The Mammoth Nano - An acropora reef - Page 3

Dugless · 02/14/2018, 02:52 PM

Well, the last few weeks have been a bit of a rollercoaster ride. I thought I would get a jumpstart on seeding some copepods, something I'd never done before. In my mind the rock is low on diversity as its man made and I plan on stocking plenty of wrasses that would benefit from this food source. Just hours after adding the bottle, the tank was covered in a dusting of diatoms, bacterial film and small tufts of algae. The next day my water was cloudy with free floating bacteria as well. That will be the last time I add copepods again...

Everything I read said to wait it out and things would balance and take care of itself. However, almost a week later things were worse off if not the same. I decided to take things into my own hands and I scooped up my first UV sterilizer and employed some water changes. Just this morning the tank is finally clear enough to post a decent picture. And thankfully I'm seeing some pod activity, so it wasn't a total waste.

cprdnick · 02/14/2018, 03:23 PM

What am I seeing on the upper rear of your stand? It looks like a warped or broken board or something.

Dugless · 02/14/2018, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cprdnick

What am I seeing on the upper rear of your stand? It looks like a warped or broken board or something.

That is a loose piece I still have yet to install for wire management. It will be placed in between the middle joists on the wall end of the stand. I wanted to wait to install it after I had my drain lines in as not to impede them.

cprdnick · 02/14/2018, 03:44 PM

Oh, ok, so it's just a piece sitting there in the lip of the stand. My mind was forcing me to see something different.

Dugless · 02/14/2018, 03:46 PM

Yep, that could look scary now that you mentioned it.

Dugless · 02/15/2018, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by solitude127

amazing looking build. I love the quality of the RE stuff.

Thanks! I'm impressed so far with the RE equipment. There is absolutely no salt creep. Thats my favorite part. I can't say the same about the Synergy exterior box unfortunately...

Dugless · 02/15/2018, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GT350pwns

Following! sharp build

Thanks for checking in!

Dugless · 02/19/2018, 06:59 PM

It's a rare occurrence to see the winter sun come out in my neck of the woods. Had to snap a picture. Enjoy!

justletmein · 02/20/2018, 05:31 AM

Really impressed with the under cabinet cleanliness and organization!

Dugless · 02/21/2018, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by justletmein

Really impressed with the under cabinet cleanliness and organization!

Thanks! There are sooo many cords to deal with though.

Dugless · 02/21/2018, 02:07 PM

The bacterial cloudiness is slowly creeping back into the tank. The UV sterilizer was removed about 5 days ago. Anyone else have experience with this free floating bacteria?

RobZilla04 · 02/23/2018, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dugless

The bacterial cloudiness is slowly creeping back into the tank. The UV sterilizer was removed about 5 days ago. Anyone else have experience with this free floating bacteria?

Yes. Had it for months. The UV Sterilizer did the trick for me. Now I run it intermittently along with a bag of GAC (changed monthly). Crystal clear water 24/7.

Dugless · 02/23/2018, 07:46 PM

Rob, was this on a new tank? Dry rock?

kevin j. · 02/24/2018, 09:22 AM

Your tank is beautiful! I can't wait to see it when it's full of coral and fish. Such detail to the sump. Especially when probably no one would care except another hobiest. Again beautiful setup.

Dugless · 02/25/2018, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kevin j.

Your tank is beautiful! I can't wait to see it when it's full of coral and fish. Such detail to the sump. Especially when probably no one would care except another hobiest. Again beautiful setup.

Thanks! I think that comment hits home with so many of us. It’s rare to find someone who cares for more than ten seconds about the aquarium. I always find myself trying to gauge how interested people really are when I explain anything. Most probably just humor me for a few seconds.

RobZilla04 · 02/26/2018, 05:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dugless

Rob, was this on a new tank? Dry rock?

I didn't install until the tank was probably 18 months old. The tank was started with dry rock and after 10 months it was upgraded from 55g to 90g.

fcmatt · 02/26/2018, 02:46 PM

I also give a vote for the UV sterilizer. Just let it run. Once clear, turn it off but leave it in the tank ready to go back to work if needed. Once clear for many weeks remove it, clean it up, and have it handy for the next possible use. Super handy little piece of kit.

Dugless · 02/26/2018, 10:36 PM

The UV cleared it up the first go around, but it took nearly a week or more. Maybe I was a bit quick to remove the sterilizer once the tank was clear. It also appears the rock work is now developing a biofilm.

I'm looking forward to the end of the ugly ups and downs of the new tank jitters. I'd like to get my collection of coral installed and growing already.

RobZilla04 · 02/27/2018, 05:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dugless

The UV cleared it up the first go around, but it took nearly a week or more. Maybe I was a bit quick to remove the sterilizer once the tank was clear. It also appears the rock work is now developing a biofilm.

I'm looking forward to the end of the ugly ups and downs of the new tank jitters. I'd like to get my collection of coral installed and growing already.

Don't rush, but you know that already. Sometimes a little reminder never hurts.

