Coral Kingdom Of Thras ~ Waterbox 130.4 💦 ~ SPS Filling In

[A.m.P]

Dinos usually bloom, they don't really get imported and a fair few of them are more resilient to peroxide than even beneficial-bacteria, but everyone has them in their tank -your corals use them for photosynthesis and they're all over your rocks- they just become a problem when dominant.
 
I battled large-cell amphi a few months back and can vouch for the fact they never really go away, but they do go into remission.

The route I followed for a eventual-reduction to tiny specks, and blooms on new rocks I put in my system, isn't something I would advise most do in totality (the metro and alk come with risks)

Dosed metroplex into the display according to this routine https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/dinoflagellates-dinos-a-possible-cure-follow-along-and-see.253917/
Raised alk to 13-14 over a month and kept it there
Cut lights about 33%
Dosed pods (tigger, apop, tisbe, arctica)
Dosed Phyto essentially every other day
Brought nitrates to 15 and phosphates to 0.2 with dosing - this didn't hurt any animals but seemed to really make it rough for the dinos
Minimum of 1 hour manual removal a day through two layers of 15-micron filter-pad stuffed with poly fill, all draining back into the rear filter-chamber of my tank (removing the filter media afterwards)
No waterchanges for 2 months
Dosed microbacter 7 daily

My tank is and always has been bare bottom, I hope you can get the dino's figured out. My bet is that you may need to run higher P04 from now on, maybe try going to 0.1?

[Thrassian Atoll]

1 hour ago, Amphrites said:

Dinos usually bloom, they don't really get imported and a fair few of them are more resilient to peroxide than even beneficial-bacteria, but everyone has them in their tank -your corals use them for photosynthesis and they're all over your rocks- they just become a problem when dominant.
 
I battled large-cell amphi a few months back and can vouch for the fact they never really go away, but they do go into remission.

The route I followed for a eventual-reduction to tiny specks, and blooms on new rocks I put in my system, isn't something I would advise most do in totality (the metro and alk come with risks)

Dosed metroplex into the display according to this routine https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/dinoflagellates-dinos-a-possible-cure-follow-along-and-see.253917/
Raised alk to 13-14 over a month and kept it there
Cut lights about 33%
Dosed pods (tigger, apop, tisbe, arctica)
Dosed Phyto essentially every other day
Brought nitrates to 15 and phosphates to 0.2 with dosing - this didn't hurt any animals but seemed to really make it rough for the dinos
Minimum of 1 hour manual removal a day through two layers of 15-micron filter-pad stuffed with poly fill, all draining back into the rear filter-chamber of my tank (removing the filter media afterwards)
No waterchanges for 2 months
Dosed microbacter 7 daily

My tank is and always has been bare bottom, I hope you can get the dino's figured out. My bet is that you may need to run higher P04 from now on, maybe try going to 0.1?

Thanks for the feedback!  I have read a lot that Dino’s really bloom when your nutrients bottom out but I have been keeping mine pretty normal ranges .02-.05 phosphate and nitrates have been 15ish for months now.  Actually installed the algae reactor to see if would help reduce the nitrate a little to around 5ish.  Before the algae reactor it’s been just a skimmer and I run activated carbon.  No gfo, carbon dosing or anything.  I am seeing some hair algae here and there.  
 

How did the Dino’s look with the bare bottom?  I thought going bare bottom would pretty much eliminate them since they have only been on my sand.  That’s interesting you had them with the bare bottom.  

[A.m.P]

1 minute ago, Thrassian Atoll said:

Thanks for the feedback!  I have read a lot that Dino’s really bloom when your nutrients bottom out but I have been keeping mine pretty normal ranges .02-.05 phosphate and nitrates have been 15ish for months now.  Actually installed the algae reactor to see if would help reduce the nitrate a little to around 5ish.  Before the algae reactor it’s been just a skimmer and I run activated carbon.  No gfo, carbon dosing or anything.  I am seeing some hair algae here and there.  
 

How did the Dino’s look with the bare bottom?  I thought going bare bottom would pretty much eliminate them since they have only been on my sand.  That’s interesting you had them with the bare bottom.  

