My 65G Shallow Reef Tank

[DiscusHeckel]

PS.

Deltec SC 1350 is quite expensive in the UK. I could have bought it from Germany a lot cheaper. However, I decided to trade some of my corals to offset the cost after my lfs indicated that he was very happy to take them for store credit.

I fragged my Acropora copiosa/formasa/microphthalma (I cannot decide which one) on the right hand side of my tank heavily on two separate occasions and raised £150 :roll face:.:roll face:



However, during the process I mishandled the colony and ended up almost running it:







Fortunately, I managed to put the pieces back together again. My coral is now back to its former glory.

[sahin]

Bulent, how much did the Deltec SC 1350 set you back? I want to get one too. Is the neck on this skimmer same size as the BM NAC6 or smaller?

Can you post a few more images of the foam inside the cup after a full clean of the skimmer cup? I want to be able to see DRY FOAM and the FOAM ending up in the skimmer cup, rather than not managing to overflow into the cup.

Your tank looks great. The corals look great. I'll be keeping an eye on how the coral colours respond now that the macro algae has been taken out.

[DiscusHeckel]

Originally Posted by sahin

Bulent, how much did the Deltec SC 1350 set you back? I want to get one too. Is the neck on this skimmer same size as the BM NAC6 or smaller?

Can you post a few more images of the foam inside the cup after a full clean of the skimmer cup? I want to be able to see DRY FOAM and the FOAM ending up in the skimmer cup, rather than not managing to overflow into the cup.

Your tank looks great. The corals look great. I'll be keeping an eye on how the coral colours respond now that the macro algae has been taken out.

The store price was £249, but I was given an additional 10% discount. Hence, it cost me £225. I could have bought it from Germany for 239 Euro + 9.80 Euro for delivery (approximately £185).

The neck size is smaller than the neck size of BM Nac 6a. Its internal diameter is approximately 75 mm.

I have just stopped the skimmer to clean its cup. I will take a few pictures tomorrow for you. Just before cleaning the cup, I have taken two pictures in case they may be of interest:

[DiscusHeckel]

Some dirty pictures of my skimmer cup collecting skimmate, for perusal by @Sahin:

[DiscusHeckel]

Hi Sahin,

What do you think of the pictures I posted yesterday? I have just taken this one. The foam looks really dry. I am not sure if I should change the setting, so that I will get wetter skimmate.

[sahin]

I'd keep it at that mate. I think with your tank size and fish stock you arent going to get the dark dry foam and dark coffee coloured skimmate. I was expecting the new skimmer to produce that, but I think you are limited by your bioload.

Being purely critical, I dont think the BM NAC6 was that far behind in performance? What do you think? I am getting a VERY similar colour of skimmate in my skimmer cup. The foam is pretty much similar too. I'd say if the skimmer cup on the BM NAC6 was slightly smaller, it would have been a pretty much perfect skimmer.

One thing I am not agreeable with your change is the removal of the refugium/chaeto. I really think it is a part of the reason why you have good colours on your acros. I would take lots of photos of different corals and compare in 2-3 months.

Of course your skimmer was changed at the same time, so we wont know for sure, but I have a suspicion the full bodied colour on that jade coloured acro that broke is partly due to the presence of the chaeto as a nutrient reduction method.

Maybe I am just crazy... But I will be following with interest for sure.

[DiscusHeckel]

Originally Posted by sahin

I'd keep it at that mate. I think with your tank size and fish stock you arent going to get the dark dry foam and dark coffee coloured skimmate. I was expecting the new skimmer to produce that, but I think you are limited by your bioload.

Being purely critical, I dont think the BM NAC6 was that far behind in performance?

What do you think? I am getting a VERY similar colour of skimmate in my skimmer cup. The foam is pretty much similar too. I'd say if the skimmer cup on the BM NAC6 was slightly smaller, it would have been a pretty much perfect skimmer.

I am not sure about this because if I wet skim with this skimmer, I would collect twice as much skimmate as I did with BM when it was set to wet skim. When I set my BM skimmer to dry skimming, I hardly got any skimmate. Skimmate production was not consistent. I think this is down to BM's neck being slightly larger.

