5 gallon Reef Bowl & Reef Vase - Build Thread (Lots of photos!)

[SauceyReef]

Here is an update on the vase! The bowl is not doing so hot - it is being plagued by hair algae even with constant water changes. Well both tanks are but for some reason the vase is cycling/beating the algae way faster. Not sure why but any macro I put in vanishes. I think the emeralds are eating it.

 

[SauceyReef]

Well the vase is doing fantastic! But the reef bowl is very much plagued with algae. I’m thinking the mangrove is acting as a filter and helping with balance in the vase. Could also be there are two green banded gobies in the bowl, and I have to feed more often.

Regardless I got this nice shot of one of the Pom Poms. So far they have been model citizens and show pieces in the bowl. The one I put in my evo I have never seen again and wonder if it’s alive.

 

[brandon429]

all you have to do is rip clean the vase and it will skip cycle and be 100% algae free.

Algae Identification

Any opinions on what type of algae this is growing on my rocks and sand bed?

www.reef2reef.com

we should engineer one for your tank here. I need a new perfect rip clean model for that thread and nobody's done a pico yet. its literally the only thing that works for you. even if you dosed fluconazole, and the algae died, the resulting dead mass would spurn an eight month cyano invasion. rip clean is the only way, not a clean up crew, they translocate the plant mass into pelleted waste into the sand, for an eventual eight month cyano invasion which causes you to dose chemi clean which then turns the mass into dinos. only a rip clean will fix your tank and it would take all of four hours to conduct.

 

[brandon429]

for growback prevention, the #1 thing we do is reduce your light power it's about 50% too bright at that distance and focal pattern.

 

[MoshJosh]

Might have missed it, but what is the blue bulb in the lamp???

 

[SauceyReef]

all you have to do is rip clean the vase and it will skip cycle and be 100% algae free.

Algae Identification

Any opinions on what type of algae this is growing on my rocks and sand bed?

www.reef2reef.com

we should engineer one for your tank here. I need a new perfect rip clean model for that thread and nobody's done a pico yet. its literally the only thing that works for you. even if you dosed fluconazole, and the algae died, the resulting dead mass would spurn an eight month cyano invasion. rip clean is the only way, not a clean up crew, they translocate the plant mass into pelleted waste into the sand, for an eventual eight month cyano invasion which causes you to dose chemi clean which then turns the mass into dinos. only a rip clean will fix your tank and it would take all of four hours to conduct.

Honestly I get weary taking advice from anyone when they say something is the "only way". Algae is pretty common the first year for a new system. My evo which is a beautifully filled reef tank now was once plagued with algae problems also. Being patient and just doing regular cleanings + water changes always seems to work for me. Not sure what a "rip clean" is, and don't really want to look into it based off your comments.

 

[SauceyReef]

Might have missed it, but what is the blue bulb in the lamp???

ABI 12W Tuna Blue LED Bulb Coral Reef Optimized Spectrum PAR38. I am copying Natalies reef bowl in terms for most of the setup, except my tank is about 2x the size of hers.

 

[brandon429]

ask Natalie how rip cleans work for her

I understand the skepticism, but in this case it's true/that's why you can't see any other threads of seven reefs getting fixed like I posted above. healthy skepticism though agreed.

by all means, try the alternate ways and see if cyano and dinos can be avoided. if not, we have a roadmap already on file.

 

[brandon429]

wanna see Natalie's bowl six years ago>

read page 30 here
https://www.reef2rainforest.com/2017/12/28/coral-magazine-new-issue-micro-reefs-inside-look/



**look at her recent posts on that bowl here

Natalia's Reefbowlocalypse (almost)

www.nano-reef.com

 

[brandon429]

you either need to build some light intensity blockers/shading pass throughs from window screen or raise up the light higher, it's too bright and is 90% the cause of your issue. you do not have a parameter, nitrate or phosphate issue causing that/easy to troubleshoot from the prior pics and timeline succession of your tank

no matched grazers, allowance of growth, and bright lighting is where you're at. a rip clean fixes 2/3rd of the issue.

I arrived at your limited repair option by working on so many pico reefs I cannot count them all / not to be bleak, it was a ray of sunshine for you. any clicking in the thread provided shows truly happy reefers who were about to quit, and then didn't, and were so happy they posted all the proofs for reading/

you can fix that reef in 4 hours flat. if you do the lighting trick, you get to go a lot longer before the next surgical job. that reef is like a mouth that's never been brought to a dentist, you can be that dentist

 

[SauceyReef]

ask Natalie how rip cleans work for her

I understand the skepticism, but in this case it's true/that's why you can't see any other threads of seven reefs getting fixed like I posted above. healthy skepticism though agreed.

by all means, try the alternate ways and see if cyano and dinos can be avoided. if not, we have a roadmap already on file.

How could my lighting be to strong if my tank is 2x the depth/size of hers, and I am using the same light? I am pretty sure my ballast is taller also..

I am not even sure what a RIP clean is. Seeing you are so very passionate about it - do you mind explaining what it even is? I am not finding any legitimate answers when I look up "what is a RIP clean / reef tank" on a search engine. Finding some of your posts though ..

 

[brandon429]

Algae Identification

Any opinions on what type of algae this is growing on my rocks and sand bed?

www.reef2reef.com

it only takes about 15 minutes read there to fully know. it is:

taking out your rocks and making them clean vs waiting for something else to do it

it is taking out the sand and cleaning it of all the waste currently in it, feeding the algae allowed to grow on the rocks then you put everything back with a 100% water change. since your tank is taken apart, your animals are held in a tote or a bucket during the dentistry job. be sure and read the thread, its seven of the most detailed rip cleans available to read. a quick study

you wouldn't want to do the takedown cleaning until you know that thread above back and forth/detailed reading self study.

