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Acropora

Discussion in 'Saltwater Fish Forum' started by lostanime, Dec 8, 2008.

  1. genettico

    genettico New Member

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    I said before your pump yields 1200gph at 4ft! I meant to say they yield 1100gph @ 4 ft not 1200gph! just a correction!
     
  2. genettico

    genettico New Member

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    Hope this helps! lol!
     
  3. lostanime

    lostanime Thread Starter New Member

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    You caught why I threw "hypothetical" in... :)

    And no flex vinyl - 1" PVC, 45 degree bends until it reaches the top (which actually has a T before going to ball pipes with additional splits... probably not helping with flow), and no ball valves to restrict flow on the return (I keep enough of the sump "not" filled for the return lines to siphon water down until it reaches the highest return spout and breaks siphon)... not mentioning to argue/dispute, just providing additional information. everything you've mentioned makes great sense thus far and appreciated!

    This is also why I ordered the 1200gph koralias to point at each other from opposite ends of the tank (to hopefully create non-linear random flow through the tank from the "collision" of water at the top-center...)
     
  4. lostanime

    lostanime Thread Starter New Member

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    Will get checked ASAP, and 30%-45%...? yiiiiiiikes! It's hard to do more then a 60 gallon change at a time! And yes, mixing own water with an anal-retentively maintained RO DI unit (replacing micron filter & carbon monthly, replacing DI when 3/4 exhausted, and replacing main "filter" yearly... replacing all pieces early/frequently because I haven't picked up a TDS meter)... was using Instant Ocean because the tank was originally intended to be a FOWLR, but I'm finishing up my fourth (and final!) bucket of it now, will be switching to a much higher quality salt mix (to my understanding/interpretation... marin pro)

    Will reply to feeding later (not that I disagree and again much appreciated advice, I just want to give a more thoughtful response then I can rushing out the door to work!)
     
  5. lostanime

    lostanime Thread Starter New Member

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    How can you tell what's alive/dead? I dont know a good logical reason for this... but this "frag" (if it can be called such) was two entirely different acroporas (some pale version with blue tip, and a purple type...)... the pale type with blue tips seems to be much "tighter"/"birdsnest" growing and the tips are still pale blue... the purple on the other hand is just growing outward... am I missing something obvious when looking at it?
     
  6. genettico

    genettico New Member

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    Ok... seems better as far as plumbing goes, so to have better flow around, unfourtunately as you already know, the pumps are not strong enough to be able to provide enough circulation for the tank. Without looking at it, it is hard now to tell you an"estimated" GPH from your main pumps. You can use a 5g bucket and have it filled with one of your returns, and then calculate if it takes so much time to fill this 5 gallon bucket, how long would it do in one hour's time. This will be far more accurate. Good for you on the 1' inch piping, Much better OPEN FLOW! As far as the ball pipes, what I mean is that by looking at the picture of your tan, on the right side I see the ball pipe has the "water disperser" little black semi-triangular end that "flatens" the water, is restricting the flow. Definately not helping flow. The Korallias are good pumps, so hopefully this will help you maintain nutrients suspended. The corals need enough flow around them to expell waste and to bring nutrients in, without it, their own waste suffocate their tissue and leads to the decay and ultimately death of the coral. At least you know about your flow short comnings and you are working to correct them. ;)
     
  7. lostanime

    lostanime Thread Starter New Member

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    Yeah... I had initially thought nearly 10x turn-over would be enough (blindly assuming mag drives only pushed 75% capacity due to height/flow restrictions... putting flow at 1800gph... no scientific reasoning for the 75%...just a blind assumption!) and I was trying to avoid pumps/gear inside the tank because I didn't want fish to be able to reach wiring/etc. Corals definitely have me looking at a 20x+ turn-over... unfortunately my returns for my overflows will not handle doubling the GPH from the sump, so that leaves me stuck putting pumps in the tank :-(
     
  8. lostanime

    lostanime Thread Starter New Member

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    Also - regarding feeding... I just started putting half a cap of plankton (and other weekly feedings) after adding the clam/coral per LFS recommendation... very recent addition to feeding.

    The food "cubes" are the pre-frozen shrimp/spirunella small cubes... not full sized ice-cubes. The reason I'm currently feeding 2 is because the current residents are eating 2 thawed cubes in less then a minute!!
     
  9. genettico

    genettico New Member

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    hmmm.... :| ! As I said, from the looks of the picture, it seems that way. I still need clarification, so If you can take pics of the coral I should be able to tell!Try and take some pictures near the base where both corals seem to meet! It would be very unusual for 2 distinct colonies of any type of corals to be so close to each other and still be alive. They will compete for space every night and kill each other when in such proximity! I do see what you mean about the grow pattern of it in relation to the other coral (if it is 2). Heck, If you say they are 2 corals instead of just one, I dont have a reason to NOT believe you.Sometimes though it just seems this way. Growth patters can be altered thru culturing or even by positioning of corals so it is not unusual to see this,When a coral bleaches it can start at the tips or at the base, but after the coral bleached the tips can change colors by getting coated with nutrients in the water, and under the right lighting might deceive you and make you think "it" is a different coral.All I can see in the pic is what seems like a bleached area of a single frag which seems to be aquacultured.
    Again, just based on that pic, so let it be if you DO KNOW is 2 corals . ;)
     
  10. lostanime

    lostanime Thread Starter New Member

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    Much agreed - and I should have provided more information. I've been letting LFS do calc/mag tests for the last month... they were testing with salifert kits and gave me 330-400 after I started dosing for a couple weeks.

