time, so havent been paying much attention to my tank. Also, I cant, for the life of me, get the colors on my SPS to pop which is another reason ive lost the drive to mess with the tank. Ive tried all kinds of additives, vitamins, Prodibio, trace elements, etc and non of them seem to work. one thing I havent tried is weekly water changes, but doing water changes for a 160gal tank is not an easy task and I just gotten lazy. I still havent solved my flatworm problem...which I didnt really bothered to since they werent hurting any of my corals.

 

All this will change when I move again next month. I think Im going back to my old, smaller tank (due to space issue) and Ill be treating everything with flatworm exit before the move and continue to dose FWE weekly just to make sure any eggs that hatched on my rocks/coral doesnt have a chance in my tank and dies. Ive talked to Melevsreef about my coloring issue and he thinks my flatworm, although not doing anything to my corals, are enough to bother them thus the terrible colors

 

Anyways, half a year later since my last FTS update, this is what my tank looks like right now

 

Compared to what it looks like half a year ago

[jedimasterben]

What kind of PAR are you pumping into the tank?

[disaster999]

I dont have the exact par numbers....but with 520W of LED over my tank i run them at 100% output around 8 hours a day with slow ramp up and down. some SPS looks washed out while some are having trouble regaining their colors.

[jedimasterben]

I dont have the exact par numbers....but with 520W of LED over my tank i run them at 100% output around 8 hours a day with slow ramp up and down. some SPS looks washed out while some are having trouble regaining their colors.

Okay, so your tank 22" tall. With a single Ethereal over my current tank, which is also about 22" tall, with all channels at 100% I get around 160 PAR at the bottom of the tank. You have several more that are overlapping, so PAR will be higher than that, especially if you add spectral correction (my readings were just quick and dirty). My unit is also hanging above the tank, I don't use the mount, so mine is probably 2-4" higher off the tank.

 

Also, if you do turn them down, be warned that the dimming is not linear. The pic below is for two units side by side, so the power numbers are doubled over a single unit and PAR is higher (I think I measured it at 18" distance at the center point of the two).

 

[disaster999]

Thanks Ben, I saw your post about the part and output on the FB page. Really not a fan of this power to par curve as you cant judge the output based on percentage given in the app. I guess I have to see and adjust my settings and see how my corals react after I move.