Jahmic's Tasty Cubed Reef Recipe
- Thread starter jahmic
- Start date
Thanks Drew 
Got back from a 5 day vacation and found another rainbow had split. Apparently the key to making nems split in my tank is to leave town.
Had some concern just before I left since my Neptune auto feeder stopped working. Checked the log when I got back and it had started working the day after...odd.
I had been finally getting ahead of the hair algae in my tank, but since I opted to not do a water change just before vacation...and asked a couple people to feed the tank since I thought the feeder was still malfunctioning...it came back with a vengeance lol. I'll have to continue with manual removal and frequent water changes to get ahead of it again. I'm trying to avoid running gfo but that may be an option depending on my PO4 levels.
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I found phosphates in my source water. As it turns out...the sediment filter on my RO that I had been purchasing from BRS was the 5 micron size and my DI resin was being overworked. TDS after the membrane with the 5 micron filter was as high as 12ppm, with the 1 micron filter it's down to 1ppm after the membrane. Hopefully the phosphates are being removed from the source water now...I'll have to test to make sure.
Got back from a 5 day vacation and found another rainbow had split. Apparently the key to making nems split in my tank is to leave town.
Had some concern just before I left since my Neptune auto feeder stopped working. Checked the log when I got back and it had started working the day after...odd.
I had been finally getting ahead of the hair algae in my tank, but since I opted to not do a water change just before vacation...and asked a couple people to feed the tank since I thought the feeder was still malfunctioning...it came back with a vengeance lol. I'll have to continue with manual removal and frequent water changes to get ahead of it again. I'm trying to avoid running gfo but that may be an option depending on my PO4 levels.
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I found phosphates in my source water. As it turns out...the sediment filter on my RO that I had been purchasing from BRS was the 5 micron size and my DI resin was being overworked. TDS after the membrane with the 5 micron filter was as high as 12ppm, with the 1 micron filter it's down to 1ppm after the membrane. Hopefully the phosphates are being removed from the source water now...I'll have to test to make sure.
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Slowly coming out ahead with the hair algae problem...I'm pulling it out of the tank weekly, and although it's still growing it seems to be slowing down again. Most of the stuff I can pull off the rocks gets mowed down by the CUC...it's just some of the longer strands I can't get to that are growing and coming back. I've cut back feedings to once a day instead of twice a day in hopes that my starry blenny and Kole tang start going after it a bit more. No progress there yet though...they both prefer the film algae on the acrylic.
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Swapped out my reeflo snapper that was running on the closed loop for an almost new snapper/dart hybrid. Running the hybrid impeller and am VERY happy with the improved flow in the tank. I pointed all of the spa jets on the closed loop toward the outside of the tank, so I get a nice amount of flow sweeping around the edges of the tank, which pushes water back to my overflow nicely. Ended up moving my MP10s around as well to address somewhat of a "dead spot" in between the rocks. My nems seem happier with the new pattern in the tank since none of them are really getting hit with direct flow anymore. There's a high amount of circulation in the tank...but all their tentacles are waving lazily, as they should be. They all rearranged themselves slightly after adding the closed loop and moving pumps...it's amazing how small changes like that cause them to shuffle around a little. They all seem to enjoy colonizing together at the top of the pillars, and as soon as one senses being shaded it'll climb up a little higher...so they've all slowly migrated to the top of the tank. Happy with that since it's what I had in mind with the scape from the beginning.
I'll have to get updated pics posted soon...which is difficult since I'm rarely home during the peak daylight hours of the photoperiod (when taking decent pics under LEDs is actually possible). For now...here is a quick cell-phone shot I grabbed of my blenny. While I had the closed loop shut down to swap the pumps...he decided to hide inside the plumbing. Luckily, I caught him there right after hooking up the new pump, and enticed him out with some food before opening the ball valve and having him get sucked into the closed loop manifold! Silly fish....
