Kinda's Large Tank Adventure (LTA)

[Kindanewtothis]

1 hour ago, seabass said:

Over time I'd rather so it at 0.10 ppm.

Not sure I understand 

[seabass]

21 minutes ago, Kindanewtothis said:

Not sure I understand

I mean, 0.20ppm is fine for now.  I wouldn't worry about it, nor actively do anything to try to get it to drop suddenly.  Over time, personally I'd prefer it to be lower, like 0.10ppm.  Keep monitoring it to see if it's heading in a preferred direction.  Given a balanced system without dinos, I'd probably target phosphate to be in the 0.10 to 0.05ppm range.  However, for your system, I'd try to keep it at 0.10ppm for awhile longer.

 

Phosphate will be used by photosynthetic organisms (corals, algae, your anemone).  I'm not sure if you've resumed water changes since your dino outbreak; but if you have, I might increase either the frequency or volume a bit to export more of the excess nutrients.  Remember low nutrients is probably more damaging than higher nutrients.  Plus, having levels swing up and down isn't good.

 

Does dosing phyto raise or lower phosphate levels long-term?  I ask because phyto water will contain phosphate.  However, the phyto itself can consume phosphate.  So it would be helpful to understand how dosing phyto will affect your tank's phosphate levels.

[Kindanewtothis]

1 hour ago, seabass said:

I mean, 0.20ppm is fine for now.  I wouldn't worry about it, nor actively do anything to try to get it to drop suddenly.  Over time, personally I'd prefer it to be lower, like 0.10ppm.  Keep monitoring it to see if it's heading in a preferred direction.  Given a balanced system without dinos, I'd probably target phosphate to be in the 0.10 to 0.05ppm range.  However, for your system, I'd try to keep it at 0.10ppm for awhile longer.

 

Phosphate will be used by photosynthetic organisms (corals, algae, your anemone).  I'm not sure if you've resumed water changes since your dino outbreak; but if you have, I might increase either the frequency or volume a bit to export more of the excess nutrients.  Remember low nutrients is probably more damaging than higher nutrients.  Plus, having levels swing up and down isn't good.

 

Does dosing phyto raise or lower phosphate levels long-term?  I ask because phyto water will contain phosphate.  However, the phyto itself can consume phosphate.  So it would be helpful to understand how dosing phyto will affect your tank's phosphate levels.

Thanks.

 

I did resume the water changes but I don't do it frequently. Last water change was 16 liters, that's usually how much I change (4 bottles of distilled water).

 

However, I do dose phyto every night.

 

Edit: my phosphate seems to stay high but I would not say that phyto raises it.

[PeterU]

1 hour ago, Kindanewtothis said:

Not sure I understand 

 

[Jakesaw]

53 minutes ago, Kindanewtothis said:

Edit: my phosphate seems to stay high but I would not say that phyto raises it.

FWIW, I was having low phosphate issue for long time, * still do * but last week was at a local reef specialty store and asked how one gets the Phos up.  Was told that the frozen food and fish waste increases Nitrates and that Pellets / Flake food was a natural way to increase Phosphates without having to go into special dosing chemicals for the tank. 

 

Lookiing at your current feed habits through that lense may be helpful ?  

 

[Kindanewtothis]

1 minute ago, Jakesaw said:

FWIW, I was having low phosphate issue for long time, * still do * but last week was at a local reef specialty store and asked how one gets the Phos up.  Was told that the frozen food and fish waste increases Nitrates and that Pellets / Flake food was a natural way to increase Phosphates without having to go into special dosing chemicals for the tank. 

 

Lookiing at your current feed habits through that lense may be helpful ?  

 

I feed with a mix of frozen food and flakes. I'm not sure how flakes would increase phosphate?

[Jakesaw]

4 minutes ago, Kindanewtothis said:

I feed with a mix of frozen food and flakes. I'm not sure how flakes would increase phosphate?

Dunno, it's what I was told. 

I have fed mainly frozen and had zero phosphates forever, so it reflected my experience.  Been trying to get some flake / pellets in there and will be observing if it can get me off the 0 Phos bus. 

[Jakesaw]

Here ya go

 

Phosphates, in particulate Polyphosphates, are often used as a preservative for foods, especially for flake, pelleted and ground (coral foods) products.

https://reefbuilders.com/2020/07/28/are-excess-phosphates-lurking-fish-food/

 

 

[seabass]

All organics (like food and wastes) contain phosphate.  But don't overfeed to raise phosphate.  Feed (a variety of quality marine food) only what the inhabitants of your tank can consume; overfeeding adds excessive organic waste and can cause other problems such as cyano and poor water quality.

