Mark's 150 gallon

[nemodan]

Hi Mark, if you need to keep nitrates in line, why not using Matrix to increase the bacteria population ? They are just artificial stones, nothing to worry about, like biopellets.

Daniel

[markalot]

Originally Posted by nemodan

Hi Mark, if you need to keep nitrates in line, why not using Matrix to increase the bacteria population ? They are just artificial stones, nothing to worry about, like biopellets.

Daniel

I might do that Daniel, but I'm worried they will just clog with gunk since I don't use any filter socks. Still, I have plenty of room to add them. Thanks for the suggestion, I'm following how they are doing in your tank.

[nemodan]

Originally Posted by markalot

I might do that Daniel, but I'm worried they will just clog with gunk since I don't use any filter socks. Still, I have plenty of room to add them. Thanks for the suggestion, I'm following how they are doing in your tank.

Mark , I do not have ANY mechanical filtration in my tank. All just float arround. When I had the Matrix in the HOB fuge within media bags I took them out and just washed in sea water during a WC. Now that I have placed them in media reactors I plan once a year, during a WC, just empty the reactor, rinse the stones in sea water and place them in the reactor again.


I have been using the Matrix since the start of the year and I have undetectable NO3 independently of how much I feed.

Daniel

[markalot]

Originally Posted by nemodan

Mark , I do not have ANY mechanical filtration in my tank. All just float arround. When I had the Matrix in the HOB fuge within media bags I took them out and just washed in sea water during a WC. Now that I have placed them in media reactors I plan once a year, during a WC, just empty the reactor, rinse the stones in sea water and place them in the reactor again.


I have been using the Matrix since the start of the year and I have undetectable NO3 independently of how much I feed.

Daniel

Very interesting. I could load my big TLF reactor with matrix and place a filter bag over the intake to reduce particles making it to the matrix.

[reefmutt]

Good luck without the aio pellets.. You're still using vinegar though, so your not completely carbon source free.. Which is probably good if your tank sits at 25ppm without a Carbon source.. You could always increase vinegar if necessary..
I got sick of them as well.. So much gfo dust and always having to monitor the reactor for clogs and slow spots etc..
It is conceivable that without the aio pellets, your p may climb ever so slightly.. Which may not be bad either..
I'm very curious to see how your tank reacts..

[markalot]

Originally Posted by reefmutt

Good luck without the aio pellets.. You're still using vinegar though, so your not completely carbon source free.. Which is probably good if your tank sits at 25ppm without a Carbon source.. You could always increase vinegar if necessary..
I got sick of them as well.. So much gfo dust and always having to monitor the reactor for clogs and slow spots etc..
It is conceivable that without the aio pellets, your p may climb ever so slightly.. Which may not be bad either..
I'm very curious to see how your tank reacts..

Thanks, I will be keeping a close watch.

So the collapse of this acro is continuing, at least up on the branches. The base has stayed mostly the same. What on earth happened to it? Too much light and shock? I documented it losing color prior to me measuring PAR and getting > 450 on this acro when my target was 350. Is this bleaching? Doesn't look like it to me. I have checked numerous times for pests and never found any.

11/25, already has lost a lot of color


12/4, 9 days later.


Today all hints of green are gone except for a small spot on the base. Very disconcerting.

[nemodan]

Hi Mark..... I do not see it losing color. I see it changing to a more purple / violet color . That is what my eyes see in the pictures. I have many of my corals changing color along the time.

The worst was a small Acro frag that I got it for the strong blue color on all the body. I placed it in the tank ~2 months ago and now is a horrible greenish/brownish body with a hint of some soft blue in the tips....... Oh well. Nothing I can do, just wait.

Your Acro looks healthy in the picture. Does it have polyp extension at night in the tips ?

Cheers Daniel

[markalot]

Originally Posted by nemodan

Hi Mark..... I do not see it losing color. I see it changing to a more purple / violet color . That is what my eyes see in the pictures. I have many of my corals changing color along the time.

The worst was a small Acro frag that I got it for the strong blue color on all the body. I placed it in the tank ~2 months ago and now is a horrible greenish/brownish body with a hint of some soft blue in the tips....... Oh well. Nothing I can do, just wait.

Your Acro looks healthy in the picture. Does it have polyp extension at night in the tips ?

Cheers Daniel

Howdy,

No polyp extension at night and it's covered in pods at night. I've had this one for over a year, from another reefer, and normal colors are green base, purple tips, and purple or blue coralites. The really frustrating part is that all the corals around it are fine. Grrrr.

[mhucasey]

The pods at night are worrisome, I've had some struggling Acros that had that happen. Are you dosing any growth aminos like Acropower or Salifert AAs? It might be a good idea to use some to give it some nutrition. Frankly I don't have any good suggestions other than wait and see. Sorry to see that stunner struggle

[scrapz]

Definitely losing color and skin is starting to thin. Could it be related to the vinegar dosing maybe dropping the PH?? I would probably back off the dosing and see if it helps.

[markalot]

Thanks Matt and scrap.

I measured PAR again and again it was above my targets. Grrr. Water is crystal clear, so I decided to place the meter in a single location (where it would be still) and take various measurements at different light configurations. Here we go.

