ConsummatePro
Active Member
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2018
- Messages
- 138
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- What state or country do you live in
- Canada
My 165 gal bowfront tank has been running for > 14 years as a FOWLR (dabbled in softies, some short-lived hammers, etc). It hadn't seen a water change for ~ 1 year (topped up with ATO RO/DI water). The rocks are covered in thin layers of algae, some brownish, and the fish like grazing on it. No hair algae, no bubble algae.
In the last month I decided to get into a reef conversion. My Apex classic died so I got a new 2016 Apex and upgraded a bunch of equipment in preparation.
Starting parameters: Salinity: 28 PPM, pH 7.6
I did a bunch of water changes and added concentrated salt (Instant Ocean) and have gradually brought the tank up to:
Salinity 36 ppm, pH 7.8-8.1.
Since pH was running low, I added kalkwasser to the ATO top up.
My plan is to do predominantly LPS and maybe a few SPS once I prove I can actually manage this.
While I do know maintenance is more important than tech, I like my toys and figured the tech will help me achieve my goals.
Here is my equipment list:
1. Bubble Magus roller filter
2. Skimmer (Coral Box Cloud C9)
3. I upgraded the lights from AI Vega's (some of the pucks were a bit flaky) to Neptune Sky's (2 for now, with one good Vega in the middle of the 6 ft long tank), Skys currently running about 25% output in the Neptune Sky or Coral Growth profile.
4. Added Neptune Trident (2nd hand)
5. DOS ready to go (2nd hand), nothing dosed yet.
6. BRS reactor with GFO at 10 gal/hr (according to FMM on Apex)
7. BRS reactor with BRS ROX 0.8 carbon, 10 gal/hr (according to FMM on Apex)
8. I have a Senye coming to measure PAR
With increased testing and water changes, here is what I get for parameters as of now:
pH 7.9 (ranges 7.84-8.1)
Salt (my Neptune Salinity probe seems exact to my refractometer, I have it on a 3d printed circulator) 36.8 ppm
ORP 400
Nitrate 0.5 (Salifert)
Phosphate 0.03 (Salifert)
Alk: Trident 9.4, Hanna 10.81
Calcium: Trident 626 (!), 490+ on Red sea, and > 500 on Salifert
Magnesium: Trident 1257, Salifert:1330
I was a little surprised at how low nitrates and phosphates were (I am running GFO though).
I realize my Ca is really high: I'm not sure why but I'm stopping the Kalkwasser now.
pH still drops toward 7.8, but alk seems quite high. No alk supplement right now.
Suggestions? Am I on the right track? Definitely plan to do a bit more water change to get old detritus out etc but I think many of my water params are better now.
In the last month I decided to get into a reef conversion. My Apex classic died so I got a new 2016 Apex and upgraded a bunch of equipment in preparation.
Starting parameters: Salinity: 28 PPM, pH 7.6
I did a bunch of water changes and added concentrated salt (Instant Ocean) and have gradually brought the tank up to:
Salinity 36 ppm, pH 7.8-8.1.
Since pH was running low, I added kalkwasser to the ATO top up.
My plan is to do predominantly LPS and maybe a few SPS once I prove I can actually manage this.
While I do know maintenance is more important than tech, I like my toys and figured the tech will help me achieve my goals.
Here is my equipment list:
1. Bubble Magus roller filter
2. Skimmer (Coral Box Cloud C9)
3. I upgraded the lights from AI Vega's (some of the pucks were a bit flaky) to Neptune Sky's (2 for now, with one good Vega in the middle of the 6 ft long tank), Skys currently running about 25% output in the Neptune Sky or Coral Growth profile.
4. Added Neptune Trident (2nd hand)
5. DOS ready to go (2nd hand), nothing dosed yet.
6. BRS reactor with GFO at 10 gal/hr (according to FMM on Apex)
7. BRS reactor with BRS ROX 0.8 carbon, 10 gal/hr (according to FMM on Apex)
8. I have a Senye coming to measure PAR
With increased testing and water changes, here is what I get for parameters as of now:
pH 7.9 (ranges 7.84-8.1)
Salt (my Neptune Salinity probe seems exact to my refractometer, I have it on a 3d printed circulator) 36.8 ppm
ORP 400
Nitrate 0.5 (Salifert)
Phosphate 0.03 (Salifert)
Alk: Trident 9.4, Hanna 10.81
Calcium: Trident 626 (!), 490+ on Red sea, and > 500 on Salifert
Magnesium: Trident 1257, Salifert:1330
I was a little surprised at how low nitrates and phosphates were (I am running GFO though).
I realize my Ca is really high: I'm not sure why but I'm stopping the Kalkwasser now.
pH still drops toward 7.8, but alk seems quite high. No alk supplement right now.
Suggestions? Am I on the right track? Definitely plan to do a bit more water change to get old detritus out etc but I think many of my water params are better now.
