Gregcoyote
Aquarium Advice Addict
Scrubbing the rocks in a bucket of siphoned off tank water with a rinse is what I would do. Otherwise crop what you can, it will eventually go away.
The Rebirth/Rebuild of my 180g sps thread
- Thread starter Acronuts
- Start date
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OP
OP
Acronuts
Aquarium Advice Freak
What type of brush would you recommend. I know metal or wire brush sounds great but and afraid I may leave residue on rocks. But i guess really rinsing afterwards is key.
About how much water should I aim to replace? Should I do 1/4 of the tank or as much as I can?
Thanks for your input or if anyone else folling your opinion is appreciated.
Gregcoyote
Aquarium Advice Addict
Acronuts said:
Just use a plastic dish brush, no metal. Yes, you will leave residue, not much can be done about that. The idea is to remove as much of the algae as possible along with the organics it has absorbed.
I would do 15-20 percent water changes once a week going forwards.
OP
OP
Acronuts
Aquarium Advice Freak
Finally have everything I need! Will be taking shots of the whole adventure, lol!
OP
OP
Acronuts
Aquarium Advice Freak
Update ......May 29th, 2012
Well finally I was able to attack my hair algae problem first hand! I made several slow changes so that I did not shock my system which at this point is only 7 months old.
Change 1
Three weeks ago I bought a 7 stage RO/DI because I knew that the one I had was faulty and was not doing its job due to the fact that I continued to grow hair algea at a fantastic rate! Whether this was the only contributing factor? Most likely not!
After installing the RO unit I prepared my water to make a 25% water change.
Change 2
Because of the current corals I had I did not want to do less than 3 hrs of light so in this department I only gave 3 hrs. less than the normal 6 I was giving them.
Change 3
I am making a point of changing my filter socks every three days as opposed to every 2 weeks. I realized that as the socks became clogged and they overflowed, I got a lot of detritus build up in my middle part of my sump. This I am sure was like a buffet all you can eat for the hair algae!
Changes 3 and 4
Changed and added carbon and a Brightwell's Phosphate remover pellets. I saw almost an immediate change and the green algae started to turn grey. This allowed me to siphon the dead out.
Back on my road trips and I could not make any other changes. As the initial water change lost its effect so did the carbon and the phos remover. I noticed the algae come back as I thought it would.
I knew that a bigger effort was needed so I planned on this past weekend to do major stuff!
Scrapping the rocks, glass was a MUST!!! The whole process started at 9am and I did not finish until about 7pm that evening!!
WOAH!!!
Major lesson here DO NOT SKIMP ON HUSBANDRY and YOUR WATER CHANGES!!!
Here is a short video taken with my iPad of the before.
As I started to remove water I scrapped my rocks
Well finally I was able to attack my hair algae problem first hand! I made several slow changes so that I did not shock my system which at this point is only 7 months old.
Change 1
Three weeks ago I bought a 7 stage RO/DI because I knew that the one I had was faulty and was not doing its job due to the fact that I continued to grow hair algea at a fantastic rate! Whether this was the only contributing factor? Most likely not!
After installing the RO unit I prepared my water to make a 25% water change.
Change 2
Because of the current corals I had I did not want to do less than 3 hrs of light so in this department I only gave 3 hrs. less than the normal 6 I was giving them.
Change 3
I am making a point of changing my filter socks every three days as opposed to every 2 weeks. I realized that as the socks became clogged and they overflowed, I got a lot of detritus build up in my middle part of my sump. This I am sure was like a buffet all you can eat for the hair algae!
Changes 3 and 4
Changed and added carbon and a Brightwell's Phosphate remover pellets. I saw almost an immediate change and the green algae started to turn grey. This allowed me to siphon the dead out.
Back on my road trips and I could not make any other changes. As the initial water change lost its effect so did the carbon and the phos remover. I noticed the algae come back as I thought it would.
I knew that a bigger effort was needed so I planned on this past weekend to do major stuff!
Scrapping the rocks, glass was a MUST!!! The whole process started at 9am and I did not finish until about 7pm that evening!!
