Red Sea Max S 500 Build

[Michael Llabona]

Cyano is part of the new tank ugluies especially if you start with dry rock. Siphon it out with your weekly wc. As a last resort, you can use chemi clean to get rid of it.

Sorry for all the fish loss. Do you trust the fish supplier? Also, do you QT frags? Its possible to introduce things that way. What do you feed? Quality in my opinion is very important.
I know chromis will kill each other off 1 at a time but the clowns should figure out their hierarchy pretty quickly. Clowns and chromis are also incredibly hardy and resistant to early tank conditions and swings. So it makes me think they were sick before you got them with something your QT did not address.

Slow Coral growth is likely due to the system being very young. I feel like I started seeing noticeable growth when my system matured. I would not feed your corals more than once a week especially at this time where your tank is still maturing.

 

[Rctreece]

Cyano is part of the new tank ugluies especially if you start with dry rock. Siphon it out with your weekly wc. As a last resort, you can use chemi clean to get rid of it.

Sorry for all the fish loss. Do you trust the fish supplier? Also, do you QT frags? Its possible to introduce things that way. What do you feed? Quality in my opinion is very important.
I know chromis will kill each other off 1 at a time but the clowns should figure out their hierarchy pretty quickly. Clowns and chromis are also incredibly hardy and resistant to early tank conditions and swings. So it makes me think they were sick before you got them with something your QT did not address.

Slow Coral growth is likely due to the system being very young. I feel like I started seeing noticeable growth when my system matured. I would not feed your corals more than once a week especially at this time where your tank is still maturing.

Mike,
I did start with dry rock but added 10lbs of Gulf Coast Live rock as it seemed nothing was happing with the tank. Glad I did as I got some cool hitchhikers. I got my fish from Saltwaterfish.com, the only place I have every bought any from so I guess I trust them. The first three did fine. As for the others, I think I screwed up with the angel as I should have waited. She was very shy and I could not just feed her directly but did see her graze although I didn't have much algae. The clowns looked great and I treated them and the angel with copper and prozi pro for a month and never saw any issues. I just came home on day and found the clowns or found one and never found the other. The chromis went on for a few more weeks and then I noticed one missing (the small one) and this morning found the middle size one dead. I did not QT my corals but I will start. I am glad you said something about feeding the corals as I have been feeding a lot because I had zero nitrate and zero phosphate but have since been able to raise them to 2 and .02. I bought some chemiclean but have not used it yet. I also started shutting off my skimmer during the day to try and raise my nitrate but all levels have been testing normal. In the beginning I was dosing NOPOX as directed by Red Sea Reef Mature program but stopped that a few weeks ago due to the nitrate issue and I only dose alk and cal. They are 22 and 17 ml respectively. I manually dose Reef Energy A and B 10 ml each and trace colors 2 ml each every few days. As for feeding, I cannot remember the names off hand but it is a mix of flakes and pellets and I had some frozen angel food. I did buy some frozen seafood at Sams that I cut up but I stopped that incase there was an issue with it. So what is a approximate timeframe before one calls a tank mature? I plan on buying some more fish, going through the QT routine as long as this last chromis stays health. Any suggestions?

 

[Michael Llabona]

Of course mature varies but I think most people think that it is near 1 yr mark is when things begin to thrive.

I am not going to bash saltwater fish .com but maybe consider buying from a local fish store. You can see if they are visually healthy and eating. Also, many stores will test your water for free or cheap. You may want to get this done as your test kits may be showing incorrect values. I don't like introducing multiple fish at the same time unless they came from the same tank or if they are a pair.

As for food, I almost only feed frozen food (rods, LRS, or home made). I occasionally will feed some live foods for fun.

I will always recommend a QT because it's the right thing to do....but I myself do not QT (I dip corals only). I know. I know. What a hypocrite... but I truly believe the source of the fish and and the food given to them is very important. I've lost 2 fish in the last 3 years of being in the hobby. 1 Lawnmower blenny to a wave maker and 1 fire fish was a snack for a large elegance coral or blue jaw trigger. Not sure on the culprit but I saw 1/2 the fire fish being swallowed by the elegance. And well the trigger is a trigger. He might have had the other half as a snack. Never showed aggression for over a year of being together. Circle of life I guess... RIP.

