Elos 160 - First Build
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reefaddict82
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- Dec 16, 2016
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Not too shabby for a first build! Looks great!
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Zaffor
Well-Known Member
I have been asked a few times for my lighting schedule (as if I knew what I was doing) so I grabbed a screenshot to post here.
My light schedule is from 12noon-11:30pm
1pm-8pm is Ecotechs SPS AB+
8:30-10:30 is all blues (for evening viewing)
11:30-1am moonlights
My light schedule is from 12noon-11:30pm
1pm-8pm is Ecotechs SPS AB+
8:30-10:30 is all blues (for evening viewing)
11:30-1am moonlights
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Zaffor
Well-Known Member
I have been a bit hesitant to update because things have been looking a little down. Our daughter had a baby (a month early) and we had to fly out with short notice to go see her. I thought tank would be fine on cruise control with someone handling the feeding of the fish but after 8 days I returned to a tank looking sick and unhappy.
My large monti looked pale and had several spots where it looked like necrosis set in and smal brown algae spots had emerged. My colors were way off from the week prior. Several colonies had multiple dying tips. And my back glass showed excessive brown stringy algae growth ( i regularly clean my rear glass pane and it will normally have some film algae on it after a few weeks-this just looked a bit worse than I have seen it in the past). My Alk tested fine (around 8ish DKH where it was 8 when I left) the day I returned but climbed a little the days following likely from the stressed sps not consuming as much 2 part. It never exceeded 9 before I lowered the dose. The days following things deteriorated and I lost several smaller frags and a few colonies. I removed the large Monti because it was so pale and damaged I thought it would only get worse and cause more harm. My nitrates were a tad high at around 12 but nothing crazy. Phosphates tested at 0. I did a large water change, ran some poly filter and carbon, and sent a sample to Triton which came back not showing anything way out of the ordinary.
A few days before we left I gave my water tank a good cleaning but rinsed with RO water and then dried before filling and mixing new salt. I switched to FRITZ salt but the auto water change was only changing 1 gal per day. Too insignificant to blame on that. I installed new carbon blocks and flushed before making new water which tested at 0 tds. I had taken in a few colonies from a friend who had a tank crash while on vacation and having his skimmer fail but those pieces were already pale and stressed and looked about the same.
Only thing I can assume is that the tank was perhaps overfed even though the person watching it isnt prone to that. Maybe the live blackworms died and were still being fed to the tank. OR I was regularly dosing aminos, flatworm stop, coral vitalizer, and coral booster and that week the dosing was suspended. I really have no definitive answer. I guess this is the mystery of reefkeeping.
Anyways it has now been just over 2 months. My grandson is doing great but the tank is still just sub par. Some things are great and others are still recovering. I increased my daily water change amount a tad and have been running a little carbon every 3 weeks. I am hoping things will get back on track soon and be able to report some good tank news.
Thanks to all who follow along - i figure its not a bad idea to post the bad with the good as so many other tanks on here that I myself follow.
My large monti looked pale and had several spots where it looked like necrosis set in and smal brown algae spots had emerged. My colors were way off from the week prior. Several colonies had multiple dying tips. And my back glass showed excessive brown stringy algae growth ( i regularly clean my rear glass pane and it will normally have some film algae on it after a few weeks-this just looked a bit worse than I have seen it in the past). My Alk tested fine (around 8ish DKH where it was 8 when I left) the day I returned but climbed a little the days following likely from the stressed sps not consuming as much 2 part. It never exceeded 9 before I lowered the dose. The days following things deteriorated and I lost several smaller frags and a few colonies. I removed the large Monti because it was so pale and damaged I thought it would only get worse and cause more harm. My nitrates were a tad high at around 12 but nothing crazy. Phosphates tested at 0. I did a large water change, ran some poly filter and carbon, and sent a sample to Triton which came back not showing anything way out of the ordinary.
A few days before we left I gave my water tank a good cleaning but rinsed with RO water and then dried before filling and mixing new salt. I switched to FRITZ salt but the auto water change was only changing 1 gal per day. Too insignificant to blame on that. I installed new carbon blocks and flushed before making new water which tested at 0 tds. I had taken in a few colonies from a friend who had a tank crash while on vacation and having his skimmer fail but those pieces were already pale and stressed and looked about the same.
Only thing I can assume is that the tank was perhaps overfed even though the person watching it isnt prone to that. Maybe the live blackworms died and were still being fed to the tank. OR I was regularly dosing aminos, flatworm stop, coral vitalizer, and coral booster and that week the dosing was suspended. I really have no definitive answer. I guess this is the mystery of reefkeeping.
Anyways it has now been just over 2 months. My grandson is doing great but the tank is still just sub par. Some things are great and others are still recovering. I increased my daily water change amount a tad and have been running a little carbon every 3 weeks. I am hoping things will get back on track soon and be able to report some good tank news.
Thanks to all who follow along - i figure its not a bad idea to post the bad with the good as so many other tanks on here that I myself follow.
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Zaffor
Well-Known Member
Things are finally looking positive again! I never really found the source of my issues, the only thing I could guess is I changed salt mixes right around the time this all started. I still dont see how changing salt can cause problems but who knows. All my tests came back negative so I have nothing else to guess at. Back to old faithful Instant Ocean salt (i should have never changed)
Daniel@R2R
Living the Reef Life
Hey man, sorry to hear about the troubles, but glad things are looking up! Looking forward to new pics! 
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Zaffor
Well-Known Member
Just went through and swapped all my photos direct to R2R as I think this is the better option for our build thread pictures.
(whats a thread without photos anyways) .
Things are definitely back on track with the aquarium.
