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geekreef_05

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geekreef_05

9AM Parameter Check 

ph: 7.84

Alk: 8.4 at 430pm. 

Calc: 500

 

Last night i increased Alk dosing by just 2ml, i have a feeling its dropping. A reagent refill should arrive today, so i can continue testing. Update, it arrived. And i was right, alk was dropping. I'll adjust dosing this evening. 

 

The skimmer needs a good cleaning. Its pulling some dark material out now. 

 

ATO and RODI automation is working well to keep the ATO filled with fresh water. I no longer have to manually fill an ATO! Woot. 

 

And after a chat withthe wife...

Furnace paperwork is being signed today for purchase of an HRV unit in my home. Install hopefully late this week, followed by better air quality and higher reef pH. 

 

Lets see how it goes. 

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geekreef_05

9AM Parameter Check 

ph: 7.97

Alk: 8.6

Calc: 500

 

 

The good.

- Alk and Calc have been stable. 

- pH is up significantly from Alk dosing

- Daily range is now 7.97 to 8.26

-  pH has slowly climbed with increased Soda Ash dosing this week

- snails and urchins slowly cleaning up algae. 

 

The Bad

- Ammonia is way up at 0.05ppm. I didnt notice until the app alerted me this AM. Its been steadily climbing for 72 hrs. Possibly bacterial die off from the coralline algae adding. Unsure at this point. All inverts and fish are alive accounted for. 

- LPS corals arent looking so good. Other corals seems ok. 

- light covering combo of dinos and cyano remains strong.

- Gotta clean the skimmer today. Probably has been clogged up for a couple days. Potentially has been allowing ammonia build up.

- the acros are still doing ok. Im kinda surpirsed. Maybe last weeks alk swing hasnt caught up yet. 

- The other "easy" SPS look great with polyp extention and white growth tips.

 

Next Steps

Prep 40% water change to curb the Ammonia spike. Change all filters and clean skimmer. 

 

The UV has been off this week. I may now remove the uv sterilizer from the tank, hopefully its not required any longer. 

 

 

 

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geekreef_05

9AM Parameter Check 

ph: 7.97

Alk: 8.3

Mg: 0ver 1600

Ammonia: 0.05 now 0.04 and rising. 

 

Ammonia started to rise 24hrs after i added coralline algae in a bottle. Not sure if its coincidence or correlation.

 

The uv and skimmer have basically been off since then as well.

 

The Bad

Yikes. Mg is way up there and i didn't know. I cut Mg dosing off for now. 

 

Post water change Ammonia dropped to 0.03 and now its at 0.04.  One would think something is dead in the tank, the increasing levels suggest the source remains in the system. But aĺl animals are accounted for. No corals are dead, but the torches are looking uncomfortable. 

 

I changed all filters and cleaned out the skimmer today. 

 

Hm. The torches cant take much more of this. Maybe the high Mg is driving bacterial die off in combo with the coralline algae in a bottle. I need to get that under control. 

 

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geekreef_05

NOON Parameter Check, March 17, 2023 

ph: 7.99

Alk: 9.5

Calc: 450

Mg:  1600

Ammonia: 0.128 !!! 

 

CRITICAL PROBLEMS: 

Ammonia has been steadily rising for two weeks. A day after the coralline in a bottle went in it started and has not stopped. And initial 40% water change knocked it down from 0.07 to 0.04ppm for a period of about 12 hrs. Yesterday a 2nd  40%  water change (in two weeks) lowered it by only 0.01ppm. 

 

I went on a search for the nass snails. I confirmed yesterday that 1 of 3 are alive. But I saw the other 2 around a couple weeks ago. Its possible, but unlikely they are part of this problem. 

 

A couple SPS died due to the fast water changes and/or ammonia. But not the acro's, strange enough. The monti digita but the dust (its in the below picture). The torches have been looking less that awesome as well. Example (AM, lights off):

 

20230315_083736.thumb.jpg.c7ab14050f4036c4c36edf785f1859f9.jpg 

 

Consideration:

COULD THE AMMONIA BE AN INSTRUMENT PROBLEM? 

