jervismun

Now the real test... last week my NO3 is still around 10 to 15. Today's reading shows 2!!! Magical isn't it... it's too good to be true actually... let me try to analyze what other factors/improvements that could've contributed to the big reduction in NO3: 1) NR1000 running at a faster pace... no more "bad egg" smell... almost undetectable 2) Improved current flow with the introduction of an additional Tunze 6060... reduced dead spots especially at the back of the tank significantly 3) I used to have some small pieces of LR inside my right chamber... that chamber is currently not in use and the current flow inside is not ideal. I removed the LR last week... obviously they are a major NO3 factory!!! I believe it is the combination of all the aboves... let me test it again... just to be sure

I was told to control the dripping to 1 drop per second... but I find it too slow... I used to drip slow as recommended but it just doesn't make sense to me as it will take days for my tank water to go through the NR1000 once... and the "bad egg" smell... believe to be Nitrogen is getting real bad... sorta concerns me. So I increased the flow to 2 drops per second to speed things up. The result? As you can see in the pix... the water collected from the outlet is (and always been) zero in NO3. It's crystal clear!

Hi guys... about time I update you guys on the Aqua Medic Nitratreductor 1000... introduced into the system 1 1/2 months ago... here's a pix of how it looks like sitting next to my tank. In order to reduce pressure inside the chamber, I was told to find a spot next to the tank that is on the same level of the main tank. Luckily I had this piece of wooden box-up decor (previously my photo frames area)... so there sits my NR1000. There are only 16 Deniballs inside the chamber and I am still trying to get hold of more so that I can reduce in the weekly feeding of Denimar (1 1/2 tiny spoon a week). It is recommended to add at least 30 Deniballs into the chamber. The dosing pump SP3000 is placed on top of the NR1000 and unfortunately it is not electronically controlled... most probably I will replace the SP3000 with my Aquatronica dosing pumps once I get hold of one. The dosing can get a bit hard to control sometimes... but it is doing good to the NR1000, so far.

I think a reefer is selling some 5 months old Aquabee... but must bid lah... dunno if still available... the last time I see, half price only leh.

Slowly lah... so fast wan gems... but one thing for sure is... for small tank like ours... after a while you will notice what are all those cheapo corals doing in your tank... our per square inch is very high $$$ lor... so you will surely go "quality not quantity" very soon... and good luck in your quest of finding treasures

There's no harm in adding another SEIO or something. Especially flow directed from the left front or right front... blowing towards the scaping... don't get too big a model, a bit of flow is good enough. Flow is also good to stop dirt from settling on your LR too much... blow them away so that your canister can trap them. For your information leather, xenia and a lot of other cheaper corals also require moderate to high flow. Especially leather... if your flow is not strong enough, they will always release slimy excrete which can be very bad for the other corals. A pix of your setup can also help us identify any dead spots in your tank... IMO the smaller the tank, the harder it is to create perfect flow.

Emm... I don't think a denitrator can help reduce NH4... perhaps you wanna look at a higher capacity/more efficient protein skimmer... less things rot in your tank ---> lower NH4

There are fishes to avoid... and Damsel is actually one of them (esp. for experienced reefers)... they are hardy but very aggressive and territorial... if you go Pasar Malam section, all other FOC fishes will find takes except Damsels... so you get what I mean. If I were you, since your tank is not big and very easily conquered fully by the Damsel... I will catch it out, bring it back to the LFS and give them back for free. Usually they will take it one. Start with something less agressive/territorial... even some types of NEMOS can be very problematic too. A simple guide for stocking a small tank is ---> less agressive fish/smaller fish go in first ---> medium size fish ---> large fishes/semi-aggressive add in last This will allow the shy fishes to established in the tank first... or else they will not stand a chance in a highly competitive and aggressive environment. You may also find a lot of fishes require a lot of caves to hide and to swim around... that's why I think your LR is insufficient right now... bearing in mind that the LR will eventually act as a biological filter... no harm having a bit more Better to add in now than to add in later... coz any mishap later can wipe your tank entirely

