Tank Journal Archive

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ezza

Guest
The Moment You Wonder Why.
I had an amazing visit today at the home of a local reefer many people would know as Xixau. I was overwhelmed by his system. It is quite possibly the most lovely reef I've ever seen in person. An extraordinary collection of big healthy colonies in a rainbow of colours. I came home from viewing this magical wonderland of precious and beautiful corals to my glass box of rocks and limp jelly like corals.

I've had my Maxspect Razor on blue spectrum only for a few weeks after I had a flush of hair algae and cyanobacteria bloom. The algae blew up while I was in hospital- the husband did his best but it was just growing like mad. Since turning the lights to blue only, the corals actually haven't looked bad, things have grown and I have seen colours develop that were just shades of brown before. When I looked at the tank this arvo, things just looked floppy. Nothing looked right. I turned the lights onto a preset program- they have white and blue obviously and I was a little bit shocked at how flipping ugly the tank was. My corals were flaccid (the salinity was off slightly). I stirred up the substrate a little, the coral rubble i added recently to help prevent the fine sand from flying around is a little green and brown with some algae in spots- it is doing its job. I still don't know if that was a good idea really... but ever moving sand dunes is frustrating. The upside is that the majority of the hair algae is gone. The downside is that the rocks are still fuzzy. They pretty much always have been- they have been covered with remnants of dead hair algae and colonial hydroids for a long time. I scrubbed the rocks down as best as I could this evening. I'm catching as much of the waste as possible with 2 filter socks and filter wool in the top of the overflow (why can't someone make a filter sock that slots into that rectangular space?). In a nutshell, I'm pulling as much crap out as possible. I need to run tests on the params tomorrow.

As for "the moment you wonder why", well, I found myself looking at my system and just wondering why I have this aquarium, why I put my rocks the way they are, why I have sand that blows, why I don't just pull it all down and start again... I don't know if I can do any better. I don't really know what I'm doing. I have read so much theory, but my aquarium is not where it ought to be. I have no clue whatsoever about the lights. I just don't know what the best settings are. I've battled with it for months. Things will go ok for a while, but then something changes. I wish there was a person who could just magically fix it. I wish I had more coral than rock. I wish I didn't have huge boulders of Texas Holey Rock and random little bits of live rock. I wish I had a scape like Richie's where the actual rock is just tiny seed and the corals become the primary focus as they plate and encrust. I want more coralline algae :( I had a flush of growth recently which was a bit of a mystery and exciting- but it's always sporadic and ceases just as quickly as it began.

I dunno. *shrug* I just don't know what to do. I don't know how to go past this stage in my reef's life.

I think I have used far too many "I statements". Sorry about that... so many thoughts...
 
E

ezza

Guest
I realise now that my post is probably a bit down. I didn't mean it to be. I had quite a sore back today- it knocked me around a bit, feeling hopeless.

I have been cleaning up lots of mould in our house over the long weekend. We have a seriously problematic room which is poorly built and I've been considering whether building a false wall and filling it with insulation would help, then I remember that I'm not a builder,and more relevant... Just had spinal surgery and am not meant to be doing anything. I can probably do the job but I have no real idea and I worry how it would come out, if I would make a mess of it or not. I told my husband to install a window venting kit for our clothes dryer yesterday. Hours later it still was nowhere near -started-. It turned out to be a ridiculously difficult thing and my husband is not a DIY-er at all. I ended up laying on the laundry floor, removing the back of the dryer to dummy up a hole of the right size and shape to shove the venting hose in so we could use the damn thing without needing a professional to install anything. I got it done... It would void a warranty if it was still under one- but it is done and so there is slightly less moisture in the house.

The point I am trying to make I guess is that I just feel so unable to achieve high quality results. I have ideas, but not the right tools to achieve them.

Sleep time. I know I need to shut my brain down when the dog comes and lays with me to sleep. My protector.

