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300 Gallon Disaster Reboot


Sascha D.

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Flow looks pretty good to me. Could even be a hair slower but that should work. Remember, ramp it up super slow and keep testing nitrates during this timeframe. Don't let it get to zero, keep it around 5-10ppm if possible.

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4 hours ago, FarmerTy said:

Flow looks pretty good to me. Could even be a hair slower but that should work. Remember, ramp it up super slow and keep testing nitrates during this timeframe. Don't let it get to zero, keep it around 5-10ppm if possible.

I've read it takes 3-6 weeks to get ramped up. I plan to add 10 fish or so in the next month. When would you start testing?

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I've read it takes 3-6 weeks to get ramped up. I plan to add 10 fish or so in the next month. When would you start testing?
I usually got some good responses around 2-3 weeks, so test here and there the first week and a little more the 2nd and 3rd.
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Glad to see you back and active again Sascha! It's a long and hard road to getting pests and issues worked out, but it's worth it in the long run. I have to say that the water in our part of town has caused many of us head aches and mysterious coral death. I find that if my filters aren't replaced within 6 months, even though TDS reads 0, corals start to decline in health. Not sure what they put in our water, but it's something potent enough to make it through DI resin and damage coral. Keep up the hard work and persistence! It will be worth it.


I know this is old, but maybe it could help someone out.


I do commercial water treatment for a living. A water softener will work wonders when installed before an RO system. It will remove small amounts of iron, calcium and magnesium, and is used as a predicted for RO membranes. You can also take the sediment filters out and put in 3 pre carbon filters and 1 post carbon filter, then run it through a dual DI system. Once the first DI canister is depleted, remove the first canister and trash it. Put the second canister in place of the first and replenish the second canister. This ensures you are always getting quality DI water and prevents waste. When it comes to water treatment before the water is mixed with salt, CARBON, CARBON, CARBON!! The ROX .8 from BRS works great, it is basically medical grade carbon. If you are using an ATK, after the RO pressure tank, run it through a 10” carbon block, then DI, then to the fresh water storage tank. Make sure the fresh water tank is sealed and you are GTG. You can run it back through a carbon again if you like, but no necessary. I have 150 GPD RO systems with permeate pumps that work great. I will sell them to anyone that wants them for cost. I think they are like $200. Also, don’t buy your carbon filters from Home Depot, it’s crap carbon and stupid expensive. I have cases and cases of 10” carbon filters for RO systems and they are pretty inexpensive.



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10 minutes ago, FarmerTy said:
16 minutes ago, Sascha D. said:
I've read it takes 3-6 weeks to get ramped up. I plan to add 10 fish or so in the next month. When would you start testing?

I usually got some good responses around 2-3 weeks, so test here and there the first week and a little more the 2nd and 3rd.

Sounds good. I figured 1/4 cup in 360 gallons total water volume wouldn't shock the system too much. My total fish load is probably less than that big Naso you have! I'm going to work on building it up though. I'm going to post two big colonies of pocillopora, some frags, my plate corals, and all my mushrooms to Facebook in the next few days. After that I'll promptly replace them with new frags that I want to grow out. I think I'm close to my final stocking list and I'll post it soon. 

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Sounds good. I figured 1/4 cup in 360 gallons total water volume wouldn't shock the system too much. My total fish load is probably less than that big Naso you have! I'm going to work on building it up though. I'm going to post two big colonies of pocillopora, some frags, my plate corals, and all my mushrooms to Facebook in the next few days. After that I'll promptly replace them with new frags that I want to grow out. I think I'm close to my final stocking list and I'll post it soon. 
I joke with Gig'em that my naso tang poop is bigger than your fish. This was in response to this teeny tiny fish he bought a couple months ago.

That sounds like about the amount of pellets I would start with as well. I'm looking forward to the final stock list.
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I joke with Gig'em that my naso tang poop is bigger than your fish. This was in response to this teeny tiny fish he bought a couple months ago.

That sounds like about the amount of pellets I would start with as well. I'm looking forward to the final stock list.

Your Nasso's poop may be bigger, but my eviota goby has more spunk!
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6 minutes ago, Cdklos said:

 


I know this is old, but maybe it could help someone out.


