An addicted reefer chic's 40 breeder build...

[MeanGreenEyes]

Haven't updated in a while because I've been really busy and also because I'm pissed at my tank. I've been having problems with my ato since the morning of the swap. To top it off my aqualifter pump for the ato just stopped working...haven't had time to pick up a replacement so I've been topping off manually in the am and pm.

Since my system goes through 2.5g a day...the salinity has been fluctuating of course. I lost my Ora Scripps acro colony, but only that piece. Every single other piece of coral is doing amazing...setosa, pearlberry, purple tabling acro, garf bonsai, lps, softies and macro algae too. I haven't found any pests in the tank.

Just posting to keep track of my params to figure out a dosing regimen for my tank. Need to get everything automated again asap b/c I don't have time to sit and babysit the tank. Ordered the replacement diaphragm from Amazon Prime so that I can get it within two days. I guess I could hook up a maxijet, but I like the aqualifter's ability to top off in smaller increments since I put kalk in my ato.

Haven't had time to do a water change since 12/31...have some water mixing to do one tonight. Carbon and gfo were changed on the 31st as well. Skimmer is working great. Don't know what else it could be unless it was the fluctuation in salinity, and if it was...why would it only affect that one piece? Don't have any pest algae problems, either.

Out of Nitrate and Phosphate kits...gotta order more. :shhh: So I only tested Cal, Alk and Mg with the Red Sea Pro kits.

RODI TDS: 0
PH: 8.2
Salinity: 1.024
Temp: 78.6
Cal: 455
Alk: 9.2
Mg: 1320

What's the easiest way to figure out my dosing requirements? Specific time of day that is better to test? Right before and/or after water changes? How often should I be testing for this purpose?

Oh and I forgot to mention...I've been dosing kalk in the ato since the ato was set up at 1tsp/gal of ato reservoir...so at half dose. Will I need to stop dosing kalk to figure out requirements? Whenever I start dosing is it ok to continue with the with kalk in the ato?

 

[Paul B]

Oh and I forgot to mention...I've been dosing kalk in the ato since the ato was set up at 1tsp/gal of ato reservoir...so at half dose. Will I need to stop dosing kalk to figure out requirements? Whenever I <NOBR>start</NOBR> dosing is it ok to <NOBR>continue</NOBR> with the with kalk in the ato?

About ten years ago I built a Kalk stirrer and I used to does it every day with my make up water. I had nothing but problems and the tank was never stable until I stopped dosing and went to home made two part calcium which costs about $2.00 a year.
I know many people dose kalk and have no problems so I am in the vast minority. Just reporting on my experience.

 

[MeanGreenEyes]

About ten years ago I built a Kalk stirrer and I used to does it every day with my make up water. I had nothing but problems and the tank was never stable until I stopped dosing and went to home made two part calcium which costs about $2.00 a year.
I know many people dose kalk and have no problems so I am in the vast minority. Just reporting on my experience.

Thanks, Paul. I don't think my issue is the kalk itself. I think my tank responded beautifully to the addition of it...everything looked better starting the day after I added it to the system. Hopefully, the replacement diaphragm will fix my salinity fluctuation issue or I'll have to change pumps. I have tons of ESV 2-part and MG right now, once that's finished I was considering d.i.y. 2 part or BRS's.

My problems started when I added the 20g Brute and got rid of the 5g bucket as my reservoir, because the top of the waterline in the Brute is higher than the waterline in my sump (which sits on the flood under the 40B)...so that created a reverse siphon into my sump right away. I remedied that by putting the output of the ato line into my overflow box, and that's when the aqualifter started giving me sh*t and would work on and off. As of last week...it stopped completely. I haven't seen vast fluctuations in params other than the salinity because of this damn aqualifter. I run my fuge lights 24/7 and my DT lights from are set to a dawn to dusk setting. My PH is always between 8.2/8.3. What exactly were your issues with it?

 

[MeanGreenEyes]

New additions that I bought from Coral Theory for my birthday...

