ChicagoDiscus.com     Cafepress Store

Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 16 to 24 of 24

Thread: OT - Share your Salt Water journey

  1. #16
    Registered Member Discus-n00b's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    Columbia, SC
    Posts
    5,403
    Real Name
    Matt

    Default Re: OT - Share your Salt Water journey

    I disagree. Just weekly water changes I can't keep up with the elements my coral use now that they've grown in. Of course I have stonies but still. And obviously I don't let it drop to huge Alk swings or anything as my coral would be white or dead. Hence why my growth has slowed to very minimal to none. I'd still be dosing if real life didn't trump the tank. Like I said I'll 100% be going back to it. The tank was so much more alive and growing with the dosing. Now if we are trying to define NEED then sure, you don't NEED either, but I find the tank will thrive better with both. Early on the dosing is worthless and you can easily keep up with just water changes but if you have corals that really suck down the elements eventually it will get to a point where you're going to get tired of trying to win the race with WCs. The tank CAN live without, I wouldn't do it now given what I've experienced. Those are the types of corners I was talking about cutting earlier. I'd rather spend $100-200 and get a skimmer on the tank to pull out something in between WCs, and spend however minimal much per month or every few months on two part (pennies on kalk as that stuff will last you a lifetime) and get the tank thriving and growing rather than just existing. From a stability standpoint, weekly water changes are going to create much larger swings in numbers than weekly water changes with dosing in between.

    I do think most of those additives are pretty useless apart from the general Cal, Alk, Mg. I've seen better colors dosing some aminos before but it dirties up the tank to much to be worth it. And at that point you don't know what is causing the color, the aminos or the nutrient rich water.

    Kalk was the last thing I was dosing before I stopped. Switched to Kalk to try it out when my two part ran out. I liked it. Probably going the kalk route when I start dosing again though I want a larger reservoir, dripping it can deplete it fast and if you don't already have another batch ready to go you are SOL. Guess I could mix it in the ATO 5gal, would make it so much easier. I need to get the full advantage of my Apex.
    -Matt


  2. #17
    Registered Member zchauvin's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Baton Rouge, Louisiana
    Posts
    2,198
    Real Name
    Zach

    Default Re: OT - Share your Salt Water journey

    Quote Originally Posted by Discus-n00b View Post
    I disagree. Just weekly water changes I can't keep up with the elements my coral use now that they've grown in. Of course I have stonies but still. And obviously I don't let it drop to huge Alk swings or anything as my coral would be white or dead. Hence why my growth has slowed to very minimal to none. I'd still be dosing if real life didn't trump the tank. Like I said I'll 100% be going back to it. The tank was so much more alive and growing with the dosing. Now if we are trying to define NEED then sure, you don't NEED either, but I find the tank will thrive better with both. Early on the dosing is worthless and you can easily keep up with just water changes but if you have corals that really suck down the elements eventually it will get to a point where you're going to get tired of trying to win the race with WCs. The tank CAN live without, I wouldn't do it now given what I've experienced. Those are the types of corners I was talking about cutting earlier. I'd rather spend $100-200 and get a skimmer on the tank to pull out something in between WCs, and spend however minimal much per month or every few months on two part (pennies on kalk as that stuff will last you a lifetime) and get the tank thriving and growing rather than just existing. From a stability standpoint, weekly water changes are going to create much larger swings in numbers than weekly water changes with dosing in between.

    I do think most of those additives are pretty useless apart from the general Cal, Alk, Mg. I've seen better colors dosing some aminos before but it dirties up the tank to much to be worth it. And at that point you don't know what is causing the color, the aminos or the nutrient rich water.

    Kalk was the last thing I was dosing before I stopped. Switched to Kalk to try it out when my two part ran out. I liked it. Probably going the kalk route when I start dosing again though I want a larger reservoir, dripping it can deplete it fast and if you don't already have another batch ready to go you are SOL. Guess I could mix it in the ATO 5gal, would make it so much easier. I need to get the full advantage of my Apex.
    I guess that's why they have so many ways to skin a cat, I had an apex and all that on a slightly larger tank and went with the simpler route. I would say I was able to achieve the same results and it was less of an expense and less to worry about other than a waterchange on Saturdays. Granted, I did not have any hard coral, only lps and soft coral.
    -Zach

  3. #18
    Registered Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Posts
    94

    Default Re: OT - Share your Salt Water journey

    What are the thoughts on AIO nano tanks? IM Fusion 20 looks really nice

  4. #19
    Registered Member rickztahone's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Pacoima, California
    Posts
    12,908
    Real Name
    Ricardo

    Default Re: OT - Share your Salt Water journey

    Quote Originally Posted by bamzam View Post
    What are the thoughts on AIO nano tanks? IM Fusion 20 looks really nice
    It depends imho. If you are set on not running a sump then this becomes a very good option.

