PharmrJohn's 90g Thread

Testing and Analysis

Parameters before adjustments were

Temp: 82
dKH: 10.5
Ca:450
Mg: 1350

Corals ​

***The Kenya trees are in full extension
***The mushroom leather is in full extension.
***The GSPs are open fully
***My newermushroom rock looks really good.
***My other mushroom rock does not look so good.
***The finger leather is fully extended.
***The bubble coral I have at the bottom of the tank in the sand. It is 30% extended. I am going to figure out a way to move it higher. The skeleton does not lend itself to firm placement
***The chili coral looks OK. I need to clean it off and look at it tonight when it opens up after lights out.
***The turbinaria looks good in the morning and into the late afternoon, then gets tired looking. All in all, it is healthy in the sandbed.
***My open brain is not doing so well. It is losing it's flesh and shrinking into it's shell. I am going to feed it more often as I believe the PCs just aren't going to keep it alive as well as the T5s that are in the near future.
***Both my Zoa rocks are doing great.
***Frogspawn looks great. I have two heads on it now instead of one now. It did not like it's environment a few days ago and shrivelled up for a bit. Otherwise, it is very healthy looking.

All in all the coral population is doing well with the one exception.

Fish​

***Humbug Damsel is not growing but healthy.
***Yellow Damsel is growing and getting fat.
***Yellow-Tail Damsel is not growing but healthy
***Maroon Clown is healthy and growing
***Coral Beauty is not growing but healthy
***Red Coris Wrasse is healthy
***Lawnmower blenny is losing weight. I do not know what to do. He does not accept prepared foods and outwardly looks OK. No spots, no abrasions, nothing that looks like disease. He looks like he is starving. I am at a loss as to what the solution is. If he dies, I will not replace with another blenny. It is clear my tank is not old enough to support this fish.
***Yellow tang is starving. He looked good when I put the coris wrasse in, but I think a competition for food has got the best of him. I will have algae squares in daily as well as the addition of broccoli. I am going to feed only vegetarian frozen squares mixed with garlic. I am going to do this after the wrasse goes down for the night. I need to figure out how to get him plump again. I can make out the line up top to the back of the body and his little ribs. Not good.

So I have two fish that are looking like they have some nutritional issues. One will probably make it. One will probably not.
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Inverts

​

***Sea Apple appears healthy and happy. This is good.
***Condy anenome looks very healthy. I fed it a silverside (monthly feeding) and it took it gladly. It almost got it's tenticles sucked up into the powerhead. I just started to move it and two tenticles went up a bit. Great timing.
***Coral Banded Shrimp has molted enough to grow it's two main pincers back. He is healthy.
***Peppermint Shrimp are nowhere to be seen.
***Sandstar is nowhere to be seen. I do know he is alive. I did see him yesterday for a bit.
***All Snails and HCs are doing well with the exception of the one that died last week. I left the carcus in there. The fish, CBS and large HC ate it up in two days.
***Tube worm looks good. Crown is always open and never picked on by the other inhabitants.
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I am going to do some more testing as I have done a Bicarbonate, Calcium and Magnesium drip. Next post will see results.

 

I am sorry about your blenny John. What types of prepared food have you tried?

 

Formula one and Formula two flake food. Brine shrimp with and without garlic. Emerald feast (veggies) with and without garlic. It is not interested in the algae squares I put in and I never clean two sides of the tank.....so there is much in the way of brown algae slime (the right side and the back). You cannot see the algae coat, but it is there.

 

Hmmm. I feed mysis, fish and reef #2, and mysis/brine with spirulina (all frozen, cube food). He eats all of them. I never really had slime algae but had some hair, turf, and cyano, and he ate all of those. The only other thing I can think of is holding back a little on the phophat-e to actually encourage some algae growth? Finding a happy medium between the eating requirements and aesthetics if that makes any sense?

 

nice work man must have been a PITA!!!!!!

 

Yeah.....a possiblitiy, but I fear the problem started before I found the product. And I want to keep my corals growing at max rate.......You know....I think I am just going to say goodbye to the fella, catch him and take him to the LFS. That might be the thing to do. Bummer. I like that fish, but I won't sit around and watch him die.

 

Testing

After the drips

dKH: 12
Ca: 460
Mg: 1400

Resuming Mg drip. I cleaned out the sponge in the overflow as well as changed out both filter socks. I haven't done a water change in about three weeks now. I am really slowing down on that. I will do a WC tomorrow night if time allows. I have had the water mixed for about three weeks. It is more than ready. Twenty gallons should suffice. I want to decrease my nitrates somewhat as my denitrator has not fully kicked in. I am on week seven of it's curing.

 

I know what you mean. Thats really a bummer dude, I am sorry

 

Testing

End of day testing results compiled.

Temp: 82
SG: 1.026
pH: 8.3
dKH: 12
Ca: 460
Mg: 1400 (after second drip....still. Will retest in AM)

Fed all corals with phytoplankton

 

Testing

Ran a Bicarb and Mg drip tonight

Temp: 80
dKH: 11.5 (after drip)
Ca: 465
Mg:1420 (before drip...will retest tomorrow)

Everything looks good. Tang eating but looks a little more energetic today. Blenny was almost caught yesterday. Will try again tomorrow. It is amazing how fast the coraline grows when the numbers are right. As soon as I righted the Ca and Mg, it took off like wildfire. I am in awe.

My dKH seems to be dropping by about 1 unit per day. My Mg seems to be dropping by about 20 per day. My Ca seems to be dropping by about 5 to 10 per day. It is difficult to tell. I will have to do my testing before I do my bicarb additive. That will give me a good result.