Friar's Pico

[brandon429]

friar thats the purple hue I am talking about, the palette is shifted to blues and purples in the rock scape it looks every bit of its age thats great. the algae seems to have been reduced by 95%

[friar1]

friar thats the purple hue I am talking about, the palette is shifted to blues and purples in the rock scape it looks every bit of its age thats great. the algae seems to have been reduced by 95%

 

Yeah Algae is almost gone and like I said, it doesn't grow like it used to, so I think the Chemi-Pure Elite is really making a difference.

 

And yes, the Rock is shifting to blues and purples really nicely. Took a while , but it is beginning to mature well. Now all I need is a better display tank, move the equipment to a fuge or something along those lines.

[brandon429]

remember when it had a gray/yellow hue to the substrate and rock surface? thats how all our new tanks started out. this is aged like jim morrisons beard now it looks great. the great pH support via dosing is also helping with the algae and I do agree phosphate starving is probably the lions share of it. a year already dang times flies as I sit here on a laptop year after year.

[Builder Anthony]

I didnt clean my front glass till i needed to take some pictures.......man that stuff was really on there.Ii didnt have coraline like your so i could only imagine how long it took to clean that off......Gota love the purple........that looks like the bright coraline to.Nice

[friar1]

Well,

It goes to show. Clean the glass every water change. Should not take long in a pico tank. Next tank (Finnex 4 Gallon?) I am going to do just that!

 

Friar

[PinkDamsel]

Your success at conquering the GHA is impressive - and inspiring. Congrats and it's nice to see you posting again; I kinda missed following your tank (even though I mostly lurk and don't say much).

[friar1]

Thanks Pink,

the GHA isn't all the way conquered though, just very much beaten back. I REALLy need a bigger tank just trying to figure out the best way to go.

 

I am thinking 4 gallon finnex now

 

I want simplicity in the set-up, but also good filtration and great light.

 

5 Cree XR-E's, three RB, 2 cool white.

 

AC70 HOB modded to fuge. That is my current thinking.

 

Although I really want to mod my Tetra into a fuge and drain it into the Finnex. They are both the same height, so it should not be a problem. But then, I have to have more lighting and more room in back. I don't like all the power cords I have now,

 

Ahhhhhh

 

 

I just can't make up my mind!

 

Friar

[friar1]

I posted this in the lighting forum:

 

T5 VHO or LEDS?

 

Any help on this question would be appreciated.

[friar1]

Ordered the Finnex 4g Today!

 

Ordered the LED Driver from Nanotuners, extra LED's from LED Supply

 

Ordered the Light Fixture i will mod.

 

Just need some live rock and Sand, and an AC 70 and we'll be ready to go.

 

 

I am going to hook up my LED's in a 3 RB, 1 Blue, 1 CW, 1 NW configuration, staggered on two heat sinks. They will be hooked up to the Dimmable Driver I am getting from Nanotuners. But I really like to look at coral under blue LED's once in a while, so I will have a DPDT switch to engage the two whites with the blues and I can then take the whites offline when I want to fluoresce the corals. the dimmer will help keep the full compliment of LED's from bleaching the coral.

They will be built into a Lighthouse 12 inch hood with a lot of air holes drilled in the top and two fans on top for heat exchange. The hood and LED's will then be incorporated into a wood open top box that will also frame the tank and help reduce excess light spillage from the LED's

 

I like the Finnex, as it is taller than a JBJ Picotope. This will allow me to build a higher rock scape allowing me to place high light/high flow corals up high and lower light/lower flow corals down low, although I am aware that I will not get that big of a separation.

 

Oh sure I might try SPS sometime, but not for may moons. I have seen what can become of a tank. Would want to make sure mine is very stable before trying anything like that.

 

I will be happy with Softies and LPS for sure, which is what I have now.

 

When I get the Finnex 4 G I will begin a new thread for that tank. The Tetra will continue until I take the corals from it.

 

I hope to document the process with pictures, but I am also a little scatterbrained, so I may have less than I hope to.

 

Thanks to all the wonderful folks here on Nano Reef, you all are very helpful and inspiring.

 

Friar

[friar1]

Praise the Lord God in Heaven!

 

My algae is FINALLY going away on it's own. I have an Astrea snail, that had a HUGE crop of GHA on it, all green, I looked at it last night and it appeared to be less, and then this morning, DEFINITELY LEss!

 

Happy days!

 

I would recommend Purigen and/or Chemi-pure Elite in a filter for reducing nutrients in a tank that is having GHA problems. But you have to be patient!

 

The 4 gallon Finnex arrived yesterday. New tank thread to appear soon!