They were and are on my rockwork, any new pieces of rock go barf-orange quickly still lol, I think your P04 might just be a bit low for your N03 maybe? When I brought my Phos up allot of nastier hair algae and the like just died off altogether oddly-enough, I can't drop below 0.1 now without amphi coming back.

[Thrassian Atoll]

9 hours ago, Amphrites said:

They were and are on my rockwork, any new pieces of rock go barf-orange quickly still lol, I think your P04 might just be a bit low for your N03 maybe? When I brought my Phos up allot of nastier hair algae and the like just died off altogether oddly-enough, I can't drop below 0.1 now without amphi coming back.

That’s really interesting.  I might try to raise the po4 in the future some.  Want to get these nitrates down first a little.  

[A.m.P]

1 minute ago, Thrassian Atoll said:

That’s really interesting.  I might try to raise the po4 in the future some.  Want to get these nitrates down first a little.  

I wouldn't stress about the nitrates, distributors I trust like tidal gardens and ora have systems getting close to 100 N03 without issue.

 

Here's an old thread I toss around as an example with some old-school big-names who run tanks with surprising levels of N03 and P04.

 

I find it helps people who are caught having Dino's or Chrysophytes but are still hesitant at the prospect of raising nutrients against some of the ULNS traditions.

https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/tank-parameters-of-some-masters.263/

[Thrassian Atoll]

36 minutes ago, Amphrites said:

I wouldn't stress about the nitrates, distributors I trust like tidal gardens and ora have systems getting close to 100 N03 without issue.

 

Here's an old thread I toss around as an example with some old-school big-names who run tanks with surprising levels of N03 and P04.

 

I find it helps people who are caught having Dino's or Chrysophytes but are still hesitant at the prospect of raising nutrients against some of the ULNS traditions.

https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/tank-parameters-of-some-masters.263/

Thanks for the link!  That is a wonderful reference.  I have not seen that before.  I knew wwc keeps there nitrates up, but didn’t know everyone’s numbers were in the higher range of what we are always told is good for sps, meaning po4 under .02 and nitrates under 5.  
 

I am not really chasing to get my nitrates down per say, just seeing what the chaeto will do.  I don’t even know if will actually reduce the nitrate.  It actually reduced my phosphate more than the nitrate this week.  I had to add some neophos to my phosphate back up a little.  

[Thrassian Atoll]

So my review of the Tunze MAR 3181.  
 

For the price of this algae reactor, it’s junk.  First it’s big and bulky.  This thing is bigger than my skimmer.  
 

Next is how the pump works.  They want you to have the pump next to the reactor instead of attached to it or in your sump and the reactor outside of it.  Well, if you are using it outside of the sump, that’s a good idea I guess you would think.  Well, I am using it inside my sump so it would be nice if it actually attached to the inlet of the reactor.  Well, it doesn’t.  I had to jerry rig it to the reactor which I did fairly easily, but that’s another dilemma.  The pump design is terrible in that the inlet for the pump is on the bottom and outlet on top.  Well attaching it to the inlet of the reactor, the pump inlet is really close to the top of the water in my sump.  So it’s always sucking in air no matter the water flow setting.  
 

I would not trust this reactor to be outside of the sump.  No matter how tight you make it, it always leaks.  Also, when you turn the reactor off and open the top water will splash out.  The directions also say that in the sump, you can just lay the lid on top without using the screws.  If you like waterfalls in your sump, that is in fact possible.  Water pours out.  
 

It should of came with a light on each side.  It only comes with one skinny strip light.  You would think this is good, but the chaeto does not spin.  It spins for a couple hours and then it stops.  No matter what pump speed you have, it will stop.  My small fist size of chaeto will not spin for more than a few hours.  
 

All in all, terrible product.  Do not waste your money.  I am taking it out.  I might try and use some eggcrate or something and just have a small spot of chaeto in my sump but we will see.  I got this reactor so I knew the chaeto would be contained.  I don’t know if I can put it in my sump without it going to the return.

