Help with a SPS 55g Restart!

[kissman]

As a lot of you know I started an extensive thread on the problems I have had with my SPS Colors (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2246049). I thank all of you for the help. After a lot of thought and suggestions I think what I need to do is just remove all live stock, DSB, rock, etc... and just start over with fresh rock and fresh sand. I am going to go with a 1" sand bed and all new rock. I have a few questions. Is there a sand thats better for SPS or rock thats better? I was thinking of going with 1" Oolite and Pukani rock. Is there a certain amount per gallon of rock I should shoot for? I want to do this right the first time so please make all suggestions. I have been reading about aquascaping and I have an idea.

[Allmost]

Regarding sand, get the larger grain ones, sugar sized, they can stand the flow, and you can siphon them weekly.

amount of rock is not as important as the flow around and through them, so if you stack them on top they will trap detritus, and flow cant get in between. so do plan the rock placement and flow ahead of times, and then get as much rock to make your plan come to life. Get the FRESHEST Live rock you can find.

[kissman]

Is there a best practice in regarding or creating rock with the correct flow?

I am planning on ordering Pukani from BRS and maybe a few pieces of there reef saver. Soaking it for 24 hours in saltwater then testing PO4 and see if I need to do a LC treatment.

[Allmost]

for sand, after rinsing it, soak it in RO/DI water, changing the water every other day, untill po4 reads zero.

for best result, you should use Fresh LIVE rock, from the ocean. if you use used rock, or dry, you will be where you are now ... it will have po4 ...

you can make Islands, or structures, with room on front and back and both sides, and make sure you place power heads in a way that you get a nice flow Around and through the rock work.

a couple examples :
<a href="http://s1084.beta.photobucket.com/user/bigray1002/media/IMG-20110608-00271.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1084.photobucket.com/albums/j416/bigray1002/IMG-20110608-00271.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMG-20110608-00271.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s1084.beta.photobucket.com/user/bigray1002/media/IMG-20110608-00273.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1084.photobucket.com/albums/j416/bigray1002/IMG-20110608-00273.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMG-20110608-00273.jpg"/></a>

[kissman]

Would I still get PO4 leaching after treating with lanthanum chloride until the PO4 is zero? I will look into the sugar sized sand maybe go with Aragamax. Which I believe is sugar size.

[Allmost]

how long would that take ? a year ?

6 months ?

liquid po4 removers do not PULL out po4 .... they bond and precipitate the po4 in water column, and do a great job at it.

if thats what you want to do, why get new rock ?

[allabarton]

Is there a best practice in regarding or creating rock with the correct flow?

I am planning on ordering Pukani from BRS and maybe a few pieces of there reef saver. Soaking it for 24 hours in saltwater then testing PO4 and see if I need to do a LC treatment.

BRS suggest not to mix different rocks.
I have Pukani (very light and very porious). I bleached mine for 24 hours and than 15 minutes in the water with white vinegar.

I used EPO Putty to build columns. Here is my rock work.

[sirreal63]

Another option is to go with TBS rock, get the package and let Richard do his thing on picking rock for a 55. It is not the cheapest up front option, but for what you get it a very good value.

[rbp 4 135]

I agree that going with good LIVE rock would be the way to go with this restart. Since you still have live stock that will be needing to go back in the tank (i'm assuming) I would get rock that already has the necessary life established. You will get Po4 leaching from dry rock, everyone in my local club that has used it has run into this. It's not a big issue but it does take time upfront to remedy the situation. TBS would be a good choice for rock, lots of life and fresh.

[allabarton]

I will look into the sugar sized sand maybe go with Aragamax. Which I believe is sugar size.

If I had sugar size sand my power heads would blow it around for sure. Keep it in mined.
Tropic Eden Reeflakes Aragonite Sand looks really nice and clean. It says flakes but they don't look like flakes. And it stays put and I don't have sand tornados only if I turn my MP60 all way up.

