teenyreef Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 Alk is at 6 dKH right now, so I suppose you are right, I should bump that up, too. Any recommendations on a good Alk product? Yep, you want to be around 7.5 or so. I use Seachem Reef Fusion 1&2, and a lot of people use B-ionic 2 part. I've never used the B-ionic just because I couldn't get it for cheap on Amazon You can also look into doing kalkwasser in your top off water, but I didn't want to go that route because the amount that's dosed will vary depending on your evaporation rate. Link to comment
Matthewdvm Posted February 19, 2016 Author Share Posted February 19, 2016 Yep, you want to be around 7.5 or so. I use Seachem Reef Fusion 1&2, and a lot of people use B-ionic 2 part. I've never used the B-ionic just because I couldn't get it for cheap on Amazon You can also look into doing kalkwasser in your top off water, but I didn't want to go that route because the amount that's dosed will vary depending on your evaporation rate. Thanks, Teeny! I'll look at this tomorrow and figure out how to do it when I have a clear mind. Now, it's bedtime. The pup will have me up in 6 hours, or less. Link to comment
Matthewdvm Posted February 19, 2016 Author Share Posted February 19, 2016 Thought it was time for a new FTS, to document how things looked at the start of Carbon dosing... Link to comment
teenyreef Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 It looks really nice! Are you starting carbon dosing to reduce algae? Or for better SPS? Everything looks pretty good to me Link to comment
Matthewdvm Posted February 20, 2016 Author Share Posted February 20, 2016 I'm hoping to get better growth on the monti cap and digitata, as well as more skeleton formation on my Duncan (which has tonnes of flesh, but has not grown much in terms of structure over the year). I didn't know it might help with algae - that would be an added bonus! And if all goes well, who knows, I might try one last time to get a birdsnest... Link to comment
vlangel Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 Wow, it looks to me like your corals have grown nicely since the first time I saw your tank! If you get too much growth you will be needing a bigger tank! Link to comment
teenyreef Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 I'm hoping to get better growth on the monti cap and digitata, as well as more skeleton formation on my Duncan (which has tonnes of flesh, but has not grown much in terms of structure over the year). I didn't know it might help with algae - that would be an added bonus! And if all goes well, who knows, I might try one last time to get a birdsnest... Good luck! For what it's worth, birdsnest, monti caps and duncans grow like crazy in my tanks with nitrates over 10 and phosphates at about .5. Which are anything but ideal conditions. I have started carbon dosing too, but it's to try to get some of the more picky acros to color up better. Have you thought about just doing the two-part dosing for a while to see how that works? If your calcium is low, that's probably the main reason the caps and duncans aren't growing. Also, do you feed your duncans? On mine, I give each head on the duncans a mysis shrimp - they seem to grow really fast when I do that, so I've cut back the feeding to just once every week or two so they don't outgrow the tank. Link to comment
Matthewdvm Posted February 20, 2016 Author Share Posted February 20, 2016 Wow, it looks to me like your corals have grown nicely since the first time I saw your tank! If you get too much growth you will be needing a bigger tank! Thanks! Bigger tank is going to happen soon(ish). Just need to finish fixing the basement up, figure out how my home office is going to be set up, then figure out what I have the space for. Good luck! For what it's worth, birdsnest, monti caps and duncans grow like crazy in my tanks with nitrates over 10 and phosphates at about .5. Which are anything but ideal conditions. I have started carbon dosing too, but it's to try to get some of the more picky acros to color up better. Have you thought about just doing the two-part dosing for a while to see how that works? If your calcium is low, that's probably the main reason the caps and duncans aren't growing. Also, do you feed your duncans? On mine, I give each head on the duncans a mysis shrimp - they seem to grow really fast when I do that, so I've cut back the feeding to just once every week or two so they don't outgrow the tank. I feed some cyclops and brine shrimp a couple of times a week - some target and some dispersion feeding. (also feed reef roids 1-2 times/week and combination of marine snow and acro-power a couple of times/week Duncan definitely gets a shot of cyclops/brine shrimp in any head that is open. And that has led great soft tissue extension, and growth of new heads (he was a 2 header when I got him a year ago and is now a 10 header), but there is not much growth of the skeleton or separation of the heads. I didn't know that alk would vary with calcium, so I just bought the reef complete. But maybe I should have done the 2 part. Oh well, live and learn. Also, I thought I was going slow, and added 2 ml of reef complete on day one and 2 ml yesterday. Checked the calcium today and it has skyrocketed from 280 to 420! Whoops. Everyone still looks happy! Now I guess I need to test and see how it drops and try to keep it more stable. Link to comment