I do commercial water treatment for a living. A water softener will work wonders when installed before an RO system. It will remove small amounts of iron, calcium and magnesium, and is used as a predicted for RO membranes. You can also take the sediment filters out and put in 3 pre carbon filters and 1 post carbon filter, then run it through a dual DI system. Once the first DI canister is depleted, remove the first canister and trash it. Put the second canister in place of the first and replenish the second canister. This ensures you are always getting quality DI water and prevents waste. When it comes to water treatment before the water is mixed with salt, CARBON, CARBON, CARBON!! The ROX .8 from BRS works great, it is basically medical grade carbon. If you are using an ATK, after the RO pressure tank, run it through a 10” carbon block, then DI, then to the fresh water storage tank. Make sure the fresh water tank is sealed and you are GTG. You can run it back through a carbon again if you like, but no necessary. I have 150 GPD RO systems with permeate pumps that work great. I will sell them to anyone that wants them for cost. I think they are like $200. Also, don’t buy your carbon filters from Home Depot, it’s crap carbon and stupid expensive. I have cases and cases of 10” carbon filters for RO systems and they are pretty inexpensive.



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I'm currently using the BRS 75 gpd stage 4 model. The water goes through a water softener first, then to a whole house prefilter, and then the RODI unit. The RODI is still plumbed the same way that I got it from BRS and I believe it's sediment filter -> carbon block -> RO membrane -> DI resin -> holding barrel. I run the filter straight to the waste line for 1 hour before collecting any water. I had previously used a 30 minute runoff and found that it wasn't enough. I also use my handheld TDS meter every batch to make sure the water is coming out of the filter at 0 TDS. I had tried to replace my filters independently when they were exhausted, but found it easier to replace all of the stages at once like you suggested.

Are you suggesting that I run the RODI through carbon again after it comes out of the filter or add a second carbon block after the DI resin stage? I've thought about changing the sediment filter for a second DI resin or second carbon block since the filter is plumbed after my whole house filter. I posted a picture of my sediment filter after 12 months of use and it looks nearly brand new.

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Final stocking list! I've gotten lots of advice from friends and family over the last few months and I've just about narrowed it down to the last fish that I'm going to add to this system. It's a large system and I really wanted to take advantage of the options that it offers me. My original plan was to add 10-12 different kinds of wrasses, 1-2 tangs, an angelfish, 6 clowns, and fill the rest with various damsels. For a long time I've just been adding anything that I thought would survive to provide some life while the tank has been coming together. Now that the reef is doing well I can be more selective of the inhabitants. The final stocking is going to be around 30 fish with 2 large centerpiece species. 

The fish listed with a date are already in the aquarium and those without are fish that I'm going to acquire.

Angelfish

  • Emperor Angelfish - Africa (Pomacanthus imperator) - August 2017

Tangs/Rabbitfish

  • One Spot Foxface (Siganus unimaculatus) - May 2016
  • Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens) - December 2017
  • Yellow Eye Kole Tang (Ctenochaetus strigosus) - December 2017
  • Blonde Naso Tang(Naso elegans)  - My wife's pick. It was the first fish she was able to recognize and she's loved them ever since. Boy are they hard to QT! Hopefully I get some good luck with this one. 

Wrasses

  • Melanurus Wrasse (Halichoeres melanurus) - May 2016
  • Dusky Wrasse (Halichoeres annularis) - January 2017
  • Red-Lined Wrasse (Halichoeres biocellatus) - March 2017
  • Cleaner Wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus)
  • Christmas Wrasse (Halichoeres claudia)
  • Yellow Wrasse (Halichoeres crysus)
  • Leopard Wrasse (Macropharyngodon meleagris)

Clownfish 

  • Oscellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) x2 - November 2017

Jawfish

  • Pearly Jawfish (Opistognathus aurifrons) - My favorite of the jawfish and I'm even clearing my sandbed of corals to get one. 

Anthias

  • Going to add 5-6 anthias, one species from the following list: Fathead Sunburst (Serranocirrhitus latus), Princess (Pseudanthias smithvanizi), Ignitis (Pseudanthias ignitus).  

