Bubba's SPS Journey

[bubbaque]

This tank is gonna be an absolute stunner! Can't wait to watch it progress. I like the channel that runs through the middle of the aquascape. Reminds me of the fingers you see on a real reef.

Thank you! I know in pics from the front it looks like a wall of rocks but it’s really not. Maybe I’ll do a video to show how the scape looks.

I couldn’t agree more with your rant on feeding a ton. My corals were “blah” the last few months and I would feed every few days. Now I’m feeding 3-4 times a day with no algae issues and the corals are looking on point. Moral of the story... don’t over feed in one sitting but feed smaller frequent amounts.

What’re your thoughts on reef roids?

I use reef roids sometimes mixed into my homemade food. I’ve always liked it but not sure it does anything more than regular food does.

Hi Bubbaque ,

Had been a while since I checked your build thread . Looking real good my friend ! Great advice to people on feeding more . Couldn’t agree more .

On a side note , are you still using CO2 scrubber ? If so , am interested to know how the small BRS scrubbers holding up against your large tank ? How often do you replace the media even with recirculating of moist air drawn from the slimmer cup ?

Regards,
Abhishek

I still am using the scrubber but I am going through media faster than I use to due to the larger skimmer. I was replacing the media every 3 days in one canister which was driving me crazy but I found that if I keep my cabinet doors closed on the stand I get a week out of it. Maybe with the doors closed it’s holding in the scrubbed air. I am home all day so people who leave the house for work don’t have as much co2 in the air and it will last longer for them.

 

[Abhishek]

Thank you! I know in pics from the front it looks like a wall of rocks but it’s really not. Maybe I’ll do a video to show how the scape looks.


I use reef roids sometimes mixed into my homemade food. I’ve always liked it but not sure it does anything more than regular food does.

I still am using the scrubber but I am going through media faster than I use to due to the larger skimmer. I was replacing the media every 3 days in one canister which was driving me crazy but I found that if I keep my cabinet doors closed on the stand I get a week out of it. Maybe with the doors closed it’s holding in the scrubbed air. I am home all day so people who leave the house for work don’t have as much co2 in the air and it will last longer for them.

That’s what I expected . You might want to look into the jumbo reactors from BRS . I saw one in action and it holds like 5 times the media and with double of those , you can be replacing once in 3 months . You won’t probably need the scrubber to work during the time the lights are on so putting a solenoid might help too .
The jumbo reactors are costly but at the end of the day , minimizes work a lot.

 

[SneakyTortuga]

Thank you! I know in pics from the front it looks like a wall of rocks but it’s really not. Maybe I’ll do a video to show how the scape looks.


I use reef roids sometimes mixed into my homemade food. I’ve always liked it but not sure it does anything more than regular food does.

I still am using the scrubber but I am going through media faster than I use to due to the larger skimmer. I was replacing the media every 3 days in one canister which was driving me crazy but I found that if I keep my cabinet doors closed on the stand I get a week out of it. Maybe with the doors closed it’s holding in the scrubbed air. I am home all day so people who leave the house for work don’t have as much co2 in the air and it will last longer for them.

That’s what I’ve been doing! I mix the reef roids into my food and just broadcast feed a few times a day. I Feel like I’ve seen a positive response to the feeding

 

[Abhishek]

Have you guys ever tried Benereef Benepets ? I have been using it exclusively and somehow it just come with the additions of phosphates and nitrates . I have spoken to Jared from RMF and he seems to swear by it ! I trust Jared as much as I trust Adam . Its also exclusively used by Steve Tyree for his cryptic refugium . Since my main filteration is the cryptic refugium, it helps a lot . So , have been using it exclusively for the last 5-6 months and I have only great things to say .

The other option is EasySps EVO - a liquid form food that doesn't need refrigeration and can be dosed using a dosing pump. I just got a 250 ml pack and configured my GHL 2.1 to dose 4 ml a day in front of my red dragon return pump for being circulated in the tank.
Its sold by saltwateraquarium.com and not popular in US but many of my friends across the ocean seems to swear by it. If feeding can be automated in any way , am all in for it .

Regards,
Abhishek

 

[Pdash]

I couldn’t agree more with your rant on feeding a ton. My corals were “blah” the last few months and I would feed every few days. Now I’m feeding 3-4 times a day with no algae issues and the corals are looking on point. Moral of the story... don’t over feed in one sitting but feed smaller frequent amounts.

What’re your thoughts on reef roids?

I get out whatever frozen I'm feeding that day put it in a cup defrost it add aminos and powdered coral food, then add tank water and dump a little bit in anytime I'm near the tank. Some days my tank gets fed 10+ times. Also, I'll drop a pinch of pellets two to three times a day. My tank is a red sea reefer 350, with 2 clowns, a pintail, a Christmas wrasse, and a whitetail bristletooth tang. Needless to say my fish are very fat. The few lps I have, have exploded with growth as a result, sps too.

