NeverlosT's 140g Cube in Paradise

[NeverlosT]

next up:
- drilling skimmer cup for drain and maybe adding a skimmate locker
- getting a reeflink so i can better control my vortechs
- consider a countertop frag tank w/radion

 

[s2nhle]

wow, it is awesome. Thank you for sharing.

 

[Keenan]

Looks great. Gotta love the feeling after you get done with all that maintenance!

imo, 16ppm nitrates are just fine. But if you want to try something out then I understand as we've all been there.

 

[NeverlosT]

Looks great. Gotta love the feeling after you get done with all that maintenance!

imo, 16ppm nitrates are just fine. But if you want to try something out then I understand as we've all been there.

I agree, I used to have waaaaay higher nitrates (like 40ppm) and I felt like that stunted SPS growth and not everything was very happy. But 16ppm definitely isn't the end of the world.

In fact, things are growing pretty well right now. What I'll probably end up doing is the swabbie and skimmate locker just to make life easier, and then just dabble with low amounts of vinegar dosing just to see if I can lower nitrate in that fashion without other consequences.

 

[NeverlosT]

We did lose one anthias a few weeks ago. The first fish to pass on in years. He didn't look like anything was wrong with him, so I am not sure what caused it (fat and happy). Poor guy. So now the fish list is:

1x Achilles Tang
4x Lyretail Anthias
2x Potters Wrasses

Which aren't a lot of fish for a 150g tank, so maybe its time to fire the QT back up and introduce some new friends. I am a bit concerned about adding tangs with a big achilles well established, but he has always been nice to other fish, so maybe it'll be ok, especially if their body shapes are different from his (yellow or purple tangs for example).

 

[NeverlosT]

Ok, some updates!

1. Added a Bariene Tang - was initially worried about he and the achilles, but they are pretty much inseparable now. Always swimming together. Man that worked out, and he eats Valonia (bubble algae)!!! Awesome.
2. I am still not 100% thrilled with my Vectra, you can read about it here. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/ecotech-vectra-l1-new-version-improvements.364222/
3. I put my ReefDynamics skimmer back into place. The ATI was awesome, but the gridwheel and volute were constantly getting plugged and it just wasn't working great. So I am going to run with the RD for a bit.
4. I also booted the refugium area in favor of making it a frag area. Borrowed an XR15 to light it, still a work in progress.
5. Borrowed a reeflink too, and man, it makes working with the vortechs, vectra, and Radions WAAAAY easier. Significant improvement.
6. SPS were still suffering. So weird. Only some were really failing, others just not thriving. Did so many water changes and water tests. Then... I think I figured it out. My Milwaukee MA887 digital refractometer was WAY off. It was telling me that my SG was 1.024 and it was actually 1.033 or more. So basically the tank salinity, and water change water salinity, were significantly high. I need to contact milwaukee about it (because it isnt taking a calibration) but for now a good old refractometer has my salinity back in order and I can already see an improvement in some SPS just days later. Feels good to actually fix a problem.
7. One of my buddies is sick, and needed to take a break from the hobby to get treatment, so I am caring for some of his SPS in my coral QT until he is well enough to start again, so that is set up in the dining room now (separate tank since he had AEFW).
8. Oh also, there was a potter's wrasse war, they both went supermale and it was a battle royale. The younger one (newer one at least) got caught and gifted to a buddy. So down to just one Potters.
9. Lastly, my Apex freaked out a few weeks ago and started resetting the system like every 5 minutes. No bueno. It really messed up the ATI powermodule which then needed to be all reset and have some fans replaced. I determined that it was the Apex classic network setting still having my email and cellphone info for notifications, in addition to Fusion having that data. Apparently you need to delete that info from the classic dashboard or you can run into problems like I was having. So I did that and it has been smooth sailing since then.

Not many pics at the moment, hopefully some nice growth shots soon, had kind of lost some interest for a bit but getting more stoked on the tank lately. Cheers!

Coral QT:

Daylight Vivid Rainbow Delight (stoked, even with crazy high salinity!):

Not such a great pic, but daylight was fun to play with and Titus the Achilles tang wanted to show off:

 

[s2nhle]

beautiful. Thank you for the update.

 

[NeverlosT]

The Frag tank gets sunlight for a few hours a day. This is a wolverine (I think) that I am hanging onto for a friend under natural light.

A closeup of good ol OG Mummy Eye Chalice.

Superman Monti looking snazzy:

SC Dynamite Chalice always looking good:

Garf Bonsai Forest:

 

[NeverlosT]

Nitrates are high again (~32ppm) and my SPS do not like it. Trying out a sulfur denitrator but the reactor I had was too small to be effective... so I bought a used SKIMZ NM152, and it showed up broken. So now I am trying to find an Aquarium Engineering unit because I am tired of dealing with badly constructed equipment. The Skimz unit was awful construction, I cant believe they sell it for $420 with those materials and construction.

I know that some folks have success with really high nitrates, but not my tank, my corals dislike it. So bringing it down with a denitrator is my goal these days.

Other than that, things are going pretty well, ALK stable at 7-7.5. just cruising. Excited for reefapalooza in a few weeks.

 

[s2nhle]

Sorry for the nitrates hike. Same here my sps did not like it either.

 

[Polyp Lagoon]

My nitrates were at 50ppm lately. Kinda strange when running ZEOvit stopped using it and went back to balling light. Now my nitrates are at around 10ppm in 2 months time. Sps don’t like that high numbers for sure... keep up man!

 

[NeverlosT]

My nitrates were at 50ppm lately. Kinda strange when running ZEOvit stopped using it and went back to balling light. Now my nitrates are at around 10ppm in 2 months time. Sps don’t like that high numbers for sure... keep up man!

