Cali Kid Corals

DeFarts' IM 50gal Lagoon Journey

Recently, I couldn't figure why in the hell my dosing pump would just turn off and have zero power. It's a cheaper Jebao 4 head doser I picked up used from here. Currently only dosing kalk.

I have (had) it hooked up to a smart outlet. I have an automation called "Feed Corals" and it turns off my return pumps and MP10 for 40 minutes and then they come back on. It appears that Google would get confused sometimes, and turn off other random outlets. Either my pronunciation was off or her ears were clogged. This has happened to me on several occasions now. These events have caused massive alk dips and of course my pH gowing low. I don't have a fancy monitoring system for this tank, otherwise I would have caught it much earlier.

So I moved it off the smart outlet and put it on a dedicated constant power supply instead. I also relocated the doser and container to the other side of my stand. Forcing me to take out the clutter of misc stuff and get that into a storage tote. Plan is to get a larger kalk container (again) that the doser can rest on top of. I have no idea if having it in this position will cause problems.
20240623_131505.jpg


Also, a couple recent pics of various eye candy in my tank.
Homophyllia bowerbanki
IMG_20240622_105628_391.jpg

Micromussa rock
lordhowensis and amakusensis
IMG_20240622_003548_483.jpg

Walt Disney and Strawberry Shortcake acros
20240621_214645.jpg

@Darkxerox This is the Oregon Tort from DBTC right?! I didn't actually take it out and dip it later that day. @a.little.hypertonic took care of it so I just wanted to confirm.
DEFINITELY NOT Oregon Tort. Sorry for the confusion.

I found the cup that this piece was in. I actually remember picking it now. This is a WWC Madman Austera Acro (staghorn)! I am not sure who put it on the table. Cup only had the description and two initial WF.
20240621_214416.jpg
 
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ReyDeFarts said:
Recently, I couldn't figure why in the hell my dosing pump would just turn off and have zero power. It's a cheaper Jebao 4 head doser I picked up used from here. Currently only dosing kalk.

I have (had) it hooked up to a smart outlet. I have an automation called "Feed Corals" and it turns off my return pumps and MP10 for 40 minutes and then they come back on. It appears that Google would get confused sometimes, and turn off other random outlets. Either my pronunciation was off or her ears were clogged. This has happened to me on several occasions now. These events have caused massive alk dips and of course my pH gowing low. I don't have a fancy monitoring system for this tank, otherwise I would have caught it much earlier.

So I moved it off the smart outlet and put it on a dedicated constant power supply instead. I also relocated the doser and container to the other side of my stand. Forcing me to take out the clutter of misc stuff and get that into a storage tote. Plan is to get a larger kalk container (again) that the doser can rest on top of. I have no idea if having it in this position will cause problems.
View attachment 57655

Also, a couple recent pics of various eye candy in my tank.
Homophyllia bowerbanki
View attachment 57656
Micromussa rock
lordhowensis and amakusensis
View attachment 57657
Walt Disney and Strawberry Shortcake acros
View attachment 57658
@Darkxerox This is the Oregon Tort from DBTC right?! I didn't actually take it out and dip it later that day. @a.little.hypertonic took care of it so I just wanted to confirm.
View attachment 57659
Click to expand...
Always great looking pics. How large is your current kalk container?
 
ReyDeFarts said:
Recently, I couldn't figure why in the hell my dosing pump would just turn off and have zero power. It's a cheaper Jebao 4 head doser I picked up used from here. Currently only dosing kalk.

I have (had) it hooked up to a smart outlet. I have an automation called "Feed Corals" and it turns off my return pumps and MP10 for 40 minutes and then they come back on. It appears that Google would get confused sometimes, and turn off other random outlets. Either my pronunciation was off or her ears were clogged. This has happened to me on several occasions now. These events have caused massive alk dips and of course my pH gowing low. I don't have a fancy monitoring system for this tank, otherwise I would have caught it much earlier.

So I moved it off the smart outlet and put it on a dedicated constant power supply instead. I also relocated the doser and container to the other side of my stand. Forcing me to take out the clutter of misc stuff and get that into a storage tote. Plan is to get a larger kalk container (again) that the doser can rest on top of. I have no idea if having it in this position will cause problems.
View attachment 57655

Also, a couple recent pics of various eye candy in my tank.
Homophyllia bowerbanki
View attachment 57656
Micromussa rock
lordhowensis and amakusensis
View attachment 57657
Walt Disney and Strawberry Shortcake acros
View attachment 57658
@Darkxerox This is the Oregon Tort from DBTC right?! I didn't actually take it out and dip it later that day. @a.little.hypertonic took care of it so I just wanted to confirm.
View attachment 57659
Click to expand...
Does it have a nub on the side? I thought both the frags I dropped off had little tiny pieces I Seataked onto the side.
 