[A.m.P]

People were repurposing those $20 glass reactors, I think they were on bed at one point?, And turning them into algae reactors with cheap LED strips. Since you already have a submersible strip it may be worth checking out.

[ECLS Reefer]

56 minutes ago, Thrassian Atoll said:

So my review of the Tunze MAR 3181.  
 

For the price of this algae reactor, it’s junk.  First it’s big and bulky.  This thing is bigger than my skimmer.  
 

Next is how the pump works.  They want you to have the pump next to the reactor instead of attached to it or in your sump and the reactor outside of it.  Well, if you are using it outside of the sump, that’s a good idea I guess you would think.  Well, I am using it inside my sump so it would be nice if it actually attached to the inlet of the reactor.  Well, it doesn’t.  I had to jerry rig it to the reactor which I did fairly easily, but that’s another dilemma.  The pump design is terrible in that the inlet for the pump is on the bottom and outlet on top.  Well attaching it to the inlet of the reactor, the pump inlet is really close to the top of the water in my sump.  So it’s always sucking in air no matter the water flow setting.  
 

I would not trust this reactor to be outside of the sump.  No matter how tight you make it, it always leaks.  Also, when you turn the reactor off and open the top water will splash out.  The directions also say that in the sump, you can just lay the lid on top without using the screws.  If you like waterfalls in your sump, that is in fact possible.  Water pours out.  
 

It should of came with a light on each side.  It only comes with one skinny strip light.  You would think this is good, but the chaeto does not spin.  It spins for a couple hours and then it stops.  No matter what pump speed you have, it will stop.  My small fist size of chaeto will not spin for more than a few hours.  
 

All in all, terrible product.  Do not waste your money.  I am taking it out.  I might try and use some eggcrate or something and just have a small spot of chaeto in my sump but we will see.  I got this reactor so I knew the chaeto would be contained.  I don’t know if I can put it in my sump without it going to the return.

That’s a bummer! I still keep tossing around the idea of an algae reactor made from my little media reactor and led strip lights. But then reading that article about how higher nitrates may not be a big deal, makes me think I don’t need to make it.

[Thrassian Atoll]

16 minutes ago, Dirté Sanchez said:

That’s a bummer! I still keep tossing around the idea of an algae reactor made from my little media reactor and led strip lights. But then reading that article about how higher nitrates may not be a big deal, makes me think I don’t need to make it.

Exactly!  I have been worried about 15-20 nitrates and adding more fish and that number going up.  I was thinking maybe lower nitrates would help my sps color and growth, but my colors aren’t bad and growth is not terrible for being a young tank still.  That and I turned down my lights thinking that would help with the “cyano”.  
 

I am just going to go with the higher nitrates, get my phosphates up a little bit and crank up the lights more.  

[Thrassian Atoll]

18 minutes ago, Amphrites said:

People were repurposing those $20 glass reactors, I think they were on bed at one point?, And turning them into algae reactors with cheap LED strips. Since you already have a submersible strip it may be worth checking out.

Yeah, I was thinking about that, but saw this and was like, “hey that’s great I don’t need to modify it at all and it spins the chaeto and yada yada.” 😂  

 

I am getting a little hair algae but nothing bad yet, so I might just roll with nothing for a while.  I’ll see once I rearrange my sump.

[Tamberav]

What about just adding a removable divider

before the skimmer and putting caulerpa prolifera in it? If you want macro that is.

 

 

[Thrassian Atoll]

56 minutes ago, Tamberav said:

What about just adding a removable divider

before the skimmer and putting caulerpa prolifera in it? If you want macro that is.

 

 

I will probably look into it.  My skimmer is small enough now that I can probably divide the sump area.  I know somebody had been making sump kits.  I forget the name though.

[Thrassian Atoll]

At the rate I am going sucking out the Dinos/Sand, it will be a half a year before my tank is bare bottom.  
 

I have decided that’s all I am going to do.  Suck out the Dinos each week.  Either that will be gone eventually or the sand will but it’s not going to be fast at all.  
 