[kissman]

TBS rock package is $609!!! 55g with 110 lbs of rock? would the fish have room to swim?

[sirreal63]

The rock is heavier so the weight is misleading. Richard can adjust the rock as needed. As far as the price, when you factor in all of the goodies you get and the amount of time it would take to get the same thing with dry rock, it is a bargain. If you haven't followed this thread, start at the beginning and see what TBS can do and in a fraction of the time.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2144250
If you went out and purchased all of the life that you get with the package, you will quickly see why it is a bargain. Go price so called live rock at your LFS and it becomes no contest.

[deepseadan]

For all my reefs I always got fresh rock with all its life, took it out of the box and scrubbed it down with a brush and saltwater. After a good cleaning it went straight into the tank. Over the next two months I just did plenty of water changes to keep everything happy. On my last tank I ran a gfo reactor part time to help out with my po4. No issues ever. I do say though, a 1" sandbed is a good depth. I don't recommend a gfo reactor unless you're very careful and cautious not to completely strip your water of po4 One more thing, remember that sps need stability, and I would wait a solid 6 months before adding any sps (as hard as it is).

[biggles]

I followed your other thread on the struggle with a stable tank. I really hope this time around you do as JPMagyar said - follow the KISS principle and don't over think things. I would urge you to cycle the tank and don't add fish until you are sure you have the nutrient cycle under control, it's a whole lot easier to deal with nutrient related issues when you are not committed to adding filth (food) to the tank for the well being of livestock.
I have always cycled with LR - it's not at all hard to deal with the odd pest that may be present such as a mantis or pistol shrimp etc while there is nothing but rock and sand in the tank. I add rock in 2 or 3 stages simply because i like to hand pick pieces that will suit my ideas for aquascaping. This time around i ended up putting 25lbs into the sump just because i read the minimalist aquascaping thread too late lol. Basically just don't stress yourself about what type of LR - get the best and freshest you can afford and don't go preparing for issues such as phos already - this is a fresh start and what happened in your last tank WILL NOT happen this time - there's a ton of people here like me who want to see you succeed because it's very obvious you love this hobby.
All i have done to my tank so far is top up evap with RO and keep cal, alk & Mg stable, i have about half a cup of Rowaphos in a mesh bag in the sump but can't actually test for phos yet - that's it. I am bad because i add corals as soon as i have cycled and my levels are under control with dosing. Half my SPS have been in the tank for 5 weeks and are encrusting and growing and coloring up better every week. I just added a skimmer a few days ago to get rid of the algae which is bad but no fish so no food and it's easy to keep it away from my corals. There are no nitrates and likely no phos as the majority will be bound up in the algae, the skimmer will deal with that in a few weeks and then it will be fish time - added slowly. Don't rush things i as do though, i have a serious impulse control problem when it comes to ignoring nice SPS for sale at the LFS when i get my NSW. :hmm2: but i hope you take a much less reactive approach this time around and reading your posts so far i get the distinct impression you are going into this a tad battle scarred from the last setup - don't, just listen to all the wisdom offered by very experienced reefers here (not me) and use the info that suits your fresh approach - you can't take everyone's advice so weigh up the info and make your choices and don't second guess yourself. As my father used to say - ' the more stuff you have the more there is to stuff up ' - KISS

Sorry for the long post but there is no reason you can't have a great SPS tank and i simply want to see you succeed, don't treat it like a chemistry test tube it's supposed to be enjoyable :)

[kissman]

Thanks for all the input so far. I agree that LR would be the best way to go. I am trying to do this as cheap as possible and still be successful as far as the live rock goes. I have a baby that will be here in May and money is tight, so I can't run out and spend $700 on live rock at the moment. Which is why I was planning on going with the dry Pukani from BRS. I have read lots of threads on the rock and the PO4 issues that some have had.

