Kinda's Large Tank Adventure (LTA)

[Jakesaw]

 

Hammer Time  The right corner frags gets upended nightly b/c Talbot doesn't like the obstacles near corner of rock he he likes to swim through.  I need another frag holder or two to keep things settled for a while

[Kindanewtothis]

3 minutes ago, Jakesaw said:

 

Hammer Time  The right corner frags gets upended nightly b/c Talbot doesn't like the obstacles near corner of rock he he likes to swim through.  I need another frag holder or two to keep things settled for a while

Really love hammers and all euphyllias, I glued them all on a big rock to create a garden.

[Jakesaw]

1 minute ago, Kindanewtothis said:

Really love hammers and all euphyllias, I glued them all on a big rock to create a garden.

Hammers are currently my favorite coral.  I was holding off getting one b/c they aren't 10 dollar frags and I wasn't sure if my tank was ready for them to thrive based on Nutrient issues I've been working through.  35 percent off I had to grab one.  I'd like to put 2 or 3 variants together in an island to grow out when I move to larger tank.  Frag their growth to areas near top of rockwork over time.

 

 Been reading that they grow a lot slower when you get one head though.  A 3 head frag supposedly grows out a lot faster.  But my 10 gallon and wallet likes single headers for now. 

[Kindanewtothis]

1 minute ago, Jakesaw said:

Hammers are currently my favorite coral.  I was holding off getting one b/c they aren't 10 dollar frags and I wasn't sure if my tank was ready for them to thrive based on Nutrient issues I've been working through.  35 percent off I had to grab one.  I'd like to put 2 or 3 variants together in an island to grow out when I move to larger tank.  Frag their growth to areas near top of rockwork over time.

 

 Been reading that they grow a lot slower when you get one head though.  A 3 head frag supposedly grows out a lot faster.  But my 10 gallon and wallet likes single headers for now. 

I got one 2 heads ans one 1 head green hammer, one 1 head bleu, one 1 head orange and one two head pink right now.

 

Now I'm thinking about a torch.

[Jakesaw]

Just now, Kindanewtothis said:

Now I'm thinking about a torch.

50 gallon good for Torch

 

10 gallon - gets burned by a torch!  

[Kindanewtothis]

2 minutes ago, Jakesaw said:

50 gallon good for Torch

 

10 gallon - gets burned by a torch!  

Yeah but I added a lot recently so I'm still not decided. The advice "go slower" was given to me many times...

[Kindanewtothis]

On 12/19/2021 at 7:05 PM, Kindanewtothis said:

Nitrate 4.32

Phosphate 0.29

 

Time for a water change.

Values are swinging...

 

Nitrate 17.7

Phosphate 0.15

[Jakesaw]

1 hour ago, Kindanewtothis said:

Values are swinging...

 

Nitrate 17.7

Phosphate 0.15

I have opinions on those levels but not enough experience / knowledge to where I'd share them.. 

[Kindanewtothis]

15 minutes ago, Jakesaw said:

I have opinions on those levels but not enough experience / knowledge to where I'd share them.. 

Go ahead

[Kindanewtothis]

39 minutes ago, Jakesaw said:

I have opinions on those levels but not enough experience / knowledge to where I'd share them.. 

17.7 is not that high and 0.15 is just a little high but it's the swinging that botters me.

 

I have feed more this week since I started feeding my corals, but why is nitrate going up and phosphate going down?

 

I did a small water change yesterday, only 12 liters.

[Jakesaw]

1 hour ago, Kindanewtothis said:

Go ahead

More informed Reefers out there - I'm still a newbie 

 

But when I was at local coral store discussing w/ owner my nutrients and told him I had my Nitrates 2-5 and Phosphate at 10, I was told that I need to get my nitrates up to 20+ to balance the Phosphates.  

 

He didn't seem as concerned about levels as much as balance between the Phos / Nitrate levels.  I haven't run across any specific formula online to know that exact ratio.  After further pondering your numbers - doesn't seem out of whack - but agree swings are what we're all trying to avoid.  

 

For me in my 10 gal, my nitrates are pretty stable 2-5 range but low Phos is what I'm fighting with via supplemtation.  I get raise levels, and it drops back down over week.  

I'm focusing mostly on my Dino reduction- and got around to doing scrapes on some of my walls I had let grow out for months as Algae has grown in.  My rocks are looking less Dino nasty ad the walls are mostly Algae these days.  is my dominant tank growth as of late, but I'm not overly concerned about it or trying to resolve the issue as it's mainly on tank walls.  I just remove GHA when I do water changes on weekends.

 

I'm thinking of getting a Hanna low range phos checker, b/c the Salifert aren't that sensitive for the lower numbers

 

[Kindanewtothis]

11 minutes ago, Jakesaw said:

More informed Reefers out there - I'm still a newbie 

 

But when I was at local coral store discussing w/ owner my nutrients and told him I had my Nitrates 2-5 and Phosphate at 10, I was told that I need to get my nitrates up to 20+ to balance the Phosphates.  

 

He didn't seem as concerned about levels as much as balance between the Phos / Nitrate levels.  I haven't run across any specific formula online to know that exact ratio.  After further pondering your numbers - doesn't seem out of whack - but agree swings are what we're all trying to avoid.  

 

For me in my 10 gal, my nitrates are pretty stable 2-5 range but low Phos is what I'm fighting with via supplemtation.  I get raise levels, and it drops back down over week.  

I'm focusing mostly on my Dino reduction- and got around to doing scrapes on some of my walls I had let grow out for months as Algae has grown in.  My rocks are looking less Dino nasty ad the walls are mostly Algae these days.  is my dominant tank growth as of late, but I'm not overly concerned about it or trying to resolve the issue as it's mainly on tank walls.  I just remove GHA when I do water changes on weekends.

