Obsession: Your reef is better because you quit doing this?

[ccole]

I find that sometimes I end up worrying more about my tank than I do enjoying it. I have a tendency to obsess over coral and fish health and can sometimes accidentally fabricate issues.

It’s important for me to remind myself it’s supposed to be a fun hobby. In my experience, things seem to do better when I’m not constantly messing with corals and don’t overreact to every tiny thing. I also try not to chase parameters and go off coral health/growth.

 

[ahiggins]

I obsess over a clean sand bed so I “fluff” it every so often and it stresses out my blenny sometimes lol
I still do it sometimes but I tell myself not to daily.

 

[ssunthar]

I have stopped relying on chemical media for quick fix solutions to an issue. I have tried to go with a more natural focus with only a bag of carbon in my sump and my skimmer. Controlling other things with proper feeding habits and tank husbandry as needed.

Hi Lavey29, Just to confirm, when you mentioned carbon you are referring to activated carbon? If yes, do you experience any HLLE? I stopped using activated carbon when my fishes stated having HLLE, it is gone when I stopped using it. Thanks.

 

[Lavey29]

Hi Lavey29, Just to confirm, when you mentioned carbon you are referring to activated carbon? If yes, do you experience any HLLE? I stopped using activated carbon when my fishes stated having HLLE, it is gone when I stopped using it. Thanks.

Interesting, thats the first I have heard about carbon possibly related to HLLE. You are right, there are some various posts about it but the recommendation is use high grade carbon like rox 0.8. HLLE seems more associated with larger fish like tangs to which I don't have. None of my fish have experienced it. I don't run a carbon reactor just a bag in the sump. I'm not really convinced either that carbon is a primary contributing factor either. Vast percentage of reefers run carbon but we don't here about a major increase in HLLE correlating to it. I know you have first hand experience and believe there is a nexus with your tank but I don't see the same with mine. I will keep it noted though. Thanks for the info.

 

[725196]

Yes. For months I tried every Co2 scrubber I could get my hands on and every kind of Soda Lime I could get too. My pH would not go above 8 and was usually around 7.8. (We have 5 people and 3 cats giving off a lot of Co2 and in Florida you don’t open windows in the summer months (mid March- mid October).

i finally decided to build my own Co2 scrubber and it has worked like a charm. Ph is stable at 8.25-8.35, night and day respectively.

in this case my obsession bellied.

 

[rhpmiller]

Quit going to my LFS for RODI and bought my own 4-stage RODI system. It's tough to use around a Brooklyn apartment, but has saved me so much time, money, and headaches.

 

[Lyss]

Quit going to my LFS for RODI and bought my own 4-stage RODI system. It's tough to use around a Brooklyn apartment, but has saved me so much time, money, and headaches.

I’m in NYC, too, and know the struggle is real. I have mine hooked up to one of those adapters on my sink that lets you turn a valve to use RO/DI, then off for the sink. Then I have the unit on my counter, up against the wall with the tubes running behind the sink. It’s amazing to be able to make water at any time.

 

[AustinBabler]

Stopped chasing numbers. Stability is much more important than chasing after those perfect parameters.

This^^^ this is exactly what I need to do. But it’s going to be a tough one for me to break because I’m still trying to figure out what my tank uses of alk, cal, and mag every day. But I will say even with all the tinkering I’ve done as of late everything and everyone looks great.

 

[acropora4u]

I quite running gfo a few years ago. The coral seem more fluffy and enlarged.

I saw where Abe ( coral euphoria) put his GFO back online and polyps extension and growth started back up after receding …as we know all tanks are different

 

[Pico bam]

I saw where Abe ( coral euphoria) put his GFO back online and polyps extension and growth started back up after receding …as we know all tanks are different

Could be the difference between sps and lps. Love abe one of my favorite channels man glad you brought that up. Ive had my phos into the 1s not .1s and I didn't have much problems except some rare bjd. You could literally smell the phosphate I believe at least smell a little something.

 

[adittam]

Interesting, thats the first I have heard about carbon possibly related to HLLE. You are right, there are some various posts about it but the recommendation is use high grade carbon like rox 0.8. HLLE seems more associated with larger fish like tangs to which I don't have. None of my fish have experienced it. I don't run a carbon reactor just a bag in the sump. I'm not really convinced either that carbon is a primary contributing factor either. Vast percentage of reefers run carbon but we don't here about a major increase in HLLE correlating to it. I know you have first hand experience and believe there is a nexus with your tank but I don't see the same with mine. I will keep it noted though. Thanks for the info.

Head and Lateral Line Erosion (HLLE)

This article discusses studies performed regarding head and lateral line erosion in captive fishes. Specifically, carbon use and nutrition as they relate to this syndrome.

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Lavey29]

Head and Lateral Line Erosion (HLLE)

This article discusses studies performed regarding head and lateral line erosion in captive fishes. Specifically, carbon use and nutrition as they relate to this syndrome.

www.reef2reef.com

Great article, thanks. It is certainly interesting and I will definitely keep it as reference. I'm not convinced it is a primary cause but perhaps a contributing cause. There are just to many reefers around the world using carbon. Seems like there would be a mass pandemic of HLLE that we would all know about but I do not believe we see that disease across a broad spectrum.

I do appreciate you guys sharing your findings though.

 

[adittam]

Great article, thanks. It is certainly interesting and I will definitely keep it as reference. I'm not convinced it is a primary cause but perhaps a contributing cause. There are just to many reefers around the world using carbon. Seems like there would be a mass pandemic of HLLE that we would all know about but I do not believe we see that disease across a broad spectrum.

I do appreciate you guys sharing your findings though.

No problem! I know there are many different opinions about the cause of HLLE, but I would tend to trust Jay Hemdal’s research over the anecdotal evidence of a bunch of random reefers.

 

[Nht]

I quit putting Kalkwasser in the ATO reservoir. In my system (everyone's is different) the kalk caused ATO sensor failures that caused massive pH swings and other imbalances in the aquarium. Now I am dosing AFR in small doses throughout the day. It's only been a week but I'm already starting to see improvement.

What’s afr?

 

[unchaotic]

What’s afr?

All For Reef

All-For-Reef - Powder Mix

Tropic Marin All-For-Reef revolutionized aquarium additive dosing with their original pre-mixed solution, and now this same formula is available in an ultra-concentrated crystalline form that you can easily mix at home, making it more economical for systems of all sizes. All-For-Reef powder...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[HB AL]

Stopped water changes

 

[outhouse]

turned lights down

 

[Runningfanatic]

Yes. For months I tried every Co2 scrubber I could get my hands on and every kind of Soda Lime I could get too. My pH would not go above 8 and was usually around 7.8. (We have 5 people and 3 cats giving off a lot of Co2 and in Florida you don’t open windows in the summer months (mid March- mid October).

i finally decided to build my own Co2 scrubber and it has worked like a charm. Ph is stable at 8.25-8.35, night and day respectively.

in this case my obsession bellied.

How did you diy a successful CO2 scrubber? I have the same issue as you had with consistently very low pH. All other parameters have been fine (and stable). I'm in the great white North, so also cannot keep windows open (altho when they are open, the pH is fine).

 

[glb]

I stopped chasing numbers and aimed for stability instead. I also stopped using gfo and nopox. Any time there’s a natural solution to a problem, I try that first. My tank has never looked better!!

 

[j_wilson_reef]

Stopped putting my hands in the tank without gloves