A Carib.Castle: Naughty Nibblers... June '15 pics/vid, Razors, 125g, diy LR

[gena]

 

LOL It is mist. It was going to rain that afternoon and the humidity was high that day. The temperatures were really nice and cool. It is never dry like in the Rockies but more like the Smokies. It is beautiful!

Oh good!!!!

 

So obviously the sandwich is different...how about the fries? Taste the same?

[Mr. Microscope]

Let's see the new growth!

[eitallent]

Hi everybody!

 

Let's see the new growth!

 

 

I have not been adding anything new. The coral growth has not been spectacular here. I have the Razors up to their maximum light settings. I have moved most of the shrooms and Zoas to MyAtlantis, the nano, where they took off in growth. However, the gorgs that made it are growing, especially the golden and the ribbon gorg. I finally found their happy place. There are some shrooms and Zoas in there that are growing. The Ricordeas do not like where they are so I will have to move them higher up to the light. They are not as big and fluffy as the ones in MyAtlantis.

 

The three rock anemones are doing very well and are always eager to eat. They are staying put on the sand bed.

 

The fish are doing great.

 

The little Royal Gramma, Sassy is four times the size she was when I got her. Her colors are intense and she is so beautiful.

 

The funny MM Blennies are still brooding eggs but no fry has ever emerged. I think the little boy is not sure what he is supposed to do. Their color has changed as they have matured. Their spots seem more red than brown now.

 

Flute, the YH Jawfish is still busy decorating his den with poor, kidnapped snails.

 

Sharky, the Neon Wrasse is still always hunting in the Caulerpa and among the rocks for tasty treats. His colors are still the same, orange body with a dark patch on his head.

 

The four Blue Chromis are still hanging out together like a gang wandering the tank.

 

I have been struggling with nutrient export. There is hair algae growing on all the rocks and sand since I have returned from vacation. I have increased the WC from 10% to 20%. I have been siphoning out the detritus from the sand at every WC. I have a skimmer going and it pulls out lots of dark green skimmate. I also have Bio Poly-filter in the AC110. The Caulerpa prolifera is growing well and I take out two handfuls with each WC. I have also decreased the daily feedings to every other day. I just got another clean up crew from reefcleaners. I also added more little Emerald Crabs. I see them grazing all the time. Also I have reduced the light period to eight hours a day and the peak is only for two hours.We will see if I can win the battle of the nutrient overload.

 

The funny thing is that in the nano I have no algae growth except what sometimes come in on a frag. I dip those in peroxide and it does the trick to kill the algae. The Emerald crabs are always picking and I am sure they take care of the bubble algae that I have seen in the past. I do not see it anymore. I do not run a skimmer or use Poly-filter. It is all natural and the balance is still consistent. IDK

 

I will try to take some pics today and post tomorrow or next Monday. I have been soooo busy. Sorry for the boring thread.

 

 

Oh good!!!!

So obviously the sandwich is different...how about the fries? Taste the same?

 

The fries are exactly the same. How do they do it?

[eitallent]

I took out all the rocks yesterday and scrubbed them clean in clean SW. Voila! no more HA, for now.

 

I just measured the PO4 in the tank SW with a Hannah PO4 tester ( HI 713). It was .12 ppm.

 

I have a new batch of Red Sea Coral Pro in the Brute and measure the PO4 and it was .24 ppm! What?!

 

So I measured the PO4 coming out of the RODI and it is .11 ppm.

 

Just out of curiosity I tested the tap water; it's at .27 ppm.

 

I am doing a water change today and so I hooked up my canister filter with PO4 remover granules to the newly mixed SW. The last time I changed water I ran the canister filter with PO4 remover the water tested .00 ppm for PO4. It works great but I do not want to do this every time I do a WC.

 

What do you think of the RODI coming out at .11 ppm? The TDS meter both on the unit and the handheld read zero TDS. I read in this article that the RSCP salt does have PO4. But it doubled the PO4 level in the water.

 

Anyone have ideas? Thanks

[jedimasterben]

I don't think that PO₄ in such a low amount will register on a TDS meter. Even photometers have a difficult time measuring anything in RO/DI water and can give false readings.

That being said, 0.27ppm is WAY too much to be adding in. Have you changed your DI resin lately? I can't remember what unit you have (and what all filters it would contain).

[eitallent]

Hi Ben.

 

I just got a BRS 5 stage RODI system in September:

 

5 Stages of Filtration:

• Purtrex 5 micron depth sediment filter
• MATRIKX CTO/2 5 micron carbon block
• MATRIKX+1 0.6 micron carbon block
• 75 GPD Dow Filmtec Membrane
• Single Deionization(DI) stage with refillable cartridge

 

This is the third time I have measured the PO4 for the water coming out of the unit. It is consistently about .11 ~ .12 ppm.

