Boomer's IM 20G Nano

[boomeraudio]

Sure... I think the biggest thing is not so much whether there is bottoming out or the numbers... it's getting animals, bacteria, and plants, etc., soaking up nutrients and growing/stable populations... Whatever the numbers are they are... you just need animals and plants in sufficient volume and growth to out compete dinos, IMO...

For example, my tank has had nitrate between 0 and 2ppm and phosphate between 0.04 and 2ppm during the last five months or longer. The tank looks the same regardless of the numbers... The growth is the same... It's just whatever the levels settle in at they settle in at... The only numbers i would really monitor is alkalinity and PH. Keep alkalinity stable is the biggest thing and if PH is below 8 then use kalk morning and night or steady drip/dosing pump to both keep alkalinity stable and raise pH.

That said--i am sure we don't know everything about reef tanks and the "wild ride" could continue no matter what you do--even if perfectly... so patience is key and you've done amazing there!!

On that train of thought, if it was me i would add as many easy corals and macro and phyto into your system as you can or can afford... I have some gorgonians and digitata and easy zoos you can have here in a bit.. the plugs are still encrusting in the frag tank (that tank is new and no rock at all so slower growth).. those corals grow well and have tolerated abuse well. ..

I'll be transferring my 20 gallon tank corals and fish into a 50 gallon lagoon EXT in the next week or two.... tired of fragging corals every couple weeks.... That will technically be a "new" tank... But because the inhabitants (and light layer of SAND!) are established, i doubt i will have problems... we'll see...

Very glad to see that your shrimp is still kicking!!!

Just keep doing what you are doing and Dino’s will die off and you will start seeing a much better tank! If possible try and step back from putting you hands in the tank. I let my tank go for about a month no water changes no messing with corals left algae on the glass and everything. Only thing I did was feed fish everyday or two.

Thanks for the encouragement. Seems like in the moment there's not much I can do to save things. A mushroom looks like it's splitting but when the lights go out the corals look bad :/ and it looks like it's dying. Hopefully not but it is what it is. I'll just keep going forward, letting the tank establish itself over time. I'm at 1.5 years now but started with dry rock. Hate seeing coral die, feels like burning money.

 

[Nick Steele]

You sure that the corals aren’t just going into sleep mode? I mean my euphyllia will almost go completely into their skeleton during the night and my trachy will shrink about 75% too.

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

I'm at 1.5 years now but started with dry rock. Hate seeing coral die, feels like burning money.

I think abrupt/complete removal vacuum/removal of sand can disrupt the force as well.

Mushrooms are hardy they melt to next to nothing then months later be a weed!

As Nick said, they retract a ton at night too. Splitting will cause reduction in size too... i think it's stressful on the coral (like having a baby)--but in the end you have two when they recover! lol.

i was concerned too about frog spawn and hammers in my 20 gallon just recently... they were shrinking and tissue receding... a couple weeks later i just realized there are news heads on each---the shrinking and recession was just splitting. The tissue is back covering the skeleton low on the frags and they are opening up more fully again..

 

[boomeraudio]

Just tested Alkalinity and got 7.56 dKH or 135ppm so I'm thinking that's okay too. Just going to keep it going.

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

That's a fine DKH. Lower end of the range, but totally fine. So just make sure to test at the same time of the day and adjust dosing schedule to avoid swings of more than say 1 dkh, ideally no more of swing than 0.5 dkh. Alk swings can drive some SPS and LPS nuts...

I think higher PH can combat nuisance algae/dinos too as coralline grows more aggressively. When i started dosing kalk is when my coralline took off.

What's your PH with the lights and with the lights off?

 

[Danroo]

dang I have read this whole thread, and I’m afraid on whatever is coming next towards me. I also started with dry rock and it has only been 4 months now, my parameters are also stuck at nitrates being 2 and phosphates being 0.03 but I haven’t seen any dinos happening. Haven’t done any water changes for a month now, and I’m having a bio load of 5 fish instead of your 2.

I heard somewhere can’t remember don’t quote me on this but corals have algae inside them and whenever they die it release those algae and that algae turns into dinos. Which is why I might not have it cause I’m waiting for all the ugly stages to go away in a 6 month period, so I can start adding corals.

 

[boomeraudio]

That's a fine DKH. Lower end of the range, but totally fine. So just make sure to test at the same time of the day and adjust dosing schedule to avoid swings of more than say 1 dkh, ideally no more of swing than 0.5 dkh. Alk swings can drive some SPS and LPS nuts...

I think higher PH can combat nuisance algae/dinos too as coralline grows more aggressively. When i started dosing kalk is when my coralline took off.

What's your PH with the lights and with the lights off?

Is this what you're talking about?

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

Seachem or BRS... search how to dose, which is important...

 

[boomeraudio]

Seachem or BRS... search how to dose, which is important...

I checked it out. Calcium was 389ppm yesterday. Going to start with some of the kalk in my 5 gallon ATO reservoir according to the BRS video which is extremely helpful.

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

I checked it out. Calcium was 389ppm yesterday. Going to start with some of the kalk in my 5 gallon ATO reservoir according to the BRS video which is extremely helpful.

Be aware of variable evaporation rates. Another simple way is to mix in a jug and dose manually a couple times a day or with a doser.

 

[boomeraudio]

Be aware of variable evaporation rates. Another simple way is to mix in a jug and dose manually a couple times a day or with a doser.

Noticing that the stringy/hair looking like dino's is still in the sand bed. Brown during the day, disappears when the lights go out. I'm also seeing the start of coraline more than ever before. With nitrates and phosphates higher and not close to 0 at all, a UV sterilizer AND finishing a cycle of DInoX dosing, how the HELL are these things hanging on?! Blows my mind.

