gogeta Posted July 3, 2017 Author Share Posted July 3, 2017 2 hours ago, Clown79 said: If the tank is level and all 4 points are on the stand and the stand is level, that's perfect Definitely is. Also "twaddle speak" had me lol'ing. Picked up my clam and another acro today. Clam just acclimating gonna try and put him on the rock work instead of the sand bed and see how he goes there. His foot is attached to some rocks so we'll see how he goes. If he likes the spot give him some trial and error of where he wants to be Quote Link to comment
gogeta Posted July 3, 2017 Author Share Posted July 3, 2017 just realizing the overwhelming amount of purple in the tank. Think I need to find some other colors of corals! Quote Link to comment
gogeta Posted July 3, 2017 Author Share Posted July 3, 2017 So clam is in. Photo doesn't do him justice of the blue mixed with his purple. Gonna try him on the sand bed first now figured easiest first than if he doesn't seem happy move him up on some rock work. Photo was taken 2 minutes after him goung in. and current fts I moved a couple things mostly since last fts I think. Can't remember when I moved them. Plans now, I have a few more corals in mind and maybe one more fish. Seen as I know what my calcium is from the last water change over the weekend. I will closely monitor calcium now to anticipate uptake with the clam incase I have to dose sooner than I expected. 3 Quote Link to comment
gogeta Posted July 7, 2017 Author Share Posted July 7, 2017 Bit of an update: - had an issue dosing alk. Calculated wrong ended up boosting my alk form around 8 to 12. Used to making up 10-20 liters at a time not 400ml stupid mistake. Was trying to raise 1dkh. Went 1 and a half hours un noticed. Immediate 25% water change and another 25% water change 12 hours later. Everything seems ok from the swing. One sps is a little discoloured clam seemed un-phased. - have been double feeding and dosing reef roids to help bring up nutrients. Parameters currently Nitrates - 5ppm Phosphates - 0.03 Alkalinity - 10 Calcium - 500 (assume stress less uptake) magnesium - 1300 Salinity - 35ppt - skimmer has actually been pulling skimmate out. Was a pretty wet at first some adjustments and reasonable wouldn't call dry but inbeteeen which I prefer. - maybe the increase in nutrients but have seen a massive bloom of coraline. Can see in the photo below a large amount of the green beginnings of coraline on the rock work. Also with increase algae on glass is having to be cleaned nearly daily as before rarely touched the glass. - CLAM! Still gaping but after detaching his foot has reattached strong and other than gapping seems rather healthy and happy. Hasn't moved from where I put him on the sand bed. Responding to shadow and movement very quickly not getting stuck on the mantle. Over all I dunno he is gapping but he seems happier. - clowns happy little buggers. Enjoying the extra food and attempting to host in the Duncan. - corals apart from one of the sps colour being affected by alk swing everything seems fine. current FTS 1 Quote Link to comment
gogeta Posted July 7, 2017 Author Share Posted July 7, 2017 So came home tonight and what I thought was the start of coraline is now evidently CYANO!!! instant regret of going a little over board taking refugium offline and over feeding to try and increase nutrients! Now the fun begins broke me the golden rule nothing good happens fast!! Quote Link to comment
gogeta Posted July 8, 2017 Author Share Posted July 8, 2017 did a lot of maintenance today: - used a turkey baster and blasted and collected as much of the cyano as possible - took the return pump, wave maker and skimmer out gave them a good clean and soak/run in vinegar and than back in ro/di water to rinse - replaced passive run carbon - did about a 30-40% water change while trying to suck up any free floating detris and cyano and other gunk that got blown off the rocks plans to help control the cyano: - reduced flow through the uv, in hope that if any free floating cyano from removing it gets hit hard from the uv - increase in tank flow and changed movement/frequency of wave maker to try and eliminate/improve any low flow areas - refugium is back up and running - skimmer is set a little wetter - was considering going for a 48 hour no light period other than refugium light but have decided to try and do a much lessened lighting duration to see how that goes first. general things: after tank maintenance parameters are as follows nitrate - 2.5 phosphate - <0.03 alkalinity - 9.8 calcium - still around 500 magnesium - 1350 salinity - 35ppt clam - has moved himself to his side while on the sandbed a few times, i didn't think it was good so straightened him back up. this time last night decided to leave him there and see how he does. and his gapping has significantly lessened. so hopefully even though i have the cyano now it maybe wasn't in complete vain to increase parameters. Quote Link to comment
