My Acro collection/ Lagoon

[Perry]

I remember Debora's tank being spectacular. I'm going to go look at Tryc's...

Look above Tim, lol, Ed posted it

 

[Reef Psychology]

I decided to suspend bi-weekly cleaning, but will still add snow. The Rebiotic continues to cleanse the tank, coraline back to actively sprouting, rock is looking so nice, not much left

How long is the shelf-life of FM Rebiotic? Saltwateraquarium.com always seems to be out of FM products in the smaller quantities.

 

[Big E]

Yes, then went on to develop his own line of additives. I keep the articles open on my phone, and re-read constantly, because, well, I still don't think I have ever seen something quite as unique, and amazing, and like you, been in this a minute...
He had advanced knowledge, that I am, after 16 years into bacterial-driven systems, just starting to get. Running pellets, and having success with them, was a testament to his deep connection to his aquarium and the idea of how carbon dosing works in it.
Damian, who is with Aquaforest, but way in the background, has been able to also achieve these levels. As with many Polish reefers I have had the distinct pleasure of knowing, they do not really offer up info, you sort of have to pull it out of them, lol. He was Debora's mentor. Something in the water is what I have been saying all these years, cause that region, they just know reefing! Being a neighbor to Germany doesn't hurt either
Side note, you still rocking t5's? 10 of them bad boys over my display, lol..
Cheers brother!

Edit: My t5 array is very similar to his bulb combo, lol

Yeah those Polish tanks were sweet.......they sucked in a lot AF converts back then. The big problem is people were buying the system and then getting no support from AF.............many reefers killed acros. If I remember the hype lasted about a year or so. I do remember you used it for quite a while with some success.

On T5---

My 150g tank I came at a crossroads and made the decision to try Orphek Icons. The 60" length was the reason. I didn't want to deal with 60" bulbs and it was time for me to make some comparisons. I have friends that have had good results with the Icons and have seen them at work in person.

I have had the Icons over this tank for 3 weeks and so far nothing has changed in growth or color, so I'm happy. I basically set them up the same as my T5's.

I'm still rocking T5 on my two 48" tanks and have no plans to change other than to maybe add some led bars for supplementation.

 

[Perry]

How long is the shelf-life of FM Rebiotic? Saltwateraquarium.com always seems to be out of FM products in the smaller quantities.

Good Morning,
My 50g container says 07/2025 so, I think this should be ok. I am total of 200gallons of water, and I am ordering a new, larger container as this one is gone, 6 weeks later. As per directions, it says 4-6 weeks of bi-weekly dosing, so I am doing just that. I use 1.5tsp, which is a bit under dosing recommendations. I will continue to do so until this effect, of restoring old rock, show that it is nearly processed of laden material. Then I will go to one dose per week.
I will begin using FM carbon source, and Bacto Therapy as well. I will be sharing this experience as well.

 

[Perry]

Yeah those Polish tanks were sweet.......they sucked in a lot AF converts back then. The big problem is people were buying the system and then getting no support from AF.............many reefers killed acros. If I remember the hype lasted about a year or so. I do remember you used it for quite a while with some success.

On T5---

My 150g tank I came at a crossroads and made the decision to try Orphek Icons. The 60" length was the reason. I didn't want to deal with 60" bulbs and it was time for me to make some comparisons. I have friends that have had good results with the Icons and have seen them at work in person.

I have had the Icons over this tank for 3 weeks and so far nothing has changed in growth or color, so I'm happy. I basically set them up the same as my T5's.

I'm still rocking T5 on my two 48" tanks and have no plans to change other than to maybe add some led bars for supplementation.

Hey Ed,
Yes, I think the system didn't roll too well, they were adding support 2 years after US launch, which was a scrambling scenario. Unfortunately, the OG distribution had much more to do with that. They are now in good hands with CV. I could go on and on, but I would rather not dwell in the past, lol... That said, they have good products, some to me, or more effective. For example, I use their salt, carbon, nitrifying bacteria, fish vitamins, and carbon source, but soon that will change. Anyway, I have learned way too much, to feel a 1 system is better than using your own instincts and learned knowledge, in a hybrid system. These days, I am moving more in the direction of understanding how to better emulate the ocean. I surfed yesterday, and being in the ocean, no cell phones, and not technology, just the ocean, waves, and dolphins... These are good times to be critically thinking about the reef, especially during longer wave periods, lol...
Glad to hear your conversion is going well, I have led on my prop system, and frankly, I am just as happy with my t5 results.
All the best!

