Hornberson Reef - DSA 90 gallon mixed reef
- Thread starter wpeterson
- Start date
wpeterson
Guest
The chemiclean did a good job wiping out 90% of the cyanobacteria in the tank without upsetting any coral, fish, or inverts - so I consider that a big success. Our tuxedo urchin chewed off a Zoanthid and is wearing it as a hat, which is hilarious.
A lot of upgrades/maintenance lately:
New UV filter and re-installed doser:
Male mandarin (hard to capture a picture, blue on blue):
Favias from BAR Frag Swap are coloring up nicely and more plump:
@Corallus Acans are getting healthier, child polyps are coloring up:
A lot of upgrades/maintenance lately:
- Upgraded return pump: Jebao DCS-12000 (was Jebao DC-9000)
- Replaced UV filter w/ Jebao 36w (was Coralife 36w)
- Vortech MP10 wetside teardown, cleaning, and lubing
New UV filter and re-installed doser:
Male mandarin (hard to capture a picture, blue on blue):
Favias from BAR Frag Swap are coloring up nicely and more plump:
@Corallus Acans are getting healthier, child polyps are coloring up:
Enderturtle
Guest
Wow that rainbow acan definitely looks WAY better in person. I shouldve brought my DSLR to take a good picture of it.
Definitely a Rainbow Acan under the right conditions.
Definitely a Rainbow Acan under the right conditions.
wpeterson
Guest
I caught the mandarins spawning again tonight, only there was too much flow for them to consummate their affections.
I turned off all the Vortechs and cut the DCS-12,000 to 50% and they were much happier.
In other news, I finally installed the MP40 I bought a year ago - so two MP10s and one MP40 this weekend, planning to replace the MP10s with a second MP40.
I turned off all the Vortechs and cut the DCS-12,000 to 50% and they were much happier.
In other news, I finally installed the MP40 I bought a year ago - so two MP10s and one MP40 this weekend, planning to replace the MP10s with a second MP40.
wpeterson
Guest
I finished switching the tank over to two MP40s from two MP10s. I'm much more comfortable having powerheads that can handle our thick glass. The MP10s were always a little too easy to move around on the glass. One of the MP40s is new and the other is used, both MP40wES. The noise level is higher, which is kind of a drag. I may replace the wetsides with the newer MP40qw wetsides. It looks like 90% of the noise improvement is from the wetside.
I also setup Apex control of both MP40s using the WxM module. Still figuring out a long term program, but I'm excited to run a high energy reef crest during the light cycle and a lower energy lagoon off hours, with a nice Nutrient export cycle after dark for the corals to eat.
My Apex Fusion dashboard is getting a little out of control these days:
... but still not as crazy as @jonmos setup.
I also setup Apex control of both MP40s using the WxM module. Still figuring out a long term program, but I'm excited to run a high energy reef crest during the light cycle and a lower energy lagoon off hours, with a nice Nutrient export cycle after dark for the corals to eat.
My Apex Fusion dashboard is getting a little out of control these days:
... but still not as crazy as @jonmos setup.
wpeterson
Guest
Thanks! I hope it'll be quiet enough at night for the Mandarins, but I'll have to wait and see. I've only seen them spawning once or twice a month.
I haven't used the nutrient export mode before, but it just seems to be a short pulse mode to help clean off the surfaces in the tank.
wpeterson
Guest
The new MP40s have been great for flow. They're noisier than the MP10s, but less so when they're running below 90% power. The corals love the additional flow, especially our SPS. However, at peak power I'm getting our sand bed blown around - even though I use a medium grain black aragonite that's heavier. I've been slowly turning the maximum levels down.
As of now, the highest flow is during the day, running 70% max Reef Crest (with pumps setup in anti-sync).
We've been lucky to have good polyp extension on our SPS, but with the additional flow the polyp extension at the end of the day is out of control.
On the bad news front, our Emerald Crab has been picking at LPS corals and generally not behaving himself well. He's eaten about 90% of the bubble algae, but I think we're going to have to find him a new home. Our cleaner shrimp has also been aggressive in terms of stealing food from LPS and anemones if they get a nice brine shrimp or other food. We may need to find him a home as well.
