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Need a little help...

Spicolte

Spicolte

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Hello everybody. I'm new to the forum and been lurking and reading. Is this the appropriate place to post my tank and set up and ask for your advice?

I've been reefing since the late 90's, but hit the pause button when my son was born in 1998. Life took over and I just managed the tank along with family and work.
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My two tanks are a 100 and 180. The 180 is the newer one but has never truly taken off. That is the tank for which I need help and advice.

Please let me know if this is the wrong forum for this discussion.
 
I ask tons of questions in my tank journal. Welcome!!! What questions you got? You might start with telling us your parameters and how long the tank has been up and running.
 
Welcome to BAR!

Yes, general help, feel free to ask here, as others said above.

If it is an issue or question on some sort of specific equipment, coral, fish, then there are more specific forums like that.

If you post in the wrong place ... it does not matter. We are not so formal.
Worst case, we will simply move the thread.
 
welcome aboard. tons of knowledge on this site along with experienced members. there are no wrong questions here. we all here to help each other out.
 
Welcome to our place in space
And thank you for being a $upporting member
It shows your commitment to us and the hobby
You support us, we’ll support you!

Best fishes and happy reefing
 
Thanks!

180 Gallon
4 AI Sols running at 40%. 9 hour day
Coral sand bed and live rock
Trigger Systems Triton44 v2 Sump - 44 inch - with refuge containing calerpa and cheto (thin layer of sand). Daylight to the refuge runs during the tanks nighttime. CF lighting.
Sump contains a UV Sterilizer and Protein Skimmer
No chemical filtration.
Dosing consists of B-Ionic only.
8 dKH
460 Calcium
8.4 pH
1.024 - 1.025 spec gravity measured with refractometer.
DI make up water with auto top off.

Nitrate and Phosphate not measured.

Corals are mushrooms and Elephant corals
Fish include:
- Porcupine Puffer
- Niger Trigger
- Heniochus
- Tomini Tang
- Purple Tang
- Maroon Clown
- Engineer/convict gobie
- Threadfin butterfly
- Large wrasse but unsure of species. Think it may be a banana

My issue is that corals seem to be surviving and not thriving. The mushrooms never open fully, which is why I reduced the lighting intensity to 40%. I cannot see adding anything more complicated until I determine my issue with the mushrooms. I did have a rock anemone at one point, and it even propagated, but then it went south and all shrank and died.

Algae consists of blue green on the rocks, and diatoms on the gravel mostly eliminated by adding two hydor circulating pumps at either end of tank facing one another. (but the brown algae still exists as you can see from the pictures.) Same pumps used up high to provide circulation. Both sets on wave maker.

I have purchased a KH guardian but have yet to set it up and get it running.

If I missed any data please let me know.

Thanks for any and all help.

Mike

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Yeah, triggers and puffers are known to like soft coral.

I didn't know what a Heniochus was, but Live aquaria below says not reef safe as well as the other two. I would decide if you want these fish, or if you want coral, and come up with an appropriate stocking plan and goal for said livestock.

Heniochus Black & White Butterflyfish: Saltwater Aquarium Fish for Marine Aquariums

www.liveaquaria.com

Porcupine Puffer: Saltwater Aquarium Fish for Marine Aquariums

www.liveaquaria.com

Saltwater Aquarium Fish for Marine Aquariums: Niger Triggerfish

www.liveaquaria.com
 
I have a very “not reef safe” lemon peel angel in with my soft corals, mushrooms and anemones. Its never even thought about tasting the anemones or mushrooms, but different fish have different tastes. Have you seen any of your fish nipping at things? The levels you listed seem fine, more curious about nitrates, phosphates and water change schedule. Your mushrooms will like some nutrients and your fuge will consume micronutrients (iron, iodine, etc) that will only be replaced with water changes if you’re not dosing them.
 
Welcome back to the hobby! How long has your tank been set up? The one pictured looks like it has been running for a while. Which, of course, is good.