[kissman]

I wish there was a way I could do this and be able to keep the fish and anemone I have now. I hate the thought of giving them to my LFS there tanks are so bad, they are really a freshwater pet store trying to do saltwater every time I go in there I see dead stuff in tanks. There display tank at one point had hair algae so long and bad the clown fish were hosting it. LOL!

[Allmost]

you should make a plan first !

your first post sais you are after SPS colors.

your last post sais you want to keep your anemone and fish ?

why redo the tank if you are not going to keep SPS ?

Im lost ...

[kissman]

you should make a plan first !

your first post sais you are after SPS colors.

your last post sais you want to keep your anemone and fish ?

why redo the tank if you are not going to keep SPS ?

Im lost ...

1. This thread is me planning before I start.

2. I wish I could keep my fish and anemone

3. I have some one an hour away that can take my SPS unitl my tank has recycled, and is stable enough to reintorduce SPS later.

Sorry for the quick post I am at work.

[creefer01]

FWIW, I too started with dry BRS rock. I used tonga. It WILL leach PO4 for a long time if you don't do as allabarton suggested. I can, without question, say that the next tank I start will be started with fresh LR. It's difficult to consider the use of the TBS Package based solely on cost, but the long term benefit is so well worth it. It's likely how I'll do my next tank. There's simply far too many benefits to it despite the initial cost.

[kissman]

I have no doubt its better but it comes down to paying $150 to $700 at them moment

[kissman]

How success would the be if I cycled the rock in a seperate container once its done taking the old rock out, live stock, and then remove the old sand DSB and replace it with 1" sand and put new cycled rock into tank? Say I did this in a day. Would I be able to put fish, anemone back into tank that night? Just trying to plan this out. I love my anemone and I am trying to keep it is all. Looking at options

[Reefnub]

Honestly, I like their BRS reef saver rocks better, but that is just imo. I would keep some of your live rocks and mix in dry rocks. Figure out why your system crashed in the first place or it will repeat. I use natural oceans sugar grain. I recently decided to redo my aquascape and will be adding dry live rock. They are very similar or is the same as BRS reef saver rocks. Hope everything works out and good luck!

[kissman]

I think i have 2 issues one is old tank syndrome the second is Xenia has taken over all my rock except the piece with my anemone on it. If i use any rock that i have now it will only be that piece and may set that up as a center piece. I have not decided on which rock I am going to use yet

[kissman]

Well my roommate who owns the house if I take the tank down to do this wants to take a few days and put in new flooring. So now I need a new plan of attack. Can the livestock live in a Brute trash can for a few days?

[brad65ford]

Let us know when you start something. Look forward in your results more so then thinking what you should do.

+3 on real LR that was suggest a few times on your last thread as well. Should be the fastest way to restart successfully.

[kissman]

Ok, I know it is suggested that I start with live rock, but the money just isnt there to spend $600-$700 on rock I wish I could. I am going to go with dry rock. With that said what is the best way to deal with it once it gets here. I have it ordered. I have seen some have soaked it in a bleach bath, Muratic Acid bath, and some have used Vinegar. Bleach I worry about, never used in tank. Acid is not that easy to come by anymore from what some have said. I was thinking of going with a vinegar bath of 50/50 to help remove dead matter and lower PO4. I was thinking of doing a 24 hour soak in water, then do a 50/50 vinegar/ro/di water for 24 hours, clean and scrub ruck with a brush, soak another 24 hours on ro/di water. Then mix up a fresh batch of saltwater mix and test PO4 every few days and see if they are rising. If not then I will add some bacteria piece of shrimp and get the rock curing. I was also thinking after the first vinegar bath let it dry out for a few days, figure out how I wanna stack it, drill it if needed then start saltwater mix. What do you think?

[sirreal63]

Muriatic acid is easy to get, a pool store, a real home center or hardware store, all will have it and it works so much better than vinegar. Your plan is a good one except for the vinegar.

