First Reefing adventure.. 65G AIO

[Darkxerox]

Tank looks awesome! I bet your growth and alk usage will go up like crazy.

 

[newfly]

Tank looks awesome! I bet your growth and alk usage will go up like crazy.

I’m close to 3dkh alk consumption per day right now. I’ll need a mortgage to keep up the with alk! Haha

 

[Srt4eric]

I’m close to 3dkh alk consumption per day right now. I’ll need a mortgage to keep up the with alk! Haha

Sounds like it's time for a carx.

 

[newfly]

Sounds like it's time for a carx.

No anytime soon I hope. Don’t want to add more equipment.

 

[newfly]

lyretail anthias from Petco 50% sale finally arrived this afternoon. 30mins H202 dip, then straight to the QT tank. Maybe should have skip the dip. The fishes were laying at the bottom for 30mins or so. I thought they were a goner. After an hour, all were up and about. Didn't like the pellets, but went for the freeze dry Mysis.

Planning to do the Hybrid TTM QT method.

 

[grizfyrfyter]

Frozen mysis and live brine and baby brine have always been my preferred QT food. Even live blackworms. Everything I can to trigger a feeding response. I hate QT fish. It's my least favorite part of the hobby.

Remember that they like to feed often but you have to scoop out the un eaten food or do a transfer soon after.

Beautiful fish.

 

[newfly]

Frozen mysis and live brine and baby brine have always been my preferred QT food. Even live blackworms. Everything I can to trigger a feeding response. I hate QT fish. It's my least favorite part of the hobby.

Remember that they like to feed often but you have to scoop out the un eaten food or do a transfer soon after.

Beautiful fish.

Yeah. I’m hatching brine but will need another day or two. Since they take freeze dry my sis, I should be good for now. Transfer every 3 days. I do have some established bio filter ( matrix) in the qt tank. I hope that’s good enough for 3 days.

 

[Darkxerox]

Maybe try frozen clams shaved in a citrus zester ala Matt Wandell.

 

[newfly]

Maybe try frozen clams shaved in a citrus zester ala Matt Wandell.

Too lazy!

 

[Kensington Reefer]

Cyclops, SFBB reef plankton, daphnia
Mix together
Offer small amount every hour
Good lunch

Brine shrimp are a waste...low nutritional value, like popcorn

 

[richiev]

Given you're doing hybrid ttm, I'd be curious to throw in decapsulated brine. Theory being they'd either get eaten right away, or not, and if not, they just hatch to become shrimp that get eaten. Constant food for an anthias.

Doesn't work in a tank with high turnover or meds, but should work in a QT. Though it looks like your qt has an overflow so maybe not

 

[newfly]

Cyclops, SFBB reef plankton, daphnia
Mix together
Offer small amount every hour
Good lunch

Brine shrimp are a waste...low nutritional value, like popcorn

Freeze dry or frozen? The anthias not going after floating food. I’m hoping to use an auto feeder with pellets or freeze dry, but unless they sink, they are not going after it.

 

[Coral reefer]

I’ve always used autofeeder with pellets and a feeding ring to ensure pellets sink. Easy peazy

 

[Kensington Reefer]

Freeze dry or frozen? The anthias not going after floating food. I’m hoping to use an auto feeder with pellets or freeze dry, but unless they sink, they are not going after it.

Frozen

 

[newfly]

Getting lazy to update this thread .

What’s new ( in the past 6-months)

- just placed an order for alkatronic . Finally joining the automated club
- added AP700 in addition to 2 Reefi Unos for better spread
- experimenting with kalk, starting with 1L
- tank alk consumption now almost 4dkh per day .


What’s next
- nothing in my mind right now. Pretty happy with where things are. Let’s see how alkatronics pans out.

 

[newfly]

Just sharing some random shots

Side view - every inch of the rock is encrusted.

 

[newfly]

I mixed a batch of soda ash from the 7lb package from BRS, Either i messed up or ?? , the concentration seems off. I usually dose 5ml to get 0.1dkh rise, but now i need about 7ml.
Arg.. I have been using single gallon pouch before this, so very well be user error. I thought i double and triple check during the steps, but oh well.

Glad i caught this before it does much damage to the tank. So far i only seen 1 dkh variation before i caught the mistake. Can;t wait for the alkatronics

 

[Darkxerox]

Could be an impure batch that has more sodium bicarbonate than carbonate. On a per mass basis, you'd need about that much extra sodium bicarbonate to provide as much alkalinity as sodium carbonate.

 

[newfly]

Could be an impure batch that has more sodium bicarbonate than carbonate. On a per mass basis, you'd need about that much extra sodium bicarbonate to provide as much alkalinity as sodium carbonate.

Interesting. Wonder if anyone encounter this issue in the past?

 

[newfly]

I mixed a batch of soda ash from the 7lb package from BRS, Either i messed up or ?? , the concentration seems off. I usually dose 5ml to get 0.1dkh rise, but now i need about 7ml.
Arg.. I have been using single gallon pouch before this, so very well be user error. I thought i double and triple check during the steps, but oh well.

Glad i caught this before it does much damage to the tank. So far i only seen 1 dkh variation before i caught the mistake. Can;t wait for the alkatronics

Figured out the mystery. Its part user error, part equipment deviation.

User error: I didn't wait long enough to measure after dosing soda ash. I waited 5 mins. If i wait 30min, the variation is smaller.
Equipment - I did not calibrate the dosing pump since day 1. There is a 10% off , previously dosing at 44ml per min, now 40ml.

Now, what leads me to this path is the alk consumption in the tank is going up the roof. i am easily dosing 4.4dkh per day. The rate of increase is amazing. I was at 3dkh 6 months ago.

Adding the AP700 and slowing cranking up the PAR probably contribute to this. I can see the corals are going through some growth spurt.