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jlanger's 120gal Arts and Crafts Inspired Reef Build (1 Viewer)

Just a couple of updates from this week.

My Neptune Systems DOS pump has been running for a couple of weeks now, and I really like the wireless access to change my settings. Since I switched to using the ESV B-Ionic supplements, it will take a little while to fine tune the daily dosage of the two parts. I'm also using the ESV Magnesium supplement, but the levels are currently stable so I'm dosing manually if needed.

And with the recent announcement of the recall with the Hanna Alkalinity reagents, it may explain some of my issues.
I purchased a Salifert KH test kit to compare my alkalinity results to the Hanna checker, but the results weren't as bad as I've seen from other people. The Hanna reagents were elevating my results by about 0.45 dKH over the Salifert results. Not bad, but disappointing none the less.

With my goal this year to maintain better water parameters, I've been testing a lot more than I used to.
I also started monitoring my nutrients; testing for nitrates and phosphates. I hadn't really been keeping a strict routine for testing as my levels were pretty consistent. But since I sold my Kamoer dosing pumps, I had stopped dosing the Red Sea No-Pox; big mistake! I read in another forum that if one discontinues any carbon dosing regimen, the levels will quickly elevate; and did they! My nitrates reached 32ppm and my phosphates reached 0.10ppm.
I have started dosing the No-Pox again, but I'm looking at alternative solutions for keeping the nutrients at acceptable levels. I'm toying around with adding an ATS to my sump; the frag section is not being used and has potential for something. I have a BRS reactor that I could run carbon/GFO, but I'm still tentative about running one of them again. I do place a bag of BRS Rox .08 carbon in the sump for passive nutrient export.

To keep track of my increased testing and maintenance routine, I mounted a whiteboard in my mechanical room to record my actions and results.



I record when/how much RODI water I am making.
I record water change dates and amounts.
I record water test dates and results.
I record dates of when carbon is changed out.

Since I mentioned my RODI water, I finally installed a booster pump and the 75GPD Upgrade Kit.
I'm now able to make water at breakneck speeds! I can fill up a 5gal jug quickly for top-off water; and we use the RODI water for the reptiles also.
Another little addition to the RODI system was a tee-valve. This allows me to choose to fill the RODI Brute can or the 5gal jug without having to unhook the water line from the Brute can's float switch; a great add-on!


It's not an update without some coral or fish photos, so here's a couple.

Here's a better top-down photo of the PC Rainbow frag.
I would really like to photograph this one with the macro lens; the polyps are two-toned as well!
With the new corallites popping up on this frag, I hope it continues to grow into a nice colony.

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The Forest Fire Digitata frags are about to explode with new growth! Check out the number of new tips that are sprouting from this well-encrusted piece.
You can also see new growth from the Oregon Tort, Green Digitata and the Birds Nest.
That bright little acro frag (from New Wave Aquaria) near the bottom of the photo should be a looker when it begins to take off.

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So I got to see this system last night along with another members 500 gallon tank.

It was ok


Kidding - tanks are gorgeous, and checking out the reptiles (our side passion we have in common) was great. FYI - Jlangers reptiles like to launch man!

Jason gave me some great thoughts and also his past experiences when it comes to LED's VS T5's and doing something in between.

Thanks for having us dude! - Still wanna see what was behind those monster claws that wouldnt come out from the rock work - you know I love the inverts!!!
 
Jason the PC Rainbow is gorgeous! Ever think of adding some Siporax or Matrix for denitrification? I may toy around with adding some to my systems soon but my bioloads are pretty light.
 
coralreefer said:
Ever think of adding some Siporax or Matrix for denitrification? I may toy around with adding some to my systems soon but my bioloads are pretty light.
Click to expand...

I guess I haven't, but I previously kept a small tray of ceramic media in the sump to have a seeded media for my canister filter. I used the canister filter when I had to tear down the tank while we replaced the carpet in the basement. Now I have that ceramic media in the filtration chambers of my AIO nano tank.

Thoughts of filling the sump with more live rock to make a cryptic zone has entered my mind, but I think doing that would create more area for detritus to collect; and be a possible algae and aiptasia farm. I could add filter socks to the drains to prevent detritus from getting to that area, but that would require some tinkering with the plumbing. Just seems like there would be new issues to try and resolve.

Since I have the area and lighting available for a refugium/ATS section, I like the idea of using algae to export the excess nutrients. I just know that a true refugium that small wouldn't really make a dent in my nutrient levels.

Maybe I'll wait until Marty figures out his levels and mimic his success. (Did I just say that?)
 
