Spencer7 Posted February 21, 2023 Author Share Posted February 21, 2023 Shared on IG but I made some recent upgrades 🙂 Proud of my two weekend projects! Built a Red Sea net cover and then did some doser maintenance and set up my EasySPS EVO gel dosing line! Now I can automatically dose plankton suspension twice a day (~1mL each time) with my return pump programmed to pause for 30 mins during these feedings. No more Brightwell NeoPhos/NeoNitro, which I'm hoping will reduce my algae. Also got a flasher wrasse, a sailfin blenny, five cerith snails and five nerite snails. Hoping the three fish and EvoGel will be the best combination of natural food for the corals. 3 Quote Link to comment
Spencer7 Posted February 27, 2023 Author Share Posted February 27, 2023 2/26/23 Ca: 500 (1.9mL --> 1.5mL *6 /day) KH: 8.6 PO4: 0.00 NO3: 3 Top pic is from 2/16, showing algae before I did a cleaning. Bottom pic is from yesterday, a week after the last WC/cleaning. In other words, the algae hasn't grown back! I stopped dosing the Brightwell products, added two fish (lawnmower blenny and flasher wrasse), and some snails. I think eliminating NeoNitro/NeoPhos was the biggest difference maker. Nutrients instead coming from the fish and EasySPS dosing. 3 Quote Link to comment
Spencer7 Posted March 7, 2023 Author Share Posted March 7, 2023 Tank is doing the best it's done in a year! (before last summer's move) 3/7/23 (before WC) Ca: 490 (1.5mL *6 /day) KH: 9.0 (6x5mL --> 6x4.4mL /day) PO4: 0.02 NO3: 1-3 I dose the EVO EasySPS gel twice a day (1mL midnight and 1mL noon). I'm about to be gone for a week so I'm going to increase this to (2mL and 2mL) since less flake food will going in the tank. The SPS gel has been a great improvement IMO to the Brightwell products. My orange anacropora is perhaps the best visual indication. It's darkened up nicely. I was dosing NeoPhos and NeoNitro into the tank and I think it was fostering this hair algae that just sucked up the NeoPhos. Giving me crap on the rocks and 0.00 readings. This gel food (which I used in the past) isn't growing any algae and my phosphates are finally off that 0.00 floor! With corals like the anacropora confirming this. The 2x MP10's, flasher wrasse and lawnmower blenny have also all been nice additions. Naturally raising nutrients and the blenny eating (strictly) algae. Seeing an uptick in coralline growth as well. Will post pics after my trip. 4 Quote Link to comment
Pancetta Posted March 7, 2023 Share Posted March 7, 2023 Nice build. Congrats on surviving the move! I have a Red Sea 170 that I am going to revive soon. We moved from California to North Carolina in 2018. I am checking out 170 builds for inspiration. 1 Quote Link to comment
Spencer7 Posted March 18, 2023 Author Share Posted March 18, 2023 3/18/23 Ca: 490 (1.5mL *6 /day) KH: 8.8 (6x4.4mL /day) PO4: 0.00 NO3: 1 Quote Link to comment
Spencer7 Posted March 28, 2023 Author Share Posted March 28, 2023 New corals this week? 5 Quote Link to comment
Spencer7 Posted April 1, 2023 Author Share Posted April 1, 2023 3/31/23 Ca: 480 KH: 8.1 Good news: got first new frags in ~9 months and they're fire Sad news: We have to move the tank for the third time in three years (4th Pittsburgh apartment in four years) in three months. Fingers crossed we can orchestrate a smooth transition. 1 1 Quote Link to comment
Spencer7 Posted April 13, 2023 Author Share Posted April 13, 2023 4/10/23 - Mailed in Triton test 4/13/23 Ca: 470 KH: 8.7 Mg: 1480 (still don't dose) PO4: 0.00 1 Quote Link to comment
Spencer7 Posted April 21, 2023 Author Share Posted April 21, 2023 Triton results from 4/10 samples - everything looks good. Interesting to see my Red Sea kits test Mg and Ca higher than what ICP reports. I'm going to switch to FM's Full ICP kit next time. It's been recommended to me for testing more chemistry and correcting values based on your salinity etc. 1 Quote Link to comment
Spencer7 Posted April 25, 2023 Author Share Posted April 25, 2023 I think I know the answer but... React "Haha" to vote for FTS 1 and "Wow" for FTS 2. Option 1 Option 2 2 1 Quote Link to comment
Spencer7 Posted May 22, 2023 Author Share Posted May 22, 2023 May 22nd, 2023 Ca: 470 (1.7 --> 1.6 x6 mL / day) KH: 9.8 (4.6 --> 3.6 x6 mL / day) ~~> 9.2 on 6/2/23 Mg: 1500 pH: 8.2 PO4: ~0.00 ppm NO3: <1 ppm vs. 4/13/23 Ca: 470 KH: 8.7 Mg: 1480 (still don't dose) PO4: 0.00 Quote Link to comment
Lebowski_ Posted May 26, 2023 Share Posted May 26, 2023 I’ve had trouble keeping my PO4 up, kept 0ing out and ending up with nuisance algae and bacteria. Reef roids finally helped me keep it detectable. Tank is looking good, that Monti plate has a mind of its own! 1 Quote Link to comment
