DCNano14 - complete tank reboot...whatcha think?

[NanoRox]

Bit of a live rock order snafu.  Has me a little nervous but will see what happens.  I spoke with the diver/owner (will keep the name out because I am not upset and don't want to give bad press) last week checking on an order I placed.  I was told he was out of live sand and could not dive until the weekend so my order could not be shipped (I wanted the sand and live rock to come together).  I said that was no problem but I would be leaving on a business trip the following wed and would return by Friday morning so please ship wed so delivery would be FRIDAY. 

 

So yesterday I get a FedX update that my package had been shipped and would be delivered wed...well crap!   I called the owner right away but it was too late.  He forgot about me being out of town.  So I have 20 lbs of live sand and 17 lbs of premium rock being delivered tomorrow.  Luckily my business trip is a drive and not a flight so I can control my departure time a bit.  Hoping everything is delivered in the morning and not late because if it is...I will have a completely wasted and dead order when I get back.  The owner said he would make it right if needed (which is very appreciated) but let's hope it does not come to that.

[NanoRox]

quick pic of week 1 (day 3).  ammonia is sky high.  Made a 50% water change.  Will keep checking every other day and make 50% water changes.  Not much to look at.  I think the rock placement is close to how I want it but will make some tweaks.

[NanoRox]

final rock placement

[Reefaddiction]

Looks good. If your happy with it, that’s all that matters... and that it’s securely placed as to not fall and crush your livestock or scratch your glass. 

[NanoRox]

1 hour ago, Reefaddiction said:

Looks good. If your happy with it, that’s all that matters... and that it’s securely placed as to not fall and crush your livestock or scratch your glass. 

its solid.  In the end its just rock I know.  I really just want to make sure I have plenty of options when it comes to coral placement down the road.

[Subsea]

That is toooo Blue for a daylight cycle. 

 

Most aquariums are are set up for hobbiest viewing, not inhabitants.  This bluewashes out yellows and reds.  Not acceptable for my viewing.  I have found 12K to be the best combination for my taste.  The reds, yellows, greens and the blue all pop.

 

First picture is a 4’ chinese led with blue, green and while led with a 12K spectrum over a 55G mixed garden growout tank.

 

second picture is of my only 75G Jaubert Plenum display tank with a 30G mud cryptic zone refugium. Tank has been set up 25 yrs and was moved once.  Mud filter is 10 years old with a change to cryptic zone filtration two months ago.  As Willie Nelson would say, “Turn out the lights”.  So, I turned out the lights on my refugium.

 

[Reefaddiction]

Oh be sure to leave enough space between your rocks and the glass so it’s easily accessible for cleaning! A mistake I made at some point for sure!

[NanoRox]

5 hours ago, Subsea said:

That is toooo Blue for a daylight cycle. 

 

Most aquariums are are set up for hobbiest viewing, not inhabitants.  This bluewashes out yellows and reds.  Not acceptable for my viewing.  I have found 12K to be the best combination for my taste.  The reds, yellows, greens and the blue all pop.

 

First picture is a 4’ chinese led with blue, green and while led with a 12K spectrum over a 55G mixed garden growout tank.

 

second picture is of my only 75G Jaubert Plenum display tank with a 30G mud cryptic zone refugium. Tank has been set up 25 yrs and was moved once.  Mud filter is 10 years old with a change to cryptic zone filtration two months ago.  As Willie Nelson would say, “Turn out the lights”.  So, I turned out the lights on my refugium.

 

the pic I took was at night.  color is admittedly off because I was playing with an aquarium pic app.  I can not figure out how to take pics that actually look like the aquarium I am seeing.  very frustrating.  Dave from Nanobox was kind enough to log in and set my light cycles up for me.  I think I am good for now at least. :-)  Yep I have space on all sides except the back  It is close back there but I will work with it.    What is that green thing covering the back of your aquarium.  a coral of some kind?   I want!  lol

[Subsea]

Back wall is covered with Green Star Poloyps.  It grows on a thick purple mat.  The polyps come in an assortment of colors.  This one is a bright iridescent lime green with a white eye.  I have used a single edge razor blade and scraped clean an 1” wide path through the thickest patch.   It is like cutting sod.  I have many HOB assemblies that I use with ugly upflow tubes.  I use a strip of GSP with a rubber band.  Within two weeks GSP has attached to tubes and rubberband can be removed. 

