Brent's Super Awesome 12g Reef Tank

[OneDummHikk]

Originally Posted by Smorgousford

I let it settle out to ambient temperature and then calibrated it with the calibration fluid.

Originally Posted by Hop

But.... How did you calibrate your refractometer

[Hop]

Sorry I just woke up... But thanks for showing me the light brother hikk

[raereefer]

I took out my bio-wheel and threw some live rock rubble in its place.

[Smorgousford]

I have a recent update. Take a look in my member gallery for the new pictures.

I've begun growing brown "stuff" all over the aquarium. It's mainly on the live rock and a little on the live sand. There's nothing on the acrylic. Some of it looks like little brown tendrils and fingers that are no longer than an eighth of an inch and they sway in the current.

Please look specifically at Dscf3201 and let me know what you think those two little fan like things are. They are no larger than half an inch and they wave in the current. They just popped up in the last few days.

[Smorgousford]

Aiptasia?

[Smorgousford]

And this is definitely where I will be buying my softies from:

www.coloradocoralfarm.com

[Smorgousford]

Alright, I have some questions regarding what products that I should use for a proper reef tank for softies. Which of these would you choose, would you go with something else, am I missing something?

1) Supplements:
- Seachem Reef Plus
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...88&pcatid=4888
- Kent Marin Coral-Vite
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...02&pcatid=5002
- Kent Marine Essential Elements
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...fm?pcatid=4017

2) My pH is low (7.4) so what would you use to increase it?
- Brightwell Aquatics Alkalin8.3
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...0&pcatid=19640
- Something else?

3) Reef Food
- Brightwell Aquatics Reef Snow
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...3&pcatid=19703
- MarineSnow Plankton Diet
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...fm?pcatid=4965

Any and all help and comments would be appreciated. Thanks!

[OneDummHikk]

I wouldn't dose anything. Water changes with a quality salt will put any/all minerals any softie needs. The pH will swing during the day. How and what time are you testing it? Stable pH is more important than a particular number but 7.4 is indeed low.
I have never fed anything to my softies but it depends on what you have in the tank whether you need to feed them or not.

[Smorgousford]

ODH, thanks for the reply. I'm currently using Seachem Marine Salt. I've tested the pH at various times of the day and it's always 7.4. I thought the salt would increase the pH. Does it matter that I have fairly hard well water?

I plan on keeping xenia, zoas, and mushrooms. Any supplements needed for those?

[OneDummHikk]

Are you using unfiltered well water? If so, that would explain the pH issues. To "feed" those softies, just feed the fish in the tank.

[Smorgousford]

I am indeed using unfiltered well water. What would you suggest I do?

[OneDummHikk]

Run it through an RO/DI unit so that you start with good water before trying to adjust any other levels.

[Smorgousford]

My tank has only RO/DI water in it now from my local grocery store Culligan fill-up. After having that water in there for a week my pH is at a stable 8.2 so I'm all set. Thanks for the guidance.

[Smorgousford]

Time for an update. Now having had the tank up about 2 months I've started stocking it.

So far my larger inhabitants are:
- 4" Odontodactylus scyllarus (Peacock Mantis Shrimp)
- A couple of large turbo snails (2.5"+ diameter)
- A few small snails and maybe a crab is still around (until it becomes lunch)

I have the following corals:
- A few frags of pom pom xenia that are growing at an alarming rate (of course that had to close at picture taking time)
- A two headed frogspawn
- A couple different zoa frags

Everybody is doing great. You can see the shells of a couple of the turbo snails that became a meal for the mantis shrimp. He's very neat and interesting to watch. When I occasionally clean the front face with the mag-float cleaner he will start beating away on it as I move it. He's even beaten pieces of the live rock off in order to build his burrow. I gave him golfball size chunks but apparently he wanted to make his own pieces. I'll throw up some pictures of him later. I'm very happy with how things are turning out so far.

[OneDummHikk]

2.5" Turbos? Mexican by chance? They refer to them as "Bulldozers"