[kissman]

Part of what worried me about the Muriatic Acid was some people have reported that it completly dissolved some pieces of Pukani

[sirreal63]

If you mix it correctly, one part acid to ten parts water it will be dilute enough to not do at, and you control how long it is in there. Anyone who completely dissolved their rock did not follow directions. I did vinegar first and have done three subsequent acid baths all with muriatic, I did not lose or overly dissolve any rock.

[kissman]

sweet thank you!

[sirreal63]

You know you can do the acid bath on your existing rock, there is no difference in that and buying new dry rock. Read this thread to give you the right way to do it.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1914426

[kissman]

Yea the onething i have always thought was that my rock was very very heavy and not very porus. The Pukani is very porus, light and i like the look of it. I am planning on drying and acid washing the rock i have for my next build

[kissman]

When i start cycling new rock hopefully this weekend is it better to add bacteria which i already had, add a cupful of existing sand from DT or should i add both to the container i am going to cycle rock in?

[kissman]

yay new rock is at home!

[kissman]

When cycling the tank can I use the saltwater thats in the tank now if I drain it into a container or do I have to use all new saltwater? Seems like a waste to drain it all out then fill up with fresh?

[kissman]

PO4 in tank is .049ppm or 16ppb on the Hanna 736 in tank from Pukani rock this is week two. I am running GFO to pull PO4 out of the rock

[brad65ford]

kissman running gfo,, nah ;) guess you want to didn't want to wait for a natural cycle. I've heard it takes time to removes p04 from rock (purging naturally), time you can't speed up. I wonder if you pull the GFO off line the p04 in the water column would increase after a few weeks since the rocks would be still purging. Others may know more in detail from what I'm suggesting, could be totally wrong but regardless I would test your p04 a few days/weeks after you remove the gfo you may be surprised. Let us know.

Brad

[kissman]

Brad65ford I appreciate your input on my other thread and Oh I totally agree with you, my plan is to continue to run GFO for 2 more weeks then like BRS suggests do a 100% water change and stop running the GFO. I don't want to run it once the rock is done leaching. At the same time the cycle has begun as I cure the rock. After doing a 100% water change I will see if the rock continues to leach. I will test the water for PO4 as soon as I fill the tank and then wait one week and test again to see if the rock is still leaching. How does that sound? I also have a question about the cycle. I just got my Nitrite test kit in the mail and a new ammonia kit as mine was a few years old. If I am showing nitrites which I clearly am do I need to worry about adding an ammonia source anymore? I was using the rock plus some freeze dried krill I use to feed my BTA but it was pretty much gone in the media bag. I removed the media bag and have not added any more krill for the last 2 days. My ammonia is about .5. I assume since my nitrites are at least 5ppm that my ammonia should be coming down any way. Is that correct? I assume your name is Brad and you own a 65 Ford what?

I do want it to be a natural cycle, but after all I have read with Pukani I see ammonia turns to nitrite turns to nitrate, and PO4 turns to algae after cycle. That is why I am running GFO

[brad65ford]

Well as with all of us reefing is a hobby and at one time i used to be into fast fords/mustangs. Since then I've moved on and found a new hobby to dump money to (4 pieces of glass in which you throw money in between = reefing:)) Needless to say I now drive Audi's and don't mess with modifying cars. They are a joy to drive you forget about driving which i love.

Only reason I keep mentioning GFO subject is all the "possible" negatives that can happen quicker then good when using them. With your last system it looked so unbalanced i blame the GF0 a side from possible OTS etc.. One thing people don't realize is its not bad to have some algae growing in the tank I use it as a guide. Yes we all hate it but stripping the hell out of the p04 imo is to easy to do and its hard to bounce back from a strip system. Also there are a lot of beautiful sps corals that can take higher p04 levels. It seems as tho these days the thought is "get as close to 0 p04 for sps's" which is totally not ideal. If sps keeping was as simple as purchasing a GFO unit everyone would be doing it. Most GFO units I've seen used successfully are on larger tanks with large fish/food loads. Personally I've always had a problem controlling my p04 when running a sand bed but since then I've choose an BB system and i'm happy. Now it did take a few months to figure out the balance but now that the coralline is growing strong so is the corals.