Fathead Sunburst

Fathead Sunburst Anthias

Princess

Princess Anthias

Ignitis

Ignitus Anthias

Damsels

  • Pink Smith Damselfish (Pomacentrus smithi) x2 - January 2017
  • Azure Damselfish  (Chrysiptera hemicyanea) x2 - February 2017 (selling)
  • Springer's Damselfish (Chrysiptera springeri) x2 - April 2017

That brings the list to 25 and I plan to add 30 total. The remaining five will be chosen from the list below:

  • Royal Gramma (Gramma loreto) x1-3 - I had 3 in my aquarium before the first crash and really liked how they look. Each one chose a section to reside and didn't bother the others at all. 
  • Springer's Damselfish (Chrysiptera springeri) x3-5 - I currently have 2 and they're great fish. They often swim together and don't bother any other fish. As a bonus, they eat flatworms if any should pop up through dipping. 
  • Flame Angelfish (Centropyge loricula)  - Adds that critical red pop!
  • Rusty Angelfish (Centropyge ferrugata) - I've liked this angel for a while but I normally have a CB and haven't attempted to add one. The only angel in the tank is the Emperor and he's too little to care about anything but food!
  • Regal Angelfish (Pygoplites diacanthus) - Bad shipper but beautiful colors. The ones I've seen are more background than anything. They don't really beg for food or even notice the people looking into the tank. 
  • Goldflake Angelfish (Apolemichthys xanthopunctatus)  - Too expensive but the price is coming down. If I saw one for a discount then It may be hard to pass up. 
  • Marble Wrasse (Halichoeres hortulanus) - Mixed reviews. Some people say they're peaceful and some say they're a terror. 
  • Pink Margin Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus rubrimarginatus) 
  • Scott's Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus scottorum)
  • Bird Wrasse (Gomphosus varius) - I've been considering this one for a long time, but it has a bad reputation for eating inverts and small fish. They're beautiful and very active. 

 

If anyone has any suggestions, let me know what they are. I'm still looking for my last few fish and I'd like different colors and swimming habits. 

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5-6 if Those fat head athias would be awesome


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Cool right? They're really growing on me. So are the genicanthus angels. A small harem would look nice, but I've read they can pick on other planktivores.
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a68edcc545ff533730c5c7e1764ad737.jpg

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I'm currently using the BRS 75 gpd stage 4 model. The water goes through a water softener first, then to a whole house prefilter, and then the RODI unit. The RODI is still plumbed the same way that I got it from BRS and I believe it's sediment filter -> carbon block -> RO membrane -> DI resin -> holding barrel. I run the filter straight to the waste line for 1 hour before collecting any water. I had previously used a 30 minute runoff and found that it wasn't enough. I also use my handheld TDS meter every batch to make sure the water is coming out of the filter at 0 TDS. I had tried to replace my filters independently when they were exhausted, but found it easier to replace all of the stages at once like you suggested.
Are you suggesting that I run the RODI through carbon again after it comes out of the filter or add a second carbon block after the DI resin stage? I've thought about changing the sediment filter for a second DI resin or second carbon block since the filter is plumbed after my whole house filter. I posted a picture of my sediment filter after 12 months of use and it looks nearly brand new.

Sediment on a water supply in the city with a softener for our purposes is a waste. I would replace it with a high quality carbon filter. I think a lot of the water issues that people have is because of low quality carbon filters. Between the RO membrane and the DI filter I would add a carbon filter to help polish the water before the DI. If your DI resin is doing its job, there should be no need to filter it further after the DI unit. Also, if you have to run water down the drain for and hour before using it, you have a problem, you should be below 10PPM coming out of your RO within just a few seconds of running. My guess is that your membrane is fouling out. Most RO membranes are thin film composite. And chlorine will ruin them pretty quickly, that’s why you have carbon filters before the membrane to protect the membrane. Always run the DI after your RO and after a post carbon filter. You will get the most out of your expensive DI resin and can be pretty confident that your water is high quality.


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Flow looks pretty good to me. Could even be a hair slower but that should work. Remember, ramp it up super slow and keep testing nitrates during this timeframe. Don't let it get to zero, keep it around 5-10ppm if possible.

How do you keep nitrates up? I’ve never had nitrates in my tank.


