FarmerTy's 215 build

[FarmerTy]

Happy two years to my FarmerTy Bluebonnet Bottlebrush!

[FarmerTy]

Finally getting some progress on the frag tank. Things have stabilized so well that my alk consumption has jumped from 0.5 dKh/day to 1.7 dKh/day. I've been manually hand dosing to keep up until it reaches a steady uptake rate and then I'll match my kalk dosing to it.

For those looking for frags, be ready to load up at C4! For my previous and current real estate clients, come get your free frags or pick them up at C4.

[+OU12004]

Finally getting some progress on the frag tank. Things have stabilized so well that my alk consumption has jumped from 0.5 dKh/day to 1.7 dKh/day. I've been manually hand dosing to keep up until it reaches a steady uptake rate and then I'll match my kalk dosing to it.

For those looking for frags, be ready to load up at C4! For my previous and current real estate clients, come get your free frags or pick them up at C4.

Nice your frags are bigger than my colonies. Almost makes me want to stop doing water changes.

[FarmerTy]

Finally getting some progress on the frag tank. Things have stabilized so well that my alk consumption has jumped from 0.5 dKh/day to 1.7 dKh/day. I've been manually hand dosing to keep up until it reaches a steady uptake rate and then I'll match my kalk dosing to it.

For those looking for frags, be ready to load up at C4! For my previous and current real estate clients, come get your free frags or pick them up at C4.

Nice your frags are bigger than my colonies. Almost makes me want to stop doing water changes.

Haha. There's actually some of my own collection awaiting the QT period before they get to go into the DT. So they aren't all frag-sized.

The goal is actually to not do water changes on the frag tank as well. If I can get away with that on such a small system, then anything is possible.

[+olaggie01]

So jealous right now. Loved the last video. Maybe I'll make my tank a "hairy stick and wrasse" tank. Wait, that doesn't sound right. Sorry for polluting your tank build Ty.

[FarmerTy]

So jealous right now. Loved the last video. Maybe I'll make my tank a "hairy stick and wrasse" tank. Wait, that doesn't sound right. Sorry for polluting your tank build Ty.

[emoji23] There's so much rubbish in this build thread that you really haven't diluted the content that much more bud.

I want to see your wrasse list for the tank. I think it's going to be awesome!

[FarmerTy]

I'm shocked, dumbfounded... In utter disbelief. And I don't know what is more shocking to me right now.

1) My little frag tank takes up 2.9 dKh, daily!

2) My system is currently at 4.8 dKh with no STN observed on any acros!

Man, I knew there was going to be some serious uptake in that tiny water volume (20 gallons) full of mainly SPS frags but jeez, 2.9 dKh daily!

I'm going to empty my kalk ATO, refill it with the max saturation of kalk possible which is 2 teaspoons/gallon. For me, the container roughly holds 7 gallons so 14 teaspoons should do it. I'm curious if that even makes a dent to the 2.9 dKh daily uptake. I may have to run 2-part or even run a CaRX on that little frag tank.

[Bluemoon]

Something I've noticed when some of the nanos I've had take off. Actually have a tank running around 5dkh with a lot of Montis in it...as soon as I try to move them to another tank....they're goners.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[FarmerTy]

I can see them acclimating over time as I'm assuming that's what mine are doing. I'm trying to get the alk back up to a normal level just for frag rehoming sake. I don't want people taking home a frag and it dying because it had to adjust from 5 dKh to something more normal like 8-9 dKh.

[FarmerTy]

So, had some humbling experiences the last couple of days.

1) Somehow allowed both my frag tank and my DT drop in calcium levels significantly. We're talking 350 ppm and 370 ppm, respectively.

2) Overdosed Mg in my DT and now my snails are paying the price. I'm at 1800 ppm and trying to slowly lower it to 1500 ppm by doing water changes and turning off my CaRX as it also supplements Mg in my system.

3) Yes, you read it right. I'm doing water changes! I feel so dirty... [emoji15]

4) Had 3 beautiful pyramid butterflies in QT that were handpicked by a fellow reefer. I know they have a tendency to get bacterial infections on their mouths which cause them to rot away. Some believe because of transport in the bag, that they run into the bags and damage their mouth parts, allowing the bacterial infections to set in. Well, I got the 3 beautiful specimens, immediately started a bacterial treatment prophalytically, and even got them eating pellets by the first day. Then the rot sets in, I threw two other antiobiotics at it to see if anything would help, one dies, the other is on its way out, and I'm still not in the clear with the last. Wow, that was fun. [emoji53]

[+brian.srock]

Did somebody say Water Changes?

