Not My First Tank but My First Build Thread

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After some thinking and reading I decided on a Candy Stripe Randall's Pistol Shrimp. I wanted to get one in QT now so by the time it is ready to come out of QT the YWG will also be ready and I can put them in the DT at the same time with hopes of them pairing up. Unfortunately, none of my LFS stores had a Candy Stripe so I ordered one from bluezooaquatics.com. I tried like heck to come up with some additional livestock purchases to meet the $140 free shipping mark but in the end I just got the Candy Stripe and paid the $39.95 shipping because I have enough in QT waiting to add to the DT right now and I don't want to add too much at once. I should receive him on Tuesday and will post a pic at that time.

 

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I started out this build using Tropic Marin Pro salt because I've had good success with it in the past. However, after reviewing my target parameters for the 3 major elements, Alk, Cal and Mag, I decided that HW-Marinemix Reefer Salt Mix was a better fit as it's supposed to mix up to 9dkh, 450ppm and 1380ppm per BRS.

After running it for a bit I checked the fresh salt mix and was surprised the 3 majors were significantly lower then what BRS posted which is when I had a D'oh moment and realized I had been running my salinity at 1.025 and the BRS numbers were at 35ppt.

So, I've decided to slowly adjust my salinity up to 35ppt to get my salt mix inline with my desired parameters.

 

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My focus on the alt mix and parameters was partially driven by the amount of Alk my system has been consuming, 1.65 dkh a day, which I thought to be rather high for only 2 corals and minimal coralline. I started noticing my sand was developing some clumps so I posted a separate Thread about it and my alk demand. Randy was kind enough to respond and suggest stopping my dosing to reset things which has had a significant effect. My Alk demand has dropped from 1.65dkh to around .35dkh. I occasionally add some Baking Soda to keep the Alk from dropping too far but my Cal has actually been increasing without dosing it. I guess I was precipitating most of what I was DoS ing without noticing it.

In addition to discontinuing the dosing, Randy suggested I disconnect my skimmer from the outside air to lower ph which would also help my precipitation. The PH initially dropped from around 8.24 to 8.02 and has slowly climbed back up to 8.09. It should be interesting to see what happens when I reconnect the outside air line to the skimmer eventually.

 

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Almost forgot, another thing I did was to turn off my Red Sea ReefMat and only turn it back on for an hour when my MP40's go into Nutrient Export Mode for 30 minutes each day. I'm trying to get my Po4 and No3 up as the ReefMat has them basically at 0. By turning off the ReefMat the water just overflows as the fleece clogs up and doesn't advance. Once I get the nutrients where I want them I will play around with how much the ReefMat is on till I get it dialed in.

 

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Since my PO4 and NO3 are starting to come up (.01 and .2 respectively) and my Alk demand has dropped to about .35 dkh I decided to start back dosing saturated Kalk last night with 946ml dosed between 6pm and 6am which should be about .22 dkh alk and 1.54ppm cal.

 

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I have been having issues with the MP40 I added a couple of months ago being noisy and vibrating so I played around with it and got it to quiet down a little as explained in this Thread.

 

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This hobby makes you do stuff that a normal person would never do. I just scrubbed my snails because I noticed bubble algae on them, LOL.

 

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I just moved my 2 Acans and Torch out of QT and into the DT

 

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Really liking the scape

 

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I decided to upgrade my Coral QT Tank stand, from my 35 year old Black and Decker Workmate

To a cheap wire shelf with countertop on the wire shelves

I wasn't comfortable putting the tank on the wire shelf so I did the same thing I did on my other QT shelf and put some laminated countertop shelf boards on them. My local Menards has these laminated countertop boards that are about 36"x11 1/2" for $1.49 which is beyond dirt cheap. I just have to get 1 more than I need and rip it down to 3x 3 1/2" strips that I glue on the back of the others to make them wide enough.

 

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Really liking the scape

Thank you very much. I have made a bunch myself in the past but this time I had a vision in my mind and found these structures premade that were almost exactly what I was thinking of so I bought them instead of making them.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I just moved my 2 Acans and Torch out of QT and into the DT

love the acans!

 

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love the acans!

Thank you, I was worried because they didn't have much color in QT under the lower light but that changed in the DT

 

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Now I just hope the torch gets the orange back it had when I bought it.

 

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I just got some Macro Algae from Reef Cleaners, Chaeto and Ulva (Sea Lettuce). I dipped them both in Beyer and have them in a small bucket with heater and air stone for qt. I also got my AI Prime Fuge light in and have it over the bucket at 50%. I know dipping and QT'ing macro is probably overkill but I'm just not interested in taking chances anymore especially when it's so easy to take preventative steps.

 

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I decided to give Top Shelf Aquatics a try and just recieved my order

I was very pleased with the packing, each frag plug was placed in a plastic cup for additional protection and the bags were pumped full of air providing further protection.

 

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The frags themselves were smaller then I have gotten from other vendors but they looked very healthy and 2 of them had encrusted the plugs. I removed them from their plugs and dipped them in Coral RX, Beyer and Coral Revive then attached them to new plugs and placed in my Coral QT

They are not very happy after being dipped butI will get another pic once the settle in.

 

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Well, I have decided to change my UV sterilizer from 24/7 to being on 12 hours at night.

There is so much conflicting and anecdotal Information regarding UV that I felt trying 12 hours was worth a try. I found This article which seems to have the most documented information in one spot that I've seen. It suggests that UV is a benefit but could affect what filter feeders eat to a degree.

I don't think 24/7 is going to hurt my tank, especially since I run 2 returns and only 1 goes through the UV but I want to see what 12 hours does. I choose 12 hours at night as @vetteguy53081 has stated I recommend running 12 hrs during the night. Zooanthlae and other food source produce in light during the day and you don't want to shock them

 

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I have been disappointed with my Neptune AFS. I like the connection to Apex and all the control that gives you but do not like the imprecise control over the amount of food that it delivers. I have to treat it like all of the Eheim Feeders that I have had by cracking open the door just a tiny bit then putting tape over the opening to diminish the amount of pellets that come out. Since I started trying the Avast Reef Jerky I decided to give their Plank AutoFeeder a try.

I installed the unit n my tank last night

And modified my screen top to fit around it

Then I went through the process of entering the programing in my Neptune Fusion App. Thankfully, I was able to cut and past most of the program from what others had posted online

VPLANK_FEED

Set OFF

If Time 10:00 to 10:30 Then ON

If Time 14:00 to 14:30 Then ON

If FeedA 000 Then ON



Vortechs

If Output vPlank_Feed = ON Then 10



PLK_AGR_STOP

Set OFF

If vPlank_Feed = ON Then ON

Defer 000:30 Then ON



PLANK_AUGER

Fallback OFF

Set OFF

If Output vPlank_Feed = ON Then ON

If Output PLK_AGR_STOP = ON Then OFF



PLANK_PUMP

Fallback OFF

Set OFF

If Output vPlank_Feed = ON Then ON

Defer 002:00 Then ON



Return Pumps

If FeedA 000 Then OFF

If FeedB 000 Then OFF

If FeedC 005 Then OFF

If Output Maintenance = ON Then OFF

If Output v_Leak_Dect = ON Then OFF

If Output vPlank_Feed = ON Then OFF

 

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It certainly allows for more precise control of the volume dispensed. I started out with the auger running 10 seconds but ended up bumping that up to 30 seconds which is what it's at in this video