Zach's 120 Gallon Reef Resurgence

[Michael Hoaster]

It's kind of a catch-22 situation, scrubbing the algae, even with filter socks and all the great current you have. Suddenly, what was only on the back wall and gyres, pops up everywhere.

That's good the chaeto is growing. The bigger it gets, the more nutrients it sucks up. When you see signs its growth is slowing, that's a good time to prune and export some. This will prevent it from dumping those nutrients back in.

You're right about tangs. They are a last fish added kind of fish. You'll want to get smaller and more timid fish in before them. Most that I've kept weren't bullies at all. But they barrel around the tank, making everyone else get out of their way. My atlantic blue tang liked to get in the middle of squabbles between my royal grammas, like he was trying to break them up!

I don't know of anyone that has avoided the algae phase. Walter Adey says that this is an important phase that is actually critical for an aquarium's development. As I'm sure you know, in new tanks, all kinds of bacteria are still developing, long after it has cycled. It's all part of the maturation process. So, you'll get through it. Just keep up the good work and research.

[zachxlutz]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

It's kind of a catch-22 situation, scrubbing the algae, even with filter socks and all the great current you have. Suddenly, what was only on the back wall and gyres, pops up everywhere. Well, we certainly don't want that!

That's good the chaeto is growing. The bigger it gets, the more nutrients it sucks up. When you see signs its growth is slowing, that's a good time to prune and export some. This will prevent it from dumping those nutrients back in. Agreed. Sounds good.

You're right about tangs. They are a last fish added kind of fish. You'll want to get smaller and more timid fish in before them. Most that I've kept weren't bullies at all. But they barrel around the tank, making everyone else get out of their way. My atlantic blue tang liked to get in the middle of squabbles between my royal grammas, like he was trying to break them up! Very cool, thanks for confirming my thoughts on the matter.

I don't know of anyone that has avoided the algae phase. Walter Adey says that this is an important phase that is actually critical for an aquarium's development. As I'm sure you know, in new tanks, all kinds of bacteria are still developing, long after it has cycled. It's all part of the maturation process. So, you'll get through it. Just keep up the good work and research. Patience is key! Gonna see how it plays out for a little while before jumping to action. I don't want to wait for it to become a problem though.

[Michael Hoaster]

wazzup?

[zachxlutz]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

wazzup?

Yikes! I can't believe I've let my threads go this long without updating!

Let's see... what have we done since last update.

• 12/16/2016: Began dosing KNO3 (Potassium Nitrate) to keep the NO3 levels around 5. Constantly fiddling with dosage amounts to keep levels where I want them.
  
  
• 12/19/2016: Magnificent Foxface Rabbitfish added to QT - Transferred to tank on 01/11/2017. Made it through QT fine, preventative treatment with PraziPro for 7 days. Such a beautiful addition to the tank.
  
  Here's Mr. Magnificent in QT:
  
  
  I don't have a great shot of him in the tank yet. Time to bust out the DSLR.
  
  
• 12/22/2016: Began dosing Vibrant @ 15ml 1x week. Found a thread on reef(2)reef and read through it in it's entirety and decided to give it a shot. It has tremendously helped with any nuisance algae, it literally just melts away. My skimmer pulls out the nastiest brownest sludge ever now! Really can't recommend this product enough. Glass rarely requires cleaning. I haven't seen any ill effects. I've dosed 6 times over the last 6 weeks now.
  
  
• General Notes: Corals have been growing like wildfire. Coloration and fluorescence still leaves a lot to be desired but i'm hoping that with time, consistent water quality, levels and a little luck they'll all continue growing and coloring up nicely. Fish seem fat and happy, eating frozen foods and dry foods.

01/27/2017 iPhone FTS:


Typical Water Parameters:

• Temperature: 78° F
• Specific Gravity: 1.026
• Ph: 8.1 - 8.3 slight swing between AM/PM
• Alkalinity: 8.3 dKH
• Calcium: 430 ppm
• Magnesium: 1400 ppm
• Nitrate: 1-5 ppm Shooting for 5, tank depletes rapidly. Dosing KNO3 often.
• Phosphate: .02 - .03 ppm. Haven't changed out any GFO since 11/28/2016. Seems to be holding fairly steadily.

Coming soon:

MORE CORAL!
MORE FISH!

[Michael Hoaster]

Thanks for the update, Zach! Fish, coral and tank all look great!

I'll have to check out Vibrant. Sounds like it's working vey well!

[zachxlutz]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

Thanks for the update, Zach! Fish, coral and tank all look great!

I'll have to check out Vibrant. Sounds like it's working vey well!

Thanks! I'm 90% happy. Nothing is dying, growth is great but I just can't get the coloration and fluorescence I'm looking for.

I need to catch up on your thread, as well. I saw you were having some ich troubles last I saw. I'll take a look soon.

Vibrant is an interesting product... bacteria + carbon source. Sounds like the exact opposite kind of product you'd want in your luscious green tank.