As for the colour of skimmate, I had no idea it is an indication of anything. For example, drier skimmates are usually darker, but does this mean you export more nutrients? Can you please point me to a source so that I can do more reading on the correlation between skimmate colour and skimmate content? I have just double checked Feldman's articles and did not come across any reference to skimmate coloration.

Originally Posted by sahin

One thing I am not agreeable with your change is the removal of the refugium/chaeto. I really think it is a part of the reason why you have good colours on your acros. I would take lots of photos of different corals and compare in 2-3 months.

Of course your skimmer was changed at the same time, so we wont know for sure, but I have a suspicion the full bodied colour on that jade coloured acro that broke is partly due to the presence of the chaeto as a nutrient reduction method.

Maybe I am just crazy... But I will be following with interest for sure.

I will certainly monitor the changes in coloration.You are probably right about the chaeto, but I am dosing organic carbon source along with P and N now, which strips nutriments anyway. I like experimenting with different ideas. I must be crazy too...

[sahin]

Originally Posted by DiscusHeckel

I am not sure about this because if I wet skim with this skimmer, I would collect twice as much skimmate as I did with BM when it was set to wet skim. When I set my BM skimmer to dry skimming, I hardly got any skimmate. Skimmate production was not consistent. I think this is down to BM's neck being slightly larger.

That makes sense.

Originally Posted by DiscusHeckel

As for the colour of skimmate, I had no idea it is an indication of anything. For example, drier skimmates are usually darker, but does this mean you export more nutrients? Can you please point me to a source so that I can do more reading on the correlation between skimmate colour and skimmate content? I have just double checked Feldman's articles and did not come across any reference to skimmate coloration.

No data source; just going by from seeing the higher end skimmers producing a much darker skimmate and seeing pretty good colours on the SPS. This is of course grossly unscientific But I would assume the higher level of darkness is due to a greater amount of particulate and dissolved matter taken out hence a darker skimmate hence my assertion that darker skimmate = higher level of nutrients removed in the skimmate.

Of course one could counter argue me and say that skimming wet to remove more will remove more water, but can achieve the same effect.

Originally Posted by DiscusHeckel

I will certainly monitor the changes in coloration.You are probably right about the chaeto, but I am dosing organic carbon source along with P and N now, which strips nutriments anyway. I like experimenting with different ideas. I must be crazy too...

I dont know mate...but lately I've been thinking over the whole nutrient thing...

Low N & P (ie normal 0.03ppm PO4 and 0.2ppm NO3 etc) doesnt always = nice SPS colours. In fact, some tanks have higher NO3=5-10ppm and PO4=0.05-0.08 and still have really nice colours; ie Richard and Thales tanks.

Also, the whole phosphate thing...we only get to measure inorganic phosphate...we have no idea about the total phosphate and how dissolved organics play a part in the colours of SPS corals.

Personally, I've seen in my own tank good colours in the SPS at both low end PO4 and NO3 and at the higher end (PO4=towards 0.1ppm and NO3=even upto 15ppm). The main difference in the appearance of the SPS was either a pale or deep colouration...but the colours of the SPS appears to be triggered by something else/another parameter in the water.

So that I'm saying is that IMO having a algae scrubber or chaeto filled refugium assists in some way to achieve better SPS colouration. Exactly what is being removed I dont know.

One of my buddies with a DIY T5+LED (T5's had home made reflectors and LED was Chinese import of a basic multidiode chip and a basic filtration system with a large refugium had the most amazing SPS colours I ever saw in person. He hadnt tested his PO4 in a long time and when he measured it and found out it was around 0.25ppm.

Anyway mate, I will stop my ranting. It will be interesting to see how your corals respond over the next couple of months.

[sahin]

Bulent, its been arouund 3 weeks...any updates? Better colouration? Same or worse since removal of chaeto and upgrade of skimmer?

[DiscusHeckel]

Originally Posted by sahin

Bulent, its been arouund 3 weeks...any updates? Better colouration? Same or worse since removal of chaeto and upgrade of skimmer?

Hi Sahin,

I can tell you that the removal of chaeto has had no impact on the coloration of my corals except the orange montipora, which is slightly browny orange as opposed to bright orange.

