Ryan S May 3, 2012 Author May 3, 2012 I've not failed catching the most difficult fish (3 damsels) several hours after the lights are out for the night. When the lights come on they are so disoriented that they'll swim right into the net. They become very easy to catch when taken off guard. Thanks Jan. I'll give that a try tonight!
Muddy357 May 3, 2012 May 3, 2012 I used a turkey baster and sucked the cyno off of the rocks in my 29 gallon and it hasn't come back since.
Ryan S May 3, 2012 Author May 3, 2012 (edited) IF I added a third radion... I can think of 2 ways I could hang them above the tank. The first is like they are, parallel to one another. I'd put 1 in the center of the tank, and the one to the left would be toward the front a couple of inches, (instead of 3 being across in a straight line) and the one to the right would be toward the back a couple of inches. Or the other way would be to run them parallel and in a straight line, but turn them so they are diagonal to the front of the tank, they would be at a 45 degree angle to the front, and centered. Do both of those make sense? Wonder which would be better... Pic of layout #2: 2 Pics of current layout: and: Edited May 3, 2012 by Ryan S
Jan May 3, 2012 May 3, 2012 It has to be hours after lights are out and the room should be dark. Then you put the lights on. If you have actinics use them. The fish will be confused and dopey. You need to move fast before they become alert so have everything ready; nets, container, etc.. It took me two nights to catch 3 damsels and one night to catch a 6 line wrasse. It shouldn't be too hard with your open aquascape. Good luck! Thanks Jan. I'll give that a try tonight!
Ryan S May 4, 2012 Author May 4, 2012 It has to be hours after lights are out and the room should be dark. Then you put the lights on. If you have actinics use them. The fish will be confused and dopey. You need to move fast before they become alert so have everything ready; nets, container, etc.. It took me two nights to catch 3 damsels and one night to catch a 6 line wrasse. It shouldn't be too hard with your open aquascape. Good luck! Jan, it worked! Now the 12 week of fallow tank officially starts. New fish to be added on 8/3/2012. I have also talked myself out of adding 2 more radions to the tank, though I was really close to pulling the trigger. Maybe down the road.
Jan May 4, 2012 May 4, 2012 Great! Worked everytime for me in my 75 and other smaller tanks. In this set up I have to move some rocks which is not easy because of the wide glass center brace, depth and the fact that I am vertically challeneged .
Ryan S May 8, 2012 Author May 8, 2012 Some new photos taken today, 5/7/12. Please pardon the cyano I am battling at the moment. First, a before/after with radion photo. It's only been a couple weeks, but I think you can see growth already. Can't wait until it's been a couple months and I can take a comparison photo. Red Planet Frag 4/20/12: Red Planet Frag 5/7/12: Left Frag Rack (In another 2 weeks or so, when both frag racks have finished acclimating to the Radions, I will glue them to the rock work): Right Frag Rack: "Florida Ricorida Garden" from the WAMAS Group Buy 2 months back. They are all alive, but don't grow very fast: Torch: Purple Bonsai. It's growing really fast. Looking forward to the comparison shot of this in 2 or 3 months: Lastly, my Candy Apple Red Zoas and Tubbs Blues:
Ryan S May 9, 2012 Author May 9, 2012 (edited) Test Results Today, 5/8/2012: Salinity = 1.026 (good) pH = 8.22 (good) Ammonia = 0.0 ppm (good) - I will start testing this once a month. Nitrite = 0.0 ppm (good) - I will start testing this once a month. Nitrate = 0.0 ppm (good) Phosphate = 0.12 ppm (high) Alk = 7.84 dhK (low)* Cal = 380 ppm (low)* Magnesium = 1185 ppm (low)* Last Test Results, 4/22/2012: Salinity = 1.023 (low) pH = 8.18 (good) Ammonia = 0.0 ppm (good) Nitrite = 0.0 ppm (good) Nitrate = 0.0 ppm (good) Phosphate = 0.28 ppm (high) Alk = 7.78 dhK (low) Cal = 380 ppm (low) Magnesium = 1200 ppm (low) *raising alk dose from 11.0mL/day to 15.4mL/day. Target = 9.00 dhK. *raising cal dose from 4.4mL/day to 6.6mL/day. Target = 415 ppm. *dosing magnesium to the tank daily to raise this to 1300 ppm. Question: Should I turn the lights out for 3 days to kill off all/some of the cyano? Edited May 9, 2012 by Ryan S
BowieReefer84 May 9, 2012 May 9, 2012 Your nitrates are testing zero b/c all the algae. They are not truly zero imo. I would do lights out one day a week with a 4-5 hour light cycle for now.