[Kindanewtothis]

Any idea what are these white things in my canister?

[DevilDuck]

Pineapple sponges. They are harmless.

[Kindanewtothis]

My pods culture crashed, it went from jam packed to almost none in 24h. I must not have change the water enough, ammonia is 1.2. 

 

I took 3 really dense bottles between Saturday and Monday. I noticed yesterday that their numbers had reduced but I though I took too much. This morning there are almost none.

 

Each time I take a bottle I replace the water with new salt water so I changed 750ml in the last days and about the same the week before. Total volume is less than 1 gallon.

 

I did a 750ml water change and siphon out all the waste at the bottom. Will order more pods I think to restart it.

[Kindanewtothis]

Ammonia in the culture seems normal from what I read but I think I did not removed enough detritus.

[seabass]

The way that I culture rotifers is:

• I start with a clean container of saltwater (with the same specific gravity as the photo culture)
• add a good amount of harvested phyto to it
• add some harvested rotifers

I do this every time I harvest phyto (so once a week).  Starting with a clean container beats trying to do maintenance on an active culture.  The remaining rotifers (in the original container) are then available to harvest for use.  Finally (after harvesting), I thoroughly clean out the original container for use next week.

 

I imagine that doing this would solve your problem.

[Kindanewtothis]

2 hours ago, seabass said:

The way that I culture rotifers is:

• I start with a clean container of saltwater (with the same specific gravity as the photo culture)
• add a good amount of harvested phyto to it
• add some harvested rotifers

I do this every time I harvest phyto (so once a week).  Starting with a clean container beats trying to do maintenance on an active culture.  The remaining rotifers (in the original container) are then available to harvest for use.  Finally (after harvesting), I thoroughly clean out the original container for use next week.

 

I imagine that doing this would solve your problem.

So you must add a lot of rotifiers to your tank each week if you only put some in the new container?

 

For harvesting I mostly follow the havesting part of this article: 

https://judespassions.wordpress.com/2016/05/10/culturing-copepods-tigriopis-californicus/

 

And also this: "After taking what you need, siphon some of (algae & detritus) from the bottom this will keep the culture clean and running continuously for many months. This will not damage the copepod" from this: https://www.aquaticlivefood.com.au/how-to-start-your-own-copepod-culture/

 

Both links are from you I think.

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[seabass]

Yeah, there isn’t only one way to do it.  I’m just telling you what works for me long term.  Feel free to try to revise and perfect your current method.

 

Those links were just a couple of write ups which covered the topic versus writing up one myself.  You can see that they are more detailed than mine, and I’m sure you learned something from them.  Likewise, I developed my method, over time, from modifying other people’s methods.

 

You can make cultures of pods and phyto as large (or as small) as you want.  My rotifers are for a future attempt to raise clownfish fry (which need a lot of live rotifers).  While I do use some, I mostly just keep the culture alive until needed (it’s been going for years).

[Kindanewtothis]

3 hours ago, seabass said:

Yeah, there isn’t only one way to do it.  I’m just telling you what works for me long term.  Feel free to try to revise and perfect your current method.

 

Those links were just a couple of write ups which covered the topic versus writing up one myself.  You can see that they are more detailed than mine, and I’m sure you learned something from them.  Likewise, I developed my method, over time, from modifying other people’s methods.

 

You can make cultures of pods and phyto as large (or as small) as you want.  My rotifers are for a future attempt to raise clownfish fry (which need a lot of live rotifers).  While I do use some, I mostly just keep the culture alive until needed (it’s been going for years).

Don't get me wrong, I'm considering your method also.

[Kindanewtothis]

Haven't seen my YWG in 2 days, was worried you know me, so I moved the rocks around trying to find it. No trace of the YWG.

[Kindanewtothis]

Phosphate 0.13

Nitrate 2.17

[Kindanewtothis]

Found my YWG...

[Jakesaw]

3 hours ago, Kindanewtothis said:

Found my YWG...

You must have one happy Hermit Crab?

[Kindanewtothis]

7 minutes ago, Jakesaw said:

You must have one happy Hermit Crab?

1 halloween and 1 scarlet. I'm wondering if the pistol helped.

[Jakesaw]

My Red Scarlett Hermits make quick work out of a dead fish.  Pretty amazing how efficient they work.

[Kindanewtothis]

No idea what is the cause of death. Makes me want to transfert the livestock to the 50g.

[Kindanewtothis]

@seabass or anyone: any advices for transfering the pistol shrimp from the 10g to the 50g?

 

What interested me the most about the shrimp was the pairing part. Symbiotic relationship are fascinating.

 

So that means another YWG is coming in. Should I wait to have the fish before transfering the pistol?