Geezer's (Mostly) SPS Reef

[ReefGeezer]

Put a Matted Filefish in the tank today. I couldn't get a good picture of him. He's already eaten frozen Mysis, but I hope he eventually develops a taste for Aiptasia. I got a couple more fish to make shipping less painful. I added a small Six-Line Wrasse to guard against bugs/worms and an Male Lyretail Anthias to go with the females already in the tank. I also got a Marshall Island "Lantana" Montipora". I'm not impressed. It's just an ugly brown & not the yellow with blue polyps advertised. We'll see if that improves.

I also got a fan installed to keep the heat down below the light fixture.

 

[ReefGeezer]

Update: The Matted Filefish has acclimated well. I was afraid the other fish would pick on him. To my relief, they have ignored him. He's eating mysis and brine and really eyeing the Aiptasia. Hopefully someday soon he'll start eating them. The Six-line Wrasse is very small and stays pretty close to the rocks of in the coral branches, but is eating and doesn't seem stressed.

I know many have had issues with Liveaquaria recently. I have to say that this shipment was quite acceptable. I wasn't happy with the brown coral but it is a very large and otherwise healthy frag. Hopefully it will color up some.

 

[ReefGeezer]

Took a big step today. I removed the skimmer and Cheato. I've been trying to raise nitrates because I'm having trouble getting Zoas and Paly's to grow, LPS corals aren't really opening as big as I'd like, and color in the SPS is not as good as it could be. Unfortunately, every time I add nitrates to about 5 ppm, my system drops it to 0 in less than 24 hours.

We'll see where the nitrates and phosphates go from here and how the corals react.

 

[ReefGeezer]

Borrowed a PAR Meter today to check the new T5 fixture. So... with 5 ATI Blue Plus and a Purple Plus running at 75% and 2 Coral Plus running at 30%, Par at the surface is pushing 400. The reading drops to around 350 about 8" under the surface. It's still 300ish at 18". Just off the bottom (21") it's 250. Even under the big Orange Monti, it's almost 100! The readings are stable across the tank and don't change much even at the the very edges of the tank. I now wish I had checked PAR with all the bulbs at 100%, but I was happy with the readings I got and it didn't occur to me. I have to say that, so far, I'm a big fan on the ATI SunPower Fixture.

Interestingly, even though the PAR is much higher, the algae/Cyano issues I have are going away even though I am adding nitrate.

I'm still struggling to get any detectible nitrates even with no skimmer, no Cheato, heavy feeding, and dosing a stock Potassium Nitrate Solution. Could the corals really be using that much nitrate? I have noticed some improvement in the size of the LPS, Zoas, and Paly's though.

 

[ReefGeezer]

So, three weeks with no skimmer, Cheato, GFO, GAC, or anything else that would trap or reduce nitrate & phosphate. I did find that my overflow area had become an algae scrubber. I removed the algae and covered the overflow so it won't grow algae in the future.

I checked N & P this morning expecting some elevation. That expectation proved to be wrong. N tested at 0 with a Salifert kit. P tested at .02 ppm with my Hanna ULR. That is despite adding three fish, and feeding heavily.

That explains the loss of color in my Crayola Plana. I suppose N & P dosing is in the tank's future.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

I do have more fish in the tank, but this guy is always ready for his picture. I should have cleaned the glass first, but still kinda cool.

Just lovely!!

 

[ReefGeezer]

I haven't updated this thread in quite a while. We have been remodeling. The tank suffered in the process. When it came time for the tank to be moved so the room could be painted I took stock of its condition and chose to drain it and start over.

Right now, the fish, corals, and "live" rock I want to keep are in a 44 Gallon Brute set-up with an MP40, one of my old Rapid LED light fixtures, and a heater. So far, the corals and the rock have been enough to manage ammonia.

I am sad to report that I had to frag the big Red Monti Cap. It had grown over half the rocks on one side of the tank. Most of the frags went to an LFS I frequent. Orange Monto Cap frags are unusually cheap around here right now. I fragged the Crayola Plana into a few small colonies and sold them off as well because I didn't think it would survive in the Brute. Hopefully, by the time the tank is ready for Acros, I'll be able to get a big frag back.

