CCOMBS FIRST REEF!
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I'm sorry - I miss to answer your last post. If the CUC do not manage to eat up all algae, just limit your photoperiod or (the best option IMO - take down the intensity if possible )
Sincerely Lasse
Sincerely Lasse
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ccombs
Valuable Member
No I do not, Everything is starting to go well now. I just had some tank maturity issues and simultaneously had some disease issues. My original thought was that they correlated. It turned out to be a few separate things. With the help of this forum things are going really well at the moment.
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ccombs
Valuable Member
Ha! Let me tell you, building the table was fun. I did all of my milling at a local makers space. I have a table saw and planer, but it was way easier to mill it with their 240v equipment and they had a huge jointer and planer which was nice, along with a big table saw.No clue how I missed this @ccombs !
I love that stand. That's going to be how the dining room table will be built... when I get around to it.
I appreciate the offer for help. Things are going well now, I am loving the outdoor water storage that is in the more recent posts. I am hoping this build will open up a new way of viewing reefing for some, and show that smaller tanks can be really well done. Maybe in a couple years I will have accomplished this!
dantimdad
7500 Club Member
I hear ya! I miss my big shop from years ago. Someday...
You will have to come down when the store gets opened next year.
CeeGee
Active Member
Hopefully it continues to go well. I have found our neck of the woods to be a very lonely place. Met a few people over the years but I only have one person that I correspond with on a regular basis. He is the only person I have met that has stuck with it. Most people around here are in and out of the hobby quickly.
Feel free to hit me up sometime. I’m out in Murfreesboro.
Feel free to hit me up sometime. I’m out in Murfreesboro.
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ccombs
Valuable Member
I shortened the photoperiod by a few hours (it was a very long one originally) and lowered the intensity as well, the algae has gone away.
That being said, did I stall the cycle or mess anything up? Tank looks extremely clean again.
Build is amazing and was a pleasure to read. Great job on overcoming all these problems.
Did you do anything for your tank to have the "uglies"? I have a 3month old tank that hasn't truly had it's uglies so I am curious!
Did you do anything for your tank to have the "uglies"? I have a 3month old tank that hasn't truly had it's uglies so I am curious!
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ccombs
Valuable Member
I did not do anything special. I just really paid attention to the input of food and the consumption on the tank end. Having good lighting was the key for me.
@Lasse and @Rick.45cal were both huge helps to me and inspired me to keep going along with giving me killer advice.
I do not think you did - and this is the type of "head work" that you need to do regardless of which "method" you run. you have some parameters - make sure they pull in the same direction - the problem solved.
Now - just slowly rise the light intensity up to the levels you want. My own aquarium have max intensity only for around 5 - 6 hours - the rest is ramping up and down. I have a long total photoperiod (from 8:00 to 23:00) but the photosynthetic active period is only around 10 hours. This is an adaptation to some of my fish's behaviors.
Sincerely Lasse
Rick.45cal
2500 Club Member
Yay! I think you’re off to a great second start. I think you’re starting to understand “balance” in how it relates to your tank. Follow what Lasse has suggested.
This is going to be fun to watch.
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ccombs
Valuable Member
Yay! I think you’re off to a great second start. I think you’re starting to understand “balance” in how it relates to your tank. Follow what Lasse has suggested.
The funny thing is I have done enough reading of articles and on the forums that I have been able to answer questions about aquariums that are further along than mine, I look forward when I get to actually apply this new knowledge to my tank in the next few months haha!
I think losing the first tank was the best thing that could have happened to me. I am now in no rush to add anything and my problem solving skills have vastly improved. I understand things by actually
doing them. Getting the chance to re-start will lead to a better tank in the end.
Hopefully I can blow your minds hahaha.
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ccombs
Valuable Member
Disclaimer... I am not chasing numbers, I just want to know what you guys think...
Previously, my pH always sat pretty low, like around 7.4-7.6. That being said, when I did my rebuild I ran the skimmer air line outside. I am not going to worry about this for a few months, I just find it peculiar that I continually struggle with low pH.
