Mas0n's Home Office Nuvo 40 Long

[Mas0n]

Woo Hoo! Already seeing a little improvement in coral extension.

 

[08TRDOFFROAD]

Woo Hoo! Already seeing a little improvement in coral extension.

Nice little torch collection you have going there!

 

[Mas0n]

Nice little torch collection you have going there!

Thank you! Everyone is doing even better now, looks like the UV is really putting in work against the Dinos.

I'll post some updated pics tomorrow!

 

[Mas0n]

Things are still improving, looks like I'm getting full extension from all my corals and the sand is becoming whiter.

This is new, one of the clowns sleeps in the zoas all day, pretty cute lol.

 

[Mas0n]

Also! Started working on my aquascape for a new tank I bought.

Really like how it’s coming along so far. Used Marco rock and Thin CA + sand for bonding. I can pick the structure up by any point and it feels super secure. Really impressive.

 

[scubatan]

Also! Started working on my aquascape for a new tank I bought.

Really like how it’s coming along so far. Used Marco rock and Thin CA + sand for bonding. I can pick the structure up by any point and it feels super secure. Really impressive.

Looks great. Do you just mix some thin CA with sand and then apply it onto the rock and hold them together for a few mins? Or what’s the process

 

[Mas0n]

Looks great. Do you just mix some thin CA with sand and then apply it onto the rock and hold them together for a few mins? Or what’s the process

Thank you!

Yep, I sprinkle dry sand into the joint, then apply thin CA, then a little more dry sand on top of it. It sets super quickly. 5-10 seconds. I then went back over with some Marco cement on the bottom of the overhangs to make sure it’s a good bond.

Funny thing, my girlfriend accidentally knocked the structure over, and the rock broke. Not the joints.

 

[scubatan]

Thank you!

Yep, I sprinkle dry sand into the joint, then apply thin CA, then a little more dry sand on top of it. It sets super quickly. 5-10 seconds. I then went back over with some Marco cement on the bottom of the overhangs to make sure it’s a good bond.

Funny thing, my girlfriend accidentally knocked the structure over, and the rock broke. Not the joints.

Awesome I’ll try this. Which brand CA?

 

[Mas0n]

Awesome I’ll try this. Which brand CA?

“Star bond Super Fast Thin CA Glue”

I noticed that finer sand seems to work best, I just used the powder/sand that was created from breaking the rocks into smaller pieces.

 

[Mas0n]

Update time!

The tank is overall doing better, Ostreopsis Dinos seen to have cleared up. Getting good LPS polyp extensions and softie growth now.

My plan to intentionally grow nuisance algae to outcompete the dinos is working very well... I have TONS of GHA, Bryopsis, and bubble algae. I'm going to treat this with manual removal and Fluconazole. I bought a pair of emerald crabs, but they don't seem to be interested in the bubble algae. I also have some really nice aptasia growing. Aptasia X hasn't been effective (or the peppermint shrimp...), trying Joe's Juice when it arrives. Fingers crossed.

I have also been keeping my nutrients much higher than before. I'm currently sitting at Po4: 0.17ppm, No3: 24ppm. Elements, Alk: 9-9.2, Cal: 450~, Mag: 1380-1400~, everything looks good in that regard. All for reef is still keeping things rock steady!

 

[Mas0n]

Since the Dinos have left and I have maintained higher nutrient levels, my Zoas have exploded with growth.

The UV has been putting in some awesome work, I'm going to move it into the back chamber soon, but look how nice all of the coraline growth is!

 

[08TRDOFFROAD]

Update time!

The tank is overall doing better, Ostreopsis Dinos seen to have cleared up. Getting good LPS polyp extensions and softie growth now.

My plan to intentionally grow nuisance algae to outcompete the dinos is working very well... I have TONS of GHA, Bryopsis, and bubble algae. I'm going to treat this with manual removal and Fluconazole. I bought a pair of emerald crabs, but they don't seem to be interested in the bubble algae. I also have some really nice aptasia growing. Aptasia X hasn't been effective (or the peppermint shrimp...), trying Joe's Juice when it arrives. Fingers crossed.

I have also been keeping my nutrients much higher than before. I'm currently sitting at Po4: 0.17ppm, No3: 24ppm. Elements, Alk: 9-9.2, Cal: 450~, Mag: 1380-1400~, everything looks good in that regard. All for reef is still keeping things rock steady!

Glad to hear things are moving in th3 right direction. I really need to wrap my head around dosing!

 

[Mas0n]

Glad to hear things are moving in th3 right direction. I really need to wrap my head around dosing!

AFR is super easy! You basically bring your alk, calcium, and magnesium to your desired level with water changes or manual dosing, then start AFR to maintain those levels. Dose recommended amount on the bottle, test in a few days, adjust up or down, and repeat until things are steady. For many tanks, consumption of the elements should be pretty consistent and AFR is a simple solution.

I occasionally add a little magnesium manually as my system seems to consume it slightly faster than calcium and alkalinity.

I currently only dose 3.3ml of AFR daily to maintain levels. Hopefully the demand will increase soon as the corals start to grow again.

 

[JoJosReef]

AFR is super easy! You basically bring your alk, calcium, and magnesium to your desired level with water changes or manual dosing, then start AFR to maintain those levels. Dose recommended amount on the bottle, test in a few days, adjust up or down, and repeat until things are steady. For many tanks, consumption of the elements should be pretty consistent and AFR is a simple solution.

I occasionally add a little magnesium manually as my system seems to consume it slightly faster than calcium and alkalinity.

I currently only dose 3.3ml of AFR daily to maintain levels. Hopefully the demand will increase soon as the corals start to grow again.

Agreed. Afr is magic sauce! I think Im up to about 32 mL a day now. Thinking of adding just a tiny bit of kalk to the equation to help keep ALK up.