Jimbo’s CDA 250

Jimbo327

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This Costco vodka is a huge bottle 1.75L. The other places usually just carry the 750ml. $13 can last me awhile, so no complaints from me. LOL. (The fish may not be getting the full 1.75L though, I may have taken a few samples to check the taste.)

Right now, I don't know if 400 ppb of Silicon is high or low. I would think is acceptable or even low.

What is everyone's Silicon reading from their ICP?

Although, I do have a lot of sponges in the sump, and I know that sponges love silica.
 
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I gave up drinking 5 years ago so the quality of the vodka isn't all that important. I actually mix it with vinegar before dosing for a DIY NoPox carbon solution.

As far a ppb to ppm just move the decimal a few spaces. 400ppb = .4ppm. I am not sure the exact level of interferance with the Hanna checker but it has been documented as an issue by a few reputable sources. Supposedly even Hanna has it listed as a possible test interference issue though I have not personally been able to find the documentation to verify.

I was using the Mack Reef Dino support group method when I learned about this problem several months back. I had some burned out DI resin allowing silicates into my system and when I was confused as to how I wound up with Dinos even though I was testing high on phosphate I figured out that my phosphates were actually @ 0 and when I was doing water changes to bring them down I was just adding in silicates and getting bad test results from the Hanna checker.

When I tested just the straight RODI it tested high phosphate with the Hanna and a low amount of phosphate with the redsea kit. Then I tested the straight RODI with the salifert silicate test kit and it showed a high level of silicates in my RODI. I have since changed over to the BRS 3 stage DI system. I now test the straight RODI and get 0ppm for all parameters. The diatomes and Dinos are slowly clearing with the help of my cleanup crew and some elbow grease.

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Jimbo327

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I did a bit of digging on R2R on this issue.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/high-silica-interference-with-po4-measurement.777022/

Looks like if Silicate is under 2ppm, there is no interference. So my Silicon is 0.4ppm, then the Hanna Checker should be accurate for Phosphate.

On the actual number of 0.4ppm, I think that is acceptable...but not low. I read from the dino group that they dose silica to 1ppm to drive diatoms to outcompete dinos. So my 0.4ppm Silicon may also be feed diatoms, but to a lesser degree. So far, the brown dusting is not really affecting anything negatively, I'll just keep it at that level. My snails are probably enjoying the extra brown food.

At this point, I'm going to trust my Hanna checker since now I know that ICP doesn't actually measure phosphates.
 
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Jimbo327

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Got some Orphek lens filters on Amazon, photos are so much better.

Here is my ricordea garden.
IMG_7538.jpeg


My latest Yuma addition. This one will be special when it grows big. Now smaller than a dime.
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My DIY loose rubble/mushroom basket. I had repurposed something that my wife was going to toss. I added some black netting to the bottom and it works.
IMG_7572.jpeg
 

Jimbo327

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Went to the OC Coral Show, and got some cool corals. Nothing fancy, didn't really want to spend too much. My favorites were:

I picked up a tiny Fungia plate (since of a dime). I thought it had a lot of potential. Doesn’t look too great now, but it may color up later.
IMG_7595.jpeg


Also got some Tommy's Phyto since I was running out.

I know I'm not really keeping the colors on my SPS frags, but I'm hoping it's something I can correct later. Right now, the frags are alive, just not getting great colors.

Update: Did 40gal water change and lowered my salinity a little bit to see if anything improves. I also pointed the return nozzles to the water surface to see if that helps.
 
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I can tell my corals (especially SPS) are not happy right now...growth and colors are not there. I took a sample of my tank water to Ali's LFS to check if my salinity is correct. Looks like I'm still a little high @ 1.027. I'm going to slowly drop the salinity to 1.026. Perhaps, that will help me get my tank back on track. I also purchased an alkalinity and magnesium test kit, just to confirm the Trident accuracy.

While I'm at Ali's LFS, I picked up another tiny purple fungia plate with green tentacles. Smaller than a dime. It can grow with my other baby plate.

I know this is supposed to be a SPS dominant tank,.😂

IMG_7614.jpeg
 
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Nice! I love fungias, they are a pretty cool group of corals. I have a nice diaseris in my nano that I got from Elliot at GSC. I would love to pick an orange herpolitha.
I wouldn't think 1.027 would cause any major issues, I've ran higher without issue and I know Adam (battlecorals) runs his that high, if not higher without issue. What's your current PO4?
 
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Phosphates 0.10-0.15 ppm.
Nitrates 15-20ppm.

I think I have been running salinity @1.027-1.028. Trying to get everything back to nominal, and see if corals like it better.

I also got a nice unnamed SPS frag from Ali, and he said it’s similar to a Paletta Pink Tip acro. I want to see if I can keep its color since I’ve fixed a few things, and hoping I’ve turned the corner.
 
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I’ve always liked plate corals because they are easy to take care of and have good colors. And they just stay on the sand bed and don’t bother anything.

Back in the days, I only remember seeing orange or green plates, and I had an orange one in my first tank.

The 2 tiny one I got now are aqua-cultured, and I like the sustainability aspect. They are small, and get blown upside down a lot, so I have to stick my grabber in there to flip them back up.

Definitely willing to trade corals if your diaseris plates frags babies.
 
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I have two growing from one skeleton now, so hopefully more will grow this year. It got tagged by a BTA last year, so it started to TN, then split into a couple new ones shortly after, which is pretty common with these guys.
 