WOAH!!!
Major lesson here DO NOT SKIMP ON HUSBANDRY and YOUR WATER CHANGES!!!
Here is a short video taken with my iPad of the before.
As I started to remove water I scrapped my rocks
OP
OP
Acronuts
Aquarium Advice Freak
Here are a few shots of the process as I continued that last weekend in the quest of hair algae removal. The back glass you can see I scraped the right side and the left still at the time of the pic had algae.
On the left and right corner overflows what once was covered in coralline algae became a nesting ground for the hair algae. Had to use a strong brush for removing the algae.
After rearranging the scape a little for better flow so that we get no dead zone I am on my way to filling the tank back up! A lot of hours guys and I never want to go thru that again!
On the left and right corner overflows what once was covered in coralline algae became a nesting ground for the hair algae. Had to use a strong brush for removing the algae.
After rearranging the scape a little for better flow so that we get no dead zone I am on my way to filling the tank back up! A lot of hours guys and I never want to go thru that again!
Last edited by a moderator:
OP
OP
Acronuts
Aquarium Advice Freak
Well one week has passed and I can report that all is well. Water parimeters are in check:
Ca 450
Alk 9.6
Mg 1350
Ph 8.23
Po 0.00 to 0.03
Nit 0.05
Did not lose ANY corals! So very proud of that! Some like my monti cap's did lose color but all else is good.
Added Brightwell's Phos remover
Cleaned Reef Octopus pump and skimmer.
There is still some algae on corner over flow walls. Will attack those next week. My MH lights are on for 3 hrs. The Super power brights are one for 5 hrs.
Here are some pics of the tank and a short video.
Next time add animals in about two weeks.
Ca 450
Alk 9.6
Mg 1350
Ph 8.23
Po 0.00 to 0.03
Nit 0.05
Did not lose ANY corals! So very proud of that! Some like my monti cap's did lose color but all else is good.
Added Brightwell's Phos remover
Cleaned Reef Octopus pump and skimmer.
There is still some algae on corner over flow walls. Will attack those next week. My MH lights are on for 3 hrs. The Super power brights are one for 5 hrs.
Here are some pics of the tank and a short video.
Next time add animals in about two weeks.
OP
OP
Acronuts
Aquarium Advice Freak
Update 7-01-2012
Well I am into the 8th month and things are going ok. I have been out of town but keeping close care of the reef tank.
As I do my 20% water changes every three weeks the amount of impurity still in the tank form the old RO Unit most likely are still evident in the water.
Unfortunately I am having the old GHA syndrome and have started to use the Red Sea product called NOPOX.
So far I am dosing less than the recommended rate and have seen my phosphates and nitrates drop. Especially my nitrates.
You would think that with star board being bare bottom you would not have accumilation of nitrates and phosphates but that can not be further than from the truth. The rocks to the corals to the fish they all produce waste.
Algae is somewhat under control but I understand that it will take awhile before it is completely gone.
In the meantime I am also using Read Sea's reef care product called, "reef foundation ABC+."
It has kept my Ca at 450, my Mg at 1450 and my Alk at 10.2. Of course some corals are loving it by showing signs of growth and others are slow in growth signs no matter what you put into the tank.
Since my tank has a HUGE amount of available real estate I could not pass up the 4th anniversary at WWC or their online 24 hr super sale.
Here are some the latest additions to the tank :
True Orenji Monti
Fire Echino Lamellosa
Raspberry Mille
WWC Area 51 Chalice
Well I am into the 8th month and things are going ok. I have been out of town but keeping close care of the reef tank.
As I do my 20% water changes every three weeks the amount of impurity still in the tank form the old RO Unit most likely are still evident in the water.
Unfortunately I am having the old GHA syndrome and have started to use the Red Sea product called NOPOX.
So far I am dosing less than the recommended rate and have seen my phosphates and nitrates drop. Especially my nitrates.
You would think that with star board being bare bottom you would not have accumilation of nitrates and phosphates but that can not be further than from the truth. The rocks to the corals to the fish they all produce waste.
