Biocube 32

[ReyDeFarts]

I have an un-setup system with 3 (yes 3) membranes

that may be overkill and also may not work as efficiently as you might think if you're not able to maintain a good constant pressure for each membrane. I would consider 2 at most if you insist on it. Should be shooting for that 70-80psi constant pressure.

and 3 clear cups, trying to decide if i should get the expansion 2 more DI canister cups for $30

Yes! Go with 3 DI canisters. You will have cleaner TDS for much longer. Your first two will get smoked fairly quickly, buy that 3rd one last significantly longer. I'm using cation and anion in my first two and mixed bed in the 3rd.

I would also consider adding an additional method to flush the freshly made RO before your first DI canister. Just to eliminate the inevitable high TDS that will get through during startup and even after an initial system flush. Doesn't take long but it will extend the life of your resin.

 

[tribbitt]

that may be overkill and also may not work as efficiently as you might think if you're not able to maintain a good constant pressure for each membrane. I would consider 2 at most if you insist on it. Should be shooting for that 70-80psi constant pressure.

Yes! Go with 3 DI canisters. You will have cleaner TDS for much longer. Your first two will get smoked fairly quickly, buy that 3rd one last significantly longer. I'm using cation and anion in my first two and mixed bed in the 3rd.

I would also consider adding an additional method to flush the freshly made RO before your first DI canister. Just to eliminate the inevitable high TDS that will get through during startup and even after an initial system flush. Doesn't take long but it will extend the life of your resin.

The system i got has 2 membranes + the one from RO buddy (which is a standard canister and takes standard membrane). I can just discard one or put in box until a booster pump one day or something

 

[MichaelB]

Latest testing update
08/22/2024

Tested after water change
Daily dosing increased to 10mil afr
(* will try to back down to 8-9 mil daily following thesw results)

Alk 9.2 - hanna
Calc 431 - hanna
Mag 1050 - salifert
Po4 0.26 - hanna

08/22/2024
Corrective dose ESV B-ionic Mag

Recommended dose from reef calcaulator to raise Mag from 1050 - 1325
825mil,27.8 fl oz., 165 Tsp

Amount actually dosed: 200 mil
(As a precaution I divided the total sugguested amount by 4.)

08/23/2024
Mag 1170 - salifert

**Maximum recommend daily dose not to exceed 100mil difference per day.**

My overnight change reflects 120mil difference. - I will dose slightly less for the next adjustment.
(I suspect I'm still within the safe range due to estimates I made interpreting the test chart)

Overall Thoughts:
I'm very pleased with the above ranges excluding the magnesium. (It still shows a downwards trend)

I'm not chasing specific numbers just aiming to stay within idle ranges.

I'm hoping that if I finally get mag into ideal range 1300-1400 it'll be easier to hold alk and calc stable long term as well. However If the result was 1250, I wouldn't be trying to adjust anything either.

 

[MichaelB]

Sps growth comparsion
July:

A few of the orginal sps were lost months back when my dosing routine was breifly paused causing levels to get out of range for a few weeks.

Walt disney top left, top right pc rainbow, bottom also pc rainbow
Now:

Top far left yellow tips, top far right unknown acro colony.

Left to right pc rainbow, cali cali tort, vivid confetti nub, and green slimer

There is noticble growth difference from than to now.

Green slimer (right) and cali cali tort(left) are getting very close to the base of each other as they continue to encrust. (In fairness something I was warned about.) The bad thing is they were both removed from frag plugs and are encrusting directly the rock structure.)

I'm not sure how to but, I would prefer to move the green slimer and not the cali cali. I will possibly remove the Gorgonian and shifting slimer that direction but on a plug or smaller tile plate so it's easier to move in the future.

I'm open to suggestions how to move it with minimum damage to it before they actual touch and one suffers from it?

 

[Darkxerox]

Either let them fight it out or use bone cutters to remove one and put that in your larger tank. Problem with small tanks is that you really can't let more than a handful of corals grow out before they touch.

 

[MichaelB]

Either let them fight it out or use bone cutters to remove one and put that in your larger tank. Problem with small tanks is that you really can't let more than a handful of corals grow out before they touch.

I agree with size limitations of the tank, moving just over half of the euphyllia to
65 has opened up a more space.

The 65 has entered the diatom phase as of 2 days ago. I wanna move my maroon clowns and more euphyllia/nems to bigger tank but not before ugly stage starts to fade, and i'm able to stock the other fish in it as well. The maroons also won't let me mount anything new on the rock structure in this tank.

They are my favorite fish, and favorite hammers hence my nervousness to move them. I wanna ensure the 65 is running seemlessly first i'd be very sad if something happened to them.

My initial thought just cut it at base.
Your response leaves me to assume there is no way to like scrap it up with razor blade or something similar to attempt to save the bulk of encrusting portion of the green slimer?

 

[Darkxerox]

It probably will crumble on all of the parts that encrusted. Not worth trying to grab any bits left behind since they usually get burned by the super glue.

I honestly would keep a tank that's only the maroons and nems so you don't have to worry about the nems killing your corals.

 

[MichaelB]

It probably will crumble on all of the parts that encrusted. Not worth trying to grab any bits left behind since they usually get burned by the super glue.

I honestly would keep a tank that's only the maroons and nems so you don't have to worry about the nems killing your corals.

The Maroons are to big for the current tank. I have another pair of clowns I will add to this one once I swap them out. If the nems ever become a problem, I'll get rid of them and pass them on. If the nems move it's much easier for me to move corals around in the 65. This tank I can't currently move anything with it's limited space and large center rock structure. Nems have been on their own rock structure and haven't moved since I had them. So it's currently easy for me to take out the nem structure.