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Swapped out my reeflo snapper that was running on the closed loop for an almost new snapper/dart hybrid. Running the hybrid impeller and am VERY happy with the improved flow in the tank. I pointed all of the spa jets on the closed loop toward the outside of the tank, so I get a nice amount of flow sweeping around the edges of the tank, which pushes water back to my overflow nicely. Ended up moving my MP10s around as well to address somewhat of a "dead spot" in between the rocks. My nems seem happier with the new pattern in the tank since none of them are really getting hit with direct flow anymore. There's a high amount of circulation in the tank...but all their tentacles are waving lazily, as they should be. They all rearranged themselves slightly after adding the closed loop and moving pumps...it's amazing how small changes like that cause them to shuffle around a little. They all seem to enjoy colonizing together at the top of the pillars, and as soon as one senses being shaded it'll climb up a little higher...so they've all slowly migrated to the top of the tank. Happy with that since it's what I had in mind with the scape from the beginning.
I'll have to get updated pics posted soon...which is difficult since I'm rarely home during the peak daylight hours of the photoperiod (when taking decent pics under LEDs is actually possible). For now...here is a quick cell-phone shot I grabbed of my blenny. While I had the closed loop shut down to swap the pumps...he decided to hide inside the plumbing. Luckily, I caught him there right after hooking up the new pump, and enticed him out with some food before opening the ball valve and having him get sucked into the closed loop manifold! Silly fish....
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LOL nope...but I have seen him try since that day. He tries to creep up next to it and sneak his way in...he gets pushed back pretty quickly
It was funny when I found him there...he was completely inside that fitting and only poked his head out when I touched the ball valve on the back to open up the manifold.
It was funny when I found him there...he was completely inside that fitting and only poked his head out when I touched the ball valve on the back to open up the manifold.
Found out I won't have to worry about moving this summer...so I have an excuse to add to the build.
I have about 40lbs of live rock that I have been cycling to prepare for the move...and am sitting on a couple tanks. Soooo...next step for this build will be to plumb in an ADA 60p (18 gallons) into this tank as a display refugium. There is an unused outlet on this tank's closed loop that I'm hoping I can use to pump water into the ADA...there is a ball valve on that line before the union, so I should be able to control the flow to match the smaller tank's overflow capacity. Stand will be placed where the electronics chest is now...so all that junk will sit under the new stand...which I will attempt to build this summer...possibly.
I have about 40lbs of live rock that I have been cycling to prepare for the move...and am sitting on a couple tanks. Soooo...next step for this build will be to plumb in an ADA 60p (18 gallons) into this tank as a display refugium. There is an unused outlet on this tank's closed loop that I'm hoping I can use to pump water into the ADA...there is a ball valve on that line before the union, so I should be able to control the flow to match the smaller tank's overflow capacity. Stand will be placed where the electronics chest is now...so all that junk will sit under the new stand...which I will attempt to build this summer...possibly.
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Actually...after thinking this through I'll either have to run the other tank off a separate return pump, or get a larger return and consider re-plumbing the current setup to accommodate the 2nd tank.
I went through my "what if" worst case scenarios, and using the closed loop to pump water into the 2nd tank introduces a bit of a risk. If the return on the main display fails and the closed loop keeps running...water will be diverted away from the main tank and into the 60p...which will be sending water to the sump shared by both tanks. It'd only be a matter of time before the tank emptied completely and the sump overflowed.
So scratch that idea, lol. I'll try to figure out a way to get this all plumbed together within a reasonable budget...but I may put that part of the build on hold if it requires too much more equipment.
I went through my "what if" worst case scenarios, and using the closed loop to pump water into the 2nd tank introduces a bit of a risk. If the return on the main display fails and the closed loop keeps running...water will be diverted away from the main tank and into the 60p...which will be sending water to the sump shared by both tanks. It'd only be a matter of time before the tank emptied completely and the sump overflowed.
So scratch that idea, lol. I'll try to figure out a way to get this all plumbed together within a reasonable budget...but I may put that part of the build on hold if it requires too much more equipment.