As for the UV, and anyone reading this down the road, do yourself a favor and get a quality UV (such as Aqua) and the model with a wiper. You'll save yourself headaches of having to tear it down to clean. Also you cant see inside so just a periodic pull of the wiper handle can ease your mind.

RobZilla04 · 03/17/2018, 11:50 AM

Any updates....?

Dugless · 03/17/2018, 02:19 PM

Nothing too eventful to report. I'm keeping my eye out for different fish and coral I have on my stocking list. About a month back, I introduced a Yellow Tang and Gold Assessor to the display after the QT protocol. Unfortunately, the assessor didn't make it and ended up in the filter socks. I'm wondering if it managed to make it through the weir of the overflow as it was very small.

I also added a nice pintail wrasse that was eating like a pig in QT and the display, but it went missing when I went on a week long trip and hasn't been seen since. I had a webcam setup and I checked in every day looking for the wrasse, but I never saw it.

So far I haven't had much luck in the fish department.

Other than a pair of blood shrimp, this guy has the whole tank to itself.

Dugless · 04/25/2018, 01:22 PM

A Quick Update

I'm working on getting some fish in the tank. So far I have two Tangs, a Hooded Wrasse, and a Royal Gramma. These are the fish that have made it through QT successfully so far, and thankfully they all get along nicely. I plan on adding different wrasses and smaller fish now as they become available. I really need to get more of a bio load in there for the coral.

I've seen some algae come and go in the sand, but I'm still struggling a bit with the test acro frags. I speculate that the frags are starving due to low PO4 as they are paling and presenting filaments. I've even experimented with dosing NO3, but I didn't want to get carried away and mess with the system stabilizing itself. The only pieces keeping color are a few Aussie pieces that must thrive on lower nutrients and love getting punched with light. I have an order in with Battlecoral, but I'm hesitant to take delivery until I see a bit more success.

I'm just starting to see algae dusting the glass in the last week or so. However, interestingly the algae quickly returns within hours after wiping. So that's a bit confusing. As with the other algae, I plan to just ride it out for now.

Here is a quick still from a video from a few weeks back. Does anyone know the best way to share a video?

THEUNION1 · 04/26/2018, 07:45 PM

I love the fact the aquarium is larger than your tv. I have a 70" LED i am going to put in the garage and replace it with hopefully a 70L aquarium by the end of the year. I never watch tv anyways.

Dugless · 09/03/2018, 10:58 PM

It's been a while since my last post so I thought I would update the state of the things. The aquarium is still struggling to mature enough to safely add any large amount of acropora. I've had some tester frags, but no real success to report. It took me some time to realize that my alkalinity had been fluctuating and increasing due to the Real Reef rock I've used. The man made rock must be slowly buffering as my tests show a 1 dkh increase each week. Couple that with very low nutrients and my frags have paled/browned and in some cases died.

I'm right around the 7 month mark and am just starting to see some hints of maturity with little spots of harder algae on the glass and some very minimal color improvement in the few acro frags I have. I'm dosing acid buffer to combat the increase in alkalinity, something I thought I would never have to do. Crazy!

I really have yet to discover the secret to shooting fish, but I thought I would share a few of them. Enjoy!

Eight Line Flasher Wrasse

Johnson's Fairy Wrasse

Pintail Fairy Wrasse

Sunburst Anthia

BigAirHarper · 09/04/2018, 10:13 PM

Dugless great great build. Impressive level of workmanship and OCD on the design which I love.

I’ve been out for 4 years and I’m about to jump back in. What QT protocol do you use?

03/17/2018, 11:50 AM	#70
RobZilla04 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: St. Augustine, FL Posts: 1,857	Any updates....? __________________ 90g Mixed Reef

02/14/2018, 02:52 PM	#51
Dugless Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 416	Well, the last few weeks have been a bit of a rollercoaster ride. I thought I would get a jumpstart on seeding some copepods, something I'd never done before. In my mind the rock is low on diversity as its man made and I plan on stocking plenty of wrasses that would benefit from this food source. Just hours after adding the bottle, the tank was covered in a dusting of diatoms, bacterial film and small tufts of algae. The next day my water was cloudy with free floating bacteria as well. That will be the last time I add copepods again... Everything I read said to wait it out and things would balance and take care of itself. However, almost a week later things were worse off if not the same. I decided to take things into my own hands and I scooped up my first UV sterilizer and employed some water changes. Just this morning the tank is finally clear enough to post a decent picture. And thankfully I'm seeing some pod activity, so it wasn't a total waste.

02/14/2018, 03:23 PM	#52
cprdnick Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Amarillo, TX Posts: 24	What am I seeing on the upper rear of your stand? It looks like a warped or broken board or something.

02/14/2018, 03:44 PM	#54
cprdnick Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Amarillo, TX Posts: 24	Oh, ok, so it's just a piece sitting there in the lip of the stand. My mind was forcing me to see something different.

