6Month Review + (api vs red sea)

DRC Archive General Saltwater Discussion
1

Hi folks,
Time flies when we are having fun, it is now time for the 6month (7 really) review.
To recap, started this tank from scratch after tanksgiving! As such, this is the first attempt in alot of yrs.
Current state:
75Gal RR with 30 gal sump, pumping about 550 gal/hr + asm g3 in the sump (no fuge)
2 800gph and 1 400 gph powerheads provide the flow in the display.
Aquatic-life 4bulb t-5 with moonlite leds.
Inside:
startup was with the aragamax live sand, to slighly over the black tank frame.
50lbs of live rock, mostly fiji, lots of caves and small footprint in sand… Yes i need another 30lbs or so Saint:)
Critters:
pair of percala’s, yellow tang, 2 bangaii cardinals, emerald crab, assorted clean up crew including the nassisarus(sp) which burrow in the sand. 2 peppermint shrimp have been the only casualities that i know of.
Light soft coral load thus far:
nice gsp, several zoa’s, several hairy shrooms(including 1 from kaptken) pulsing xenia (mortyn) and a toadstool which is now 5-6 in across and seems happy.
I have been watching/reading all goings on about test kits, and it since it was time to update my api, I bought the red sea titration kit today.
All tests were done 3 times, and i’ve rounded the averages for clarity.
salinity 1.026 ( yes i use a refractometer now) :slight_smile:
Ph 8.2-8.3 Still done with api. ( I know i need to go to a probe as money allows)
trates, (still done api negligible)
Phosphates .025, I put phosguard in sock for now(i know this also isn’t the whole picture)
Kh=9 with api, 9.8 with red sea
cal=400 w api, 420 with red sea
These were the only 2 i could compare.
Mg tested out @ 1200.
I have only been adding reef builder, and a bit of purple up so far with a small bit o calcium.
I do use ro water with ato system, 5-10gal / week
also 10 gal water change (almost weekly)
I think, and u guys can help with order of importance.

  1. best way to get mg up?
  2. get calcium up just a bit
    Ph probe/ reefkeeper lite or something?? ($$$$$)
  3. update lighting to led’s?? or go to 6 bulb aquatic life?? ( I’m not likely to keep alot of hard corals, but swmbo would like to see a clam or 2)
  4. run gfo??
  5. add a fuge by redoing the sump?
    run away kicking and screaming, and spend my money on a vacation with the wife???
    Sorry no pics, the crackberry isn’t happy…
    Any thoughts, or gotchas…feel free to holler.
    thanks,
    bobby
2

1&2. you can does but you are safe in those numbers. Safest way if you want those numbers higher is maybe look into changing your salt. Some salts have a higher calc/mg like tropic marine pro reef which I have switched back to.
3.You are fine with 4 bulb at the moment you can do some sps/clams high in the tank. As for upgrading to a 6 bulb t5 or led that depends on if you want to make that jump into something that will cost more initially and pay off in the long term or not. And if you are diy kind of person you can get into led fairly priced compared to buying a t5 fixure. rapidled.com offers a 3up puck kit kind of like the ai sols for around $200each as compared to ai at $400 each plus a controller or just pot. dimmer.
4. I don’t have experience running GFO just bio-pellets and I am happy with them. A lot of guys have recommended using GFO.
5. Fuge is always good to have if you have the means. It supports a lot of life and makes maintaining fish that need copepods and the such less of a problem keeping happy.

Now rub that crackberry and make it feel happy and get some pics up :slight_smile:

3

Here is alink to a good reef chemistry calculator…http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chemcalc.html

I use Epsom salts to boost up my mag levels, when needed. Just go to the link above, fill in your total water volume and then on Mag section, put in your current mg reading and your desired mg reading and then pick a product you would like to use to get the desired level. It will tell you just how much will be needed.

If you add a fuge with macro algae, it should help to remove some of your nitrates, thus getting a lower reading.

You didn’t mention what salt brand you are currently using, I use Reef Crystals. You will find everyone has their own reasons for using a particular brand, so the choice is up to you.