 

Fish seem ok. 

 

SPS death could be associated with harsh water change and/or alk swing delayed reaction....except the acros are still alive. So werid. 

 

New slide goes into the Seneye in 24hrs. I will give it a good cleaning too.

 

SKIMMER has stopped working 2 days ago. Not getting enough air. Not sure why. Maybe a clog. I'll ive it a clean, although it doesnt look bad. I may replace the air intake line.

 

Ugh.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...
  • 4 weeks later...
On 5/8/2023 at 3:54 PM, ml86743 said:

Wondering the same any updates! Hope all is well!

It happens. I’ve done it twice lol. If this tank is anything like my past two. OP threw in the towel. 
 

I would like to see the update as well though. Seemed like the approach was a little too much. Sometimes less is more in this hobby I’ve figured out. 
 

 

hopefully everything is ok 

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On 2/23/2023 at 3:54 PM, geekreef_05 said:

 

20230223_113309.thumb.jpg.35887af36bc4f0f9d82da5540d64ee30.jpg

 

Lets see what happens. pH is at 7.8 right now.

 

this is concerning... hope all is well

 

i just read this thread end to end, im intrigued and want to know what is up as well

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banasophia
On 3/5/2023 at 6:31 PM, banasophia said:

I added purple helix about a month or so ago too… waiting to see how it works in my tank. 

Just looking at this thread and thinking about the fact I added that purple helix back in February and haven’t seen much happen as a result. I haven’t been checking my parameters lately, probably should check them and see what’s going on. May have just fizzled out due to my battle with dino though.

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  • 7 months later...
geekreef_05

REEF UPDATE:

What Happened? 

Well, things were great until April 2023. I was holding a tenuous balance together, dialing-in chemistry including Mg vs torch corals as well as a skimmer vs pH levels. The fish and corals continued to look healthy, vibrant and active. 

 

I was starting to get things settled on the reef. Nowhere near stability though. The automation was ok, but not 100% yet - I had not really 'field tested' it with myself gone for a few days .. this would become crux. 

 

Spring 2023: Cascade Disaster

In late April, I was called off to work for 3 weeks. In my case, 3 week trips are a normal work pattern for me in the summer. This is why my automation has to be 100%. And in 2023, after only 48hrs after being away, I had a failure in the ATO, that the tank never recovered from. 

 

It started with a brief power outage, on the 2nd day I was gone. Although the power returned within an hour, and most reef systems returned to normal, the ATO did not. 

 

The result was that for 3 weeks, the salinity was constantly rising. With an evap rate of 1 gallon per day, that adds up quickly. Plus with the dosing pumps still running, water chemistry went way way way outta wack. 

 

 

Spring 2023: Upon Return Home

When I arrived home the reef had a familiar look of death, that Id seen only twice before in my much younger days of reefing. The water was milky-white, thick looking, foul smelling and all around terrible. 

 

I immediately did a 90% water change, putting in new carbon, filters and the works. I switched off the skimmer which was clogged and just nasty. It wasnt doing anything except producing noise at that point. 

 

Once I had clean water in the aquarium, it was clear that only the clownfish survived. The Watchman and Rainsford gobies were nowhere to be found. I still have not been able to actually locate their bodies. The urchin's body was lodge into rockwork, that I also have not been able to remove. 

 

Every piece of coral was wiped out. The SPS were skeleton white. The torches had all lost their flesh. 

Not a single snail survived. The only life left was the two clownfish. 

 

I stopped the dosing pumps at this point in time. There was no use, considering the coral was all dead. 

 

 

Summer 2023: The horror continues. 

I was sent out for work on a continuous cycle during the summer. Being home only short periods of time. Each time I returned home, I would do a 90% water change. This would provided clean water for only 48hrs before it returned to milky-white. 

 

I fixed a number of automation problems over this time. Sometimes 'field testing' is the only way to know when things will break on ya. I added redundancies to the ATO as well as other systems that failed. 