 

Come visit Austin town and I will gift you some.

[NanoRox]

5 hours ago, Subsea said:

Back wall is covered with Green Star Poloyps.  It grows on a thick purple mat.  The polyps come in an assortment of colors.  This one is a bright iridescent lime green with a white eye.  I have used a single edge razor blade and scraped clean an 1” wide path through the thickest patch.   It is like cutting sod.  I have many HOB assemblies that I use with ugly upflow tubes.  I use a strip of GSP with a rubber band.  Within two weeks GSP has attached to tubes and rubberband can be removed. 

 

Come visit Austin town and I will gift you some.

It's beautiful stuff.  I will be in San Antonio for a conference next week.  that close? ;-)

[NanoRox]

Nitrogen cycle moving along nicely.  Ammonia is .8 (first test was over 2) and nitrites from 0 to now off the charts.  Nothing else too remarkable.  Things appear to be running smoothly.

 

did adjust midday light cycle and increased white/lime to 40...had been 20. 

[Subsea]

On 10/28/2017 at 10:53 PM, Duane Clark said:

It's beautiful stuff.  I will be in San Antonio for a conference next week.  that close? ;-)

 

San Antoine is 50 miles away.  I live on the extreme south west part of Austin and San Antoine is south of Austin.  Come on down for a visit.  I have oyster shells covered in GSP that can be placed anywhere.  I have several 55G tanks in process of back wall covering.

This is my latest project.  Three 150G Rubbermade tanks buried in ground.  The middle tank has 90lb of uncured live rock with 100lbs of dead rock under it and 100 lbs of CaribSea “special reef grade” aroggonite.

[NanoRox]

That is amazing.  Cant say I have ever heard of anyone bringing their reef projects outdoors before.

[Subsea]

Once I get Gulf live rock cured, it is going into a new build 120G, that will all be filled with everything aquaculture here but the Blue Damsels.  With removal of live rock with sensitive Invertebrae, I will allow temperature fluctuations down to 55 degrees.  

 

I hope to grow hardy macros and pods during during winter months.

[NanoRox]

ammonia is zero and nitrite zero already (after just 7 days).  also this is growing on the rock fairly quickly.  I don't think its coralline algae because it does not look like the rest of the maroon algae.  its bright orange.  just another color of algae or something else?

 

some diatoms showing up with a little hair algae.  I think it is time to get the cleaning crew in place. 

[NanoRox]

I am writing in a bit of an echo chamber I know (who would follow an empty tank) but documenting as I notice things to keep a record. 

 

Diotoms are growing fairly quickly at this point.  ammonia and nitrites are zero BUT nitrates show as 20!!!  Can that be right?  I continue to make 30% water changes every 3 days.   I have ordered a few new supplies and random things I will need soon (phosphate test kit, coral dip, purple up).  I have also ordered a clean up crew from reef cleaners to be delivered by midweek.  The CUC consists of :

16 Dwarf Ceriths  
4 Nassarius vibex     - after some research not sure these guys will eat algae BUT will stir the sand bed and eat ditritus

7 Florida Ceriths  
6 Nerites

 

I debated on whether or not I should purchase a CUC "package" since admittedly it may be too much BUT with such high nitrates right now and the speed by which the diatoms and some hair algae is growing I figured I would go with it.

 

The issue at hand is what is causing such high nitrates?  I think it is caused by a high rate of die off on the rock and what ever was in the live sand (seems very silty.   From day one I have not seen any live hitchhikers with this rock and remain fairly disappointed in it despite its cost and recommendations.  In the end it will turn out ok but in the mean time I have to deal with these nitrates. 

 

Other than that, the water is crystal clear.  It's difficult NOT to add any corals or fish (one) but I am convinced taking it slow is the way to go.

 

[Subsea]

Duane,

 

First off, those numbers for nitrate are not dangerously high.  I have run tanks with coral at 40-50 ppm nitrate.  Remember, you got uncured rock.  Even though you don’t see it, some stuff is alive and some stuff is dying, hence nitrate.  What you purchased was nano premium rocks delivered in three days to your door for about $4/lb total.  

 

You could have have purchased the delux premium at $5/lb and paid another $1/lb for delivery.  If you had done that your nitrates would probably be 100 ppm.