 

[Perry]

@drawman
Today, I saw only a .2ppm differential on n03, so in my system, at 4 drops of NP Pro carbon source, I am able to stay close to no swing, despite normal fish feeding.
PO4 is being controlled by a single drop of LC. I am able to hold previous day value this way. I am working on how my homeade coral snow works in relation to PO4 as well, and as soon as I know more, I will share. That said, I will be moving to FM carbon source, and Bacto Therapy as a supplemental bacteria dosing. When said and done, I will share my schedule on all dosing and amounts, based on 200gallons. I will go out on a limb and follow up tomorrow. I did not dose LC today, value slightly decreased from .13 to .11ppm, so I instead am using nitrifying bacteria in DIY coral snow, with 6 drops, and 6 drops of AF Energy, a fatty acid and lipid food. Anectdotally, I am thinking that this addition, of the fatty acid foods, will kill my skimmer head for hours, but still bubble, no loss of PH, but the coral snow will also bind those foods, and act as a flocculant, same with the bacteria. I suspect, that P04 will likely be held by this. That said, working of that schedule of days of the week, and what I dose, is how I will be able to manage everything on a weekly basis. I believe that the system naturally wants to go to 100/1, and I am trying to figure out how we can raise, lower, or hold steady on nutrients and amounts dosed can influence. From there, it's about the technique to help others, because every system is unique. More to come

 

[Reef Psychology]

Good Morning,
My 50g container says 07/2025 so, I think this should be ok. I am total of 200gallons of water, and I am ordering a new, larger container as this one is gone, 6 weeks later. As per directions, it says 4-6 weeks of bi-weekly dosing, so I am doing just that. I use 1.5tsp, which is a bit under dosing recommendations. I will continue to do so until this effect, of restoring old rock, show that it is nearly processed of laden material. Then I will go to one dose per week.
I will begin using FM carbon source, and Bacto Therapy as well. I will be sharing this experience as well.

I’m running into old tank syndrome in my main system. Lyngbya keeps popping up every few weeks, I battle it by reducing nutrients and brushing it off everything, but the stuff is highly resilient. I can’t get a solid answer about Bacto Balance, Bacto Balls and Bacto Therapy. They seem to have some overlap. You’ve convinced me to try Therapy though. I have been testing AF on a 8month old system and i forgot to replace The carbon and zeo bag after a water change and it ran without them for three weeks. When I noticed I put them in and the next day 90% of Alk depletion stopped. Now all the acros are losing color. AF is just too fickle and sensitive to changes IME. Running at the edge of near zero in such a new tank isn’t working. Maybe after a year or two it would be more stable, but even then maybe not. Rebiotic might be my solution. It seems to get good reviews.

 

[Perry]

I’m running into old tank syndrome in my main system. Lyngbya keeps popping up every few weeks, I battle it by reducing nutrients and brushing it off everything, but the stuff is highly resilient. I can’t get a solid answer about Bacto Balance, Bacto Balls and Bacto Therapy. They seem to have some overlap. You’ve convinced me to try Therapy though. I have been testing AF on a 8month old system and i forgot to replace The carbon and zeo bag after a water change and it ran without them for three weeks. When I noticed I put them in and the next day 90% of Alk depletion stopped. Now all the acros are losing color. AF is just too fickle and sensitive to changes IME. Running at the edge of near zero in such a new tank isn’t working. Maybe after a year or two it would be more stable, but even then maybe not. Rebiotic might be my solution. It seems to get good reviews.

I think the Rebiotic will be the answer, but time will tell. Agreed, there will be overlap between the Rebiotic and the Therapy, I will still use AF Bio S with DIY Coral Snow. I like doing this post sand stir on the prop system. I am in the process of building a schedule, just want to collect more info through daily testing to see the impact on tested numbers over a 24 our period.
Zeovit and Aquaforest are unfortunately vague on how these products work. Observation is important and the more the better. I personally do not use the zeolites. I am trying to implement as many forms of living mircro critters as possible, the Rebiotic is to re-tune the rock, and ongoing to keep it there. The Reef Therapy is designed as a means of Probiotic strains, which are aiding in food source for corals, as well as tons of biomedia and rock in the sump. The nitrifying bacteria is more for control, as is the carbon dosing. If they are not needed, they are not dosed. I believe, if my hunch is correct, that in time, once the system balances with the sand addition, the sock removal, and continued efforts in enhancing the biome, the carbon source and nitrifying bacteria will not be needed quite as oten. I also believe that 100/1 will be balanced with little effort.

 

[Perry]

 

[Devan Patel]

Time to move on to something new
112 gallon acropra lagoon, built by Innovative Marine 3ft cube. Here I will document all my goodies. Trying to get organized, so a teaser pic while I get back to work.

Feel free to donate to a broke high school student lol

 

[BranchingHammer]

That smoothie collection is coming along nicely, Perry!!

