First Large Tank RedSea 750 Mixed Reef

[Speaker]

The corals are really taking off! Alk consumption has almost doubled in the last month and some of my corals have grown more in the last 2 weeks than they have in the last 3months. I believe it to be a combo of having the windows open and trace element dosing. I did temporarily stop the trace dosing due to my recent icp test showing elevated iodine levels. I plan to restart the dosing in a week at about half or a third of the current dose. Debating investing into kalkwasser dosing as well. I had originally planned to run the tank on kalk but 2part seemed easier. I also stopped dosing microbacter7 weekly and have noticed my sand bed clearing up. Not sure if bacteria dosing is all its cracked up to be.

 

[Speaker]

Got a pair of new additions today from tsmaquatics. Blue Throat wrasse (replacing the one that jumped over a year ago) and an orange shoulder tang. Both have alot of growing to do. Both are around 2inches. Planning on releasing them Friday. Along with my yellow tang that has been in the sump for almost a year.

 

[mfollen]

Looking great!!! Many different types of coral looking healthy, nice work.

Did you test with ICP as you started with isol8 MT and since to monitor? If so did any elements run high besides iodine? Did you dose as recommended - or more or less?

I’m currently half way through the initial 10 day dose period.

Thanks!

 

[Speaker]

Looking great!!! Many different types of coral looking healthy, nice work.

Did you test with ICP as you started with isol8 MT and since to monitor? If so did any elements run high besides iodine? Did you dose as recommended - or more or less?

I’m currently half way through the initial 10 day dose period.

Thanks!

I did not do a test before I started. Lithium was slightly elevated as well but I have heard that is a common problem with many salt mixes. I started at the reccomended dose, but I also dose ESV which supposedly has some trace elements and a little chaeto gro so all three combined might have been to much. I lowered my dose to about a third of what is recommended. Sending in another icp next week.

I also got this email from captiv8 because I found the instructions confusing. The website is different from the ones on the bottle.

Good morning Mr. Speaker,
Thank you for contacting us. Apologies for the confusion with dosing regimens for Isol8 MT. Because one of the primary functions of the solution is to enable primary producers to remove nutrients more efficiently, whether the dosing rate increases or decreases after the initial ten day dosing period is variable.

If the nitrate concentration has decreased since dosing Isol8 MT commenced, then I recommend decreasing the dosage from 1 drop per 25 USG to 1 drop per 37.5 - 50.0 USG daily.

If the nitrate concentration has either not changed or has increased since dosing Isol8 MT commenced, then I recommend increasing the dosage from 1 drop per 25 USG to 1 drop per 12.5 - 17.5 USG daily.

We will be modifying the label text to reflect the updated dosing recommendations provided above. Coloration of corals will gradually intensify through dosing of Isol8 MT, however this change in appearance happens far more gradually than does the impact on nitrate content, and because there's an actual measurable value associated with the latter it makes a sensible metric to use for dosing modification. We recommend having an ICP analysis performed after 30 days of dosing Isol8 MT so that further dosing modification can be performed according to ionic values reported. If you would prefer to forego an ICP analysis, then I recommend moving to the lower dosage of 1 drop per 50 USG daily as a general long-term approach.

Please do not hesitate to direct additional questions to my attention. Thank you for your interest in Captiv8 Aquaculture and Reef Blueprint, and for your business; I sincerely appreciate it. Enjoy your day.

Best,
CR (Chris) Wood

 

[Speaker]

New fish are doing well and my yellow tang is behaving this time. Added a sand sifting star and tuxedo urchin. Still have the mirrors on the glass to even out aggression. Started dosing isol8 MT again. Sending in another icp next week to see where my levels are. I took a couple photos under my heavy night blues. Enjoy!

 

[Speaker]

Looking good after a 40gal water change.

 

[Speaker]

I did not do a test before I started. Lithium was slightly elevated as well but I have heard that is a common problem with many salt mixes. I started at the reccomended dose, but I also dose ESV which supposedly has some trace elements and a little chaeto gro so all three combined might have been to much. I lowered my dose to about a third of what is recommended. Sending in another icp next week.

I also got this email from captiv8 because I found the instructions confusing. The website is different from the ones on the bottle.

Good morning Mr. Speaker,
Thank you for contacting us. Apologies for the confusion with dosing regimens for Isol8 MT. Because one of the primary functions of the solution is to enable primary producers to remove nutrients more efficiently, whether the dosing rate increases or decreases after the initial ten day dosing period is variable.

If the nitrate concentration has decreased since dosing Isol8 MT commenced, then I recommend decreasing the dosage from 1 drop per 25 USG to 1 drop per 37.5 - 50.0 USG daily.