02/14/2018, 03:46 PM	#55
Dugless Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 416	Yep, that could look scary now that you mentioned it.

02/19/2018, 06:59 PM	#58
Dugless Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 416	It's a rare occurrence to see the winter sun come out in my neck of the woods. Had to snap a picture. Enjoy!

02/20/2018, 05:31 AM	#59
justletmein Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: TX, San Antonio Posts: 2,188	Really impressed with the under cabinet cleanliness and organization!

02/21/2018, 02:07 PM	#61
Dugless Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 416	The bacterial cloudiness is slowly creeping back into the tank. The UV sterilizer was removed about 5 days ago. Anyone else have experience with this free floating bacteria?

02/23/2018, 07:46 PM	#63
Dugless Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 416	Rob, was this on a new tank? Dry rock?

02/24/2018, 09:22 AM	#64
kevin j. Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Broadview Heights Posts: 75	Your tank is beautiful! I can't wait to see it when it's full of coral and fish. Such detail to the sump. Especially when probably no one would care except another hobiest. Again beautiful setup.

02/26/2018, 02:46 PM	#67
fcmatt Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: NH Posts: 850	I also give a vote for the UV sterilizer. Just let it run. Once clear, turn it off but leave it in the tank ready to go back to work if needed. Once clear for many weeks remove it, clean it up, and have it handy for the next possible use. Super handy little piece of kit.

02/26/2018, 10:36 PM	#68
Dugless Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 416	The UV cleared it up the first go around, but it took nearly a week or more. Maybe I was a bit quick to remove the sterilizer once the tank was clear. It also appears the rock work is now developing a biofilm. I'm looking forward to the end of the ugly ups and downs of the new tank jitters. I'd like to get my collection of coral installed and growing already.

03/17/2018, 02:19 PM	#71
Dugless Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 416	Nothing too eventful to report. I'm keeping my eye out for different fish and coral I have on my stocking list. About a month back, I introduced a Yellow Tang and Gold Assessor to the display after the QT protocol. Unfortunately, the assessor didn't make it and ended up in the filter socks. I'm wondering if it managed to make it through the weir of the overflow as it was very small. I also added a nice pintail wrasse that was eating like a pig in QT and the display, but it went missing when I went on a week long trip and hasn't been seen since. I had a webcam setup and I checked in every day looking for the wrasse, but I never saw it. So far I haven't had much luck in the fish department. Other than a pair of blood shrimp, this guy has the whole tank to itself.

04/25/2018, 01:22 PM	#72
Dugless Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 416	A Quick Update I'm working on getting some fish in the tank. So far I have two Tangs, a Hooded Wrasse, and a Royal Gramma. These are the fish that have made it through QT successfully so far, and thankfully they all get along nicely. I plan on adding different wrasses and smaller fish now as they become available. I really need to get more of a bio load in there for the coral. I've seen some algae come and go in the sand, but I'm still struggling a bit with the test acro frags. I speculate that the frags are starving due to low PO4 as they are paling and presenting filaments. I've even experimented with dosing NO3, but I didn't want to get carried away and mess with the system stabilizing itself. The only pieces keeping color are a few Aussie pieces that must thrive on lower nutrients and love getting punched with light. I have an order in with Battlecoral, but I'm hesitant to take delivery until I see a bit more success. I'm just starting to see algae dusting the glass in the last week or so. However, interestingly the algae quickly returns within hours after wiping. So that's a bit confusing. As with the other algae, I plan to just ride it out for now. Here is a quick still from a video from a few weeks back. Does anyone know the best way to share a video?

04/26/2018, 07:45 PM	#73
THEUNION1 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: ORANGE COUNTY, CA Posts: 928	I love the fact the aquarium is larger than your tv. I have a 70" LED i am going to put in the garage and replace it with hopefully a 70L aquarium by the end of the year. I never watch tv anyways.

09/03/2018, 10:58 PM	#74
Dugless Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 416	It's been a while since my last post so I thought I would update the state of the things. The aquarium is still struggling to mature enough to safely add any large amount of acropora. I've had some tester frags, but no real success to report. It took me some time to realize that my alkalinity had been fluctuating and increasing due to the Real Reef rock I've used. The man made rock must be slowly buffering as my tests show a 1 dkh increase each week. Couple that with very low nutrients and my frags have paled/browned and in some cases died. I'm right around the 7 month mark and am just starting to see some hints of maturity with little spots of harder algae on the glass and some very minimal color improvement in the few acro frags I have. I'm dosing acid buffer to combat the increase in alkalinity, something I thought I would never have to do. Crazy! I really have yet to discover the secret to shooting fish, but I thought I would share a few of them. Enjoy! Eight Line Flasher Wrasse Johnson's Fairy Wrasse Pintail Fairy Wrasse Sunburst Anthia

09/04/2018, 10:13 PM	#75
BigAirHarper Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Destin, Florida Posts: 513	Dugless great great build. Impressive level of workmanship and OCD on the design which I love. I’ve been out for 4 years and I’m about to jump back in. What QT protocol do you use?