Dawn's 56 gallon natural nutrient reef.

[vlangel]

34 minutes ago, DSFIRSTSLTWATER said:

Looks really good  and I'm gonna start a journal for that build. Not sure when, but I can't wait. Still kinda hard to give up the cichlids though.

I totally understand, when I got seahorses I gave up some aquatic animals too.  Of course now I am re-acculmulating them, LOL.

[vlangel]

I am changing the title of my thread yet again.  I am not generally so indecisive, ha ha!  Anyway I am adding the word 'natural' because it is the operative word that describes my tank.  I had been striving for a natural look but I realized that my methods are also as natural as possible.  What I mean is I am using a DSB for denitrification to naturally lower my nitrates.  I have lots of sand that moves and shifts and rock surface area for oxygen loving life to process ammonia for the nitrification cycle.  I have macro algae for nutrient export and fish for fertilizer to feed the coral.

 

I do not have a skimmer, any reactors, a doser, an ATO, or any controllers.  I do use a hob AC with some floss, and a little carbon.  I have a HOT5 light fixture and a gyre and the rest is done with 5 gallon WCs where I try to keep the salinity as close to NSW as possible.  I would use NSW if I lived near the ocean.  Its a pretty low key set up with nature doing most of the heavy lifting.  Right now that is my aim.

[debbeach13]

That last tank picture looked so clean and natural. It just has a very complimentary vibe.

[vlangel]

3 minutes ago, debbeach13 said:

That last tank picture looked so clean and natural. It just has a very complimentary vibe.

Thank you, I appreciate that.  I have found it challenging in the past to keep a natural tank without a skimmer, (instead using macro algaes for export) and maintaining that crisp clean look.  Maybe the tanks were too small and there was not enough negative space, so they looked scattered and cluttered.  This tank is 24" tall and I was able to use a lot of that vertical space, leaving nice big areas of white sand.  Now if only I can keep the sand white!

[vlangel]

I harvested a lot of macro algaes yesterday, so I am planning a trip to a lfs that usually gives me credit for macros.  I hope to come home with some coral, maybe acans or ricordias.  I wouldn't mind trying a bird's nest or green slimer either.

 

My test kits arrived yesterday so I will test my parameters to see where I am at, and that might help me decide.  If my calcium is too low,and/or my nitrates and phosphates are too high,  I may stick with softies until I get the parameters more in line.

[DSFIRSTSLTWATER]

1 hour ago, vlangel said:

I harvested a lot of macro algaes yesterday, so I am planning a trip to a lfs that usually gives me credit for macros.  I hope to come home with some coral, maybe acans or ricordias.  I wouldn't mind trying a bird's nest or green slimer either.

 

My test kits arrived yesterday so I will test my parameters to see where I am at, and that might help me decide.  If my calcium is too low,and/or my nitrates and phosphates are too high,  I may stick with softies until I get the parameters more in line.

How much do macros help in lowering nitrates? I still haven't pulled the trigger on macros cause of the hair algae..I didn't know if i put macros in, if they would end up dying cause of the hair algae.

[vlangel]

2 hours ago, DSFIRSTSLTWATER said:

How much do macros help in lowering nitrates? I still haven't pulled the trigger on macros cause of the hair algae..I didn't know if i put macros in, if they would end up dying cause of the hair algae.

If you can get the conditions of the tank to favor the macros that you choose, they will outcompete hair algae and most other nuisance algae.  The only one I can't seem to mostly get rid of is bubble algae.  I periodically syphon it off the rocks and that keeps it from getting out of control.

 

I can't remember what fish you have but an algae blenny (combtooth) goes a long way toward ridding nuisance algae from a tank.  They don't seem to bother the macro algaes.

[DSFIRSTSLTWATER]

2 minutes ago, vlangel said:

If you can get the conditions of the tank to favor the macros that you choose, they will outcompete hair algae and most other nuisance algae.  The only one I can't seem to mostly get rid of is bubble algae.  I periodically syphon it off the rocks and that keeps it from getting out of control.

 

I can't remember what fish you have but an algae blenny (combtooth) goes a long way toward ridding nuisance algae from a tank.  They don't seem to bother the macro algaes.

Thanks , i only have the clownfish and a lawnmower blenny. I figured the lawnmower would clean house, he's not doing a good job lol. It's not taking over my tank, but when I look at it that's all I see. I have friends come over and they don't even notice it lol. 

[vlangel]

Usually a lawnmower is pretty effective but maybe you got one with an adversion to hair algae. 😕

[DSFIRSTSLTWATER]

11 minutes ago, vlangel said:

Usually a lawnmower is pretty effective but maybe you got one with an adversion to hair algae. 😕

lol, yup..will see what happens, maybe once I add some macros it'll level off. I don't mind having some in the tank, just not as much as I have right now. 

[vlangel]

I hope the macros help with the hair algae.

[vlangel]

I ordered Salifert test kits last week since mine were ancient.  Mainly I was interested in Calcium, Magnesium, PO4 and NO3.  I care about Alk but I don't have but a couple sturdy SPS, softies and LPS that don't seem to mind fluctuations.  Anyway I have been dosing blind since I took the ponies out of this tank (about 5 months ago) and switched back to regular IO salt.  I just kind of watch my macro algaes and see how fast they grow and how good their color is. 

