Thanks Casey. Yeah, I know about that stuff. I’m just waiting and see if the Bio-plastic will do anything to lower the nitrate and phosphate and maybe get rid of the cyano and HA once and for all. It’s a waiting game for me right now, we’ll see.
[quote=“BigCase, post:20, topic:4187”]
Hey A, I used this stuff a few years ago called chemi clean it wipes out cyano within 1-2 doses.[/quote]
And it comes back over and over and it doesn’t effect the hair algae and the animals are still all in unhealthy and unnatural conditions.
Hows the tank doing A? Notice any new changes?
Just for you Ian. Here it is.
Week# 6 update / 3 Jun 11:
Week #6, things seems to be looking up. Water remains clear…no cloudiness or bacteria bloom. Reactor is tumbling right along…no clumping on the pellets what so ever. Water flow seems to be at medium, not flowing too fast or too slow, seems to be just right.
Nitrate test end result reading seems to be going down to at least 5 PPM, according to the API and Nutrafin test kits and that’s a plus. Hopefully it will continue to go down even lower. The pictures that I’d attached below looks a little dark, in reality it’s not. The end color is lighter and closer to the lower number on the chart.
Acros colors are coming back…what’s pink is pink and what’s purple is purple, but not as vivid as I would like. Maybe it’s because I replaced my bulb that’s why the color is coming back and hopefully maybe the cleaner water may have something to do with it also. Everybody is growing as normal, encrusting, growing upwards and out. Montiporas seems to be growing very fast, it starting to shade everything around it even more. I may have to start giving pieces away.
Downside to this week is the HA and cyano are still there. It’s not spreading all over the tank, just mainly where the rocks are exposed to air when I do water change, so, ¼ top of my tank has Ha and little bit of cyano. Would anyone know what is causing this?
my water parameters are as follows:
Did not test for Ammonia or Nitrite
Salinity is 1.025 refractor meter
Temp 79 - 81
Calcium 460 API test kit
Mag 1470-1500 Salifert test kit
Alk 8 DKH API test kit
Phosphates 0 API test kit
Nitrates looking to be 5 PPM on the API test kit and 5 PPM on the Hagen/Nutrafin
Nitrate API
Nitrate Nutrafin
Phosphate
Thanks for detailed update, keep doing great job and don’t touch/do anything different. Let biopelets do it’s thing.
In few weeks I would get that Redsea test kit and you will find that phosphates are not 0 but some were around 1-2ppm, don’t worry too much about HA or ciano., once nutrients under control, algae will starve/die off.
Again, nice update :BEER
If you like to get a different (I didn’t say bad, lol) perspective on biopelets, visit Ron Shimeks forum on marinedepot.com
Thanks Rosti, I’ll check out the forum to see what’s the differences they say about it. On RC, lots of people praise about it.
10th week update: 29 Jun 2011
Low and behold, I tested my water parameter today and to my surprise my nitrate level drop down to 0. PO4 is also 0. It’s the same test kit that I’ve been using from the beginning. I thought it was the bad test kit for the reason why my nitrates and phosphate were high. I guess maybe I might be wrong.
I still haven’t seen any significant changes to the HA in the tank yet, still have them and still growing. Still have cyano as well, but not as much as I had before.
However, I do notice that my Superman, Season’s Greetings, Blue Polyp Montipora Danae has faded for some reason unknown. My Rainbow and Reverse Superman has no ill affect at all, they are encrusting out as normal and maintaining it colors. The SPS, LPS, soft and zoo are growing as normal, in fact the SPS colors are back and beautiful as usual.
my water parameters are as follows:
Did not test for Ammonia or Nitrite
Salinity is 1.025 refractor meter
Temp 80
Calcium 440 API test kit
Mag 1300-1400 Salifert test kit
Alk 7 DKH API test kit
Phosphates 0 API test kit
Nitrates looking to be 0 on the API test kit, 0 on the Hagen/Nutrafin as well
Nitrate
Nitrate Hagen/Nutrafin
Phosphate
Could it be possible that the reason you are getting low readings are…
- the test kits you are using
- Hair algae and cyano are using up all the nitrates and phos, therefore getting a 0 reading on both
[quote=“houndsbayman, post:28, topic:4187”]
Could it be possible that the reason you are getting low readings are…
- the test kits you are using
- Hair algae and cyano are using up all the nitrates and phos, therefore getting a 0 reading on both[/quote]
I will add # 3. Unsufficient grazers. ;D
[quote=“houndsbayman, post:28, topic:4187”]
Could it be possible that the reason you are getting low readings are…
- the test kits you are using
- Hair algae and cyano are using up all the nitrates and phos, therefore getting a 0 reading on both[/quote]
John, I use API test kit and of course I have no idea how accurate it is. But when I started the end colors are bright red/orange and now it’s yellow, indicating 0 PPM. Same goes for nutrifin kit, it was dark purple and now clear.