I have added and changed around a few things with a few more planned. A few new fish additions as well.
I will get get to updating tomorrow after snapping some quick photos.
(whats a thread without photos anyways) .
Things are definitely back on track with the aquarium.
I have added and changed around a few things with a few more planned. A few new fish additions as well.
I will get get to updating tomorrow after snapping some quick photos.
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Zaffor
Well-Known Member
As I previously mentioned I am back on Instant Ocean salt mix. Tank seems to respond positively to this, and as a bonus, the 200gal boxes come packaged in 4 50gal bags.
If i remove 58oz from one of the bags, it will make exactly 80 gals (which is what I try to make up every time with my 90gal container). Makes mixing salt a breeze!
I had previously purchased a Milwaukee digital refractometer to make my verification easier as well. Seems to mix at 1.026 on the first try for several mixes already.
If i remove 58oz from one of the bags, it will make exactly 80 gals (which is what I try to make up every time with my 90gal container). Makes mixing salt a breeze!
I had previously purchased a Milwaukee digital refractometer to make my verification easier as well. Seems to mix at 1.026 on the first try for several mixes already.
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Zaffor
Well-Known Member
I found a nice spot to install the ATK and PMI under my stand and just need to clean up my wiring after I decide how to run the reactors.
I also installed a flow sensor on my return line only to find out how little flow actually made it through the sump from the display
Around 325gph is what its reading. I guess with the 2 MP40s creating circulation this is not critical. I re ran dosing lines to incorporate the nee ATO line and sensors
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Zaffor
Well-Known Member
I have to update my thread it has been a while. Tank is doing well. I chickened out and ditched the Calcium Reactor. I just had so little room and things were soing fine with dosing that I just kept it as such.
I purchased a third DOS and have been trying out Triton’s Core 7 (other methods). Needed doser #3-4 for Triton’s 4 jugs. It seems to be working just as well as the BRS 2 part but I am almost out and BRS rarely has it in stock. I will try C-Balance by two little fishies for a few months and see how tank does. CBalance seems to include Mag and some trace elements so it should work as well as triton core 7.
I switched out my closet water container that I use to mix my saltwater from a 90gal to a 105gal. Since Instant Ocean comes in 50gal bags (LOVE THAT IT COMES PACKAGED LIKE THIS!!) I wanted to be able to mix 2 bags all at once while still leaving a small amount in the container. IO 50 gal bags really makes around 45gals so I wait until I am down to 15gals and then stop the auto water change, fill container from RO system and then slowly dump in 2 bags of IO salt. I switched circulation pump to a sicce 10HF which moves way more water compared to the mag drive i had in the old container. I installed 1.5” pvc for pump inlet and 1” out. Inside the water container I installed a pvc 90degree fitting with several feet of pvc directing the water flow back down towards the bottom to keep salt from settling when I mix water.
Its a bit late so I will drop another update soon.
I purchased a third DOS and have been trying out Triton’s Core 7 (other methods). Needed doser #3-4 for Triton’s 4 jugs. It seems to be working just as well as the BRS 2 part but I am almost out and BRS rarely has it in stock. I will try C-Balance by two little fishies for a few months and see how tank does. CBalance seems to include Mag and some trace elements so it should work as well as triton core 7.
I switched out my closet water container that I use to mix my saltwater from a 90gal to a 105gal. Since Instant Ocean comes in 50gal bags (LOVE THAT IT COMES PACKAGED LIKE THIS!!) I wanted to be able to mix 2 bags all at once while still leaving a small amount in the container. IO 50 gal bags really makes around 45gals so I wait until I am down to 15gals and then stop the auto water change, fill container from RO system and then slowly dump in 2 bags of IO salt. I switched circulation pump to a sicce 10HF which moves way more water compared to the mag drive i had in the old container. I installed 1.5” pvc for pump inlet and 1” out. Inside the water container I installed a pvc 90degree fitting with several feet of pvc directing the water flow back down towards the bottom to keep salt from settling when I mix water.
Its a bit late so I will drop another update soon.
Rjramos
Valuable Member
Yes it has been a while since last update... but so have I neglected to write and post. I need to go by and see what you got for sale! I’m still on ESV B-ionic, by the 4 gal concentrate formula, just add R/O upon shipment. It’s been good at maintaining everything for many years, parameters always in once you dial it in. I’ll be waiting to see! Best wishes![emoji1303]
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Zaffor
Well-Known Member
I will finally get to posting some photos I had taken for my thread. Here is the extra DOS I installed for the Triton core7 2 part. I am currently using 2 little fishies C-Balance so the newer DOS sits idle.
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Zaffor
Well-Known Member
Here is the new large (105gal) saltwater storage bin. I upgraded my 90g because Instant Ocean ships in 50g bags and to use 2 bags I needed 90gals of RO water. I run daily auto water changes and wanted a reservoir that could hold the 90 gals ( to be able to mix 2 50g bags ) but not have to completely drain the container. Now i can stop the auto water change when I get down to 15gals. Fill with RO which takes less than a day with my RO filter and booster ( 90 gals ) Then just simply pour in two bags of IO salt (slowly). Easy and minimal hassle.
I always had a switch wired to my breakout box to manually run my mixing tank pump so I upgraded it to a double throw switch and added a light. Up runs pump and light down turns on only light.
Pump also auto runs twice a day for 10mins to keep things well mixed and aerated.
I installed a large bulkhead and a large pump (Sicce 10HF) to really mix the salt well. I used to use a medium sized mag drive but this is far more flow. I hope this will minimize the sediment layer I used to get after a while on the bottom. The pump outlet goes to top of container but then diverts back down towards the bottom of the tank.
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