    I wouldn't like for a tank to take up real estate that I could use. Unless if it was very deep.

    I had an AIO floater idea at some point but it would have involved demo drywall, steel reinforced stand that hangs out from the wall as if it was floating. That was the only way I considered it

    Click here to view my 75g Acrylic Tank w/ Bean Animal Overflow with 40g Sump Thread

    Also, click here for my 25 group of discus grow out thread


    http://i3.cpcache.com/product/162117...ht=75&width=75
    Want to look like Al did at his ACA talk with his white Simply Polo shirt?(You can catch Al's awesome Discus talk HERE)
    You can get this and many more items such as T-shirts/Polos/hoodies/cups from our merchandise shop:
    Cafepress.com

  5. #20
    Registered Member zchauvin's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Baton Rouge, Louisiana
    Posts
    2,198
    Real Name
    Zach

    Default Re: OT - Share your Salt Water journey

    Quote Originally Posted by bamzam View Post
    What are the thoughts on AIO nano tanks? IM Fusion 20 looks really nice
    I have a 10g fusion right now. They are nice for the price, limited area to work with in filter compartment would be my only complaint.
    -Zach

  6. #21
    Registered Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Posts
    910

    Default Re: OT - Share your Salt Water journey

    This is a good thread. I have entered and left the reef tank hobby twice. Weekly water changes work fine on smaller tanks without SPS. The skimmer is very debatable on smaller tanks with weekly water changes regardless of what corals you keep. Skimmers can remove too much nutrients sometimes. I left the hobby the second time because I was bored with non-SPS and knew I would need to step up my game and spend more money to truly do SPS correctly. I decided to go back to keeping Red Rainbow Tropheus at that point. I also have a tank of wild cross angelfish that I am growing out. And a tank full of shell dwellers and Gold Head Compressiceps. No discus at the moment

  7. #22
    Registered Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Posts
    94

    Default Re: OT - Share your Salt Water journey

    What would you have needed to do differently to keep SPS? I'm about to start a very basic setup in a mr aqua 12 long with just a heater, circulation pump, dry rock, and a good ATS with consistent water changes (something were all familiar with on a discus forum). I'm still researching types of coral and what their needs are but I like to hear about other people's experiences so I can learn from them as well

  8. #23
    Registered Member zchauvin's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Baton Rouge, Louisiana
    Posts
    2,198
    Real Name
    Zach

    Default Re: OT - Share your Salt Water journey

    Quote Originally Posted by bamzam View Post
    What would you have needed to do differently to keep SPS? I'm about to start a very basic setup in a mr aqua 12 long with just a heater, circulation pump, dry rock, and a good ATS with consistent water changes (something were all familiar with on a discus forum). I'm still researching types of coral and what their needs are but I like to hear about other people's experiences so I can learn from them as well
    There are many variables when it comes to hard coral and what can kill them. Phosphates will make them brown, as will too high of light. Too low light will kill them, too high par will kill them, they can RTN or STN for seemingly no reason. They take very stable water chemistry, and once growing will deplete the water or calcium, alk, and to a degree magnesium. They take high water flow as well. Temperature fluctuations can also kill them.


    Obviously this all depends on if they were grown under high or low lights, aquacultured or maricultured, or wild caught.

    FWIW there is a ten gallon tank with a mp10, heater, and light. It is 100% sps coral with tons of grown and no issues as of yet.
    Last edited by zchauvin; 04-21-2016 at 09:38 PM.
    -Zach

  9. #24
    Registered Member rickztahone's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Pacoima, California
    Posts
    12,908
    Real Name
    Ricardo

    Default Re: OT - Share your Salt Water journey

    Saw this article in another forum and thought it was really cool. New coral reef discovered by the Amazon!
    http://www.theguardian.com/environme...on-river-mouth

    Click here to view my 75g Acrylic Tank w/ Bean Animal Overflow with 40g Sump Thread

    Also, click here for my 25 group of discus grow out thread


    http://i3.cpcache.com/product/162117...ht=75&width=75
    Want to look like Al did at his ACA talk with his white Simply Polo shirt?(You can catch Al's awesome Discus talk HERE)
    You can get this and many more items such as T-shirts/Polos/hoodies/cups from our merchandise shop:
    Cafepress.com

Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

Cafepress