Well I see I've neglected this thread for close to two years now, so I figure I should update it. The following few posts are a copy/paste from another board I frequent. For anyone that is interested, please forgive me if some of it doesn't make sense, chronologically. I have paid a bit more attention to the other board thread, but here there is a two year gap.
Okay...updates. Unlike the Trigger Tank, I am very happy with the progress of my Reef Tank. IMO, it has never looked better. Like the Trigger Tank, similar changes here too.
Sump changes: Refugium out, ZeoVit in. EuroReef out, BK in. No more canisters. No more Nitrate Sponge. No more RowaPhos. Running carbon passively. Added 67 more (net) pounds of LR and also switched some of the denser stuff with lighter rock. Also added a grounding probe.
Tank shot, left side.
Tank shot, middle.
Tank shot, right side.
As happy as I am with this tank, it has not been without a few problems and losses. In particular, I lost my Tridacna Clam. It was a healthy, robust clam when I bought it from Shelley in January and I think what might have done it in was my Alk when down to about 4.5 dKH at one point. It was around this time that the clam died. One of the challenges to working a tank with my schedule. My attempt at keeping a Goniopora has failed, as well. It looks like the point of no return for it now, so it will go into the sump soon. The Turbinaria is not fluorishing, but it is hanging in there and I believe there is actually some new growth on it within the last week or two, so I am optimistic there. The two Open Brains are not as well as they could be, the red being the better of the two. The Red Brain had a good day today. The Green Brain I have had since '05 and really want this coral to pull through. It rarely extends anymore, but it showed signs of coming to life again about a week ago, with fairly decent extension, so I'm optimistic with it too.
Like the Trigger Tank, this tank was high in NO3 and PO4 as well. I did a major sump cleaning in November and this brought the NO3 down from 50 to 25. Eight x 20% water changes in Dec/Jan has brought the NO3 down further to 5-10. PO4 is now at .05. Now the Zeo can take over and hopefully bring this down a little more.
The Zeo on this tank has definitely made a difference. I no longer have Grape Caulerpa or Dictyota and the GHA growth has decreased drastically. Corals, although sutle, are more colourful and the water is clearer.
New additions since last update are...Coral Beauty, Eibl's Dwarf Angel, 2 Solar Fairy Wrasses (sold as "Clown" Wrasses)(actually 3, but 1 dissappeared), 4 more Sun Corals, 2 Candy Canes, 2 Blastos, 2 Bubbles and a Mushroom.
Final equipment upgrade will be an AquaCare Ca/Mg Reactor. Just waiting for a few more parts for that. Then my focus will finally shift to stocking the display a bit more.
Oh ya, and I'm not dosing ChemiClean anymore and part of the Zeo regime is dosing Iodide, so I'm not dosing Lugol's anymore either.
Stay tooned and cheers,