Alexander1312 said:
Always great looking pics. How large is your current kalk container?
Click to expand...
It's just over 1 gallon. I was asking @under_water_ninja via a Facebook or IG post he made with his giant 5 gallon container, roughly how long he's comfortable with having kalk mixed for dosing. He mentioned about 2 weeks. So that got me thinking, that I could fit a 5 gal aquarium tank in that spot. Similar to how I have my ATO reservoir. I just increased my dosage yesterday by 200mL for a total of 900mL per evening (45mL/30 min x 20).

I know you're not a fan of kalk anymore, but it has been an easy and affordable option to improve my chances of success.
Darkxerox said:
Does it have a nub on the side? I thought both the frags I dropped off had little tiny pieces I Seataked onto the side.
Click to expand...
You are correct...that is not the frag. A snail knocked it off and it was hiding between a couple rocks. Thankfully still alive, but it's going to be a minute before it decides to color up.

Doing a bunch of cleanup and mounting today. I finally figured it was time to take off the MP10 wetside and get it cleaned up. I cannot begin to express how grateful I am for @Twisted and hooking me up with not only this tank, but the MP10 with the extra wet side! Got the dirty one soaking while the fresh one is running. So awesome!
1000011317.jpg


Thanks again @Twisted . Your blessing has paid many dividends to my family. This tank has brought us all so much joy!

Also...I had to find an extra tote just for all the extra frag containers that I refuse to toss!
SMDH ... would anyone want a bunch of these next time we have an event? My plan was to do a quick boil in some RO and then store them in a sealed plastic bag.
1000011313.jpg
 
ReyDeFarts said:
It's just over 1 gallon. I was asking @under_water_ninja via a Facebook or IG post he made with his giant 5 gallon container, roughly how long he's comfortable with having kalk mixed for dosing. He mentioned about 2 weeks. So that got me thinking, that I could fit a 5 gal aquarium tank in that spot. Similar to how I have my ATO reservoir. I just increased my dosage yesterday by 200mL for a total of 900mL per evening (45mL/30 min x 20).

I know you're not a fan of kalk anymore, but it has been an easy and affordable option to improve my chances of success.
Click to expand...
:). Haha, no I was not meaning to call out the use of Kalkwasser, just wanted to see what container size you are looking for. I have various sizes of Kalk containers and have been using a 5 and 10 gallon size container that keeps the solution as much sealed as possible, to retain the PH effect you were mentioning. I would give you the 5 gallon (or 10 gallon), but I am still holding on to them for the remote chance that someone convinces me to use Kalk again :). Still, I liked these containers for that purpose:

5 Gallon Natural Molded Polyethylene Tamco® Tank with 4" Plain Lid & 1/2" FNPT Fitting - 18" L x 9" W x 10" Hgt. | U.S. Plastic Corp.

These enclosed, rectangular tanks have a one piece, seamless construction and are an excellent choice for many chemical storage applicati...
www.usplastic.com www.usplastic.com
 
What a day yesterday! It was fun and rewarding to spend the better part of my day elbows deep in the tank. Ended the night with a solid 20% WC and then hit it with some AF Life Source.
1000011318.jpg

Unfortunately, that was my last bit of it. Now to make the decision on whether to order more, or is it just another "fad" type of product? It certainly helps as a flocculant but I definitely don't seem to have enough flow to get it all out of the tank.

Who else uses this and has some sort of empirical evidence to suggest it is a solid product? I think it helps with keeping down my dinos by improving my other microbiology. But I just don't know for certain.
 
ReyDeFarts said:
What a day yesterday! It was fun and rewarding to spend the better part of my day elbows deep in the tank. Ended the night with a solid 20% WC and then hit it with some AF Life Source.
View attachment 57726
Unfortunately, that was my last bit of it. Now to make the decision on whether to order more, or is it just another "fad" type of product? It certainly helps as a flocculant but I definitely don't seem to have enough flow to get it all out of the tank.

Who else uses this and has some sort of empirical evidence to suggest it is a solid product? I think it helps with keeping down my dinos by improving my other microbiology. But I just don't know for certain.
Click to expand...

My view on this sort of thing:
  1. You don’t know how or why it works exactly
  2. You aren’t sure if it’s working
  3. Most people with successful tanks don’t use it
  4. It’s not free
Why add it to the tank at all? How do you know it’s not actually doing harm? Plenty of products on the market can/will cause harm to your tank or have the potential to cause harm under certain (mostly not well understood) conditions.

In these incredibly complex ecosystems I’m always in favor of minimizing variables - less to troubleshoot when something goes wrong.