This last acro came with this adorable acro crab...

 

[saltwaterinbrooklyn]

I almost bought that gorg on Friday , great piece and responds really well to reef snow , your taste in corals is great , somehow your gifted with reefing in your blood , only thing is that your parameters are pretty tight , I will only tell you that I had the same issue when I lost my Ato pump as well , things didn't seem right , and I had some loss but it is vital to keep salinity stable , especially with your high end coral choices .

 

[sunny]

Indeed. That is a nice gorgonian. They are becoming my new favoutotes lately.

Here is a pic of my blueberry Gorg.

Sunny

 

[MeanGreenEyes]

Indeed. That is a nice gorgonian. They are becoming my new favoutotes lately.

Here is a pic of my blueberry Gorg.

Sunny

Hey, Sunny! Hope all is well with the tank. I love NPS, I'm actually mixing NPS into the one of the display macro tanks and moved my anemones into that tank as well in case they ever decide to relocate...I don't want them landing on my SPS. Blueberry gorg is definitely on my to buy list as well as a Crimson NPS gorg that another reefer told me about.

 

[saltwaterinbrooklyn]

I had the blueberry an it dwindled away , that's one I couldn't keep !!

 

[sunny]

They like zoa planktons. Get some phtyo also. I feed ocean nutrition phyto feast once a week.

 

[saltwaterinbrooklyn]

I do feed reef snow and I just started to use coral frenzy and now things are looking super happy

 

[MeanGreenEyes]

They like zoa planktons. Get some phtyo also. I feed ocean nutrition phyto feast once a week.

I already have phyto and have some more culturing. I'm also running the Pappone recipe with the continuous feeder...so no need for anything else. The continuous feeder is dual line so one line is for the Pappone and the other is for phyto. The yellow gorg has not retracted it's polyps since I brought it home...except when a fish literally swims through it...so I'm assuming it's loving the feeder.

 

[sunny]

Very cool.

 

[ZephNYC]

Well well well....lookie here.
Gorg looks awesome, and Im well aware of your continuous feeder skills. I have one i made from an old kalk stirrer. I still feel it is important to target feed as much as you can. especially for the really difficult ones.

 

[MeanGreenEyes]

Very cool.

Thanks again, Sunny!

Well well well....lookie here.
Gorg looks awesome, and Im well aware of your continuous feeder skills. I have one i made from an old kalk stirrer. I still feel it is important to target feed as much as you can. especially for the really difficult ones.

Hey Zeph! Thank you! Haven't been on the forums and noticed your Crimson gorg you posted on my thread when I went to update earlier...just mentioned it in my update...holy shizzzz that color is amazing! Please let me know when you frag it/if you frag it...I would love to buy a piece. How's the tanks/clams? Any other new NPS? Haven't been checking threads b/c I've been really busy. Pics of the continuous feeder or it didn't happen. lol

Cell pic of the top macro tank...it's extra blue and of course can't see the color/detail. I have to sit down and play with the camera settings when I have time to try to get some better shots of the system.

Yes, I removed my anemone's from the DT...now if only I could catch those damn clowns to toss into the macro tank...I'd be happy. I don't want to tear the scape apart to do it. I'll catch them or I'll make cat food out of them. lol

 

[ZephNYC]

I will take some pics for you this week. The crimson gorg is awesome and doing realy well. So is the true blue one i showed you a while back. Clams are doing well ( knock on wood). Dendroneptheas have shrunk a bit and that worries me but was expected. I've had them just over 3 months now, but those are really just experimental and I'm trying new stuff just for fun. I dont think anyone has ever kept them more than 1 year, ever - in the history of the world. LOL. Good thing they are super cheap so I will continue to work with them and try new things.
Oh, ummmm...I got banned from NR. I guess I got tired of people thinking they are PROS because theyve had a desktop pico for 6 months. I mean, each his own, I really couldnt care less, but a certain fatKat pissed me off enough to get my mouth started and I got banned. oh well. Hardyyy harrr harrrrr!! I didnt belong there in the frist place. Ive never had a nano in my life.
ciao!!