I wish you the best, hopefully you will find the balance for successful sps's you desire. Don't forget you have a while before things start looking good. I give you a few months I hate waiting for dry rock takes what feels like forever, don't rush it. Also get the alk and ca as stable as you can when you do add your corals. Oh also start with some monti's, stay away from the harder acro's until you get the feel of what the corals like.

All the best,
Brad

p.s. keep it simple and take your time. Nothing good happens quickly, trust me.

[kissman]

I figured you were Mustang, LOL. When I was 18 I had a 1971 Mach 1 stock 429 was a beast! Wish I still had it. Anyway I know running the GFO can strip the tank which is part of the reason I want to do a 100% water change and stop running GFO. I am more at the moment worried about removing the PO4 from the rock but like I was saying while that is happening the cycle will begin. I know that the bacteria stick to the rock, sand and walls. So doing a 100% water change after 4 weeks hopefully will replenish the nutrients. I can continue the cycle. I also know that I will have some algae to start with which is fine, that's when I add a CUC. I don't want a field of grass, LOL! I appreciate your advice. Some people run there Pukani with LC I am doing it with GFO because I already had it.

[kissman]

Is it ok that in a little less than 2 weeks time my ammonia is already 0 and my nitrites are about 2ppm? kind of hard to really tell between 1ppm and 5ppm. Seems kind of early however I have been adding a bacteria source daily by the instructions on Brightwells Microbacter7 of 2 capfuls a day for 2 weeks.


I did add a bunch of new freeze dried krill in the media bag and will test again tomorrow and on Sunday when I get back from out of town

[kissman]

Thursday night I added some new dried krill to my media bag dosed some MB7 tested ammonia it was zero and nitrites were about 2-5ppm. I left for the weekend got home. Tested the Ammonia and it is zero and the nitrites are .25. Can I be almost finished with the cycle after 10 days?

[kissman]

Sunday night nitrites were zero, ammonia zero. Added another handful of krill to media bag 24 and 48 hours later still no more ammonia no more nitries. NO3 was 5-10ppm and PO4 was .04ppm. Did a big water change last night PO4 was at .03ppm NO3 was at 2ppm this morning. Tonight i will run Ammonia, nitrite, phosphate, and nitrate. If they are all in line i will test magnesium, calcium and alk and get them to what i want. Salinity 35ppt at 78 degrees. No GFO, no carbon is running. If every thing checks out i will get a few snails and hermits on Sat let them start working the sand bed.

[toothman]

just be patient.

[kissman]

Ammonia and nitrites are zero PO4 went from 14ppb to 16ppb with no GFO running

[kissman]

Ok so here are all my results.

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
PO4 .049ppm
NO3 2ppm
Magnesium 1200pm raising it to 1320ppm
Calcium 430
Alkalinity 8.5
Salinity 35ppt
PH 8.0
Temp 78

[kissman]

and so the algae begins! Slight browning on rocks. Small CUC has been ordered from ReefCleaners.org. Might go to LFS and pick up a few Hermits tomorrow

[allabarton]

Just wait for the guys from Reefcleaners. John always puts some extras. Also they run fishless system that way you know you will not add any fish parasites with the water (less likely, but very possible). Unless you do not quarantine or not going to add any fish in the next 4-6 weeks.

[kissman]

Yea i have ordered from John many times he is awesome to deal with! Not adding fish to DT for 4 weeks. I want the CUC to get the sand bed working

[kissman]

This morning PO4 has climbed a little to 28ppb or .08ppm. I went ahead and cranked the reactor back up. I will retest in 24 hours and see where it is. If its below .06ppm I will cut it back off. Also I just added 5 Hermits to the tank and I would say probably Wed maybe Thurs I should have my snails from Reefcleaners.org. I didn't go with a 55g package that's to many this early. I went with a 15g package of snails minus the Nass Vibex. In a few months or as algae grows I will order more. I am hoping that with the addition of the Hermits and the addition of snails that my skimmer will start working better since life will be in the tank and will reduce the PO4 naturally rather than with GFO. Is this the right thing to do?