Yeah I am losing a 10" wide Strawberry shortcake colony to RTN right now and the only parameter out of wack is very high nitrates. I need to get these under control.

I am running some carbon as of this morning to keep the dying colony from impacting others in the tank, hopefully the carbon captures any toxins or what have you. I am heartbroken since that colony was a stunner and I have grown it for years

 

[Polyp Lagoon]

Oh man that’s horrible!! Have you done an ICP lately?
Hope tings will turn around for you soon! Remember that even if it looks goner you still can save it. So get the tank stable. Keep it up!

 

[NeverlosT]

Yeah ICP all looks good (and every other SPS looks good, only ones suffering are SSC, reeftek starburst, and WWC Snowdrop), I just battle very high nitrates (like 30-40ppm) which I think can be ok sometimes if other parameters are in agreement, but I can easily see that my coral like it much better when my nitrates are lower given where my other parameters live.

These days I am:
Nitrate: ~30ppm
Phosphate: 0.03ppm
Alk: 7-7.5dKh
Ca: 420-440ppm
Mag: 1400ppm
SG: 1.026

So I will try to get nitrates stable at 5-10ppm and I expect a big improvement.

 

[NeverlosT]

Updates:

1. Got a Skimz sulfur denitrator for my ~30ppm nitrates. Set it up, took a long time to feel like it made any impact. Turns out I should have just run water through it faster after it was broken in (Took a month to break in, I did slowly speed up the flow, but was trying to maintain -150 ORP). Once I sped up flow to try and slow down the reactor it dropped nitrates faster than ever. Here is a pic of it mid-crash (foggy water, ORP pegged at like -400 due to flow being stopped for a couple of hours, no bueno).
2. Sulfur denitrator would basically crash after even just a couple of hours with no-flow, then seemed risky to turn it back on. I didnt like this, and my nitrates were pretty low, so I decided to take it offline and store it. Nitrates are ~4ppm currently and stable.
3. I lost this colony. Totally at random, all other coral happy, just RTN. This is before any of the lowering nitrate games. So bummed. Got a rescue frag though and regrowing now...
4. 
5. Here are some cool chalice frags I made and sold. They help fund the tank since it turns out having kids is expensive!
6. 

More coming...

 

[NeverlosT]

Ok on with the updates. I had been running a UV sterilizer for years only at night, but its return to the tank was a loose hose and it had like 300gph going through it. That gave me the creeps. So I took it offline a month ago and will only use it if I start to see problems (none yet). RIP UV..

Aaaaand I put my ReefDynamics INS180E Skimmer back in. The ATI was good, but super unstable and the gridwheel was clogging weekly. So back to this big ol sucker. It runs consistently and I like that.


Still using filter socks but reeeeeally considering stopping. They are a pain and I see great tanks without them. hmmmm

Swapped return pump. This did not go well. The Vectra L1 kept crapping out (it would clog its coolant loop up with biofilm and then run dry, heat up, and slow down. hopefully they fixed the bad cooling design in the L2).
So I bit the bullet and bought a RD3 Speedy 100W, wow a 1K USD pump, ouch. Must be amazing though, right? Right?

Well, not at the start anyway. It leaked like a seive out of the volute right away.
Here's a link to the vids, first shows leak, second shows the leak path in the volute (see bubbles):



So I found the leak path, cleaned it all up, did my own fix with pvc cement and a syringe. RE did eventually send a replacement volute but the workmanship doesn't look any better on it so I haven't swapped them yet.

So initial experience with Royal Exclusiv is that service is pretty good, but the product quality is not what I would expect for their insane prices. The control box leaves a lot to be desired too, it is large and so simple. In that department the vectra wins for sure, and even they could use an upgrade to the controller box (hint, use a color lcd screen, not dancing lights).

 

[NeverlosT]

Ok lets see what else... (can you tell that I am home sick from work so I actually have 5 seconds to do this?)

Oh a relatively new vortech fried itself ("motor broke loose from motor mounts in dry side"). Crazy thing is it did this totally on its own, no dropping, just normal use. Not impressed. Now I have to send it in and be without a powerhead for at least a week. Bummer. Two points from house ecotech!



After the RD3 and now this, I am thinking of starting a aquarium company... make some decent equipment for reasonable prices... grumble grumble...

 

[NeverlosT]

Ok more to go:

1.
The tank is full of frags. I need a frag tank. Or to go give these to a shop or trade them. Anyone need BBEB Zoas, MyMiami Chalices, Paletta Pink Tip Acro or Lime in the Sky Acro???

2.
My milwaukee MA887 digital refractometer died a while back. I sent it in finally and they replaced it. Weird thing is, it doesn't agree with the hanna salinity pen, the manual refractometer, or the salinity probe. bummer.

3.
Tank looks pretty in the sun!

4. I made a water change station!


Then the front right leg almost buckled and so I had to reinforce it, but she still stands today!!!

 

[NeverlosT]

Some pics, everyone loves pics.





Ok, thats about up to date. Next things to do are:

1. Either get a frag tank or man up and buy the dang 300G tank from AGE.
2. Get the vortech fixed and back in service
3. Watch the corals grow.
4. Try to avoid impulse purchases of reef equipment as the garage is getting silly looking.
5. Win the war against aptasia.

 

[Keenan]

I don't know how I lost track of this thread for a while but it looks like you've hit a patch of bad luck with the equipment side of things... At least the corals/fish don't seem to be suffering!

Have you thought about getting the clarisea to replace the filter socks? I myself am thinking about pulling the trigger on one for my new 525XL RSR. Also, I can't believe you had a 150gal tank and never had a water mixing station till now!? You must be loving it!

Lastly, Titus is awesome! More pics of him please