Jasonanatal's 120 Gallon "Advanced Complexity" Reef Aquarium.

VERY NICE!!! I'm glad I found this thread. That tank is going to look amazing when it's setup and running smoothly and algae free.

One question, what are you going to do with all of that gunk?

 

Reply to Crabby Jim.

Crabby Jim, thank you for the compliments on my aquarium setup. The black Tang is called an Achilles Tang. A very beautiful fish and somewhat rare to comeby in the hobby. Also I have an RO/DI filter that I have been using since I got into the hobby so that isn't a problem for me, its RO/DI or nothing.

 

Reply to Jwin.

Jwin, thank you for the compliment. The aquarium has made some great strides. Also I just throw the gunk down the toilet.

 

Jasonanatal's 120 Gallon "Natural Simplicity" Reef Aquarium Update.

Weekly Water Parameter Testing: Monday, January 05, 2008

Here are the weekly water parameter testing using various test kits as my disposal.


Average Water Temperature: 77.8 degrees Fahrenheit
Salinity Grade: 1.025 SG (Tested using Refractometer)
Alkalinity (Carbonate Hardness): 132 PPM / 7.4 dKH (Tested using LaMotte Test Kit)
Calcium: 454.08 PPM (Tested using LaMotte Test Kit)
Magnesium: 975 PPM (Tested using Salifert Test Kit - 7 capfuls or 70 ml of Kent Marine Tech M Magnesium Supplement added to increase overall Magnesium level to 1350 PPM.)
pH: 8.25 pH (Tested using American Marine Pinpoint Probe)
Phosphate: 0.05 PPM (Tested using Elos Test Kit)
Ammonia: Undetectable (Tested using Elos Test Kit)
Nitrite: Undetectable (Tested using Elos Test Kit)
Nitrate: Undetectable (Tested using Elos Test Kit)

 

Jasonanatal's 120 Gallon "Natural Simplicity" Reef Aquarium Update.

Supplements: Prodibio Bio Kit Reef Supplements (Bacteria... Natures Finest Helpers)

It was a difficult choice but I finally decided that I would use the Prodibio line of advanced supplements. Prodibio selects and uses specific non-pathogenic micro-organisms designed for aquaculture, the quality and purity of which are insured by stringent bio-chemical tests. Quality assurance and control programs are applied during the entire manufacturing process to guarantee an excellent product.






Photograph - Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - Prodibio Bio Kit Reef line of advanced supplements.

Prodibio Bio Digest

Prodibio Bio Digest is composed with nitrifying and dénitrifying bacterial strains selected for their capacity to transform the ammonia into nitrites, the nitrites into nitrates and nitrates into nitrogen. They are guaranteed free from genetic mutations. The work of the different bacterial strains is controlled by the genetic information included in the DNA of each cell. Strains are chosen for their efficiency and their compatibility in fresh and marine water. Each strain starts a process which is continued by another strain until the toxic nitrogen compounds (ammonia and nitrite) are broken down into harmless nitrate. In under-oxygenated areas in aquariums.These bacteria work in team; each strain ending the work begun by another. Some are capable to synthesize the dénitrifying enzymes in aérobic. It insure thus the purification, the reduction of nitrates, phosphates and prevent the growth of algae. They avoid equally by the food competition the proliferation of pathogenics organisms and decrease thus the unexplained sickness risk.


http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/120 gallon Reef Aquarium/IMG_0974.jpg
Photograph - Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - Prodibio Bio Digest dosage rated for my aquarium.

Prodibio Bioptim

Prodibio Bioptim provides bacteria with all the missing micro-nutrients: trace elements, selected amino acids, natural vitamins (Riboflavin) and surface agents from plants to facilitate absorption of the components by the cells. Bioptim Pro10 dynamises these bacteria and enables a reduction of nitrates, phosphates and carbohydrates, a decrease in silt, mulm and filamentous algae, and an improvement of the water quality.



Photograph - Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - Prodibio Bioptim dosage rated for my aquarium.

Prodibio Iodi+

Iodine performs a very important role as a trace element in the aquarium environment. Invertebrates need it for coloration and for adapting to lighting variations. Then it helps combat coral bleaching and neutralize the excess oxygen produced by zooxanthellae under excessive lighting. It is eliminated by the algae and invertebrates in the aquarium, by the protein skimmer and the active carbon, and by dispersion into the atmosphere.


[IMGhttp://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e102/Jasonanatal/120%20gallon%20Reef%20Aquarium/IMG_0977.jpg[/IMG]
Photograph - Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - Prodibio Iodi+ dosage rated for my aquarium.

Prodibio Reef Booster

Prodibio Reef Booster is a complete nutrient supplement containing all the essentials for the development of invertebrates which basically or partially feed on micro-plankton including corals in which symbiotic algae - Zooxanthelles - live and for which a micro-plankton booster is necessary. It also contains very high concentrations of the polyunsaturated fatty acid groups which all marine organisms need. A few drops in the food of marine fish makes it more appetising - an effective solution when starting to feed difficult or recently imported fish.


Photograph - Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - Prodibio Reef Booster dosage rated for my aquarium.

