mattzang's IM 100 EXT

[drexel]

Yeah, low or zero PO4 will definitely cause some problems. LC always seemed like a high risk thing to me and potentially too aggressive for PO4 reduction. I use PNS Probio as nutrient control/reduction. I usually follow it the next day with Yello Sno which feeds the tank and the bacteria. I actually don’t mind higher nutrients, I find they cause less problems than low nutrients, as you’re one mishap away from starving corals.
Agree, that new piece is pretty cool.


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[mattyzang]

Yeah, low or zero PO4 will definitely cause some problems. LC always seemed like a high risk thing to me and potentially too aggressive for PO4 reduction. I use PNS Probio as nutrient control/reduction. I usually follow it the next day with Yello Sno which feeds the tank and the bacteria. I actually don’t mind higher nutrients, I find they cause less problems than low nutrients, as you’re one mishap away from starving corals.
Agree, that new piece is pretty cool.


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yeah I generally don’t mind higher nutrients either, like .3 was mostly fine with me. But the Hanna apparently crapped out. To be fair to it, I think it’s a good 4 or so years old at this point so probably time

I was afraid of lacl due to fish issues mostly, but my sump has 3 filter socks and then a skimmer so I figured I’d give it a whirl as I was in the .8-.9 range and gfo is annoying. Although given the broken Hanna maybe I wasn’t that high

 

[mattyzang]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CqV-Ucpr3sC/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

not much happening in my tank. New frags look good, no losses of anything. I think colors are making a return? Also making a return is my arch nemesis, turf algae. In light of turf algae, I’ve armed myself with a scopas tang fresh in the qt. Also an orchid dottyback for funsies

chemistry wise things are mostly easy right now. Ever since I dropped po4 to 0 it has stayed pretty low, I just dose some lacl once a week and good yo go there. Nitrate was at 4 last I tested so I cut off carbon for a minute, I’d rather nitrate be like 14 or 24 than 4. Alk has been difficult to raise up oddly enough. I’m in the mid 7s now, but was actually aiming to try the 9s for awhile to see how I liked them, but finding the climb there to be longer than I thought. I’m mostly fine with it tho, slow and steady better than racing around with alk

 

[drexel]

I love scopus tangs, I think they’re very underrated fish. Pick up some Yello Sno, it’s a great food for the whole tank, especially for coral. A fridmani is on my short list of new fish. Hopefully the new tang and some tuxedos will go after the turf?


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[mattyzang]

I love scopus tangs, I think they’re very underrated fish. Pick up some Yello Sno, it’s a great food for the whole tank, especially for coral. A fridmani is on my short list of new fish. Hopefully the new tang and some tuxedos will go after the turf?


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that's the hope, although it's coming in hot already and scopas is on day 2 of qt so i'll probably hit the reef flux again. then he can at least start at ground zero

i love me some orchids, i used to have one and traded him away, i forget why.. i'm a big damsel and dottyback fan, just gotta pick the right ones and they're great fish

 

[mattyzang]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CqwSVUrPi8C/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

 

[drexel]

Dude, I love all of that movement from the fish! Awesome! Love the xanthurus butterfly too.

 

[mattyzang]

Dude, I love all of that movement from the fish! Awesome! Love the xanthurus butterfly too.

yeah i love him too, not sure i can pick a favorite butterfly tho

mostly i love that they all eat pellets super readily. the melannotus only eats pellets lol

 

[drexel]

Yeah, If I ever had a FOWLER, it would be a very large tank with a lot of butterflies and wrasses.

 

[mattyzang]

The turf is fully back, so reef flux it probably shall be. I saw metrokat mention on the gram she’s battling bryopsis with flucanazole and was going to dose it, wait a couple weeks, so a water change, then hit it again. Given that it just keeps coming back for me, I might give that a shot. That seems like a safer alternative than overdosing it

the scopas and dottyback sailed through qt and I’ll probably add them in the next week or so. I’d like to see if the scopas would make a dent on the turf, but it’s getting awful cozy with some frags so I should probably intervene now

I took some pics of some recent coral additions, pretty much all doing varying rates of well. Plus some others for fun

 

[BST310]

Everything is looking really good man. I’m wired you will get the turf sorted. Doesn’t look out of hand and with all those corals to look I don’t even notice.

 

[drexel]

Looking good, Matt! Yeah, turf algae can be a pain, but just go slow and you'll get it under control.

 

[mattyzang]

It’s funny where it grows. The right side of my tank it’s pretty non-existent I’m guessing due to coralline cover. Plus I redid the left rocks like a year into this tank. Plus the pukani rock is just so ideal for annoying stuff like algae and aiptasia, lots of nooks and crannies

either way I figure either I nuke it with flux or eventually it should generally lessen plus the scopas should help a bit. And more coralline couldn’t hurt. I seem to get two coralline types, the chalky pink one, but the dominant one is a really slow growing kinda light metallic purple. You’d think 3 years would be enough time to fill the tank with it, but it really grows slow

 

[Coloredrock]

Richard Ross was talking about slow dosing lacl strait into the skimmer bodies foam.. not sure if he has published anything on it yet.

Tank looks amazing!

 

[mattyzang]

Richard Ross was talking about slow dosing lacl strait into the skimmer bodies foam.. not sure if he has published anything on it yet.

Tank looks amazing!

thanks man

yeah i had seen that as an option, but i figured dosing it into my overflow, then it goes through 3 filter socks, then into the skimmer chamber, would be even more ideal than dosing it into the skimmer and skipping the socks

lacl always scared me, but i just started really slowly, like 2 mL i think is what i started with, and just slowly increased it. plus i don't like putting lots of stuff on dosers, more dosers more danger. now that it's low it's really easy to manage. well, except i now use salifert po4 tests and i don't love the old color chart. i'll probably pick up a hanna ulr one somewhere along the way

 

[mattyzang]

 

[mattyzang]

scopas and orchid are in

bonus Oregon tort

 

[drexel]

View attachment 108300 View attachment 108301
scopas and orchid are in

bonus Oregon tort
View attachment 108302

Nice!

 

[DEWreefing]

View attachment 107800 View attachment 107801
The turf is fully back, so reef flux it probably shall be. I saw metrokat mention on the gram she’s battling bryopsis with flucanazole and was going to dose it, wait a couple weeks, so a water change, then hit it again. Given that it just keeps coming back for me, I might give that a shot. That seems like a safer alternative than overdosing it

the scopas and dottyback sailed through qt and I’ll probably add them in the next week or so. I’d like to see if the scopas would make a dent on the turf, but it’s getting awful cozy with some frags so I should probably intervene now

I took some pics of some recent coral additions, pretty much all doing varying rates of well. Plus some others for fun
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Love how the clown and wrasse photo bomb the across spot light.

 

[mattyzang]

wwc afterparty from Steve Garrett