 

July 2023

20230704_132040.thumb.jpg.9ceda8f1335c9e5cd1a00be208513f0c.jpg

 

 

Dec 2023: An attempt to reset

Prior to Christmas, with a bit more time on my hands, I siphoned out half the sand in an attempt to get all the decaying matter outta there. I stuck that siphon on every rock hole, sifting through the whole sandbed to remove any dead bodies. I pulled out all them I could, even the snails and empty shells. 

 

I did alot of water changes. ALOT. It helps for about 48hrs, and then the bacterial bloom returns. 

 

The Brightside

On the positive side, the redundancies and improvements I made to the automation, over the summer and fall, have significantly improved the systems reliability. The tank is automated to run, even through short power outtages, for approximately 30 days without intervention. 

 

Now, granted, this system no longer has a skimmer or multiple dosing pumps running, so its relatively simple. 

 

UV Troubles

Right before Christmas Break I pulled out the olde Nano UV Sterilizer. But to my dismay, it was broken. The unit had a broken pump and wouldnt run. I travelled again over Christmas and thought long and hard about my reefing problems, while looking at buying a new UV unit.  

 

Jan 2024: UV Sterilizer time. 

Just before travelling home, I placed an order for a new UV Sterilizer on Amazon. It was suppose to come in last week, but snowstorms in Canada here have significantly delayed the delivery. On the weekend, Id had a strong feeling it would never arrive, so I placed another order, but through a more local company. The delivery time says 2 days. 

 

Hopefully its on time. This is the current state of things. There are still two clownfish in there. But they aint happy. 

 

Jan 2023:

20240110_185118.thumb.jpg.eee57c4da87152ce09f98baca9863a69.jpg

 

 

20240110_185050.jpg

 

I'll follow up over this winter with more posts, as this is my slower season at work. 

Hopefully I can recover this reef with a bit TLC, 

 

Its all gotta start with that UV unit though! 

C'mon UPS! 

 

 

 

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InAtTheDeepEnd

holyshit what a rollercoaster - I'm so sorry!

 

NGL if it was my tank I'd take everything out and cycle from scratch, and  ask my lfs to foster the clowns till it was done.

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Dang that’s a rough streak of luck right there.   You were dealing with some bacterial issues prior to the automation failure too correct? 
 

I think I agree with DeepEnd, maybe a fresh start is due.   New rock, new sand.. as much of a PITA it may be, you may be saving yourself a headache in the long run 😕 

Regardless I’m excited to see this turned around!!  Still in love with the look of this tank!

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geekreef_05

Well, your not wrong. That's good advice at this stage.  

 

And its certainly something Ive considered. However, as ml86743 pointed out, Ive had bacterial bloom problems from the start.

 

WHAT IVE TRIED:

Three thorough cleanings of the reef with a strong siphon on the rockwork, as well as, full rotation of the sandbed and a siphon off of the top layer. I removed like half the sand in the process and it went in the garbage. 

 

So its possible Ive gotten rid of all dead bodies, even though I havent seen them actually exit the tank. It would have been hard to tell with the murky water during WCs and the large amount of sand going into the drain or garbage.  

 

POSSIBILITIES:

Therefore, either: (1) the bodies are still in the aquarium, causing the bloom or (2) the bodies are gone, but the bacteria that had already been there, exploded at this time. 

 

NEXT STEPS: 

In both the above possibilities, the UV would cure the water clarity problem (fingers crossed it arrives today). 

 

Once the bloom clears... what will be telling is testing water parameters again. Nitrates, Nitrite and Ammonia levels would give a good indication if there is decaying organic matter on the reef. 

 

THOUGHTS:  

So because the alternative (full restart) is extreme. I'll take this one step at a time. 

Although my adjusted mentality is that I'll be rocking the UV Sterilizer 24/7. 

 

I appreciate the idea and advice though. Im open to thoughts! 

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I think the UV is a good start though, hopefully that will sterilize the issues and you can get this thing rollin! 

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geekreef_05

Oy-veh. Feeling a little defeated this morning. 

 

UV sterilizer arrived yesterday. Went into the tank around 5pm. 