I have recently started to use a new batch of nitrate (Salifert) and phosphate (Elos) test kits. Prior to using them for the first time, I have calibrated them with a brand new FM's reference solution. The Salifert kit was spot on. The Elos kit produced only very slightly low reading compared to the reference.

On 23rd March, NO3 was nil (there was a very very slight hint of pink in the test vial) and the phosphate reading was between 0.008 mg/l and 0.015 mg/l (in P terms or between 0.024 mg./l and 0.046 mg/l in PO4 terms). The colour was closer to 0.015 mg/l than 0.008 mg/l.

The results of the tests I carried out yesterday were as follows: NO3 was nil (this time there was no hint of pink in the test vial). Phosphate reading was still between (0.008 mg/l and 0.015 mg/l, but colour was an exact match to 0.008 mg/l. I asked my son to confirm my reading, which he did as correct. Clearly, TM NP Bacto balance is working for me. I am currently dosing 0.93 ml per day. I will increase the dosage to 1.20 ml in three days time. My aim is to rely on my corals' reaction as opposed to test results. All my corals show good polyp expansion and good coloration.

Moreover, I have started to feed all the animals in my tank as opposed to just fishes. I have been dosing KZ sponge power since 23rd March and Reef Nutrition's Phytofeast Live. I am getting very good sponge (white) growth and an increase in the feather duster population in both DT and sump as a result.

One of my friends has closed down his tank recently. I collected several Mexican snails, two Ophioderma spp. brittle stars, a giant tube worm and hand picked hundreds of bristle worms from his sump and introduced them to my sand bed in DT as well as in my sump. I am taking a holistic approach to nutrient reduction.





There is another tube worm in the sump, but it was hiding at the time of taking the photo a few minutes ago. I will also be getting several yellow sponges soon to diversify my army of cleaners.

I have switched back to Seachem Matrix carbon as I find it gentler than Rox 0.8 and easier to work with.

I have purchased a Deltec (KM 500) kalkwasser stirrer from Germany, which will be coming anytime now. Cockfields had many Rowa Kalk tubs, which they could not sell. I bought the whole lot at a bargain price, which means that based on my calculations I have enough calcium hydroxide for up to four years .

Finally, the new skimmer is really great. I have played with its setting, so that it is producing slightly drier skimmate. I took this photo earlier this morning without flash or lights in my north facing office/fish room at home.



Thanks for your continued interest in my tank.

regards

Bulent

[DiscusHeckel]

My latest tool arrived a few minutes ago from Germany:





It was about time because I was fed up with dosing limewater manually everyday. I will now need to purchase a suitable peristaltic pump for dosing limewater.

By the way, my sand sifting star fish got a little disorientated last night:

[DiscusHeckel]

I would like to introduce you my best CUC crew, the one and only aiptasia:



[IMG]http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq165/mbozcan/P1060815_zpsp4yr****.jpg[/IMG]



No uneaten food by fish can possibly find its way to the bottom of my weir or sump. I keep a file fish, which we call Mr E.T., in my main display. Thanks to him, there is hardly any unsightly aiptasia that can be seen.

[Jjv123]

beautiful tank.

[whiteshark]

Love the aiptasia scrubber. Awesome.

[Chevrefils]

Wow nice tank! Love the aptasia refugium, given how well the thrive, they must be eating up some kind of nutrients. Way to think outside the box

[sahin]

Very nice Bulent. Jealous of your SPS colours.

[DiscusHeckel]

Thank you all.

I like the expression "aiptasia scrubber" . I will be using it from now on.

Aiptasia are opportunistic animals. They almost eat any food introduced to a tank. ZEO people claim that aiptasia even consume KZ sponge power and thrive on it though this has not been my experience so far. I used to breed bangaii cardinal fishes.



On one occasion, half of my baby cardinals disappeared in one night. What I did not know at the time was that there was a tiny aiptasia in my fry tank. It must have been the culprit.

Anyway, here are a few more "macro" shots, which I took with my cheap digital camera. Despite fairly low nutrient readings, polyp expansion on most of my acroporas are very pleasing indeed:

Acropora aspera:





Acropora yongeii:


Acropora nasuta:

[sahin]

Hello Bulent. How are the coral colours since removing the algae bed and upgrading the skimmer? Any improvement?