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I’ve always liked plate corals because they are easy to take care of and have good colors. And they just stay on the sand bed and don’t bother anything.

Back in the days, I only remember seeing orange or green plates, and I had an orange one in my first tank.

The 2 tiny one I got now are aqua-cultured, and I like the sustainability aspect. They are small, and get blown upside down a lot, so I have to stick my grabber in there to flip them back up.

Definitely willing to trade corals if your diaseris plates frags babies.
After awhile, you'll learn to hate plate corals since they can overshadow & take over other prized sticks! I've tried to kill them several times but failed...they are super resilient! Putting them on a small rock island so you can move them later might be a good strategy.
 

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Phosphates 0.10-0.15 ppm.
Nitrates 15-20ppm.

I think I have been running salinity @1.027-1.028. Trying to get everything back to nominal, and see if corals like it better.

I also got a nice unnamed SPS frag from Ali, and he said it’s similar to a Paletta Pink Tip acro. I want to see if I can keep its color since I’ve fixed a few things, and hoping I’ve turned the corner.
Your params look good. My humble feedback is stop "chasing numbers" to be in a "perfect" range. Each tank is different. I do watch mine but I react in slow motion -- from alk "swings" to nutrients level, just do it slowly. Your tank will tell you if it's unhappy!

As for N & P -- my 3.5yo SPS tank is running at 75+ NO3 and 0.40+ PO4; no issues. I'm dosing vodka & vinegar to bring NO3 down -- my sticks don't really care though. I'm slowly bringing down PO4 to 0.20'ish with PhosphateRx (Lanthanum Chloride). Again, slow & steady.

Good luck! Tank is looking great, btw
 
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After awhile, you'll learn to hate plate corals since they can overshadow & take over other prized sticks! I've tried to kill them several times but failed...they are super resilient! Putting them on a small rock island so you can move them later might be a good strategy.
Not the monti cap type of plate. LOL. The fungia plate corals that sit on the sand.

I also like monti caps as well, but I'm avoiding it for this build because it does grow quickly and cause shading issues. Caps do look really cool and makes the reef look like a reef.
 
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Your params look good. My humble feedback is stop "chasing numbers" to be in a "perfect" range. Each tank is different. I do watch mine but I react in slow motion -- from alk "swings" to nutrients level, just do it slowly. Your tank will tell you if it's unhappy!

As for N & P -- my 3.5yo SPS tank is running at 75+ NO3 and 0.40+ PO4; no issues. I'm dosing vodka & vinegar to bring NO3 down -- my sticks don't really care though. I'm slowly bringing down PO4 to 0.20'ish with PhosphateRx (Lanthanum Chloride). Again, slow & steady.

Good luck! Tank is looking great, btw
Thanks for the Stellata montipora and ORA blue voodoo stag!

I've mounted them next to my bali slimer and bubblegum digitata. It’s always good to have these super hardy and aquacultured SPS. If I lose color on these, I may as well give up on SPS.
IMG_7624.jpeg
IMG_7623.jpeg
 
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Not the monti cap type of plate. LOL. The fungia plate corals that sit on the sand.

I also like monti caps as well, but I'm avoiding it for this build because it does grow quickly and cause shading issues. Caps do look really cool and makes the reef look like a reef.
Learning firsthand how monti caps can cause problems.
 
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I had monti caps, gsp, and pulsing xenias in my 1st tank. The trifecta of headache corals once they get going. I learned my lesson. LOL.

I'm even reluctant to put in encrusting moniporas in this tank, even though they look really cool. I've been thinking about trying chalices lately, but never had them before. I saw some insane colors on chalices, so may be willing to try later.
 

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Thanks for the Stellata montipora and ORA blue voodoo stag!

I've mounted them next to my bali slimer and bubblegum digitata. It’s always good to have these super hardy and aquacultured SPS. If I lose color on these, I may as well give up on SPS. View attachment 116409 View attachment 116410
Looking good — they are super hardy and fast growers! Besides, you just need to master the most important parameter: TIME! lol
 
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The tank is about 6 months since I got it wet. It’s time to do a self assessment on the tank.

Locking back on this build thread, I’ve made a lot of progress in past few months. Honestly, I think I prioritized more on getting healthy fishes over corals. I knew that fishes will provide the nutrients for a reef, and bring a lot of life into the tank. Started from all dead rock and sand, and my goal was to get over the uglies and avoid typical new tank issues like disease and pests. So far so good. Fingers crossed.

I chalk that up to a few things. Trochus snails spawned in the tank have resulted in many baby snails. Also, early selective intervention for nuisance algae (Flux), dipping everything, getting functional fishes, maintaining N/P and building up bacteria population in the tank have kept dinos, bryopsis, and other nuisance algae/pest away.

My gut feel is that my tank is starting to mature and can sustain more delicate corals soon. My coralline algae growth is exploding all over the rocks. I think the next 6 months will be stocking the tank with more nicer corals and just letting it grow.

Biggest risk is that I will need to travel soon and during summer for weeks at a time.

Biggest mistakes so far has been QTing too many fishes at same time. I learned that blond naso have terrible survivability during QT after the fact. Then it’s a chain reaction on ammonia spike. Also, I almost nuked my tank when I clicked “ON” instead of “AUTO” on my DOS doser for alkalinity in APEX, if I had a bigger 2-part container or smaller tank volume, I would have wiped for sure. Total luck. Reminds me how a simple slip can be a complete disaster.

Looking forward to next 6 months, and making the tank pop with corals.
 

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