[brad65ford]

just be patient.

Truer words were never spoken.

[kissman]

Truer words were never spoken.

So just let the PO4 climb and come down naturally with the bacteria? I trying to be patient but I am also trying to control algae to a point. I know I am going to go through growing pains. Its part of a new tank.

[sirreal63]

I hope you realize that bacteria are poor consumers of po4 as compared to no3? Bacteria consume a tremendous amount of nitrates and very little phosphates. Once you run out of nitrates the bacterial count will drop and so will consumption of phosphates. Carbon is usually the limiting factor for bacteria in our tanks, but food is also a limiter, once they have consumed the no3 you will have to add more to continue the consumption of po4.

[brad65ford]

Oh the good old days of cycling I don't miss this times but i'm going to be starting another tank soon as well so i'll be doing the same. Nothing sucks more than waiting for them to cycle. You could always grow out macro algae, and keep pruning them as they grow. Great indicators as well for when you p04 starts lowering you macro's will not easily be able to grow as well. I've done this on all my tank cycles and like this method very cheap too. There will be others that say GFO is fine for cycling but i disagree. Sometimes you can over do GFO very easily which remove to much p04 and we all know that kills life.

Just a suggestion.

[kissman]

I hope you realize that bacteria are poor consumers of po4 as compared to no3? Bacteria consume a tremendous amount of nitrates and very little phosphates. Once you run out of nitrates the bacterial count will drop and so will consumption of phosphates. Carbon is usually the limiting factor for bacteria in our tanks, but food is also a limiter, once they have consumed the no3 you will have to add more to continue the consumption of po4.

I know that PO4 removal is a byproduct removal of NO3. That is why some people dose NO3 to reduce PO4

[kissman]

Oh the good old days of cycling I don't miss this times but i'm going to be starting another tank soon as well so i'll be doing the same. Nothing sucks more than waiting for them to cycle. You could always grow out macro algae, and keep pruning them as they grow. Great indicators as well for when you p04 starts lowering you macro's will not easily be able to grow as well. I've done this on all my tank cycles and like this method very cheap too. There will be others that say GFO is fine for cycling but i disagree. Somethings you can over do GFO and remove to much p04 and we all know that kills life.

Just a suggestion.

Cheato will be here Wed along with snails from Reefcleaners

[brad65ford]

Cheato will be here Wed along with snails from Reefcleaners

I say let her rip with the cheato's for a while, let nature do its thing. Hope you stay away from the gfo.

[kissman]

I don't want to run GFO or Carbon

[brad65ford]

I don't want to run GFO or Carbon

I hear you, I'm not saying you wont have to at some point in time especially with a sand bed system. Personally I haven't successfully run a sps dominate tank with sand yet to know that answer in relationship to feeding and water change only (similarly to what i do on my BB system with out the need for gfo reactors etc..)

Humm i'm wondering how much p04 gets purged into the sand while your curing your rock... Wondering what is better to cure dry rock with or with out sand, my guess is with out but don't know for sure. Sorry just thinking out loud.

[kissman]

Think and post all you want man. This is a learning experience for me and anybody that reads the thread. This is my first tank without a DSB. I only added a 1" sand bed if that. I added a 30lb bag to a 55g. Some people like a BB and I like to have at least enough sand to cover bottom.

[brad65ford]

Do you plan to siphon sand to remove waste?

[kissman]

Do you plan to siphon sand to remove waste?

Yes I plan on cleaning sand with each water change. I also plan to have a CUC that is under the sand to help to. Such as the Nassarius Vibex snails and a Gobie

[kissman]

Hermits are going to town on what looked liked dino's on the rock.

