A new approach to nutrient export.

Hey guys. Im going to start this thread as a journal basically for the new approach I am taking with my 30 gallon reef. After doing a substantial amount of reading, and becoming fed up with the current health of this tank I decided to change the way I maintain it completely. Any input is much appreciated.

First things first, the history of this tank. The system is nearing its 1 year birthday. Throughout this time it has experienced some pretty severe negligence on my part. Between work and health issues I havent been able to tend to it the way I wanted to. Because of an RO-DI issue and problems with my salt mixing set up, the system had been exposed to EXTREMELY high PO4 levels. This caused all the corals to slowly lose their color or bleach completely. Major mistake on my part. The problem has since been fixed and PO4 levels are finally within acceptable range. (Tested via Hanna ULR Phosphorus Checker.)

The System Breakdown

30 gallon AGA display with 20 gallon long sump
Reef Octopus BH-100 HOB Skimmer( Reef Octopus BH-100 HOB Skimmer - Up to 75 gal. | ThatPetPlace.com )
Bubble Magus NAC3 skimmer ( Bubble Magus NAC 3+ Protein Skimmer Bubble Magus NAC 3+ Protein Skimmer )
BRS dual stage reactor
HOB filter housing live rock
4 bulb t5 Tek light
Dosing is done manually with the BRS two part system
Kalk is dripped nightly to stabilize Ph swing

My parameters have been stable for the last month at..
Alk. 9DKH (Via Hanna Checker)
Cal. 425-450ppm (Via Red Sea Pro)
Mag. 1450 (Via Red Sea Pro)



The Game Plan

Now that my P04 levels are within the range that I wish to keep them, .03-.04 PPM, I am going to do everything possible to keep them that way. Dosing vodka has helped with my frag system so I decided I would start a vodka dosing regiment with this system as well. I am starting at .2ml vodka a day. My plan is to feed as heavily as I can and keep my levels no higher than .04 PO4 and nitrates undetectable. I feed phytoplankton, zooplankton, cyclopeeze, bloodworms, mysis and Reef Frenzy on alternating schedules. Small amounts are added throughout the day. Since the addition of the Bubble Magus skimmer and vodka, both skimmers have been pulling skimmate extremely well.



Reef Octo skimmer



Bubble Magus skimmer.

There is no doubt in my mind that I am skimming enough. But I am a fan of water changes so I will also be doing weekly water changes of atleast 10-15 gallons. Although I will in theory not need them for lowering nutrients, I will be using them as a source to replenish trace minerals.


Stopping Usage of Carbon (GAC) !?

I have decided to no longer run granulated actived carbon on this system. I first got my PO4 and N03 levels in check around a month ago. Despite those changes I have noticed little to no improvement in many of my corals. Weird, good levels mean good colors right? Well, upon further reading my heavy usage of GAC was stripping my water of its trace minerals. I knew this was happening but didnt realize the massive impact that it could have on SPS coloration and growth. I stopped using GAC 7 days ago. Since then almost all my SPS corals have shown the best polyp extension I have ever seen. However, my LPS corals seem to be a bit thrown off by the change. My acans are not extending fully, and chalices seem a deflated. My frogspawn and ducans are looking very happy and healthy though. Even with some of the LPS corals not opening fully I have noticed changes in their coloration. They are definitely developing more color than before. Especially in the areas that are shaded from direct light.

Overview

This method is by no means groundbreaking or unheard of before. I started this thread to better explain my experiences with it. If I do not get desired results I am contemplating upgrading to EcoBak biopellets. Any input is greatly appreciated. Ill update this thread with pictures and results periodically. Thanks for reading guys! Happy Reefing!

 

I def want to see the removal of carbon results, keep us posted.

 

Just a few questions.
1st: Why 2 skimmers? Alone both of those skimmer are rated for much more then you system. There is really no need for 2.

2nd: HOB filter with LR? Again, why? Seems like a wast of energy and that will end up a nitrate trap if not cleaned regularly.

3rd: dripping Kalk and dosing 2 part is yet another waste. Kalk alone will keep a system this size stable. 2part is a waste of money and energy.

These are just my observations.

 

im going to follow as well. My previous tanks I ran nothing other than a skimmer and some partial water changes that I did as needed. This tank I've been playing it safe and running carbon/gfo and still have algae issues. I dont understand because I changed nothing in my habits other than running the carbon/gfo.

I read that kalk helps keep calcium and alk stable along with the dosing, and binds up phosphates to be removed by the skimmer. (to put it simply)

 

These are all good observations but I think Nick is trying something new, there are many other ways you can do something. I for one am excited to see the results, good or bad.

 

1. strongly disagree. I am happy with both skimmers but wouldnt run just one of them. Not with my bioload. I only have 4 fish in this system, but its packed with coral. Also, when carbon dosing the more skimming power the better to remove the motile bacteria consuming the NO3 and PO4.

2. To keep flow in the refugium. As well as offer more space for bacteria to grow. Which is the whole point of carbon dosing anyway.

3. No. It is not. Kalkwasser (CaOH) does not offer much for the addition of calcium ions. I might be wrong here but I think its something only like 800ppm per tablespoon when dissolved. Again, I might be wrong but that number is standing out to me. The main reason why dripping small amounts of kalk is helpful in conjunction with two part is because "when Calcium Hydroxide solution (Kalkwasser) is slowly dripped into your aquarium, it captures free Carbon Dioxide present in the tank water and converts it to Bicarbonate ions (which is a good thing), like this":

Ca++ + 2(OH-) + 2(CO2) <==> Ca++ + 2(HCO3-)

Kalkwasser alone could not keep up with this system. I dose around 100ml of cal and alk buffer a day to stay where I am at. This number is only going to go up as growth increases and I add more SPS corals. Kalkwasser is used pretty much soley for a Ph buffer in this system because its calcium content is negligible in the amounts that I drip it.

 

Well I just saw your tank thread and understand the Kalk and 2 part now.

 

I should have posted a picture of how packed it currently is. lol My apologies. I was just observing the corals in my tank and have noticed decent improvement in the coloration of my montipora in particular. Especially the encrusting species and digiata. Im hoping that the acros in this tank follow the same path that the montis are. I have also noticed that the large acan enchinata in this system deflates completely when I dose vodka. Weird. Im looking to sell it anyway, but even as it deflates I am seeing bright orange rims around the mouths of the coral again. I havent seen those since when I first added it.

 

Well I have a bit of an update for those following. I am noticing that my LPS corals are getting used to the lower nutrient levels in this system. Especially the large acan enchinata in this tank. (Pictured below.)



This coral is starting to develop the orange rings around its mouths again which is definitely a step forward. The SPS are coloring up a bit more slowly but have shown improvements in coloration and polyp extension. I am now dosing .6 ml of vodka a day and still feeding heavily. This means alot of adjustments to the skimmers. One always seems to be skimming more than the other. Which is to be expected when using two skimmers on a system, especially one as small as this. I have been doing water changes using a combination of Seachem Reef Salt and Instant Ocean Reef Crystals. The reason why I am mixing them is because changing from one salt to another completely can shock a system obviously, but the Seachem salt is higher in trace elements such as strontium, ect. The main reason for doing this is to compensate for the trace elements that were pulled out from the excess use of carbon this tank previously had.


Overall I am happy with the progress, but I am hoping that my SPS continue to color up. This may be a lengthy process, but I am happy to document it.

 

Seems strange that you are running two skimmers; won't they "fight" each other in efficiency?