Algae is somewhat under control but I understand that it will take awhile before it is completely gone.
In the meantime I am also using Read Sea's reef care product called, "reef foundation ABC+."
It has kept my Ca at 450, my Mg at 1450 and my Alk at 10.2. Of course some corals are loving it by showing signs of growth and others are slow in growth signs no matter what you put into the tank.
Since my tank has a HUGE amount of available real estate I could not pass up the 4th anniversary at WWC or their online 24 hr super sale.
Here are some the latest additions to the tank :
True Orenji Monti
Fire Echino Lamellosa
Raspberry Mille
WWC Area 51 Chalice
OP
OP
Acronuts
Aquarium Advice Freak
Update 09/2012
Lots has happened since my last update back in July!!!
Well for starters the GHA problem kept persisting. I started to use the new Red Sea products. While the NoPox lowered the phosphates and nitrates the algea continued. Trying to keep patient in order to let the product work. I figured that I would not see the GHA while I was away on my work related trips as they say outta site, outta mind. Anyway, at the end of July I came home and heard the dreaded noise coming from my main GEN-X pump. The noise was LOUD. Unfortunately all I could do was unplug it and wait a minute or two and replug it. This seemed to help. A day or so later the noise would come back so I would unplug and plug.
Unfortunately the GHA was still there and the NoPox was inits 4th week of dosing. As I left for another trip I did a 10% WC. While on the trip my nephew called and said he thought that the pump was dead. We went thru all the steps to figure remotely whether this was true or not. It was DEAD!!! Thank god my vortech pumps kept running!!
I came home a week later and started looking for the same pump gen -x pump. But I did not want the same pump. This pump was an energy hogger!! But knowing I had another trip coming up and I wanted a quick change of old to new pump and off I would go. The gen -x pump was more expensive than I could afford. I was researching other pumps when I realized how much I like the bubble blaster pump on my skimmer.
Bam! Found the bubble blaster HY -10000w.
Problem solved right? Nope! lol
Pump arrived while I was away on business. I went to install and noticed that nothing of the old setup matched the new pump!! Oh man!!!
Had to go on another biz trip so did another 10% WC and off I went. But something interesting had started to happen on the 6th week. Not adding any nopox or anything other feeding every other day pellet food, cutting down on MH's to only two hrs per day I noticed GHA was dieing off!!!!
Had the Red Sea products finally started to work? Possibly, but ALL GHA gone!!!
I thought that at least the one thing that went right was the disappearance of GHA. Could it be possible that around the 8th month the tank had finally matured? I don't know.
What I do know is that I lost most of my sps's with the exception of some monti's. None of my chalice's were harmed or the Atlantic blue ridge coral.
Last biz trip came and went but before I left I made an appointment with the guys over at WWC for a replumbing of my system.
The guys came in last Monday on Labor Day and went to town on my tank's plumbing!
Here are some pics of the plumbing. What a difference this makes!!!!! Very clean looking and much more appealing and workable. I still have to work on cleaning up the wires but its defintiely BETTER!!!
The "A" guys Alec and Ace did a fantastic job!! Very professionally done workmanship IMO and well worth it. Thanks guys!!!
Before
After
Before
After
Lots has happened since my last update back in July!!!
Well for starters the GHA problem kept persisting. I started to use the new Red Sea products. While the NoPox lowered the phosphates and nitrates the algea continued. Trying to keep patient in order to let the product work. I figured that I would not see the GHA while I was away on my work related trips as they say outta site, outta mind. Anyway, at the end of July I came home and heard the dreaded noise coming from my main GEN-X pump. The noise was LOUD. Unfortunately all I could do was unplug it and wait a minute or two and replug it. This seemed to help. A day or so later the noise would come back so I would unplug and plug.
Unfortunately the GHA was still there and the NoPox was inits 4th week of dosing. As I left for another trip I did a 10% WC. While on the trip my nephew called and said he thought that the pump was dead. We went thru all the steps to figure remotely whether this was true or not. It was DEAD!!! Thank god my vortech pumps kept running!!
