Canreef Aquatics Bulletin Board

Canreef Aquatics Bulletin Board (http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/index.php)

- Tank Journal (http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=18)

- - My 33g AIO reef (http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=78947)

So i had a 5.5 gallon nano, it got a little over crowded way to fast.
i brought a 33 - and decided i had a bunch of acrylic from a old cheap 10 dollar tank and some computer cases :p
so i made a little AIO unit (it looks really ugly cuz i did it all with a pocket knife cuz my tools are in storage :lol: ), with room for the heater, skimmer in/out, room for a fuge and a mechanical filter when needed.
its really empty now since i had 3 fish and a hand full of inverts and a few different corals in my 5.5, but im broke now, buying a new lighting system.
Anyways heres some pictures of it so far, more better pictures later.

The AIO before painting
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...1/071e08c0.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...1/e32535a1.jpg

Rock sand water just added
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...1/715cb3f4.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...1/405077c9.jpg

Someone apperently took a picture of me and i didnt even notice
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...1/10b5bd84.jpg

Its clearing up
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...1/4d8e61fe.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...1/530e3c31.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...1/aadb278f.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...1/47c578ba.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...1/9b557cc5.jpg

These were quick photos, ill get fancy ones in a day or two when its clear.

Everything is finally happy in the tank, besides a acro frag still isnt putting its polyps out.
Got a bit of a diatom bloom going on, but seems to be going away slowly. cutting down the 10k lights after only a couple hours.
fish are happy, inverts have been molting, which made me realise i have a crab hiding somewhere in there still fairly small by the size of the skeleton i found.

heres some newer pictures.
Still want to get a school of these guys to bad most LFS dont order them unless asked.
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...1/da33570d.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...1/fe921391.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...1/15403605.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...1/246d3667.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...1/43c614aa.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...1/bf036d6a.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...1/d8141a63.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...1/a5386acc.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...1/06e67094.jpg
The 6 line is so hard to take a picture of, he runs whenever he sees the camera :(
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...1/f86ab8fb.jpg

Its doing good, added some more snails to help with the diatoms and algae.
but im really confused. i have no Phosphates,ammonia 0, nitrate/ite are both 0, or 0.5. pH 8. calcium is getting back down to the mid 400s
so not sure why im getting so much algae, i bearly run all 4 T5s all day anyways, i guess it could just be still new.. only a couple months in. LR was from active tanks though.
And another weird thing, i tested the KH And GH today the KH was 12/214ppm, but the GH was unmessurable, 12 drops is the most on the API chart, i added 30, and it wasnt even about to change color, any ideas?

What source is your top off water? Getting a large macro algae going in that refuge will go a long way to helping absorb unwanted phosphates, nitrates, etc. The corals seem happy enough so it might just naturally starve out as well.

i just started adding macro to the refuge, it still needs a lot more. like 3, 10' things of Caulepra. so yeah.
the water is straight tap water. I cant do RO/DI cuz well i live with room mates and have 1 tap in the place and unless i get barrels of water to do it with. and i live in a like 12x12 room so yeah.

Still the phos test is showing no more then 0.5.. the corals are doing great the SPS are even growing new branches, a acro frag died but i think it was jsut ****ed off from tank changes, didnt acclimate it properly.
but within 2 days all glass is completely covered in diatom and algae.

got some more cerith snails to help with it. probably just needs more time.