 

[MeanGreenEyes]

I will take some pics for you this week. The crimson gorg is awesome and doing realy well. So is the true blue one i showed you a while back. Clams are doing well ( knock on wood). Dendroneptheas have shrunk a bit and that worries me but was expected. I've had them just over 3 months now, but those are really just experimental and I'm trying new stuff just for fun. I dont think anyone has ever kept them more than 1 year, ever - in the history of the world. LOL. Good thing they are super cheap so I will continue to work with them and try new things.
Oh, ummmm...I got banned from NR. I guess I got tired of people thinking they are PROS because theyve had a desktop pico for 6 months. I mean, each his own, I really couldnt care less, but a certain fatKat pissed me off enough to get my mouth started and I got banned. oh well. Hardyyy harrr harrrrr!! I didnt belong there in the frist place. Ive never had a nano in my life.
ciao!!

Awesome...can't wait for the pics. Oh yeah...I remember the blue...jealous that you got quite the head start on your NPS collection. Have the dendroneptheas been the only ones that you've had issues with so far?

WTF? Yeah, ummm I don't do internet disputes...I'd much rather cuss someone out to their face much more fun that way...especially since cowards seem to have more balls behind a keyboard. I didn't know...haven't been following. I'm here for the hobby and really don't care whether or not I'm liked or not. Sorry to hear about you and Kat...you guys seemed to be good friends. Too much drama...meangreen has no interest in that shizzzz and definitely don't want to have any part of it...so you're more than welcome on my thread. Really think about it...life is stressful enough...why fight over a hobby we love? Some things just aren't worth it. Especially since when it comes to this hobby nobody agrees on anything down to a tiny grain of sand. My two cents.

Now, pics pretty please! I wanna see the true blue and the clams!

 

[MeanGreenEyes]

New Ora Grube's gorg from Coral Theory...haven't decided it's permanent placement so I just plopped it onto my blue ochtodes for the time being.

Couple other pics...

Purple tabling acro from the swap encrusted onto my overflow...

Rastas

Little island rock...

Continuous feeder setup

Setosa

There's like 3 or 4 baby Yuma's on that rock too...

Not even going to bother fragging the Ora Scripps and green and purple Digi's that STN'd from the A.T.O. B.S. there is a lot of polyp extension on them now so I'm just going to let it grow over and let nature take it's course. All of my birdsnests have a lot of new growth.

I've also decided to setup a "2nd system" which will be around 120/125g in my living room sooner than later for a certain reason. I love the deep blue frag tanks but it's just not big enough for what my fish need long term. Already started discussions with a couple of friend's. Everybody is pushing for a 150/180 but I don't know if I'm comfortable taking the risk in a 6th fl apartment. This may be custom because I want shallow, but not too shallow. I also don't want to have to dive into the tank for regular maintenance so a deep tank isn't an option. It will also end up being Mitras lit...most definitely.

 

[Brando457]

What is that red algae in the last pic and where can I purchase some? SWEET TANK!

 

[MeanGreenEyes]

What is that red algae in the last pic and where can I purchase some? SWEET TANK!

That last pic is of one of the 2 display refugiums/macro tanks plumbed into my system it has a few red macro's which are red grape (botryocladia), red titan (titanophora), dragon's breath (halymenia.) I bought some of my display macros online and some locally. Some of the vendors may have them, but they're seasonal. Or local reefers...I've seen it pop up in the marketplace occasionally. If you can't find anybody locally with it shoot me a pm and I'll send you the website that I ordered some from.

 

[ZephNYC]

Mornin MeanGreen,
I like your Grube's!!! Mine has doubled in size in the couple of months Ive had it. I will show you a pic of my continuous feeder but I actually took it down about a week ago as Ive just been target feeding everything like crazy. I am going to set it up again on a different system soon.