First Nano Reef - Waterbox 20 Build

[EvanSPS6]

A few new additions!

 

Tank just went through a bit of a bacterial bloom but water is now crystal clear. Threw in some matrix carbon in my intank media basket to help with phosphates.

Green hair algae started to form on the rock so I picked up a couple of hermit crabs. Here's a pic of one going to work on the algae. Fingers crossed they don't eat any of my snails. 

 

Also made the mistake of picking up an ultra acan without first testing my water parameters. Made the assumption that since I've only got one small zoa frag in there my parameters should be good.

Stupidly enough I tested my alkalinity after I put the acan in, results came out as 6.5dkh. I'm using red sea salt blue bucket, anyone have any idea how my alkalinity would have dropped with nothing but a zoa frag in there?? I keep up with about 15-20% water changes every week.

 

Anyways, I have calcium and magnesium test kits coming in the mail tomorrow, hopefully we can get to the bottom of this. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! ☮️✌️

[EvanSPS6]

FTS video update.

 

Livestock up to date:

Ocellaris Clownfish

Bi colour blenny

Blue green chromis

Cleaner shrimp

 

Ultra Acan frag

Rasta Zoanthid frag

Small green frogspawn colony

 

Nassarius snails

Turbo snails

Hermit crabs

 

Been dealing with brown algae on the sand bed and the GHA on the rocks as of late. Issue doesn't seem to be getting any worse but at the same time it's not really going away. Still trying to figure out how to tackle this before it becomes a major issue.

 

[Wonderboy]

Nice work so far! Your tank is looking really good   :]

 

It is really interesting that your alk came out so low ... did you stir up the mix before using it - I haven't experienced this myself, but many others tend to have inconsistent parameter results when their salt mixes have "settled"?

 

On 10/27/2019 at 3:31 AM, EvanSPS6 said:

Been dealing with brown algae on the sand bed and the GHA on the rocks as of late. Issue doesn't seem to be getting any worse but at the same time it's not really going away. Still trying to figure out how to tackle this before it becomes a major issue.

Time for more CUC. Hermits, mythrax, turbos, stomatella, or sally light foot to eat hair algaes (I would go with a the lightfoot - they destroy filamental algae). Army of dwarf ceriths (favorite - but really any snail) for the brown diatoms 

[EvanSPS6]

9 hours ago, Wonderboy said:

Nice work so far! Your tank is looking really good   :]

 

It is really interesting that your alk came out so low ... did you stir up the mix before using it - I haven't experienced this myself, but many others tend to have inconsistent parameter results when their salt mixes have "settled"?

 

Time for more CUC. Hermits, mythrax, turbos, stomatella, or sally light foot to eat hair algaes (I would go with a the lightfoot - they destroy filamental algae). Army of dwarf ceriths (favorite - but really any snail) for the brown diatoms 

Thanks @Wonder Boy

I never shake my salt mix actually. I bought a new bucket which tested at 8dkh, when I have time might test the dkh in what I have left over in the older bucket.

 

I dosed baking soda the other week to bring the tank back up to 8dkh and I tested again after a week to see it has dropped to 7dkh

[ReefahBarra84]

Any updates?

[EvanSPS6]

On 11/26/2019 at 9:42 AM, ReefahBarra84 said:

Any updates?

 

Current FTS as of 29/11/19

Added a few more coral pieces.

Gold hammer

Green torch

Unidentified zoa

GSP (going to attempt growing GSP on the back wall)

 

Excuse my lack of photos and updates. My tank is not doing great but I wouldn't say it's doing bad either. I have been experimenting with my flow lately, my euphyllia don't seem to be extending as much as they should (hence the lack of pics haha) I'll probably stop buying corals until I improve either my flow or lighting settings. Anyone have any suggestions on wavemaker placement? 

 

I've also started hand dosing two part, will look into buying a auto doser in the near future when I buy my first sps frags.