I'm preparing now. I have already bleached, acid bathed, and just in case, soaked the rock and dosed Lanthanum Chloride until phosphate was leached out. In addition the rock sat out in the sun for over a week and got nice and white.

I didn't like the "Pile-O-Rocks" look of my last build. I hated that the rocks didn't fill the space well or provide a lot of places to mount corals. I working on that now. The new 'scape will be more open but take up more space, and give an impression of more depth... I hope. The last build used rocks that were just stacked up. I had some accidents that broke corals because of that. I'm securing them with super glue & mortar this time around. That has opened up new possibilities for 'scape design.

I'm having some fun building the new 'scape while watching the contractors doing our remodel... Yes, that's right, I can't be trusted with hammers and saws! I have to hire all that stuff out. That makes more time for reefing, but less money to reef with. Ain't that always the case!

 

[ReefGeezer]

Merry Christmas all. Long overdue update: The 90 has moved to the basement where it will be a part of the Man Cave. And yes... the fish and corals are still living in the Brute.

With the upstairs remodel nearing its conclusion and Christmas nearly over, I finished up phase one... build an avalanche proof aquascape. I also wanted to leave a lot of swimming room in and around the rock. Here a pic of the progress.

 

[Fourstars]

Nice work Geezer, it’s amazing how the fish and coral don’t care about the container they are in. I had mine in a brute for months. Really like your rock work!

 

[ReefGeezer]

Nice work Geezer, it’s amazing how the fish and coral don’t care about the container they are in. I had mine in a brute for months. Really like your rock work!

Thanks. I've really tried to remember my goals when building the rock work. When I clean the mortar off the bottom and add sand, I hope the illusion of depth I tried to create will appear.

 

[ReefGeezer]

With the aquascaping mostly done, I've turned my attention to how I'm going to set-up and manage the tank. I've decided I want more of a mixed reef this time around.

Problem is that I'm not sure how I want to set it up. At this point I I have the equipment and space to set it up just about any way I want. Really... I have collected way too much equipment over the years... I have a lot of choices. I know I don't need to make all the decisions at once, but I'd like to formulate a plan.

I'd appreciate some advice. How do you run/manage your mixed reef for nutrient control, ca/alkalinity management, feeding, and etc.?

 

[ReefGeezer]

WOW! A year since I updated my build thread. The tank is just now exiting the ugly phase. I have 11 fish in it but only a few test corals. It was a busy year so not a lot has happened since my last post. I seeded the dry rock with some live rock that I had in the Brute storage tank in about March of 2021 and added a little sand. Here's a few pics. Sorry, my phone takes really blue pictures.

 

[ReefGeezer]

The only equipment I've added is a 300w heater and an Inkbird Controller, and a 25w UV Sterilizer. I have 3 Lyretail Anthias, 3 Pajama Cardinals, A male Malenarus Wrasse, a Percula Clown, 2 Springeri Damsels, and a Sand Sifting Goby in it right now. I'm looking to add about 3 bigger, more "showie" fish early this year.

A lot of corals will be added too... if the finance department cooperates.

 

[ReefGeezer]

UPDATE: My almost 20 year old D.I.Y. sump just up and D.I.E.D! A seam split in the return section. I was fortunate that the section was shallow and safeties kicked in quickly. I only lost 4 or 5 gallons of water, and the tank is running just fine for now without a sump. It was still a mess though. After cleaning up, gutting the equipment under the stand, and getting some advice from here at R2R, I decided to give some money to BRS for a non-DIY model.

My new Trigger Ruby S36 sump will arrive on the 14th. It was on sale and was the best sump I could find in my budget. I also ordered a Bubble Magnus Curve 7 Skimmer because my nearly 20 year old Reef Octopus Skimmer wouldn't fit in the new sump. I suppose I could have made it fit, but well... I didn't want to pass up an excuse to replace it. It was big, and ugly, and noisy, and inefficient. I was effective though. It would still skim the chrome off of a trailer hitch! I just don't need that much of a skimmer anymore. I'll try to post pictures as things arrive.

