Russter's 20 gal Reef - Page 6

Russter · 08/14/2011, 02:31 PM

Quick little video. Tank is doing well and corals are growing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD3oifQ9dzk&hd=1

Params:
Temp: 80.0 F
pH: 8.17
Calcium: 422
Magnesium: 1300
Alkalinity: 422
Salinity: 1.026

I am really liking the new Hanna Calcium Checker. Seems to be accurate and is so much easier for me to use (I'm red/green colour-blind). I already have Alkalinity Checker, Phosphorus Checker is in the mail and hopefully Magnesium Checker comes out soon.

Russter · 08/19/2011, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chickentang

nice looking rock work

Thanks chickentang. I like a little bit of an open look as opposed to some of the rock walls you see. I tried to have lots of caves and openings.

Hanna Phosphate (not phosphorus as I wrote above) Checker arrived today to add to my collection of photometers. I did two tests to see how it works and both came in at 0.01 ppm. No more trying to guess when the colour changes.

Russter · 08/24/2011, 06:23 AM

Here`s an attempt at some macro shots.

Russter · 09/12/2011, 08:42 PM

As my tank approaches the one year mark in a couple of days, I thought I would update everyone on some of the goings on. I have removed all traces of the pulsing xenia from my display tank. It has been regulated to the sump. I just found it took up too much real estate and was growing so fast that I couldn't keep up with it. I put a new piece of Marco Rock in its place and have a couple of new SPS frags from Reliable Reef attached to it. I think it will look great once it colors up with some coraline algae.

Stylophora pistillata

Acropora prostrata

Acropora tenuis

I have also recently won $500 from a Reef Central contest put on by the gracious Nineball in his Large Reef Tank thread. I have decided to purchase another Neptune Energy Bar 8, but am unsure of what the spend the remainder on. Possibly a calcium reactor (I already dose two part and it seems to be working well), ozone generator (is it really worth it and safe?) or a bio-pellet reactor (phosphates and nitrates are already low with my small bioload)? Or perhaps something else (don't need new lights or another vortech)?

Russter · 10/02/2011, 07:13 PM

The green and yellow birdsnest and the prostrata all had a massive RTN over the last couple of weeks. After I had added the last couple of corals, my alkalinity and calcium dropped way off and I had some trouble dialing it in again. I think this is probably what caused the RTN. I had to do a massive pruning of dead areas and they are just starting to look better again. Hopefully they will recover from this and start to grow again. None of the other corals seemed affected.

This is my favorite coral in the tank. I love the colour of it.

Just picked up this Superman digi. It was a little browned out but is starting to colour up.

Russter · 10/13/2011, 05:54 PM

I finally got around to setting the white balance on my camera. Very little post processing on these images.

Russter · 10/23/2011, 10:21 PM

Video of my tank at just over 1 year old

Russter · 11/27/2011, 02:45 PM

Plumbed a new 20 gal tank into the system to be used as a frag tank. Drilled it and put it on top of the sump using my old T5 lights. Total system water volume is around 65 gallons now.

Everything seems very stable in the tank again and corals are showing some good growth.

pH: 8.25-8.33
Cal: 460-490 ppm
Alk: 9 DKH
Phos: 0.04 ppm
Nitr: 0.00 ppm
Mag: 1300 ppm
Sal: 35 ppt

Russter · 11/27/2011, 02:59 PM

________________________________Oct 2, 2011___________________________________________________________________________Nov 27,2011__________________________________

JasonBJones · 11/27/2011, 05:25 PM

Tank is looking really good.

cherubfish pair · 11/27/2011, 07:11 PM

Russter,

How long after you first setup your tank did it take for the coralline algae to grow?

Russter · 11/27/2011, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cherubfish pair

Russter,

How long after you first setup your tank did it take for the coralline algae to grow?

Probably around 5-6 months. I had some established live rock from my other tank that had some on it already. That helped seed the other rock and the glass.

cdrewferd · 11/28/2011, 01:33 PM

Great looking tank.

Russter · 11/28/2011, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JasonBJones

Tank is looking really good.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cdrewferd

Great looking tank.

Thank you very much

iben07 · 11/29/2011, 08:50 PM

all that equipment for a 20 gallon lol im impressed

thejerzboi · 11/29/2011, 09:38 PM

this is such an awesome tank and very impressed with how much equipment is being used. Your corals look great, def will be using your thread as a guide for my new tank = D

Russter · 11/30/2011, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iben07

all that equipment for a 20 gallon lol im impressed

Quote:

Originally Posted by thejerzboi

this is such an awesome tank and very impressed with how much equipment is being used. Your corals look great, def will be using your thread as a guide for my new tank = D

Thanks! Just building up equipment for the inevitable tank upgrade.

thejerzboi · 12/01/2011, 07:43 PM

nice, what size tank are you looking to upgrade towards?