If the nitrate concentration has either not changed or has increased since dosing Isol8 MT commenced, then I recommend increasing the dosage from 1 drop per 25 USG to 1 drop per 12.5 - 17.5 USG daily.

We will be modifying the label text to reflect the updated dosing recommendations provided above. Coloration of corals will gradually intensify through dosing of Isol8 MT, however this change in appearance happens far more gradually than does the impact on nitrate content, and because there's an actual measurable value associated with the latter it makes a sensible metric to use for dosing modification. We recommend having an ICP analysis performed after 30 days of dosing Isol8 MT so that further dosing modification can be performed according to ionic values reported. If you would prefer to forego an ICP analysis, then I recommend moving to the lower dosage of 1 drop per 50 USG daily as a general long-term approach.

Please do not hesitate to direct additional questions to my attention. Thank you for your interest in Captiv8 Aquaculture and Reef Blueprint, and for your business; I sincerely appreciate it. Enjoy your day.

Best,
CR (Chris) Wood

A quick update on this. I finally sent in the second ICP test and got my results back yesterday. My iodine is back in the normal range and all other elements look good except my lithium is still high (about the same as the previous test) and my bromide is slightly elevated (also about the same as the previous test). Both of these problems I believe are from the salt mix. I do not consider either one to really be an actual problem. I am currently dosing 7mls a day of Isol8MT during my tank's photoperiod (diluted in a ratio of 1ml Isol8MT in 99ml of RODI water). I have been dosing this amount for three weeks after taking a two-week break from dosing any trace elements. I also am dosing 2ml a day of Brightwell's Chaeto Gro which has some of the same elements in it as Isol8MT. I have also noticed a decrease in nitrates, which is explained in the email from Chris Wood above.

 

[Speaker]

Top down and side shots of the reef with all pumps off just before a waterchange.

 

[Speaker]

Well, this has been an eventful week. I added 25 trochus snails, 25 cerith snails, and 3 tuxedo urchins to the tank to replenish the cuc. To combat my on going tissue recession on my hammers I dipped them for 12hrs in a 5gal solution containing 5ml iodine, 6scoops of chemiclean, 50ml of fauna marin rtn/stn, and two squirts of brightwell amino acids on monday. Time will tell if this did anything productive. It did not cause any harm to the corals. I also setup an avast marine kalk stirer with a versa dosing pump on continuous dosing 1700ml of kalk per day. Hoping that raising the pH might help with my tissue recession. I do not think it is a water quality issue as my parameters look good and my icp test came back clean. Tank is still looking great even with the problems. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know.
Parameters:
1.025 SG
78 F
8.4 dkh Alk
440 ppm Calcium
1450ppm Mag
0.1 PO4
12.1 NO3

 

[Speaker]

Everything is still chugging along. I'm up to dosing 3.25L of kalk a day now. I have a new jebao scp 180 gyre pump coming soon that I am going to try out. I added a large piece of candycane from my smaller reef tank. Some nice heavy blue nightime pictures below.

 

[Speaker]

Added a used Kessil A360 refugium light that I got for a good price. It is replaceing my neptune gro. Hopefully more power does the trick!

 

[Struansmochkins]

Beautiful tank!

 

[Speaker]

Beautiful tank!

Thank you

 

[Speaker]

The big behemoth is installed( Jebao scp 180). Only running it at 20%. Maybe i shoild have got the size down lol. It does give the tank a cleaner look over the two other jebaos in the corners.

 

[Speaker]

Merry Christmas!!!

 

[Speaker]

I went to the Michigan Coral Expo in Lansing today. I picked up a few corals, but what I was most excited about was putting these dinosaurs above my reef lol! My boys love the pictures.

 

[Speaker]

Tank is looking good after yesterday's water change. I fragged a couple of acros.

 

[Speaker]

I was bored tonight so I took some tank shots under full blues.

 

[Speaker]

I made some aquascape changes to accommodate some new sticks. Moved my JF jolt to a higher light location since it has not grown at all in a year. Placed my recently purchased goldenrod and greengoblin anacroporas. I am still trying to decide where to put my JF yellowbrick road. It is currently basing out on the plug so I will leave it for now on the new frag rack. I have an elegance, hammer, blasto, and plate coral coming off qt on Wednesday. They will be placed in the tank sometime this week. Pics of modified aquascape with new corals and JF Jolt. Stay tuned for updates!

Green Goblin Anacropora

JF jolt left, Goldenrod anacropora right

Full tank shot under white light.

 

[ccole]

This looks great! It looks like you have some great growth! I'm impressed you are able to keep such a variety of different corals. I tried to mix SPS into mine and I couldn't keep both them and all my LPS happy.