Yes, I am way overdue on an update on this project.
There just didn't seem to much to report. The tank is just now coming to the end of its "New Tank Phase". It went through the Diatom -> Red Cyano -> Blue/Green Cyano stages, with blue/green fading out now. I also have a bit of red turf algae going that I am not to worried about as my four Tangs seem to be quite fond of it.
This last week I had the opportunity to combine business with a bit of pleasure. I was able to stop by at Reef Pilot's home on my way back from Vancouver and see his beautiful setup and take some awesome sps frags back with me.
The frags have been in the tank for a few days now and seem to be content, but it is a bit early to tell if they like my setup. I will post some pictures on the weekend to keep a record.
I should also write a few lines about my current maintenance regime.
Since I added living creatures into the tank I have been doing a daily 1% water change. I look for the dirtiest spot in the tank and siphon/replace about 4 gal. I have 2 x 30gal Brute cans to store ASW and RODI for my weeks needs. I can do this in about 5 minutes which makes it very easy as part of my evening feeding. And in my case easy means I actually do it.
I also began Vinegar dosing right at the start using a dosing pump, adding 10 x 15ml in 1 hr intervals throughout the lit time. Ph goes from 8.2 in the morning to 8.3 by lights out.
About 3 month ago I came to the point with the carbon dosing where I could no longer detect NO3 with my Salifert kit but PO4 was still reading in the 0.1 to 0.2 range on a Hanna meter. I understand that this is quite a common situation and the reason why a lot of aquarists also use GFO or similar products to reduce PO4 further. In my reading on the subject I came across a number of references (Reef Central has good thread on it) to adding NO3 to the dosing regime. I purchased some Calcium Nitrate (15% Nitrate, 19% Cal) from a local Hydroponics store and mix 100 grams of this with 1 litre of RODI and dose 15ml/day. By doing this PO4 has declined quickly.
My measurements last Sunday where PO4 0.03 (Hanna) and NO3 2.5ppm (Salifert). Algae growth has decreased (seems counter intuitive when adding plant fertilizer) The only minor drawback to this is that my water is not crystal clear, always a little cloudy, most likely due to bacteria volume. I am hoping that the system itself will take care of this in time with increased filter feeders. Also adding more coral should help with this
If others have tried or are nitrate dosing I would love to hear about those experiences.
I will continue this with some new pictures this coming weekend..