All,
Got my first ICP test back in from ATI. Full results attached. Would like people's feedback on my plan for the issues of concern:
1. In the week and half since I sent it off, Alkalinity has gone up by 1.30-ish dkh and has stayed there for the past half week; from 8.68 (ICP) and 8.74 (Hanna measurement taken the day before) to 9.97 (Hanna; I know the margin of error is like 5ppm; note that my Hanna checker measures in PPM and my excel spreadsheet converts results to DKH by multiplying by 0.056). I have not done anything that I can think that might have added alkalinity, save add maybe 200ml worth of caribsea shell substrate, stirred up the sandbed decently while moving a rock, and added about 5 gallons of Red Sea salt (NOT coral pro; ostensible alk of salt is 7.5-8.5 @ 35ppt and I'll double check that next time I make salt water) twice to offset overskimming. I'm a bit surprised, since I would have thought my new SPS' would have started consuming alkalinity. Ca has also gone up a little bit, but that may be test error (salifert CA kit, so 1-2 drops is the difference between 420 and 470; hanna checker whose results the day before I took the ICP sample water is basicaly the same as the ICP result).
I intend to just ride this out; my goal is to have alkalinity stable (and with a basically linear measured daily consumption) at about 8 dkh prior to starting supplementing with ATI essentials. Ca/Mg will of course also be monitored and hopefully at a stable level and daily consumption at the same time
2. Iodine is way down (15.94 µg/l vs ATI's reference 62.53 µg/l). I have bought two little fishies iodine supplement and a salifert test kit; I intend to start dosing and measuring until it gets to the reference value
3. Several metals are pretty high (Zinc 30.25 µg/l compared to reference 1.92 µg/l; Tin 5.41 µg/l to 0.48 µg/l +4.93 µg/l; and Aluminium 82.33 µg tol 0.10 µg/l). I intend to remove my marine pure block, after adding a bit more - maybe 100g - seachem matrix (to make up for any nitrifying bacteria loss) and letting it sit for a few days. I may also replace the phosbond with GAC, at least a month after the marinepure is gone (since I have otherwise seen no need to replace it).
I also plan on adding a two little fishies Metasorb. Part of me is also thinking of doing a set of water changes (or one big water change) once the MP is gone, which theoretically should bring things down to my salt's (regular Red Sea salt) spec.
It seems to me that once all that is done, I should send another sample for an ICP test.
I wrote up a brief history of the tank, its data and the stock list, but I cut the stock list because with my notes on the stock it's longer than the rest of the post and TMI IMO.
Brief Relevant History
I think lack of vacuuming and a deep sand bed allowed a lot of detritus to accumulate; better feeding, matrix/purigen/GAC, lowered NO3 from like 25 to 2 and Phosphate from like .4 to .1 over the course of January-February. (alk has never been dangerously low since I've always used Red Sea Coral pro until a few weeks ago, besides instability probably related to the nitrates). Afterward came a cyano problem.
Nitrates and Phospates swung upward to about 10 in late march after a lot of cyano was gone (corresponding to a bleaching a pocillopora frag which showed OK growth before). Got it back down to around 2 in a month.
Since mid june, Nitrates and phosphates are consistently down to basically the ICP measured levels; (variance no more than 50% in at least weekly measurements). No more cyano, but very heavy coverage of GHA (which I assume ate/is eating NO3 and PO4).
In that time, I've done some scraping, but mostly have tried to let the GHA slowly be eaten down by a larger clean up crew (added 7 trochus snails) and have added a Santa Monica HOG 1x ATS, which has been operating for about a week, in the hopes of moving the algae gradually from the DT to the ATS. It's now about 30% what it was at its height.
Some data:
Tank: 29 gallon, sumpless Petco tank
~4" sandbed
Full marinepure
Red Sea Salt and distilled water
A good amount of Matrix (about Seachem's recommended amount)
30 gallon rated skimmer; overskimmed for a while but now I've got it tuned where it should be.
1 Kessil 360W; run up to 100% for a few hours, but otherwise fairly low (going to add a second to reduce shading, and will probably reduce both at that time. I am waiting for a PAR meter)
1 Jebao wp-40 and Maxpect Gyre 150. Maximum setting on Gyre is like 60% variable pulse mode, around mid-day, for a few hours.
I have been tweaking light and flow for the past month, generally upward, and dialing down if things look weird after a few days.
Running Seachem Matrix (about recommended amount), Matrix Carbon (1/3 recommended amount IIRC. Per ATI, I will remove this once I start essentials, probably a few days before I think I'm ready), Purigen (recomended amont), Phosbond (1/4 recommended amount IIRC; wanted to use any phosphate controlling media very sparing at first. I don't think I was wrong.......)
Live stock (brief list): 4 fish, 4 shrimp, several corals or frags. 1 Favites pentagona war coral, 12 green explosion palythoa mutuki, one purple whip gorgonian pterogorgia anceps, 3 monti frags, 6 acro frags, 2 pocillopora frags. New frags are from our frag swap last week which I got basically for free. The ones that have been in for more than a month are doing well (growth, color, polyp extension - one monti dig frag is growing very well); most of the new ones (acros) are either at steady state or actively growing (1 rainbow monti shows encrusting and vertical growth; one pocillopora has healed its frag cuts; both show good polyp extension).
