End of BP Part 2

A month after removing bio-pellets I am already seeing positive results. The small amount of cyano that seemed to be making a permanent residence has subsided. Calcium consumption has drastically increased making it necessary to adjust the calcium reactor to accommodate. Overall growth and coloration is easier to recognize on a weekly basis. I am continuing to test alkalinity with my Hanna test kit on a daily basis at the same time each morning (current 8.9).

Radion are in the 4th week of acclimation mode increasing from 50-53% overall intensity in a 6 week ramp up. Once complete I plan to run another 6 week acclimation from 53-55%. A reef friend is coming by with the Seneye Par meter for me to gauge the actual par readings the 3 Radion Gen 4 Pros are yielding.

Bye Bye Bio-Pellets

The day has come where I see more downside to using bio-pellets than benefits. After a year in use they have done what was expected which is strip almost any detectable levels of phosphate or nitrate from the aquarium. With that my stony corals have begun to appear faded, and show less aggressive growth than before. My intuition is the demand for small levels of phosphate and nitrate has increased to the point that dosing nitrates or the removal of the bio-pellets seem to be the only options.

My refugium has been showing little to no signs of algae growth, but I expect this will maintain a biological balance during this transition and will monitor closely. After removing the pellets, I replaced the media with a polyfilter/carbon combination. This will help keep the water clear, but the additional carbon will be used to fight any chemical reaction (toxins) from tank inhabitants should they be stressed by the changes in their environment.

Fingers crossed I didn't make a major mistake in making this change...

International Travel Time - November 2018

Day 1 of 12 away from the aquarium, heading over seas on business. I completed 3 X 10% water changed on back to back to back days before departing. All the pumps were also cleaned of any debris to ensure or at least leave as little chance as possible for failure. Below is my complete check list.

Check List

- 3 X 10% water changes (rock work blasted in between of debris)

- 30 Gallon ATO tank topped off

- Protein Skimmer cup and pumped cleaned

- Tank return main pump cleaned

- Activated Carbon Replaced

- Water tested

- Battery back ups tested in the event of power failure

- Automatic feeder batteries changed and tested

- Nest camera pointed at sump and tank for random monitoring

- Emergency contacts available in the event I receive a message from ReefLink

Favorite SPS Coral Progression

The Dreaded "Red Bugs"

Outside of sharing photos of the tank, they provide a close up view to inspect the overall health of the corals in my tank. Recently I saw something strange on my Fire Acro as there appeared to be small black/red dots jumping around like fleas all over. After more careful inspection I have concluded they are in fact red bugs.

If you take the time to research the eradication of this pest, almost any forum or website will direct you towards the use of a cat/dog medication called Interceptor. Proven through massive use in the hobby, this medication can be used to kill off red bugs in your reef tank without killing corals or fish. Any other crustacean (shrimp, crab, pods etc.) may not be as safe.

The impact of Red Bugs on corals is different for each aquarist. At worst they disturb their host Acropora to the point the polyps never expand for feeding, and ultimately the coral may die. In some cases the corals appear to tolerate the bugs and only loses some color with somewhat stunted growth. They also only appear to be drawn towards smooth skinned Acropora versus the more bushy species such as Millepora, Stylophora, and Pocillopora.

I haven't seen this strategy posted anywhere, but with the risk of killing any crustaceans I am unable to catch from the tank along with the pods that my Leopard Wrasses live off of, I have elected to try something new. Since the 'bugs' die off within days of not finding a new host, I plan to manually blast them from the surface of my smooth Acropora each day and hope they are unable to find the way back. Or maybe they will become so stressed from being tossed off into the water column, that they will still be unable to feed and eventually die. Either way, if successful the coral should have period between cleanings to resume normal behaviors and gain some strength back.

Below:

Photo 1 - Red Bugs circled

Photo 2 - 4 week growth progression

Photo 3 - Photo after blasting off bugs (under morning blues)

Photo 4 - Bug blasting tool (Rio 800)

SPS Coral Updates July 1, 2018

Water Test Results June 2018

Water Test Results May 2018

Water Test Results April 2018

Water Test Results March 2018

SPS Growth Update

 November 2017

March 2018

Water Test Results 02.02.18

ULNS Amino Acid Trial: Week 1 Dose 1 - 01/21/18