Russter · 12/02/2011, 05:15 AM

70-90 gals. Not going to do it for a couple of years yet, but I figured why buy equipment twice.

Russter · 12/23/2011, 06:20 PM

Happy Festivus!

Russter · 12/26/2011, 05:45 PM

Merry Christmas! I got a new HD camcorder for Christmas so what better way to test it out than on my tank. Make sure you watch in 1080p.

Russter · 01/01/2012, 08:32 PM

Happy New Year!

Russter · 02/12/2012, 06:56 AM

I have been battling some gelidium algae for the last little while. I have raised the magnesium levels and that seemed to at least slow it down a bit but it is very stubborn. So I purchased a bio-pellet reactor. I got the SWC UR-80 Bio-Pellet Reactor and it is being powered by a King 400 (by Resun) water pump. The media I am using is the SWC Xtreme NP Reduction Bio media. They recommend 250 ml of pellets so I started off the 125 ml. Here is a video of it in action.

helitaiwan963 · 02/13/2012, 09:29 AM

Hey, Awesome 20H build! I just added CUC to mine. I was wondering how you liked that original t5ho fixture you had? Was growth pretty decent? Even with SPS? This 20H is my college apartment "for fun" tank (my pride and joy is a 75gal back home in chicago), so i wanna keep costs low as possible. I'm wondering if that light is any good, or should i look for something else.

gmate · 02/13/2012, 09:56 AM

Looks great Russter. Sorry to hear about your birdsnest RTN, has it made a nice comeback yet? It's been probably four months, I'd love to see a progress shot on that coral,

Glenn

08/14/2011, 02:31 PM	#126
Russter Northern Reefer Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada Posts: 568	Quick little video. Tank is doing well and corals are growing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD3oifQ9dzk&hd=1 Params: Temp: 80.0 F pH: 8.17 Calcium: 422 Magnesium: 1300 Alkalinity: 422 Salinity: 1.026 I am really liking the new Hanna Calcium Checker. Seems to be accurate and is so much easier for me to use (I'm red/green colour-blind). I already have Alkalinity Checker, Phosphorus Checker is in the mail and hopefully Magnesium Checker comes out soon. __________________ - Russ Current Tank Info: 20 gal mixed reef (34 gal cube in progress) Last edited by Russter; 08/14/2011 at 02:36 PM. Reason: Video link not working

08/24/2011, 06:23 AM	#128
Russter Northern Reefer Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada Posts: 568	Here`s an attempt at some macro shots. __________________ - Russ Current Tank Info: 20 gal mixed reef (34 gal cube in progress)

09/12/2011, 08:42 PM	#129
Russter Northern Reefer Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada Posts: 568	As my tank approaches the one year mark in a couple of days, I thought I would update everyone on some of the goings on. I have removed all traces of the pulsing xenia from my display tank. It has been regulated to the sump. I just found it took up too much real estate and was growing so fast that I couldn't keep up with it. I put a new piece of Marco Rock in its place and have a couple of new SPS frags from Reliable Reef attached to it. I think it will look great once it colors up with some coraline algae. Stylophora pistillata Acropora prostrata Acropora tenuis I have also recently won $500 from a Reef Central contest put on by the gracious Nineball in his Large Reef Tank thread. I have decided to purchase another Neptune Energy Bar 8, but am unsure of what the spend the remainder on. Possibly a calcium reactor (I already dose two part and it seems to be working well), ozone generator (is it really worth it and safe?) or a bio-pellet reactor (phosphates and nitrates are already low with my small bioload)? Or perhaps something else (don't need new lights or another vortech)? __________________ - Russ Current Tank Info: 20 gal mixed reef (34 gal cube in progress)

10/02/2011, 07:13 PM	#130
Russter Northern Reefer Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada Posts: 568	The green and yellow birdsnest and the prostrata all had a massive RTN over the last couple of weeks. After I had added the last couple of corals, my alkalinity and calcium dropped way off and I had some trouble dialing it in again. I think this is probably what caused the RTN. I had to do a massive pruning of dead areas and they are just starting to look better again. Hopefully they will recover from this and start to grow again. None of the other corals seemed affected. This is my favorite coral in the tank. I love the colour of it. Just picked up this Superman digi. It was a little browned out but is starting to colour up. __________________ - Russ Current Tank Info: 20 gal mixed reef (34 gal cube in progress)

10/13/2011, 05:54 PM	#131
Russter Northern Reefer Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada Posts: 568	I finally got around to setting the white balance on my camera. Very little post processing on these images. __________________ - Russ Current Tank Info: 20 gal mixed reef (34 gal cube in progress)

10/23/2011, 10:21 PM	#132
Russter Northern Reefer Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada Posts: 568	Video of my tank at just over 1 year old __________________ - Russ Current Tank Info: 20 gal mixed reef (34 gal cube in progress)