Lighting is BML 20K, A, B, C, C, B, A, BML 20K.

Key:
A = pure actinic, B = actinic blue, C = Coral.
B70 = blue/violet LEDs at 70%
W30 = white LEDs at 30%

With bulbs aprox. 9" above the glass lids.

B70, W30 = 271
B100, W30 = 286
B70, W100 = 300
B100, W100 = 316
B0, W30 = 234
LED Off = 225

Now, with B70 and W30 I raised and lowered the T5 fixture.

8" = 286
9" = 271
10" = 258

To keep the browned acro at the target 350 PAR I am running the lights at 9", B70, W30.

Whew! Posting so I don't lose this.

[markalot]

Besides lowering PAR by changing bulbs yesterday and raising the fixture I also super stirred the gravel making a complete and total mess, the tank was solid grey by the time I finished. Today things look much better. Besides the water being super clear the frog spawn is extended more than it has been for weeks. Maybe I can save it after all.

Ah, and a visit to my LFS ended up costing me some money. They has 2 pieces of flubber that I can never resist.





Both the acan and blasto have some orange on them. Haven't had issues with blastos in here, but my red acans recently receded and died.

[markalot]

I found a few pictures of when I was joking with the owner of the nasuta, which we call the Katropora and how it liked nitrates. It tends to match the test results.

This was in January 2015





By May I had my nitrates under control, around 5.



Lower nitrates did help reduce the bubble algae, but I kind of miss those days.

[milsaltnewbie07]

Wow that sucks. Im in the same boat, i completely depleted no3 and phos with prodibio and my acros are on a decline. My tank looks and grew very good when my nutrients were high but algae was taking over. Im at a standstill now not know what to do. I have raised no3 to 10ppm but things havent gotten better yet. Guess i have to sit and wait, and pray u dont loose any other sticks. Good luch and subscribed

[markalot]

Originally Posted by milsaltnewbie07

Wow that sucks. Im in the same boat, i completely depleted no3 and phos with prodibio and my acros are on a decline. My tank looks and grew very good when my nutrients were high but algae was taking over. Im at a standstill now not know what to do. I have raised no3 to 10ppm but things havent gotten better yet. Guess i have to sit and wait, and pray u dont loose any other sticks. Good luch and subscribed

Hi, thanks!

I had a lot of brown SPS when nitrates were that high but looking back on it I probably should have reduced just a little and then given away the acros that obviously needed a lower nitrate environment.

[markalot]

I did a little moving around last night. A couple of months ago I had to chop up my smoothish skin green acro (green polyp invasion) I called Kentucky Blue Grass. Of course Kentucky Blue Grass is a grass from europe and isn't really blue so this seemed like a perfect name for this unknown acro.

Anyway if encrusts fast and seems to like highe rlight so I positioned it a little behind the browned out nasuta. A little friendly competition.



Just a bird, but it will fill in fast. I let this grow large, sell off most of it, and keep a few frags around in lower light where it survives in a slow growth state. Bring it out in the light and growth is extremely fast, though color isn't as great.



FTS. This is LED only and that blue stag looks amazingly blue ... it's not this blue. Some day I will have an Oregon tort to satisfy my need for pure blue.

[markalot]

PO4 appears to be .15
NO3 5
KH 7.5

Going to retest PO4 this afternoon since I fed reef roids yesterday evening and this sometimes inflates the PO4 reading.

[mhucasey]

The best thing I did for PO4 testing was invest in a Milwaukee(Martini) colorimeter. Clear, repeatable results where you can re- zero independently of testing. I'm not very confident about my judging of shades of color on the test kits

[markalot]

Originally Posted by mhucasey

The best thing I did for PO4 testing was invest in a Milwaukee(Martini) colorimeter. Clear, repeatable results where you can re- zero independently of testing. I'm not very confident about my judging of shades of color on the test kits

The ELOS high rez or professional is very easy to read, I really like it. Looks like PO4 is really .14 or so, way up there. Colors look a little pale, I guess, but nothing major.

[markalot]

Decided to turn BP reactor back on but bleh, rotten water. Flushed 10 or so gallons through it and out to do a water change. Measured the PO4 on the last bucket of flush water and it's only .09 compared to .15 in the tank. Youza. Running just a trickle on the output so I don't drop things too fast. Obviously the GFO in the all-in-one was in fact keeping PO4 low.

[markalot]

Broke out the Hanna ULR and got 45 or .137 so I'll call it .14 PO4

[glaukos]

Great pics mark,that bird will be ball sized soon enough buddy

Bubble algea is completely gone now?

[markalot]

Originally Posted by glaukos

Great pics mark,that bird will be ball sized soon enough buddy

Bubble algea is completely gone now?

Thanks Mike!

No, but the Foxface gets all the stuff he can reach.

[nemodan]

Originally Posted by markalot

Broke out the Hanna ULR and got 45 or .137 so I'll call it .14 PO4

Mark.... Are you happy with that value ? You had a smile there.

Or I am missing something..... As always

Daniel

[markalot]

Originally Posted by nemodan

Mark.... Are you happy with that value ? You had a smile there.

Or I am missing something..... As always

Daniel

Hi Daniel,

Happier than with it at < 0.03, but I'd rather it be .06 - .08.