New 265g from Portugal

[rmgaspar]

Hello,

Originally Posted by Settings

After the sump broke are you still married? Just kidding. Nice build by the way.

Shhhhiiiiiiiuuuuuuuuuu!
It happened while my wife was away ...

Thanks! I hope some day it will come a nice build.

All the best,
Rui

[rmgaspar]

Hello again ,

Today I progressed some more ...

Finally I finished the cabling part and also connected the float switches to APEX. I was running a temporary solution with a 3rd party ATO (fish-street) and I was not really happy about it.

With the little time I had today I managed to make it work.

Float Switches


Cabling I


Cabling II


The SUMP part is still temporaty as I need to buy another SUMP



And finally I moved the APEX probes to the SUMP and removed everything.

This is the final result. No returns, No Pumps, No Silicone, No Overflow and No Waterline.

OBJECTIVE ACOMPLISHED ....

Just need to glue the hole protections in the Tunze boxes.


All the best,
Rui

[evo187]

Originally Posted by rmgaspar

What is the media in the baskets??

Loving your build so far, subscribed for sure!!!

[rmgaspar]

Originally Posted by evo187

What is the media in the baskets??

Loving your build so far, subscribed for sure!!!

Thanks. Siporax.

I currently run 6 liters but I have to push it to 12 because of the small amount of live rock I have.

All the best,
Rui

[rmgaspar]

Wellllll....

If this wasn't my tank I would not believed it ...

On top of all ... I had a bacterial bloom. Don't know why because I am not dosing anything aside Kalk.

Initially I tough it was Kalk overdose but I had a flat pH graph in APEX.

I started UV, did a 350l water change and that was it.

Before the bloom


After the 350l water change.


I went on business trip and when I returned everything was fine.

Meanwhile the business trip was to San Jose California and I manage to visit Neptune Aquatics before I went to the airport. Really nice store and people. Really enjoyed it guys. Thanks for the hospitality.

I looked like a kid in christmas eve in "toys-r-us" ...

I didn't resist the temptation on bringing with me a few frags. I used it not only to start the tank but also to test the trip of 24h back to Portugal.





24h transit on the cargo hall and two planes after here are they in my aquarium







One of them came pretty bad (middle one in the first picture) and STNed in 12h. The others are doing really well with a lot of polyp extension.

lesson learned: bring a heat pack with me .... the water was really cold even inside a Styrofoam box.

Now ... can you help me identify these frags?

All the best,
Rui

[FloformAustria]

Hey Rui!

really like you monologe!

Scaping looks really good!

Will tag along

FLo

[rmgaspar]

Hello,

Originally Posted by FloformAustria

Hey Rui!

really like you monologe!

Scaping looks really good!

Will tag along

FLo

Thanks FLo

Meanwhile I release the fishes that were in quarentine. One of them was there since February ...


And I picked up new toys


The MP40w are already attached to APEX and are connect in the back of the aquarium just for uniform flow.

The DC is for Backup in case my Jebao decides to stop.

In an aquarium this big there is no way not to have some backup.

Here is some zoomed picture (iphone sorry) so you might want to help me identify them.

Unidentified #1:


Unidentified #2:


valida tricolor?


Unidentified #3:


Unidentified #4:




All the best,
Rui

[rmgaspar]

Hello again,

Three more pictures:

tenuis blue tips:


This one was already here but I also don't know what it is


This one was the one that didn't survived the trip.


All the best,
Rui

[rmgaspar]

Hello everyone,

Thanks to those who follow the build.

I ran some tests today:

Salinity: 1.026
Temperature: 25.0
pH: 8.20 a 8.28
KH: 7.7
Ca: 410
Mg: 1350
PO4: 0.00
NO3: undetectable.

The setup started 45 days ago although the rock was curing for almost three months. Since I had the rock more than 24h outside water to build the aquascape I am assuming July 5th, 2015 as the official start date.

No algae what so ever. The ones you can see in the frag pictures above disappeared 24h after introducing in DT the Olivaceus tang.

Now what bugs me is the constant values of PO4 and NO3 that remain undetectable or 0.00.

The colors of the frags are there, they haven't loosed the color altough I don't have any polyp extension. i don't see the angel nipping at any coral at least and I spend the day contemplating while I work.

I will also add 4x T5 80W to the three Radions to have better coverage.

Here is the FTS


What to do next? any suggestion?
How long should I expect before I start to see growth? even if minor?

All the best,
Rui

[rmgaspar]

Just for future reference.

This frag is one and a half week old in my tank after a 24h journey on the plane.

It's the unidentified #4 from above.


It's keeping and improving the color I think!

All the best,
Rui

[rmgaspar]

Hello everyone,

I could really use your help.

I have constant readings of NO3 and PO4 at undetectable and 0.00 respectively.

I have all the frags without show of growth or PE (none what-so-ever)

I see other tanks with the same simple setup and time with PE and growth from week to week.

Any ideias?

