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The Wardlaw 120 - Version 2.0


FarmerTy

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In other news,

The red cap monti was on the sand bed and began to bleach. I thought maybe it was irritated at first and would do better in higher light. I don't think that was a good move. I will likely lose it, but it was a tester that I got for 5 bucks and I knew it was highly possible. I also picked up a tri color valida from petco and it has ok PE but has recently began to STN at the tips. I am sure this is due to the changes in parameters while I get everything in line. I would like to keep this guy from death so what should I do.

I slowed the water changing regiment drastically because my fish began to show signs of ich with all of the changes taking place. My parameters are "within the margins", but I still have higher numbers than I would like. Alk was around 12 Ca around 600. I am continuing with 5 gal changes daily for the next few days. I lost a long-nose butterfly to the ich war and my clowns are covered in white. All other fish that began the ich battle have since recovered and are clearing up. Everyone is eating well.

Somewhere during all of this I also scored some ricordias from AAF, zoas from Aqua Dome, undata from James. and a pink spot goby and tiger tail cuc from the dome.

email came in from apex....this afternoon will be a funfilled nerd a thon

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If it's STNing from the tips, that's usually more indicative of alk burn because your alk is still on the high side... especially since you're running biopellets. You want to be in the 7-8 dKh range for that. I'd honestly hold out on picking up any SPS frags for the time being until that alk gets lower. If you need some tester frags, I can give you a couple.

To try to save your tricolor, try supergluing the parts that are STNing to stop it and then continue to lower your alk. It's going to be pretty tough to keep it alive though... your goal is to lower the alk but if you lower too fast, it'll kill it. If you move the alk down slowly, you risk the SPS slowly STN'ing away as well.

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Butterflies are such sensitive fish! I had an ich outbreak during my first year of the new tank and everything survived but the copperband I had. Sorry for the loss. I'm glad all the other fish are recovering just fine.

Are you still using muriatic acid to lower your alk in the new saltwater? I'm just still surprised your alk is sitting at 12 dKh. I guess you did stop doing large water changes due to the fish getting ich. I'm just still concerned with the higher alk level, especially for a carbon dosed tank like yours. Maybe we can research more into adding the muriatic acid directly in your tank and forgo'ing the water change. That would be something I'd do in my tank but I won't ask someone in the mentor program to ever do that.

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Madsalt mentioned trying some chloroquine phosphate treated food to help supress some of the ich. He mentioned it won't eradicate it from the system but will assist in keeping it at bay for a bit until your fish recover.

I've used it before and I must say, be very careful how you feed it. Make sure the flow is off and pull out any bit that they don't eat before turning the pumps back on. I had some stray food hit an orange fungia plate and it slowly died over the next 2 weeks. CP kills off coral symbionts and the coral basically starves slowly to death.

I have some still if you would like to try it. I have the regular Dr G's medicated food for ich and his reef caviar version (encapsulated eggs). Bear in mind CP has a very bitter taste to most fish so the finicky ones won't eat it. The caviar is probably better received because the CP is encapsulated in the egg so they taste egg first before CP.

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This stuff on the way:

ItemSkuQtyBRS Lab Grade pH Probe207819110.01 Milwaukee Calibration Solution Single Use Packet20545757.01 Milwaukee Calibration Solution Single Use Packet2054585BRS Coral Propagation Kit - Standard with Glue2089181Milwaukee MA955 CO2 Solenoid Valve2054661E-X-T 800 Inline Pump - Cobalt Aquatics20829713/4" Slip Bulkhead Strainer20711221/2” Slip Bulkhead Strainer20711121" Slip Bulkhead Strainer20711321/2" x 1/2" Elbow Union Push Connect - Black10002341/2" x 1/2" Inline Ball Valve Push Connect10001221/2" Black Mur-lok Polyethylene RO Tubing1000145

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Current situation :

Lost another fish. Black/WHT misbar ocelleris. Very sad. Mama clown looking like she's close behind. Mimic tang looking rough. Feeding lots with medicated food included. Added some acans I won on AAF ebay auction.....and an acro from there too I know I know Ty. I accidentally won that one. It was VERY CHEAP. red cap is lost. Tried color is looking like it's close behind. I ran out of Alk reagent and more should be here via Amazon soon. (Any local supplier?

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In other news, my dad has a aqua uv light that I will be plumbing in when I redo the plumbing. I should also be able to place a Milwaukee ph controller for sale once I weigh the options with Ty the mentor guy. Long is the road. Long is the road.

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Sorry bud for the losses. It worries me that you are still losing some fish to the ich. I'm fear that it's starting to win out in your tank. Do the other fish look any better or are they just as covered in ich?

If they are looking worse, I'd almost recommend pulling them out and treating them with some chloroquine phosphate.

Actually, your picture just popped up with the acans and the clown almost looks like it has brooklynella or even the dreaded marine velvet? Do you have any clearer pictures of the clowns? Perhaps post it to the general forums instead of just your mentor thread and see if anybody else can help with ID?

