OP
OP
Acronuts
Aquarium Advice Freak
Update 10-14-2012
Things are coming along pretty well. I have started to use the Red Sea Reef Care Program.
While it is too soon to tell of its benefits I have implemented the reef foundation ABC and the NoPox part of the system.
I can say that in the last month of using NoPox in testing my nitrates are hovering around 8ppm to 4ppm and phosphates 0.20ppm to 0.16ppm.
My target levels are nitrates around 2ppm and phosphates around 0.02ppm.
One of the main reasons I think that the levels have not been reached is due to the fact that I am afraid of making any fast uncalculated dosing.
With that being said I am making an effort to use the product according to the recommended dosages. Testing is key until I get to where my target levels will be.
I have not seen any evidence of the hair algae that plagued my tank.
Could it be that the tank has finally matured and there is enough bacteria to take care of the hair algae? Not sure but the No and Phos levels have been steady and no increases on either of those paramters.
An explosive growth of purple and pink coralline algae. Most of the star board is competely covered with red/purple coraline algae. At first some brown diatom algae showed up on the front and back glass. The brown diatom algae was telling me that the tank was in one way or another still adjusting. Now I am getting the familiar green algae that you scrap off with the blades or floating type magnets.
I still feed every other day and mh lights are still at 4 hrs per day, on some days its on more like 5 hrs as I tinker around the tank. Actinics are at 6 hrs per day. As for the corals only some of the recently bought sps have seen some color changes. As I continue to increase the light source I will see the colors come back 100%.
Most of the monti's have kept great coloring. A couple chalice's are showing signs of possibly getting to much light but will continue to monitor them.
Last night I was replacing the two wets sides of my ES mp40's and next thing I know my cleaner shrimp is crawling on my hand pecking the hairs on my hand. Lol !!! He seems to now figure he is big enough and he can.
Calcium is being consumed because I have to dose the reef foundation for 3 days in order to keep a level of about 450.
Alk has been VERY steady at 8.0dkh to 8.2dkh.
Mg at a steady 1450
Salinity continues to stay at 1.024. I owe this to the ATO that doses evaporated water as needed.
As for growth.....most of the chalices are showing their typical green rings.
The acro's and monti's are not showing signs yet of growth yet.
The Atlantic blue ridge coral is showing signs of encrusting a neighboring rock. I will have to get a pic to post.
The following are my latest additions. I am trying to acquire some of the old sps pieces I used to have but they are hard to find these days.
I'll keep looking though!
Hollywood Stunner chalice
Red Stylocinella
ORA's Ponape birdsnest
ORA's Purple Nana
Things are coming along pretty well. I have started to use the Red Sea Reef Care Program.
While it is too soon to tell of its benefits I have implemented the reef foundation ABC and the NoPox part of the system.
I can say that in the last month of using NoPox in testing my nitrates are hovering around 8ppm to 4ppm and phosphates 0.20ppm to 0.16ppm.
My target levels are nitrates around 2ppm and phosphates around 0.02ppm.
One of the main reasons I think that the levels have not been reached is due to the fact that I am afraid of making any fast uncalculated dosing.
With that being said I am making an effort to use the product according to the recommended dosages. Testing is key until I get to where my target levels will be.
I have not seen any evidence of the hair algae that plagued my tank.
Could it be that the tank has finally matured and there is enough bacteria to take care of the hair algae? Not sure but the No and Phos levels have been steady and no increases on either of those paramters.
An explosive growth of purple and pink coralline algae. Most of the star board is competely covered with red/purple coraline algae. At first some brown diatom algae showed up on the front and back glass. The brown diatom algae was telling me that the tank was in one way or another still adjusting. Now I am getting the familiar green algae that you scrap off with the blades or floating type magnets.
I still feed every other day and mh lights are still at 4 hrs per day, on some days its on more like 5 hrs as I tinker around the tank. Actinics are at 6 hrs per day. As for the corals only some of the recently bought sps have seen some color changes. As I continue to increase the light source I will see the colors come back 100%.
Most of the monti's have kept great coloring. A couple chalice's are showing signs of possibly getting to much light but will continue to monitor them.
Last night I was replacing the two wets sides of my ES mp40's and next thing I know my cleaner shrimp is crawling on my hand pecking the hairs on my hand. Lol !!! He seems to now figure he is big enough and he can.
Calcium is being consumed because I have to dose the reef foundation for 3 days in order to keep a level of about 450.
Alk has been VERY steady at 8.0dkh to 8.2dkh.
Mg at a steady 1450
Salinity continues to stay at 1.024. I owe this to the ATO that doses evaporated water as needed.
As for growth.....most of the chalices are showing their typical green rings.
The acro's and monti's are not showing signs yet of growth yet.
The Atlantic blue ridge coral is showing signs of encrusting a neighboring rock. I will have to get a pic to post.
The following are my latest additions. I am trying to acquire some of the old sps pieces I used to have but they are hard to find these days.
I'll keep looking though!
Hollywood Stunner chalice
Red Stylocinella
ORA's Ponape birdsnest
ORA's Purple Nana