Prodibio Stronti+

Strontium is an essential trace element in the reef aquarium environment. It stimulates growth in hard corals and assists in the development of the red calcareous and encrusting algae that produce the live rock decor. This organism fixes strontium in its skeleton along with calcium, so the strontium demand is constant. In an ocean environment, trace elements are constantly replenished by the current, but in a closed aquarium environment the strontium is rapidly depleted. All reputed specialists confirm the importance of strontium for healthy coral development.STRONTI+ adds all the strontium needed for healthy growth of coral, clams, and limestone algae. Each capsule contains 130 mg of strontium. This allows you to control the quantity of Iodine you are adding in your tank. In a reef aquarium, the strontium diminishes proportionally with the calcium, so you can gauge the strontium demand by examining the calcium rate.



Photograph - Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - Prodibio Stronti+ dosage rated for my aquarium.


Photograph - Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - Prodibio Bio Kit Reef supplements left over after dosing my aquarium.

 

Jasonanatal's 120 Gallon "Natural Simplicity" Reef Aquarium Update.

Weekly Water Parameter Testing: Monday, January 12, 2008

Here are the weekly water parameter testing using various test kits as my disposal.


Average Water Temperature: 77.8 degrees Fahrenheit
Salinity Grade: 1.025 SG (Tested using Refractometer)
Alkalinity (Carbonate Hardness): 132 PPM / 7.39 dKH (Tested using LaMotte Test Kit)
Calcium: 412.8 PPM (Tested using LaMotte Test Kit)
Magnesium: 990 PPM (Tested using Salifert Test Kit - 8 capfuls or 80 ml of Kent Marine Tech M Magnesium Supplement added to increase overall Magnesium level to 1350 PPM.)
pH: 8.23 pH (Tested using American Marine Pinpoint Probe)
Phosphate: 0.05 PPM (Tested using Elos Test Kit)
Ammonia: Undetectable (Tested using Elos Test Kit)
Nitrite: Undetectable (Tested using Elos Test Kit)
Nitrate: Undetectable (Tested using Elos Test Kit)



Photograph - Monday, January 12, 2009 - Current view of my 120 gallon Reef Aquarium... in the making.

 

how does your mag diminish so fast?

 

Jasonanatal's 120 Gallon "Natural Simplicity" Reef Aquarium Update.

Digital Photography: Canon EF-S 60mm F2.8 Macro USM Lens for the Canon Digital Rebel XTi.

It has definitely been some time since I came on to post. Things have been a bit more hectic than normal. Now I have always taken great photographs with my Canon Digital Rebel XTi Camera, but I wanted to be like the rest of the cool kids that could take photographs with an extreme level of detail displayed in each shot. So I visited the wonderful photography experts at B&H Photography located in downtown New York and purchased a Canon EF-S 60mm F2.8 Macro USM Lens. I couldn't be more pleased with the quality of the photographs that these optics produce.

I have also decided that since I'm upgrading my photographic equipment that a rise in my methods of capturing, processing and presenting these images should also get a boost. All my photographs well be shot and processed in RAW format from this point forward. Unfortunately due to the limitations of my file hosting site the files will have to be converted to JPEG format with a resolutions of 2240x1680 (the equivilant of viewing a full screen photograph on a 23 inch monitor). I hope everyone enjoys the new photographs.




Photographs - Sunday, February 01, 2009 - One of my Electric Blue Hermit Crabs (Calcinus Elegans). The Photographs were taken with my new Canon EF-S 60mm F2.8 Macro USM Lens.

 

Jasonanatal's 120 Gallon "Natural Simplicity" Reef Aquarium Update.

Equipment: Aqua Ultraviolet 25 watt Sterilizer with Wiper (Cleaning Water with Light)

I have been a bit reluctant at adding a Ultra Violet Sterilizer for a few reasons. Mainly I was concerned that it would minimize the effectiveness of my Prodibio supplements. However, after a few conversations with Prodibio customer service the only supplement that I needed to be concerned with was the Prodibio Reef Booster. They advised that I should just turn off the Ultra Violet Sterilizer for 2 hours after the addition of the supplement to allow the bacteria to adhere to solid surfaces according to their labratory studies. This was very good news to hear since I'm interested in keeping at least 3 Tangs in my aquarium in the future and would like to also have the Ultraviolet Sterilizer in place to assist in killing parasites that would be detrimental to their health. As we all know if you look at a Tang in the wrong fashion... bam! Ich outbreak! Another reason for me installing an Ultraviolet Sterilizer on the setup was that I was still having an issue with green cloudy water, which I determined was algae spores in the water. The Prodibio supplements did do a great job in reducing the intensity of the cloudiness but still looking like it could use a little hand.

I chose an Aqua Ultraviolet 25 watt Sterilizer with Wiper to address both of my needs. I believe that the water is exposed to the radiation from the bulb in an effective yet simple design. The wiper also allows the Quarts Sleeve that that shields the Ultraviolet Bulb to be cleaned without the need to disconnect and take apart the unit. Another great benefit is that Aqua Ultraviolet has great customer service and affordable replacement part prices that I have experienced first hand. The unit has been installed under the aquarium via a Maxi-Jet 1200 rated at 295 gph, which draws water from and return water to the Acrylic Sump through 1.5 Inch Vynil Tubing. The unit has been installed and in operation for only 1 day and the results are night and day, the cloudiness has literally dissapeared.








Photograph - Saturday, February 07, 2009 - My Aqua Ultraviolet 25 watt Sterilizer with Wiper.

 

Reply to Ermano.

Ermano, not entirely sure.