Tim's 54 Gallon Corner -> Going Reef

[TLTGF]

Tank looks really nice.


As for the MP's, you are mostly correct. I started with (2) MP10's initially to replace two Koralia 750's. then for a short time I relocated one MP10 to my BC29 Angler tank. At that time, my 54 really suffered the loss of flow, the the BC was overkill even at the lowest settings. I found that in the BC, the return flow was plenty, and I replaced the 2nd MP10 on the 54.

I currently have the MP10's set as Master/ Slave, so they are opposites. When one is high flow the other is less and vice-versa. They are running at 100% MAX using the Lagoon program.

Even with all that, I still have lots if detritus buildup in the rear of the tank and plenty of crap on my sandbed. The 54 is very hard to maintain good flow IME.

I do have my PH's facing each other about 6" from the top and 4" from the front.

 

[katoom27]

Tank looks really nice.


As for the MP's, you are mostly correct. I started with (2) MP10's initially to replace two Koralia 750's. then for a short time I relocated one MP10 to my BC29 Angler tank. At that time, my 54 really suffered the loss of flow, the the BC was overkill even at the lowest settings. I found that in the BC, the return flow was plenty, and I replaced the 2nd MP10 on the 54.

I currently have the MP10's set as Master/ Slave, so they are opposites. When one is high flow the other is less and vice-versa. They are running at 100% MAX using the Lagoon program.

Even with all that, I still have lots if detritus buildup in the rear of the tank and plenty of crap on my sandbed. The 54 is very hard to maintain good flow IME.

I do have my PH's facing each other about 6" from the top and 4" from the front.

Thanks for the response. Your tank looks great as well. I think I'm gonna have to drop another couple o hundred as much as I don't want to. I think the extra mp10 will help. I know I have phos in the tank do to the slime and hair. Just not sure the true reading. Wish I could get the chaeto to grow to help with it. I guess I entered into the never ending hobby.

Anyone here had any luck with bio pellets. They are intriguing to me.

 

[TLTGF]

The 2nd picture, I added so you can see how rediculously nasty my sandbed is even with nearly 2000 gph of flow all day.

 

[Gregcoyote]

Why not add a couple of inexpensive power heads in the lower corners to blow all that stuff back into the water column?

 

[katoom27]

Your sand-bed looks like you may have cyano as well. That is a crazy amount of flow to still have detritus buildup.
The reason I went with the mp10 is so I wouldn't have the power cords and just an overall cleaner look.

 

[TLTGF]

You are both correct. I have some cyano coming in, and since I have (4) Koralia 750's sitting in the box, I am planning to remove a large piece of liverock from the rear of the tank and have the 750 facing low and to the front of the tank to alleviate, hopefully, that area.

I used to have it set like that when I was first starting, but then I started freaking out about natural filtration and added a few large rocks and filled in the back area. It was a mistake, and then my corals over grew the top and I used the back rock, but not anymore.

 

[TLTGF]

Still waiting to complete the stand for the 40 gallon before I can transfer the liverock and add my 750 back in. Probably a couple weeks.

Also, since my last pink-spot took a flying leap after I came home one night and scared it, I've really missed having a bottom dweller. Today, while getting feeder shrimp, I finally saw the LFS got another one in. I bought her this morning and after acclimation, in she went. No QT though as the mantis in the QT would've not been good. Fingers crossed.

 

[Sniperhank]

I'm sure he'll be fine Tim. Good luck with it.

 

[TLTGF]

Goby is still doing well. Definitely a jumper - got my lid on tight. She swims near the surface all day. Very odd behavior if you ask me. She swims along the side walls and by the powerheads. Weird.

 

[katoom27]

Cool looking goby Tim.

My radion power supply took a dump. Light turns on and off every couple of seconds. Ecotech has been great. Light is about a year old and they are sending out another power supply second day air. I think I will either receive it Monday or Wednesday due to New Years. Just curious if my refugium bulb will work until I get the radion back on line. I don't have many Sps. I have a leather coral, BTA, some zoa's, green star polyps, and some xenias. Any tips or ideas if this will work till I receive the power supply, or should I try to rent something from my LFS (if that option is even available). Has anyone had this issue. I guess that what sucks about having a high tech light, it takes high tech dumps.
Any advice is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[TLTGF]

Wow, that's crazy. So far no issues with mine. As far as corals, I've gone two full days without lights just to fight algae growth, so any light you use, if any will be fine for a couple days. The corals will probably be mad, but they should recover easily.

I've also heard anticdotal tales of folks target feeding corals when lights were down to suppliment food missing from lights. I've heard so much as that a reef lived with zero lights for months and the corals were just fed very well, just to see if it would work.

 

[TLTGF]

As most of you who have followed this thread, as well as my others, know by now that I like to experiment and go against the grain a bit. I like to think that I make educated impulse decisions. Well, it's about time that I tried something new...

What's in store for the 54 corner? Feeding.

I know, right? Who would've figured that? Well, it started about (2) months ago, when I went to a LFS in Lansing, and saw a poster for a Reefkeeping 101 class. I missed it. BUT, about 6 weeks later, I saw a facebook post talking about a class featuring information about "providing optimal nutrition for corals and invertabrates in the reef aquarium."