[Michael Hoaster]

Yeah, I'm not sure it could benefit my tank. I'm mostly just blown away that you seem to have achieved the holy grail of aquarium keeping - avoiding the algae phase!

[BigDave]

Looks like things are going well for you. The foxface is a pretty fish.

[zachxlutz]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

Yeah, I'm not sure it could benefit my tank. I'm mostly just blown away that you seem to have achieved the holy grail of aquarium keeping - avoiding the algae phase!

Oh, I've got plenty of photos of the uglies rearing their head. Staying on top of water quality plus the dosing of Vibrant have kept the tank looking healthy. I can't believe how much the tank matures from day to day. I spend at LEAST an hour a day analyzing the most minute details of the tank. I'll find myself staring at the same coral for longer than I'd like to admit, sometimes! LOL!

Originally Posted by BigDave

Looks like things are going well for you. The foxface is a pretty fish.

Thanks Dave! The tank is doing great and getting better every day! Your system is looking good too! Can't wait to see some pictures of your livestock.

[zachxlutz]

I took some random video of the tank yesterday and edited it up to a quick little tank tour. I planned on putting the names of all the fish and coral in with the video but realized rather quickly I'd rather put that effort into a video of higher quality. Hope you enjoy!



Be sure to watch in 1080p!

[Michael Hoaster]

Great video!

[zachxlutz]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

Great video!

Thanks... I'd like to make some more... I just need to figure out how to get the colors and lighting better. My DSLR doesn't do autofocus but it does color and light much better. Maybe I'll try one of the girlfriends' blogging cameras and see how it does.

[Michael Hoaster]

I watched a video on how to make a video. He showed how turning down the blue in your lighting helps to get you to more natural looking color.

Vids are fun and a great way to convey the living reality going on in our tanks. We should all do more!

[zachxlutz]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

I watched a video on how to make a video. He showed how turning down the blue in your lighting helps to get you to more natural looking color.

Vids are fun and a great way to convey the living reality going on in our tanks. We should all do more!

They are fun. I enjoyed doing that. Tuning the color for me is all but impossible though... I'm not going to swap out T5 bulbs for a video, lol.

[Michael Hoaster]

Yeah, he had LEDs. He just pulled out his remote and clicked a few buttons.

[zachxlutz]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

Yeah, he had LEDs. He just pulled out his remote and clicked a few buttons.

Not that easy with this old school set up. I'm hoping the blogging camera my gf has will take some better shots.

[nbelohlav]

Beautiful tank. Following along as i have the same size tank.

[Michael Hoaster]

Nothing wrong with old school. I love my metal halide. Your pics are great! Keep them coming!

[zachxlutz]

Originally Posted by nbelohlav

Beautiful tank. Following along as i have the same size tank.

Thanks! Best of luck with yours!

[nbelohlav]

Originally Posted by zachxlutz

Thanks! Best of luck with yours!

Thanks, question for you. What did you pay for your marineland tank and have you had any issuex with it?

[zachxlutz]

Originally Posted by nbelohlav

Thanks, question for you. What did you pay for your marineland tank and have you had any issuex with it?

I haven't had a single issue with it. The glass drilled great and it's been holding water! I got it during the Marineland sales they do through one of my LFS. I don't recall exactly what I paid for it, but it wasn't too bad.

[zachxlutz]

Picked up two new frags today from Atlanta Aquarium. Had my eyes on a few more but I really need to hold off and see how these hold color. I think I've gotten a few of the pale/brown ones looking better, let's see how these ones hold up.

For nuisance pest control I clipped the acro off the frag plug and did a CoralRx dip for 5 minutes, rinsed for 5 minutes, Bayer dip for 15 minutes and then finally two more consecutive 5 minute rinses.

Orange Plate Fungia:



Tyree Blue Matrix Acropora:



I went ahead and glued the acropora in place, high on the rock work, as I think I've done more harm than good by trying to acclimate these higher light demand corals to my lighting. These coral are coming from a highly lit system and I think I'm better off going ahead and getting the sps corals up higher on the rockwork from the get go.

Fingers crossed we keep color!

[zachxlutz]

I pulled this out of my refugium the other day... bubbly, spongy mass. Any ideas on what it is? It was just floating at the water line. ewwwwwww

[Michael Hoaster]

Weird!

Kind of looks like some kind of bacterial biofilm/mass. You might try slicing it open. Could be something dead and decomposing inside.

Or maybe it's a byproduct of some additive. Maybe it's your algae phase, all rolled up in a neat package!

[zachxlutz]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

Weird!

Kind of looks like some kind of bacterial biofilm/mass. You might try slicing it open. Could be something dead and decomposing inside.

Or maybe it's a byproduct of some additive. Maybe it's your algae phase, all rolled up in a neat package!

I think you might be onto something. It's not far fetched to think that it some sort of bacterial buildup due to the Vibrant dosing. Lots of factors in play but I do believe that it could be a byproduct of the nutrient import/export caused by the bacterial additions to the tank.