ScottF
Active Member
Hi all,
I had a 90gal mixed reef from 2008 until 2014ish. Things went pretty well with that tank for the first few years. It became more of a struggle towards the end and I eventually shut it down after I lost a bunch of fish due to a ich outbreak following a power outage.
Looking back I think my struggles started when I switched from T5s to the original AI Hydras. We weren't using par meters (at least I wasn't) back then and I think I was blasting my corals with too much light at first. Then I really started chasing 0 PO4. I was running a ton of GFO and a bio pellet reactor.
Now I know that absolute 0 phosphates isn't a good thing in most cases and I was probably starving my corals of a needed nutrient.
Anyway... I've decided to jump back into the hobby in a big way. I've been watching reefing videos on youtube 24-7 for weeks. I purchased a 210gal (265 total) Red Sea S1000 G2 tank. I opted for the "MAX" bundle. So it came with lights, skimmer, reef mat, gyre style powerheads, dc return pumps...
I'm a gear junkie. I added a couple of MP40s, an Apex A3, 3 x Neptune Dos, MXM module, break out module, an extra EB832, a BRS jumbo CO2 scrubber, a couple of Vortech backup batteries and a Samsung tablet that was laying around for a control panel.
I added 2 x 200 gallon holding tanks to the garage for RO/DI and Saltwater and plumbed them together with a retracting hose real that I replaced the hose in with food grade tubing.
I'm using a 5 stage Spectrapure 150GPD RO/DI filter. I'm currently using Tropic Marin Pro Reef though I wanted to use Nyos Pure Salt, but can't find it in stock anywhere.
I'm using the Dos to do 2% (20 liters) daily automatic water changes. I'm also using a Dos head as an ATO to pull water from my RO/DI tank in the garage.
Hopefully I am more successful this time around. My 90gal reef did pretty good before I started going crazy chasing 0 phosphates and my fish were always happy and healthy until a stress event caused my powder blue to break out and kill off half the tank.
It seems like the hobby has come a long way in the past 10 years. I'm looking forward to this new adventure.
I had a 90gal mixed reef from 2008 until 2014ish. Things went pretty well with that tank for the first few years. It became more of a struggle towards the end and I eventually shut it down after I lost a bunch of fish due to a ich outbreak following a power outage.
Looking back I think my struggles started when I switched from T5s to the original AI Hydras. We weren't using par meters (at least I wasn't) back then and I think I was blasting my corals with too much light at first. Then I really started chasing 0 PO4. I was running a ton of GFO and a bio pellet reactor.
Now I know that absolute 0 phosphates isn't a good thing in most cases and I was probably starving my corals of a needed nutrient.
Anyway... I've decided to jump back into the hobby in a big way. I've been watching reefing videos on youtube 24-7 for weeks. I purchased a 210gal (265 total) Red Sea S1000 G2 tank. I opted for the "MAX" bundle. So it came with lights, skimmer, reef mat, gyre style powerheads, dc return pumps...
I'm a gear junkie. I added a couple of MP40s, an Apex A3, 3 x Neptune Dos, MXM module, break out module, an extra EB832, a BRS jumbo CO2 scrubber, a couple of Vortech backup batteries and a Samsung tablet that was laying around for a control panel.
I added 2 x 200 gallon holding tanks to the garage for RO/DI and Saltwater and plumbed them together with a retracting hose real that I replaced the hose in with food grade tubing.
I'm using a 5 stage Spectrapure 150GPD RO/DI filter. I'm currently using Tropic Marin Pro Reef though I wanted to use Nyos Pure Salt, but can't find it in stock anywhere.
I'm using the Dos to do 2% (20 liters) daily automatic water changes. I'm also using a Dos head as an ATO to pull water from my RO/DI tank in the garage.
Hopefully I am more successful this time around. My 90gal reef did pretty good before I started going crazy chasing 0 phosphates and my fish were always happy and healthy until a stress event caused my powder blue to break out and kill off half the tank.
It seems like the hobby has come a long way in the past 10 years. I'm looking forward to this new adventure.