 

Amazingly everything except Alk was good mostly.  Alk was really high for me, it was 12 dkH and I like it closer to 7 like NSW.  NO3 was also high but this is a high nutrient tank.  It was 25 ppm.  PO4 was 1 ppm, also high but I am not having algae issues and so they are acceptable.  I may try to get them down to NO3 at 20ppm (so I do not kill my inverts) and PO4 at .5 ppm.  I need to feed the macro algae, plus the coral I have seem to like it.

 

Mag was 1350 and CA was 470.  I will up my WCs for the next couple weeks ( because with so many relatively new fish I don't want to cut my feeding down yet) and not dose any Alk or CA, maybe just a little Mag and some Iron now and then.  I will test again in several weeks and see if things are more in line with what I would like.  All in all it wasn't terrible, (like on the verge of disaster) for a high nutrient tank.  I feel satisfied that this tank is pretty stable.

[seabass]

2 hours ago, vlangel said:

... switched back to regular IO salt.  I just kind of watch my macro algaes and see how fast they grow and how good their color is. 

 

Amazingly everything except Alk was good mostly.  Alk was really high for me, it was 12 dkH and I like it closer to 7 like NSW.

Conversion: PPM / 50 * 2.8 = dKH

200ppm/50*2.8=11.2dKH

 

I'd switch to Red Sea (blue bucket) if you want alkalinity closer to NSW levels.

[vlangel]

3 hours ago, seabass said:

Conversion: PPM / 50 * 2.8 = dKH

200ppm/50*2.8=11.2dKH

 

I'd switch to Red Sea (blue bucket) if you want alkalinity closer to NSW levels.

Thanks for the chart, that is great.  Actually I was blindly dosing CA and Alk and Mag which is why my numbers are high.  I never had trouble keeping my parameters close to NSW before when I occasionally (once a month) tested them.  I just had stopped testing when the seahorses were in the tank because all the WCs kept parameters pretty steady.  Unfortunately that has not been the case with this tank but my test kits were unreliable so I just guessed.  With IO being so cheap and perfect for the seahorses I am going to make it work for this tank too.  When my ponies are gone I may think about making a switch then.

[vlangel]

2019-01-28_04-24-07 by Dawn Gilson, on Flickr

 

[Newstead]

I just love this tank. It looks like such a natural setting for the fish. That blenny is adorable.

[vlangel]

10 minutes ago, Newstead said:

I just love this tank. It looks like such a natural setting for the fish. That blenny is adorable.

Thank you Newstead!  Which blenny?  The barnacle, the Orange spot, or the linear?

[Newstead]

All of them were cute - but that first one who kept peeking around the green macro, was the cutest! What is he?

[vlangel]

8 hours ago, Newstead said:

All of them were cute - but that first one who kept peeking around the green macro, was the cutest! What is he?

Ah yes, that is Marmalade, my orange spot goby!  He's my favorite.  I love his little knobby face and the spots on him makes it look like he has chicken pox or measles.  He is a very active fellow too.

[vlangel]

I am thinking about where I want to place my next coral, which will be RFA on the left (I have moved the sun polyps) and ricordia on the right.  I think that will add some nice color to the tank and both of those should be happy in a high nutrient system.

[vlangel]

I have been watching the fish closely at feeding.  I never see more than 1 gcg at a time, so I do not know if both are still living or not.  I always see 1 darting about from coral to coral.  The xenia and the cabbage leather seem to be a favorite perching spot.  I will try to spot Jet and Piper at the same time to verify that I still have 2.

 

One of the blue dartfish is not doing well.  Spirit and Spectre both come out to feed.  Spirit eats like a champ and is fattening up but Spectre takes in food but then spits it back out.  Spectre is definitely losing weight 😣.  I feed a good variety of frozen, flakes and pellets.  I suspect maybe internal parasites but I would have to rip the tank apart to catch him and that still might not save him.  So I am hoping his own immune system will kick in but I am not optimistic.

[vlangel]

I have decided that I need to chisel off a bit of the plating coral skeleton on the left.  I think that would improve the aquascape with a little more negative space plus swimming room for fish in the water column.  I will try to leave enough surface area for 3 RFAs. With the gyre it may be too turbulent there for the nems anyway.

[seabass]

I hope your nems decide to cooperate with your plans.  Sometimes they decide that they know better than us.

[vlangel]

Just now, seabass said:

I hope your nems decide to cooperate with your plans.  Sometimes they decide that they know better than us.

I know.  The good thing is that this tank has quite a few options where they can settle in without negatively impacting the other coral.

[vlangel]

3 hours ago, vlangel said:

I have decided that I need to chisel off a bit of the plating coral skeleton on the left.  I think that would improve the aquascape with a little more negative space plus swimming room for fish in the water column.  I will try to leave enough surface area for 3 RFAs. With the gyre it may be too turbulent there for the nems anyway.

As usual, when I decide something I don't waste any time.  I probably chiselled off a third of the flat area from the coral skeleton.  I think its an improvement but its too late if its not.  I can't glue it back, LOL.  The RFAs might prefer to be down at the base of that rather than up in the turbulent flow.  Now they will get some light down there .