removed my calcium reactor and started 2 part dosing. corals looking better in 3 days

[mos90]

ive been having problems with my sps corals in my 28g nano with a 15g sump. besides phosphate being a little high(.06) every thing else was just about perfect. phosphate is now lowered to .01

the calcium reactor(rated for 250g) was very difficult to dial in on such a small tank so i decieded to remove it and go back to 2 part dosing. i plan to use the reactor on my 125g when i get it set up. (maybe)

i do plan to automate my 2 part with a bubble magus electronic doser later in the week. maybe even use kalk in topoff water if needed.

i find it much easier, even with manual dosing to keep calcium/alk much more stable then when i was using the reactor. based on the last 3 days of testing 5-6ml 2 times a day of two little fishies c-balance is keeping alk between 8.0 and 8.5 dkh.

i do find it odd that the corals are doing better in that short of a time frame. but definately showing better polyp extension and color.

also im switching back to i/o reef salt from d-d ocean slowly.

 

[Poloboy]

calciumreactor will help more in the 125g tank

 

[mos90]

im sure it will be easier to dial in on the 125, but that doesnt explain why the corals are doing better on the 2-part dosing. im mean if the calcium and alk were at the same values(or close) with the reactor what is the reasoning for the improvement.

the only thing i can think of is the ph is slightly higher now 8.1-8.3 rather then with the reactor the ph was 7.9-8.1.

 

[mos90]

i setup the doser last night. each dosing container holds 1500ml. i added 100ml of each part to the seperate containers and 1400ml of ro/di water, enough for 10 days. set the doser to add 150ml of mixed solution per day spead out over 24 doses. so basicaly im adding 10ml of each part per day.

all i can say is WOW . this is much easier then dialing in a reactor.

i checked alk last night before i started dosing it was 144ppm (8.1 dkh) . woke up this morning and alk still at 144.. cant get easier then that.

 

[Heathd]

Hmm, maybe the effluent wasnt mixing up well enough in the sump before being pumped in, blasting the corals through the return line and cause local variances in paramters while it was operating?

Soudns like a stretch, but its much easier to drip or lightly does two parts into a sump, then it is to get effluent out of a reactor that big to mix well for a water volume that small.

Just a thought.

 

[mos90]

maybe that was the case.

ive found that 10ml per day of part b wasnt enough to maintain 8.1 dkh. i bumped it up to 17ml per day and dkh is pretty steady at 7.6. when these containers need to be refilled i will most likey try 20ml per day to hold dkh at 8 ish.

its is definately easier to do 2 part on a system this small.

i wonder how the reactor will work on my 125? hopefully i will be able to dial it in

 

[mos90]

i started up on the 3rd dosing pump a kalk topoff last night. 500ml a day. the sump seems to be holding its level so far. calcium was a touch low at 400 and alk is holding steady at 7.6.

here are some updated pictures. the enchata in the middle top isnt doing to good, but the orange monti is starting to come around.

all of a sudden my purple firefish has come up missing.

 

[FLESHY]

Two things...one...do I spy a rainbow BTA?

Second...you have a six line wrasse. Pseudochelinius are not good at sharing the rock work with other similarly "niched" fish...so I would expect a stress jump or a stealth kill one way or another.

 

[mos90]

yes that is a rose bubble anemone.

i havent yet seen the six line bother other fish but that doesnt mean its not happening. the six line should not be with what other fish in my stock?

stock
1) 1-algae blenny
2) 1-false percula clown
3) 1-six line
4) 1- tomato clown
5) 1- three striped damsel
6) 1- purple firefish (maybe) havent seen him in a few days.

 

[mos90]

i just read an article that states if u have a sixline u should avoid gobies,firefish. i think its possible that my sixline killed my gobie a while back and might have recentely killed my firefish.

another thing ive noticed is my hitch hiker 3" mantis shrimp,that i havent been able to get out of the tank, has not been seen for a while either.

im wondering if i should remove all the rock work from this tank, move some things over to the 125 and maybe just leave the tomato clown and the amenone in the 28g.along with some corals.