Tank looks so good right after a water change though.  Wish it would stay like that.

 

[Thrassian Atoll]

These guys came to me Friday from Ledreef on Reef2reef.

 

Top L - Big chunk of Og Oregon Tort

Bottom L - Reef Raft Canada Shazam

Middle - Vivids Confetti

Top R - Pengs Heart Of The Ocean
Bottom R - He said it was WWC Rainbow Milli, not sure that actually exists.  
 

I have been wanting a true Oregon Tort for a while now.  Made sure to get a big piece.

 

 

[A.m.P]

Rainbow millies exist, seen a couple in person, they're only rainbows under super-heavy blues and, even then, rainbow is stretching it ime - still gorgeous.

\

 

Love the confetti and shazam though.

[mitten_reef]

10 minutes ago, Thrassian Atoll said:

These guys came to me Friday from Ledreef on Reef2reef.

 

Top L - Big chunk of Og Oregon Tort

Bottom L - Reef Raft Canada Shazam

Middle - Vivids Confetti

Top R - Pengs Heart Of The Ocean
Bottom R - He said it was WWC Rainbow Milli, not sure that actually exists.  
 

I have been wanting a true Oregon Tort for a while now.  Made sure to get a big piece.

 

 

Nice haul! 👍 Oregon tort is super old school, but you can never be disappointed with it once grown in. The color is so deep and rich, you don’t even need any blue light to enjoy it. 

[ECLS Reefer]

3 minutes ago, Amphrites said:

Rainbow millies exist, seen a couple in person, they're only rainbows under super-heavy blues and, even then, rainbow is stretching it ime - still gorgeous.

\

 

Love the confetti and shazam though.

That’s beautiful!! And not cheap I’m sure

[A.m.P]

2 minutes ago, Dirté Sanchez said:

That’s beautiful!! And not cheap I’m sure

I had to pass because I'm poor, the price was low enough it made what you pay online for "standard animals" seem way-past absurd.

[Thrassian Atoll]

8 minutes ago, Amphrites said:

Rainbow millies exist, seen a couple in person, they're only rainbows under super-heavy blues and, even then, rainbow is stretching it ime - still gorgeous.

\

 

Love the confetti and shazam though.

That looks amazing!  I googled it, but I didn’t get any hits. Here’s what he fragged.  
 

[Thrassian Atoll]

6 minutes ago, mitten_reef said:

Nice haul! 👍 Oregon tort is super old school, but you can never be disappointed with it once grown in. The color is so deep and rich, you don’t even need any blue light to enjoy it. 

Yeah, I have a lot of the old school ORA stuff and now this guy.  He said it was a for sure strain out of the place in Oregon from a long time ago.  I have always loved it.  It’s front and center of the scape.

 

[Thrassian Atoll]

7 minutes ago, Dirté Sanchez said:

That’s beautiful!! And not cheap I’m sure

 

3 minutes ago, Amphrites said:

I had to pass because I'm poor, the price was low enough it made what you pay online for "standard animals" seem way-past absurd.

Nobody local had True Oregon tort at all.  Crazy!  That’s why I bought this frag pack from this guy.  Usually I buy local.  Speaking of which, the frag pack I have coming next week from a buddy over here is pretty high end stuff.  I’ll post photos after he comes down.  Definitely no where near online prices.  

[Thrassian Atoll]

At leas that’s what he said he fragged, mine seems way more yellow than his photo of the rainbow milli.

[A.m.P]

2 minutes ago, Thrassian Atoll said:

At leas that’s what he said he fragged, mine seems way more yellow than his photo of the rainbow milli.

Yeah, I'm not sure, stopped typing my comment because It'd all be guessing anyway right? 
I'm sure there are dozens of morphs, the one I linked seems to lead blue-pink on tips and color to yellow-green on the base (the yellow green looks allot like yours, which is a tip?). And your frag doesn't seem like it could have even come from that animal he showed you, BUT it's a yellow millie - you don't see those often at all.

[pokerdobe]

25 minutes ago, Thrassian Atoll said:

Pengs Heart Of The Ocean

Please send to me.