All the best,
Rui

[dave.m]

Maybe your tank is TOO nutrient poor. You should have a little nitrate and phosphate, just not a whole lot. Also, these are not the only parameters that are important. What are your other parameters and how do those measurements compare with natural seawater? Have you measured the PAR of your lighting? What is your water movement like? What do you feed your aquarium, if anything? There are so many possibilities.

It is also possible that your aquarium is still too young. A new tank's water chemistry doesn't really settle until it is several months old, and is not considered mature until it is two years old.

Dave.M

[rmgaspar]

Hello Dave,

Thanks for your prompt reply.

I really think that my tank is nutrient poor and that is my major problem. In previous tank when I got to these zero number I always had problems.

I starting to think the siporax may not be helping and I am slowly replacing by rock rubble in the sump.

The rest of the parameter are ok and stable.

KH: 7.7 steady with kalk addition
Ca: 410/430
Mg: 1250/1300
pH: between 8.2 and 8.3

PAR is on the low side with 300 in the middle. I am complementing the radions with 4x T5 80w

As for water movement I have 4x 6095 + 2x MP40w

E feed pellets to fish three times a day, coral frenzy and reef pearls two times per week alternating.

I realize my tank is young ... Very young with less than two month but what I don't understand is how I see other aquariums as immature as mine have decent PE and growth.

Ohhh well ... Keep waiting I think.

All the best,
Rui

[dave.m]

An aquarium is a living thing. A living thing cannot be antiseptic.

Dave.M

[rmgaspar]

Hello

Originally Posted by dave.m

An aquarium is a living thing. A living thing cannot be antiseptic.

Dave.M

Dave I cannot agree with you more. That's why I am so worried.
Nevertheless I am feeding my corals with Reef Pearls, A powder from D&D and Coral Frenzy three times per week while I measure PO4 and NO3. If in a week I cannot see a raise, I will increse one more day.

I will also add some (very few) live rock to the SUMP.

Today I went to a friend's house and brought with me 5 new frags. Some very big, some very small but all of them beautiful. I will let them aclimate first before I take some pictures.

All the best,
Rui

[Reefcubes]

Hi, You've had some bad luck, but I admire your perseverance and am impressed by what you have built. It looks really nice. It is a large container with not too many stones, but if the corals grow well this looks fantastic. Many of us place the aquarium full of stones. The corals need to grow and the than the aquarium looks nice.... very nice! With compliments! Hopefully you now have a bit more luck. Greetings from Maastricht

[oldbones]

I wouldn't worry too much about growth just yet. If the corals are keeping their color and otherwise looking healthy, then you're ahead of the game with a tank this young.

Give it some time, let the tank mature a bit, and it will take off.

(At least, that's what I keep telling myself. My tank is only 6 weeks older than yours, and I'm just now starting to see some measurable growth over the last two weeks or so. Only on certain SPS though, others still in a holding pattern.)

[rmgaspar]

Hello everyone,

Originally Posted by Reefcubes

Hi, You've had some bad luck, but I admire your perseverance and am impressed by what you have built. It looks really nice. It is a large container with not too many stones, but if the corals grow well this looks fantastic. Many of us place the aquarium full of stones. The corals need to grow and the than the aquarium looks nice.... very nice! With compliments! Hopefully you now have a bit more luck. Greetings from Maastricht

Thank you so much for your kind words.

I hope so. I am still planning my next SUMP as I am still with the temporary one. I am just redoing the sketchup of the new design so I can have it build.

[rmgaspar]

Hello again,

Originally Posted by oldbones

I wouldn't worry too much about growth just yet. If the corals are keeping their color and otherwise looking healthy, then you're ahead of the game with a tank this young.

Give it some time, let the tank mature a bit, and it will take off.

(At least, that's what I keep telling myself. My tank is only 6 weeks older than yours, and I'm just now starting to see some measurable growth over the last two weeks or so. Only on certain SPS though, others still in a holding pattern.)

Thanks Oldbones.

I am in the same level than you. At least the "easy" corals show a promise growth in such an imature tank. Other are just there but in full color and improving.

The pictures are a crap ... but you can see before (Calendrium added 25 days ago)


Today:


I am very happy with the progress so far.

Meanwhile I have milky water ...
The first time it happened I thought it was a bacterial bloom.

Now it happened again.
Again I thought it was a bacterial bloom but I should see a drop in the ORP which does not happen. It keeps steady between 410 and 430

If it's not a bacterial bloom then it must be a KH, Ca or Magnesium percipitation right? Kalk percipitation?

Well ... I have been measuring the triad every two days and the values haven't changed. Rock steady.

KH: 7.7 dKH
Ca: 390
Mg: 1230

So that leads me to conclude it's the 12x Astreas that I have that are trowing a sex party in the tank

ohhhh well ...

The next two things are the build of 2x double T5 80w to put side by side with the Radions for a total of 4x T5 80w and the SUMP.

All the best,
Rui

[sahin]

Hello! I didnt realise you had a tank thread but found it.

Just finished reading through all of it. Wow...my friend you've been through so much trouble with this setup. But well done on getting it to this point.

