Arkayology Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Yea, it was getting nuts. I was dosing a half a cap of alk a day and it still dropped from near 10 to 6.5 in 5 days. I'm dosing 35ml of each 2 part. 1 cap isn't anything. Good luck with the new tank organization. It will definitely be easier to maintain now. Quote Link to comment
markalot Posted June 5, 2014 Author Share Posted June 5, 2014 Alk usage is down to a half a cap every few days now. Much better. Added a green polyp finger leather, and 2 $10 frags. One a barely alive pipe organ plus green clove polyp and a single head of brown/white Grandis Paly, both sitting at the bottom of their frag tank in a forest of Kenya trees. Can you believe that my Kenya tree in the 40 might have finally died, now that I have a place for it. Herman the thin stripe finally got to the worst algae rock last night while the black cap basslet was sleeping. The black cap is such a gentle fish until a hermit gets near its hole. He continued to tip Herman upside down but in the end Herman had a plan. Sleep above the rock all day yesterday, and this morning it's clean. Besides moving a couple of rics around he's done well not destroying the scape. I'd like to keep him in here but I just don't think there will be enough food long term. Quote Link to comment
Arce Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Alk usage is down to a half a cap every few days now. Thats barely anything! Mine soaks up so much alk daily. Tank looks great. How do you like the WP-10s? Was thinking of getting one. 1 Quote Link to comment
markalot Posted June 5, 2014 Author Share Posted June 5, 2014 Thats barely anything! Mine soaks up so much alk daily. Tank looks great. How do you like the WP-10s? Was thinking of getting one. I'm happy with them. They're overpowered for this tank with these corals so I'm able to run wave mode at speed 3 (lowest setting) and crank up the speed as the pumps get dirty and slow down. This means I only have to clean the pumps every month or so. That's the trick with these pump, they lose performance quickly as they get dirty so as long as they are overpowered it's not a big issue. For the price and the features I have no complaints, I got what I paid for. Quote Link to comment
Arce Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 For the price they look awesome. I mainly just want it for additional flow to my MP-10, especially when i get more sps heavy ill need the extra flow. Your 40br is awesome btw, nice colonies. 1 Quote Link to comment
markalot Posted June 5, 2014 Author Share Posted June 5, 2014 For the price they look awesome. I mainly just want it for additional flow to my MP-10, especially when i get more sps heavy ill need the extra flow. Your 40br is awesome btw, nice colonies. Thanks. It would be so much more now if it wasn't my first reef tank and had to suffer through so many idiotic mistakes. Quote Link to comment
Arce Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Thanks. It would be so much more now if it wasn't my first reef tank and had to suffer through so many idiotic mistakes. Haha i feel you, i had two tanks before my 29, had a 20 high and then 10, the 20 ended in disaster and the 10 got the aftermath while i learned what the hell i did wrong. Everyone makes mistakes, just gotta learn and move on lol 1 Quote Link to comment
markalot Posted June 19, 2014 Author Share Posted June 19, 2014 Latest quick FTS. Poor tank is being neglected except for water changes and adding a few frags I could not resist buying at the LFS. I moved a large frag of the big green torch into here from the 46 and surprisingly it's doing very well and growing. 2 Quote Link to comment
vlangel Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 Latest quick FTS. Poor tank is being neglected except for water changes and adding a few frags I could not resist buying at the LFS. I moved a large frag of the big green torch into here from the 46 and surprisingly it's doing very well and growing. http://imageshack.com/a/img843/2277/oi5sk.jpg'> Looking very nice! If you are doing WCs its not really being neglected, usually nothing an afternoon can't fix right up! 1 Quote Link to comment
markalot Posted July 17, 2014 Author Share Posted July 17, 2014 This tank keeps on trucking with only water changes and one of my thin stripe hermits trying to keep up with the hair algae. Guess which WP10 he can climb too? I have hair algae, bubble algae, Caulerpa, some brown stuff, some red stuff, all kinds of stuff and I love it. The only recent additions by me was the alveopora and a couple of shrooms from the 46. I have not tested or dosed in weeks but I have started to do two small water changes rather than one a week to try and keep params in line. My only regret is the firefish only comes out to eat. The black capped basslet never bothers him but I think he's permanently afraid of purple fish. 5 Quote Link to comment
