evolved's Wrasse & Reef Tank (Old)

Tank looks great. I use the Dr. Tim's products myself and they do great wonders for my tank. Congrats on the tank recovery.

 

Not exactly; the lanthanum cholride is for phosphate control/removal. It bonds with free phosphate and forms lanthanum carbonate (so yes, it does steel a little Alk). This is a stable compound, unless the pH gets very low (low enough you'd have bigger problems in a reef tank). However, it is best to mechanically remove it (skim) from the system, as what build up might do is a debatable topic. I drip it very slowly near the skimmer intake. This is not a new idea by any means; pretty much all the liquid phosphate removers on the market are dilluted lanthanum chloride. In fact, I'm actually using Brightwell's product, although it's never been officially stated to be lanthanum chloride (it is, trust me). You can buy it in a much more pure form, as a pool product called "Sea Klear". However, you'd most definitely need to dilute prior to usage. Using the already diluted Brightwell product, a sane dose for me (120 total gallons) is 5ml. Not much.

As for dosing:
Daily, using BRS Recipe 2:
100ml Ca
80ml Alk
16ml Mg

1-3 times per week:
Brightwell Phosphat-E, ~5ml

Weekly:
Microbacter 7, 2 capfulls

Biweekly:
Dr. Tim's Waste Away, 110ml

Biweekly, the opposite week:
Dr. Tim's EcoBalance, 110ml

And I also feed about a dime-size chunk of Rod's Coral blend once per week, after lights out. Mainly for the LPS.

Thank you. I used "Refresh" in the beginning for 3 doses, then started using "Waste Away". I now use the later every-other week. In the inbetween weeks, I use "Eco Balance". I'm a believer after seeing what it's done for me.

 

I have been using waste away and eco balance for about 6 months now in about equal proportions. I'm definitely a believer. And if you play the purchases right and buy enough you can but at Memorial day, labor day and either black friday or new years and get 25% off and that helps with the price. I'm actually considering putting them on dosers and having them dose each on alternating days.

 

I did a bunch of research due to your thread and found some people dose into their skimmer to maximize the removal of the solids. Sounds really cool.

 

Well, I'm still fighting some issues, namely GHA.

But first, new things/good news.

I'm now running my tank via a full Apex. Using a single EB8, a WXM for the Vortechs (real neat integration btw), and a BoB for float switches. I'm also using an ORP probe, just for monitoring purposes, which has brought to light a potential theory. More on that in a minute.

I've also listened to many voiced opinions on various forums and decided to supplement my LED arrays; with more LEDs. But specifically with more LEDs of different spectra. So I ordered a string of 12 violet diodes on a constant current driver as well as a string of 8 XP-E blues and 6 Luxeon Rebel cyans on a dimmable string. I used 80 deg optics on the blues & violets and sourced some "wide" angle optics for the Luxeon Rebels from a Canadian supplier (which I estimate at 100deg). I went without optics on the cyans for two days before I convinced myself the light bleed was terrible; much better now.

Also in this "new toy" process was integrating the dimmable Meanwell drivers with the Apex. This was successfully achieved with minimal heartburn, so now I have a sunrise/sunset. But also I have precise control over the intensity of the individual strings. I used all 4 variable speed outlets the Apex's base unit; one for the royal blue, one for the blues & cyans, one for the cool whites, and the last for the warm whites. So. Much. Capability.

Come spy on my tank at Reeftronics, if you'd like: evolved's Apex Status - Reeftronics

At some point in the next week or two, I'll start a new thread and outline some more specifics about the new diodes & spectrum along with the integration with the Apex variable speed outlets. I have a nice graph of the lighting schedule.

Now, about that theory I alluded to a minute ago, noting some ORP (and other) observations. I've been fighting GHA for nearly a year now. Yes, a year. For a while there, I had a brown cyano plague too, but I'm please to say I've mostly conquered that one. Onto my theory. I believe I have detritus build up in dead flow areas that have become nutrients sinks, fueling the GHA. I've always run GFO, and I've never caught my PO4 levels higher than 0.04 (via a Hanna), but yet GHA still grows. Lately, I've been aggressively running high capacity GFO, and while the GHA has slowed and turned near-death brown, it still grows. So for the last 10 days or so, I've been using an old evo powerhead to blow off all my rockwork. And oh boy what a %(#^ storm that creates. :X But here's where things get interesting: if I note my ORP data, there's a sizable dip in ORP every time I do this, indicating a notable increase in organics in the water column. If I scrub off any GHA during this storm, ORP really dips. So this got my thinking...

