Jason's 370G Tank

As I've learned over the years it is never your equipment or your supplements or your live stocks fault things go bad. It's always your fault. it is always the action or lack of actions that lead your tank to disaster. In my case I really should have known better than to make so many changes so fast.

I had intended to get out of Zeovit, not because I feel Zeo is a bad product, quite the opposite, I wanted to explore how my tank would do with out the ultra low nutrients. Over the Last 3 years I had developed some theories relating to Zeovit and I wanted some confirmation to those theories by not running the tank with Zeo. Any how things seem to be on the mend. I now spend my evenings clipping tips off SPS and throwing 12X12 inch colonies in the sump.

J

 

This is absolutely, positively the best advice that you can offer for anyone who is in this hobby. I'm really sorry that you had to re-learn this the hard way Do you think that ANY of the effected corals will recover?

 

I feel your pain brother, It sucks to lose a bunch of high end and dollar corals . And on a side note I have been rethinking the issue of low nutrients myself .. I am starting to allow my NO3's and PO4 to creep up detuned the coil denitrater and used less ferric Oxide and slowed the flow to allow the PO4 to get to about maybe 1ppm or less and in the last month with this new replacement tank I am seeing far bettor looking corals and colorations .. Cut the skimmer back also to a super dry foam redox drooped from 400 to a solid 350 or so depending on time of day. I actually added a little sodium phosphate to the system to bump the PO4 up a tad .
Algae is nill and I have had all the lettuce Nudibrancs to lay eggs and now I have millions of them .. But what I have noticed the most is fish and coral colors .. have really been popping out ..

What put me in mind of this was deciding on maybe setting up this as a plenum system But time was a factor and I went bare bottom almost pure Berlin and thats a sterile system almost with very very Low DOC's and I recalled the colors where never that rich in the Berlin and with a DSB and Plenum I had far better coloration and polyp extensions and far better growth rates . But terribly low Redox levels . So I decide to split the difference and walk the center line with this set up.. we'll see . Sorry for your tanks issues but you'll win I'm sure .

 

Ya I think a lot will. But there are a few that just make me sick. Like my Real Purple Monster. I haven't taken it out of the tank but it's been gone for about a week. Long story of recovery on that one. Also a couple of LE pieces that some how made there way to Canada and then I was able to get very small cuttings of have now found there way into the trash. it's been a tough coule of weeks but I haven't lost anything else in about a week

J

 

Tangster, I just keep hearing your voice in my head warning me to be very careful with the dosing pump and don't let my levels get away on me.

Exactly what my thoughts where with the nutrients and why I wanted to try my tank zeovit free. I will likely put together a refugium and run some GFO but aside from that let the nutrients sit at acceptable levels.

J

 

I actually try and keep my NO3 up on most of my tanks, PO4 I try and keep at 0 but NO3 I usually have 30-50ppm and I dont sweat it, really unless you have some super touchy species under 100 is acceptable in my mind, I know my bta and LPS' love it

 

Jason only reason I say anything to anyone is because I have made every mistake there is then repeated it to make sure I screwed up Hey I have access to the Original Tyree purple monster I have had it for ? close to 18 yrs now got it back in 94 or their abouts I lost a huge colony of it here to the bryposis last yr and a Hurricane in Va wiped out me entire tank before I installed the Nat. Gas whole house generator , But I gave some nice sized off springs to 2 buddies in Va so not to have all the eggs in my one basket and I also have some of the real purple haze I think the designer name is purple Montie Cap with the orange rim I lost but friend's still have it I lost that to the Nudie's 2 yrs ago.. So I'll be more then willing to send you some of them when you get ready..

 

Hope things settle down for you..... I love how you stated that it's not the equipments fault....could not be more true with most problems in this hobby.

 

Jason, I'm so sorry to hear that you're having problems. If theres anything I can possibly help with please let me know.

I'm very interested, however, in seeing your tank progress without zeo. What changes happen over the next few months and whether they're good or bad compared to zeo. Perhaps we'll have to do a TOTM revisit in a year or so?

 

jason - i'm new around here and to marine tanks, but i've learned alot from 3reef. thanks for taking the time to talk about the trouble you're having - it's a lesson for us all. i hope to see things turn around for you soon.

what do you think was the root problem?