rroselavy's 55g

[rroselavy]

How do you like the MB7 dosing ? Did you have any previous issues with nitrates/phosphates ? Or are you just going for a low nutrient level ?

Too early to tell on the MB7 dosing. I am only one week into the "high nutrient" dosing phase. Since my tank has not had detectable N or P level for quite some time, I am using half the recommended high nutrient dose (5ml/day/50g) for the first 2 weeks. Then I switch to a low nutrient dose, which amounts to mere drips per day. However, I do not like turning my skimmer off for 4 hours every day after the dose, as per the directions.

They say it takes longer for the bacteria to show any benefit in a DSB setup, prolly because my tank already has a bacterial army - so I am not expecting any overnight success or change.

My goal here, and I do not approach this without skepticism, is to try to fight the Caulerpa nummularia that had taken a hold in my tank, and is impossible to harvest since it is so delicate and grows and attaches its rhizoids like vines. If you remember, I have only two (huge) pieces of LR in my display, neither of which can be removed for scrubbing without disturbing the entire DSB.

I have embraced competition by other algae, and have successfully fought back a Bryopsis outbreak through harvesting, herbivores, and algal competition. But the C. nummularia grows in the crevices and even in the sand. It is my hope that bacteria can compete against it.

Please note that although I wouldn't mind brighter color in my SPS, I certainly do not wish to have pastel colors like I see in some "showcase" bacterial/zeolith driven tanks. I am sure those people know far more than me about reef keeping, but the look is just not natural to me.

I'm interested in the deltec vodka reactor developed by David Saxby.

Wasn't Jason Natal using one of those on his 28g(!) a while back? Seemed kind of complicated to me, but now that I understand the concepts better I suppose it is just a substrate reactor for bacteria.

I will be keeping my eye on those NP Biopellets (so called solid-vodka approach). That seems like an easier way to dose a carbon source while providing substrate at the same time. They could probably just be kept in a media bag in the sump providing they received the right amount of flow.

For now, I bought a bottle of Biofuel, but am not committed to using it (or any carbon source) without going very slowly and carefully.

[serval]

That Caulerpa sounds like a difficult one to control. I did a search and found this account, for what it is worth:

I have a 29 gallon biocube. The dreaded Caulerpa over ran my tank. I could harvest a hardball sized clump every week at water change and it would be back the next week. I was not willing to take out all of the rock and try to get the darn stuff off. I did some sporadic rocks a few times but could never get those little runner off and you could see it grow back from those.
I tried a small Scopus and a small Yellow tang. This knowing that I would take them back to the LFS as they grew to a certain size. They did not eat it!!
I now am on my third Foxface in the course of about 8 months. I buy them at about 1.5 to 2" and keep them until they get to about 3 to 3.25". By the time I take them back to the LFS they are fat and happy. They are voracious Caulerpa eaters. They have decimated the stuff in my tank to the point that I feed them Nori and other foods to supplement their diets. I think when this one gets to return size I will not get another for a while to see what happens.

I realize you may not want to copy that person, but just fyi in case things get desperate.

[rroselavy]

So its been a long time since an update. I sort of "burned out" about six months ago, not on the hobby - just with the immense amount of time spent surfing threads and researching topics on the hobby. Now I am back in a limited way, to share some updates with everyone.

Tank Parameters:

Temp 80.0
pH: 8.0-8.36
Ca: 420 (Salifert)
Alk: 8.6 dkh (Salifert)
Mg: 1350 (Elos)
No3: 0 (Salifert)
Phosphate: 0 (Salifert)



1) My caulerpa Nummularia (hitchiker coral - not sure how this was introduced, probably an early failure in quarantine) is virtually eradicated, thanks to a small Foxface that I added to the tank. The Foxface eats other macros I add to the tank, but also chows on PE Mysis. Go figure. He has started to nip at corals, so I might be forced to return him soon. I know I still have some dormant c.Nummularia in the tank in crevices, so I am a bit torn about what to do.