trockafella May 9, 2012 May 9, 2012 You probably also have higher phos than that as well.. IMO you need a refugium not big bulky media reactors. You can always throw carbon in a bag in the sump (thats what I do) and some phos remover too, but I think you need some sort of NATURAL nutrient export. Your not even adding food to your tank and youre having these issues... If thats bc of your rock, then your rock sucks. Sorry dude, but thats ridiculous your still having leaching issues.
Ryan S May 9, 2012 Author May 9, 2012 The PO4 is probably from the rocks. I read some threads on RC that BRS Pukani can leech for up to 6 months. I am only 3 months in.
Ryan S May 9, 2012 Author May 9, 2012 You probably also have higher phos than that as well.. IMO you need a refugium not big bulky media reactors. You can always throw carbon in a bag in the sump (thats what I do) and some phos remover too, but I think you need some sort of NATURAL nutrient export. Your not even adding food to your tank and youre having these issues... If thats bc of your rock, then your rock sucks. Sorry dude, but thats ridiculous your still having leaching issues. I receieved a very reasonable quote for the "chaeto box" I was contemplating. It would be 9 gallons, 1/4" acrylic, 14" x 10" x 16". I could also use a standard glass 5g tank (16" x 8" x 10") by putting it on a small stand to make the top of it above the sump, and then drill a small hole (1/2"? 3/4"?) near the top for the gravity overflow to the sump. I just need to figure out if this would help or not. I have receieved different opionions on this matter: 1) you definitely want chaeto, whether it's a small amount or not; 2) a small amount like that for a 150g DT wouldn't do anything at all; 3) you don't need chaeto while running GFO; etc.
BowieReefer84 May 9, 2012 May 9, 2012 I am going to say it.... DOSE VINEGAR. It dropped my nitrates and phosphates in no time at all. There is no worry of an overdose if you follow the directions. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php Vinegar is dirt cheap at the grocery store, and you can split the doses into morning and evening by hand. It will cost you almost nothing. Just use 8x the recommended amount of vodka. Everything else in the article is the exact same. I am 100% going to be dosing vinegar on my new tank. On my old tank it took my nitrates from 20+/- to undetectable in less than two weeks without any water changes. As far as chaeto goes I don't have an opinion one way or the other.
Ryan S May 9, 2012 Author May 9, 2012 I am going to say it.... DOSE VINEGAR. It dropped my nitrates and phosphates in no time at all. There is no worry of an overdose if you follow the directions. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/index.php Vinegar is dirt cheap at the grocery store, and you can split the doses into morning and evening by hand. It will cost you almost nothing. Just use 8x the recommended amount of vodka. Everything else in the article is the exact same. I am 100% going to be dosing vinegar on my new tank. On my old tank it took my nitrates from 20+/- to undetectable in less than two weeks without any water changes. As far as chaeto goes I don't have an opinion one way or the other. Do Vinegar and Vodka do the exact same thing? Are there any advantages to one over the other?
trockafella May 9, 2012 May 9, 2012 I dose vinegar as well, and I agree it definitely helps. I do however also use a refugium with macros in it, including cheato. I feed pretty heavily and dont see much nuisance algae. A dash of cyano in a low flow spot in the back, and a couple little tiny areas where I see some hair algae from time to time, but usually gets eaten. I am a believer in a small refugium is better than no refugium. Mine isnt large, but cheato grows great and when it gets full I throw out a big handful. Not to mention the other benefit of the refugium is pods etc..