gogeta Posted July 9, 2017 Author Share Posted July 9, 2017 Lost the acro that was discolouring to RTN was expecting that so not too discouraged. Actually happy was the only causality from the alk swing. Saw him half affected and I have never had RTN happen before but have seen many friends have it and try to grab and save but to virtually no avail. So decided to pull him out and call it a loss. other sps and clam still seem the same and not affected Quote Link to comment
gogeta Posted July 11, 2017 Author Share Posted July 11, 2017 Originally with this tank I wanted to see how well I could keep sps and other more difficult corals and inverts in a tank with equipment and products from the lower end of the price range. It's not something I'm used to doing. My previous tanks have had much better quality equipment. I've decided I will still not go all out with this tank but I have to improve on somethings. And also to improve controllability. Current changes - was using blue treasure sps salt. Very cheap salt when compared to others. While I can't directly fault it, I don't feel it's quality is anywhere that a tank that will have quiet a few sps should be. So I have changed to Red Sea coral pro salt. - return pump have gotten used to having DC pumps and the control. I have found a very reasonably price jebao DC return pump with a 800gph/3000lph max, 6 speed controllable pump. Planned changes - lighting, while the Chinese made 165w light is definitely handling sps which I am super amazed at. And it does come with a very simply controller. Manually controlling it just is starting to rub me the wrong way. Sure I can put a timer on its power supply but I still don't get an automatic ramp up/ramp down and change of spectrum for say moonlight. Doing it manually is annoying me. So the very next thing to upgrade will be either an AI Prime HD or more than likely a AI Hydra 26 HD. - skimmer, while the skimmer I have is working it seems to detune itself regularly and will skim wetter much much wetter very easily. And the water level is always constant so is not that. I am sometimes having the cup overflowing in 6 hours with wasted water in it basically. However it will work well for a day or two and spit its chips and need to be adjusted over half a day to work properly again. As far as replacement I am not sure what I will go with. Quote Link to comment
gogeta Posted July 11, 2017 Author Share Posted July 11, 2017 So changed salt today, and did a 20% water change collected as much of the cyano as I could. Which is starting to reseed fairly quickly. Parameters after water change Nitrates - 2.5 phosphates - 0.03 calcium - 475 Mag - 1350 alk - 9.8 salinity - 35ppt changes - moved a couple small rocks up front to rescape ever so slightly - added a green acro, candy cane and acan. These were from local lfs and were all heavily discounted. Wasn't going to add any more coral for the time being but the discounts got me. The acro was missing some flesh explained as poor handling. Not too badly damaged so high hopes will recover fully with no real concern $15. The acan and the candy cane cane from a tank they had over run with bubble algae. I simply removed all bubble algae they were $30 for both. Current FTS 4 1 Quote Link to comment
gogeta Posted July 14, 2017 Author Share Posted July 14, 2017 So one more day till the 10 week mark for this little nano. So far: The Good - clams still alive and seems happy - corals are doing well, colour polyp ext and growth. - clowns always happy little buggers - beginning to change and planning further changes for better equipment. The Bad - touch and go with the clam going in to a premature tank - stupid alk dosing swing subsequently loosing one acro to RTN - some equipment not cutting it and/or annoying me with lack of decent automatic functions - CYANO so the good the bad and he ugly this is the current FTS 3 Quote Link to comment
gogeta Posted July 14, 2017 Author Share Posted July 14, 2017 Side on with dulled lights heading into moon lighting 2 Quote Link to comment
gogeta Posted July 15, 2017 Author Share Posted July 15, 2017 Maintenance Saturday - 20% water change. - removed cyano that I could see - blasted any detritus I could see - vacuum sucked up any floated material Current water chemistry Nitrates - 2.5 Phosphate - 0.03 Salinity - 35ppt Alk - 9.8 calcium - 480 magnesium - 1500?? (I'm not dosing it. I did change test kits from salifert which date was getting close to nyos possibly false readings previously). Quote Link to comment
gogeta Posted July 16, 2017 Author Share Posted July 16, 2017 So where the clam likes to be out of everywhere I've put him In the tank is near the Duncan. Only trouble is the clam keeps moving closer to the Duncan and then gets irritable when his flesh touches the Duncan. But he keeps moving over there!! Quote Link to comment
