oh boy, 40g breeder build

count krunk · Aug 27, 2020

These fellows have been in a 5g plastic bucket with no lights, heater and just an air stone since 8/13 to this morning 8/27. No losses! The corals look rough but they are all there. No missing flesh, extremely shrunken. They have already started expanding however.

Grumpy Gills, his spots are quite bright but I just couldn't capture it

The clowns

count krunk · Sep 3, 2020

This green nepethea coral doubled in size, melted down to about the size of a wire nut, and is now growing again. I will get a pic up today (i think haha) to show what it looks like now.

This is what it used to look like #honestyinreefing

All the corals look better and are actually growing again. The little nepethea that could is covered in polyps. I am not sure what it was but draining the tank, nuking the sandbed, recycling the sandbed and rocks seems to have solved whatever was ailing the corals.

revhtree · Sep 3, 2020

Congrats on the improvements and thanks for sharing!

count krunk · Nov 16, 2020

haven't updated in a while bc the tank is SO UGLYYYY.

This is the nicest tank I have ever set up (equipment/planning wise) and it is growing hair algae and a similar pink/red version of it very very well.

I installed a mini BRS reactor today with 1 cup of GFO after a 10g wc.

Corals look great, fish are super healthy, tank is just sooooo ugly with its algae issues.

I added 1x tiger conch and a weeping willow leather about 2 months ago. The leather melted in 36 hours (i can only assume the nutrients were a shock to it). I thought I would be good to add corals since the ones in it now are growing and looking very very good.

one of my christmas gifts this year is a new needle wheel pump for my bubble magnus copy cat skimmer. Running a reef octopus HOB and it is just not enough for this tank. I THINK in Jan I will have a nice looking tank I will be able to buy corals for and enjoy watching them grow.

The upside to this build so far, is 100% fish survival and flourish rate. Granted, tank only houses 1x YWG, 2x snowflake clowns, and 3x pj cardinals but **** do they look good! all fishies have grown larger. I will try to get some progress pics up soon.

RichtheReefer21 · Nov 17, 2020

count krunk said:
haven't updated in a while bc the tank is SO UGLYYYY.

This is the nicest tank I have ever set up (equipment/planning wise) and it is growing hair algae and a similar pink/red version of it very very well.

I installed a mini BRS reactor today with 1 cup of GFO after a 10g wc.

Corals look great, fish are super healthy, tank is just sooooo ugly with its algae issues.

I added 1x tiger conch and a weeping willow leather about 2 months ago. The leather melted in 36 hours (i can only assume the nutrients were a shock to it). I thought I would be good to add corals since the ones in it now are growing and looking very very good.

one of my christmas gifts this year is a new needle wheel pump for my bubble magnus copy cat skimmer. Running a reef octopus HOB and it is just not enough for this tank. I THINK in Jan I will have a nice looking tank I will be able to buy corals for and enjoy watching them grow.

The upside to this build so far, is 100% fish survival and flourish rate. Granted, tank only houses 1x YWG, 2x snowflake clowns, and 3x pj cardinals but **** do they look good! all fishies have grown larger. I will try to get some progress pics up soon.

Good to hear from ya. The nutrients will settle, go slow with the GFO. If u let the nutrients bottom out its a whole nother war. Keep those updates comin

Crabby48 · Nov 17, 2020

The ugliest can wear on is overtime. I try and find the beauty in it to help calm the brain.
Such a balance to keep reeds in a box

count krunk · Nov 18, 2020

RichtheReefer21 said:
Good to hear from ya. The nutrients will settle, go slow with the GFO. If u let the nutrients bottom out its a whole nother war. Keep those updates comin

oh I know! Plan is two weeks GFO, one week carbon, one week nothing, repeat. Along with weekly 5g w/c.

It seems the GFO is doing its thing bc HA has not already shown noticeable growth post removal and w/c. I will get some updated pics up soon.

The jebao's have been kicking butt. I have a jebao doser but not enough coral to bring it online just yet.

count krunk · Nov 18, 2020

Here you can see some of the ugliness, as well as the female clown who is almost always deep in the frogspawn.

The PJ's also like to hangout around the clowns and the frogspawn, the clowns don't let them get tooo close to their host though.

Amstar · Nov 19, 2020

What is your TDS reading coming out of your ro/di unit?

count krunk · Nov 19, 2020

It's 3, don't worry about the ro/di it's usually 0. Source water here is only around 60 ppm.

To bring anyone up to speed, i have been doing regular w/c, running skimmer, clean water, etc etc. Tank just runs dirtier and needs some more help is the hypothesis i have stumbled into.

So I am thinking larger skimmer, GFO (1 cup 2 running 2 weeks per month), carbon (1 week per month) will do the business.

RichtheReefer21 · Nov 19, 2020

count krunk said:
It's 3, don't worry about the ro/di it's usually 0. Source water here is only around 60 ppm.

To bring anyone up to speed, i have been doing regular w/c, running skimmer, clean water, etc etc. Tank just runs dirtier and needs some more help is the hypothesis i have stumbled into.

So I am thinking larger skimmer, GFO (1 cup 2 running 2 weeks per month), carbon (1 week per month) will do the business.

It could still have po4 or no3. Silicates, etc. Just check for peace of mind maybe? I used to check my rodi every few months to be sure.