 

Friar

[Drift Monkey]

I am going to hook up my LED's in a 3 RB, 1 Blue, 1 CW, 1 NW configuration, staggered on two heat sinks. They will be hooked up to the Dimmable Driver I am getting from Nanotuners. But I really like to look at coral under blue LED's once in a while, so I will have a DPDT switch to engage the two whites with the blues and I can then take the whites offline when I want to fluoresce the corals. the dimmer will help keep the full compliment of LED's from bleaching the coral.

You really don't need to mix whites...it's redundant...especially with a dimmer. Pick one of the whites to run.

[friar1]

Man,

I wish I could photograph the bristle worms in my tank, they are actually quite beautiful once you get to know them. I have at least a half dozen that come out foraging at night, Cool iridescence while they are feeding, a mixture of reds and gem-like blues. They are now everywhere in the tank, some of them are quite large, maybe upwards of two inches, though it is hard to tell. One in particular is very shy of any light and i only see him when I first turn on the flashlight. He is Sooo huge! Almost scary looking.

Still gathering material for the 4 gallon Finnex. Should be starting the cycle in about a week when live rock and sand get here.

 

The algae in the Tetra 1.5 gallon continues to slowly disappear, only a few patches left, I am so thankful for that! I will take a few pictures before I transfer everything to the new tank, but that will be a while. I want to make quite sure the new tank is stable before moving the livestock to it.

 

Friar

[friar1]

They will be built into a Lighthouse 12 inch hood with a lot of air holes drilled in the top and two fans on top for heat exchange. The hood and LED's will then be incorporated into a wood open top box that will also frame the tank and help reduce excess light spillage from the LED's

Have once again changed lighting plans. The fixture I got is unsuitable for LED's I have a project box coming that will house the driver and heatsink and switch and dimmer pot. All black, will be built into a black U shaped stand. I am hoping to hide most of the equipment with this build, but we will see what happens. I am the WORST at making pretty DIY projects. I am hoping if I keep at it I will get it right!

[brandon429]

Friar I hope that switch works out well, you literally beat the algae through persistence at the point some would have given up. Thats severe patience, you were meant for the science man thats sharp. I am about to dribble a few drops of peroxide on my popup stand to see what happens next lol maybe burning is so 2010

 

 

If you found a for sure muncher snail way to go, they are out there!

[friar1]

Yeah brandon,

I hope the switch goes well too. I do have an Astrea Snail that does a good job, but that was not what cleared the algae.

 

I did not have any real progress until I hooked up the Turtle canister filter with Purigen and Chemi_pure Elite.

 

Now, that being said, I think there are a number of issues at work here, but no way to prove it lol.

 

My live rock may be leaching phosphates, though I am beginning to think that is not the case, but could be.

I also have now a fairly large brittle star in that tank, and although I don't feed it too much and only spot feeding, it could be too much bio load for such a small tank.

 

I also had some crabs die awhile back which may have compounded the problem.

 

I had the canister filter hooked up for about a month before seeing any results.

 

I do not feed if I can help it, just the star occasionally and the Duncan every so often. I also have a feeling that part of the algae problem was due just to the common GHA syndrome I have heard about in other tanks. Many people said patience is the key, it will eventually go away. Maybe the Chemi-Pure isn't doing a thing! lol

 

Got my housing for the LED set up, hope this one will work out.

Friar

[Builder Anthony]

I really dont see any algae in your last shot.

[friar1]

Oh yeah, there was still quite a bit when I took that shot, though you can't see it (I can't take very good pictures) but it is mostly gone now. The snails that I have are able to take care of the little that grows back and the patches are disappearing one by one. It's weird, one day I will be looking at this ugly patch, the next day it is gone. This has been happening for two weeks now. I love the clean rock I have now, just lot's of new Coraline.

 

What everybody here says is true. Patience is key, nothing good happens fast in a reef tank. If you are battling something, give your solution time to work. If GHA is a problem, eliminate the nutrients, but then give it time to work, and I mean a lot of time. lol

 

I am curious to see what happens in my new tank, as I am going to continue with the Chemi_pure Elite after I cycle the new tank and I will be adding the live rock from my 1.5G after the cycle with the new rock is complete. I will be curious, as I am not going to increase my feeding at all, if I get a GHA bloom in the new tank. It took about two months before it happened in the current set up and lasted about six or seven months after that, but I am more about seeing what will happen before I take drastic action (I can always get the torch out, hehe). I think if I ever get SPS it will be after a good long while making sure the tank remains stable. (I did say IF)

In the mean time, I and moving forward on the new set up, but even with the build, I think I will take my time. I want to get it right, I really want as clean a look as I can get.

