I haven't posted here in nearly a month. I may be fired from this tank thread soon!
Here's the news, good and bad.
Heavy feeding after the first two months must have caught up with me, since despite zero readings of nitrate and phosphate, existing hair algae and Bryopsis growth (on the right side of the tank) accelerated. After that, what I believe to be dinflagellates took hold, and at their worst they seemed to smother the HA and Bryopsis (making it much easier to remove) and even slowed the growth of my Chaeto at one point. Fortunately, the dinos have had little to no effect on the corals, fish or inverts. Now the dinos seem to be waning, and I have adjusted the feedings and feeding method to minimize leftover nutrients.
The tank's pH hovers between 8.0 and 8.1. I've read articles and posts from Randy Holmes-Farley and Anthony Calfo stating that high pH levels can help ward off dinoflagellates and Bryopsis.
I have considered dosing Kalk to help raise the pH, apart from the obvious benefits of maintaining Ca levels. Instead of dripping, I am thinking I might (if I actually can find room in the stand) get a Kalk reactor and tie it into my top off. In order to dose calk more gradually, my ATO unit can be adjusted to pump for a nominal number of seconds (ie.. 6 seconds instead of the usual 12). The ATO water will pump into the reactor (the reactor is a $300 (!) device to keep the Kalkwasser at maximum saturation), and then the Kalkwasser will overflow to the sump.
I think I would rather spend the $300 for two dosing pumps for 2 part, and switch my Salt mix from Reefcrystals to some other salt (like Bobby's Coral Reef Pro? or Tropic Marin Reef Pro) that actually has the Ca levels I need.
While on the topic of spending money (which I have gotten quite good at, THANKYOU Reef keeping ), I have been also thinking about getting a decent Aquarium controller. I have been messing around with a used Lighthouse controller I picked up, but despite the way cool ethernet jack and web server, there are several things lacking that make me want to get something else.
These are my needs:
1) Temp control. Sure, a Ranco Temp controller can do this really well, but at $130 for a dual, we are halfway toward a multi-controller.
2) Ph monitoring Do not need control yet, but who knows down the line.
3) Logging. I would love to see Temp and pH logged and graphed, even if just for peace of mind.
4) Feed timer. I manually unplug/replug my return, and Vortech when I spot feed, which is inconvenient and could lead to disastrous user error if I should forget to plug them back in. I could buy and/or modify a mechanical timer or microcontroler, but I'd end up spending $50-$100 putting that together when I could just apply the money to a multi-controller.
5) Ethernet connectivity. Being able to monitor my tank parameters over a LAN/WAN is really cool, and offers me more peace of mind. Sure, I do not have to have this - but it seems to make the controller more useful (and Mac OS X friendly). Most of the less expensive controllers have Serial port as an option, only support Windows OS, and require a computer host to support features like email alerts and WAN access.
6) Email alerts. It would be cool to have my controller send me notifications (especially power outages) if anything goes haywire.
7) Fuge light timer. My Solaris has its own controller/timer.
Downside:
Micro-controllers are electronics, and electronics are to varying degrees fallable. I work intimately with computers, and over the years have seen at least one of every component that makes up a computer go bad. A simple bulging capacitor can go bad and render a less functional. On top of hardware there is software with all its glorious bugs and limits. Dedicated controllers (like a Ranco temp controller) may have more reliability because of overall less complexity.
Scanning through the posts on the RC vendor forums is quite revealing. You see certain issues pop up (sticking channels, interference, digital relay limits, fading displays, erroneous pH readings, et cetera) that makes you think twice about putting so much trust into a single device.
The upcoming Digital Aquatics RKE seems interesting, although it will not (on debut) have ethernet connectivity. It is a bit more expensive than the entry level, but significantly less the current mid-range. It is design on a modular approach, and Digital Aquatics has alluded to many optional modules to extend RKE capabilities.
An alternative would be the DA RK2, or Neptune System's ACjr, leaving me with finding a way to upload data to an internet server. A second micro-controller could be programmed for this task, but the additional cost would bring you close to an RKE. Hmmm...
Perhaps for now I will just get a Ranco for dual temp control, and use the Lighthouse for monitoring only. Please excuse my thinking at loud, but if anyone would like to interject my brainwaves, I would welcome any suggestions.
3 weeks ago I purchased a Red Scooter Blenny (Synchiropus stellatus), and he is now introduced and doing well in his new home. I bought him without realizing that he was a dragonet (shame on me), and that they are difficult to care for. I was worried that he would not take frozen food, but by turning off the pumps and careful spot feeding, he seems to be doing quite well. During the day he hunts and snacks on pods in the substrate as well as LR. He is pretty darn cute, scooting along an inch at a time with a puppy dog face. I am assuming that he is quite nearsighted, because he does not seem to spook from sudden movements as easily as the other fish.
I cannot say that the other tank mates have really take much notice of him. Since he sits still so often, he proves to be very photogenic.
Boy... if the RKE is really everything they hype it to be, it will be really cool! Hopefully its really as great as they are selling it to be. I have a Neptune Aquacontroller II which I love. Granted its not the newest thing on the market, but it does way more than I need.
Personally, I dont get the point of monitoring a tank via the WWW. Being able to log into the control and see what the ORP is from 3000 miles away is cool, but even if its off, what can I do about that far away? Thats just me though.
Boy... if the RKE is really everything they hype it to be, it will be really cool! Hopefully its really as great as they are selling it to be. I have a Neptune Aquacontroller II which I love. Granted its not the newest thing on the market, but it does way more than I need.
Personally, I dont get the point of monitoring a tank via the WWW. Being able to log into the control and see what the ORP is from 3000 miles away is cool, but even if its off, what can I do about that far away? Thats just me though.