    I then picked up my own tests (with a control solution) last night... testing control solution yielded results within 20ppm of expectations. I tested water twice, both times results were identical @ 300ppm... which after catching up on sleep leads me to believe the exact same conclusion you came up with - water shouldn't be able to drop calc that fast and there's probably a descrepancy between the test kits (and the fact that the high and lower numbers were yielded from two kits also completely supports your comment regarding a reference point... measuring shifts in chemistry should be done with a single kit since they aren't all calibrated the same, and all of them within a hobbiest's price range are just ball-park)

    With that being said, 300ppm of calc from a test that I can personally vouch measured control solution accurately (with the assumption that whatever equipment defined control solution's expected results are right and the assumption that I'm competent enough to test water...which is a big assumption, hehe)... this will be a problem re: corals, right?
     
  11. genettico

    genettico New Member

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    Hmmm! I have my tank drilled by myself to accomodate 2 drops of 1 inch plus the 4 returns on the back wall, for the same reasons you described. Im running about 2400gph of true circulation thru my piping and the flow is still ok on the drops! You also have 2 drops of 1 inch in your 180g tank. This should allow you to use much more circulation than what you have... I dont know what you are using as far as the plumbing on your overflow boxes, are you using the kit that came with the tank? was it a durso pipe kit? or a regular one with the sponge and the little floater? You can up your down flow capabilites by changing the plumbing here to Durso Pipes and this will also be almost completely quite. If you still feel you cannot push as much flow as you want you can turn your returns into drops and then have all the returns come from the back of the tank thru pvc! This way you wont have to use but one or 2 pumps inside the main display just to address little stagnant areas!
     
  12. lostanime

    lostanime Thread Starter New Member

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    I can certainly take the pics and again appreciate the experience and insight! Their branching patterns look different to my inexperienced/untrained eye, and the LFS claimed they were two different acros thrown on one rock...but that certainly doesn't mean that they really are different, or that one side didn't die! Thanks yet again for all your time and help!

    And regarding plumbing - yes using "oem" durso piping that came with tank for 180... drain is silent over other aquarium noises. The upper bends on durso pipes stay over half submerged so I assumed it wouldn't be good to bump the flow up much higher.

    That's a slick idea btw (4 drops, and then PVC behind tank for returns...possibly drilling or using Ts for outlets at whatever necessary # of intervals across the back at top to plumb returns from...)...!!
     
  13. genettico

    genettico New Member

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    Your clam will have more than enough food from the nitrates, phosphates, TDS in the water. And also from everytime you feed the fish.Dont complicate yourself with plankton, or any other additives. I have 9 clams, 4 of which are 7 inch Maxximas and they are growing just fine!
    1 minute feeding is too much! Rate the food based on what you see EACH fish feed, this is typically 30 seconds or so! Most of the people's tanks I service killed their fish and corals by OVER feeding not UNDER feeding. I have yet to see that! lol!
     
  14. genettico

    genettico New Member

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    You can modify your current Dursos this way:

    "get a 1 inch tee/end cap, and a ftp threated in one end and open in the other end...... !
    Crap.... just give me a sec Ill take a pic! and post!
     
  15. genettico

    genettico New Member

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    Here! I cant remember whether you need 1 inch and a 1/4 or inch and 1/2! but you get the idea. You need to drill a 1/2 hole in the end cap and thread in one of them valves (quick disconnect) we use for 1/4 inch RO systems! They sell a 1/2 inch threated end and then slip on on the other side at lowes/ home depot!

    ai51.photobucket.com_albums_f357_GENETTICO_IMG_0583Large.jpg
     
  16. genettico

    genettico New Member

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    You dont have to drill! you can rig pvc piping to make the returns to support themselves on the lip of the tank by 2, 90 degrees and then putting a tee there! ;)
     
  17. lostanime

    lostanime Thread Starter New Member

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    Ok ok... you talked me into it. :D

    I'm also very interested in checking out the pics of yours... cant load (or see) pics posted here while at work :confused: and I've got a "few" hrs left here
     
  18. genettico

    genettico New Member

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    sweet! but where is the majestic?? lol! Yeah that coral is a single colony and it is now dead in one good section. To try and save the rest brake apart the dead part and dip the section where you broke the coral off in some iodine solution! This will hopefully "cauterize" (sorta) the cut and allow the coral to heal! Im sorry to be the bearer of bad news! :eek:(
     
  19. Anthony

    Anthony Active Member

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    In the Photography section...
     
  20. genettico

    genettico New Member

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    You see how you have the returns and At the the ends have the flow restrictors? The semi triangular things at the end of the spouts? You should remove those! They only restrict and limit water flow! Leave the end without them! That should help on flow! I see the dursos and the water level, if you do the mod I told you,you can improve flow rate and not have to worry about it!