In addition to the above, you might consider looking into an ICP test if you haven't. ICP tests provide a good measure of many water parameters including presence of heavy metals or lack of very specific trace elements. Running one every few months (or more) can help you compare current system to the prior baseline.

ICP tests are available at different price points, from $20 to $50. Here's a BAR post about ICP. I prefer the lower-end price point of ICP1999.com starting at $20. There is a margin of error with ICP tests, in general, but problem areas will stand out.
 
Thanks everyone for the warm welcome.

The ICP test sounds like a great idea, thank you.

I have had no issues with nipping of the mushrooms. This tank was going to be a FOWLR tank, but then I decided to upgrade to the AI LED's and move down some mushrooms from my 100 gallon reef. The mushrooms never shined in the 180 like the 100 and I have been chasing answers ever since.

The tank has been up and running since 2011, so yes, it is not new, but not where I'd like it to be.

I do no other additions other than the B-Ionic. It sounds like Iodine might need to be added as well. At the request of my local fish store, I did measure my magnesium for some time but it never waivered from 1,200.

I'll check the water via ICP and report back.

Does anyone think my lighting intensity is too high? I wasn't able to place the Sol's as far above the tank as suggested by AI because of the limit of the canopy height. Not sure if that is an issue. I did note that as I turned down the intensity, the mushrooms opened more and stopped searching for shaded areas of the tank.
 
No, that intensity isn't too high, even if the mushrooms were sitting in a hotspot. I ran AI Vegas at more than double the intensity on a shallower tank with no issues from any of the corals (all channels at 75% over a 18" tall tank with the lights mounted ~8" above the water line). Your 180 gallons is ~24" depth so the PAR values should be even lower than what I saw.

Here's a PAR mapping that I took over my old tank which ran the 2x AI Vegas. Measurements taken with an Apogee MQ-510.
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I would get a comprehensive ICP test to see what you're working with first as well as observe the tank. If you have a red light, consider stalking the tank at night to see if there are any invertebrates which might be nipping or actually consuming the corals.
 
Thanks for that help Eric. I haven't used a par meter on the tank so I don't know my values, but it helps immensely to see yours using a similar lighting set up.

I just ordered the ICP test and will share the results here when I receive them.

Mike
 
Def want to check nitrate and phosphate.
massive you’re talking about the old AI sol lights with 8 pucks each not the new ones that are small?
Edit, I missed pics, they are the old ones. I still use those.
Probably not a huge issue, but I would raise mg a bit more to like 1350 to fit with you alk and ca levels.
mans yeah that skimmer could use an upgrade I’d say.
 
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What skimmer would you all recommend for my set up? (I realize that I'm opening up a debate with that question...)

I stuck with my Nautilus Te skimmer (It's also in my 100 reef) because it worked...plain and simple. I had to adjust the output frequently, but it produced skimmate and took out excess nutrients. In short, it did it's job. I bought an Eschops skimmer but found it wasn't producing, so I went back to the Nautilus.
 
Spicolte said:
What skimmer would you all recommend for my set up? (I realize that I'm opening up a debate with that question...)

I stuck with my Nautilus Te skimmer (It's also in my 100 reef) because it worked...plain and simple. I had to adjust the output frequently, but it produced skimmate and took out excess nutrients. In short, it did it's job. I bought an Eschops skimmer but found it wasn't producing, so I went back to the Nautilus.
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I’d definitely investigate nitrates before worrying about changing it if it were me. If they aren’t high let it be.
 
Update...I sent off my IPC sample yesterday. Over the weekend I got proactive and made up 60 gallons of RO/DI salt water. Yesterday, I did a large water change, siphoning out all debris and algae.

The large tubs I bought for this endeavor stated they were 31 gallons each...but, it was obvious after changing water out they were more like 25 gallons each. I had never done a 60 gallon change before, so this was a trial by fire. I meticulously measured what I was siphoning out, and ended up having to add another 8 gallons of new RO/DI salt water back in after I reached 60 gallons of water removed.

I'll report back my measurements when I receive my water report.
 
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