 

I'm thinking of getting a Hanna low range phos checker, b/c the Salifert aren't that sensitive for the lower numbers

 

Hope you win on those dinos, how long has it been now?

 

You should definitly get the hanna low range phos checker only takes about 6 minutes to do a test, much easier than their low rang nitrate checker.

 

Currently waiting for my LFS to open...

[Jakesaw]

11 minutes ago, Kindanewtothis said:

Hope you win on those dinos, how long has it been now?

 

 

Long time but mostly b/c I was unaware it was a problem.  Probably 3-4 months.  I thought it was healthy algae bloom for a good while and just let er grow out.  Wasn't testing anything at the time.  

 

Saw another topic on DINOs a while into it and realized my mess was out of control.. LOL

 

Tried adding a couple fish unsuccessfully to get the nitrates up off zero but my clown had taken entire tank as his territory and wouldn't let other fish come in and get comfortable so they died or jumped out within a week or two.  

 

Finally got a fish in there by re-arranging the rockwork with no fish in it - and adding old and new fish back in tank simultaneously to work out territory the entirely new scape ( mostly worked out in 2 days - took a week or two of testing to settle in ).   That resolved my Nitrate issue and I had spend about a month trying to raise Phosphates with dry food with little success.  I'm about 2 weeks into supplementing Phos right now.  

 

Walls are mostly DINO free - Rocks are clearing up as we speak but stilll have visible DINO's to where I don't want to move them to a 20L gallon tank yet.   I want to clear up the DINO - and then migrate to double tank size with another fish or two added.  2" tank depth and 6" more width is something I'm looking forward too.  But more dead rock will be added again so it's starting the process again.

 

I've learned alot in the last 11 months so I'm hoping the upgrade will go alot smoother

[Kindanewtothis]

230$ frag dipping.

 

Dragon soul torch.

[Kindanewtothis]

Roommates

[Jakesaw]

Just now, Kindanewtothis said:

Roommates

Is that your Royal Gramma hanging out in a Rock Hole in that pic. 

 

If so - SWEET!

[Kindanewtothis]

Just now, Jakesaw said:

Is that your Royal Gramma hanging out in a Rock Hole in that pic. 

 

If so - SWEET!

Yes it is. That's its home but it apparently likes the neon goby cause they both live next to each other in the same rock.

[Jakesaw]

Just now, Kindanewtothis said:

Yes it is. That's its home but it apparently likes the neon goby cause they both live next to each other in the same rock.

I miss my Royal Gramma.  Will probably be getting another when I grow into a 40 Breeder over time.  Mine was happy til I put a couple corals near his cave.  Freaked out after that - and couldn't find a place to call his home.  Few days later was stuck to side of my Koralia Pump. 

 

I wouldn't put one in a small tank again.  My impression is they like alot of areas to hide and swim through but liked being out in the open exploring during the day as long as they can have somewhere to duck into when they feel the need for safety

 

 

[Kindanewtothis]

7 minutes ago, Jakesaw said:

My impression is they like alot of areas to hide and swim through but liked being out in the open exploring during the day as long as they can have somewhere to duck into when they feel the need for safety

That seems exact. Mine goes all around the tank in the day, but always come back to the same hole every now and then and every night.

[Kindanewtothis]

[Kindanewtothis]

@seabass My KH is 8, it's usually around 9.5 but I think I need to test more often.

 

Should I start dosing KH? Testing Mg and Ca?

[seabass]

Yeah, reduced water changes plus more LPS could do it.  Calcium and magnesium testing is needed after you start dosing two part.

 

I'd guess it's just about time to start dosing. First you'll have to replenish levels back to normal (the levels of a new batch of saltwater).  Then figure out the daily consumption rates.

 

Here's a decent intro to dosing:

 

[Kindanewtothis]

9 hours ago, seabass said:

Yeah, reduced water changes plus more LPS could do it. 

Am I correct to understand that more regular water changes could replace the two parts dosing?

[seabass]

50 minutes ago, Kindanewtothis said:

Am I correct to understand that more regular water changes could replace the two parts dosing?

Sometimes.  It depends on the consumption rate.  With low consumption, regular water changes can sometimes replenish enough consumed elements to maintain an acceptable, stable level of alkalinity.

 

However, as consumption increases (along with the number and size of your stony corals and coralline algae), dosing in some form becomes necessary.  Also, remember that you had a dino bloom this year, so it's possible that increased water changes could trigger another bloom.  Finally, along with replenishing consumed elements, water changes will export inorganic nutrients (phosphate and nitrate), so monitor all of these parameters.

 

Due to the export of nutrients and possibility of another dino bloom, it might be worth considering dosing versus increasing the size and/or frequency of water changes.

[Kindanewtothis]

1 minute ago, seabass said:

Sometimes.  It depends on the consumption rate.  With low consumption, regular water changes can sometimes replenish enough consumed elements to maintain an acceptable, stable level of alkalinity.

 

However, as consumption increases (along with the number and size of your stony corals and coralline algae), dosing in some form becomes necessary.  Also, remember that you had a dino bloom this year, so it's possible that increased water changes could trigger another bloom.  Finally, along with replenishing consumed elements, water changes will export inorganic nutrients (phosphate and nitrate), so monitor all of these parameters.

 

Due to the export of nutrients and possibility of another dino bloom, it might be worth considering dosing versus increasing the size and/or frequency of water changes.

Ok thanks. Could you recommend products to use? I don't have access to the ones in the video.

 

Are Seachem reef fusion 1 and 2 ok?