 

[ReefGeezer]

Thought I might update progress. I have installed the Trigger Sump & Bubble Magnus Skimmer. In the process, I also replaced my DIY ATO with a Tunze 3155. My plumbing skills proved to be a hindrance but I finally managed to produce a leak-proof system. The Bubble Magnus was squirrelly in the beginning. I ended up raising it 1.5" so that is running in 8" of water. The sump's return section is deep and since I'm only flowing about 500 GPH through it, bubbles tended to form on its surface. That screwed with the Tunze ATO's optical sensor and caused it to fail to turn on its pump when the water level dropped. I had to put a circulation pump in the return section to solve that issue.

Everything is running well now. I'm working on a little Cyano and hair algae that popped up in the 3+ weeks the tank ran without a skimmer. With a little elbow grease, that'll resolve itself soon enough. On a positive note, the additional DOC seems to have spurred increased Coralline growth. The few Zoas and small pieces or Montipora I have as test specimens have really perked up too. I did check N & P to see what happened to it while the skimmer was off. N was unchanged at just barely detectable. P rose from about .04 ppm to about .09. I'm hoping some Cheato in the new refugium area will help that.
I've added 8 lbs of GARF Grunge Plus to the refugium area and overflow partition since I took these pictures and covered the overflow partition area to limit light. I'm hoping the added diversity, cryptic organism growth, space for Pods, and and teh associated nutrient binding/remineralization will help the tank in the long run. A PAR38 Plant light and two balls of Cheato have also been added to the refugium area in hopes of eventually managing P without GFO.
I think that after 15 months of on an off work on this tank, it is hitting its stride. Adding corals and more fish as my budget and stupid high livestock prices allow is now in the plan.

 

[ReefGeezer]

It has been 2 months since I got the tank running with the new sump. At the same time, I started running the tank differently. I stopped carbon dosing and adding any "products" said to reduce algae or control nutrients. I populated the refugium with a mixture of dry and live rock, Garf Grunge Plus, some polyp corals, and a ball of Cheato. I added some live rock to the display tank also. I added a couple different groups of copepods. Then I started dosing live Phytoplankton. I also added fish to increase nutrient input. I'm still getting a little hair algae and Cyano, but nothing I can't remove easily. The tank has never ran better. Here's the tank just before adding more fish. I was having to dose nitrate to keep it detectible, so I ordered more fish.

I've also added some new fish. Here's my new favorite...

Now there are 15 fish in my little 90: 3 Lyretail Anthias; 3 Pajama Cardinals; 2 Sapphire Damsels; 3 Bar Gobies; a tiny Blue Tang; a Melanurus Wrasse; a Lubbock's Wrasse; and the Peppermint Striped Hogfish. We'll see where N&P settle in at and see if the very small Bar Gobies and Blue Tang acclimate to the tank.

 

[ReefGeezer]

Time for an update. I haven't made too many changes. I did trade out the tiny Blue Tang for one that is about 4 inches. The little guy just couldn't hang with the bigger fish in the tank. I think I've have now established a fish population that keeps me from having to add nitrate. Last tests were something less than 5 ppm and steady (Salifert). Phosphate is hanging out between .02 and .06 ppm (Hanna ULR).

I am having some Cyano issues though. I think that my effort to maintain nitrates by increasing organic input i.e. food and fish poop, has raised the DOC level too much. I've scaled back a little and am doing some water changes to get that back in line. But... the Zoanthids love it. Here's a before and after...
July 2022 March 2022

 

[ReefGeezer]

Been a while. Here's a quick, if not so good, picture of the tank. All is well for the most part. The corals are doing great and except for a little Red Turf Algae and an occasional Aiptasia, the pests have been dispatched. Not much has changed in the management of the reef. I have gone to TM All-for-Reef for Alk, Calcium, Magnesium, and Trace Element dosing. That has worked great so far.

 

[Miami Reef]

I found this build thread from a post of yours in 2019!

You need more recognition! I’m excited to follow you on this journey! Let’s grow some corals.

 

[ReefGeezer]

I found this build thread from a post of yours in 2019!

You need more recognition! I’m excited to follow you on this journey! Let’s grow some corals.

Thanks. There are many great reefs here at R2R. Maybe one day this will be one of them. My budget is limited so it is really going slow, and I screw it up every once in a while. It's always two steps forward and one step back. That's reefing for most of us though. Thanks again for the kind words.