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Tank Log: Month 11 |
General Observations
The tank is now eleven months old. Coralline algae growth continues to be aggressive and is becoming
hard to keep cleaned off the front glass. It appears that it's growth is
accelerated whenever phosphate remover is added to the sump which I do on
occasion to ensure the levels stay low. Although I have never had
measurable phosphates, they still can accumulate in the system undetected
because they get locked up in the algae. I also add it to help reduce
silicates since I tend to have an on-going issue with diatom buildup on the
glass.
I did get a shock when I checked my parameters as shown below. I only check my parameters once a month when I write this update. This month alkalinity was rock bottom at 2.4meq/l. That is WAY too low. I checked the output of my reactor and the Ph was 6.9 which is too high and I obviously have been under dosing the system. The calcium is also low at 400ppm which is an indication that the system isn't out of balance, it just does not have enough output from the reactor to sustain the levels. Bubble count was at about 50 bubbles per minute which is lower than I normally try to maintain. I have increased the bubble count to about 80per minute and will watch the pH of the effluent and bring it down to about 6.6 which is where it should be.
Current water parameters:
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Alkalinity - 2.4! meq./l |
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Calcium - 400ppm |
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pH - 8.05 Night to 8.30 during the day |
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Temp - 78.5 to 82.5F |
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Salinity - 1.025 |
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Here is a shot of the fish as they huddle thinking they are going to get fed. |
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Here is another shot of the fish. Notice the Rose BTA in the back. It continues to grow and become a menace to its neighbors. I am hoping it will split soon as it is getting fairly large. |
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Here is an interesting picture. One of the salmon Millipora frags has decided to attack the acrylic tank wall. The white filaments are called acontia or mesenterial filaments. They are used to attack its neighbors or to 'clear' the adjacent area so that it can grown onto it. |
New Additions
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Mandarin Dragonete Pterosynchiropus
splendidus
I have had a male for 7 months. He has done well and I figured it was time to add a female and see if they would form a pair. Unfortunately, I have not gotten a picture of the female yet since she has stayed back in the live rock, so the picture to the left is of the male. They seem to have immediately formed a bond when I added her. He appears to lead her around and she follows obediently. She is fairly small and only about 1/2 the size of the male. Here is the link to the Mandarin specimen sheet page. |
Deaths/Specimen Problems
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As reported last month, my Green Open Brain which I have had for 3 years started looking pretty ragged. I noticed the Copperband butterflyfish picking at it, but I am not convinced it is the reason for the decline. I moved the brain to my prop tank when it still had about 75% of its tissue left. Within about a week it was dead. |
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As reported last month, the Hippo tang appeared to have a light case of ick. After feeding it garlic for a couple of days it appears to be completely clear of any signs of ick. |
Tank problems and opportunities for improvement.
As noted above, my water chemistry has gotten out of whack and the alkalinity has plunged to 2.4meq/l which is too low. It appears that I let the CO2 input to the calcium reactor drop too low. I have upped the bubble count and will monitor the situation more closely for the next week or two to make sure everything comes up to snuff.
Update: I added about 10 tsp of Seachem Reef Advantage, changed 15 gallons of water and increased my bubble count to 80/minute. The pH of my calcium reactor effluent dropped to about 6.65 which is where it should be. Within two days, the alkalinity had risen to 4.0meq/l which is where I like to keep it.
Maintenance
I have changed my water replacement to about 15 gallons every other week in order to reduce maintenance. Twice a week, I clean the glass of algae and on the weekends I clean the overflow and top of the tank with hot water and a sponge to ensure light is not unduly blocked by salt and dust on the acrylic. I also clean out the skimmer on a weekly basis.