Another thought to reduce my nutrient levels was to "reduce" my sand bed.
Before we start the debate on sand beds versus bare bottoms, I'm still going to keep a sand bed for my leopard wrasse, goby and pistol shrimps; and for light reflection and aesthetics.

My sand bed was originally two inches in depth. But as time has passed and the shrimp have created their burrows, the sand bed has areas that reach three inches or more.
The shrimp seem to enjoy having no sand under the rocks by pushing it all out into large dunes out front.
If I'm able to remove the excess sand that is not needed by the shrimp and leave enough to still have a nice looking bed, I could potentially decrease the amount of sand by about 1/3 to 1/2 of what is in there now.
I know that when I do water changes and stir up sections of the sand, there is some detritus that gets released. So the thought is that having less sand will mean less area for nutrients to build up.

I do have Nassarius Snails for keeping the sand bed mixed and aerated (along with the leopard wrasse burying himself at night), but I would still leave enough sand for them to utilize.

Just another thought.
 
I do love refugiums for that purpose too. If I get the media going I will let you know how it goes.

Hopefully the Leopard Wrasse keeps things stirred up but it's amazing how much crap I pull out from siphoning during water changes.
 
Woohoo!!!!

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rlinusc said:
what are they?
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Splendid Pintail Fairy Wrasses!!!

ChristopherKriens said:
I know you've wanted those for awhile. Congrats!
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Yup!
What was it? Two years ago? Almost three; when I first showed you one of these.

For quite a while, I have admired the fairy wrasse family of fishes.
When I first viewed Kevin Kohen's 120gal office tank and his collection of fairy wrasses, I knew that someday I would get one. For the most part, my tank was not quite big enough (or overstocked) to keep the real beauties; attenuatus and piscilineatus. Not to be discouraged, I kept looking for a smaller species that would suffice my admiration.
In perusing the internet, I found articles about the pintail wrasses; probably from Lemon Tyk or Reef Builders. When I saw the first of the Splendid Pintail Fairy Wrasses become available, they were quite spendy! I was able to see my first live pintail wrasse in Jonty's 300gal system; absolutely stunning! Now, I really wanted one. I kept looking into various sources for the wrasse and noticed that in the past year, the prices were starting to drop. I had found a source that had multiple pintail wrasses available and inquired about getting a pair or trio. I knew that once I had inquired about the fish, I knew I was going to acquire the fish; but I never expected to pick up a trio!

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The male is about 2-½" long and the females are 1-½" to 1-¾" long.
When I opened the box this morning, one of the females was curled up and upside down in the corner of the bag. The second female barely looked responsive. But the male was doing fine. The fish bags were quite cold as the cooler bag wasn't completely sealed and the heat pack was damp and cool. After I acclimated the bags to my system's temperature, all three fish were swimming and looking better. After a long and watchful drip acclimation, the fish were put into a clear trap/acclimation box for further viewing. The fish looked a lot better and they did eat some frozen foods, and none of the resident fish seemed to care about them while in the box.
After a couple of hours and a few pictures, I released the trio and they quickly found the reef. So far, the Lamarck's Angelfish and the male Leopard Wrasse have shown some interest in the new fish. The wrasses are quite content at this point to hang out in the reef and watch all that is going on around them. For a short time, the male and one of the females stayed along each other so I hope this behavior continues as they settle into the tank. I do have the lighting turned down to about 35% for the rest of the day to allow the new fish some time to acclimate to the big tank. The next couple of days will be interesting to see how they fit in.

I am so excited!!:greenguy:
 
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Nice what the next wrasse you want to get ;)
 
Was this the trio from DD?

They look awesome regardless! I am a wrasse guy, just wish I had the tank to keep the species I want some day down the road. I think they should settle in rather well. :)
 
Jonty said:
Nice what the next wrasse you want to get ;)
Click to expand...

I've already mentioned a couple and you have another two already!

Kyle T. said:
Was this the trio from DD?

They look awesome regardless! I am a wrasse guy, just wish I had the tank to keep the species I want some day down the road. I think they should settle in rather well. :)
Click to expand...

No, not these.
The trio listed on Diver's Den happened a day after I started a conversation with a sponsor on R2R. After posting back and forth (and seeing some videos), I felt confident that I could give this group a chance. And the trio listed on DD was a tad bit larger than the three I received (which is good for a tank my size and capacity) and the price was too hard to pass up.
 
Appropriately named... A Rainbow in the Dark.

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Nice one, someones got new glass to play with.
 
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