Spencer7 Posted May 28, 2023 Author Share Posted May 28, 2023 Yea, my phosphates read 0.00 but I'm not using the ULR Hannah Checker and I think it's the NO3/PO4 ratio that's more critical. Reef roids gave me a TON of sponges and the manual mixing/feeding of it creates variability that I don't like. Meanwhile Brightwell NeoPhos and NeoNitro gave me problems and algae. Dosing EasyReef EvoGel has been the most consistent for me. Corals look happy and consistent nutrients are coming in at midnight (via doser). Pump turns off during that feeding as well. A ~$20 250mL packet of gel can last me six months. I think the biggest room for improvement right now is flow. #2 is trace elements. I just ordered KZ coral system 2 & 4 to test out. Other than that, just keeping things stable. I think Gyre's would get better coverage compared to two MP10's but I'm not ready to drop the $$$ to replace new MP10's. I might talk to Abe from Coral Euphoria to get his opinion. 1 Quote Link to comment
Spencer7 Posted June 12, 2023 Author Share Posted June 12, 2023 Alk: 8.9, 5 gal water change Dosing 1mL CS 2 & 4 per day (in morning). Quote Link to comment
Spencer7 Posted June 26, 2023 Author Share Posted June 26, 2023 Ca: 430 KH: 9.0 Tank move this Wednesday! (6/28) 😱 2 1 Quote Link to comment
Spencer7 Posted July 6, 2023 Author Share Posted July 6, 2023 Wednesday, June 28th Tank Move This is the THIRD time I've moved the tank (SPS and all) Removed and re-glued three frags for the move As I've shown previously, the scape was designed to be transportable...don't need to deconstruct the bonsai tree I made every time I use my ~15 gal ATO reservoir to transport the scape, kept at 76-78F throughout I save as much tank water as I can and keep the biological material in the sump wet The moving distance was only about a mile Soaked some pumps in citric acid and cleaned the glass before filling the tank up at the new apartment No losses or serious damage The three things left to take care of after the relocation... 1. Setup the ATO system 2. Mount the lighting 3. Setup the GHL doser again 1 Quote Link to comment
debbeach13 Posted July 6, 2023 Share Posted July 6, 2023 You are a pro at tank moving now. Look great. 1 Quote Link to comment
Spencer7 Posted August 6, 2023 Author Share Posted August 6, 2023 Ca: 400 KH: 8.9 Quote Link to comment
Spencer7 Posted August 14, 2023 Author Share Posted August 14, 2023 Just mailed out a Fauna Marin Total ICP test kit. More expensive and less convenient than the Triton kits but should get a lot of data. 1 Quote Link to comment
Spencer7 Posted August 24, 2023 Author Share Posted August 24, 2023 Aug. 17th ICP Results (tank water): https://lab.faunamarin.de/en/share/analysis/82169 Aug. 17th ICP Results (RO water): attached Reaction to the ICP results, which came in yesterday... 1. pH. I was pretty surprised to see dissolved CO2 appear as an issue. The tank has significant flow and water turnover. I run a skimmer and the tank is next to a vent in the living room. Since I can't keep a window open, I'm considering adding a scrubber to the skimmer air intake (link) to lower dissolved CO2 and raise the pH. Thoughts? 2. Nutrients & Feeding. No surprise that the tank is ULN. Hannah Checkers normally read zero. That said, my values are too low. To feed the coral, I've settled on using EasyReefs EasySPS EVO gel. I can program feedings without refrigeration and haven't had much better results with this nutrient source compared to dosing NeoPhos, NeoNitro, Acropower, Reef Roids, etc. Seeing the ICP results, I think I will increase my gel dosing (e.g. 2mL to 4mL /day). If necessary, I will try to add another fish. Something like an ORA chalk basslet that will eat anything. The damsel in the tank is pretty territorial at this point. The blenny is cryptic and purely eats film off the glass (no flake). Aug. 13th FTS: Aug. 18th FTS: 5 Quote Link to comment
Spencer7 Posted August 25, 2023 Author Share Posted August 25, 2023 5:30pm pH: 8.1 11:45pm pH: 8.3 8:30am pH: 8.2 Two data points in the photoperiod but potentially not as bad as the ICP suggested. Granted, maybe the Hannah Checkers are off. Still want to check the morning numbers. I'll say that the ICP data on dissolved CO2 supports the notion of an acidity issue. In response to the ICP results... Calcium adjustment (starts at 6am) 6x 1.6 mL to 6x 1.4 mL Alkalinity adjustment (starts at 8am) 6x 3 mL to 6x 2.5 mL Evo SPS gel adjustment (doses at 12am) 1x 1mL to 1x 2mL BRS order... Quote Link to comment
TheKleinReef Posted August 25, 2023 Share Posted August 25, 2023 Is the goal to get away from ULNS? or run with it? If you wanna run with the ULNS i'd try and get the alk down. ULNS and alk <7.7 doesn't go well. (i skimmed the thread, maybe I missed this) 1 Quote Link to comment
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