For sure, putting a set of Tunze Wavemaker in your standard 2ft setup is way too overpower... you can create underwater hurricane using Tunzes!!! Perhaps you wanna consider other smaller capacity brands such as SEIO, IMO SEIO is quite suitable for your tank, get the smaller model too. Regardless of what you keep, flow is a good thing. Just make sure the current is not too strong as they can easily blow the tissues off your corals

Emm... I might be wrong but 20000ºK is not very beneficial for coral growth be it softies, LPS or SPS... pls do consider... if you like cool blue effect and 14000ºK ain't cool enough for you, perhaps you wanna consider the Aqua Medic Aqualine 16000ºK... quite nice hue with a touch of pink... there's a tank in Aqua Mart just using this bulb. Nice :-) Then you can add 2 actinic to further "blue" it.

This piece of Green Gonio is extending more and more (Note: luckily it was not affected last night)

Perhaps adding a bit more LR since you are cycling now... might as well... coz you will find it very hard to add in later.

Here's my Bubble... still showing signs of stress... see those patchy colours on the bubble? I've not seen it on this specimen before... bad bad Big Mama

Another FTS from a lower angle this time... clearly showing the 6 ATI tubes... the reflectors were angled to avoid too much light being wasted outside the tank... so the glare is minimized in the pix considering I am shooting directly at it... brilliant!!! Note that most of my corals are still being stressed by the scaping and some still recovering from the destruction last night

PMed you (a rough estimation... sorry no exact figure)

Hungry hungry hungry

This forum is so great... within an hour... you get your solution

Ok I will take another piece of RIC FLORIDAS ($50 each) so total 3 pieces!!!

You got PM bro... for 2 pieces of RICS FLORIDA ($50 each)

It's about time I do an update on the Polyp Lab Reef-resh™ System... I've been dosing it everynight for the past 2 months... here are my findings (vis-a-vis their claim on their website) Benefits of running System RF include: • Greatly enhanced colouration of corals Yes, I can see that my corals looks better from the day I bought them and they are getting better and better... I've not experienced any corals/inverts losing colour or fading (except for the Pink Birdnest that obviously my tank is not ready for). • Increased growth rates of corals Emm... yes and no... I hope my corals and zoos would grow slower... my Yumas and Rics to grow faster. • Marked improvement in water quality Yes, my water is always crystal clear... in most cases my fishes look as if they are floating in mid air... sure you guys notice the clarity in my pix... and psst I don't change much water... only 5% every 10 days or so. • Decreased nuisance algae outbreaks For a new tank... my tank is considered pretty well maintained when it comes to algaes... with my kinda lighting... a bloom can easily happen every other day. • Improved fish health No fatality for the past 4 weeks (except for a blenny that went disappeared the first day I introduced into the tank)... my ick attack only lasted for 5 days and most recovered except the Moorish Idol (that was more than 4 weeks ago). • Decreased parasite outbreaks The ick incident... gone and never returns... pretty good considering I've been adding quiet a substantial amount of corals and fishes... and I am not running Ozone or UV. All the above claims/observations are nothing new... I'm sure you guys read all about them in a progressive form in my pages and pages of postings Those interested can read more here You can also PM me if you have any question, I will try to answer them... if I can't I will direct you to the right person.

And the result?!?

When the time is right... will surely invite you SPS? emm... not that confident yet... I think I shall not kill unnecessary corals and let the SPS to the experts But yes, I need to find something to fill up the top portion... perhaps some light-loving toadstool (with green tentacles) or something Here's pix of my seldom-photographed Red Fromia... a nice specimen from bro Qxnviolet

Big Mama been adopted by a kind bro... eww... with eggs? You wanna eat meh? Ok back to my review... my Croceas on the sand bed (26.5" away from the tubes, yes I measured) are looking healthy... no sign of distress or whatsoever... but will continue to monitor them and once I spotted any abnormal sign... I will update you guys... but personally I don't think there will be any... (being over confident here )

I'm afraid there will be a high percentage of metal elements in there too not to mention eventual rust... somewhere... somehow... IMO don't risk it... I rather use tap water (which is what I'm using!!!)

True I wonder what's causing it... other than that... your scaping looks great!!! Do you use epoxy to mount ur rocks together? Coz mine just collapse yesterday... all because of one fish