I came home a week later and started looking for the same pump gen -x pump. But I did not want the same pump. This pump was an energy hogger!! But knowing I had another trip coming up and I wanted a quick change of old to new pump and off I would go. The gen -x pump was more expensive than I could afford. I was researching other pumps when I realized how much I like the bubble blaster pump on my skimmer.
Bam! Found the bubble blaster HY -10000w.
Problem solved right? Nope! lol
Pump arrived while I was away on business. I went to install and noticed that nothing of the old setup matched the new pump!! Oh man!!!
Had to go on another biz trip so did another 10% WC and off I went. But something interesting had started to happen on the 6th week. Not adding any nopox or anything other feeding every other day pellet food, cutting down on MH's to only two hrs per day I noticed GHA was dieing off!!!!
Had the Red Sea products finally started to work? Possibly, but ALL GHA gone!!!
I thought that at least the one thing that went right was the disappearance of GHA. Could it be possible that around the 8th month the tank had finally matured? I don't know.
What I do know is that I lost most of my sps's with the exception of some monti's. None of my chalice's were harmed or the Atlantic blue ridge coral.
Last biz trip came and went but before I left I made an appointment with the guys over at WWC for a replumbing of my system.
The guys came in last Monday on Labor Day and went to town on my tank's plumbing!
Here are some pics of the plumbing. What a difference this makes!!!!! Very clean looking and much more appealing and workable. I still have to work on cleaning up the wires but its defintiely BETTER!!!
The "A" guys Alec and Ace did a fantastic job!! Very professionally done workmanship IMO and well worth it. Thanks guys!!!
Before
After
Before
After
OP
OP
Acronuts
Aquarium Advice Freak
Here are some more pics after cleaning up some more wires, lol!!
Ace working
Alec making the connections to the chiller
The WWC guys after a job well done!!
Ace working
Alec making the connections to the chiller
The WWC guys after a job well done!!
OP
OP
Acronuts
Aquarium Advice Freak
With the plumbing getting done it was a great opportunity to have the guys install an ATO system. Man can't believe I did not get this done sooner!!!
A 10 gallon tank
An ATO unit
A lift pump
Regular tubing and the sensor valves that come with the unit. One inside the 10g tank, the other inside the sump by the return pump.
Once the sensor in the sump sends a signal that the water level has dropped then the ATO turns on the lift pump and returns the water from the 10g tank to the sump. What a device!!! Keeps the water level for the skimmer and keeps the water in the display tank as constant as possible. This unit will come in handy on my week long trips!!
A 10 gallon tank
An ATO unit
A lift pump
Regular tubing and the sensor valves that come with the unit. One inside the 10g tank, the other inside the sump by the return pump.
Once the sensor in the sump sends a signal that the water level has dropped then the ATO turns on the lift pump and returns the water from the 10g tank to the sump. What a device!!! Keeps the water level for the skimmer and keeps the water in the display tank as constant as possible. This unit will come in handy on my week long trips!!
OP
OP
Acronuts
Aquarium Advice Freak
Lol beengirl! It sure does, but this is my down time. I get busy from the spring onwards.
Yes the ATO is an awesome device!
OP
OP
Acronuts
Aquarium Advice Freak
Update 09-19-2012
Well its been roughly three weeks since the install of the piping. VERY happy to say that no leaks and the ease of closing valves to remove filter sock is great.
My fav gadget has to be the ATO. I love the way it keeps the skimmer water level constant. This inturn keeps the addition of fresh water to the display tank without any HUGE fluctuations in salinity, another plus!
So far the acclumilation of phos and nitrates was unavoidable.
Water parameters before the piping install:
Ca 350
Alk 11
Mag 1100
Phos 1.00
Nitates 18.0
Salinity was a wopping 1.029
Within 3 weeks, a 20% water change and the addition of Nopox my parameters are:
Ca 430
Alk 8.6
Mag 1400
Phos 0.12
Nitrates 4.0
Salinity 1.25
20% water change this coming Sunday.
This past weekend it was shopping time!!! Yep I got my fix and the need for sticks has started!
Here are the latest additions to the tank and a couple of FTS's!