2) My Maiden's Hair has multiplied to a great extent. I harvest bunches every now and then, but recently a large section of it went sexual (water went murky). I quickly harvested about half and performed an immediate water change in order to combat dropping pH. Seemed to have worked, and has not happened en masse since. The M. Hair provides a physical barrier from my encroaching clavularia, as described below.

3) Ah...Clavularia. I allowed this hitch-hiker coral to enter my tank when it was on the base of my Caulastrea coral, and I regret it. It has grown as fast as Xenia, and has take over probably 30% of my live rock. I would manually remove it entirely if it were not so hard to remove. I regularly harvest what is not directly attached to the LR, but Clavularia is impossible to detach from the rock as it is very slimey and excretes something when torn that makes my skimmer crazy. It also encroaches corals, so I have to be diligent about scraping it off the base of some corals and the back of my Montipora. Unless you are going for softy tank, I would highly recommend NOT to have any Clavularia (nor any other soft corals) in the tank. I am experimenting with controlling the spread with carefully placed doses of kalk slurry to kill back small sections that are hard to physically remove.

4) For kicks - I rotate my skimmer now and then (I own five... ). I recently put my Euro-Reef RS-80 back into the sump, and was quite pleased with the consistency and quantity of skimmate the past couple of months. The cam-lock neck is so easy to detach, the skimmer is well built, and I really haven't noticed any difference in production from my i-Tech 100. I still find it odd that ER ceased operations. Go figure...

5) Growth: My Pocillopora has gained color and size since I lowered it to the sand bed. My Monti Cap has grown also - now probably eight times bigger than when purchased. My Slimer is probably the fastest grower, quadrupling in size in seven months. My Stylo growth pattern has improved since I moved my powerhead, but I may experiment putting a frag lower in the tank to see if color will improve. Lastly, my branching Frogspawn has over eighteen heads, when it only had one (or two?) when purchased. In contrast, my branching hammer (bought the same day as the frogspawn) has only grown 4-5 heads in the same amount of time. My striking Derasa clam has also grown a few inches, and seems to be quite happy.

6) Coral Casualties: My tank has tested immeasurable amounts of Nitrate and Phosphate for the last two years, and has plenty of light - but I have allowed my alkalinity and calcium to sag from time to time. I stopped dripping kalk (my reactor sprung a leak), and now have my alk, Ca, and mag back to more reef-like levels with two part. I have had some coral casualties over the past year, including one plate coral, a birdsnest coral and an Acan colony, due to poor chemistry, quarantine methods, or husbandry. I am now much more diligent to recognize and react to conditions.

7) Sump cleaning. Every once in a while (probably every year) I get disgusted with my sump, so I tear it down, clean and reconfigure everything. Yesterday I did the biggest cleaning ever, including the sump, equipment, tubing and drain. I wish I had one of those magnetic tube scrubbers from TLF. Everything when into a vinegar bath for 6 hours then scrubbed from head to toe. I rotated my sump 180 degrees so that the former ATO compartment (now a dark fuge) is facing the door. I used to dislike this sump, but now I find it very versatile for such a tiny glass box.

8) Aiptasia. Again, must be a failure in quarantining. I act quickly with kalk slurry, with pumps all the way off - being very careful not to drop any slurry on nearby corals. This seems quite effective. Impossible to get all of them when some may be inaccessible. They have not posed any threat to any coral that I have witnessed, but I am dilligent to kill them as they appear.


Warts and all. I hope everyone here at TR is doing well.

-Scott

[gimmito]

Welcome back Scott !

[Amphibious]

That’s quite an update Scott, thanks. Glad to see you back.