Thanks for the input pFresh. The RKE is overkill for me, but does seem like it is flexible, and extensible. However if you consider that an RKE + the announced Ethernet module will almost be as much as a AC III, then the price is less remarkable. The RKE should (by its somewhat incomplete description) display parameter graphs on the display - which could go a long way toward belaying my connectivity need.
No, I do not care to control my tank from Hawaii - only monitor it so I can go home from work if there is a problem, like excessive temperature, loss of power, or even flooding.
At the same time I purchased the Scooter, I also purchased some corals, each coming with an assortment of hitchhikers. I couldn't resist. Any help with identifying some of the hitchhikers would be really appreciated.
This came with some really cool, mullti-colored sponges encrusted on the base.
Caulastrea furcata (Candy Cane Coral)
Also came with sponges, Anthelia(?), some Tunicates (not pictured). if you look closely, you can see a wooly-like coat covering the stalks. Not sure what that was, but over the past 3 weeks the coat, and some of the sponges have receded. All told, a good deal. 15 heads for $90.
Things have certainly slowed down in the tank, with "new tank syndrome" finally starting to wane. I thought I would discuss some happenings prior to any new additions.
In my 24g Nano Cube, I had experienced small tufts of filamentatious algae, some tiny spots of bubble algae and one outbreak of Lobophora (brown wafer algae). All in all, I was lucky. In the new tank, I have experienced various forms of algae that I find both troublesome and interesting. The interesting aspect is how they wax, wane and out compete each other for nutrients, and what indications that gives me on my tanks diversity and my continued maintenance.
In the 55g, I have deliberately hosted Chaetomorpha, encouraged the hitchhiking growth of Halimeda and Chlorodesmis, and suffered Bryopsis, Dinoflagellates, Cyanobacteria. Early growth may have been spurred on by maverick feeding procedures, but now I have dialed those back a bit and am following more strict self-imposed guidelines on limiting excess and trapped food through selective spot feeding and pump control.
When I had a pronounced Dinoflagellate outbreak, I noticed that they out-competed the other Macro and Micro algae in the tank. In fact, my troublesome Bryopsis threat weakened and waned almost entirely by being out-competed. My resilient Chaetomorpha growth has even showed some signs of slowing during the worst of it, but has since rebounded.
Prior to the Dino phase, the Bryopsis (almost entirely limited to the right side of the tank) was particularly troubling. Routine pruning the Bryopsis was pointless (within 10 days it grew back entirely), and I could not remove the rock since they are firmly implanted in my DSB(!). When the Dinos hit, the Briopsis became coated and became pale and weak. I decided to take that opportunity to attack. I turned off all my pumps until the water was still and used a stiff OXO bottle brush (which is my preferred skimmer cup cleaning tool) to scrub the bulk of the Bryopsis off the rock. The session was quite effective, and I was able to carefully net up virtually all of the debris, and only a few hints of battered Bryopsis remain to this day. I do not think it would be nearly as effective if the Dinos did not severely weaken the Bryopsis through competition.
my new best friend
This gave me new insight on how to battle problematic algae. Not that I would deliberately introduce a pernicious algae to help weaken another, but perhaps there is something (apart from the more careful control of nutrient introduction) to be learned from these events.
Consequently, my Dinos (and even the latest Cyano phase) are now fading (albeit slowly) as my tank matures.
Thanks for the update and that useful information, scott.
__________________ Amphibious
Reaching my 70th BD, I realize that I cannot help but grow old. However, I refuse to grow up!!! My wife would tell you, "He may be 70 but, He's going on 17". Life is wonderful with a woman like that.
Your welcome Dick. I hope the observation was of some practical use.
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On another related task:
I recently identified a Vermetid snail in my tank, and was worried that it would multiply. Well, a few months later - they have slowly yet steadily increased in number. Not enough to be worried about them taking over, but enough that the mucous webs have become unsightly and sometimes irritate the corals . I decided to act. Instead of using a Needle nose plier to methodically crush the embedded shells to extract the snails, i used a hemostat (Kelly forceps) I had in a tool drawer. It was very effective at reaching into tight areas and adept at crushing the small shells. The locking mechanism was a bit of a hindrance for this task, but I quickly got used to unlatching the clamp as I worked.
The hemostat became useful for yet another task: Pruning smaller areas of algae. Since it locks, you can securely remove a tuft of algae without worrying that some will escape back into the water column. The tool rinses off much easier than your hands do, and can reach into areas tha fingers cannot.
In this excellent thread The Building of a Reef (tank) Eric Borneman talks about the waxing and waning as a tank matures. This is one of the reasons I am dubious of any method that promises faster cycling than what nature intends.
OK, this may be old hat to you seasoned reef geeks, but I came home to find a pinkish hairpin-turning trail of stuff on my back glass. First time I have actually seen this in my tank. I am guessing that this may be Nassarius eggs, but seek any expert guidance. These images are fairly large, so you may have to click on the bar above each image to see the full detail.
Detail:
FWIW: The image was taken with a Canon G9 in macro mode with manual focus, illuminating the eggs from behind with a powerful LED flashlight. Fortunately, I have roughly 4 " of clearance between my back glass and the wall, enough room to slide a compact digital camera and press it firmly against the glass. My glass is 3/8" thick, so the camera was set wide as it can go so the focal distance could be set to minimum. This creates chromatic abberations in the image, especially toward the edges where the glass refraction is more pronounced. Could be sharper, but turned out fairly well for a hand held shot.
Reaching my 70th BD, I realize that I cannot help but grow old. However, I refuse to grow up!!! My wife would tell you, "He may be 70 but, He's going on 17". Life is wonderful with a wo
icon under their name to add to their reputation. 
Great photography, too.