Bubblemytip's 25-gallon nano tank

bubblemytip · Apr 6, 2017

What could it be?

bubblemytip · Apr 6, 2017

Deltec zeolite reactor installed!

bubblemytip · Apr 7, 2017

Skimming well. Another TUNZE winner.

Automatic zeovit reactor is already amazing. Set to churn the stones for 20 seconds once an hour.

In case you haven't noticed, I like blue!

bubblemytip · Apr 12, 2017

Added another MP10 for more varied flow.
Managed to get x3 Trochus snails (reasonably hard to come by here in New Zealand. They were $20 each to give you an idea...)
Also added a small sixline wrasse as my last fish to help with any possible pests. Seems to get on well with the other fish so far!

Will update with more pics over the weekend but in the meantime...

bubblemytip · Apr 19, 2017

Irony!!

Also trying the Fauna Marin reef bacto balls to help with zeovit and increase automation.

bubblemytip · Apr 22, 2017

January

March

Today

needbiggertanks · Apr 25, 2017

Impressive

bubblemytip · Apr 26, 2017

needbiggertanks said:
Impressive

Thanks. I think I have caught the SPS bug somewhat now. haha

bubblemytip · Jul 2, 2017

Set up a remote refugium...

Input in the middle. Fed off return.
Main drain to the left of that. Backup drain to the right.

needbiggertanks · Jul 2, 2017

Sweet. Tank looks great

bubblemytip · Jul 3, 2017

Thanks!!

Also bought about 25kg of co2 scrubbing media... only thought I was getting about 12kg, so that's a bonus!

Turns out 1 unit is x2 5L bottles. Ordered 3 units... whoops.

bubblemytip · Jul 3, 2017

Well, pretty dramatic results... pH usually below 8 at this time of day but now higher than it was by the end of the photoperiod yesterday. Can see when I connected the scrubber!

Now to see how long the media lasts and if the corals like it!

bubblemytip · Aug 17, 2017

I took down the refugium after only running it a couple of weeks. It was overkill, distracted from the aesthetic and the light-bleed at night since it was not in a cabinet was a bit too much. Also, if I do it again, I will ensure I do it with acrylic and silicone tubing. Not convinced on the safety of the plastic container I used or the flex-PVC.

Also been battling some acro-eating flatworms lately. Hadn't introduced any corals/new livestock since March, so was quite surprised. One or two eggs must have slipped through... And it took this long for them to develop into a population that had an impact. Seem to have only been on my valida acros, which I have pulled from the tank.

In the process of setting up another nano with reef-spec lighting that I can use as a quarantine if it comes to that.

My sixline wrasse and zeovit flatworm stop seem to have kept it contained. It has been two weeks since I removed the last infested acro and the rest continue to grow and show good colour.

In other news, I got my first ICP test back (tried a MarinLab/Aquaforest ICP). Test sample taken on 19 July 2017. All my main elements were fine and I have no detections of any what Aquaforest describes as 'pollutants', but I supposedly have:

Lithium of 226ug/L (salt mix or remnants of a Tech-M dose from last year?)
Barium of 292 ug/L (salt mix or zeovit stones, I'm guessing)
Molybdenum of 41.2 ug/L (trace mix? Was using Dupla Strontium/Molybdenum supplement. Have stopped using this)
Vanadium of 8.13 ug/L (trace mix? Magnet maybe?)
Iodine of 1.09 ug/L (very low, so increasing my dosage to see if I notice any difference)
Sulfur of 1058 mg/L (likely due to using Magnesium sulfate. I am now using magnesium chloride)

My phosphate/phosphorous result was zero, which is quite impressive for not running GFO, and I have started to dose phosphate, as I had noticed some of the corals were a little pale.

Florida Sunshine · Aug 17, 2017

Beautiful tank! I absolutely love the clam.

bubblemytip · Sep 9, 2017

Thank you very much.

The clam is my star piece. If it is growing and the rest of the tank isn't doing so well, then that's fine. Haha

New toy is now set up... Going to see if calcium reactor media changes my ICP results at all, whether I get more growth and better colour.

Was getting fed up with a lousy GHL doser 2.1 that was grinding and noisy. Bought new last year, went through several sets of what GHL calls "maintenance kit" despite only dosing ~50ml/day. Motors were getting noisy too.

So rather than getting annoying and risking a doser malfunction causing mayhem, now I have a TUNZE 3171 calcium reactor.

Because my tank is so small for this, I'm running its pH at 7.5, which seems to be enough at the moment. And it's SILENT.

Pink stylo seems to like it already.