Slowtwitch Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 When your cal and alk are balanced again expect growth that will then require you to readjust your dosing. Might happen a couple times until all your stuff is growing steadily. Link to comment
Matthewdvm Posted February 29, 2016 Author Share Posted February 29, 2016 Exciting day yesterday! I'd been waiting months for the LFS to get in a Nudibranch that eats flatworms, at on Friday, they got in a few Black Nudibranchs, so I picked one up yesterday, along with some Sexy Shrimp (the original Sexys had all disappeared, so I through it was time to replace them). The Calcium and Carbonate dosing is going OK, slowly creeping up. Some of the corals aren't looking quite as nice as before, but hopefully if I go slow, they will adjust. The Monti Cap is growing again, and the Forest Fire Digitata is continuing to thrive. Since the SPS I had were doing well, I figured I would pick up a Birds of Paradise Birdsnest and give them one last try (I've had a few since starting the tank and they have done well, only to die unexpectedly). Anyway, enough words. Time for a photo dump: The Black Nudi: The new Bird of Paradise: My Halloween Hermit Crab, doing quite well: Buffy the Pom-Pom Crab is still going strong (and was super active tonight at feeding time): And a flowerpot that I got to live next to my nice pink flowerpot, but it didn't really like the location. I've moved it, and it seems happier, and I hope it starts to colour up again: Link to comment
vlangel Posted February 29, 2016 Share Posted February 29, 2016 Great pics, especially the cute photogenic crabs! Link to comment
Matthewdvm Posted February 29, 2016 Author Share Posted February 29, 2016 Great pics, especially the cute photogenic crabs! Thanks! Having fun watching the little inverts! Probably more excited than I should be about the nudi. Link to comment
vlangel Posted February 29, 2016 Share Posted February 29, 2016 Thanks! Having fun watching the little inverts! Probably more excited than I should be about the nudi. I disagree, even a nudi is fascinating in its own way! LOL Link to comment
Matthewdvm Posted February 29, 2016 Author Share Posted February 29, 2016 I disagree, even a nudi is fascinating in its own way! LOL Quite true! Tho I felt like a dirty old man this weekend - went and bought 4 sexies and a nudi, then went into the basement to take pictures of them! Link to comment
markalot Posted February 29, 2016 Share Posted February 29, 2016 LOL. Tanks is looking good, will be interested in how carbon dosing works. Link to comment
vlangel Posted February 29, 2016 Share Posted February 29, 2016 Quite true! Tho I felt like a dirty old man this weekend - went and bought 4 sexies and a nudi, then went into the basement to take pictures of them! I am not sure that is as bad as a dirty old woman who just loves watching her seahorses participate in courtship all afternoon! Link to comment
Matthewdvm Posted March 6, 2016 Author Share Posted March 6, 2016 Calcium is now at around 400 (420 last night, so I didn't dose, 380 tonight, so I did). Alk is hovering constantly at 7. So dosing is going well. The Monti Cap is doing nicely with the added calcium the toadstool leather is more erect, and generally things look good. The new Bird of Paradise is looking a bit withdrawn ,but the Sexies are on it most nights, so I don't know if that is the reason, or if I should just stop trying with the birds nests. The Digitata is doing great. For tonight, just pictures of the Halloween Hermit on the Monti Cap: And a nice mushroom making a shelf Maybe Ill post a picture of the ailing Bird of Paradise tomorrow, looking for suggestions... Link to comment
Matthewdvm Posted March 25, 2016 Author Share Posted March 25, 2016 So I think I might be getting a new tank tomorrow! Local(ish) guy is selling a 60 gallon starphire cube with everything. Price is too tempting to not contemplate. I'll post more tomorrow. Link to comment
Matthewdvm Posted March 25, 2016 Author Share Posted March 25, 2016 I don't think the toes are included in the deal. But tank, stand, huge sump (which I will replace with in stand sump), 2xAI vega lights, skimmer, reactor, pump, plumbing, rock, coral, fish, etc are all included. Link to comment
Matthewdvm Posted March 26, 2016 Author Share Posted March 26, 2016 So I did it! I bought the cube tank. It is temporarily set up in the "bird room" (yes, we have an animal acquisition problem in my house), as the basement is not quite ready to have the tank moved in there. Things are pretty basic so far. The previous owner had a HUGE 2x4 foot sump in a separate room, so I need to sell that and get one to fit in the stand. Right now I'm, just running it with the main tank and committing to doing water changes on a regular basis. I'll post pictures and an equipment list, etc tomorrow (or who knows, maybe start a new tank thread...) Once I have it set up and dialled in, the plan is to migrate all the corals from the edge to the cube and then sell the cube. At least that's the plan... Link to comment
Sk8n Reefer Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 Cool? Time for a new thread! Link to comment
Matthewdvm Posted March 26, 2016 Author Share Posted March 26, 2016 New thread started http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/372155-matthewdvms-cubist-dream/ Link to comment
Matthewdvm Posted May 5, 2016 Author Share Posted May 5, 2016 Bitter-sweet day today. Transferred the last of the corals out of the edge and into the cube. Don't have time for 2 saltwater tanks, so the edge has been shut down. Link to comment
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