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MichelleShocked

Moderate ;)
Jan 7, 2012
2,310
1,021
Gladstone
I guess the only real advice that works and yet sounds so flippant is: keep trying.
It's so easy to say that - I should know! I've lost 2 beautiful nano set ups because of having to move and mistakes i made. I gave up for 12 months because people on here had been so generous to me and i STILL FAILED. I felt i had failed them too, and the guilt of that weighed heavy. I also didn't have the financial or mental resources to push forward at that time (family court is a money-drain) so i gave up. I also felt incredibly guilty on behalf of the all the poor creatures I'd managed to kill :'( looking at all the frag tiles I'd kept, it was like a collection of headstones, to me.
But people - again on here - had more faith in me than i did. They told me: start over. Try again.
When i finally won in court, i felt more competent in general and finances eased and my thoughts started drifting back to my beloved zoas & morphs. I will learn more and work harder and succeed in THIS too!
There will always be better tanks than yours, Ezza. And worse. The secret, i think, is to find the beauty in yours and focus on that - picture what it will BECOME. Comparisons will only depress and dismay you. Your tank is your creative work in progress - love it for what it's becoming :) ♡
 

Dean Lovett

Member
Apr 11, 2015
377
146
Penrith
I worked at a gym with the most enigmatic boss. He trained Glenn McGrath for years and years while he was representing Australia.

He had a very opinionated method of training, a method I didn't agree with it.

But I remember I approached him one day and listed the following complaints:
• I'm not putting on any muscle.
• I'm getting sick.
• I'm getting bored.
• my method of training isn't working.

I was prepared for a long winded answer to which I would be thinking to myself "omg why did I ask."

But Kev answered my question with the one of the best pieces of advice I've ever received:

"Go back to basics"

I did that, I put more size on, wasn't sick, wasn't bored and made progress.


So for you, I'd give you the same advice. Go back to basics, go back to what works, find your roots and start with the basics.

When things get complex. We put band aids on band aids on bandaids, but that's just a quick fix, we need to rip the band aids off and fix the real problem.

So go back to basics.
 

Mr.Reeefer

my name is Brock
Jul 8, 2014
252
108
Hey ez,

all i have to say is, i think thats what keeps me interested in the hobby, if it were easy would it be as much fun? would you have such a great feeling of achievement when you achieve the results you're after easily?

Don't let these things get you down, even though everything might not be how you want it, but it's alive, how many people look at there scape they were once happy with and now think, i don't like this or i don't like that or i would do that differently next time.

I think algae is one of the biggest problems we all face in this hobby, and many times when i'm cleaning it off my glass i think, i'm shit, so many reefers out there wouldn't be doing this right now, but, then when i look at people's FTS on here or FB, i see beautiful tanks i admire, but I always see that bit of algae that they have missed and i think, IM NOT THE ONLY ONE!!

So just know ez, you're not alone, we are all in the same boat, trying new things, reading new research, and trying to get our reefs how we picture it in our head, but getting our reefs to look like they do in our heads is the challenge, I will get there, when i don't know, but perseverance must pay off!!
 

Mr.Reeefer

my name is Brock
Jul 8, 2014
252
108
the only advice i would give to maybe help is,

Monitor your params closely for a while, and keep them spot on with as little fluctuation as you can and see your results
Lighting, i think anywhere between 8-12hrs a day is good depending on your corals, blue is not enough, you need full spectrum, i like more blue in the evenings and mornings and full spectrum in the middle of the day for a good 4-5hrs.
As stated above, forget allot of the stuff you have read for now and get back to the basics, frequent water changes, stable salinity, stable temps, stable lighting programs, stable water params

Good luck mate
 
E

ezza

Guest
Thankyou so much @MichelleShocked , @Dean Lovett and @Mr.Reeefer . I think you are all right. My husband told me it was actually Monday a week ago that we last did a water change. I thought it was the end of the week- it probably explains the floppyness of my corals.

I have turned my lights back onto a full spectrum program as of yesterday. The hair algae is definitely gone which is good and the corals are perking up. I'll get a change done as soon as i can. i just can't do it by myself, I have to wait for the husband to be around as I am still limited to a max weight lift of 5kg. Today I have actually felt totally exhausted, I spent all day in bed sleeping. They will have to wait.

I think I will start up the Seneye again. I really like it, it does help track things. I might be able to buy the server thingy that takes away the need for a computer. My PC died recently and I just haven't been up on computer hardware for so long, the idea of rebuilding it actually overwhelms me. The laptop I'm on now is lucky to be working- it needs a major upgrade too.

I am tired and I am sore and I am rambling. I will go back to basics and reboot. I think the issue is also just a lack of new corals for a long time. I got a frogspawn recently but haven't really added anything for a long time aside from that. Soon soon.