When I add the salt it double to about .24 which is just about the same as tap water! LOL

 

 

I don't think that PO₄ in such a low amount will register on a TDS meter. Even photometers have a difficult time measuring anything in RO/DI water and can give false readings.

That being said, 0.27ppm is WAY too much to be adding in. Have you changed your DI resin lately? I can't remember what unit you have (and what all filters it would contain).

 

It is too much to be adding in so I have the canister filter hooked up to my SW to remove the PO4.

[jedimasterben]

Hmm. What you can do at least as a crutch is ditch the 5 micron carbon block, reroute the second canister to go into the RO membrane, then move the DI canister to the third canister and the fourth canister fill with Phosguard or GFO, so it would go:

 

Sediment block -> carbon block -> RO membrane -> DI resin -> phosphate remover

 

It won't change the fact that phosphate is making it through the system, but will eliminate the extra steps to get rid of it.

When it comes time to change your prefilters, I would get one 0.5 micron sediment filter and one 0.5 micron carbon block, that is all the prefiltering you need. The way BRS has it set up, the 0.6 micron carbon block will be filled with sediment that the previous 5 micron blocks cannot catch and will then stop removing chlorine, though this is not your issue it is something to think about come prefilter time. It will also slightly increase pressure to your RO membrane and will process water a bit faster and more efficiently.

[eitallent]

Great suggestion. I will take the time to do this when I get back from vacation.

 

Is there a phosphate remover that is better over another? Which ones to avoid? How frequently do you have to change the phosphate remover?

 

Totally new to this stuff, and many other stuffs for that matter!

[eitallent]

It just occurred to me that by using the canister filter on the SW after mixing it up, I am also removing the PO4 from the RSCP salt as well.

 

What is an acceptable level of phosphate output for a RODI system? Is .12 ppm about what is expected?

[jedimasterben]

Well, acceptable phosphate would be zero lol, but your end result in your tank water should be less than 0.07ppm or so or else algae wants to take over.

[Mr. Microscope]

Hi everybody!

I have not been adding anything new.....(quote shortened to save precious internets space).

Thanks for the report. I enjoyed reading about the progress your tank is making.

This is the third time I have measured the PO4 for the water coming out of the unit. It is consistently about .11 ~ .12 ppm.

When I add the salt it double to about .24 which is just about the same as tap water! LOL

Have you checked the container you're using? Perhaps it's leaching phosphates somehow. Maybe try a different bucket.

[eitallent]

Thanks for the report. I enjoyed reading about the progress your tank is making.

Have you checked the container you're using? Perhaps it's leaching phosphates somehow. Maybe try a different bucket.

 

Hello, Mr.M. I am going to try to get pictures today. It has been a hectic few months, in a good way. I am glad you enjoyed the progress report even without pics.

 

I recently discovered and am following a thread about phosphates leaching from the Brute containers that lots of folks use in this hobby. It is the grey 32 gallon Brute trash can. I have it on wheels (vroom, vroooom!). The Rubbermaid site specifies that this container is food storage safe PPE grade plastic.

 

However, in the thread I mention above someone linked to an article regarding this container. In 2009 it was reported by Eric Borneman (well known marine biologist) that there may be a problem with leaching chemicals in this specific container. Borneman theorized that there may have been a surface treatment on the plastic or plasticizers leaching into the water.

 

I thoroughly cleaned my Brute container with vinegar before its first use. When I first stored SW for a few days in my 32g Brute I notice a strong smell; similar to strong urea (specifically cat urine). I thought it was perhaps a bacterial contamination or perhaps a bad batch of salt. I eliminated the salt as a possible problem because when I mixed the salt in regular 5 gallon food grade buckets I could store it for days without a smell. So I figured that there was something coming out of the Brute plastic . I started storing only fresh water and mixed the salt on the day of the water changes. The RODI water also had a peculiar smell to it if stored for a few days. Now I collect the water in the bucket over night and mix the salt the morning of the WC. It never occurred to me that PO4 could be leaching until I found the thread I mentioned above.

 

Finally to answer your question, Eric, a week ago I hooked up the canister filter with PO4 remover and the SW mix tested .00 ppm PO4. As a test of the Brute leaching theory, I left 3 gallons of the water in the Brute for four days and the water was still testing at zero ppm. So it seems that whatever comes out of the plastic to cause the urea smell is not phosphate related but maybe ammonia?

 

Just in case, I ordered some 1 mil food and water storage grade liners for the Brute. I will use them and throw them out after every other water change. This way I do not have to worry about cooties growing in the bucket. I got enough to last me nine years! LOL They only come in bulk and they only cost 22 cents per liner. I will keep you updated on how I like using them.

 

So yesterday I did a 20 gallon WC with .00 ppm PO4 SW after I ran the PO4 remover. I also ran it in the tank before adding the new SW.

 

I also got in a fresh batch of Nerites and hopefully they will stay in the tank and on the rocks where they are needed.

 

This has been another episode of "The Green Blues"!