[kissman]

nitrates are 2ppm and PO4 is 21ppb. So staying about the same. Not running GFO not running carbon. I did add a frag plug that had coralline on it to kick start that. I hope I can grow it this time. Plus a few hermits have some on there shells. After I get my snails in I will start testing and logging my ALK and Calcium so I can start dosing that as need ed with my dosers, to get that balanced out.

[rbp 4 135]

Hermits are going to town on what looked liked dino's on the rock.

probably diatoms, If I remember correctly dinos are toxic to hermits, I know they are toxic to snails.

[kissman]

I was doing some reading and I think you are correct that its diatoms either way its gone now, lol!

[kissman]

Nice found a few micro stars in my sump that survived from last build must have been in skimmer chamber in a corner i guess lol

[kissman]

Question, the fuge in my sump has 2 pieces of rock, a pod condo, cheato i am wondering if i should add any snails and hermits?

[SneekaPeek]

Question, the fuge in my sump has 2 pieces of rock, a pod condo, cheato i am wondering if i should add any snails and hermits?

I wouldn't add any snails or hermits because they can escape there home and move onto bigger and better things like skimmer intakes and pump intakes and stuff like that. Seen more damage than good when people have put other critters in their fuge. unless fuge is remote/seperate tank than I would say why not.

[kissman]

I wouldn't add any snails or hermits because they can escape there home and move onto bigger and better things like skimmer intakes and pump intakes and stuff like that. Seen more damage than good when people have put other critters in their fuge. unless fuge is remote/seperate tank than I would say why not.

didn't think about skimmer, return pump they can't get into but I didn't think about skimmer good point thanks

[SneekaPeek]

didn't think about skimmer, return pump they can't get into but I didn't think about skimmer good point thanks

your very welcome, I wish I had the patience and asked these questions here, but I had to find out the hard way.

[allabarton]

For your information: I had problems with my 180 g SPS tank in the last months. Small fish feedings (didn't feed my corals) and using too much GFO to fight Cyano and GHA stripped my tank off any nutrients. On top of it Alk that was over 8.5 dKH and intense Radion LED lighting...... Stressed my corals to the point that even positive changes didn't make any good difference.

In the last a few months I stabilized Alk 7.8 dKH (Hanna and RS pro), started feeding my tank regularly (fish and corals + RS amino acids). PO4 0.05-0.08, NO3 1-2ppm. I bought locally a few SPSs corals to try (no shipping stress). Gradually acclimating to LED lights (moving frag shelf 1" up every week). With every week new corals surprise me with even more beautiful and vivid colors. And just now almost 5 months later my old corals a
started to recover.

I do run GFO HC 1 cup on my 180g + 30g sump. I feed frozen fish food twice a day. I dose amino daily (15-20ml A & B RS + 20 ml Fuel twice a week).
Thanks.

Alla

[kissman]

Nice! I did see big improvments before i re did my tank using RS A&B and then it just started to go down hill again. Which is why i restarted my tank and so far glad i did! I still think part of my problem then though was the xenia that had taken over my tank were a big problem. I was reading somwhere that xenia release a chemical much like pine trees do and can kill corals around them. I cant remember the name of the chemical. I am going to try one sps in a few months i think may 6-8 weeks maybe sooner just see how the tank goes

[kissman]

and so the algae begins! I have some small pom pom like greeh hair algae on several spots on glass, and a light dusting on back glass of brown. Should I do anything or just let it run its course?

[kissman]

some pics of my algae, looks like 3 diff kinds, green hair, cyano, and diatoms

http://bavasshokie.smugmug.com/Other/Aquarium/i-6SpshLM/0/M/rock1-M.jpg

http://bavasshokie.smugmug.com/Other/Aquarium/i-TZwfg2X/0/M/rock2-M.jpg

[allabarton]

Here one of my guys I've had for 4 weeks.

