JBJ 45 G Rimless Build (KCV)

[Bob Escher]

So I've crossed over the 100 day mark (okay, yesterday was 109 days)!

Here are the latest stats:
Calcium: 400 ppm (um... looks like I need to recalibrate that dosing schedule)
KH: 10.6 dKH (still slowly increasing this)
Phosphate: 0.015 ppm
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 7 ppm
pH: 8.15
Magnesium: 1580 ppm
Salinity: 1.0255 sg
Temp: 77 F

In all honesty, my biggest challenge is still GHA. Does this fluctuate in your experience? I was hoping I could keep this under control, but right now it still feels like it's everywhere! I am manually removing what I can with brushes, etc. but is there anything else I can do? I'm trying to keep the nitrate/phosphate under control.

GHA is like Diatoms part of the maturing process and some folks battle it big time and some not so much.
Me I didn’t battle either so much. Other than turn off your lights if you have them on or keep them on less and obviously feed less
Not much. It’s what it’s is.

Your KH is right within range of the Red Sea recipe what for mixed it’s 11.5 so that not bad a little more to go.
Phosphate need to drop just a tad, as well as Mag, Nitrates are high

But don’t worry everything is looking good, you well get there

 

[KC V.]

Full tank shot right after feeding time. Happy Friday!

 

[Bob Escher]

Full tank shot right after feeding time. Happy Friday!

Still fighting the GHA but looking good, do you like the look of the gravel laying in the sand.

 

[KC V.]

Here's a closeup of the Gramma while out and about one day.

 

[KC V.]

Still fighting the GHA but looking good, do you like the look of the gravel laying in the sand.

Are you referring to the snails who come up in the evening? Sometimes they just don't make it back down to the sand in the morning.

 

[Bob Escher]

Are you referring to the snails who come up in the evening? Sometimes they just don't make it back down to the sand in the morning.

No it looked like you had some stones on your sand, what size sand are you using

 

[KC V.]

I use the Carib Sea Fiji Pink (0.5-1.5 mm particulate size). Oh, how many did you think to saw? Sparse or a lot?

 

[KC V.]

Phew, been another odd week in the tank.

Nitrates dropped significantly this week to 0.5 ppm, but we're still fighting the GHA with the brush and the cleanup crew for removal. Obviously the algae is consuming the measurable NO3.

There was another big shift in everyone's cave this week since one of the crabs decided that it wanted to move into the Gramma's home. So the gramma booted the firefish from his home, and the goby also moved up. This is now just a wait and see game at this point.

 

[Alexreefer]

Wow missed a lot since the beginning I was here. You will get through the ugly stage. Love the jbj. Miss mine but man can't wait to see yours running at full steam. Good luck!

 

[Bob Escher]

I use the Carib Sea Fiji Pink (0.5-1.5 mm particulate size). Oh, how many did you think to saw? Sparse or a lot?

That’s what I use, I guess I was seeing something else

 

[Bob Escher]

Phew, been another odd week in the tank.

Nitrates dropped significantly this week to 0.5 ppm, but we're still fighting the GHA with the brush and the cleanup crew for removal. Obviously the algae is consuming the measurable NO3.

There was another big shift in everyone's cave this week since one of the crabs decided that it wanted to move into the Gramma's home. So the gramma booted the firefish from his home, and the goby also moved up. This is now just a wait and see game at this point.

That’s the way it’s goes, I lost a firefish that jumped while I was feeding and had the net off and wasn’t looking, Have a chronic bully hope your week goes well and the GHA dues more quickly

 

[KC V.]

So tonight is an episode of "what is that creepy crawlers?!"

It comes out of the hole under the algae, and it looks like a worm with a small mouth with five fingers. Can extend and retract Saw another crawling on the rock that got eaten by a hermit. Very flexible body. Good or bad? How did it hey in here?

 

[Bob Escher]

I can see it but I can’t identify it
There is is a forum on here that will help you identify critters interesting . But gee if a crab can eat it.
Shoot let them eat them it probably came in either in a live rock or hidden in a coral

 

[NY_Caveman]

Not sure, but the 5 fingers make me wary. If they are being eaten then that seems like a good thing if one is unsure.

 

[KC V.]

Wow missed a lot since the beginning I was here. You will get through the ugly stage. Love the jbj. Miss mine but man can't wait to see yours running at full steam. Good luck!

That’s the way it’s goes, I lost a firefish that jumped while I was feeding and had the net off and wasn’t looking, Have a chronic bully hope your week goes well and the GHA dues more quickly

Thank you for the well-wishes, BTW.

Tonight's parameters are a little off, which is why we cannot have nice things ;-).

Predosing:
Temp: 77 °F
Salinity: 1.0255 s.g.
pH = 8.20
Nitrate= 0.5 ppm
Phosphate = 0.01 ppm
Magnesium = 1320 ppm (new low record)
KH = 9.5 dKH (been struggling keeping this up)
Calcium = 380 ppm (been struggling keeping this up)

Additionally I am still waiting confirmation on the "mystery worm" from last posting, but I found another one trying to escape the refugium and go towards the sump and was able to get a better picture. Starting to look like a peanut worm, but I am going through the ID forums and trying to see what's there.

It looked a little more earthworm like in person, and the dark spots are algae and chaeto that were either on the worm or inside of it.

 

[KC V.]

Got some more fun pictures today, as things are calming down. Obviously still fighting back the GHA, but it seems that the war is slowly being won with a daily toothbrush and turkey baster combo!

This little Acan definitely has two little new heads (to the left) and maybe even one to the right.

I caught the war coral in action today between sweeper and rest mode.

Blasto putting on an especially strong fight against the GHA and trying to over crowd.

Params are all fine, although I bit the bullet and bought a doser today so that I can split up the Alk and Ca doses more reliably (that precipitation, seriously!). It's so hard to believe that 131 days ago, this tank was just getting filled up!

 

[neoGeorge]

Got some more fun pictures today, as things are calming down. Obviously still fighting back the GHA, but it seems that the war is slowly being won with a daily toothbrush and turkey baster combo!

This little Acan definitely has two little new heads (to the left) and maybe even one to the right.

I caught the war coral in action today between sweeper and rest mode.

Blasto putting on an especially strong fight against the GHA and trying to over crowd.

Params are all fine, although I bit the bullet and bought a doser today so that I can split up the Alk and Ca doses more reliably (that precipitation, seriously!). It's so hard to believe that 131 days ago, this tank was just getting filled up!

I'm trying Vibrant based on a Phoenix LFS (Kona Reef) recommendation and R2R threads - posting my updates here. It's difficult to source snails locally in the Cleveland area and don't want to buy a package online when the tank will be moved in a month or so.

 

[CJD18]

Yes, I replaced both JBJ 45 return pump with a Vectra S1.

Hows the water movement in your tank????

 

[Ktran350]

Hows the water movement in your tank????

It’s good. I have the return pump at about 70% and I have my maxspect gyre 130 on random mode at 30%

 

[KC V.]

Phew, what a week again! Here are the stats:

Salinity: 1.026 S.G.
Mg: 1500 ppm
Ca: 420 ppm
Alk: 10.5 dKH
Phosphate: 0.03 ppm
Nitrate: 5 ppm
Temp: 77.0 F

And a few pictures! I know it's going to be a little boring, but we decided after the other half's last coral binge, we are going to take it easy until we get the GHA and algae under control.