 

I have had live rock in a system for years and after some aquascaping found something growing out of the rock.  Keep the faith and don’t get impatient on us.  An old axiom from reefkeeping notes 40 years ago, “Only bad things happen fast in a reef tank”.

 

This is a picture of delux premium live rock.  The gorgonions was > 16” with another rock with a Red Tree Sponge.  This sponge will not make it.  The gorgonions has finished decaying but is alive and growing back.  I don’t think you would want to cycle your tank with this.  However, note what is on the base of this rock.  Once your tank cycles and stabilizes, then get delux rock.

 

[NanoRox]

Spoiler

Make sense.  I am not impatient...no worries...just eager. ;-)  So far things are looking fine but I was surprised to see nitrates at 20 but if that is an OK number then I am good with it. 

 

[Subsea]

Duane,

 

I like your name sake.  I see where you live in Mobile, Alabama.  I have been to Dolphin Island.  Very nice beach.  Once when I was there, I was stung by hundreds of tiny stinging jelly fish.  It was a pain.  

 

Where you live, you could collect many interesting inhabitants for your tank.  Go ahead and get your snails.  On a natural reef just like a natural filtration reef tank, herbivores need to balance algae growth.  You may consider temporary herbivore fish like green mollies and sheepshead minnow, which could be netted close to where you live.  Or go to PetSmart and buy fresh water mollies and adjust to full strength salt.  I usually do a 3-4 hour drip.  No matter which way I have adjusted mollies, there is a high mortality rate.  Remember, this are hatchery fish.  Even the weak are kept alive.  These are the ones that die first.  In all cases, when tank was ready for reef fish, the mollies were very easily caught.  In one tank, I caught a dozen trophy mollies with bare hands as I was feeding them.

 

 

[NanoRox]

At the risk of sounding completely crazy I really enjoy the maintenance component of my tank.  Checking the water chemistry, etc...it's all very fun IMO.  latest water parameters:

 

temp - 80 (going to lower to 78)

ph - 8.2

salinity - 1.026

ammonia - 0

nitrite - 0

Nitrate - 15

ALK - 10 (has not budged since I started the tank but this is also the same reading in my change water.  Fritz salt must start out with high ALK). I expect this to be more variable as I add corals.

 

will start testing phosphate next week.  I will test Calcium in the future also but I don't have any corals yet so not a concern.

 

cleaning crew arrives this week.

 

[NanoRox]

I purchased an API CA test kit and tested the water of my tank...very young (just completed cycling about a week ago).  The calcium reading per this test was 580 PPM!  I ran it twice and got the same result.  My ph is 8.2 and ALK is 10.  I am using Fritz salt and have no corals at this point so is this reading realistic?  Other than live rock there is nothing in there so maybe.  I was going to add purple up to stimulate some coralline algae but I think I will hold off since it adds calcium.  BTW...I don't see any precipitate in the tank which I would assume I would see with calcium that high.  Any thoughts? 

[NanoRox]

Cleaner crew added.  Go get'em guys!

 

16 Dwarf Ceriths  
4 Nassarius vibex    

7 Florida Ceriths  
6 Nerites

[Lula_Mae]

On 11/8/2017 at 10:59 AM, Duane Clark said:

I purchased an API CA test kit and tested the water of my tank...very young (just completed cycling about a week ago).  The calcium reading per this test was 580 PPM!  I ran it twice and got the same result.  My ph is 8.2 and ALK is 10.  I am using Fritz salt and have no corals at this point so is this reading realistic?  Other than live rock there is nothing in there so maybe.  I was going to add purple up to stimulate some coralline algae but I think I will hold off since it adds calcium.  BTW...I don't see any precipitate in the tank which I would assume I would see with calcium that high.  Any thoughts? 

API isn't very accurate.  Most recommend Salifert or Red Sea tests for things like Ca/Alk/Phosphate (low range)/Mag.

[gogeta]

As lula said I've tried a few nyos test kits recently and I'm impressed with them too. 

[NanoRox]

My first few corals!

 

the fruit loop zoa in the back is small but open.  The dragon eye zoa in the front here looks pretty good for just an hour in the tank if you ask me.  The blue mushroom is not happy but honestly I’m probabaly moving it too much so will keep him where he is for a while.