125 Gal

Update on the frags...

 

update on the frags (cont)

 

Everyone's Favorite:

 

Assessment...Assistance Requested....

Now that the tank is closing in on a year old, the cerith snails and hermit crabs have begun to dwindle. Overall, the condition of the tank is excellent.

This system has grown into a mixed reef system. Heavy on the fish, several soft corals, and a few SPS frags. The fish have been fed “daily” which seems to reduce their aggressiveness.

However, if you look in the background of images 1604 and 1609 at the following location: http://www.3reef.com/forums/show-off-your-fish-tanks/125-gal-50658-8.html#post979393 you will see a fine brown "algae" beginning to cover the rock work. It started up in the rock. But, more and more, this has progressed across the rock and now on to some of the “hard” section of the sand bed.

I have moved cerith, turbo, & nerite snails to the rocks along with some of the remaining hermits. So far, the Lawn mower blenny, Powder blue tang, and other herbivores do not graze on these areas, as well, we have not seen the green emerald or porcelain crabs do so.

While in the refugium, the Chaeto, Red Gracilaria, and “other” macro algae continue to grow well. I have removed the GFO and did add sulfur to the internal chamber of the CDN.

There is ~300 lbs of rock work between the DT/Sump/Refugium as well as 200 lbs of Carib Sea Special Grade Sand bed.

As for the tank’s parameters: (Salfiert Test Kit, calibrated pH probe on RKE)
Alk varies between ~9.6 and 10.4
pH cycles ~0.1 unites over a 24 hr period in the range of 7.8 to 8.0
Over time, NO3 cycles between 0.5 and 15 PPM
While PO4 cycles between 0.00 and 2 PPM (Hanna Checker)
NH4 and NO2 have been “0” for a very long time.

In the way of macro algae, there is little else for the CUC to graze upon.

So, the question, is this just a "phase" of the tank or something that needs to be addressed?

 

Bump, any ideas or help?

 

Ur feeding too much

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

 

You know, I cannot seem to convince the wife of that.... :-/

That has been my opinion as well, thanks.

 

Yes I agree. With all the algaes you have I would think the phosphate level would be more around .05 ppm. And I would like to see the pH top out at somewhere between 8.2 and 8.4 at the end of the photoperiod since you are keeping some sps. Hard to do with large fish I know, but if you cut back on the feedings it may slowly come up.

As far as the cuc, I keep some snails for cleaning up the glass, no hermits any longer and a huge bristle worms that has done a better job of cleaning up than a mean hermit ever did.

 

I'd not thought about the bristle worms cleaning as well as (or better than) hermits do. I'll have to re-address that with the wife... she HATES them so much, she is driven to eracating them from the tank (when she discovers some).

It is interesting that pH has been hanging as low as it is. I have been running the Ca reactor at a pH of ~6 with ~30cc/hr feed flowing through it. Over the last 2 weeks, I have increased the feed flow to something > 50 cc/hr (likely in the neighborhood of 70 cc/hr) and continue to maintain the reaction chamber at a pH of ~6. Ca has been increasing and is ~440 ppm with Alk holding around 9.8.

The Mg level is between 1100 and 1200 ppm. So, I'll add BRS Mg based on the recipe for Mg use with Ca Reactors until I get back to the neighborhood of 1400 ppm.

Beyond working with the Ca Reactor flow and Mg level the only real opiton to increase pH would be to add a calk reactor to the system. There are other buffers, but their effect seems to be short term, at best.

Thank you,
Joe

 

Kalk would help you get rid of CO2 in the tank. The one Tangster made me was one I ran all my makeup water through for ATO. Helped keep the pH up in the water column good. Plus I didn't have to run the Ca Reactor so hard to keep up with the Ca intake of the tank. I have it sitting in the closet waiting to sell if your interested in it. I can try and get some pics to you.