<3 Thankyou friends.
 
E

ezza

Guest
If you want to turn pro at reefing then step up and play ball.
And this thread is a good read to get you going.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1685800
PS Richie runs a bacteria driven system- you've seen how it's done !!!!
I would love to try zeovit. I see the results in so many gorgeous aquariums... but I don't know that I could pull it off. Some of it is very complex and it's certainly a matter of making a leap of faith.
 

slin1977

Member
Jul 13, 2011
3,476
1,661
Sydney
Daily I test KH :)
This helps me decide if my calcium reactor is going ok.
The rest- salinity, NO3 and Phos I check weekly .
Fortnight I check Magnesium Calcium. And that's on a full blown SPS tank.
Monthly potassium iodine and strontium .
I dare say you don't need a Seneye - just Salifert like me , lol!!!

As for Zeovit you only need two basics for now 50ml of Bacteria and 250ml of Start
That will be more than enough to kick you off in a new direction.
Time to ditch that DSB if you haven't already:p
 
E

ezza

Guest
Do you mean the DSB in the sump @slin1977 ? That went back when the tunze skimmer was given to me around March. I kept the matrix I had in there and put marine pure balls in. There is about an inch of sand in the display, but I do mix it up when I clean the tank every week so it doesn't become a DSB. I learnt that the hard way.

Your testing schedule and is good! Much less daunting than doing every test every time. I have never had any problems with calc and mag and have always had them at max levels so don't often test them. My tank is actually quite stable. When I have had seneye running I got down to obsessing about minute PH fluctuations, watching it chart everything more than I watch tv.

Before I accidentally browned my tiny green live spots on my dead millipora (I dipped it in peroxide because it was covered with hair algae), the fluoro green of those live pieces of SPS were a good indicator for me of the health of the tank. I should buy another (live) SPS something or other. I only keep the dead skeleton because my yellow clown goby uses it as a lookout and home. It also has an amazing hitching zoa which I think was the best part of buying a coral that had no hope. It's pink, purple, and gold and looks like it sparkles. I still look at the 3 spots that are browned now, there is a chance it may come back again because there is still a hint of colour. I won't throw it out yet. I just can't really get anywhere much to get my hands on SPS to experiment with... Or zeovit products for that matter...
 

slin1977

Member
Jul 13, 2011
3,476
1,661
Sydney
http://www.zeovit.co.nz
Used them lots before my LFS Aquaristic started stocking them . As well as Reef Secrets. They all post to your doorstep.

BTW I have ph test kit and ph pen test and you will notice in the testing routine a couple posts above that I don't ever test for PH.
Ph testing is a freshwater thing- and if you are chasing the magic numbers of ph 8.2 or 8.3 you will find that your problem algae will most show up at these numbers. Below or above those numbers the algae does not show up even half as much.

On DSB yes, I meant the sump type :-)
 
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E

ezza

Guest
http://www.zeovit.co.nz
Used them lots before my LFS Aquaristic started stocking them . As well as Reef Secrets. They all post to your doorstep.

BTW I have ph test kit and ph pen test and you will notice in the testing routine a couple posts above that I don't ever test for PH.
Ph testing is a freshwater thing- and if you are chasing the magic numbers of ph 8.2 or 8.3 you will find that your problem algae will most show up at these numbers. Below or above those numbers the algae does not show up even half as much.

On DSB yes, I meant the sump type :)
I did notice that aquaristic has it all online. I will order some stuff. Thanks mate. Xxx
 
E

ezza

Guest
How's this for numbers?!

Calcium:450
Magnesium: 1500
PH: 7.7 (way too low but this is due to missing the water change that was due Monday)
Phosphate: 0
KH: 15 (eeep!!! wtf??)
Nitrite:0
Ammonia: 0
Nitrate: 2

Calc is down a tad, but that's as expected as I hadn't dosed for several weeks. I don't know why the KH is so high. It's very odd.

Just because I could, I drove down to Asquith to buy my Clowns some Ocean Nutrition flakes as I had run out. Just to make it all worthwhile I came home with the food, 1L bottles of liquid calc/strontium and magnesium. I thought I'd give it a try and see if it's easier to dose in this way. I expect it will be much more accurate and I'm less likely to make accidental overdoses. I wouldn't mind going into dosing with a pump- I guess I'm testing the waters sort of.