LeftyReefer · Nov 19, 2020

Your bio-load doesn't really look too bad.
What are your nitrate and phosphate levels, that makes you question whether the skimmer is keeping up?

count krunk · Dec 15, 2020

I don't have my phone near, but I will run some new phosphate trate tests soon.

In other news I have the mini reactor mounted and the "new" skimmer in. It is a rebadged curve 5. It is running a sicce sk200 needle wheel for powah. This thing is very very quiet and is working very well right out of the gate. Very nice to not have a hob in the DT anymore.

I got a fresh bucket of reef crystals and some renewed vigor to get this tank on track.

I also have a little baby girl now so time isn't what it used to be! Will get CA and Alk test kits in soon. My 2021 goal is to actually keep a testing schedule for trate, po4, ca, and alk.

RichtheReefer21 · Dec 16, 2020

count krunk said:
I don't have my phone near, but I will run some new phosphate trate tests soon.

In other news I have the mini reactor mounted and the "new" skimmer in. It is a rebadged curve 5. It is running a sicce sk200 needle wheel for powah. This thing is very very quiet and is working very well right out of the gate. Very nice to not have a hob in the DT anymore.

I got a fresh bucket of reef crystals and some renewed vigor to get this tank on track.

I also have a little baby girl now so time isn't what it used to be! Will get CA and Alk test kits in soon. My 2021 goal is to actually keep a testing schedule for trate, po4, ca, and alk.

Pics of the baby first, tank second!!! Congrats!!!

count krunk · Dec 19, 2020

Follow me on Insta for baby. I'm not putting her pics up unrestricted on the interwebs. That said I'll pm you some rich if you want haha.

I have a new routine set. I work on the tank for a few hours every Saturday. I test, 5g wc, clean equipment and anything else that is needed.

Today I tested trite,trate and phosphate. 0,0 and .1. .1 PO4!! I'm confident the other two are not 0 (api) bit rather the algae is sucking it up.

I changed out the carbon in the reactor for gfo. I even took off the locline and gave that a clean.

I figured out what this tanks problem was, me! I never had a set schedule I tried to run it in Auto pilot before the tank was ready for such a thing.

I also noticed today that my neotherm heater forgot how to heat (you can hole it while it's "heating "). So today I ordered 3x 125w heaters from brs and well as an alk and CA test kit. One if the heaters is for my55 planted. The breeder is 72 right now!! That low temp gave me the kick in the teeth I needed.

Luckily the livestock I have is dealing with the low temp but in sure they will be much happier at 78.

In January I will get an ink bird controller for the two heaters. Right now I will use a thermometer and my temp/salinity checker to keep an eye on the temp. dang thing is in C so I need to write down the range that's good.

I swore today that this time next year this tank will be beautiful.

count krunk · Dec 20, 2020

Alright time to show the shame and post some pictures.

Let's start things off with a FTS. I am beating back the algae and I am noticing it is slowing down down down in growth.

I am lucky my livestock is dealing with my blunders here. Heaters arrive on the 24th and I can't wait to bring the tank up to the correct temp.

All 3 PJ's are alive and well, in fact (knocks on wood vigorously) I have lost no fish in this tank.

Here is my "Sea Side Aquatics ES5 Skimmer" which to me looks like a rebadged Curve 5.

Here is my simple skimmer stand I made today. Like all things I looked up water height recs for the Curve 5. So I started the stand at 5", no dice. Okay lets knock it to 3", grrr almost there! 1.5" ending up being the sweet spot.

Here is my lil reactor doing everything it needs to do to help bring the breeder back on track.

Here is how I got it hooked up to my 3/4" PVC return.
It goes 3/4" slip/female thread > 3/4" male thread to 1/2" female thread > 1/2" male thread to 1/2" john guest. I'm sure on the interwebs there is an adaptor I could use to enable me to use less fittings, but this is what they had at Home Depot. I also learned that HD carries pretty much any john guest fitting you could need, so I will be back when I get my RO/DI optimized.

I will get this tank looking right and I think I will be adding livestock in January. We shall see. I want to add at least 4 more fish over 2021.

jk_s124 · Dec 21, 2020

Love the breeder! It’s not reefing with out a problem. Good luck with algae battle!

RichtheReefer21 · Dec 22, 2020

Getting nutrients in check and having the patience to sit through the ugly stages burning themselves out is one of the toughest facets of this hobby imho.

Looks like u have all the right tools in place to steadily regain the balance. Slow changes always find balance. Its the drastic swings that always bite the hardest.

Keep swimmin bud.

count krunk · Dec 22, 2020

Thanks Rich. I have a renewed passion again so I'm committing myself to hitting serious reef goals this coming year.

I am going to culture mysis, brine, and phytoplankton

I have the room and I know I can make the time! Gotta level up the husbandry in 2021!

count krunk · Dec 24, 2020

Heaters and CA and KH test kit arrived today. Tested and got some weird numbers. Will try again Saturday.

Water is slowly coming up to temp now. Will get an inkbird controller for the heaters in jan or feb. GHA growth has slowed wayyy down.

I realized yesterday I never reupped my CUC after moving. Everything that wasn't on the rocks or big enough for me to see stayed in the tank in the sandbed. That sandbed got up to 8ppm ammonia and was 100% fw that was then mixed in tank to 35ppt. I still had snails survive that though! As soon as I can I am going to get a 20g snail only crew from Reefcleaners as well as a few turbos.

My tiger conch is still going strong, I see him every 2 or 3 or 5 days.

Beautiful tank is coming up!