Cameron6796 Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Put the fire fish in colour therapy lol. This is nice I've never been here before I don't think. 1 Quote Link to comment
Cameron6796 Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Oh and I'm guessing the left wp10 1 Quote Link to comment
vlangel Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Gotta love a tank that does great regardless! Its nice not having to do endless dosing and testing, (which is the real reason I've held off the SPS bug). 1 Quote Link to comment
Cameron6796 Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Hey. Mark do you stil have the pj jar Quote Link to comment
markalot Posted July 18, 2014 Author Share Posted July 18, 2014 Hey. Mark do you stil have the pj jar Yep, but I haven't done anything with it yet. Quote Link to comment
Cameron6796 Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 Ooooh do something lol mushrooms or zoas 1 Quote Link to comment
markalot Posted July 25, 2014 Author Share Posted July 25, 2014 Firefish was out when I came downstairs. Sneaky fish are being sneaky. He can't be too scared of the Basslet now, can he? Tank is a delightful mess. My smaller thin stripe, lower left, is what keeps the tank fairly free of hair algae. He would do a better job if the basslet didn't enjoy knocking the crap out of him when he climbs the rocks. 1 Quote Link to comment
markalot Posted August 17, 2014 Author Share Posted August 17, 2014 Photo dump. Tank is still a mess and everything is happy, including a lot of aptasia, so I just keep observing to see what is going to happen. If bubble algae gives you nightmares you'll probably want to look away! I've been doing weekly water changes, sometimes twice a week, and I tested once and got a KH of 7.5 so I've started dosing every other day or so, a cap of alk and calcium here and there. It simply amazes me how happy the corals are even though they are being assaulted by algae of all types. I bought the coolest shroom rock, but it is also the rock that introduced a couple varieties of caulerpa, some red thread algae, and who knows what else. My $5 Stylocoeniella Duncans look just incredible in this tank. I have a frag of these in the 150 that is nowhere near as happy as these guys. Halloween Hermit needs to get to work. Some greenish softie Yellowish softie and then I tried to get at least one pic of every fish .... 5 Quote Link to comment
GtTap Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Tank looking great Mark. 1 Quote Link to comment
vlangel Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I'm liking the look Mark, algae and all. Red and green macro algae adds color and makes a tank look lush. I'm not a fan of bubble algae and I fight it in my tank too but maybe we should think of it as adding texture! LOL 1 Quote Link to comment
markalot Posted September 4, 2014 Author Share Posted September 4, 2014 Update. I'll warn you again, if algae, aptasia, or planaria bother you then avoid these pics. FTS I have not lost any coral, though not everything is perfectly happy. It's been very interesting to watch how the corals react to being overrun with algae. The red Acan has been expanding pretty rapidly, the Stylocoeniella is incredibly happy and has completely grown back since purchased as a half dead frag. The Frogspawn on the left seems irritated and the alveopora has been happier, but everything else is about the same. I recently placed fuge lights on my HOB fuge and grabbed what was left of my chaeto from scraps stuck to pumps and caught on the rocks. I will probably move some of the caulerpa into the fuge as well. Now here's the big thing. I removed all the SPS from this tank except an encrusted area of Forest Fire digitata. I don;t dose, I have no idea what the parameters are at the moment, but I do try and change 10% of the water every week and sometimes twice a week. You have to look through the Cespitularia here but look at that orange and some green on the base. This monti mocks me. I have never had this good of color in any of my so called SPS tanks. I've got some more pics of corals and algae that I'll upload when I get the chance. I have to say I'm having fun with this disaster of a tank. How bad can it get, and can I get it under control without doing anything major? 1 Quote Link to comment
vlangel Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 Disaster of a tank is not the right adjective. A little TLC and it'd be awesome. You are too hard on yourself! 1 Quote Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 Disaster? Psh, tank makes mine look like a pile of knobs. 1 Quote Link to comment
Sk8n Reefer Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 Love that shot of your yellow clown Goby 1 Quote Link to comment
GtTap Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 How often are you doing water changes or dosing Mark? 1 Quote Link to comment
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