BowieReefer84 May 9, 2012 May 9, 2012 Do Vinegar and Vodka do the exact same thing? Are there any advantages to one over the other? I think vinegar makes it hard to overdose, and rumor has it does not cause the cyano issues. Use this chart: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/images/Table2-80Proof.jpg Basically instead of starting at .6ml vodka you would start at 4.8ml vinegar, and so on... I will say it really worked for me.
Jim May 9, 2012 May 9, 2012 I dose vinegar with saturated kalk (45 ml vinegar and 3 tablespoons kalk per gallon of ro/di) through my ATO at about 1 gallon of top off per day in a 120 gallon system. I feed as much food as my fish will eat and my nitrates and phosphates are undetectable on test kits. I originally started using vinegar to make the kalk more potent, but have enjoyed the other benefits. Two things I have noticed is that my chaeto stopped growing and my ph runs about .2 points lower. Also, I recently purchased some pukani rock from BRS and it definitely leaches phosphate. I have been curing it in a couple of 32 gallon brutes and the phosphate reading was 2.5 on a Hanna checker after about 24 hours. I dosed ~100 ml of lanthanum chloride over a 5 day period and the phosphate has lowered to around .02 - .03 for the last month in the barrels. I think Pukani rock is the nicest rock available to us, but it definitely has some issues that need to be dealt with. Since you don't have any fish in your tank I'd recommend setting up the small refugium with chaeto and see what happens over a month or so. Everything I've read and my personal experience suggests that carbon dosing is most effective when the tank is fed pretty heavily.
Ryan S May 9, 2012 Author May 9, 2012 Basically instead of starting at .6ml vodka you would start at 4.8ml vinegar, and so on... I will say it really worked for me. Thank you. I will start tonight. What kind of vinegar exactly? (I will probably buy a huge jug from wal-mart or costco). White vinegar right? Also, I recently purchased some pukani rock from BRS and it definitely leaches phosphate. I have been curing it in a couple of 32 gallon brutes and the phosphate reading was 2.5 on a Hanna checker after about 24 hours. I dosed ~100 ml of lanthanum chloride over a 5 day period and the phosphate has lowered to around .02 - .03 for the last month in the barrels. I think Pukani rock is the nicest rock available to us, but it definitely has some issues that need to be dealt with. I couldn't agree more on the pukani being the nicest looking rock in the hobby. I also couldn't agree more that it's far from "reef ready" and requires a proper preparation before use. I wish I had done that with mine like you are with yours.
Ryan S May 9, 2012 Author May 9, 2012 I think vinegar makes it hard to overdose, and rumor has it does not cause the cyano issues. Use this chart: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-08/nftt/images/Table2-80Proof.jpg Basically instead of starting at .6ml vodka you would start at 4.8ml vinegar, and so on... I will say it really worked for me. according to the chart, after 4 months I will be dosing 69.6 mL/day of vinegar. That seems like an awful lot?
BowieReefer84 May 9, 2012 May 9, 2012 according to the chart, after 4 months I will be dosing 69.6 mL/day of vinegar. That seems like an awful lot? Read the footnote Ryan...
Ryan S May 9, 2012 Author May 9, 2012 Read the footnote Ryan... got it. phew. that's better. (thinking out loud: if it works - i wonder if i should add another BRS doser down the road and have it dosed daily automatically.)
DaveS May 9, 2012 May 9, 2012 Chaeto box, 4th Radion, Vinegar dosing? I know it was 4 weeks ago but what ever happened to: I think what I am going to do is take a new FTS this weekend, once I place the new SPS frags everywhere. Then leave it alone for 3 months. And then take another FTS to compare. This guy had some great results for 3 months with radions. I want to see if I can duplicate his success or not:
Ryan S May 9, 2012 Author May 9, 2012 Chaeto box, 4th Radion, Vinegar dosing? I know it was 4 weeks ago but what ever happened to: I didn't add any more Radions... yet. And the chaeto box is only in the "planning stage" right now. I don't see why adding the vinegar would hurt anything right now?
trockafella May 9, 2012 May 9, 2012 I dont think any of those 3 possible changes are bad... And ive been one of your biggest critics... Just be slow and patient with the changes..
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