The skimmer has been much noisier lately. I'm planning to break it down and give everything a vinegar bath this weekend. I made a DIY silencer for the air intake, which helps, but it's still loud.
As of now, the highest flow is during the day, running 70% max Reef Crest (with pumps setup in anti-sync).
We've been lucky to have good polyp extension on our SPS, but with the additional flow the polyp extension at the end of the day is out of control.
On the bad news front, our Emerald Crab has been picking at LPS corals and generally not behaving himself well. He's eaten about 90% of the bubble algae, but I think we're going to have to find him a new home. Our cleaner shrimp has also been aggressive in terms of stealing food from LPS and anemones if they get a nice brine shrimp or other food. We may need to find him a home as well.
The skimmer has been much noisier lately. I'm planning to break it down and give everything a vinegar bath this weekend. I made a DIY silencer for the air intake, which helps, but it's still loud.
wpeterson
Guest
I took the time to totally breakdown, vinegar bath, and clean out the skimmer today. It's much quieter now. When I first turned it back on it wasn't producing any bubbles at all, but I found that the air intake house had gotten kinked. Easy enough fix.
The red rockflower anemone has almost doubled in size, though he did scoot himself over about 4-6" to get out from under the shadow of the chalice/montis above him. Our montis are growing out of control - if anyone wants any frags, I'm happy to offer some - purple, green, and neon green.
Our Acan:
Rolf's Acan:
The red rockflower anemone has almost doubled in size, though he did scoot himself over about 4-6" to get out from under the shadow of the chalice/montis above him. Our montis are growing out of control - if anyone wants any frags, I'm happy to offer some - purple, green, and neon green.
Our Acan:
Rolf's Acan:
sfsuphysics
Supporting Member
Looks pretty snazzy!
Any coloring issues with the cyphastrea(?) (right side in the shade of the monti-cap)
Any coloring issues with the cyphastrea(?) (right side in the shade of the monti-cap)
wpeterson
Guest
Thanks. The cyphastrea has done well, originally a 1" frag from Neptune is now about a softball sized area. It's a blue tissue with red polyps that has maintained pretty good color, though my crappy cell phone pics don't do it justice. It's getting shaded by the purple monti cap above it, but those guys get so big they'll eventually shade the whole sand bed. Some pruning is probably in order.
Ahruk
Guest
I picked up a frag of the neon green monti and after a couple of weeks of being ticked off at being moved from paradise to my tank it is finally settling in. Man is it ever BRIGHT! Looks awesome with my other montis, Thank you Winfield 
As for the two dwarf ceriths, they're living happily (?) at my moms in a jar. They look a lot like they're trying to escape sometimes though xD They seem to be doing good although my mom recently swore she saw a giant (zombie?) snail so hopefully they don't get eaten....
As for the two dwarf ceriths, they're living happily (?) at my moms in a jar. They look a lot like they're trying to escape sometimes though xD They seem to be doing good although my mom recently swore she saw a giant (zombie?) snail so hopefully they don't get eaten....
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wpeterson
Guest
After upgrading our return pump and due to our herbie drain, the plumbing in the sump is almost entirely quiet. However, now that this noise level is lower the skimmer air intake noise has been driving me nuts the last month.
Our Reef Octopus 150SSS has still been too noisy, even after a complete breakdown and cleaning. I had tried a foam silencer on the air intake previously, but it didn't work very well.
Today I tried a new silencer design, a pill bottle with isolated airline inputs and outputs and it's totally silent now:
Our Reef Octopus 150SSS has still been too noisy, even after a complete breakdown and cleaning. I had tried a foam silencer on the air intake previously, but it didn't work very well.
Today I tried a new silencer design, a pill bottle with isolated airline inputs and outputs and it's totally silent now:
Enderturtle
Guest
Yeah I hate loud equipment since my tank is in my living room.
Cograts on achieving quieting down your system.
Cograts on achieving quieting down your system.
wpeterson
Guest
Ugh, noticed a weird pH spike last night and measured all the levels this morning. Alk was at 10dkh, but Calc had plummetted to 350ppm from 450ppm I usually run.
