Buffy's 1st Ever SW Build - Reef Tank

[Ibrahim]

That sounds like dinoflagellates. Do a black out for a week with no feeding, water changes, and lights. Remove as much as you can by scrubbing the rocks and siphoning it out. Feed your fish the last meal of the week, then do your black out. That's the only way I can think of to get rid off it. And that's the only way that worked for me.

 

[needmorecowbell]

Alright.. Hold on. When algae starts, no matter what type, it is consuming something, be it metals (cyano), or silica (diatoms), or a bunch of other things. Id try to find what the Dino is being fueled by before trying to kill it with a black out. I know I might be saying something unconventional but it seems logical in my opinion. One thing that always seems to be part of the issue is phosphates. Maybe too many nutrients also? Unfortunately I don't know what Dino consumes but I'm sure it's something that you can fix. Sorry for the lack of info :/

 

[Ibrahim]

Alright.. Hold on. When algae starts, no matter what type, it is consuming something, be it metals (cyano), or silica (diatoms), or a bunch of other things. Id try to find what the Dino is being fueled by before trying to kill it with a black out. I know I might be saying something unconventional but it seems logical in my opinion. One thing that always seems to be part of the issue is phosphates. Maybe too many nutrients also? Unfortunately I don't know what Dino consumes but I'm sure it's something that you can fix. Sorry for the lack of info :/

Dino is fueled by light and other nutrients. I had a phosphate reactor and a refugium on my 25g and water changes always made it seem to grow faster.

 

[Buffy]

1. Is this an HOB overflow or internal? HOB Or are you talking about the inside box of an HOB overflow? It's looking okay now, kinda even kinda not. I was talking about the both, ie the inside box and the outside box having equal levels. I think it's the later. It shouldn't fill it all the way up. You can get close to the top, but due to the u-tube the water level inside of the box will actually be a little bit lower than the outside of the box. This is what creates the "surface skimming" effect of the box skimming the surface of the water.

2. No. IMO it's just an extra foam to rinse out every week took it out. As long as you're using a filter sock this is unnecessary. yep Theoretically I guess your drain pipe could get clogged but it hasn't ever happened to me.

3. Remove it. You won't lose the siphon. I haven't lost siphon in forever.

4. When you match the amount of water going in and coming out, this will automatically level off.woohoot I'm getting there lol

5. PVC pipe or tubing to redirect the flow. redirected for nowIf you can hook something up to it just aim it towards the back wall of the fuge.


I wish I could come set this up for you.

aweeeeeeee thanks golly gee wilikers but I gotta learn sometime. I gotta 55 waiting on me but that sucker will be fowlr I think, this coral thing is hard.

 

[Buffy]

IDK about a blackout buffy...there has to be something going on that is being overlooked. I wouldn't do it more than a day, let alone 4. I just see it as setting yourself up to fail and stressing yourself out over it. Don't do it!

Only thing I can see is high nitrates and I don't have a test for phosphates so I'm going to assume those are high too. I've done water changes and that hasn't helped.

 

[Buffy]

Can baking soda or baking powder be used to raise pH?

 

[needmorecowbell]

Can baking soda or baking powder be used to raise pH?

Yes, but it's going to raise your alk too. It's sodium bicarbonate, which is what the main ingredient is in two part dosers for alk. Its the powder that youre supposed to use.

 

[uh.oh...]

Yes, but it's going to raise your alk too. It's sodium bicarbonate, which is what the main ingredient is in two part dosers for alk. Its the powder that youre supposed to use.

No use the soda. Baking powder is something else. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, bicarbonate is what corals use

 

[scottayy]

What's your pH at? A steady but low pH is OK.

 

[Ibrahim]

What's your pH at? A steady but low pH is OK.

Idk what hers is at but she has Dino and the only way 2 ways it'll go away is a total blackout with increased flow or High ph. The second one takes much longer to see results though.

 

[needmorecowbell]

No use the soda. Baking powder is something else. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, bicarbonate is what corals use

Lol I always get them confused, especially since baking soda is a powder... Thanks for correcting me, sorry!

 

[Buffy]

Thanks, I thought it was the Baking Soda one.


I'm trying to raised the pH to try to get rid of the dino.

 

[Buffy]

Idk what hers is at but she has Dino and the only way 2 ways it'll go away is a total blackout with increased flow or High ph. The second one takes much longer to see results though.

I can't increase flow anymore so I am doing partial blackouts (2 hours light a day) and raising the pH. So far lowering the lights to 2 hours a day is looking like it is slowly helping, the lower half of the tank of Dino is slowly dieing off. Don't want to die off too fast either.

 

[Buffy]

Hydor Koralia Wave Pump Controller

Does anyone have this? If so, did it come with 2 pumps? I have 2 pumps plugged into it and I don't remember where I got the pumps but I hate them, they are Acqueon ACP 950's, are suction cups and they do not stay. I have to pick them up and put them back on everytime I turn around, that doesn't do good for my flows and currents.

I have 2 750 Koralia Evolutions that I would like to use instead but I don't know if they can be used with it.....Does anyone know?

Dino's are slowly going down, top half of aquarium is starting to show less.

Thanks ya'll

 

[Buffy]

Lost my Butterfly today. No clue why.

Can someone tell me how to skim "more extensively " please?

 

[FlopNewsom]

I have the wave controller and I use it with those pumps. The only problem I have is that one of them will run backwards every other cycle. The other one works fine and they are the exact same.

 

[needmorecowbell]

Can someone tell me how to skim "more extensively " please?

Try wet skimming. Just let more skin mate form. Some people even do pwc's that way. They get the wettest skimmate possible for it. Just replace the water!

 

[Buffy]

Skim mate?

 

[Ibrahim]

Skim mate?

It's the sludgy liquid in the skimming cup.

 

[Buffy]

It's the sludgy liquid in the skimming cup.

I figured that out after I posted lol.


Wondering how to stop tank from overflowing after the power comes back on?