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This. Tons of fish and feeding 3-5x/day. [emoji4]


I have about 13 fish in my 240, I feed 1x a day. Never had any nitrates even through the cycle. I’m gonna wait about another 3 weeks before I add any more fish.


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This. Tons of fish and feeding 3-5x/day. [emoji4]

Where'd you get a video of my tank? I haven't even posted that one yet! I'd have to go back and count, but I think I have 15 fish right now. I'm feeding one cube, a pinch of spectrum, 0.5 ml selcon, 0.5 ml vitachem once a day. Three times a week they get 1/3 sheet of Nori.

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Where'd you get a video of my tank? I haven't even posted that one yet! I'd have to go back and count, but I think I have 15 fish right now. I'm feeding one cube, a pinch of spectrum, 0.5 ml selcon, 0.5 ml vitachem once a day. Three times a week they get 1/3 sheet of Nori.

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Its from the future!!!b9448a3117277e3f969ec069cec0c4eb.gif
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I've been waiting for a Christmas Wrasse to come in stock at LiveAquaria for several months and got an email notification this morning. The last time I got a notification I put it in my cart and it was gone before I could check out! The new sales came out today and the Midas Blenny and Blue Spot Jawfish are on sale. I'll have to wait until Divers Den updates tonight to see if I can put an order together. 

Jawfish, Blue Dot

Midas Blenny

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16 minutes ago, FarmerTy said:

I've never kept a bluespot jawfish but don't they have a pretty low survival rate Sascha? Something about requiring cooler water than your average reef tank? Or am I thinking of a different fish?

That was my understanding too. Like the Catalina goby, pretty tropical looking fish, but needs to be kept in the lower to mid 70s, which most acros probably won't like long term.

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1 hour ago, FarmerTy said:

I've never kept a bluespot jawfish but don't they have a pretty low survival rate Sascha? Something about requiring cooler water than your average reef tank? Or am I thinking of a different fish?

 

55 minutes ago, Gig 'em @ NDstructible said:

That was my understanding too. Like the Catalina goby, pretty tropical looking fish, but needs to be kept in the lower to mid 70s, which most acros probably won't like long term.

To be honest, I have never kept this fish. The book on fish species that I have at home and the websites selling the fish don't mention water temperature. I did find a reference from Bob Fenner in, A Cool Fish in MOre Than One Sense: The Blue-Spotted Jawfish. Mr. Fenner is an authority on marine fish and I trust his recommendation. 

"The practical implication is that water off the Californias is appreciably cooler than the same latitudes in the West Pacific, with the habitat of this jawfish being mostly in the upper 50s to upper 60s, and rarely lower 70s. Being an old timer in this interest, including the hobby, trade, and sciences, I have seen a few cycles of cool to colder water organisms sold (or may I state misrepresented) as tropicals, including Catalina gobies, Garibaldi, Metridium and Tealia anemones, moon snails, many types of algae, etc. None of these will live for long in too-warm surroundings, and neither will this coolwater jawfish. No matter where you live, it is very likely you will likely need to buy and run a chiller to keep this fish."

Thanks for bringing it to my attention. My aquarium runs between 74-76 without a heater or chiller and I think it's best to avoid species outside of these parameters. I've kept both the Pearly Jawfish and the Tiger Jawfish and both come from the Caribbean. I liked the Pearly Jawfish the best out of the two and will probably go with that one. My tank is large enough that I could try multiple and they would have enough territory. Another thing to consider is sand depth. The Tiger Jawfish was kept in 5" of sand and he made his burrow straight down vertically. The Pearly Jawfish was kept in 3" of sand and he made his burrow diagonally. I need to clear the sand bed of 20 or so corals and then look at the feasibility of adding more sand. I have 2-3" of sand right now and adding 1 more inch may be too much trouble. 

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10 hours ago, Sascha D. said:

 

To be honest, I have never kept this fish. The book on fish species that I have at home and the websites selling the fish don't mention water temperature. I did find a reference from Bob Fenner in, A Cool Fish in MOre Than One Sense: The Blue-Spotted Jawfish. Mr. Fenner is an authority on marine fish and I trust his recommendation. 

