Updating this after a few months. Bought a lot of new equipment and frags. Updates equipment and dosing
Equipment:
Lighting: 1 Hydra 26 and 1 hydra 26HD
Filtration:
HOB Refugium (took a breeder box and rebuilt it, pictures below) with chemi pure blue and a mix of macro algae
Reef Octopus classic 1000 HOB
BRS Reactor (running Aquaforest phosphate minus)
Flow:
Took out the two koralias 425s and replaced with 1 Jabeo PP4.
Dosing: switched over to Aquaforest and love their line. I would highly recommend. I use their CA+, MAG +, KH+, Component A, and reef salt. (As well as their phosphate minus in reactor). I'm using Acropower until I run out and will try their aminos as well.
Why I switched up my equipment:
I realized that I cheaped out on equipment when I first started. I slowly got into SPS and was having some success. Soon after in March I had an awful diatom bloom that wiped out my acans, some acros, and zoas. I suspect it was more than just diatoms and probably some dinos as well. So after a lot of research I realized I needed to do three things to get rid of it: 1) Switch out my equipment 2) maintain proper parameters, and 3) patiently wait.
Of course as many of you know, this algae was caused by lack of proper nutrient export, flow, and lighting. My phosphates were pretty high, causing this awful rusty colored algae (pictured below)
This picture doesn't do it justice. It was covering everything and very unsightly (why I don't have better pictures). So I bought a larger skimmer (the reef octopus) and a BRS reactor. I tried three separate medias in the reactor, gave each a months time, and concluded that the best media was AquaForests phosphate minus. Also decided at this time to up my flow and get a more random flow, and the PP4 was the best bang for my buck. The random flow setting is great and my coral love it.
At this point the last thing I wanted to do, but knew I should do, is clean my equipment. I bought a 7 gallon bucket and filled it with a mix of vinegar and water, and put my reactor, skimmer, pumps, and refugium in it. I knew I had to as everything was orange and gross. 48 hours cleaned most of it, but the orange algae had to be wiped/scrubbed off. At this point I upgraded my refugium as well. I wanted to add water volume and a spot to have ample flow through a bag of chemi pure. Pictures below
As you can see, I created two chambers, the first holds the bag, and the larger holds some rubble and macros, with a lot of pods and other little critters. I made a little platform for the bag to sit on, and have the tube release from under the platform, through the bag, and then over the baffle into the second chamber. (Hope I explained that well enough)
The algae finally almost completely subdued after I switched over from A B to Aquaforest supplements. And after a few weeks on this line everything started taking off again. Phosphates maintaining around .01 and nitrates <1.
Also decided to add another Hydra 26. Got an HD BNIB, from a seller for $240, which was a great deal. What I love about the HDs is that you can set what spectrum of light you want to run, and it will adjust the settings for you. I'm running now at 14k and matched those settings to the regular Hydra 26. I'm much happier with two. A lot less shadowing.
Anyways, that's where it's at, it's not much now, but quite a lot better than a couple months ago. I happy and proud I got through it all.
A rainbow mushroom and one of her 5 babies
Some random acro that was yellow/brown when I bought it
Some new frags (blue voodoo, no name, red dragon, Cali tort, and Tierra de Fuego)
My paint splatter favia
I don't know what this is, but at my LFS, it's a creamiest white acro with white polyps. They fit a frag of it for me
And a full tank shot
I will be moving in a couple months and still deciding what to upgrade too. My only restraint is that I will be living in a second floor apartment
