Learning/rebuilding from my epic fail

[renevilleneuve]

Thanks for noticing my joke,I was beginning to think I wasn't so funny. Corals look great. it seems to me reefing is a lot about philosophy and that there are not any hard-fast rules because there are too many parameters involved. Being observant and involved seems to influence success. Thanks again for the inspiration.

[maxxII]

Originally Posted by Mark

I'm sure Joe will chime in, but the reactor in question is call ARID. More details here: https://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/pax-bellum-llc/

I hope my post didn't sound discouraging. In order to move the hobby forward, there will always be a need to experiment. And I'm glad people do . It keeps things interesting. Anyway, good to see some veteran reef keepers around. Subscribed to your thread and look forward to seeing your reef grow as nice as your old one.

Originally Posted by JB NY

I completely agree with you Mark, I had been running GFO and dosing vodka for years, I had really good success with it for a while but soon caught myself chasing numbers like so many other people. Playing with dosing led to brown outs or STN. It seemed a never ending battle. It wasn't until I had my own epic fail and my then failed attempt to come back from it that I started looking at what I was doing for nutrient control but also why I was doing it, and came to the same conclusion that Mark and others have had, go back to the old school. Ditch the GFO ad carbon dosing and just use macro algae and skimming for nutrient export.

I am still a little obsessed by the numbers but I am working on it. Letting my N and P move up from zero was a hard thing to get used, but I know it is for the better.

Matt, Here is my build thread that I talk about the reactor with some pictures. Look a few posts down when maxxII starts asking me some questions and I get into how it is working for me.
270 Gallon SPS tank for JBNY

Any questions you might have just let me know I would be happy to be able to help you out.

Matt, I wound buying an ARID E18 reactor after JBNY talked about his and after speaking directly with Tristan of Pax-Bellum. In 11 days PO4 went from 0.08 down 0.00....no water changes, no nothing.... I'd used bio pellets with no luck/results. About 21 days into running it, I'm liking it so far.
Might not be the best solution for everyone, but it appears to be the best for me.
I started a thread here and on Manhattan Reefs using the same title....

If you want to read more: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2499912

Kudo's to you for not quitting. I'm getting back after several set backs myself, which is why your thread title caught my eye.

[ReefSalt]

Hey Matt,

hows the tank coming?

[moondoggy4]

Long read, worth it and I am going to finish it. I am going to do a 40 breeder SPS tank.

[biggles]

I hope things are going better for you Matt, hope to hear some positive news from you soon mate.

[shih87]

Originally Posted by reefmutt

...
putting out polyps when nutrient came back up: DV kushberry

...

All very good frags, especial this one I love most. Base adapt to rock very well and healthy PE...

[reefmutt]

Well, after going through JB NY's whole thread and thinking more about going back to basics, I recently added some cheato (1week ago)
I think I'll also start dosing kalk along with my ca reactor.
The tank, in general is doing very well. Still slow growth without any of that crazy new growth coloration, but growth is better than no growth.
N is still around 4ppm and p is around .12
Now that things are stable, I will start lowering p while trying to maintain n where it is.
Once the cheato starts to kick in, it'll be interesting..
Matt, I do not have more than 500ml of biopellets at the outside. Probably less. I will add a little more but with the cheato, I'm hoping to remove the pellets all together or at least have just enough to be able to control p by dosing n..
Here a couple shots of corals that have begun to grow, ever so slowly..
Bonsai:

Oregon tort:

This was called frozen ivy.. Not sure what type of coral it is. You can see a new bud starting at the base..

Here's a sweet echinata (I think) that I just added..

And another new addition: 24 k. Eric, this is from you, apparently..

Hopefully I will have more growth coming..

[mhucasey]

Matt, I'm happy to hear that things are stabilizing. This hobby is supposed to be rewarding and its hard to feel rewarded when things are going badly.

[reefmutt]

Ha! Tell me about it!!
It's been a total pita since I started this tank almost 3 years ago..
If I had been new to the hobby, I would have quite looooong ago. It's only because I have experienced the rapture that is explosive growth and mind boggling coral colours.
It's been that need to experience that again that has kept me going with this tank...
I can smell it... It's coming..

[mhucasey]

it smells like....iodine?

[biggles]

I love the smell of iodine in the water. smells like............ acro victory.

[74Killer]

Yes, that's my 24K!

[sahin]

Hey Matt, it makes me happy knowing your tank is on the mend. Well done on turning the tank around buddy. Its no easy feat and can be downright frustrating; but it sure look like things are turning for the better.

