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Dawn's little 4g Pico reef


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Hello ALL:

 

New to the forum. I started my Little pico on 5/22/2020 ( 3 weeks ago).  Its doing pretty well.

 

I had a 92g corner reef about 12 years ago but ALOT has changed from huge Metal halides and sumps to this little pico.

I have 4 pounds of fiji LR, and seeded with live sand.  

CUC is 4 astrea and 2 hermits and a nassarius

little black ice clown and yellow goby (I am watching parameters to make sure there's not too much bioload)

so far its pretty quickly stocked.

Corals added after 5days: (yes don't yell it was essentially cycled ( pure LR was added:  little die off on rocks)

SPS:

oregon torch

Rainbow mille 

mystic monti

Softies: bam bam zoas and the ricordia

red acan lord (LOVE THEM)

LPS~then next day added a hammer ( it died. RTN ) for some reason... dunno why

and a Orange awesome lepto. (thought it was going to die but it is good now_)

i added a couple more zoas. (gorilla nipple and vampires in drag and green apple) the next few days

 

This has been going for a couple weeks. 

 

Then yesterday added a yuma mushroom and  baby hammer 2.0 and a really cool Jason Fox Enchanted Forest Birds Nest. and a RUBY RED Micromussa. WOW. It was in rough shape but its happy today

So looking to add a few more zoas.  PLAN to cover that branch in  front with Zoas.  Bring the hammer in up the back corner and then SPS at the top.  (then graduate to a slightly bigger tank. I like the small guy though....)

Light is a A80 with kessil's lighting recommendation and I'll be ramping it up

Flow:Using a Vortech mp-10 reef mode lowest level; and a 10g HOB

Was doing weekly WC but was advised to give it a couple weeks ( to settle) then do a change. ). my guy at the LFS. is awesome. so gonna trust....

I have the kits and measuring.  I am ATO with kalk;  Alk at 8.5. cal at 430 1.025  temp78degrees phos a wee high at .112. added chemipure blue nano.  not a ton of algea. some bron hair on the back side and hoping my astrea stay hungry.  I also added a jar of copepods and feed a small cap pf phyto  ( they  are on the glass I can see them. so thats good). I feed a teeny bit of mysis or rod's daily). and change the pad out in the HOB filter.  I had some chaeto but. it did not have enough nutrients. may try chaeto again later. I have the light).

 

would welcome ideas and suggestions. I know it got stocked fast but now I slow and stabilize and add those unique bright zoas when i get along with them.  THANK YOU

 

417704577_fronjun4.thumb.jpg.e021b48be90c0568b2df54738a7e27c5.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

front jun 4th.jpg

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Wow very cool!  Sounds like you ha w a pretty good routine down!  Welcome to the club and ask away whenever you need anything...good group of guys and gals here.  Make sure to keep a look out on here for corals that we post.  Nice stuff lurking around with the members!

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1 hour ago, tanknovice said:

Looking good

A lot going in during a short period of time. Keep an eye out for an ammonia spike especially with the lower water volume

Try and make the summer social on Saturday

 

Yes. A/N/N 0 0 3. I will watch though especially now that you mention I will. I will do a wc in a month as advised. Then weekly most likely. I want to do weekly. 1 gallon. 33% volume. I’ll retest tonight all. The algae is green hair in the back. Not a ton but some. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

update.  NICE case of dino.....  UGH. sucks.  I have been watching every video I can.  I have started daily dosing 12 drops of Microbacter 7. (yesterday adn today and plan to cont for a couple weeks.  I decreased my photo period and intensity and went to solid BLUE lighting. ( kessil 80)  for the next 3 days.  ( no black out).  CORALS ARE STRESSED IT BEING A NEW TANK ANYWAYS.  Sorry caps

I added Dt tims one and only. a capful yesterday and today. and then added fritx 460. ~1 capful. yesterday and today.

 

 

  tmr the nitrates and phosphate additive arrive. and I will test the tank and adjust.  I also decreased the lighting for the small ball of chaeto I have ~. all but one hermit is dead and I have 4 astrea and 2 nass snails still ( lucky). 

I hope I can get a good balance.  tmr I start DAILY testing of alk nitrates and phos.~~ and then plan to cont to add the MB7 and dose the nitrates and pho to bring them up.~~ I already added a bunch of pods but Ill add another bottle this weekend too.  its a 4 g pico with 3 gal of water.

 

I want to bring levels UP.~~~ WITH the chaeto and lighting to allow that to be a cont factor.   if I can...  I would welcome ideas.   I am not liking the H2O2 idea. or the black out for now....  

 

Tmr i plan to siphon dinos and some water out as well and ( filter through 300micor sock and return to tank. and also plan to run some pinky foam with a power head blowing on it and change it daily to pull some out too...  WISH ME LUCKKKKK!!!

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  • 4 weeks later...

UPDATE>>>>. nuclear response today.....  

MY PLAN

 

i have tried the temp increase above 83.  I have been dosing MB7 and 460 and waste away  no real change. FINALLy  my nutrients  are up~~~Today they measured 0.177ppm Phosphate and then 20 Nitrates.  

 

So basically I went kind a nuclear on my tank and I dumped all of my zoas~~~ it's basically all my corals in hydrogen peroxide to kill all the algae on them and then rinsed and fresh water and then suction  crap out of everything and dunked most of the rock. It's only a 4 gallon pico so I have that luxury, I siphoned the sand I scrape the sides and Did a water change through a 10 µ sock but dump the water back in twice. Fish are completely ticked off~~~ probably lost every single coral which includes about 12 zoas. a candy cane~ an acan~ baby hammer ~a mystic Montipora and a red Monti cap.  

 

Lets hope NOT!!   ok...NOW I am covering it airating it with an airstone and dosing dr tim refresh for 3 days then back to the waste away  ~LETS pray.   

 

I have added 3 bottles of copepods in the 2 months I have had the tank  it was started with LR and LS  but tooo clean  and I had a baby refugium on the back.  I changed the GAC today and threw in some pinky floss to try to catch  the HOB ref is gone and has been for a month.  I have an algae that comes off easy with a brush and looks like Green ( in tank looks brownish somethiish but out of tank its green). 

 

NEW plan THANK YOU reefnewby...  to go to QT tank with corals. 3 fish to the 22g long and then QT the corals to ensure NO DINO>>>. before into main DT again.  

Now i get another tank LOL. THANK YOU and welcome ideas too. 

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