I’m all for experimenting, and enjoy doing so myself, as long as you have sort of a known baseline to compare to. But unless the results are super compelling I usually stop whatever it is I’m trying.
 
derek_SR said:
My view on this sort of thing:
  1. You don’t know how or why it works exactly
  2. You aren’t sure if it’s working
  3. Most people with successful tanks don’t use it
  4. It’s not free
Why add it to the tank at all? How do you know it’s not actually doing harm? Plenty of products on the market can/will cause harm to your tank or have the potential to cause harm under certain (mostly not well understood) conditions.

In these incredibly complex ecosystems I’m always in favor of minimizing variables - less to troubleshoot when something goes wrong.

I’m all for experimenting, and enjoy doing so myself, as long as you have sort of a known baseline to compare to. But unless the results are super compelling I usually stop whatever it is I’m trying.
Click to expand...
You're definitely right Derek. Thanks for all of that and taking the time to put it down for me like that. I haven't really been able to find anything about that product with solid research. But a lot of folks swear by it. It was given to me as a freebie by BRS a while ago. It took me a while to finally try it. It was shortly after my first dinos outbreak. They definitely didn't enjoy it and to me, it seems like it knocked them back. But to use it as a weekly product...I'm just not feeling it. In general, I just don't know if it's worth it. I like your perspective though. It is 100% not necessary and I can easily not ever use it again, and would likely by just fine.
 
ReyDeFarts said:
You're definitely right Derek. Thanks for all of that and taking the time to put it down for me like that. I haven't really been able to find anything about that product with solid research. But a lot of folks swear by it. It was given to me as a freebie by BRS a while ago. It took me a while to finally try it. It was shortly after my first dinos outbreak. They definitely didn't enjoy it and to me, it seems like it knocked them back. But to use it as a weekly product...I'm just not feeling it. In general, I just don't know if it's worth it. I like your perspective though. It is 100% not necessary and I can easily not ever use it again, and would likely by just fine.
Click to expand...
Yeah sorry didn't mean to come across as judgy - just sharing how I personally think about this sorta thing.

I'm always trying to do less...recently my filter roll ran out and I noticed POSSIBLY some positive effects, but at the very least nothing negative....so it's one less thing to do, I'll stop doing it!
 
ReyDeFarts said:
What a day yesterday! It was fun and rewarding to spend the better part of my day elbows deep in the tank. Ended the night with a solid 20% WC and then hit it with some AF Life Source.
View attachment 57726
Unfortunately, that was my last bit of it. Now to make the decision on whether to order more, or is it just another "fad" type of product? It certainly helps as a flocculant but I definitely don't seem to have enough flow to get it all out of the tank.

Who else uses this and has some sort of empirical evidence to suggest it is a solid product? I think it helps with keeping down my dinos by improving my other microbiology. But I just don't know for certain.
Click to expand...
I agree with @derek_SR on why using this is probably not be needed, although answering these questions for most of the products we use is probably no :).

There is a big BUT though in my opinion for why you are using it, and that is to fight Dinos. Depending on the type you have, it can be one of the most frustrating things to get rid off. And a lot of folks leave the hobby for this (and velvet). And lots of experienced Reefers do not know how to fight them because they never had them in the past.

There is no proven strategy to get rid off or product which works, but a myriad of recommended actions. One of them is to increase biodiversity.

AF Life Source claims to do that, increasing biodiversity. I have used this now three times to fight dinos, twice for prorocentrum in the nano, and once for LCA in my 150, and every time I got rid of them (twice a week use). Regular ICP did not bring out any concerns except aluminum for a while in the nano tank, but this disappeared eventually. None for the 150 during monthly ICP.

I have not tested Aquabiomics in the nano tank but I started my 150 with AF Life Source and it was in the 90th percentile for both parameters they test after 1 month.

I have done several other things which might as well be the reason and AF Life Source could have done nothing. Can biodiversity survive in this little bag of mud from the Fijis? Absolutely no clue. Would I still use it for now to fight Dinos (prorocentrums or LCAs) every single time, until someone proofs this is snake oil (telegraham might have sent this in to Aquabiomics, cannot remember if still in progress)? Definitely yes.
 
derek_SR said:
Yeah sorry didn't mean to come across as judgy - just sharing how I personally think about this sorta thing.
Click to expand...
Uhhh...not sure why you felt the need to apologize man. Not sure if my response didn't come off the way I intended. I did not take offense or see it as judgmental in any way. Also, I think there's a good amount of judgement I'd love to get from many here that are more experienced. I don't have all the wisdom you guys have. If I can save myself headaches and heartaches, by listening to your experiences, then judge away! You know what I mean? I'm sitting in front of my tank right now. Vibing with a couple beers in me, some music, and enjoying the fruits of my labor. Some good. Some bad. And the bad... I am slowly trying to get better.
derek_SR said:
I'm always trying to do less...recently my filter roll ran out and I noticed POSSIBLY some positive effects, but at the very least nothing negative....so it's one less thing to do, I'll stop doing it!
Click to expand...
Yes! Point taken. Dialing back. ;)
 
Alexander1312 said:
I agree with @derek_SR on why using this is probably not be needed, although answering these questions for most of the products we use is probably no :).