Got my first ICP test back in from ATI. Full results attached. Would like people's feedback on my plan for the issues of concern:
1. In the week and half since I sent it off, Alkalinity has gone up by 1.30-ish dkh and has stayed there for the past half week; from 8.68 (ICP) and 8.74 (Hanna measurement taken the day before) to 9.97 (Hanna; I know the margin of error is like 5ppm; note that my Hanna checker measures in PPM and my excel spreadsheet converts results to DKH by multiplying by 0.056). I have not done anything that I can think that might have added alkalinity, save add maybe 200ml worth of caribsea shell substrate, stirred up the sandbed decently while moving a rock, and added about 5 gallons of Red Sea salt (NOT coral pro; ostensible alk of salt is 7.5-8.5 @ 35ppt and I'll double check that next time I make salt water) twice to offset overskimming. I'm a bit surprised, since I would have thought my new SPS' would have started consuming alkalinity. Ca has also gone up a little bit, but that may be test error (salifert CA kit, so 1-2 drops is the difference between 420 and 470; hanna checker whose results the day before I took the ICP sample water is basicaly the same as the ICP result).
I intend to just ride this out; my goal is to have alkalinity stable (and with a basically linear measured daily consumption) at about 8 dkh prior to starting supplementing with ATI essentials. Ca/Mg will of course also be monitored and hopefully at a stable level and daily consumption at the same time
2. Iodine is way down (15.94 µg/l vs ATI's reference 62.53 µg/l). I have bought two little fishies iodine supplement and a salifert test kit; I intend to start dosing and measuring until it gets to the reference value
3. Several metals are pretty high (Zinc 30.25 µg/l compared to reference 1.92 µg/l; Tin 5.41 µg/l to 0.48 µg/l +4.93 µg/l; and Aluminium 82.33 µg tol 0.10 µg/l). I intend to remove my marine pure block, after adding a bit more - maybe 100g - seachem matrix (to make up for any nitrifying bacteria loss) and letting it sit for a few days. I may also replace the phosbond with GAC, at least a month after the marinepure is gone (since I have otherwise seen no need to replace it).
I also plan on adding a two little fishies Metasorb. Part of me is also thinking of doing a set of water changes (or one big water change) once the MP is gone, which theoretically should bring things down to my salt's (regular Red Sea salt) spec.
It seems to me that once all that is done, I should send another sample for an ICP test.
I wrote up a brief history of the tank, its data and the stock list, but I cut the stock list because with my notes on the stock it's longer than the rest of the post and TMI IMO.
Brief Relevant History
I think lack of vacuuming and a deep sand bed allowed a lot of detritus to accumulate; better feeding, matrix/purigen/GAC, lowered NO3 from like 25 to 2 and Phosphate from like .4 to .1 over the course of January-February. (alk has never been dangerously low since I've always used Red Sea Coral pro until a few weeks ago, besides instability probably related to the nitrates). Afterward came a cyano problem.
Nitrates and Phospates swung upward to about 10 in late march after a lot of cyano was gone (corresponding to a bleaching a pocillopora frag which showed OK growth before). Got it back down to around 2 in a month.
Since mid june, Nitrates and phosphates are consistently down to basically the ICP measured levels; (variance no more than 50% in at least weekly measurements). No more cyano, but very heavy coverage of GHA (which I assume ate/is eating NO3 and PO4).
In that time, I've done some scraping, but mostly have tried to let the GHA slowly be eaten down by a larger clean up crew (added 7 trochus snails) and have added a Santa Monica HOG 1x ATS, which has been operating for about a week, in the hopes of moving the algae gradually from the DT to the ATS. It's now about 30% what it was at its height.
Some data:
Tank: 29 gallon, sumpless Petco tank
~4" sandbed
Full marinepure
Red Sea Salt and distilled water
A good amount of Matrix (about Seachem's recommended amount)
30 gallon rated skimmer; overskimmed for a while but now I've got it tuned where it should be.
1 Kessil 360W; run up to 100% for a few hours, but otherwise fairly low (going to add a second to reduce shading, and will probably reduce both at that time. I am waiting for a PAR meter)
1 Jebao wp-40 and Maxpect Gyre 150. Maximum setting on Gyre is like 60% variable pulse mode, around mid-day, for a few hours.
I have been tweaking light and flow for the past month, generally upward, and dialing down if things look weird after a few days.
Running Seachem Matrix (about recommended amount), Matrix Carbon (1/3 recommended amount IIRC. Per ATI, I will remove this once I start essentials, probably a few days before I think I'm ready), Purigen (recomended amont), Phosbond (1/4 recommended amount IIRC; wanted to use any phosphate controlling media very sparing at first. I don't think I was wrong.......)
Live stock (brief list): 4 fish, 4 shrimp, several corals or frags. 1 Favites pentagona war coral, 12 green explosion palythoa mutuki, one purple whip gorgonian pterogorgia anceps, 3 monti frags, 6 acro frags, 2 pocillopora frags. New frags are from our frag swap last week which I got basically for free. The ones that have been in for more than a month are doing well (growth, color, polyp extension - one monti dig frag is growing very well); most of the new ones (acros) are either at steady state or actively growing (1 rainbow monti shows encrusting and vertical growth; one pocillopora has healed its frag cuts; both show good polyp extension).
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) welcome.