I also came home with buddies for Mr Black and OJ. Mr Black is the black clown I added the day I came home from hospital, he gets along with OJ the original orange clown, but they don't have the same relationship as OJ had with the old orange clown who passed away in the storm. Anyhoo. everyone is having fun, Dory welcomed the newcomers and then it was getting to know you time. The orange clowns are happy with each other and the black clowns are happy with each other. Fishville is getting pretty crowded now. It's time to bulk up the corals and get everyone a place to live. I added a new white hammer and a green turbinaria. I would really like to make a feature from the turbinaria but I'm not sure how to do it. I'd love some advice about that.
 

Mr.Reeefer

my name is Brock
Jul 8, 2014
252
108
Hey @ezza great numbers mate,

Here is a link about low ph http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rhf/

i dont think your ph is low due to the water change delay, check the link and this should help you find out your issue, generally a low alkalinity can lead to low ph, but since your ph is low with high alkalinity i think you need to get this under control and this website should help.

Currently you don't need to dose anything besides calcium, and once you have done this your alkalinity should decrease, i don't think it will decrease enough but it will decrease, maybe if you drive your calcium levels up to the 550ppm mark that might get the alkalinity down enough to where it should be.

calcium, alkalinity and ph are all linked together and if you can wrap your head around how these work together the ph reading of the seneye is very useful.

but good on ya for getting back on the horse and congrats on very good numbers, especially phosphates!!
 
E

ezza

Guest
Hey @ezza great numbers mate,

Here is a link about low ph http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rhf/

i dont think your ph is low due to the water change delay, check the link and this should help you find out your issue, generally a low alkalinity can lead to low ph, but since your ph is low with high alkalinity i think you need to get this under control and this website should help.

Currently you don't need to dose anything besides calcium, and once you have done this your alkalinity should decrease, i don't think it will decrease enough but it will decrease, maybe if you drive your calcium levels up to the 550ppm mark that might get the alkalinity down enough to where it should be.

calcium, alkalinity and ph are all linked together and if you can wrap your head around how these work together the ph reading of the seneye is very useful.

but good on ya for getting back on the horse and congrats on very good numbers, especially phosphates!!
it'd just be due to me using seachem reef buffer, having a lot of fish, feeding heavily, using peroxide and not changing water. it usually is pretty spot on. i haven't had seneye running since march or something because i ran out of slides and before my operation was paid for we just didn't have the money to buy them.

i've read the reefkeeping articles. they are very helpful.
 

slin1977

Member
Jul 13, 2011
3,476
1,661
Sydney
Pls make ph numbers a thing of the past.
Now it's time to put the ph test kits on the shelf and not use it for 6 months as of this day and use the KH test kits instead.

As the article leads too, have plenty of ventilation fresh air past the aquarium.
Winter and the cold is a time when the house gets closed up and CO2 levels rise affecting the PH

Buffer is useful to have in the cupboard but that's where it should stay and not ever come out.

Hit these numbers and your aquarium will look fantastic.

Aim for calcium 380
KH 7.7
Mag 1300
Salinity 1.025

SPS coral do not need KH higher than 9

Phos and nitrate are a separate subject

With you ALL the way on your new marine journey. :D
 
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ezza

Guest
Pls make ph numbers a thing of the past.
Now it's time to put the ph test kits on the shelf and not use it for 6 months as of this day and use the KH test kits instead.

As the article leads too, have plenty of ventilation fresh air past the aquarium.
Winter and the cold is a time when the house gets closed up and CO2 levels rise affecting the PH

Buffer is useful to have in the cupboard but that's where it should stay and not ever come out.

Hit these numbers and your aquarium will look fantastic.

Aim for calcium 380
KH 7.7
Mag 1300
Salinity 1.025

SPS coral do not need KH higher than 9

Phos and nitrate are a separate subject

With you ALL the way on your new marine journey. :D
Thankyou honey! Let's hope I can get there! The idea of needing to reduce numbers for calc and mag melts my brain slightly... I wonder what my husband will say if one day we are the owners of a CO2 tank.... Hmmmmz it may be stretching the friendship!
 
E

ezza

Guest
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This anemone has so rarely ever bubbled. Could it be that the key is Strontium???? I dosed it last night and this morning there it is..

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