 

At the time i noticed the female clown at the top of the aquarium, looking for oxygen. She was struggling.

 

I thought that 02 would increase as the UV did its thing and that after all this time, living in a bacterial bloom ( for 3 months) they would survive the night. Just one more night.

 

They did not. I woke to both clownfish dead, although the uv did its job and cleared up the water column, enough to see rockwork and through the tank.

 

Still a long way to go before its crystal clear though. 

 

20240117_082623.thumb.jpg.2f5b8d08f1a7f03ec197558303438a95.jpg

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geekreef_05

Post Mortem Thoughts:

If the UV arrived on time, it never would have got this bad.

 

I should have done a water change when the UV was 2 days late. 

 

Lesson Learned:

Given this aquariums history of bacterial blooms the safe play is to use a UV 24/7. 

 

Back up/replacement UV parts maybe a good idea. Light and pump.  

 

Next Steps

Wait 48hrs+ for UV to fully clarifty water.

Then water testing is needed. 

 

Water testing will determine if a full restart with new sand and rock is needed. 

 

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Sorry about the clowns:( so sad losing fish.  On the bright side, this will be the start of something new!  The UV should handle business and get you well on your way! 

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TheKleinReef
9 hours ago, geekreef_05 said:

Given this aquariums history of bacterial blooms the safe play is to use a UV 24/7. 

i mean a lot of us did warn you about the challenges of dry rock, your dosing for fun, chasing pH in the beginning.

 

i started with dry rock and the first 10 months were a roller coaster. took a long time for it to stabilize.

i'd gut it and restart.

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InAtTheDeepEnd
25 minutes ago, TheKleinReef said:

i mean a lot of us did warn you about the challenges of dry rock, your dosing for fun, chasing pH in the beginning.

 

i started with dry rock and the first 10 months were a roller coaster. took a long time for it to stabilize.

i'd gut it and restart.

*nervous gulp* 

 

How did you eventually get yours to stabilise, please?

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TheKleinReef
5 minutes ago, InAtTheDeepEnd said:

*nervous gulp* 

 

How did you eventually get yours to stabilise, please?

i waited. i had weird stuff happen for almost 1.5 years. weird bacterial goo, bacterial blooms, random alk swings after feeding coral foods. eventually it sorted it self out, but it was not fast and i did not force it. if you force it, you will not have a good time.

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InAtTheDeepEnd
10 hours ago, TheKleinReef said:

i waited. i had weird stuff happen for almost 1.5 years. weird bacterial goo, bacterial blooms, random alk swings after feeding coral foods. eventually it sorted it self out, but it was not fast and i did not force it. if you force it, you will not have a good time.

ahhh, no intention of forcing anything. More than happy to just wait and watch it do its thing

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geekreef_05

Ya, this is my first experience with dry rock. Oy-Veh. At least I dont have bubble algae or aptasia. But the road to stabilization is definately way longer and harder than live rock. 

 

 

That said, I think the pH and dosing I was doing, actually went well in the end. It was a learning curve with alot of adjustments and critical thinking. But didnt have anything to do with the final tank crash. We learned alot about torch coral needs and what really influences pH. That data and experience still stands well, in my mind. And its documented here in this thread. 

 

Its key to remember that my crash was due to equipment failure. 

Even if the reef was 10 years old and stable, if your ATO stops working for 3 weeks, its gonna crash. 

 

However, I believe you are right. Time is the key component of this. And will continue to be for another year or more. Working out equipment automation and maintenance is a part of that. As well as being flexible in adapting to changes in water chemistry, from inhabitants, feeding, etc. 

 

Given that Im away from the reef for extended periods the risk I take is extremely high, during these first few years

 

I suppose the safest concept would be to leave the whole thing with just lights, pumps and CUC for 2 years until it genuinely stabilizes... 

 

 

 

 

...but who does that? Really? C'mon.  

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InAtTheDeepEnd

id rather have aptasia than a crashed tank/dead fish lol . I didn't think pH itself was really critical - more the components that cause pH are more important to have a handle on than the pH number itself 

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