"The practical implication is that water off the Californias is appreciably cooler than the same latitudes in the West Pacific, with the habitat of this jawfish being mostly in the upper 50s to upper 60s, and rarely lower 70s. Being an old timer in this interest, including the hobby, trade, and sciences, I have seen a few cycles of cool to colder water organisms sold (or may I state misrepresented) as tropicals, including Catalina gobies, Garibaldi, Metridium and Tealia anemones, moon snails, many types of algae, etc. None of these will live for long in too-warm surroundings, and neither will this coolwater jawfish. No matter where you live, it is very likely you will likely need to buy and run a chiller to keep this fish."

Thanks for bringing it to my attention. My aquarium runs between 74-76 without a heater or chiller and I think it's best to avoid species outside of these parameters. I've kept both the Pearly Jawfish and the Tiger Jawfish and both come from the Caribbean. I liked the Pearly Jawfish the best out of the two and will probably go with that one. My tank is large enough that I could try multiple and they would have enough territory. Another thing to consider is sand depth. The Tiger Jawfish was kept in 5" of sand and he made his burrow straight down vertically. The Pearly Jawfish was kept in 3" of sand and he made his burrow diagonally. I need to clear the sand bed of 20 or so corals and then look at the feasibility of adding more sand. I have 2-3" of sand right now and adding 1 more inch may be too much trouble. 

I recently picked up a pearly jawfish and golden Midas Blenny off diversden and they both came in healthy. The jawfish took some time to get comfortable but now comes out and swims with everyone else.

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9 hours ago, Chris_ATX said:

I recently picked up a pearly jawfish and golden Midas Blenny off diversden and they both came in healthy. The jawfish took some time to get comfortable but now comes out and swims with everyone else.

The jawfish that I've had in the past nearly disappear for a week and then emerge with a full den. The pearly eventually relocated to center of the tank, facing the glass, where I feed. Did you add them directly to the tank or did you quarantine them first? The draw to DD is that they supposedly observe their fish for diseases and make sure they are eating before shipment. They don't treat the fish unless it's showing signs of disease, so they're not ich free. Some people have said they doubt the observation period even happens at all, but I've never received a bad fish from Diver's Den. I normally buy fish that don't quarantine well from Diver's Den, but I haven't had good luck QTing lately and I may just buy them all there. 

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To be honest, I have never kept this fish. The book on fish species that I have at home and the websites selling the fish don't mention water temperature. I did find a reference from Bob Fenner in, A Cool Fish in MOre Than One Sense: The Blue-Spotted Jawfish. Mr. Fenner is an authority on marine fish and I trust his recommendation. 
"The practical implication is that water off the Californias is appreciably cooler than the same latitudes in the West Pacific, with the habitat of this jawfish being mostly in the upper 50s to upper 60s, and rarely lower 70s. Being an old timer in this interest, including the hobby, trade, and sciences, I have seen a few cycles of cool to colder water organisms sold (or may I state misrepresented) as tropicals, including Catalina gobies, Garibaldi, Metridium and Tealia anemones, moon snails, many types of algae, etc. None of these will live for long in too-warm surroundings, and neither will this coolwater jawfish. No matter where you live, it is very likely you will likely need to buy and run a chiller to keep this fish."
Thanks for bringing it to my attention. My aquarium runs between 74-76 without a heater or chiller and I think it's best to avoid species outside of these parameters. I've kept both the Pearly Jawfish and the Tiger Jawfish and both come from the Caribbean. I liked the Pearly Jawfish the best out of the two and will probably go with that one. My tank is large enough that I could try multiple and they would have enough territory. Another thing to consider is sand depth. The Tiger Jawfish was kept in 5" of sand and he made his burrow straight down vertically. The Pearly Jawfish was kept in 3" of sand and he made his burrow diagonally. I need to clear the sand bed of 20 or so corals and then look at the feasibility of adding more sand. I have 2-3" of sand right now and adding 1 more inch may be too much trouble. 
Ive always read they were like Catalina Gobies, prob from Fenner or wetwebmedia. So it surprised me when I conversed with some at Aquadome who stated that not all of blue spotted jawfish come from the Sea of Cortez, and a few have kept them.in their personal 78 degree tanks before for a few yrs.

So im curious too, if they can thrive in a warmer reef tank, or if it just means theyll have a much shorter lifespan.
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