I love the setup and the attention to tidyness you put into the system.

With regards to the polyp extension its either because of the angelfish or due to tank being new.

SPS when small are slow at growing, but I think your tank is doing very well. With the SPS colours staying, I think keep things as they are. As long as the alk/ca/mg is being maintained at or near NSW levels then the growth cannot be impacted much unless light or nutrient levels are limiting (or pests).

If the colours are being maintained I think the light levels are decent enough. Most acros need in region of 250-350 PAR and upto 500 for very high light acros.

As long as you are feeding the fish at least 2-3 times a day then feeding is sufficient and I would just keep things as they are.

The snails could be responsible for the milky looking water...my snails spawn occasionally, but the milky effect is picked up by the skimmer by the following day. If it is lasting more than 2 days I would tend to think it is a bacterial bloom.

A bacterial bloom may exist because you little liverock. In time, the Siporax will be populated fully and hopefully the blooms should go away permanently within the next few weeks. As long as the corals are not losing tissue, just let things proceed without too much intervention.

I love following build threads so be prepared to update the thread as I will bug you otherwise.

[rmgaspar]

Originally Posted by sahin

Hello! I didnt realise you had a tank thread but found it.

Just finished reading through all of it. Wow...my friend you've been through so much trouble with this setup. But well done on getting it to this point.

I love the setup and the attention to tidyness you put into the system.

With regards to the polyp extension its either because of the angelfish or due to tank being new.

SPS when small are slow at growing, but I think your tank is doing very well. With the SPS colours staying, I think keep things as they are. As long as the alk/ca/mg is being maintained at or near NSW levels then the growth cannot be impacted much unless light or nutrient levels are limiting (or pests).

If the colours are being maintained I think the light levels are decent enough. Most acros need in region of 250-350 PAR and upto 500 for very high light acros.

As long as you are feeding the fish at least 2-3 times a day then feeding is sufficient and I would just keep things as they are.

The snails could be responsible for the milky looking water...my snails spawn occasionally, but the milky effect is picked up by the skimmer by the following day. If it is lasting more than 2 days I would tend to think it is a bacterial bloom.

A bacterial bloom may exist because you little liverock. In time, the Siporax will be populated fully and hopefully the blooms should go away permanently within the next few weeks. As long as the corals are not losing tissue, just let things proceed without too much intervention.

I love following build threads so be prepared to update the thread as I will bug you otherwise.

Thank you Sahin.

I think for the polyp extension is a mix of both ... aquarium being new and the fish. As soon as I removed it everything improved.

I will keep controlling parameters and doing what I am doing.

Updated pictures during this week ...

All the best,
Rui

[rmgaspar]

Hello everyone,

Things progress slowly ... I am starting to stock the tank (with corals, not fish yet)

I was away for one and a half week on business travel and when I returned everything seams ok and improving.

The corals were pale as it was one week without feeding but growing like crazy. Every single one of them growing over the bases already.

I know it's a very easy coral but look at the growth in almost one month!

25.Aug


22.Sept


Also Sahin, your red planet is doing well:


Lots almost all the green (except the base) and it's very pale ... But it will improve now as I am starting to feed again!

This is another that is growing beautifully


This month I will have the new SUMP and T5 added.

All the best,
Rui

[sahin]

Hey buddy. I'm glad the Red Planet reached home alright. It looks happy.


I just noticed the trunking for the wires, where did you buy those from? I looked online in UK and couldnt find the same stuff.

[rmgaspar]

Originally Posted by sahin

Hey buddy. I'm glad the Red Planet reached home alright. It looks happy.


I just noticed the trunking for the wires, where did you buy those from? I looked online in UK and couldnt find the same stuff.

Hello Sahin,

Sorry, just noticed this post.

Are you talking about my cabling management solution? (Sorry as English is not my native speaking language)

If yes, then this is: Hager tehalit.BA7A Series. Any electric HW shop should have them!


Today the aquarium turns 3 months ... Everything is going well except the Potassium (K): 350 ... a little bit too low.

Everything else is great with PE, growth and color ... I will try to post some pics once I plug in the T5 fixture I made!

All the best,
Rui

[rmgaspar]

Hello everyone ...

the SAGA continues ...

Sorry for the crappy photos. It's not easy with Radion. I hope that this improves greatly with the addition of T5

Acropora aspera. Polyp extension at night.


The same but during daylight. The smaller tip is the growth in one month (1cm)


Blue tenuis.


Red Planet. Trully sorry I cannot get the color out of the picture but it's great in real live! It attached to the rock already.


This one is huge.


New base for the valida. Already attached to the rock also. Growing well with very good colors.


My gorgony. This one was the only survival of the crash last year. I made a frag and send it to a friend. It came back twice as big.


calendrium continues on her growth path. I can almost see new grow tips every day.


histerix. It was very tiny with only three branches. Look at the tips now.


This one: I still don't know what it is but the tips are going white/pale rose with green tint.


All the best,
Rui