As for PO4, it has always been 0 PPM. I’m sure the HA I have are using one or the other or maybe both. I use both GFO and carbon maybe I’m not using enough.
I’m sure yourtest kits are fine. Bacterial solutions always take 4-6 weeks to kick in. the complex mix of bacteria take time to equalize and reach a steady state of balance. in between they have swings. I’m having similar success with my new 2 week old plenum in the frag tank. prior to that it was a sand on bottom, dirty, covered in hair algae and slime and getting worse by the day. but the new plenum bed is kicking in. HA on the frag rock and plugs is going away. when the snails and crabs clean it, it stays clear and dusty looking, like dry rock. and the glass is staying much cleaner too. when i start to see coraline growing on glass and rock, the balance will be getting better. Plenums are a bacterial solution too. just a passive biofilter.
right after installing i had a surge in Alk and kalk take up by the corals and a growth spurt. colors have also brightened. so i think it will be fine. i still dose Kalwasser with vinegar too at night. about a liter of my mix per tank. so that feeds bacteria. and i dose Microbe-lift bacteria for a booster shot. a little of their sand and gravel cleaner every couple weeks, and more often a little of their Nite-Out and Special Blend. these will also help activate the plenum sand bed bacteria. I also run a fuge and GFO in the sump. so a little bit of everything should help.
How is your coraline? I have noticed that is a good indicator of a clean water tank. too much nutrient, or PO4 and it doesnt grow .
[quote=“Rosti, post:29, topic:4187”]
[quote=“houndsbayman, post:28, topic:4187”]
Could it be possible that the reason you are getting low readings are…
- the test kits you are using
- Hair algae and cyano are using up all the nitrates and phos, therefore getting a 0 reading on both[/quote]
I will add # 3. Unsufficient grazers. ;D[/quote]
I have to admit I do have some but, might not have enough worms, snails and all the critters that goes with it. Maybe I should get more. I finally got some worms for the sand bed and starting to see tunnels between the glass and the sand again. Attach is the video of my HA mower…ie, seahair.
Thanks for the info Ken. My tank use to have loads of coraline algae, but lately no new growth that I can see, just the one that’s been there. And like you said, too much nutrient, or PO4 and it doesn’t grow. I think that’s my problem with HA as well.
Have you ever tried Marc Weise product? like the Live Sand Booster and other organic stuff the he sells?
[quote=“reefman66, post:32, topic:4187”]
I have to admit I do have some but, might not have enough worms, snails and all the critters that goes with it. Maybe I should get more. I finally got some worms for the sand bed and starting to see tunnels between the glass and the sand again. Attach is the video of my HA mower…ie, seahair.
[/quote]
Love the video, thank for sharing. Looks very natural to me. You should post this video on Rons forum (http://forum.marinedepot.com/Forum11-1.aspx) so we can learn more about this wonderful inverts and it’s effectiveness at grazing on different kind of algae.
Worms are a big +, among many important functions worms do, one of many is they deliver food and oxygen to bacteria in sand bed, keeping it alive and functioning. It is good that you starting to see tunnels, because this worms will not dig into dead “poisonous” parts of the sand bed. Worms add yet another energy pass-way in reef tank. They will keep sand bed alive but will not fix phosphate problems directly. Look to me that you have everything under control and just need to find correct grazers for algae that you don’t like to see in your reef tank. Ron Shimek was writing about how when long spined sea urchins died off in Caribbean reefs, corals followed by overgrown algae. There was no change in nutrients levels, just there was no algae grazers. Your reef is great and let animals naturally mediate chemical reactions in the reef tank, and NOT by using chemicals.
I finished using a bunch of Weis products i won in a raffle a while ago. Its OK. this year im only using Microbe-lift Gravel cleaner, Nite-out and Special Blend bacteria. just to see how they work. seems pretty good. they make it by the tanker car loads to bio remediate poluted rivers and lakes. but still waiting for the plenum to fully cycle. 4-6 weeks. the other plenum tanks dont have these problems as long as i keep the sand cleaned a little. so i’m hopeful. Lets race to zero Hair Algae and see who wins. Just for fun.
Thanks Rosti. I’m doing my best with my knowledge of this hobby and I do try to keep it as natural as I can.
Ken, I don’t know how much HA you have in your tank, but mine is about 3-5% of the tank. With the rate its going it gonna be a while. But I will let you know once its eradicated, if it does.
There is a million and one ways to go about a reef tank. With that being said you may think of two big polar extremes with current reef keeping and an array of things in between. At one end you want to go for a low nutrient approach with just about SPS only then the critters may not be necessary and I would imagine once things are going that sea hare would starve if not fed dried algae. At the other extreme you may want to post images of your fuge and trade info with Rosti and Ken on a natural method, making sure to have a diverse array of critters, thriving macro and a stable sand bed. Sitting half way in between will often get results half way inbetween and things won’t be as stable in my opinion.
