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02/11/2017, 02:55 PM | #51 |
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Just came back from 18-day vacation. All corals were doing ok except the colors were a bit pale and dull. Sand and rocks were covered with brown algae with a little bit of green hair algae. The alkalinity went from 7.5 to 5.7 dKH. I gradually increased it back to 7.3 in 3 days. Hopefully it is not too fast in ramp up. I guess if I did any damages it would show up in a few weeks. The brown algae is gradually receding after some bacteria dosing and the GHA are gone.
Here are some updated photos: ******** async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"> ******** async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"> ******** async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"> ******** async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8">
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Bernie 75g, ATI 4x58wT5 LED Hybrid Powermodule, AquaMaxx ConeS 1, 2xMP40wES, RKL controller, Tunze Osmolator Last edited by westreef; 07/21/2017 at 01:56 PM. |
02/11/2017, 02:59 PM | #52 |
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A few more
******** async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"> ******** async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"> ******** async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"> [******** async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8">
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Bernie 75g, ATI 4x58wT5 LED Hybrid Powermodule, AquaMaxx ConeS 1, 2xMP40wES, RKL controller, Tunze Osmolator Last edited by westreef; 07/21/2017 at 01:59 PM. |
02/12/2017, 08:08 AM | #53 |
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My coralline algae has been bleaching from pink to white for a few weeks already. Some reefer said it was because of lower Alk. I definitely have no idea. This is the first time I experience this. I plan to raise the alk to 8.
A few more pictures for update: Oregon Tort ******** async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"> This BC Xmas is the palest in the tank. It lost most of its red tips. [******** async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"> Unknown but it has peach color so I gave it a name Peach Milli ******** async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8">
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Bernie 75g, ATI 4x58wT5 LED Hybrid Powermodule, AquaMaxx ConeS 1, 2xMP40wES, RKL controller, Tunze Osmolator Last edited by westreef; 07/29/2017 at 09:55 AM. |
02/16/2017, 01:00 PM | #54 |
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This is an update on FTS.
The sand was totally covered with brown algae after my vacation. Now it is almost clear. The alk is now at 7.5 dkH and holding steady. Dosing bacteria helps a lot. The pic has a slight bluish tint.
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Bernie 75g, ATI 4x58wT5 LED Hybrid Powermodule, AquaMaxx ConeS 1, 2xMP40wES, RKL controller, Tunze Osmolator Last edited by westreef; 07/29/2017 at 12:03 PM. |
02/17/2017, 09:16 AM | #55 |
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very nice tank! you definitely have some great growth on some of those corals. I really like the macros of the milles together too.
following along. ever think of glueing a coral to the back of your tank so you have some more height to it? Could look really good but would have to do some trimming to make sure it didnt shade everything else.
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-Cody SPS Dominant 180 gallon. Link to my tank: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2618245 |
02/19/2017, 10:08 AM | #56 |
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Cody, thanks for stopping by and kind words.
Some corals start to grow, like the Fire Polyp Table. However, some of them do not grow as much. Something is going on with the tank that I don't understand -- the coralline algae bleached. However, all corals seems to be okay. The last tank had the rocks too high and the Green Slimer almost grew out of the water. So I have decided for this tank that the rock work should be only half of the water depth. This way, there is more room for the corals to grow and fish to roam. I like to keep the back wall clean. With corals glued to the wall then it is harder to clean the wall. I only have the left side of the rock work touching the wall. I already have difficulty to clean the left side wall. Thanks for the suggestion though.
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Bernie 75g, ATI 4x58wT5 LED Hybrid Powermodule, AquaMaxx ConeS 1, 2xMP40wES, RKL controller, Tunze Osmolator |
11/10/2017, 07:21 PM | #57 |
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Update
It is time to update.
After another 2.5 weeks of vacation, the tank still survived the unattended care. Before vacation, the colors were pale. They are now a bit richer, maybe due to more nutrient in the water. During vacation, no carbon dosing was administered. Left side of the tank Right side of the tank Middle shot By the way, this is the third vacation this year. I am truly lucky that there were no stn/rtn of the corals. My tank sitter only dumped the skimmates every 4 days. The alk went from 7.8 to 6.4 with no apparent issues. I now slowly raise it back up to 7 ish.
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Bernie 75g, ATI 4x58wT5 LED Hybrid Powermodule, AquaMaxx ConeS 1, 2xMP40wES, RKL controller, Tunze Osmolator |
11/10/2017, 10:24 PM | #58 |
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Some close ups
Red Dragon
Frog Skin Teen Wolf Unknown Acro Marshal Island Purple and Green Acro (very similar to Bonsai)
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Bernie 75g, ATI 4x58wT5 LED Hybrid Powermodule, AquaMaxx ConeS 1, 2xMP40wES, RKL controller, Tunze Osmolator |
11/11/2017, 06:31 AM | #59 |
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My vacation ended about a week ago.
Guess what I did during this vacation. Hints: Outside of United States. Something to do with reef. In my bucket list.
