Jim's 75

Weekly Maint - Bi-Weekly testing

Decided to change my testing this week. Did the tests before the water change. Results are (goal is in parens):

• Salinity - 1.0265 (1.026)
• Amonia - 0
• Nitirites - 0
• Nitrates - 0
• Phosphates - 0
• Calcium - 420 ppm (420-450)
• Carbonate Hardness (KH) - 6.5dKH - 116.35 ppm KH (7/125.3)
• Temp (last 24 hrs.) 77.9 - 78.3 (78 +- 2)
• PH (last 24 hrs. ) 8.19 - 8.29 Currently 8.21 (8.1-8.2)
• Iodine I2 0.06 (0.06)
• Magnesium Mg 1170 (1280) <- Looks like I'll have to dose for this

 

Ordered first corals

Well the tank will be twelve weeks old this Friday and water parameters have been looking good for a little over a month now.

SOOOO I ordered my first two corals yesterday . I ordered a single head Black Widow Blasto and a WYSWYG Aussie Golden Hammer from wetthumgfrags.net.

Not sure when they will be here yet, but I'm prepared. Got all my dipping solutions and the tank says let me have em. I requested day before shipment notification and they were in stock. Hope to have them by Wednesday.

 

Additonal CUC

Well - what I thought might be the starting of Red Slime was not.

Added 24 more Hermit Crabs (which immediately went to work on the algae build up on the rock). Also added an Emerald Crab and a Turbo Snail.

Hope this works!

 

Great video, Jim. Tank looks great. K+
On the next video get a shot of the equipmment, too.

 

Thanks for dropping by!

 

Nice tank. I like your Tomini tang!

 

thanks for dropping by - Tomini is great looker, but a bit of a bully. Trying to starve my Diamond Goby by keeping it in it's burrow.

 

Well it looks like the Tang finally got my Diamond Goby. I found it half in it's burrow, but no longer alive.

I'm thinking about replacing it with two of the same - just to mess with the Tang. - By the way I REALLY hate bullies

 

Coral time

Well the past month has been really busy in coral addition for me. I have them all in except for two spots which I can't make up my mind about. To date I have added:
Garrett’s Pink Cadillac Acropora (Acropora sp.)
A.R. Montipora Cup (montipora capricornus)
Green Acropora Chesterfieldensis
Blue Tip Nobilis/Formosa (Acropora)
Green Cap Montipora (Montipora capricornus)
M. undata (montipora sp)
FF Pink Lemonade Pocillopora (Pocillopora damicornis)
Pink tipped Stylophora (Stylophora sp.)
Black Widow Blastomussa (Blastomussa Wellsi)
Red & Green Blastomussa (Blastomussa Wellsi)
Blood Red Blastomussa colony
Australian Gold Hammer (Euphyllia ancora)
Orange Green & Orange Ricordea (Ricordea florida)
Green Fiji Pipe Organ
Acropora Millepora
Yellow Scrool Coral (Turbinaria sp.)
Tricolor Echinata (Acanthastrea sp.)
Orange Pavona Maldivensis (Pavo sp.)
Meteor Shower Cyphastrea (Cyphastrea sp.)
Blood Red Eyes Cyphastrea (cyphastrea)
Emerald Inferno Echinophyllia (Echinophyllia sp.)
Bloody Mary Echinophyllia
Oculus Echinophyllia
Halloween Echinophyllia

I'll do Pics and Flick next weekend - Some are still in acclimation.

First thing I have to deal with is Calc/Alk/PH/Mag - They all fell through the bottom this week. I am currently doing daily doses to gradually bring them back up without shocking the tank. Got:

• Calc back to 380
• Alk back to 8
• Ph back to 8.17
• Magnesium back to 1200

I've determined that it would be best to dose the Magnesium with my top off water - Goes through about 3.5 Gallons a week. Did the calculations to raise it to 1300 and added to the water.

I have two 4 Liter drip containers that I bought from Marine Depot - both leak, in the process of trying to contain the leaks. I have fixed one of them, and timing the dispersion of the water at one drop every three seconds. Want to see how far that goes so I know how much to dose.

I will be using Seachem products. Reef Builder & Marine Buffer in one drip container, and Reef Advantage Calcium in the other. The top off water will get Reef Advantage Magnesium.

I'll should have the params up to where I want them using daily dosing this week, and then continue next week with daily dosing to determine the appropriate amounts to use in the drip containers.

Then I should be able to do weekly testing to determine how much to increase the Calc/Alk/Mag as the corals grow. This week was a real shocker - Calc down to 380, Kh down to 89.5/5 Mag down to 1125.

Looks like I'll be doing bi-weekly testing for the next month or so, and adjusting as necessary. Seachem provides formulas for calculating an increase, so once I am finished with the daily dosing, I can use their formulas for the drips.

Been a very busy past two weekends. Dipping is a pain, but from the critters that came off, VERY worthwhile endeavor.

Back next week with Pics and Flick.

 

Still trying to stabilize water parameters

Well - In spite of my dosing, my water parameters are down again.

Salinity - 1.025
Ph - 8.11
Calc - 380
Magnesium - 1155
Alk - 8dKH
Iodine - 0.03

I had calculated and added Magnesium dosing to my top off water, but it doesn't appear to have helped. This may be a result of the other dosing I did, as the amount of top off water used is less than half of what would be normally used.

I calculated and set up a calc drip (yesterday) using Seachem Reef Advantage Calcium which should also maintain both magnesium and strontium.

I was surprised that the Iodine was down. It has been pretty stable at 0.06 in the past. I did a small dose to bring it back up a little. I assume that my weekly water change will also boost it. Perhaps the coral additions are also bringing it down.

I'm beginning to understand the concept of a "mature tank".

Looks like I will continue bi-weekly tests. Guess I should order up another set of test kits.