That isn’t to say the critters won’t help in either situation or with a DSB you can completely leave out everything involved with a low nutrient approach, but I am glad I didn’t stock my tank too heavy with a “clean up crew” or many inverts. In my 120 I have a money cowrie that is about 3/4" long and two blue leg hermits. I don’t need any other critters to keep it clean and stable.
I thought you had mentioned purchasing a bacterial strain, but I couldn’t find any info in the last three pages. Did you get one and are you using it, how often and how much? Considered Zeolite media?
There were images of your skimmer twice, but I didn’t see the skimmate container. You also mentioned the skimmate container was half full. Is it a 5 gallon button or a 1/2 gallon container? Did it take a week to get that full or every 2-3 days. How is it now.
May have missed it, but do you have a list of the foods your feeding? Do you hope to reach a “ulta low” nutrient level with 0 pest algae? If so what do you plan to feed your corals at that point?
Just seeing if I can get a little more info to perhaps give a bit more advice. I’m guessing your not happy with the way things are going so far?
[quote=“Gordonious, post:37, topic:4187”]
There is a million and one ways to go about a reef tank. With that being said you may think of two big polar extremes with current reef keeping and an array of things in between. At one end you want to go for a low nutrient approach with just about SPS only then the critters may not be necessary and I would imagine once things are going that sea hare would starve if not fed dried algae. At the other extreme you may want to post images of your fuge and trade info with Rosti and Ken on a natural method, making sure to have a diverse array of critters, thriving macro and a stable sand bed. Sitting half way in between will often get results half way inbetween and things won’t be as stable in my opinion.
That isn’t to say the critters won’t help in either situation or with a DSB you can completely leave out everything involved with a low nutrient approach, but I am glad I didn’t stock my tank too heavy with a “clean up crew” or many inverts. In my 120 I have a money cowrie that is about 3/4" long and two blue leg hermits. I don’t need any other critters to keep it clean and stable. [/quote]
Well, to answer your questions Jon. Yes, there is a million and one ways to go about having a successful reef tank. And that is the reason why I decided to try something new with low nutrient approach with bio-plastics (noted: not ultra low nutrient). My tank with plenum system has been set up for little over 7 years. Until recently my tank was successfully keeping mix corals…SPS, LPS, zoos, softies, clams you name it was in my tank. And about 4-5 month ago the tank turn south on me and I had no idea what went wrong. By the time I’m trying to figure out what is going on, I was having HA problem.
And as I was reading Rosti’s incredible tank DSB tread, it was brought to my attention that I use to see those little worms and critters in my sand bed, but now I don’t see them anymore. I was wondering if that was one of the reasons why my tank was going south, cause my sand bed was not performing its duty and suppose to be live with bacteria and critters. So now my sand bed is restock with worms and critters again to see if that will help.
As for the sea hare, it’s performing incredibly well. If for some reason all the HA are gone, I will supplement with Nori or otherwise I will give it away to who ever need it service.
[quote=“Gordonious, post:38, topic:4187”]
I thought you had mentioned purchasing a bacterial strain, but I couldn’t find any info in the last three pages. Did you get one and are you using it, how often and how much? Considered Zeolite media?
There were images of your skimmer twice, but I didn’t see the skimmate container. You also mentioned the skimmate container was half full. Is it a 5 gallon button or a 1/2 gallon container? Did it take a week to get that full or every 2-3 days. How is it now.
May have missed it, but do you have a list of the foods your feeding? Do you hope to reach a “ulta low” nutrient level with 0 pest algae? If so what do you plan to feed your corals at that point?
Just seeing if I can get a little more info to perhaps give a bit more advice. I’m guessing your not happy with the way things are going so far? [/quote]
At the beginning I was using Brightwell’s microbacter 7. I was using as per instruction on the bottle and I only use 1 bottle of it and once it ran out I figure it should be enough to seed the plastics, and I think it is. I have never considered Zeolite media, I heard about it, but never read up on it.
My skimmer is a downdraft type. So, the skimmer is sitting next to the tank about a foot up and the skimmate drain into a 1 gallon milk jug sitting inside the stand. Right now I get about half a gallon a week of skimmate. Before it was only about a quarter a week, if that. I also clean the skimmer weekly and dump the skimmate at the same time, and boy is it stinky!
As I stated above, I’m not going for Ultra Low Nutrient to where my level are 0. I just wanted low enough to keep the pest algae away. I still have fishes in my tank and I’m planning on keeping them. So that means I will continue feeding them and the corals as well.
Right now the tank is getting stable. The nitrate and phosphate are 0, I’m assuming. The only thing that is upsetting me is my monti’s frags are fading and going away and I don’t know why. My acros and other corals are well, growing and coloring up as normal.
Jon or anyone else at that, with any suggestions please let me know. I’m here to find answers and make my tank better. Thanks