Given the fact that I'm setting up a mantis tank, I thought, how perfect. I went to the class, and it couldn't have been further from my expectations. It had nothing to do with what I had thought, plus it was a young man's first class, and he was quite nervous and ill-prepared. I could tell he was knowledgable, but went through 60 minutes of material in just under 25...

At any rate, the class was quite informative and really gave me a new perspective about feeding. After doing more focused research, I've found several sources providing the same / similar information.

The basis of the information is that, the "Classic" way of thinking about feeding a reef is: Feed sparingly at the top of the food chain, and everything else fends for itself or gets what it needs from the water column and lighting source.

This push towards a "New" way of thinking is focused on feeding the entire food web, and providing nutrition for the ecosystem as a whole and not just the fish.

More to come later.

 

[TLTGF]

What does this mean for me? As I starting reef keeping a couple years ago, I was amazed at the life that was in my reef. There was micro fauna everywhere in the forms of mini-brittle stars, asternia stars, dusters, fans, and pods of all kinds. I don't exactly know how or when, but over time all of these creatures slowly disappeared to minimal levels if any. Sponges are the only survivors of the bunch and continue to thrive and multiply.

My goal for this reef and my BC is to re-establish these "behind the scenes" reef creatures. I will start by adding multiple kinds of pods to the tank along with feeding phytoplankton. I plan to gradually ramp up the feeding and monitor my levels, mainly nitrate and phosphate, closely.

By no means will my findings prove or disprove anything and I won't necessarily be looking for any accelerated coral growth. Just want a thriving reef at all levels.

I'll update with more specifics soon. My hands are cramping from phone typing.

 

[Sniperhank]

That is interesting. I say this because it is the approach that I'm currently taking, just giving it a name I guess. I have been broadcast feeding daily I top of the twice weekly feeding of shrimp or blood worms.

I started this about a month ago. This was after thinking and researching after the death of my maxima clam. I liked that clam. I refused to fail again. This clam was very small, though I didn't know that at the time. And with that, small clams rely on filter feeding along with light much more than larger clams. I did not know that part. So I am now applying daily reef chili. Have not seen an increase in phosphates at all. Algae growth has remained the same, just being forced to grow in the sump...don't think I'd call it a fuge anymore since I have 2 sections, but there is a nice growth of hair algae on the side of the tank where the fuge light shines to keep my red bone grass alive. Will probably see even better results if my skimmer would work consistently.

It has only been a month. I haven't seen an increase in life, as the tank has always been full of mini bristles and what not. But I have 3 dusters, a coco worm, and a large derasa clam now. If long term results come from the coco, ill call it a success.

 

[katoom27]

Tim thanks for the advice. Just rec'd the tracking update today looks like I will be recipe ring the part jan 2. My tank will have been without its original lighting for 7 days or so. Looks like I will just let the 5000k bulb do whatever magic it can.

That's an interesting point regarding feeding. I do have much more life in my refugium than the DT. Do you think the lack of life in the DT is also your fish consuming the little critters more than the actual feeding. I'm sure you have thought of it. I just notice my six line wrasse constantly picking at the rocks searching for food.

 

[Spicemonkey]

Newbie here...what is reef chilli and where can I get this? I have been feeding almost daily frozen shrimp. I have an abundance of brittle stars and copepods and after 9 months of running my 12g just discovered a amphipod but was gone the next day.

 

[Gregcoyote]

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/catalog/product/view/id/1799/

 

[TLTGF]

Newbie here...what is reef chilli and where can I get this? I have been feeding almost daily frozen shrimp. I have an abundance of brittle stars and copepods and after 9 months of running my 12g just discovered a amphipod but was gone the next day.

Greg beat me to it...

All the key ingredients are included in BRS Reef
Chili:
• Bio-engineered Zooplankton
• Spray Dried Phytoplanton
• Freeze Dried Rotifers
• Freeze Dried Copepods
• Dried Daphnia
• Spirulina Powder
• Artemia Nauplii replacement diet

Basically Reef Chili is an all-in-one coral food created by Ryan, one of the co-founders of BRS.

 

[Spicemonkey]

Greg beat me to it...

All the key ingredients are included in BRS Reef
Chili:
• Bio-engineered Zooplankton
• Spray Dried Phytoplanton
• Freeze Dried Rotifers
• Freeze Dried Copepods
• Dried Daphnia
• Spirulina Powder
• Artemia Nauplii replacement diet

Basically Reef Chili is an all-in-one coral food created by Ryan, one of the co-founders of BRS.

Good to know. I have heard others make mention of said food but I now understand much better. dare I say...this site RAWKS!!!

 

[TLTGF]

I've ordered some reef chili as well as some freeze-dried cyclops. Next I'm looking into whether the long term cost savings for growing phytoplankton outweigh the initial cost and setup trouble. Once I get that going, I'll be ordering a few thousand pods to seed my 54 and BC. Probably get them from reefs2go. Then the feeding schedule will start.