[serval]

Hi Scott,
I was wondering how your tank was doing! Some pictures would be nice.
A few random comments: Your Clavularia experience is interesting. I have some Clavularia (one of my favorite looking corals right now) and though it spreads slowly, it is controllable. I sort of rip it off (feel bad doing this) the rock followed by scraping that part of the rock with a metal toothbrush (the stainless kind found in auto parts stores), perhaps 4x/year. By the way, I cannot keep Xenia alive, suggesting that my nutrients are too low (?) to sustain it. Although our test kits tell us we have undetectable nitrates and phospates, my suspicion is that the levels of these nutrients that can spell trouble are quite a bit lower than we may have thought. I think maybe there is no liquid color-comparison style kit for PO4 that really tells you much and perhaps NO3 is almost that bad. I compared results from my Elos kits for N and P, where I routinely see no color at all, with a LaMotte colorimeter and I see I really DO have N and P, but at levels too low for Elos kits to see. Something on order of (memory here) of 0.4-0.8 for N and 0.03-0.06 for P. This is my long-winded attempt to explain why your Clavularia does so well; maybe your nutrients are to its liking and slightly higher than mine? You don't mention your bioload; this may be key? Mine is (I think) low (Elos System 70 with effectively about 70 gallons) with 5 small chromis, a pair of small pink-streaked wrasse, 1 tailspot blenny, 2 small shrimp gobies and assorted mobile invertebrates. I assume that is pretty low, given the sizes of the fish.

And, a question. You say, "My Pocillopora has gained color and size since I lowered it to the sand bed..."
I have a fragment of Pocillopora (purple) that never does anything; doesn't grow or change at all, which seems odd. What am I doing wrong? It is on a rock about 3 inches above the sand bed, and not close to any aggressive corals.

Aiptasia: I had a few and they kept popping back up. I got a pair of Peppermint shrimp and haven't seen Aiptasia since. However, these shrimp have grown pretty large (relative to other inverts in the tank); can they get destructive? Is that why you have not added any?

Your comments on the sump and skimmer are interesting. I haven't cleaned my sump (been over a year); is this bad? I do siphon from there during water changes once/week, but I let all manner of things that grow in the dark live on the glass. It is not pretty! As for the skimmer, I still don't get them. I still use the Elos that came with the system and it draws out perhaps 1/2" medium tea colored material with biochunks every 3-4 days, no more than that. That seems kind of paltry to me. Do you skim out more from your system?

Anyway, your post was great to read! I should update mine sometime...

[rroselavy]

]I was wondering how your tank was doing! Some pictures would be nice.

I'll get some pics up ASAP. Haven't taken any of the tank recently...

I have some Clavularia (one of my favorite looking corals right now) and though it spreads slowly, it is controllable. I sort of rip it off (feel bad doing this) the rock followed by scraping that part of the rock with a metal toothbrush (the stainless kind found in auto parts stores), perhaps 4x/year.

Thanks for the tip. I haven't thought of scraping with a metal brush. Probably very effective - but makes me nervous of polluting the tank with softie ooze. Perhaps I will try this during my next water change so I have my siphon handy.

Although our test kits tell us we have undetectable nitrates and phospates, my suspicion is that the levels of these nutrients that can spell trouble are quite a bit lower than we may have thought.

Agreed. My Maiden's hair and Clavularia are obviously fueled by latent nutrients.

Bioload: 5 inhabitants that I actively feed.

3.5" Foxface
3" Starry Blenny
4" Longnose Hawkfish
2.5" Percula Clown
2.5" Red Scooter Blenny.

Side note: I still have a Pajama Cardinal that I had in my first Nano. He must be going on 5 years since purchase. He got quite bossy in my main display, and was later picked on by other tank mates. Relocated him to his own tank at my workplace.


Other inhabitants that are passively fed include:

6" Derasa Clam,
Tigertail Cucumber
Tuxedo Urchin
Various Nass/Astraea/Turbo/Fighting Conch snails
One scarlet hermit, and one zebra hermit
One Pistol Shrimp (has lived w/o goby for 3 years).