WWC efflo blue tips white polyps
Beginnings of a like garf bonsai type of sps
Neon green tip birdsnest
Stylophora sps
Well its been roughly three weeks since the install of the piping. VERY happy to say that no leaks and the ease of closing valves to remove filter sock is great.
My fav gadget has to be the ATO. I love the way it keeps the skimmer water level constant. This inturn keeps the addition of fresh water to the display tank without any HUGE fluctuations in salinity, another plus!
So far the acclumilation of phos and nitrates was unavoidable.
Water parameters before the piping install:
Ca 350
Alk 11
Mag 1100
Phos 1.00
Nitates 18.0
Salinity was a wopping 1.029
Within 3 weeks, a 20% water change and the addition of Nopox my parameters are:
Ca 430
Alk 8.6
Mag 1400
Phos 0.12
Nitrates 4.0
Salinity 1.25
20% water change this coming Sunday.
This past weekend it was shopping time!!! Yep I got my fix and the need for sticks has started!
Here are the latest additions to the tank and a couple of FTS's!
WWC efflo blue tips white polyps
Beginnings of a like garf bonsai type of sps
Neon green tip birdsnest
Stylophora sps
OP
OP
Acronuts
Aquarium Advice Freak
Here are some of the other additions
Purple milli
LA Lakers Zoa's
Fire and Ice Zoa's
This one is to replace the one I had lost with all the mess from before.
Superman monti (one of my all time favorites)
Purple milli
LA Lakers Zoa's
Fire and Ice Zoa's
This one is to replace the one I had lost with all the mess from before.
Superman monti (one of my all time favorites)
Nu-Nu the eel
Aquarium Advice Addict
Looks like the same chiller i have. Is it a quarter horse?
OP
OP
Acronuts
Aquarium Advice Freak
Yes it is! Love this chiller!
OP
OP
Acronuts
Aquarium Advice Freak
9-23-2012
Update today I will do a 20% WC.
I added these beauties this past week and just got to upload them for record purposes of the thread but for me also to gauge growth as time goes on.
This is a watermelon chalice that needs no photo shopping whatsoever!!!
Key lime mango sherbet chalice
Here is the entire chalice
Some pretty green/blue zoas for bottom color
Update today I will do a 20% WC.
I added these beauties this past week and just got to upload them for record purposes of the thread but for me also to gauge growth as time goes on.
This is a watermelon chalice that needs no photo shopping whatsoever!!!
Key lime mango sherbet chalice
Here is the entire chalice
Some pretty green/blue zoas for bottom color
OP
OP
Acronuts
Aquarium Advice Freak
A few more additions
Nicely colored pink milli
Great florescent green acro, this one looks great under actinic as well as MH radiums
Well here she is guys. Still need to glue the last few pieces but at least you can see the beginning bones.
Nicely colored pink milli
Great florescent green acro, this one looks great under actinic as well as MH radiums
Well here she is guys. Still need to glue the last few pieces but at least you can see the beginning bones.
OP
OP
Acronuts
Aquarium Advice Freak
Here is a quick video that I took from my ipad the other night.
Not 100% happy w it. Why? Well video camera does not let me adjust white balance on the ipad. Which causes the pic to show almost w a blue hue to it. If the ipad does have a way to control the white balanace I have not figured out yet how to adjust it.
But it at least shows what is happening today in the tank and also helps me keep a record of what the corals look like and what they will look like 6 months from now.
One thing that you can tell is how the rock work, from being bleached, has started to cover up nicely in purple coraline algae.
My 180g 9-2012 video log - YouTube
Not 100% happy w it. Why? Well video camera does not let me adjust white balance on the ipad. Which causes the pic to show almost w a blue hue to it. If the ipad does have a way to control the white balanace I have not figured out yet how to adjust it.
But it at least shows what is happening today in the tank and also helps me keep a record of what the corals look like and what they will look like 6 months from now.
One thing that you can tell is how the rock work, from being bleached, has started to cover up nicely in purple coraline algae.
My 180g 9-2012 video log - YouTube
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