Tank is in my bedroom and door normally stays closed, I am thinking I might just not get enough fresh air in, even with the skimmer line running out. Here is my chart, I am interested to see what happens when I start up my refugium.
It is interesting to see science in action. My wife and I were not home most of March 31 and April 1, and you can see the pH goes up. This also seems to support my 'not enough fresh air' theory. It is fun for me to see theory on threads played out in real life. What a cool world we live in!
Previously, my pH always sat pretty low, like around 7.4-7.6. That being said, when I did my rebuild I ran the skimmer air line outside. I am not going to worry about this for a few months, I just find it peculiar that I continually struggle with low pH.
Tank is in my bedroom and door normally stays closed, I am thinking I might just not get enough fresh air in, even with the skimmer line running out. Here is my chart, I am interested to see what happens when I start up my refugium.
It is interesting to see science in action. My wife and I were not home most of March 31 and April 1, and you can see the pH goes up. This also seems to support my 'not enough fresh air' theory. It is fun for me to see theory on threads played out in real life. What a cool world we live in!
CeeGee
Active Member
My pH on my tanks have always ran 7.8-8.1. Don’t worry about it. What you do need to worry about and I am going to spell it out plainly (because there is always a general blanket term used called “stability”) is salinity (I check it daily because it is easy/free after purchasing a good refractometer) if it is off so is everything else. Then I move on to alkalinity which is checked daily with a Hannah meter at 1:00 pm. I check calcium, magnesium and nitrate every Saturday.
It is very important to know this order of things to succeed in my opinion. Salinity, Magnesium, Alkalinity, Calcium, Nitrate and finally Phosphate.
Salinity is the overall concentration of everything. Magnesium because if it isn’t right alkalinity and calcium balance will never work correctly. Next alkalinity because there is so little of it in the tank and if it isn’t right things go up in smoke quickly. It is very important to keep alkalinity very stable.
I rarely check phosphate I usually know where I stand on it depending upon how much algae shows up on my glass and the condition of my Corals especially their coloration.
Proper flow is also vital as is proper lighting for the corals you intend to keep. Everything falls in that order as far as I’m concerned. Water chemistry then flow then lighting.
Hopefully this helps. I would love to come see your tank sometime and you are welcome to drop by my place some weekend.
It is very important to know this order of things to succeed in my opinion. Salinity, Magnesium, Alkalinity, Calcium, Nitrate and finally Phosphate.
Salinity is the overall concentration of everything. Magnesium because if it isn’t right alkalinity and calcium balance will never work correctly. Next alkalinity because there is so little of it in the tank and if it isn’t right things go up in smoke quickly. It is very important to keep alkalinity very stable.
I rarely check phosphate I usually know where I stand on it depending upon how much algae shows up on my glass and the condition of my Corals especially their coloration.
Proper flow is also vital as is proper lighting for the corals you intend to keep. Everything falls in that order as far as I’m concerned. Water chemistry then flow then lighting.
Hopefully this helps. I would love to come see your tank sometime and you are welcome to drop by my place some weekend.
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How old is the PH probe and have you calibrated it recently?
Sincerely Lasse
Sincerely Lasse
Now I will learn you a new thing. When you start with a brand new probe - my experiences is that it is rather unstable the first weeks and the probe many times needs to be recalibrated after 2 - 3 weeks. Before you do anything else - recalibrate the probe. After that you know that you can rely on the readings.
The rise of the pH when you two was away correspond to the same rise (of around 0.1 - 0.2) of average pH when me and my wife is away. But your rise of 0.2 unit indicate that you have more gas exchanging through your open water surface compared with the skimmer. When I changed to outdoor air - the normal dip if we are at home is around 0.1.
Where do you live – in a city or at the countryside?
Sincerely Lasse
The rise of the pH when you two was away correspond to the same rise (of around 0.1 - 0.2) of average pH when me and my wife is away. But your rise of 0.2 unit indicate that you have more gas exchanging through your open water surface compared with the skimmer. When I changed to outdoor air - the normal dip if we are at home is around 0.1.
Where do you live – in a city or at the countryside?
Sincerely Lasse