All but the Foxface have been in the tank for at least a year, most much longer. I switched from Rod's Food to PE Mysis. 1/2" square per day. PE Mysis is very concentrated, big FW Mysis with little to no added water. For corals and my clam I also feed a small 1 TSP dose of Phyto-Feast, Roti-Feast, and/or Oyster-Feast on a rotating schedule.

I think maybe there is no liquid color-comparison style kit for PO4 that really tells you much and perhaps NO3 is almost that bad. I compared results from my Elos kits for N and P, where I routinely see no color at all, with a LaMotte colorimeter and I see I really DO have N and P, but at levels too low for Elos kits to see. Something on order of (memory here) of 0.4-0.8 for N and 0.03-0.06 for P.

I must confess I do not test for N & P too often. I test for those when there is a sudden change or mystery to troubleshoot...probably once every 3 months or so... Ca/Alk/Mg I will be testing weekly until I figure out my 2-part dosing regime, and probably monthly after that for adjustments.

And, a question. You say, "My Pocillopora has gained color and size since I lowered it to the sand bed..."
I have a fragment of Pocillopora (purple) that never does anything; doesn't grow or change at all, which seems odd. What am I doing wrong? It is on a rock about 3 inches above the sand bed, and not close to any aggressive corals.

My Pocci was on a rock about a foot under my LED fixture. It did OK at first, but eventually lost the bright green color it once had. I switched to T5 HO, making sure to acclimate everything carefully by starting the fixture higher up for comparable PAR. Months after I had the T5 fixture in its final position, I noticed that the Pocci was fading further, so I lowered it to the sand bed, where it probably receives about 250 PAR at the tip and probably less direct flow. Now it is back to a much deeper green color, and looks noticeably bigger.

I also had a problematic crab that came with the Pocci (and another with a Birdsnest coral I once had). At first I thought it was commensal, but then noticed tissue loss and some other areas of irritation. I excavated the crab, probably a few months later than I should have.

The Pocci also budded at one point, since I noticed an offspring attached to the side of my Derasa. It is still there today, but no bigger than a 1/2" nub.

Aiptasia: I had a few and they kept popping back up. I got a pair of Peppermint shrimp and haven't seen Aiptasia since. However, these shrimp have grown pretty large (relative to other inverts in the tank); can they get destructive? Is that why you have not added any?

On a whim I added two Peppermint shrimp to my tank a year or more ago (before my Aiptasia problem, and before the Longnose Hawkfish). I carefully acclimated them, and watched them hide in the LR that evening. Over the next week I searched and searched for them (lights on or off), but never saw them again. Perhaps I should try again...

Your comments on the sump and skimmer are interesting. I haven't cleaned my sump (been over a year); is this bad? I do siphon from there during water changes once/week, but I let all manner of things that grow in the dark live on the glass. It is not pretty!

I like when sponges, tube worms, and turf-like algae populate the surfaces of my sump, as long as they do not clog pumps or tubing. I did have several aiptasia that occupied my ATO (refugium) chamber. That made me very angry. My main motivations are usually to rearrange the equipment for better function, and to clean out the float switches, pumps and tubing (including the outlet plumbing). To my dissapointment I found that the System 70 drain pipe cannot be removed without separating the corrugated tubing from the fittings. I am thinking of re-plumbing the drain with PVC pipe complete with unions for easy disassembly.

I am becoming a strong believer in what I call the "settling chamber". Instead of having filter socks, design the drain chamber of the sump to have flow that allows for detritus to settle for easy siphoning during a water change. My last configuration with the System 70 sump excelled at that, this one less than half of the previous...so I may have to re-evaluate. The only difference in the two configurations is the direction that my drain pipe faces and a nominal increase in flow due to cleaning.

I am also thinking of keeping my sump 100% dark so algae does not grow inside the skimmer and return tubing. Not sure if this will make any difference. If I add a lit refugium it will probably be outside the stand.