[DiscusHeckel]

Hi Sahin,

To be honest, I am not missing my chaeto. I am glad that I got rid of it. I have gained some real estate in my sump, which I am utilising for my Giant feather duster worms (Sabelllastarte magnifica). As per my previous post, chaeto's absence continues not to have any impact on the coloration of my corals thanks to Tropic Marin NP bacto balance, which seems to be keeping the nutrient levels in perfect check and balance. I am no longer using any GFO.

Since my last update I have increased the dosing slightly (1.8 ml per day). I have noticed a very slight paleness on my Acropora gomezi and Orange Montipora digitata once I exceeded 1.2 ml per day even though my other corals look good. According to Herr Balling, this is one of the signs of overdosing. I will reduce the dosing from tomorrow. Furthermore, I started to use Tropic Marin Pro A- elements today to accompany NP bacto balance. I will report its impact on coral coloration.

Moreover, I am getting slightly concerned with the increase in the number of blue bottles in my inventory. I have been using the following blue bottles for just over two months: KZ Sponge power (2/3 drops per day) and KZ Pohl's Xtra (0.5 ml per day), KZ A-balance (2.5 ml every 10 days- I have stopped using this after starting to use Tropic Marin Pro A-elements), KZ coral snow and KZ ZEObak (once every week). I am becoming slowly "Zeovitised".

I went to Cockfields last Saturday. I could not afford to buy the acroporas I fancied, but bought three Giant feather duster worms instead.



I then drove to Abyss and bought a male Genicanthus Lamarck . What time were you at Cockfields last Saturday? It would have been nice to meet up. I was there between 11.30 and 13.30, and attended TMC's seminar. I had left before Martin Lakin's (Acropora) seminar began.

[DiscusHeckel]

My Nilsen reactor has been operational for more than a month. I use 150 grams of calcium hydroxide, which lasts over three weeks. The last time I replaced the kalk slurry, the conductivity of the kalkwasser was still 8.4 mS. I dose about 3360 ml of limewater everyday, which corresponds to about 85% of my tank's daily evaporation.





I initially used a normal aquarium pump. Unfortunately, this did not produce consistent results. I had to purchase a separate feed peristaltic pump. I get 4 ml per minute effluent. I run the pump for 14 hours on and off.

I decided to make some effort two nights ago to clean the back glass of my tank for a change. I also tried to remove as much brown star polyps, which invaded my live rocks, as possible. I am overall pleased with the result. While doing my cleaning, I also cut quite a lot of frags to raise some capital for future spending. I sold them all within one day.

Moreover, I purchased three more frags from my favourite reef shop in the north of England. They are all from wild colonies. With this purchase, I believe that I can no longer accommodate any more frags. There is no more real estate left. I even glued two frags on top of my encrusting Montipora monaseriata. I am hoping that they will defend themselves against this invasive and fast growing montipora.

Finally, here are the latest photos:

[cFloor]

Everything is looking really good! I love the genicanthus angels and large colonies. Beautiful!

[cugly]

Great way to handle aptasia's u can't eliminate them, use them lol. Wonderful looking tank obviously whatever you're doing its working.

[Oldude]

very nice

[sahin]

Very nice Bulent.

[DiscusHeckel]

Originally Posted by cFloor

Everything is looking really good! I love the genicanthus angels and large colonies. Beautiful!

Thanks. I have three Genicanthus angels: G. melanospilos (female), G. bellus (female), G. lamarck (female turning male according to my lfs). I am also going to get a small G. wanatabei (a male if I can).

Originally Posted by Oldude

very nice

Originally Posted by sahin

Very nice Bulent.

Thank you.

Originally Posted by cugly

Great way to handle aptasia's u can't eliminate them, use them lol. Wonderful looking tank obviously whatever you're doing its working.

Thanks. This is the first time someone has agreed with me on this. Shortly after I set up this tank, it was like this:



Every single rock and most of the gravel bed was covered by aiptasia, which spread from a single one. With a bit of determination, however, they are confined to my weir and sump. There is a cease-fire between us. We are holding our battle positions, which I am happy with.