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Bernie 75g, ATI 4x58wT5 LED Hybrid Powermodule, AquaMaxx ConeS 1, 2xMP40wES, RKL controller, Tunze Osmolator |
11/11/2017, 07:43 AM | #60 |
Frustrated Stick Gardener
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: near chicago,Ill.
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Did you dive the GBR? If so, congrats! Your corals look very good and you have some special pieces. The tank is looking great overall, well done.
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Scott Current tank: 65 gal DSA rimless, mixed reef, 20 gal sump, T5 6bulb, big skimmer, 40B Fowler, 20 gal sump, 4 bulb T5 |
11/11/2017, 08:25 AM | #61 |
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Hi Scott,
You are so right. Maybe my hints gave it away. Heehee. Thanks for the kind words. You are looking at a 72 years old dude, a poor swimmer, yours truly, first time doing scuba diving, in the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. The diving platform was 1.5 hrs by boat from Cairns. I almost, like some younger folks, gave up during training session. It was a bit scary initially. We went down with a trainer for every 4 students. We saw a huge giant clam of 5 foot long. And it scared the heck out of me when a huge fish, later identified as a hump back wrasse, swam right next to me, as you can see from the picture. It turned out to be very tame and I got to pat it on the hump. Some experience. The picture was taken by one of the diving crews. I did look scared, didn't I? This fish was bigger than me. Now I can cross out one item from my bucket list. Yay!
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Bernie 75g, ATI 4x58wT5 LED Hybrid Powermodule, AquaMaxx ConeS 1, 2xMP40wES, RKL controller, Tunze Osmolator Last edited by westreef; 11/11/2017 at 01:11 PM. |
11/11/2017, 01:03 PM | #62 |
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more close ups
Netsuta has been shaded for a while. Notice the brown Netsuta branches at the top right corner of the pictures. I have just removed the shader a few days ago. The shader is a wild red one originally. After a few months in the tank it turned brown and never recovered.
BC Xmas is now showing more pink tips Unknown green millie one of the 3 corals at the center of the tank Unknown greyish green Acro one of the 3 corals at the center of the tank Unknown purple pink millie one of the 3 corals at the center of the tank Strawberry Short Cake Ice Tort? at the right hand corner Red Planet That's it. This is the end of the photo dump.
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Bernie 75g, ATI 4x58wT5 LED Hybrid Powermodule, AquaMaxx ConeS 1, 2xMP40wES, RKL controller, Tunze Osmolator |
11/11/2017, 02:43 PM | #63 |
Frustrated Stick Gardener
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Hey that's great Bernie! Two of my kid's have been to the GBR and just raved about the experience. I'm still working on it but I'm a little younger than you and already PADI certified so I guess I still have a chance of getting there. I really like your coral colors/saturation. They look very well colored up.
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Scott Current tank: 65 gal DSA rimless, mixed reef, 20 gal sump, T5 6bulb, big skimmer, 40B Fowler, 20 gal sump, 4 bulb T5 |
11/11/2017, 03:33 PM | #64 |
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Hey Bernie, I am extremely jealous of your trip!! Nice!! On my bucket list as well..
The tank is looking really good. Corals are healthy and happy. That ice tort is drool worthy and I love the contrast of it in front of the red planet. Fts is looking balanced and mature. Very nice!
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Matt. Current Tank Info: 53x32.5x26 190g dt 60g of sumps 3 tank-100 gal frag system 6xAI prime 8xt5. 4x maxspect gyre. Skimz Dual internal sicce pump skimmer Deltec PF601s ca rx+Kalk stirrer |
11/11/2017, 08:56 PM | #65 | ||
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Quote:
Quote:
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Bernie 75g, ATI 4x58wT5 LED Hybrid Powermodule, AquaMaxx ConeS 1, 2xMP40wES, RKL controller, Tunze Osmolator |
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11/11/2017, 09:52 PM | #66 |
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What bacteria are you dosing and at what dose?
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Scott Current tank: 65 gal DSA rimless, mixed reef, 20 gal sump, T5 6bulb, big skimmer, 40B Fowler, 20 gal sump, 4 bulb T5 |
11/11/2017, 10:33 PM | #67 |
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My total water volume is about 85 gallons.
1. 2 drops of AF ProBio S + 2 drops of AF -NP Pro (Even day e.g. 2, 4, 6 ....) 2. 5 ml of Special Blend Micro Lift (Odd day e.g. 1, 3, 5, 7.....) 3. Every 2 weeks, 3 ml of Vibrant By the way, I do use Fauna Marin's Ultra Balling Trace 1, 2 and 3 mixed with the Alk and Calcium 2-part solutions. I have put away all the AF additives (except the ones listed in 1.), AcroPower, Lugo and KZ additives. I have half of a cabinet of these. I am experimenting this and still not happy with PE from the Millies. They used to have great PE and much richer colors. Look at the picture of the Purple Pink Millie, it used to have very long PE. But now you can hardly see them.
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Bernie 75g, ATI 4x58wT5 LED Hybrid Powermodule, AquaMaxx ConeS 1, 2xMP40wES, RKL controller, Tunze Osmolator Last edited by westreef; 11/11/2017 at 10:56 PM. |
11/12/2017, 01:13 AM | #68 |
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Awsome setup! Glad it went back to normal after your vacation
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11/12/2017, 08:12 AM | #69 | |
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Quote:
Thanks for the kind words and stopping by.