There are no local suppliers of the alk reagent but I have an extra bottle you can steal until yours gets here. I also have some medicated food as well if you need it but the chloroquine phosphate powder is top-notch for treating marine velvet, ich, and brooklynella if you decide to remove and treat.

Do you happen to know the wattage is the AquaUV light?

That's a shame about the SPS but as I understand it, your alk is still pretty high and in conjunction with the biopellets, is probably not a good combination for the SPS. Typically you want your alk to be in the 7-8 dKh range when carbon dosing. I would continue to lower the alk, the sooner the better. Either that or kill the biopellets for now and deal with potentially higher nitrates and the higher alk. I just don't like the option as much as it could compromise more than just your SPS.

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Good news: BRS order is in. Acans and baby sps look good. TODAY I SAW PODS! all over the glass swimming happily. I haven't seen these little fellas in many months. I'm meeting the parental units to pick up my uv light and hopefully I'll meet up with quite a few of you guys to pick up some corals that should be ok to add at this point.

Bad news: I lost the mimic tang and both clowns now. I hate that. I am still waiting for the Alk reagent but it should be here Monday.

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Well that bites that you're losing some livestock still but that's a very good sign that you're seeing pods again.

Looks like your coralline is making a comeback too!

Nice additions to the tank. Keep knocking that alk down and keep a good eye on the sps coral and see how it reacts.

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  • 2 weeks later...

How are the fish doing? How's the little tester acro frag doing?

i think the fish are finished with the perishing, but i am continuing to feed dr g's. they are super shy now. i assume a new hiearchy is being achieved and this is some of the reason. the little acro seems to be doing well, but i have it on the sand bed. there is PE....not TYTHEREEFGUY PE, but pe none the less. i am continuing to lower the alk slowly with 5 gallon WC's. this has been a very slow process due to the fish stress. last i checked i was still at a 10 or so, but i have a question for you:

i have my biopellets in the first chamber of the dual reactor set from brs and the gfo in the second. i have a decent tumble the first and second day after changing my gfo, but after a week there is little to no visible tumble, certainly not a boiling type is this allowing the media to do its job or should i change it up

i was thinking of grabbing a single reactor for bp and then entering carbon back into the mix, it is currently only in a sock through my sump and i rarely change it

i still have plans of replumbing the entire setup and installing the aqua uv light, carx and this would be a great time to decide how and where to place the additional reactor

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That's great that the deaths of fish have stopped. It still concerns me that they stay hidden. You wouldn't happen to see them in the middle of the night swimming in front of your powerheads, do you?

Hey, you stole my new website name! TytheReefGuy.com!

PE is always good to see on a new frag. I sometimes get maricultures that come in and don't extend their polyps for a month! Once they do, I stop worrying about them not making it.

Here are my thoughts on your reactors. Yes, take the biopellets and put them in their own reactor. It's hard enough to dial the biopellets in to have a nice tumble but to have to coordinate that with trying to fluidized GFO just sounds like a lot of trouble. Go back to the GAC and GFO dual reactor setup and get an independent one for the biopellets.

Another thought, I worry about you still running biopellets with an alk at 10 dKh. Normally, when you carbon dose, you want your alk on the low side, 7-8 dKh. You'll often get alk burnt tips otherwise... something to do with the amount of available carbon causing competing issues with the zooxanthallae and the actual growth of the coral. If you're not seeing any of these issues, then I guess continue what you're doing. I'd hate to have it swing you another problem by increased nitrates if the biopellets shut down. Just keep an eye on the acro tester piece and we'll see how much issues the high dKh combined with the carbon dosing causes you.

For carbon, I've been running it passively in a sock for years. I just throw it in a high flow area and replace monthly.

Have fun replumbing! I always end up with at least one slightly leaking connection and have to redo it.

Once you find out what size UV you are running, match it up with your tank size and we can see what the recommended flow is for it. AquaUV recommends you add it after any mechanical filtration so probably last in line before it goes back in your tank.

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They Aren't Hidden All The Time, They Just Aren't Out Like They We're Before All This Began. I know the Alk is still high. I think the reason I'm not getting the burn is that my biopellets aren't really doing much for me without the tumble. I'm battling algae I've never had to battle, but I've also been feeding extremely heavy to attempt to appease the fish and I'm probably still light on cuc. Aqua is a 40 watt

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Nice, that's a good size UV sterilizer unit. For disease control, you should run it at the recommended 967-1160 GPH flowrate. If you don't know the age on the bulb, I'd replace it. AquaUV bulbs generally last 14 months. I don't know if it is the wiper model but in that case, I'd replace the rubber wiper as well and probably go ahead and order another sealed nut has they have a tendency to leak over time. At least you won't have to replace the nut right away but just have one for backup when it does decide to leak.

Yeah, if your biopellets aren't tumbling, you're definitely not getting the most use out of them. That may be a blessing in disguise right now while your alk is still high.

I was only asking about the fish swimming in front of the powerhead at night because that may be a symptom of marine velvet. I doubt it's that since you've had no new additions but just wanted to rule it out. They have a tendency to avoid the light when they are stricken with marine velvet.

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