11/27/2011, 02:45 PM	#133
Russter Northern Reefer Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada Posts: 568	Plumbed a new 20 gal tank into the system to be used as a frag tank. Drilled it and put it on top of the sump using my old T5 lights. Total system water volume is around 65 gallons now. Everything seems very stable in the tank again and corals are showing some good growth. pH: 8.25-8.33 Cal: 460-490 ppm Alk: 9 DKH Phos: 0.04 ppm Nitr: 0.00 ppm Mag: 1300 ppm Sal: 35 ppt __________________ - Russ Current Tank Info: 20 gal mixed reef (34 gal cube in progress)

11/27/2011, 02:59 PM	#134
Russter Northern Reefer Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada Posts: 568	Growth Shots ________________________________Oct 2, 2011___________________________________________________________________________Nov 27,2011__________________________________ __________________ - Russ Current Tank Info: 20 gal mixed reef (34 gal cube in progress)

11/27/2011, 05:25 PM	#135
JasonBJones Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 511	Tank is looking really good.

11/27/2011, 07:11 PM	#136
cherubfish pair Sasquatch hunter Join Date: May 2004 Location: MONTANA - - Big Sky Country Posts: 6,100 Blog Entries: 1	Russter, How long after you first setup your tank did it take for the coralline algae to grow? __________________ Are we having fun yet? Are we having fun yet? Are we having fun yet? I'm a card-carrying member of the Weekend Water-changing Warriors! Current Tank Info: Nano -> 50G in a health food store. (upgrade)

11/28/2011, 01:33 PM	#138
cdrewferd Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 242	Great looking tank.

11/29/2011, 08:50 PM	#140
iben07 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 5	all that equipment for a 20 gallon lol im impressed

11/29/2011, 09:38 PM	#141
thejerzboi Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: pine level, nc Posts: 53	this is such an awesome tank and very impressed with how much equipment is being used. Your corals look great, def will be using your thread as a guide for my new tank = D

12/01/2011, 07:43 PM	#143
thejerzboi Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: pine level, nc Posts: 53	nice, what size tank are you looking to upgrade towards?

12/02/2011, 05:15 AM	#144
Russter Northern Reefer Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada Posts: 568	70-90 gals. Not going to do it for a couple of years yet, but I figured why buy equipment twice. __________________ - Russ Current Tank Info: 20 gal mixed reef (34 gal cube in progress)

12/23/2011, 06:20 PM	#145
Russter Northern Reefer Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada Posts: 568	Happy Festivus! __________________ - Russ Current Tank Info: 20 gal mixed reef (34 gal cube in progress)

12/26/2011, 05:45 PM	#146
Russter Northern Reefer Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada Posts: 568	Merry Christmas! I got a new HD camcorder for Christmas so what better way to test it out than on my tank. Make sure you watch in 1080p. __________________ - Russ Current Tank Info: 20 gal mixed reef (34 gal cube in progress)

01/01/2012, 08:32 PM	#147
Russter Northern Reefer Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada Posts: 568	Happy New Year! __________________ - Russ Current Tank Info: 20 gal mixed reef (34 gal cube in progress)

02/12/2012, 06:56 AM	#148
Russter Northern Reefer Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada Posts: 568	Feb Update I have been battling some gelidium algae for the last little while. I have raised the magnesium levels and that seemed to at least slow it down a bit but it is very stubborn. So I purchased a bio-pellet reactor. I got the SWC UR-80 Bio-Pellet Reactor and it is being powered by a King 400 (by Resun) water pump. The media I am using is the SWC Xtreme NP Reduction Bio media. They recommend 250 ml of pellets so I started off the 125 ml. Here is a video of it in action. __________________ - Russ Current Tank Info: 20 gal mixed reef (34 gal cube in progress)

02/13/2012, 09:29 AM	#149
helitaiwan963 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: NW suburbs of chicago Posts: 840	Hey, Awesome 20H build! I just added CUC to mine. I was wondering how you liked that original t5ho fixture you had? Was growth pretty decent? Even with SPS? This 20H is my college apartment "for fun" tank (my pride and joy is a 75gal back home in chicago), so i wanna keep costs low as possible. I'm wondering if that light is any good, or should i look for something else. __________________ -Eric Tank: 75gallon mixed reef w/ 30gal sump//Asm G3 Protein Skimmer//2x 250w Reef Optix HQI Pendants//2x 110w VHO super actinics// Vortech MP40W and Koralia Evo1400//Quiet one 5000 Return Pump Current Tank Info: 75gal mixed reef build

02/13/2012, 09:56 AM	#150
gmate CTARS Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Ansonia, CT Posts: 1,913	Looks great Russter. Sorry to hear about your birdsnest RTN, has it made a nice comeback yet? It's been probably four months, I'd love to see a progress shot on that coral, Glenn __________________ 72 bowfront

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