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Cultivated Reef

Beware the Shallows


jedimasterben

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jedimasterben

Dat tilefish. Awesome color.

 

Skimmer overflows suck - been through that a few times. That's why I picked up a skimmate collector to turn the thing off when it's full. Cleaning up that mess after an overflow in a tight sump/stand is no fun.

 

FWIW both my brother and I never had any luck with BZA fish. I stick with mostly DD fish now.

Yeah, I went back and forth via email with them for a bit, but chalked both orders up as a total loss. I got $32 in credit for the first order, and so far no credit for the second, but if I did, it would only be ~$100. To get the fish replaced from only the FIRST order, it will cost me another $100 just to get them here ($55 shipping, $40 for the rest of the cost of the fish), bringing me to $380 spent in total for a $140 order. I told them not to even bother applying the credit to my account. I have ONE fish left from the second order, the Kole tang, and it seems to be doing decently, swimming around, pecking the rocks, etc.

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jedimasterben

So since I haven't seen dinos in months under the microscope, I'm thinking of adding some sand back. Not sure if I should go with Tropic Eden Reefflakes (3mm) or Grand Select (4.5mm). Lots of flow hits the sand on the opposite end of the Gyres, so it has to be able to withstand a good amount of flow. I'm thinking that reefflakes will be ok, the last sand I had was 1.5-2mm grain size and it blew only when i turned the gyre up like crazy, so stepping up to 3mm should do it, right?

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jedimasterben

Well, ordered 60lbs of Grand Select, figured hell, might as well. Tibbsy made a good point in that if I get a leopard wrasse at some point and it doesn't like the sand because it is too large, then I can get some other smaller sand to put in one spot and it should find it and use it.

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hypostatic

The color on the maxis is looking awesome. Do you think the coloration has anything to do with your K dosing?

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jedimasterben

The color on the maxis is looking awesome. Do you think the coloration has anything to do with your K dosing?

Its the only thing that changed. They've had the color loss for months, and the palys have had color loss for even longer. I think my algae scrubber just sucked potassium right out, they are known to strip K.
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jedimasterben

Well, went to have dinner with friends last night and went to the LFS. Got four damsels (two springers and two yellowtails), three zoa frags, and a pretty green Rhodactis mushroom pair, all for $5 each. They had LOTS of zoa frags and many of them I recognize from the thieves that sell zoas for significant cost when they cost next to nothing to import. All had at least five polyps, some of them had 20 or more. All still $5 a frag.

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hypostatic

Its the only thing that changed. They've had the color loss for months, and the palys have had color loss for even longer. I think my algae scrubber just sucked potassium right out, they are known to strip K.

 

That sounds plausible; they should be absorbing lots of N-P-K.

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jedimasterben

At my aunts wedding, one of my uncles is eating the sunflower seeds out of the birdseed on the table while we are waiting for it to start lol

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At my aunts wedding, one of my uncles is eating the sunflower seeds out of the birdseed on the table while we are waiting for it to start lol

Sounds like my kind of party.
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Mr. Microscope

Tank looks just depressing without a lot of fish.

 

dgjpeg.jpg

Oh no! What did I miss? What happened to them?
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Paleoreef103

Oh no! What did I miss? What happened to them?

I know your BlueZoo order did NOT work out, but what happened to all the other fish you had (e.g. marine betta, chalk bass, angelfish, rabbitfish)?

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When you say K overdose how much we talking about? I have started to run my K up there with no ill effects to fish. I know some guys who run close to 1000ppm of K with no issues.

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jedimasterben

Oh no! What did I miss? What happened to them?

Dosing undissolved KCl. It was in 'sane' doses this time, but still only dissolved for a few seconds before dosing.

I know your BlueZoo order did NOT work out, but what happened to all the other fish you had (e.g. marine betta, chalk bass, angelfish, rabbitfish)?

The fish I know that are left are the clownfish, betta, rabbitfish, squaretail and kole tangs, purple tilefish, watchman goby, and greenbanded goby. Add to those the two springers and yellowtail damsels. The rest are gone, happened a couple weeks after the first BZA order and before the second.

 

When you say K overdose how much we talking about? I have started to run my K up there with no ill effects to fish. I know some guys who run close to 1000ppm of K with no issues.

I am now thinking it has less to do with the speed it was raised and more to do with it not being dissolved well. What product are you using to raise it?
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I'm busy catching, up, Ben. So sorry to hear about losing all the fish, but congratulations on the new baby girl coming up! My first was a girl and she still has me wrapped around her little finger 20 years later :wub:

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Dosing undissolved KCl. It was in 'sane' doses this time, but still only dissolved for a few seconds before dosing.

 

The fish I know that are left are the clownfish, betta, rabbitfish, squaretail and kole tangs, purple tilefish, watchman goby, and greenbanded goby. Add to those the two springers and yellowtail damsels. The rest are gone, happened a couple weeks after the first BZA order and before the second.

 

I am now thinking it has less to do with the speed it was raised and more to do with it not being dissolved well. What product are you using to raise it?

I am using Continuum Potassium. I dose it along with 2 part and magnesium every day.

 

The levels have gotten to the point that the red sea kit cant measure although that's not saying much since the max range is 450 on it.

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jedimasterben

Last FTS before adding sand.

 

IMG_1912.jpg

 

 

Also got some Elos test kits from Coralvue. Gonna see how they compare to my Red Sea kits.

IMG_1860.jpg

 

 

And Bubbles, because kitty.

IMG_1892.jpg

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Steensj2004

Last FTS before adding sand.

 

IMG_1912.jpg

 

 

Also got some Elos test kits from Coralvue. Gonna see how they compare to my Red Sea kits.

IMG_1860.jpg

 

 

And Bubbles, because kitty.

IMG_1892.jpg

I tried some out, the read practically identical to my salifert tests, so I think they are damn good

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jedimasterben

I tried some out, the read practically identical to my salifert tests, so I think they are damn good

Good to hear. Salifert is pretty much the gold standard. :)

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Steensj2004

Good to hear. Salifert is pretty much the gold standard. :)

And I've used them a bunch lately seeing as my tank is crashing its ass off?

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Last FTS before adding sand.

 

 

 

 

Also got some Elos test kits from Coralvue. Gonna see how they compare to my Red Sea kits.

IMG_1860.jpg

 

 

 

Elos alk kit FTMFW ;)

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