Thanks, for the clarification; I figured as much on the encrusting portion. I was just being hopeful there was a way.

 

[MichaelB]

Livestock update:

I shifted larger maroon clowns to the 65 tank, 2.5 weeks ago. I have replaced them with 2 small golden nugget maroons.

Male

Female

So far they have each have claimed their spots in the tank. I don't think they have actually paired up but they tolerate each other.

The tank boss is very odd, the xl banghi cardinal is dominant fish now after moving the large maroons out.

The Female golden nugget will be a terror giving time, as she's already showing the other fish her evil side at times.

Of my larger maroons clowns the smaller male was the evil one, and the female a gentle giant (5 inch) clown.

 

[MichaelB]

I Tested this tank for first time in a few weeks.
10/13/24

Alk 10.8
Po4 Lr hanna 0.19
Calc hanna 457
Magnesium salifert 1365

Overall all sps is growing well. Even the frags I'm holding to bring to the swap are showing minor new growth color rings on the tips.
I'm finally starting to feel like I'm starting to get the dosing dialed in on this tank and numbers have been holding more steady. I will slightly back off on afr dosing amount- I had increased it slightly when i added all the sps for the club to the tank assuming it would get used up faster than before.

 

[MichaelB]

Testing results.
11/03/24

Ph 8.25
Calc hanna 517
P04 hanna (LR) 0.13
Alk hanna 8.0
Magnesium salifert 1230
N03

 

[MichaelB]

So I took advice and moved all the hammers back to the main tank from the 65gallon.

They were looking horrible and suffered in that tank for a few months with no real improvement. The worst part is I've never lost a single head of a hammer in the previous 3 years I kept them.

In the 65 I lost 3 entire 2 head hammer frags, and 3 other single heads on some of my mini colonies in the last 2 weeks. Hopefully they perk back up quickly now they are home again. They are in very bad shape from being in the 65gallon tank. I'm really hoping I don't loose any more heads.

Thw only downside is the 5/6 frag racks are now back in my main tank.

 

[MichaelB]

Testing update in addition a sps problem again. Not overly worried just not sure what’s happening.

Many of the newer sps frags less than 4 months old have basically died. They Started colorful than went down hill after a month. For clarification only talking about 6 frags or so in total. The older sps in my tank is still doing ok and colorful.
My numbers for the most part have been fairly stable for several months now.


***I'm strongly considering a icp test. I would appreciate recommendations on which is best bang for buck including accuracy?

***I've never done a icp so would appreciate a specific search term, or link to the test type to ensure I pick out the right one?

I'm thinking icp because I can't figure a obvious issue at this point. Some sps is doing great others aren't. The Lps and softies are doing great as well.

Below are last few tests for trends.

11/17/24
Alk hanna 8.9
Alk salifert 9.6
Mag salifert 1185
Calc salifert 350
Hanna Calc 400
Po4 ulr hanna 0.33
Po3 hr hanna 21.7
11/19/24
Calc salifert 410
Alk hanna 8.4
Mag salifert 1380
12/4/24
Salinity hanna checker .025
Alk hanna 8.3
Po4 hanna ulr .6
Nitrate hanna hr 3.1
Magnesium salifert 1320
Calc salifert 390

 

[Darkxerox]

Any pests like AEFW or predation by fish/crabs?

 

[MichaelB]

Any pests like AEFW or predation by fish/crabs?

I've dipped multiple corals on two occasions didn't see any worms. No fish that would pick at coral in this tank.

2 golden nugget marrons
1 six line
1 Pajama Cardinal

3-4,peppermint shrimp Supposed to be in the tank have only seen 1 once since putting them in.

1dozen+ red and blue leg hermits
2 emerald crabs
2 Turbos, 6-8 Trochus + tiny babies, 4 Bubble bees, 2 Nassarius, a few stomatella snails, 4 astera snails.

Thats my entire creature list to my knowledge nothing that I think would target sps.

 

[Srt4eric]

Testing update in addition a sps problem again. Not overly worried just not sure what’s happening.

Many of the newer sps frags less than 4 months old have basically died. They Started colorful than went down hill after a month. For clarification only talking about 6 frags or so in total. The older sps in my tank is still doing ok and colorful.
My numbers for the most part have been fairly stable for several months now.


***I'm strongly considering a icp test. I would appreciate recommendations on which is best bang for buck including accuracy?

***I've never done a icp so would appreciate a specific search term, or link to the test type to ensure I pick out the right one?

I'm thinking icp because I can't figure a obvious issue at this point. Some sps is doing great others aren't. The Lps and softies are doing great as well.

Below are last few tests for trends.

11/17/24
Alk hanna 8.9
Alk salifert 9.6
Mag salifert 1185
Calc salifert 350
Hanna Calc 400
Po4 ulr hanna 0.33
Po3 hr hanna 21.7
11/19/24
Calc salifert 410
Alk hanna 8.4
Mag salifert 1380
12/4/24
Salinity hanna checker .025
Alk hanna 8.3
Po4 hanna ulr .6
Nitrate hanna hr 3.1
Magnesium salifert 1320
Calc salifert 390

I have a triton-icp test in my garage you can have.

 

[MichaelB]

I have a triton-icp test in my garage you can have.

I would really appreciate that. I have a meeting tomorrow evening, but so far I'm free Friday after work and most of Saturday so far. Just let me know when ever works for you.