As for the skimmer, I still don't get them. I still use the Elos that came with the system and it draws out perhaps 1/2" medium tea colored material with biochunks every 3-4 days, no more than that. That seems kind of paltry to me. Do you skim out more from your system?

Biochunks....mmmm....

I love the Elos NS500's lift-off collection cup, compact (and reconfigurable) footprint and construction quality, but I was never too impressed with its skimming ability, nor with the finicky way in which it operates. I've had it in my sump four times over the past few years (minimum of 3 months each time) just to see if it was tank conditions or operator error. I have never been able to obtain as much or as dark skimmate as my RS80, i-Tech 100, or even my H&S 90-F1000 and ER Nano (Dual) 3.5. The difference is not staggering, but for a $600 retail skimmer, one should expect comparable (if not superior) performance.

Looking at the skimmer, one wonders why the reaction chamber and neck are not a good deal larger, why the injector is placed in a location that obstructs the rising bubbles (creating excessive turbulence just below the neck, supposedly a "down-draft" feature, but IMHO outdated design), and why the air intake has to be restricted as much as it does...when most competing products instruct to barely restrict a skimmer's airflow if at all. If I were to redesign the NS500, I would increase the reaction chamber by 1", increase the neck by 1/2" and make the injector more like the NS100 (lower and/or angled). This should allow for the air intake to be increased a fair amount.

I have a flow meter, but never thought to measure the air intake of the NS500. Perhaps I will and report back a comparison with my other skimmers.

With all that said, I am (sort of) past obsessing about skimmers or worrying too much about what is left behind. Routine water changes (with detritus siphoning), ample LR and a deep (well-maintained) sand bed will take care of the rest. If I only had the NS500, and was thinking of trying a "sanity check" skimmer without breaking the bank, I would probably try to buy/borrow a used RS80 or buy a Vertex 100 when on sale... usually around $169.

Anyway, your post was great to read! I should update mine sometime...

I will keep on the lookout for your update, and will try to get some pics up soon...

-Scott

[gimmito]

Scott,

What type of flow meter are you using ? I was thinking of picking up some Dwyer flow meters for the H&S skimmers I have. What range of SCFH should I be looking for ?

Jim

[rroselavy]

Scott,

What type of flow meter are you using ? I was thinking of picking up some Dwyer flow meters for the H&S skimmers I have. What range of SCFH should I be looking for ?

Jim

I have a RMA-21, which goes from 1-10 LPM. Perfect for smaller skimmers. I purchased it directly from Dwyer:

http://www.dwyer-inst.com/Products/P...eName=Ordering

I also bought a hose barb adapter (Dwyer # A-340) from them which allows me to connect a standard skimmer air inlet tube to the upper port of the meter. Don't forget this or you will have no way to connect the hose:

http://www.dwyer-inst.com/Products/P...eName=Ordering

Likewise, the RMA-22 can be used for larger skimmers, 1-25 LPM.

Some hobbyists insist that the Dwyer RMB models are more accurate since their inlet/outlet ports are larger, supposedly restricting less flow. A Dwyer rep stated that the air channel inside the meters are the same, and the barbed tube adapter that threads into the port still has to adapt to 3/16" for a typical skimmer hose, so there is no functional difference between the RMA and RMB models other than a larger scale. Euro-Reef sold Dwyer RMA-21 and RMA-22 models for years to their customers, so I doubt there is really any problem with them.

Please note that you may see some Dywer meters with a black knob on the front or top. This knob is a flow restrictor, for applications where controlled air intake is required - and is not useful for the purposes of measuring skimmer pump air intake.

[rroselavy]

Sorry, I just realized you mentioned SCFH. If you want SCFH scales, them the RMA-6 and RMA-7 are close range matches to the RMA-21 and RMA-22. I got a LPM meter because most of the skimmers I own have been rated in LPH.

[gimmito]

Thanks Scott...it will be interesting to see what kind of numbers I get.