After investigating the doser, the source tube in the two-part reservoir cut been pushed down, curled, and popped up 1/3 of the way up, above the level of Calc in the reservoir - so the tube ran dry. I fixed the feeder tube, topped up the reservoir, and now I'm slowly raising Calc back up over the next 48 hours
Our emerald crab ate a big snail, not sure if he was responsible for killing him but I fear he's grown too large and hungry for our tank. I managed to catch him last night and he's off to a new home this weekend.
After investigating the doser, the source tube in the two-part reservoir cut been pushed down, curled, and popped up 1/3 of the way up, above the level of Calc in the reservoir - so the tube ran dry. I fixed the feeder tube, topped up the reservoir, and now I'm slowly raising Calc back up over the next 48 hours
Our emerald crab ate a big snail, not sure if he was responsible for killing him but I fear he's grown too large and hungry for our tank. I managed to catch him last night and he's off to a new home this weekend.
Enderturtle
Guest
I've actually been having higher pH problems myself. Riding high from 8.3 to 8.5 during the day. Usually it is 8.0 to 8.3.
Started happening after I turned on my dosing pump.
I can't figure it out but I'm attributing it to too much alkalinity dosing. Maybe dosing 5mL of alkalinity all at once is too much for my tank?
I lost a couple zoas after the pH spike. Things have finally stabled but my pH is still higher than usual and my zoas are not liking it.
Started happening after I turned on my dosing pump.
I can't figure it out but I'm attributing it to too much alkalinity dosing. Maybe dosing 5mL of alkalinity all at once is too much for my tank?
I lost a couple zoas after the pH spike. Things have finally stabled but my pH is still higher than usual and my zoas are not liking it.
wpeterson
Guest
Given our doser has been able maintain stable Alk/Calc when it was working, I think the proximate cause here was a dip in buffering due to low Calc. However, like most high pH reefs I think the root cause is a lack of CO2.
We run a large refugium offset from our primary light cycle with about 1-2 cubic feet of chaetomorpha. The sunlight cycle of photosynthesis in our refugium is absorbing all of the dissolved CO2 faster than it is replenished from aeration, made worse by the daylight cycle from our display tank following it.
Once our Alk/Calc dosing are stable, I'm going to cull about 50% of the macro algae to lower to CO2 uptake in the refugium. If that doesn't work I'll have to investigate vinegar dosing, perhaps in my Alk solution. If anyone wants some free chaeto, let me know.
We run a large refugium offset from our primary light cycle with about 1-2 cubic feet of chaetomorpha. The sunlight cycle of photosynthesis in our refugium is absorbing all of the dissolved CO2 faster than it is replenished from aeration, made worse by the daylight cycle from our display tank following it.
Once our Alk/Calc dosing are stable, I'm going to cull about 50% of the macro algae to lower to CO2 uptake in the refugium. If that doesn't work I'll have to investigate vinegar dosing, perhaps in my Alk solution. If anyone wants some free chaeto, let me know.
Enderturtle
Guest
I turned off my fuge because I had read the same thing about low CO2 contributing to high pH in a reef tank.
Damn you chaeto! Stop sucking up my CO2!
After that, I stuck my mouth in my tank water and began blowing bubbles to increase the CO2 levels in my tank
Damn you chaeto! Stop sucking up my CO2!
After that, I stuck my mouth in my tank water and began blowing bubbles to increase the CO2 levels in my tank
wpeterson
Guest
We caught the mandarins spawning again tonight. It seems like they're on a roughly monthly cycle, but I can't tell if it's precipitated by changes in water chemistry or food supply events.
If anyone has advice for how to capture good pictures or video in very low light with blue moonlights, I'd love to hear. I think we need a lower light lense, a tripods, and our DSLR to capture anything more than a black blur. Unfortunately, I don't usually have time to set all of that up when we find them pairing off after lights out.
If anyone has advice for how to capture good pictures or video in very low light with blue moonlights, I'd love to hear. I think we need a lower light lense, a tripods, and our DSLR to capture anything more than a black blur. Unfortunately, I don't usually have time to set all of that up when we find them pairing off after lights out.