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I was wondering if you guys can give me some advice regarding AWC and algae turf scrubber.
Have your needing for nutrients export system (whether it is skimmer, turf scrubber, filter sock, roller, carbon dosing, etc) became less needed after using the automatic water changing? And was it constantly stabled? Did your tank do better or worst? Any inputs and thoughts will be helpful.
Last weekend, I’ve added AWC using liter meter 3 (changing 5Gallon per week on 30Gal system, that’s about 2.5ish % per day) and wondering if I should take the algae turf scrubber to be off line completely. My salt (Frits rpm) water for AWC was indicating the alkalinity of 9.0dkh but when I came back home and tested the leftover it has dropped to 7.9dkh within the 5days of seating in the system bucket).
The thing is automatic water change is keeping my tank too clean for the turf scrubber to properly get a hold on. (It actually never took off since the tank has been pretty clean from the start). And the scrubber is the loudest thing in my tank (air stone). I do have some hair algae in the display (pops up here and there). which is isolated to one area and is the food source for my hector’s goby and my snails. All fishes and corals are doing great.
Tank started early July. Using Red Sea dry rock and Carib dry sand (washed out everything and dried before adding). And started adding clown fishes and SPS corals once the tank cycled.
Tank display is 24G cube with filter roller with NO skimmer and Santa Monica drop 1.2x Upflow algae scrubber which has not fully growing turf algae. Been in the tank for last 3month.
I do feed my fishes heavy. Two to three times a day. Both dry and wet. Coral food consist of phytoplankton and oysters feast, PNS sno and reef roid etc. I feed other stuff as well.
My tank parameters are:
Salinity: 1.027/35 - 1.025/33 stable at 1.027/35
ATO using IM ato
Temperature: 77.5-78.5 (I keep two temp probes for safety measure).
Alkalinity: 7.8-8.5 usually around 8.2 but current down to 7.9. (Tank only consumes about 0.5dkh daily atm). I dose Esv 2pt (6ml each per day using bubble magus dosing pump). 3rd pump is pumping acro power.
pH: 8.4-8.1 depends on the time of the day. Using hand held Hanna checkers. In the past I do think having a aeration from the scrubber helped keep my pH up. But now having 2pt dosing my pH have gone up higher to 8.4. Use to be around 8.0-.8.2.
Calcium: 400-385. Tested time to time with Hannah test kit
Magnesium: 1400-1370ish. Tested using Red Sea test kit once in a while
Nitrate: Keeps going down but I keep it at at least 3.0 but it for go down to below 1.0 sometimes which I add potassium nitrate to grind the level up. Ideally I like it to be below 5.0
Phosphate: 0.10-0.00. I am dosing neophos to keep the phosphate to at least registering on test kit.
Turf scrubber as it looks now (12hr lights on).
Took this picture on Oct 15th. I did scrubber the brown stuff off that day.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Have your needing for nutrients export system (whether it is skimmer, turf scrubber, filter sock, roller, carbon dosing, etc) became less needed after using the automatic water changing? And was it constantly stabled? Did your tank do better or worst? Any inputs and thoughts will be helpful.
Last weekend, I’ve added AWC using liter meter 3 (changing 5Gallon per week on 30Gal system, that’s about 2.5ish % per day) and wondering if I should take the algae turf scrubber to be off line completely. My salt (Frits rpm) water for AWC was indicating the alkalinity of 9.0dkh but when I came back home and tested the leftover it has dropped to 7.9dkh within the 5days of seating in the system bucket).
The thing is automatic water change is keeping my tank too clean for the turf scrubber to properly get a hold on. (It actually never took off since the tank has been pretty clean from the start). And the scrubber is the loudest thing in my tank (air stone). I do have some hair algae in the display (pops up here and there). which is isolated to one area and is the food source for my hector’s goby and my snails. All fishes and corals are doing great.
Tank started early July. Using Red Sea dry rock and Carib dry sand (washed out everything and dried before adding). And started adding clown fishes and SPS corals once the tank cycled.
Tank display is 24G cube with filter roller with NO skimmer and Santa Monica drop 1.2x Upflow algae scrubber which has not fully growing turf algae. Been in the tank for last 3month.
I do feed my fishes heavy. Two to three times a day. Both dry and wet. Coral food consist of phytoplankton and oysters feast, PNS sno and reef roid etc. I feed other stuff as well.
My tank parameters are:
Salinity: 1.027/35 - 1.025/33 stable at 1.027/35
ATO using IM ato
Temperature: 77.5-78.5 (I keep two temp probes for safety measure).
Alkalinity: 7.8-8.5 usually around 8.2 but current down to 7.9. (Tank only consumes about 0.5dkh daily atm). I dose Esv 2pt (6ml each per day using bubble magus dosing pump). 3rd pump is pumping acro power.
pH: 8.4-8.1 depends on the time of the day. Using hand held Hanna checkers. In the past I do think having a aeration from the scrubber helped keep my pH up. But now having 2pt dosing my pH have gone up higher to 8.4. Use to be around 8.0-.8.2.
Calcium: 400-385. Tested time to time with Hannah test kit
Magnesium: 1400-1370ish. Tested using Red Sea test kit once in a while
Nitrate: Keeps going down but I keep it at at least 3.0 but it for go down to below 1.0 sometimes which I add potassium nitrate to grind the level up. Ideally I like it to be below 5.0
Phosphate: 0.10-0.00. I am dosing neophos to keep the phosphate to at least registering on test kit.
Turf scrubber as it looks now (12hr lights on).
Took this picture on Oct 15th. I did scrubber the brown stuff off that day.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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