My 300 liter reef tank

Riaan_Nano_20

Riaan_Nano_20

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Hi All

As suggested I am starting this thread to show what I have been up to and how I got here.

I have cycled my system for 6 weeks and tarted adding livestock every week. Slowly... the tank has been running for 12 weeks.

I am getting my Coral order this coming week so I have setup the doser in preparation. It about 13 corals.

Livestock:
5 x Chromis
2 x Percula clowns
2 x Frostbite clowns
4 x Firefish
1 x cleaner wrasse
1 x Regal tang
1 x purple tang
1 x Midag Blenny

1 x Dancing shrimp
6 x Hermitt Crabs
1 x tube worm
1 x sand starfish
1 x feather starfish
1 x brittle starfish

1 x open brain coral
2 x green Xenia
1 x unknown (will post pic for ID)

2 x Red bubble tip anemone
1 x tubeworm


Equipment:
In the sump:
Bubble Magus Curve 5 skimmer
2 x 400W heaters with a STC1000 controller
Media reactor
UV sterilizer
Jebao DPC4000 return pump

In the cabinet
Jebao Auto Dosing Pump(3 pump)
Smart DUO ATO

In display:
2 x Jebao Smart Wave Maker MOW-3
Radio XRW30 gen 3 light
Ordered another XRW30 gen 3 (on its way)

I come across some challenges every now and then. So I will be posting some questions here of you guys will please assist.

Cheers!

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Oh and I have 36kg of rock
And large matrix from Seachem in the sump

My current parameters are attached
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Then, my current challenge is micro bubbles. How do you get rid of them? Attached also is a picture of my sump. I have a lot of cotton wool between the skimmer and the return pump. Hoping to stop all bubbles coming from the skimmer.
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When you say alk = 4, you referring to Meq, I presume and not dKH?
Are you dosing bac and an Organic carbon source to feed bacteria?
Micro-bubbles are most likely due to too small a sump volume with too much movement, not giving bubbles time to settle on surface, therefore getting sucked into return pump.
Reduce flow through sump, keep up with the filter wool.
Just change or wash filter wool regularly before it becomes a nutrient factory.
 
Hi Irie

No it is dkh and it is too low so I will have to sort it out. Still figuring out what to do.

I only dose Seed every time I introduce livestock.

So I dose all4reef, cal and mg through the auto doser.

Please give me your thoughts on this. I am a bit unsure on what exactly to dose. This was the recommendation from the lfs.

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No offence but I think you’ve jumped the gun a bit, tank is way too young to be stocked that heavily already. All for reef takes care of alk, calcium and magnesium so no need to dose calcium and magnesium separately. Digis are one of the easier sps corals but the tank is not ready for that
 
Nice setup you have there, but I also think it was stocked a bit quickly unless you are dosing a bacteria product to help increase your bacteria load in the tank.

Alk is a bit low as mentioned. You will have to increase slowly with bicarb or a commercially available product.

Focus on getting your parameters in check for a couple weeks/months before adding anymore livestock.
 
Riaan_Nano_20 said:
Hi Irie

No it is dkh and it is too low so I will have to sort it out. Still figuring out what to do.

I only dose Seed every time I introduce livestock.

So I dose all4reef, cal and mg through the auto doser.

Please give me your thoughts on this. I am a bit unsure on what exactly to dose. This was the recommendation from the lfs.

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Click to expand...
I would ask the lfs to explain why you need to dose what they said you should dose….
Dont see much need for Ca and Mg dosing in this system.
Also think you stocking a bit fast.
At the moment you likely have very little consumption of Ca and Mg, no need to dose therefore.
Rather stop dosing, get the alk up with water changes and from rgere monitor your alk consumption.
Once you have determined daily consumption, dose accordingly.
If your LFS told you to dose for the sake if making a sale, get another LFS.
 
Thanks guys. I was under the impression I was doing the right thing and it wasnt a matter of being impatient... so veing in the current situation then, what would be the right thing to do now? Dose seed?

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I only started dosing all4reef today. Would that bring the dkh to the right level?

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Riaan_Nano_20 said:
Thanks guys. I was under the impression I was doing the right thing and it wasnt a matter of being impatient... so veing in the current situation then, what would be the right thing to do now? Dose seed?

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Click to expand...
Carry on with a bacterial dosing regimen, do a few water changes to fix the alk in a balanced fashion, (if you are sure that alk reading is correct. Or, dose bicarb, dissolved in freshwater and slowly bring alk up to desired level, around 8dkh.
If you dissolve 5g of bicarb in a liter of RO and allow it to drip in, or slowly dose it with your doser over a day, repeat for 7 days, your alk should get into the desired range.
 
I agree with what Irie Ivan said.

First get your alk to the correct levels and maintain it for a couple of weeks.

I don't know if you can delay your coral shipment that it suppose to land this week? Also depends on what corals it is though.
 
Thanks for all the help guys. I will delay the corals for a later stage when everything is on par.

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