 

[Perry]

Hi all,
Making progress towards dosage amounts, types, and how it impacts both N&P from 1 day to the next. My idea is to tighten the nutrient gap. From there, I will begin to play around with set points for nutrients and how they impact coloration.
At this point, I am getting really close to no variation from one day to the next(24 hours). This is where I begin to understand my system on a deeper level. I don't think babying the corals is the best idea, and certainly in nature, these corals are exposed to situations of elevated nutrients, and tines where they are limited. The resilience of these corals far more adaptive than most creatures. I do however feel that keeping an abundance of foods available, naturally dwelling in our systems is key.
Sockless is difficult for me, as I legitimately struggle with OCD, so seeing the silt form in the sump is new to me, and slightly bothersome, but, a move towards a more natural approach. So far, the water is always full of free-floating debris, polyp extension has improved, nighttime PE is alien like. At first, nutrients jumped, especially N03, and P04 stopped depleting, then slowly creeping, now steadying, and seems to be slightly decreasing again, based on .07ppm from .11ppm yesterday.
At this point, and certainly this could change, but today, I will feed .25 tsp roids, which accounts for roughly. .04ppm in 24 hours, which should bring me up to .11ppm tomorrow, unless depletion is kicking in again. If so, then likely N03 will deplete as well, and a downward trend should present, if my hunch is correct. That said, 4 drops of NP Pro, and DIY Coral Snow concoction accounted for .04ppm decrease in P04 but 13.2ppm N03 to 13.2ppm N03 over 24 hours, that's a tight window. Today I will not carbon dose, and will update N03 findings, I suspect a 1 to 2 ppm increase tomorrow.
The display continues to show signs of deep cleansing, as I mentioned having OCD, I made a few changes to be more eye pleasing. The colors are really starting to improve, growth is visible daily, this is a great sign.
Alk- 7.7dkh
Ca- 450ppm
Mg- 1350ppm
N03-13.2ppm
P04- 0.07ppm[buffered]

 

[Perry]

That smoothie collection is coming along nicely, Perry!!

Thank you very much!
They are slow growers, which is why I have many, they don't occupy much realstate Hopefully I can do them justice!!!

 

[386reeftrader]

Enjoy reading this journey through dosing/nutrients! For someone who never picks up a test kit it’s all very interesting. Need to bring you a frag of my Hungs Rainbow and see if you can find the sweet spot for it. Only piece in my tank that’s brown brown brown lol.

 

[Troylee]

This is so true! I believe the lighting type is where these anamolies come along, then nutrients. I was a huge admirer of Krztoff Tryc's tank back in the day, the electric pastel colors, simply blew me away. That has always been the chase. Zeovit certainly can get you there, zeospur specifically, but this is the dangerous part of the hobby, the chase...
I also think that t5 systems show different color hues, which is sometimes not picked up by even the keenest of eye. I am lucky to be able to have t5 driving my display, and quite the opposite in all LED running my prop system. Given the same water, this allows me to create tests, where I can observe how corals appear under different lighting conditions.
Both types of light, offer very unique advantages, hoping to uncover some of the differences.
I will be cutting and growing several corals in both lighting, it will be something that I will occasionally share, for those interested

I’m doing just this myself.. tank is halide lit and my frags in the sump are strictly led.. I’m getting better growth and coloring out of the halides believe it or not lol.. I cut up a wild acro that started to stn and put chunks under a hydra in my sump and under a halide in the display.

 

[Perry]

Enjoy reading this journey through dosing/nutrients! For someone who never picks up a test kit it’s all very interesting. Need to bring you a frag of my Hungs Rainbow and see if you can find the sweet spot for it. Only piece in my tank that’s brown brown brown lol.

Our conversations have influenced a lot of where this is all headed. Lol, bring that bad boy by, mine isn't even worth mentioning, it's a baby's pinky nail sliver, that been hanging on for 3 months now, it actually might make it, would be the best achievement ever!!!
Lol

A small amount of green, and a 2nd little booger sliver, lol... Believe it or not this is improving, freaking dinos hit that one hard several months back!

 

[Devan Patel]

Our conversations have influenced a lot of where this is all headed. Lol, bring that bad boy by, mine isn't even worth mentioning, it's a baby's pinky nail sliver, that been hanging on for 3 months now, it actually might make it, would be the best achievement ever!!!
Lol

A small amount of green, and a 2nd little booger sliver, lol... Believe it or not this is improving, freaking dinos hit that one hard several months back!

Dinos took my tank from this to this. Now I’m just out of money for corals

 

[Perry]

I’m doing just this myself.. tank is halide lit and my frags in the sump are strictly led.. I’m getting better growth and coloring out of the halides believe it or not lol.. I cut up a wild acro that started to stn and put chunks under a hydra in my sump and under a halide in the display.

Oh I believe it, I prefer frags spend a week in my lagoon under 10xt5 a week before pickup, lol...
Cool to be able to run personal comparisons.

 

[Perry]

Dinos took me tank from this to this

Yes, they will do that for sure.
I do however believe that dinos have a hard time rearing their face in a diverse system with teaming mico-life
Sorry about your loss my friend!

 

[Troylee]

Oh I believe it, I prefer frags spend a week in my lagoon under 10xt5 a week before pickup, lol...
Cool to be able to run personal comparisons.

I figured better growth under halides and better color under leds but that’s not the case this far.. they’re not totally colored up so I’m letting it run it’s course to see what happens in the next couple months.