Reef nutrition

Rostatos Reefer 450 and Reefer 170

The tank is doing great. Zero ammonia or anything so I think we are in the clear.

My alkalinity dosing went from 80ml in the 250 all the way down to 60ml during the switch to what I assume is pissed off corals and much less coraline algae and baby snails.

The KHG (cannot recommend enough) gives me every 4 hour updates on alk consumption so I have been able to keep alk pretty stable between 7.5 and 8. As of today, I’m back up to 70ml of b ionic.

phosphates are still higher than I want. Around .018. I doubled up my amount of rowaphos. When I first started the tank, I realized that I’d be mostly zero phosphate in the new water, so I only ran like 3 tablespoons of rowa to start. I didn’t want to stop all the po4 out and kill my acros. So a week in, and I’m up to 6tbs, and hopefully that brings me down to .01-.03.

I sold 3 of the 4 bartlet’s anthias when I broke down the tank because my wife thinks they are ugly . I was going to sell all 4, but one hitchhiked inside a rock during the move. No way she is coming out.

The lack on anthias allows me to feed way less. So the AFS is going off once, and I’ve been feeding my mix of everything RN and Rods food twice a day.

We picked up a blue tang, a white tail Kole tang, and 3 fire fish to finish out our fish stock list.

Current fish list
Yellow tang
Blue tang
White tail Kole tang
Marine Betta
2 clowns that bread like no other
royal gramma
neon basslet (oops dottyback)
bartlett anthias
3 firefish
6 line wrasse
yellow+blue damsel (can’t remember genus)
 
Last edited:
Things I’m working on...

Waiting for Amazon to hurry up and deliver my new switchable power strips so I can clean up my huge mess of wires.

Waiting on my new custom ATO container to be built by plastic builders (highly recommended) so that I can clean up the sump area and remove my old container from next to the tank.

Plastic Builders is also making me a custom plate so that I can mount my alge scrubber on top of my sump. I’ve been running the tank without it because I can’t mount it, and I want to get the nitrates back up a little bit. Not being able to install it for 2 weeks works out perfect. I’ve been keeping the algae from the scrubber alive by clamping it to the insideof the display and rotatomg every few days.

I bought a break out box (BOB) from Avast Marine that I’ll solder up. I’m going to use it with float switches inside my new ATO container for 2 things. One, to alert me when to fill it up, and another to shut off the ATO before running the pump dry.

I bought three float switches so I’m sure I’ll find a use for the other.

Also going to use the BOB with a magnetic switch to have it turn on my cabinet lights when I open the door.

Orherwise, I’m due for a water change, so I’ll do that tomorrow or Saturday.
 
Rostato said:
I bought three float switches so I’m sure I’ll find a use for the other.
Click to expand...

Add one in the return compartment to warn you or automatically shut off return when the water level is too low so you don’t run your pump dry. Or add one high in the sump so you’ll know if your ATO just dumped all the contents out of it or your return pump stopped for some reason.
 
RandyC said:
Add one in the return compartment to warn you or automatically shut off return when the water level is too low so you don’t run your pump dry. Or add one high in the sump so you’ll know if your ATO just dumped all the contents out of it or your return pump stopped for some reason.
Click to expand...

I have the float switch on my return pump anyway. Perk of being a varios.

But adding it to the sump as a high level warning is a great idea. I’ll probably do that.

Also added another heating element to the tank. I got a Y splitter and hooked up a 500w and 300w to the Ranco. I’ve noticed that the tank spikes temp a bit more with the Ranco but I’ll deal with that. I think it’s because I have me sensors and heaters in the same chamber.
 
Also took y’alls advice( sort of) and move one gyre to the back and ran vertical and put one mp40 in back wall.

I think this will work much better!
B5D6EE96-CB9D-4025-B665-B53F2346D52D.jpeg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top