[plyle02]

Matt,
Love the direction of the tank, you can tell obviously that the corals are happy, considering the color, but the PE looks great too! Nicely done, looking forward to seeing your results by the addition of chaeto for nutrient uptake. Great update

[JB NY]

Matt, Can't believe you read my whole thread, it is dense in some parts. I am glad things seem to be coming around. Pictures look good, you have much better polyp extension than I do (I have 6 pigmy angles!). Hopefully the cheato works for you. it has helped remember that so many of the other things I had been putting in my tank are not really necessary to keeping a good tank.

Kalk is key, I think many people forget how much it can help with growth and coloration.

Good luck! Maybe we can be trading frags this time next year!

[Oldude]

Nice looking photos Matt!

[reefmutt]

Originally Posted by mhucasey

it smells like....iodine?

Originally Posted by biggles

I love the smell of iodine in the water. smells like............ acro victory.

Well one of the few things I have done since adding the cheato is to add some potassium iodide, daily. It's been about a week that I am using a bottle of kz potassium iodide as per their instructions.
I did this after testing with salifert test kit and getting no reading.
I know it is an element that is rapidly depleted and therefore hard to test for but I'm sure the cheato is pulling it out quickly...

[reefmutt]

Originally Posted by sahin

Hey Matt, it makes me happy knowing your tank is on the mend. Well done on turning the tank around buddy. Its no easy feat and can be downright frustrating; but it sure look like things are turning for the better.

Originally Posted by plyle02

Matt,
Love the direction of the tank, you can tell obviously that the corals are happy, considering the color, but the PE looks great too! Nicely done, looking forward to seeing your results by the addition of chaeto for nutrient uptake. Great update

Guys, thank you very much for the positive posts. I am currently feeling quite optimistic about the tank. For the first time in years!

[reefmutt]

Originally Posted by JB NY

Matt, Can't believe you read my whole thread, it is dense in some parts. I am glad things seem to be coming around. Pictures look good, you have much better polyp extension than I do (I have 6 pigmy angles!). Hopefully the cheato works for you. it has helped remember that so many of the other things I had been putting in my tank are not really necessary to keeping a good tank.

Kalk is key, I think many people forget how much it can help with growth and coloration.

Good luck! Maybe we can be trading frags this time next year!

Originally Posted by Oldude

Nice looking photos Matt!

Greg! I'll be knocking on your door soon...... Soon. I have a few more things to iron out, first..

Jo, I feel that to really get a good sense of a reefer and his/her tank, you have to look at the tank as it is but also see where it came from.. Not to mention the treasure trove of information threads like yours offer!
Since reading your thread and looking at that ARID reactor, I added the cheato fuge to my system and have begun dosing some iron. From what I have researched, and have seen myself while testing, iron is almost always taken up immediately in the system. Like iodine, it gets consumed extremely quickly. But UNlike iodine, some iron is beneficial- as long as you aren't causing a hair algae bloom- but if you dose a lot, it doesn't really cause any issues. I found a dose that will give me reading of .05 ppm about 3 hours after dosing. 24 hours later, the reading is 0 again. I dose this 3 times a week. The cheato is responding nicely!
I have also switched from calcium nitrate to potassium nitrate for n additions in an attempt to dose a little potassium.

I had been keeping n at around 3 ppm and p around .13 - just for stability's sake for the last couple months. Since everything has been doing so well- health wise but not really colour wise- with the cheato in there and my small amount of AIO pellets, I have been able to maintain n at 3 and I am slowly bringing p down. My p is currently at .1. Tomorrow, I will test n and p again and I expect p to be down another point or two. I'm hoping to see .09 or .08.
I will try to keep pulling p down and maintain n at 3 ppm.
If I see corals start to look unhappy, I'll back off..
Right now, I am feeding tons of food- I'm talking about 15 cubes of frozen foods and several pinches of reef roids/reef pearls daily.
With this nutrient input, I am still able to bring the p down bit by bit.

[reefmutt]

Ok! A couple shots from today
Tyree pacman:

Boring brown plana. I plan to colour this baby up a bit!

A small overly blue wider shot..

Not sure what this is but it's happy..

Another mari which is growing nicely:

[reefmutt]

Couple more and then I'm going to bed..
Not sure what this is. But it's looking good

Another mystery coral that is doing well:

This is the best shot I can get of my speciosa. I'll have to attempt some top down when the corals start coloring up a bit more.. Sorry too blue..

And another small frag of a different plana.. Was more colorful when I got it.. Hopefull, when p falls down nearer to .02 or so, the colours will come out on everything..

[markalot]

Looking very very good! Great pics.

[cFloor]

Corals are looking nice! A couple of those pieces have some amazing PE

[cugly]

Originally Posted by shih87

All very good frags, especial this one I love most. Base adapt to rock very well and healthy PE...

I agree this one is really nice, glad things are looking for the better Matt

[sahin]

Corals look very happy with nice polyp extension. Coral tissue looks very healthy and thick.