 

[SauceyReef]

Algae Identification

Any opinions on what type of algae this is growing on my rocks and sand bed?

www.reef2reef.com

it only takes about 15 minutes read there to fully know. it is:

taking out your rocks and making them clean vs waiting for something else to do it

it is taking out the sand and cleaning it of all the waste currently in it, feeding the algae allowed to grow on the rocks then you put everything back with a 100% water change. since your tank is taken apart, your animals are held in a tote or a bucket during the dentistry job. be sure and read the thread, its seven of the most detailed rip cleans available to read. a quick study

you wouldn't want to do the takedown cleaning until you know that thread above back and forth/detailed reading self study.

I do 95% water change once every couple weeks. I remove half the water than clean all the rocks manually with my hand, a forcep, and a tooth-brush. And the sand bed is a sliver. Probably a quarter of an ich. I have 10+ nass snails in their to move it along with me disturbing it each cleaning.

 

[SauceyReef]

Algae Identification

Any opinions on what type of algae this is growing on my rocks and sand bed?

www.reef2reef.com

it only takes about 15 minutes read there to fully know. it is:

taking out your rocks and making them clean vs waiting for something else to do it

it is taking out the sand and cleaning it of all the waste currently in it, feeding the algae allowed to grow on the rocks then you put everything back with a 100% water change. since your tank is taken apart, your animals are held in a tote or a bucket during the dentistry job. be sure and read the thread, its seven of the most detailed rip cleans available to read. a quick study

you wouldn't want to do the takedown cleaning until you know that thread above back and forth/detailed reading self study.

Oh and I forgot to mention I blast all the rocks with a big turkey baster after I am done cleaning, than siphon the rest of the water out. Would love an explanation how my light is to strong seeing I am copying her light exactly + higher depth / bigger tank.

 

[brandon429]

because unspoken variables change home to home, your relative rate of input of feed and nutrient and bioload stocking is different than hers, she exports target mass better than most, her bowl is aged and yours is new, and 10 other variables we can never pinpoint because expression ranges home to home. she has already applied an algaecide to her system (vibrant) which is slowing of plant growth (and caused what tradeoff invasion ? in her tank that she listed in the nano-reef.com thread)

follow the custom plan for your tank for the win

do not start a rip clean with any form of skepticism or hesitation though, you'll kill your whole setup. rip cleans are only for the resolved. I don't blame you if you aren't ready, try any other alternate solution first not a problem. you can fall back on a rip clean when ready and when you've truly absorbed those details from the other jobs

 

[SauceyReef]

because unspoken variables change home to home, your relative rate of input of feed and nutrient and bioload stocking is different than hers, she exports target mass better than most, her bowl is aged and yours is new, and 10 other variables we can never pinpoint because expression ranges home to home. she has already applied an algaecide to her system (vibrant) which is slowing of plant growth (and caused what tradeoff invasion ? in her tank that she listed in the nano-reef.com thread)

follow the custom plan for your tank for the win

do not start a rip clean with any form of skepticism or hesitation though, you'll kill your whole setup. rip cleans are only for the resolved. I don't blame you if you aren't ready, try any other alternate solution first not a problem. you can fall back on a rip clean when ready and when you've truly absorbed those details from the other jobs

The only variable changes is my tank is larger & my ballast is taller lol.. Nothing else you mentioned would even effect PAR from a given light.

 

[SauceyReef]

because unspoken variables change home to home, your relative rate of input of feed and nutrient and bioload stocking is different than hers, she exports target mass better than most, her bowl is aged and yours is new, and 10 other variables we can never pinpoint because expression ranges home to home. she has already applied an algaecide to her system (vibrant) which is slowing of plant growth (and caused what tradeoff invasion ? in her tank that she listed in the nano-reef.com thread)

follow the custom plan for your tank for the win

do not start a rip clean with any form of skepticism or hesitation though, you'll kill your whole setup. rip cleans are only for the resolved. I don't blame you if you aren't ready, try any other alternate solution first not a problem. you can fall back on a rip clean when ready and when you've truly absorbed those details from the other jobs

I appreciate the heads up for rip cleaning. Sounds like an interesting and effective way to clean a tank especially a nano/pico. I will stick with my method for now though as I have some pretty delicate creatures in the system and dont want to try to remove them or the rockwork.

 

[SauceyReef]

After quite a while I finally found a Mantis Shrimp (N.Wennerae) for the vase! I promise I’ll get some update shots the next few days of both tanks. In the mean time here’s a nice photo before I let it loose. I love the coloration on this one, but from my experience I imagine it’ll turn green after a few molts.

@brandon429 i finally got a chance to rent a par meter and check all the tanks. You were definitely right about the light being to strong on the bowl. The top of the tank was getting 500-800 par. I’m already seeing signs of great improvement in the tank quality with a higher ballast.

 

[SauceyReef]

The coloration on this mantis is amazing. This is the only photo online I could find that shows what it looks like, but the pattern is near exact. It is already coming out a bit of the den which is surprising, but the lights are dimming significantly.

 

[SauceyReef]

Here is the reef vase this afternoon and night.

I have the Mantis in here. I have really enjoyed these two tanks, and this one particularly. It has worked out from the start besides some algae problems (normal IMO) which is always nice with any system. The tank is decently modeled after Florida. The mangrove, rock flowers, Florida riccordia, macros, and CUC that doesn't get merced by the mantis are all from the area. Hopefully this adds to a very at home feeling for the N.Wennerae as they are caught in Florida, and a interesting aesthetic to this tank.