One piece of adviceas you progress: Yes, stay on top of maintenance but dont micro manage all of the parameters. There are plenty of people who have high nutrient systems and have incredible success. If things are not in the range you want them. Make very small adjustments over time. The most important thing is stability.

 

[Texas Reefer]

Ok so I am at the target level. Cool. Got a new toy today to take better pic. Aquariclip. Pretty cool to use on cell phone

I really like your aquascape!

 

[SPR1968]

I would just check/watch the coral colours dosage at 2ml every few days depending on what ‘few’ means.

‘Add 1ml of Color supplement for every 20ppm of Calcium added per 100 liters (25 gal) of aquarium water.’

To give you an idea I have a full blown reef system, 2 years old and lots of corals, nearly full infact, and you can see on my build thread.

I dose on calcium uptake and this is around 2-3ppm per day. So I air on the side of caution and dose 5ml of each every 7-10 days as the trace elements can be toxic if used to much. You have to take into account water displacement as well.

On the nutrient issues, I would try and raise the Nitrate up a bit when you get back by maybe adding more fish and feeding. But if your loosing fish for no apparent reason, it could of course be the source so maybe try a different LFS if it continues.

Oh and once you get lots of fish, you will start the cycle of fighting to keep Nitrate and phosphate down ! Lol

 

[Rctreece]

Of course mature varies but I think most people think that it is near 1 yr mark is when things begin to thrive.

I am not going to bash saltwater fish .com but maybe consider buying from a local fish store. You can see if they are visually healthy and eating. Also, many stores will test your water for free or cheap. You may want to get this done as your test kits may be showing incorrect values. I don't like introducing multiple fish at the same time unless they came from the same tank or if they are a pair.

As for food, I almost only feed frozen food (rods, LRS, or home made). I occasionally will feed some live foods for fun.

I will always recommend a QT because it's the right thing to do....but I myself do not QT (I dip corals only). I know. I know. What a hypocrite... but I truly believe the source of the fish and and the food given to them is very important. I've lost 2 fish in the last 3 years of being in the hobby. 1 Lawnmower blenny to a wave maker and 1 fire fish was a snack for a large elegance coral or blue jaw trigger. Not sure on the culprit but I saw 1/2 the fire fish being swallowed by the elegance. And well the trigger is a trigger. He might have had the other half as a snack. Never showed aggression for over a year of being together. Circle of life I guess... RIP.

One piece of adviceas you progress: Yes, stay on top of maintenance but dont micro manage all of the parameters. There are plenty of people who have high nutrient systems and have incredible success. If things are not in the range you want them. Make very small adjustments over time. The most important thing is stability.

Thanks again. I live out in the sticks. No LFS within hour and a half of me

I really like your aquascape!

Thanks

I would just check/watch the coral colours dosage at 2ml every few days depending on what ‘few’ means.

‘Add 1ml of Color supplement for every 20ppm of Calcium added per 100 liters (25 gal) of aquarium water.’

To give you an idea I have a full blown reef system, 2 years old and lots of corals, nearly full infact, and you can see on my build thread.

I dose on calcium uptake and this is around 2-3ppm per day. So I air on the side of caution and dose 5ml of each every 7-10 days as the trace elements can be toxic if used to much. You have to take into account water displacement as well.

On the nutrient issues, I would try and raise the Nitrate up a bit when you get back by maybe adding more fish and feeding. But if your loosing fish for no apparent reason, it could of course be the source so maybe try a different LFS if it continues.

Oh and once you get lots of fish, you will start the cycle of fighting to keep Nitrate and phosphate down ! Lol

Yeah I was dosing them based on cal usage but I have never tested the trace colors in the tank. I wonder is that was part of the problem. I think I will drop that down to once a week until this tank gets settled out Thanks

 

[Rctreece]

Now I am fishless. Tested everything again last night and I had alittle ammonia but very small amount. I think that is from fish that died and I never found. My nitrate was up to 5 and I was running the skimmer only at night which I think helped. Alk and cal was good at 8.1 and 465. I also had .01 nitrite. I am going to let it just run till I get back from my trip then slowly add more fish. I did a water change and got rid of the cyno on the sand but still have it on the rocks along with some small hair algae

 

[SPR1968]

If you have had a lot of fish deaths and your showing ammonia and nitrite i wonder if its not cycled properly do you think or somethings happened to cause a mini cycle?