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Bernie 75g, ATI 4x58wT5 LED Hybrid Powermodule, AquaMaxx ConeS 1, 2xMP40wES, RKL controller, Tunze Osmolator |
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11/13/2017, 04:09 AM | #70 | ||
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Quote:
Quote:
Based on your quotes above you've got a lot of bacteria going into that tank. They may be stealing too much from the corals symbiont bacteria. This can lead to the more pastel look. If you want deeper colors-- I'd cut out the Special Blend altogether. Why the Vibrant? It's good to have some algae films growing in the tank. A clean up crew of snails will create a cycle of some nutrients, as they eat the algae, their waste will stay in the system instead of bacteria consuming it and your skimmer exporting that bacteria. Mixing products can cause uneven results. The AF carbon and bacteria work hand in hand......it's probably all you need. This could also help with your polyp extension. I'd check your flow too. Some pumps lose flow over time and need cleaned more often. The Jaebo pumps are notorious for this.......the slime buildup on the impeller's will cause it to slip.
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80g Rimless Acropora System reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2197142&page=31 Ed |
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11/13/2017, 03:23 PM | #71 |
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Hi Ed,
Thanks for the comments. I always treasure your insights. During my vacation, no bacteria dosing was done and on average the colors were slightly better. However, significantly better for the BC Xmas. So you are right there. However, the shallow sand bed was covered with a brownish film and the walls also had a film of green algae. So I added back some bacteria dosing -- this is already half of what I dosed before vacation ( you must be laughing at me now). I like Vibrant a lot since about a year ago, I had serious outbreak of Bryosis and all kind of bad algae, everywhere in the tank. Vibrant killed them all. And I still have a big bottle of it. I just trying to follow the bottle instruction to try to keep the algae in check. Your comment makes a lot of sense. So this is what I am going to do. I will just do item no. 1, dosing AF bacteria and AF carbon and nothing else. I will see for the next 2 months if there are any improvement. Two days ago, already I added 10 more snails in the tank hope this helps too. Just check my Nitrate it is 2 from Salifert and the Phosphate is 0.08 from Hanna.
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Bernie 75g, ATI 4x58wT5 LED Hybrid Powermodule, AquaMaxx ConeS 1, 2xMP40wES, RKL controller, Tunze Osmolator |
11/21/2017, 02:10 PM | #72 |
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Bernie, your tank is looking fantastic! Love the SSC, and the blue polyps on the nasuta. Good for you that you are getting out travelling, and that you hit the GBR - trip of a life time! Love the photo with the grouper.
Question for you regarding your ConeS 1 - how does it perform while your away and your sitter is cleaning out the skimmate? I like this skimmer, but I find on my system it doesn't want to restart after shutting off, power outage etc and I need to manually prime it by blowing a puff of air into the air intake to get the pump going. After I clean it, I don' have this problem, but after a few weeks the pump refuses to start up on its own again. Usually if I'm gone for more than a few days, I just shut it off and restart it when I get home.
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45 Gallon Shallow Aquacultured SPS Reef |
11/21/2017, 02:35 PM | #73 |
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Nice dive and nice tank. Pretty special indeed.
I am intrigued by additives, it seems there is so much interest. I am not sure what the additives really contain, heck Im not sure even what they are purported to do. I just feed my fish and let them add their own additives through their digestion system. I have a lot to learn.
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Reef Hobbyist Magazine, Q4 2017, "Achieving Colorful SPS" ReefHacks.com, "The Ultimate Guide: How To Successfully Grow Beautiful SPS Corals" Reef Spotlight February 2013, other Forum Current Tank Info: 180 Bowfront, 30 gallon sump, 20 gallon refugium, reeflo dart/snapper hybrid pump, 2 x 6105 Tunze ,Tunze ATO, dual chamber CA reactor, 3 x250 metal halides with 2x t5 actinic supplement, Reefbrite Blue XHO's dawn/dusk |
11/21/2017, 06:11 PM | #74 | |
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Quote:
The ConeS1 performed great while I was away. I have never had a problem of restarting with this Shark pump. In the past with the old skimmer which had the problem of restarting, like you, I turned the skimmer off while I was away. Since I have this ConeS 1 skimmer (since Oct. 2014) I always turn it on but dial it to dry skimmate. That way, my tank sitter does not have to dump the skimmate so often and at the same time the water get oxygenated. I usually clean my skimmer every 3 months for the calcium deposit around the injector. How deep is your water level in relationship with your skimmer?
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Bernie 75g, ATI 4x58wT5 LED Hybrid Powermodule, AquaMaxx ConeS 1, 2xMP40wES, RKL controller, Tunze Osmolator |
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11/21/2017, 06:26 PM | #75 | |
Lost as usual
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Quote:
Your tank is always my inspiration.
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Bernie 75g, ATI 4x58wT5 LED Hybrid Powermodule, AquaMaxx ConeS 1, 2xMP40wES, RKL controller, Tunze Osmolator |
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