gogeta Posted July 17, 2017 Author Share Posted July 17, 2017 Also el-cheapo skimmer is cooked. Upgrade ordered. The thing no matter what adjustments I make skims so wet it's almost clear salt water. And fills within hours Quote Link to comment
fishfreak0114 Posted July 17, 2017 Share Posted July 17, 2017 Wow the tank looks great! Hard to believe it's only 10 weeks old, at that point my tank was still a box of rocks lol. 1 Quote Link to comment
gogeta Posted July 17, 2017 Author Share Posted July 17, 2017 3 hours ago, fishfreak0114 said: Wow the tank looks great! Hard to believe it's only 10 weeks old, at that point my tank was still a box of rocks lol. Thanks man, still battling this cyano but it's well under control Quote Link to comment
samnaz Posted July 17, 2017 Share Posted July 17, 2017 I agree it looks great from just 10 weeks - at that point mine was just rocks and two tiny frags. Good luck with the cyano, I've heard it's a b****. What skimmer have you upgraded to? 1 Quote Link to comment
gogeta Posted July 17, 2017 Author Share Posted July 17, 2017 7 minutes ago, samnaz said: I agree it looks great from just 10 weeks - at that point mine was just rocks and two tiny frags. Good luck with the cyano, I've heard it's a b****. What skimmer have you upgraded to? Thanks, I know what I did wrong to cause the cyano so nightly removal just before lights out and keeping parameters in check it's dying down rather easily. I'd say less than 50% of it in the last week. Also I added a turbo snai and I swear he's eating some of it. nano skimmers are a whole other world to me. And something that's practical and fits in the compartment limits a lot. I gave the cheapest one I could find a go for fun and I got what I paid for. On the advice of a friend that is a nano nut I've bought a coral box S-150. It just fits in and still on the cheaper side I've been able to see one in action and it will do the job Also I dare say the fact I'm old school and run uv is helping with what's left floating in the water after removal. Quote Link to comment
gogeta Posted July 18, 2017 Author Share Posted July 18, 2017 so day off went and bought some more sps. half a tube of 2 part epoxy went in to try and place them and readjusted some others to make room. It was a s*#t fight to say the least. epoxy wasn't holding the way i wanted and hopefully didnt tramatize the coral too much but was definitely more than i intended. photos to come when it clears up and everythings finished having its spat attack Quote Link to comment
gogeta Posted July 18, 2017 Author Share Posted July 18, 2017 Made some mods to the current skimmer in the meantime see how that works out till new skimmer arrives. Grabbed an acro and I'm pretty sure a stylo from an lfs. Nearly pulled the trigger on some expensive zoa's but that may have to wait for another day. Accidentally broke off a little bit of the acro in the rough handling. So stuck the tiny bit that broke off on the other side of the tank 3 Quote Link to comment
gogeta Posted July 20, 2017 Author Share Posted July 20, 2017 Skimmer - after modding skimmer it is working as perfect as it could work. Annoying as new skimmer should be here any day now. Knew I should have waited but I barely changed anything with simple mods to make it more adjustable and assumed it was a dud regardless. Alk - is dropping a litttle quicker than usual. Am dosing and keeping an eye on it. Dropping roughly .5dKH a day Clam - is probably the happiest I have seen in his whole time with me and the most minimal gapping. So all smiles on that front. Cyano - still annoying there but is less and less as the days go on. One day it will be gone completely 2 Quote Link to comment
gogeta Posted July 22, 2017 Author Share Posted July 22, 2017 Rarely do I name fish or inverts but decided I'm calling this guy a cliche "Patrick" Picked up some new corals aswell 3 Quote Link to comment
gogeta Posted July 22, 2017 Author Share Posted July 22, 2017 Maintenance - removed what little cyano I could find - blew detritus off and rocks off with turkey baster - vacuumed up as much floating debris as possible - changed passive acriveated carbon - sucked up and Detris in refugium - 20% water change Parameters nitrates - 2.5 phosphates - undetectable (salifert) salinity - 35ppt alk -9.6 calcium - 550 ??? magnesium - 1600 ??? Both mag and calcium are rising and I'm not dosing them. Dunno if it's change or salt or uptake not as much not sure but will monitor. Quote Link to comment
gogeta Posted July 22, 2017 Author Share Posted July 22, 2017 Final update posts are finished for the day I swear. clowns are loving the Duncan and post water change FTS 3 Quote Link to comment
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