A small fish death in and Max S500 i would say wouldn’t make much difference because of the water volume.

I used ATM Colony to cycle my system so I’m not an expert on this but maybe one of the other guys on here might have some thoughts for you?

 

[Rctreece]

If you have had a lot of fish deaths and your showing ammonia and nitrite i wonder if its not cycled properly do you think or somethings happened to cause a mini cycle?

A small fish death in and Max S500 i would say wouldn’t make much difference because of the water volume.

I used ATM Colony to cycle my system so I’m not an expert on this but maybe one of the other guys on here might have some thoughts for you?

Yeah might have been a small cycle as I was not able to locate two of the fish. I did use some dr Tim’s

 

[Rctreece]

Can you guys tell me what this is on my rocks? Mostly red and there are some oxygen bubbles on the rocks

 

[Rctreece]

I used that Chemiclean for the first time and dang does that stuff work. Cleared up my tank fast.

 

[siggy]

I used that Chemiclean for the first time and dang does that stuff work. Cleared up my tank fast.

I bought some Vibraint But Im worried about killing off my chaeto, suppose i could buy more.

 

[Rctreece]

I bought some Vibraint But Im worried about killing off my chaeto, suppose i could buy more.

I was very happy with the chemiclean lost nothing but my phosphates did go up to .06. Not sure if that’s the reason

 

[klisby]

Exciting.
Restarting my RSM S-500 again. Beautiful aquarium with lots of possibilities.
I think I will be running the Triton Method... But have not decided yet..
I will be following your progress.

 

[Rctreece]

Exciting.
Restarting my RSM S-500 again. Beautiful aquarium with lots of possibilities.
I think I will be running the Triton Method... But have not decided yet..
I will be following your progress.

I am stumbling through

 

[mcarroll]

Dry rock

Extends the length of time it takes for a tank to mature.

What are you using for a setup guide? Do you have any good books you're using?

I live out in the sticks. No LFS within hour and a half of me

If you're in the sticks, then there's no nothing within an hour and a half of you!

Don't underestimate the value of picking livestock in person. It might be worth the 1.5 hours on the road just for the results.

Time isn't supposed to be your limiting factor anyway. Nothing good happens fast in a reef tank, right?

 

[Rctreece]

Yeah nothing really within 1.5 hours. Memphis has a good store but it is 3 hours away. I just do a lot of reading on the internet.

 

[mcarroll]

Yeah nothing really within 1.5 hours. Memphis has a good store but it is 3 hours away. I just do a lot of reading on the internet.

With no good store for support you should have a nice pile of books to go with your online reading.

@Paul B's book The Avant-Garde Marine Aquarist.

@Dana Riddle's book The Captive Reef: A Concise Guide to Reef Aquaria in the Home.

John Tullock's book Natural Reef Aquariums.

Fenner's The Conscientious Marine Aquarist: A Commonsense Handbook for Successful Saltwater Hobbyists.

Borneman's Aquarium Corals: Selection, Husbandry, and Natural History.

Martin Moe's The Marine Aquarium Handbook: Beginner to Breeder and THE MARINE AQUARIUM REFERENCE: SYSTEMS AND INVERTEBRATES.

Even classics like The Salt-Water Aquarium in the Home are great to reference.

There are lots of great ones....pick at least one or two IMO.

If you're into it and really need more, then pick up one of the mammoth series such as The Modern Coral Reef Aquarium, Vol. 1 through 4 or The Reef Aquarium:Volume 1 through 3.

 

[Rctreece]

Tank is doing pretty good now. I finally see some growth from my corals

 

[Rctreece]

Tank is doing very good. All parameters are stable and the corals are growing along with the fish. I have had some diatoms but as I have read they should go away on their own so I haven't been messing with them. I added a Flame Angel, Foxface, two tangs, and a Dottyback a few weeks ago and they all seem to be doing good. The tang are algae destroyers. Those guys, along with the foxface, chow down all day long and they are putting on weight. The Dottyback has found a cave that it likes and stays in there except for feeding time. I started dosing Trace Elements and bought the test kit for them. Those test are a little bit of work but it showed everything to be inline except for iron so I will slowly start to bring that up. Very happy with the progress of this new hobby.