 

Well, acceptable phosphate would be zero lol, but your end result in your tank water should be less than 0.07ppm or so or else algae wants to take over.

 

I think I will get in touch with BRS and see what they say about a .12 ppm PO4 coming out of their RODI system.

 

"The rent PO4 is too damned high!"

[markalot]

The Brute may very well be leaching some phosphates, especially if it's new, but I think either the RODI or the phosphate test is the issue. The Hanna meters are not as accurate as we would like. Christine (NanoTopia) has had all kind of issues, reported them, they declared a batch bad, and then not bad. This after I spent money on one, of course.

 

 

I thoroughly cleaned my Brute container with vinegar before its first use. When I first stored SW for a few days in my 32g Brute I notice a strong smell; similar to strong urea (specifically cat urine).

 

Yea, that's all the special crap added. Kent has the same smell, Oceanic is the worst, and I understand RC has it as well. Only IO seems to lack the smell, so I've heard, but I've never tried it.

[eitallent]

Hi, Mark.

 

Well, the news about the Hanna meter stinks! I have the Hanna HI 713 (green low phosphate). What is wrong with them? They measure high?

[markalot]

Hi, Mark.

 

Well, the news about the Hanna meter stinks! I have the Hanna HI 713 (green low phosphate). What is wrong with them? They measure high?

 

Here is her post: http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/296532-nanotopias-zeovit-80l/page-61#entry4523169

[Mr. Microscope]

Interesting. I wonder if the acidic vinegar ate away some layer in the brute container, possibly causing the problems. Though, perhaps it's just coming from your tap as you suspected. That seems to be consistent with your results.

[eitallent]

Interesting. I wonder if the acidic vinegar ate away some layer in the brute container, possibly causing the problems. Though, perhaps it's just coming from your tap as you suspected. That seems to be consistent with your results.

 

Yes I wondered that also. So, when I went to the Rubbermaid site and looked up the PPE HDPE Chemical Resistance and NSF specs it is meant for food contact which includes things like tomatoes and sauces that are acidic. Also, I wiped down the sides with vinegar and then rinsed with lots of water. Still, it is a possibility that the vinegar reacted with something.

 

The smell has been reported by readers on the other forums. IDK if they used vinegar also, but they probably did since it is a common "gentle" cleaner. It may also be the saltwate sitting for too long as another hobbyist mentions from another thread.

 

As Mark pointed out all this maybe for nothing since Hanna has been unreliable for some. Still I am going to continue working on this issue. We will see... Maybe! LOL

[jedimasterben]

I've got two of those containers - one 20g and one 32g. Neither of them have a particular smell, well, one does now that I've let a lot of old live rock sit in it with no circulation and no topoff for like four months lol

[markalot]

I did not clean with vinegar at first, and noticed the cat pee smell. Now I do, and it seems to last a little longer before the smell starts. I have not had any issues using the water from it, even water that sat for 3 weeks. I just make sure to test the salinity and mix it a bit before using.

[eitallent]

Here are some quick phone pics. Not very good quality I am afraid, but I cannot set up the Canon right now.

 

Most of the corals are still mad from the scrubbing of the rocks and I just scraped the glass with a blade; lots of floaters in the water!

 

Angled FTS

 

End closest to the wall

 

The tall rock island where you can see most of the fish. The Neon wrasse is the bright orange fish.

 

From the end on

 

Hoping the macros continue to do well. I take out one handful or two of the C. prolifera every week.

 

Molly Miller Blenny is still spawning like crazy

 

Flute the YH Jawfish

 

 

Cute Blue Chromis (there are still four)

 

Still got my two Neon Gobies

 

Ribbon Gorg

 

Corky Finger

 

Growing well!

 

Felicia's Green Shrooms.

 

I recently took these guys out from under a ledge for more light.

 

Angry Zoas

 

 

Happy porites

 

Rock anemone

 

Bad close-up

The phosphate level in the tank this morn was .03 ppm (if that can be trusted)! Woo Hoo!

[eitallent]

BTW Can you see some of the hair algae I missed on the rocks? My tank has a new hair-do.

 

I feel better now that I have updated with pictures. I can start packing for winter vacation without guilt about neglecting my NR friends!

[Mr. Microscope]

Your rocks seem to have taken on some nice color!

[jedimasterben]

I need to just break down and order a pair of pearly jawfish from KPA. I can't find any locally or even from LiveAquaria that survive more than a couple of days. :/

[gena]

That corky finger is sooo cool!!!!

I feel better now that I have updated with pictures. I can start packing for winter vacation without guilt about neglecting my NR friends!

Thanks for posting photos. Have fun...I know you will .

[Felicia]

Hi! Thanks for posting the new photos. I absolutely LOVE the rocks you made for this tank. I can't get over how awesome the scape is I also really love all the fish you have in there. Glad to see the mushrooms I sent you are still alive and well. Sorry to hear about the phosphate issues. I hope you get that all worked out!