 

[EW_Fish]

I get out whatever frozen I'm feeding that day put it in a cup defrost it add aminos and powdered coral food, then add tank water and dump a little bit in anytime I'm near the tank. Some days my tank gets fed 10+ times. Also, I'll drop a pinch of pellets two to three times a day. My tank is a red sea reefer 350, with 2 clowns, a pintail, a Christmas wrasse, and a whitetail bristletooth tang. Needless to say my fish are very fat. The few lps I have, have exploded with growth as a result, sps too.

I would think 10x is a bit over kill. Are these large feedings or just a bunch of small feedings

 

[Pdash]

I would think 10x is a bit over kill. Are these large feedings or just a bunch of small feedings

Small feedings of course, I'm not that much of a lunatic.

 

[CoralWealth]

Hey random question and not sure if you talked about it before.

How often are you changing your RO/DI membrane and DI? Just when they hit 1 on the TDS meter or do you do it before hand to stay safe?

 

[bubbaque]

Hey random question and not sure if you talked about it before.

How often are you changing your RO/DI membrane and DI? Just when they hit 1 on the TDS meter or do you do it before hand to stay safe?

I just changed my membrane for the first time in 3 years but I change my DI when it hits 1 tds. I seen on FB where someone changes their membrane every 3 months and that’s just insane. That’s just pouring money down the drain.

 

[CoralWealth]

I just changed my membrane for the first time in 3 years but I change my DI when it hits 1 tds. I seen on FB where someone changes their membrane every 3 months and that’s just insane. That’s just pouring money down the drain.

Wow that is crazy unless you are making an insane amount of water. Okay I just wanted to make sure I was normal in that stage because I am paying more attention to my TDS then I did before and I did it helps a ton making sure you have 0 TDS. Especially if you are doing larger water changes like I am in my system, 40g a week even though thats less then 10% but still and then obviously evaporation is more in larger tanks too so the top off.

 

[EW_Fish]

Wow that is crazy unless you are making an insane amount of water. Okay I just wanted to make sure I was normal in that stage because I am paying more attention to my TDS then I did before and I did it helps a ton making sure you have 0 TDS. Especially if you are doing larger water changes like I am in my system, 40g a week even though thats less then 10% but still and then obviously evaporation is more in larger tanks too so the top off.

Flushing it and making large batches of water makes a big difference.

 

[EW_Fish]

So everyone has asked what your top favorite corals are now let's hear what your top least favorite are!!

 

[DivingTheWorld]

So everyone has asked what your top favorite corals are now let's hear what your top least favorite are!!

I’m going to guess those didn’t make it into the new tank.

 

[bubbaque]

I only kept stuff I really like but at first I added a garf bonsai as a tester. That would have to be my least favorite but I took it out the tank.

 

[DivingTheWorld]

I only kept stuff I really like but at first I added a garf bonsai as a tester. That would have to be my least favorite but I took it out the tank.

My BC Secale is one of my most asked about corals. That deep purple with neon green polyps just pops!

 

[EW_Fish]

My BC Secale is one of my most asked about corals. That deep purple with neon green polyps just pops!

I know who doesnt love the garf

 

[bubbaque]

I do like garf bonsai, I had two colonies of it. Out of the coral I transferred that is my least favorite.

 

[lbacha]

Dammnnn that's a heck of a three month old tank!! looking fabulous Bubba!!

As for the shrooms, it's just a waiting game unfortunately haha @Rakie might have some tricks though??

I’m not an expert on shrooms but I got 6 loose yumas a couple months ago and after a lot of trial and error (3 are somewhere in the tank I just don’t know where lol) I ended up putting them in a container with a bunch of frag plug bottoms that I had cut off when I was mounting some corals. The yumas attached to them pretty quickly then I glued them where I wanted them.

Len

 

[Beonedge]

Hi Bubbaque ,
what is your favorite brand of carx media ? Did you using 2nd carx chamber ?

 

[Hemmdog]

Thank you! I know in pics from the front it looks like a wall of rocks but it’s really not. Maybe I’ll do a video to show how the scape looks.


I use reef roids sometimes mixed into my homemade food. I’ve always liked it but not sure it does anything more than regular food does.

I still am using the scrubber but I am going through media faster than I use to due to the larger skimmer. I was replacing the media every 3 days in one canister which was driving me crazy but I found that if I keep my cabinet doors closed on the stand I get a week out of it. Maybe with the doors closed it’s holding in the scrubbed air. I am home all day so people who leave the house for work don’t have as much co2 in the air and it will last longer for them.

This post inspired me.. haha. Did I get the right stuff?