[FarmerTy]

Did somebody say Water Changes?

Naturally, I figured you'd be the first heckler! [emoji36]

I had a good run of two years with no water changes. Now I'll have an asterisk by my name if I ever win a reefing championship. [emoji12]

[+JoseZ]

Water changes??? Smh I don't even know who you are...

[FarmerTy]

Water changes??? Smh I don't even know who you are...

Well, how about old water exported out of the system and new saltwater imported, instead of water changes? Does it sting less?

How about running old water out my garden hose reactor and new water in from my brute trash can reactor?

How about calling it "new water dosing"?

[+brian.srock]

I don't believe you. I need you to take a picture with today's newspaper to prove it.

[FarmerTy]

I don't believe you. I need you to take a picture with today's newspaper to prove it.

I don't like this guy... [emoji16]

[Reburn]

I don't believe you. I need you to take a picture with today's newspaper to prove it.

I don't like this guy... [emoji16]

Thanks for making coffee come out my nose brian lol

[+olaggie01]

I don't believe you. I need you to take a picture with today's newspaper to prove it.

Ha. How's it feel Tybo?

Sorry to hear about the butterflys. I'm sure they were beautiful fish. Anything you could have done differently?

[+BobcatReefer]

Hate to hear about the fish, Ty.

[FarmerTy]

Sadly, I don't think there's one thing I could have done different other than let it sit at the LFS first to see if their mouths were damaged in shipping prior to taking them home. I started antibiotics since day 1 without even any signs of an infection but they still succumbed to it. Butterflies... What are you gonna do? I say that as one might actually make it though a large portion of his upper lip eroded. I hear it can grow back so hopefully he pulls through.

On the brightside, better in my QT than in my DT. Last thing I wanted to introduce is a flesheating bacteria in my tank!

[+KimP]

Sorry about the fish! I hope that last one makes it. That really sucks about them being such sensitive shippers. Did you notice any reaction in your corals from the drop in calcium? That doesn't seem too terribly low to me, though not ideal.

[FarmerTy]

Sorry about the fish! I hope that last one makes it. That really sucks about them being such sensitive shippers. Did you notice any reaction in your corals from the drop in calcium? That doesn't seem too terribly low to me, though not ideal.

Thanks Kim! Nah, usually a gradual drop is no issue. Though I could see a bit of stress in the frag tank and that's why I tested for Ca.

[Jimbo662]

Sorry to hear about the fish. They would have looked great in the tank.

[BornToHula]

No shame in doing water changes, it just means you not an immortal reef keeper!

I'm pulling for the last butterfly, must have been tough losing 2 of 3, but it seems like you did all you could.

Have an idea why your cal dropped so low and mag was so high?

[FarmerTy]

No shame in doing water changes, it just means you not an immortal reef keeper!

I'm pulling for the last butterfly, must have been tough losing 2 of 3, but it seems like you did all you could.

Have an idea why your cal dropped so low and mag was so high?

Haha, oh I know about the water changes. I was just being ridiculous because I can be. Saving lives, even if it's a snails life, means more than being able to say no water changes for X amount of time.

Well, sad to report that all butterflies have perished from the bacterial infections in the mouths. I used furan2 from day 1, added metroplex and kanaplex by day 3 to attack it with three different types of antiobiotics... in the end, they all succumbed. I even invited Maracyn2 late to the party to try another type of antibiotic but to no avail. Not really sure what to do from this point other than just wait until I've seen one sitting in a LFS long enough to assume that it incurred no mouth damage from shipping before I try again.

Otherwise, my other two fish in QT are doing just dandy and should be able to go into the main DT sometime after July 9th when my 76-day fallow period ends.

For my Ca levels dropping, it is directly related to me adjusting my CaRX to match my uptake in the tank as it ramped up. I had to do about 3-4 manual adjustments of the alk level by hand-dosing 2-part but I didn't do the Ca with it, hence the alk holding steady but the Ca dropped.

For Mg, I switched two Reborn CaRX media about 2 years ago and the media just contains a lot less Mg than the old Caribsea ARM media I used prior. So my Mg level decreases monthly with uptake and I hand dosed it up. I bought NeoMag media to add to the CaRX so it can help supplement Mg as it melts in the reactor but I haven't put it in yet. I hand dosed the other day and screwed up on my calculation and accidentally dosed it to 1800 ppm. So, thats why I did the 120 gallon water change to lower that number so all my snails wouldn't die.