In the first week of July last year (2011) is when I added the 2 MP40s and removed all 4 evo powerheads from my tank. Now, I can't quite recall when the GHA started exactly, but I'm certain it was going quite well come the end of September. Which means somewhere around 2 months after the change in flow is when I believe I began to develop some nutrient sinks.

I don't think I have enough flow in my rock work.

So I'm really considering adding 2 MP10s to the back wall of my tank. I hate to spend the money, but I really believe that will solve the issue of flow through the rock work.

The only other thing that's been troubling me lately, is that I've been having trouble getting new inverts to acclimate to my tank well (of the CuC variety; crabs, snails, urchins, etc). They stay somewhat dormant for 1-3 weeks, eat some HA, then die. My existing ones are alive and well (as well as corals) so some heavy metal toxicity doesn't make sense (although, that's the first place my paranoid brain travels). However, I recently had a thought I found quite interesting on that front, which would fall right into the lack of flow theory. I'm wondering if I have high nitrites/nitrates locally near the substrate/rock surface, which these inverts can't handle since they're not accustomed to it. Of course, it a take a sample from the top of the DT, my test kits tell me these levels are zero. But I can't help but think that local build up of crap wouldn't raise those levels locally. Stirring it up and making ORP drop supports this thought too.

Alright, story telling over. But I'd really appreciate any thoughts my friends here might have.

 

Very nice change to your lights and congrats on setting the Apex to full work mode. Very interesting hypothesis and quite plausible in my mind. Sounds like a form or start of old tank syndrome.

 

Thanks John.

And yes, a bit like that. Which has caused me to consider another route; tank upgrade. I long ago decided the next (and biggest tank I'd want) will be 60x24x24. So really what I have now just deeper and not quite as tall. But putting a new tank in the same spot where your current tank exists isn't an small undertaking, and I'm not sure I want to risk loosing any fish from my collection and the inevitable breaking of some corals.

Decisions, decisions. I'm nearly convinced on doing a couple MP10s for the time being, however.

 

Agree with the possibility of the nutrient sinks causing problems. My vortechs, which I love, seem to also have a couple of dead spots...which I plan to remedy with a closed loop on sea swirls in my new build.

You will love the color additions! It will change your tank. And the controller addition will set your mind at ease...for a little bit at least.

If your battle with the GHA takes a bad turn...I can gladly "hold" your corals for you.

 

Sounds like a slight change to the maintenance routine is in order.

I agree on the replacement issue, but with good planning I think you can minimize and most likely eliminate losses.

 

I hear you, but I really don't know how much more I could do. Or what for that matter.

Bi-weekly water changes of ~22 gallons (~18%); I did weekly WCs for several months a while back with no change in conditions. I siphon out the sump at every water change.

HC GFO changed every 2 weeks. Considering trying the Brightwell Xport-PO4; have read some interesting/positive experiences.

BFS Rox 8 carbon changed monthly.

Skimmer cup cleaned weekly. I also run some poly-fill in a sump baffle downstream of the skimmer; also changed weekly.

My filters are always up to par on my RODI unit; I never let my DI get fully exhausted. I even put in a membrane a few months ago, even though I suspected nothing was wrong with the last one.

Every 2-3 months I fully clean all pumps, powerheads, skimmer, etc.

Every so often when my dosing containers are near empty, I'll make sure they're rinsed out well and clean before I refill them.

I will say, I've been bad about basting/blowing off the rock work on a regular basis up until the recent discovery. I'm definitely guilty there.

I still rinse my frozen food too, despite Randy's thoughts on that. It's rinsed in RODI. I've always made a conscious effort zero tap water enters my system, in any fashion.