[allabarton]

Another one.

[kissman]

nice! I will try one once my algae falls back, I probably won't add a bunch till after I get my RBTA and he finds his spot.

[kissman]

algae is still growing today, rock has more on it today than yesterday, should I run GFO or just wait it out? Thinking of adding more CUC.

[rbp 4 135]

Do you have any critters that need light? if not kill the lights and let the bacteria work.

[kissman]

Only thing in the tank is small CUC

[kissman]

Oh yea! Took a toothbrush to some of the rock to knock off some of the algae and I noticed a few spots of purple!!!!! I would be so happy if I can get coralline to grow on the rock this time. In my last build the coralline would only grow on the power heads, and one sump wall. I will be glad when the algae part of the cycle is over drives me crazy.

[kissman]

I will be glad when these diatoms are gone! I see purple spots on it when I scrap it with a toothbrush!

[kissman]

Aquarium Reef Tank parameters are:

Temperature: 78
Salinity: 35ppt
Ammonia, NH4: 0
Nitrate, NO3: 2ppm
Nitrite, NO2: 0
pH: 8.2
Alkalinity, KH: 8.2 dKH
Calcium, Ca: 450
Phosphate, PO4: 0ppb
Magnesium, Mg: 1,480ppm

for date: April 23, 2013

[kissman]

still waiting on the algae to die.

http://bavasshokie.smugmug.com/Other/Aquarium/i-2dQRLCM/0/M/algae-M.jpg

Aquarium Reef Tank parameters are:

Temperature: 78
Salinity: 1.026
Ammonia, NH4: 0
Nitrate, NO3: 1.5
Nitrite, NO2: 0
pH: 8.2
Alkalinity, KH: 8.06
Calcium, Ca: 430
Phosphate, PO4: 0
Magnesium, Mg: 1500

for date: April 29, 2013

[brad65ford]

I remember those times, have you siphoned the sand?

[kissman]

I remember those times, have you siphoned the sand?

every Sunday when I do my 5g water change. I run my vacuum across the top layer and then I get down into about half of it

[kissman]

I did order some pods and a few more snails from Reefs2go, will be here Wed

[kissman]

I already have more coralline algae growth than I had over the last 10 years

[biggles]

Sounds like things are going much better this time around mate, really glad to see you're taking a much more positive approach this time and not reacting negatively to the changes your reef is going through - some of this stuff we just have to put up with on the way to establishing a healthy reef system, doesn't mean we have to like the wait though lol. I'm looking forward to seeing this journal filled with colorful coral pics in the months ahead. :thumbsup:

[kissman]

Sounds like things are going much better this time around mate, really glad to see you're taking a much more positive approach this time and not reacting negatively to the changes your reef is going through - some of this stuff we just have to put up with on the way to establishing a healthy reef system, doesn't mean we have to like the wait though lol. I'm looking forward to seeing this journal filled with colorful coral pics in the months ahead. :thumbsup:

Thanks i am looking forward to having a colorful healthy tank aswell

[dtum]

Any update on this?

[kissman]

Been a while since I have done much on Reefcentral.com, and done any updates. Been busy and to be honest I was trying to be patient with my tank. Reading Reefcentral and seeing the lovely tanks on here and trying so hard to make mine that beautiful makes it very hard to be patient so I withdrew myself from spending time on the forum. I am going to sit down this weekend take some photo's and give some updates and look for more suggestions.

[kissman]

Ok I have some pics of a SPS Birds nest that has been in my tank for 6 months now. I also added a Purple Birdsnest this past weekend. I have 1 RBTA that has been in tank for about 6 months aswell. Here are a few pics oh yeah almost for got one of these is pretty bleached the guy I got the purple from gave me a frag of a coral he has that bleached just to see if the color comes back from being in my tank. Photo's were taken with an Olympus Tough Camera. Love it just drop it in the tank and start shooting underwater!!!!!



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