There is a big BUT though in my opinion for why you are using it, and that is to fight Dinos. Depending on the type you have, it can be one of the most frustrating things to get rid off. And a lot of folks leave the hobby for this (and velvet). And lots of experienced Reefers do not know how to fight them because they never had them in the past.

There is no proven strategy to get rid off or product which works, but a myriad of recommended actions. One of them is to increase biodiversity.

AF Life Source claims to do that, increasing biodiversity. I have used this now three times to fight dinos, twice for prorocentrum in the nano, and once for LCA in my 150, and every time I got rid of them (twice a week use). Regular ICP did not bring out any concerns except aluminum for a while in the nano tank, but this disappeared eventually. None for the 150 during monthly ICP.

I have not tested Aquabiomics in the nano tank but I started my 150 with AF Life Source and it was in the 90th percentile for both parameters they test after 1 month.

I have done several other things which might as well be the reason and AF Life Source could have done nothing. Can biodiversity survive in this little bag of mud from the Fijis? Absolutely no clue. Would I still use it for now to fight Dinos (prorocentrums or LCAs) every single time, until someone proofs this is snake oil (telegraham might have sent this in to Aquabiomics, cannot remember if still in progress)? Definitely yes.
Click to expand...
The only reason I even started using this was seeing a post you made a while back with your Dinos struggle and it coincided with another post on Mack's group on FB that people would swear by the stuff. Then it occurred to me that I had a container of it already. I mean, at that point, what did I have to lose, except more coral.

People weren't kidding when they said to get used to death in this hobby.

For me, it did appear to help. But was it the UV mainly? Was is increasing the nutrients? Adding more copepods (multiple species)? Dosing daily with live phyto?

Multiple variables added quickly and the end result was seeing them die off quickly. It was definitely a combination of them. I can accept that. And I do acknowledge that I'm lucky that all I could ID at the time was ostreopsis. I have not had a positive ID of any other species. The past several weeks have been very good in regard to most signs of them. I haven't been doing the AF Life Source every week, but only after every water change which hasn't been much since learning more about dinos and how nutrients can impact them.

I am now at a point where I would prefer to keep a better balance of nutrients and improve the overall water quality. It too easy to get lackadaisical. I'd prefer to keep water changes going. It seems like an easy method to help keep things in check.
 
ReyDeFarts said:
The only reason I even started using this was seeing a post you made a while back with your Dinos struggle and it coincided with another post on Mack's group on FB that people would swear by the stuff. Then it occurred to me that I had a container of it already. I mean, at that point, what did I have to lose, except more coral.

People weren't kidding when they said to get used to death in this hobby.

For me, it did appear to help. But was it the UV mainly? Was is increasing the nutrients? Adding more copepods (multiple species)? Dosing daily with live phyto?

Multiple variables added quickly and the end result was seeing them die off quickly. It was definitely a combination of them. I can accept that. And I do acknowledge that I'm lucky that all I could ID at the time was ostreopsis. I have not had a positive ID of any other species. The past several weeks have been very good in regard to most signs of them. I haven't been doing the AF Life Source every week, but only after every water change which hasn't been much since learning more about dinos and how nutrients can impact them.

I am now at a point where I would prefer to keep a better balance of nutrients and improve the overall water quality. It too easy to get lackadaisical. I'd prefer to keep water changes going. It seems like an easy method to help keep things in check.
Click to expand...
I would not use it for ostreopsis, and focus on UV. But not doing water changes while you are having them has been a consistent recommendation, not only by the Mack’s Dino crowd.
 
WWC Bizarro Cyphastrea finally entrusting and looking like it should!

All the SPS that seem to keep making their way into this tank, sure do like to devour elements...

1000011376.jpg
 
ReyDeFarts said:
Uhhh...not sure why you felt the need to apologize man. Not sure if my response didn't come off the way I intended. I did not take offense or see it as judgmental in any way. Also, I think there's a good amount of judgement I'd love to get from many here that are more experienced. I don't have all the wisdom you guys have. If I can save myself headaches and heartaches, by listening to your experiences, then judge away! You know what I mean? I'm sitting in front of my tank right now. Vibing with a couple beers in me, some music, and enjoying the fruits of my labor. Some good. Some bad. And the bad... I am slowly trying to get better.

Yes! Point taken. Dialing back. ;)
Click to expand...

Nah I just felt like I was being judgy after re-reading my post is all :)

I am also fairly new to the hobby, and need to remember not to throw recommendations around too freely, it’s just so easy to do on the internet. I always try to caveat things with “this is what works for me” because there so many ways to skin the cat, as they say.
 
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