Nitrates reached zero!

Finally NO3 reached zero.  Will maintain vodka at current levels now (2.5ml/day), while I work on Mg and PO4.

PO4 (phosfates) continue high at 0.5ppm.  I might decide to start the PhosGuard soon, not sure yet but thinking about it.

Mg, Ca and Alkalinity took an interesting turn.  I stopped adding Alk buffer when Ca was high (600ppm) and I started dosing Mg buffer.  Alk remained at 7dKH and Ca gradually fell, while Mg was increasing.  Well, this week Mg grew almost nothing (from 987 to 1000ppm) whilst Ca decreased to 450ppm (in range!) and Alk fell to 6dKH.

So I decided to return to daily Alk buffering but I'll do it at night, so it doesn't colide with the Mg buffering done in the morning.  Once Mg levels stabilize I guess Mg and Alk buffering will reduce to once a week for basic maintenance.

Trumpets continue to shrink, Acan and Hammer are suffering but surviving.

Vodka now at 2.5ml

NO3 continued detectable, at 2.5 ppm, upped Vodka to 2.5ml a day now.

PO4 got worse, at 0.5 ppm the last time I measured it... decided to get some PhosGuard by Seachem, will start using it next week after I test PO4 again.

Magnesium levels were too low, in the 825 range a few weeks ago, so I started upping it with Magnesium buffer. I first used a bottle of Kent Tech M Magnesium I once bought while traveling. After it finished I switched to AquaVitro ions, recommended by my LPS. I liked it more than the Kent Tech M Magnesium, it is easier to dose and each dose is stronger with less liquid. Mg levels are now close to 1000ppm, increasing by 12 to 15 ppm every day on average. Will take a while, but eventually we'll reach the recommended 1280.

Recently I started to see pineapple sponges again th the sump and in the display tank. These had appeared in the initial months of the tank, then disappeared. I read the fact they're back as a sign my water quality is similar to a few months ago. I guess as Mg got worse and feeding was too generous water quality suffered. I have significant amounts of Green Hair Algae in the tank right now, and that is a sign of bad water quality.

Apart from that the LPS corals aren't doing well at all, which is understandable if the water isn't at high quality levels.

My Trumpets are clearly dying, and the Acan and Hammer are suffering. They latter might survive when I stabilize the water (Mg at 1280, PO4 zero, NO3 zero), but I doubt that the Trumpet will make it. I'm not sure if the trumpet was actively attacked by a pest. In these ReefCentral threads I show some pictures of the Trumpets and some pods that might be pests:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1820355

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1820384

Vodka at 2ml

Upping vodka to 2ml/day now. Yesterday NO3 was still 2.5ppm and PO4 was still 0.1 ppm....

Vodka continues

Started dosing Vodka on Jan 27th, here is the follow-up story of dosage:

Jan 27th - Jan 28th: 0.2ml
Jan 29th - Jan 30th: 0.4ml
Jan 31th - Feb  4th: 0.6ml
Feb 5th: 0.8ml
Feb 6th: 0.6ml late at night (forgot the morning dose)
Feb 7th: 0.8ml
Feb 8th - Feb 9th: 1.0ml
Interruption due to travel, during which I left the Eheim auto-feeder on with two feedings of small pellet food per day.  When we came back I had the impression the green hair algae and maiden's hair algae had grown.... quite a lot in fact.  Too much food I guess.
Feb 17th: 0.2ml at night
Feb 18th: 0.4ml
Feb 19th: 0.6ml
Feb 20th: 0.4ml in the afternoon (forgot the morning dose)
Feb 21st: 0.4ml
Feb 22nd: 0.5ml
Feb 23rd: 0.6ml
Feb 24th: 0.7ml
Feb 25th: 0.4ml at night (forgot the morn...)
On that day (25th) I also removed a lot of green hair algae and maiden's hair algae by hand at night, in an attempt to remove nutrients that will gradually return to the water when the algae decomposes in the aquarium if left to die.
Feb 26th: 0.7ml
Feb 27th - Mar 1st (today): 1.0ml


So far, so good, no progress with Nitrate or Phosphate reduction yet, but it is still very early.  Measurements were:
Feb 7th, NO3=5ppm
Feb 17th, NO3=5ppm, PO4=0.1ppm
Feb 26th, NO3=5ppm, PO4=0.1ppm

snorkeler

LEDs take 2 - weak whites

When I finally got time to assemble the white LEDs I was very disappointed with the result.  The white LEDs are weaker, maybe half or less the output of the blue ones I had....

Will have to try with different LED products.... Here are the other ones I just ordered, in order to experiment:

Pingão: http://produto.arremate.com.br/MLB-130221882-super-leds-pingo-branco-xenon-o-mais-forte-varias-cores-led-_JM

3W SuperLEDs: http://produto.arremate.com.br/MLB-117542682-super-led-3w-superleds-vermelho-verde-ou-azul-_JM

Bought 2 pairs of the "pingão" lights (4 in total, 2 white and 2 blue), which if works will cost less than the Coralife 50/50.  Also bought 4 x 3W SuperLEDs (2 white, 2 blue), which will end up costing the same as a Coralife 50/50, but, at least they won't burn as quickly.

Let's see how this turns out....

snorkeler