 

[boomeraudio]

dang I have read this whole thread, and I’m afraid on whatever is coming next towards me. I also started with dry rock and it has only been 4 months now, my parameters are also stuck at nitrates being 2 and phosphates being 0.03 but I haven’t seen any dinos happening. Haven’t done any water changes for a month now, and I’m having a bio load of 5 fish instead of your 2.

I heard somewhere can’t remember don’t quote me on this but corals have algae inside them and whenever they die it release those algae and that algae turns into dinos. Which is why I might not have it cause I’m waiting for all the ugly stages to go away in a 6 month period, so I can start adding corals.

Every tank is different so my struggles may not happen for you at all (and I hope they don't!). I wouldn't let the tank bottom out (0 Nitrate & 0 Phosphate). That seems to be when ALL of my issues started. What type of tank is it?

 

[Nick Steele]

Noticing that the stringy/hair looking like dino's is still in the sand bed. Brown during the day, disappears when the lights go out. I'm also seeing the start of coraline more than ever before. With nitrates and phosphates higher and not close to 0 at all, a UV sterilizer AND finishing a cycle of DInoX dosing, how the HELL are these things hanging on?! Blows my mind.

Yeah that’s crazy mine also stuck around with elevated nitrate and phosphate but declined soon after. I still don’t have any coraline in my tank really. Some spots here and there mostly on frags that came with it but nothing crazy.

How’s the shrimp doing?

 

[boomeraudio]

Yeah that’s crazy mine also stuck around with elevated nitrate and phosphate but declined soon after. I still don’t have any coraline in my tank really. Some spots here and there mostly on frags that came with it but nothing crazy.

How’s the shrimp doing?

He just kind of hangs out and moves slowly. Here's my theory: I saw a molt the same day the shrimp was acting dead but the skeleton molt was INSIDE MY NERO 5. I bet the shrimp got caught in the Nero 5...then again, who knows. His antennae's are super short now so I'm not entirely sure what happened but that's my theory.

How long did your dino's stick around for? You removed the sand bed too right? I haven't done that.

Here's a pic of the shrimp:

Also need an opinion...is this Monti toast?

 

[Nick Steele]

Nice little guy hopefully he pulls through for ya. Is he still eating? Maybe after his next molt he will be better. Your theory might be correct and that’s why he’s slow and has shorted antenna.

If I remember correctly I first noticed them in October and did get rid of them till late March. So 5-6 months I had to deal with them. I talked to a couple people at RAP Orlando that have been in the industry for 10-20 years and they haven’t seen Dino’s like they have in the past two years ever. Maybe a case here or there but not near as much as now.

Yeah I did remove my sandbed. I also completely dismantled the tank took rocks out and washed them then corals and fish in a bucket did a 100% water change too. No Dino’s for a week with elevated nitrate and phos 5-10 and .1 tested daily then one day they came back. I think maybe my trachy had digested some and spit them out once back in the clean tank (I seen it do this once a week or more during the 5-6 months).

I plan to add sand back into my tank in another couple weeks after my vacation and once my cyano goes down.

 

[boomeraudio]

If I remember correctly I first noticed them in October and did get rid of them till late March. So 5-6 months I had to deal with them. I talked to a couple people at RAP Orlando that have been in the industry for 10-20 years and they haven’t seen Dino’s like they have in the past two years ever. Maybe a case here or there but not near as much as now.

Did they mention why they were thinking it's more now than ever? Impatience from hobbyists (like me ha ha)? More people starting with dry rock? I thought starting with dry rock would lead to less issues...clearly not.

Any thoughts on the monti I posted?

 

[Nick Steele]

There were a few different thoughts but all believed that the use of dry rock more often is a big issue. Live rock has so much biodiversity on it that there is no way you can compete with it. One guy thought along with the dry rock that wild corals are also bringing it into the hobby but he has no proof and its just a thought with all the bleaching and all going on in the wild.

Sorry didn’t see the monti pic. It still looks like it has some flesh left right? If it does I would leave it until it is 100% dead because they can come back to life. My buddy has killed one monti 99% 2 or 3 times and it’s come back to being health every time and is finally growing more then the frag he started with.

 

[Danroo]

Every tank is different so my struggles may not happen for you at all (and I hope they don't!). I wouldn't let the tank bottom out (0 Nitrate & 0 Phosphate). That seems to be when ALL of my issues started. What type of tank is it?

It’s a 20 gallon tank I have been running it since late January. Started to see blue and green algae taking over my tank. While my coralline barely growing. Haven’t done much water changes for almost a month now. Hopefully it’ll get better once my bacteria bloom clears up. It’s been there for a month now. Due to me constantly changing hob filters.

 

[boomeraudio]

It’s a 20 gallon tank I have been running it since late January. Started to see blue and green algae taking over my tank. While my coralline barely growing. Haven’t done much water changes for almost a month now. Hopefully it’ll get better once my bacteria bloom clears up. It’s been there for a month now. Due to me constantly changing hob filters.

I’ve learned that there are a lot of ups and downs in this hobby. I look at pics when my coral was thriving and feel so frustrated. But I’ll continue to establish this aquarium and hopefully someday will have the stability enough to keep many corals.

 

[Danroo]

I’ve learned that there are a lot of ups and downs in this hobby. I look at pics when my coral was thriving and feel so frustrated. But I’ll continue to establish this aquarium and hopefully someday will have the stability enough to keep many corals.

I have noticed that as well which is why I waited 6 months just to keep it FOWLR.