 

Friar

[brandon429]

Friar I must report something from the field you may like, its less offensive that burning

 

so the peroxide thing is pretty darn neat. 3 days ago I had two spots of GHA pop up like all tanks can and will do, instead of treating the tank systemically I spot dosed the two stands of algae while the tank was sitting empty during a water change. it was empty for about 5 mins, corals don't mind. During that time I would dribble two or 5 drops of h202 on it and it would bubble at the base of the GHA, I then filled up the tank, drained and refilled again and now a couple days later only the spots of GHA are dead and nothing else in the tank is affected. During administration some drops of peroxide landed on my red brain coral, right in the middle, and on a bunch of zos. they are ok as well.

 

by spot treating the GHA it killed it man, leaving the rock underneath perfectly fine unlike a burning where you have to wait for the coralline to regrow. this is pretty sick, I think im sold just on one test.

 

I could not get a burner into that crevice wo taking down the reef, so by bending a little pipette into shape I maneuvered some drops of peroxide into place and it worked!!

 

Now interestingly there was a tiny patch of bad red algae popping up, it didn't seem to respond. Still the same, however that one can be reached so he's getting a zap later on today as usual.

 

just wanted you to consider the spot treatment peroxide option with a thorough rinse afterwards, it really worked and the little peroxide that may run down the rocks or a dab in the water at the bottom of the tank in small doses is not harmful- it nearly instantly degrades into pure water and an extra oxygen atom (the bubbling) when introduced into water. It is not a wide spread antibiotic like some assume, it will not kill filter bacteria in small/diluted doses. They are aerobic, unless they are overpowered by it a little h202 gives the tank a fresh breath of air theoretically. in observing my actual application of it along with the threads that are becoming popular I really like it.

 

What I wont risk however is the systemic approach, add X amount to the reef when filled. That may prove ok, in theory its just extra oxygenation, but I can't risk that. For spot treatments and a rinse, no harm Im sure.

 

For years koi keepers would add a little peroxide to shipping bags when the fish were being moved to keep up O levels, and some pet shop owners in the 80's would put a couple drops of h202 inside fish bags when you bought guppies from the store for the ride home. It is not immediately lethal, but pure O is, and thats the sensitive component. Nowadays they make oxygen pellets you add to koi bags for long hauls, same process to liberate the extra 0 atom, peroxide use in fish systems is probably a 50 year old trick. Its rather new for reefing though

[friar1]

That is interesting brandon. I might try it if I get problem GHA again.

Still in all, it really seems like a phosphate sponge is a good long-haul answer to this issue/problem, and water changes of course, W/C being the first and foremost. Of course I am only relying on anecdotal evidence, nothing scientific, just my own observations.

 

I do like how one can change out all the water in a tank if needed, in one swoop, at least with the softies and LPS. It is something I would not have done without your own experiences with this type of massive water change. it is not practical on a large scale of course, but shows the tenacity of these corals pretty well.

 

So now, I have an abundance of bristle worms in my tanks, from very small to very large. They are also aggressive eaters and seem to even go for the green algae. I saw one take hold of a small piece of chaeto and try to swallow it whole! He did not succeed ,but it was amazing to watch lol! one that was in there for a long time must have reproduced, it is now an amazing army. By the way, I did an experiment with a ball of chaeto but that was a failure. The GHA began to grow on the Chaeto. It was a mess!.

 

I still have a couple of small strands of chaeto in the tank, they look real green and healthy, maybe they will grow now.

 

 

Friar

[friar1]

How does everyone take such great pictures???!! I don't get it!

:tears:

[.Newman.]

I could try to help you if you could please tell me what camera you are taking your pics with?

[friar1]

Oh shoot. I know it is a FujiFilm FinePix, can't remember what model though I will have to look at it at home.

 

I think I am more interested in lighting, since even my tank in real life is not lit like the tanks I see on Nano reef. I don't know if the pictures are tweaked or if they really look like that? I suspect the latter is true in most cases. Although My tank looks pretty under just the LED's I think it is too blue, most of the colors are washed out. I have 2 to 1 ratio Royal Blues to Cool White. I wonder if I went 1 to 1 if it would look better and not wash out the colors so.

 

In any case I will find my camera model number tonight when I get home.

 

thanks for your help Newman.

 

Your tanks are inspiring

Friar

[.Newman.]

Thanks!

My 3 gal does run a 1:1 blue:white ratio. It also depends on where you position the blue and white LEDs on your fixture, so having a movable fixture helps you find the exact spot to place it above the tank to light the corals correctly. for example the blue LED will make the color pop more, and that color pop is relative to the position of the blue LED above the target corals. but white LEDs will balance out the blues nicely to save some of the coral's natural and more bland coloration(like browns and tans and such).

 

 

I remember you had some sweet ricordea in this tank, how are they doing? I cant see much of them through the coralline lol.

[friar1]

@Newman:

The rics are still there, the big one has three mouths now, the little one I think was stressed by all the algae growing around it, it should do much better now that the algae is gone!

[friar1]

@Newman,

The camera is a Fujifilm FinePix S5200

 

Thanks,

Friar