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Thread: 180g Show Tank

  1. #31

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    Tanks is doing well. No livestock losses since last update. Latest Triton results recieved today. Details can be seen on my website if you want to see the details: http://davidgrigor.weebly.com/update...results-are-in

    Fast approaching on the 5 year anniversary of going skimmerless ( Jan 2012 )



  2. #32
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    Nice... maybe Neptune can learn from this

  3. #33

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    Passed the 5 year mark in January of Algae Turf Scrubber as main filtration. No skimmer. Just hit the 2 year mark this March of Near Zero water change. Only exports is just 1 cup of carbon weekly, algae harvest, siphon substrate into a filter sock, and a little bit of filter floss. No GFO needed, Algae scrubber keeps phosphates and nitrates at near undetectable. Occasionally phosphates will reach above .08ppm when that happens can usually get it down by slightly reducing feeding or will dose KN03 additive nightly to boost nitrate to around .5ppm to get the phosphates back down. Otherwise nitrates are undetectable using Salifert in high resolution mode.

    Full Tank shot from Today:


  4. #34

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    Dosing KN03 ( Potassium Nitrate )

    Been dosing Potassium Nitrate since January. While only 3 months, I'm ready to share my experiences thus far. I've been pleasantly surprised and have exceeded all expectations to this point.

    As a Teaser here is the latest tank shot 3/26/2017:





    Background:


    In the past, Nitrates always read non-detectable using Salifert Test kit in high resolution mode. Phosphates will normally hover around .06-.08ppm. When phosphates creep up above .08ppm , I normally would add 2 tablespoons of GFO mixed together with my weekly 1 cup of Rox .8 carbon and packed tightly using filter floss. This would bring it back down. I can get it a little further without GFO into the .02 ppm range by tweaking the amount of food. I'm a heavy feeder so when I say reduce food the fish are still well fed.

    Since nitrates have always shown as non-detectable, I decided to give KNO3 dosing a try and see if can get phosphates lower without having the adjust feeding schedules or occasional use of GFO.

    When running a ATS and your nitrates are not zero then you may need to make adjustments to your scrubber lighting or flow. If that doesn't resolve then your feeding too much or your ATS is just not sized well enough for your system.

    Dosages:

    I purchase the Spectracide Stump remover for my initial testing and runs about $7. ​You can buy in bulk for substantial cost savings and I suspect it is higher grade for long term use. I picked up 10lb bag of 99.8% pure from DudaDiesel​. 10lb bag and only use 1/2 cup per gallon of solution this will probably last me a lifetime so I do plan to share with my local club members.

    Mix 1/2 cup of KN03 ( Potassium Nitrate ) with 1 Gallon of RO/DI water.

    For my system, 60mil of the solution will raise Nitrate to .2 - .5ppm range for my 180g system.

    By the end of the ATS ( Algae Turf Scrubber ) light cycle. Nitrates will be back to undetectable levels and Phosphate levels tested using Hanna Checker ULR Phosphorus Checker ( Model HI736) will read 0-1ppb ( < .01ppm ).

    Observations:


    Since running ATS for nearly 5 years, coraline algae rarely grows on rocks and never on the glass. Within the first 2 weeks coraline algae was quite noticable on both the rocks and starting to form on the glass.

    Coral coloration and expansion. No noticable difference. Never had any complaints on coral coloration prior to dosing and have not seen any noticable difference or pastel colors. I highly suspect corals are still getting some nitrate/phosphate during the day from feeding the tank. When the main tank lights are out and the ATS running it's likely removing all the excess. If I were not feeding daily I might expect to see negative coral reaction.

    I do still get the normal diatoms on the glass and throughout the week some diatoms on the substrate. After weekly substrate siphoning its nice and white again. I'm hoping this will lessen overtime.

    I haven't noticed an increase in the weekly Algae Harvest, it seems to be about the same amount and consistancy. However, the color of the algae is a much darker green.

    At this time it is still a manual dosage of 60mil per day with an occasional skip if I haven't feed as much as normal or just simply forget to. I may automate with dosing pump at some point in future but not until I'm fully comfortable with the results.

  5. #35
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    Congrats on the 5 year mark, and interesting to see your N dosing results. You can get it also from places like AquariumFertilizer.com

  6. #36

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    Quote Originally Posted by FrozenReef View Post
    By the end of the ATS ( Algae Turf Scrubber ) light cycle. Nitrates will be back to undetectable levels and Phosphate levels tested using Hanna Checker ULR Phosphorus Checker ( Model HI736) will read 0-1ppb ( < .01ppm ).


  7. #37
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    How is it going now?

  8. #38

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    Tank is doing excellent ( knock on wood ). I'm about to send in my next triton test and will post updated pictures when results are in.


    Been KNO3 dosing since Christmas time 2016 ( about 11 months ) and that has been the missing link. I can completely control phosphates levels by either tweaking food ( but still feeding alot ) or adding KN03. While I never used much GFO but did add a few teaspoons here and there to keep phosphates in check but haven't had to touch GFO since KN03 dosing.

    My mix is 1/2 cup of potasium nitrate mixed in a gallon of ro water. I dose 120mil of that solution per day. By morning all phosphate by the algae ( and possibly some bacteria ) is removed and ready for the next day. Hard to tell from nitrate test kit but will usually read undectable in morning. Dosing raises it about .5 to 1 ppm ( again hard to tell color change but since its about a 16/1 ratio and judging from phosphate readings around .07ppm in the evenings nitrate levels close to 1ppm seems reasonable ). I have a dosing pump for it I just haven't got off my lazy rear and get it automated.

    Weekly algae harvest nearly fill up a 1/2 gallon pitcher per week. The algae grows so fast and thick that it's touching the both sides of the enclosure by harvest time ( which is nearly 4" ). The weight alone is so much that I keep having to replace my screen every 2-3months becuase rips holes in it.

    One other thing is they say that there is not enough K to really change levels but since I dose around 120mil per day so close to a gallon per 5 weeks, My levels have increased to 430ppm without any K dosing or water waters changes. Which if that is the case is good since my postasium supplement does have chloride in it and I try to minimize adding chlorides so chlorides don't get too out of whack with minimal water changes.

    I never notices any color changes or shifts from dosing KN03 from acros as colors have always been good and never pastel. The main thing is I was never able to grow coraline algae on the rocks ( which is good and bad ) now coraline grows everywhere and leather corals are growing much faster ( again good and bad ) as well as zoanthid colonies since adding.

  9. #39
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    Great to hear. So you are thinking the K or N is the agent?

  10. #40

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    I hosted Twin City Marine Aquarium Society Last night.

    Tank is doing well.

    6 years this last January since going skimmerless. ATS is main filtration.

    3 Year Anniversary this month of going to a Near Zero Water Change Philosophy ( Basically the Triton method but using DIY additives becuase I am a hard core kalkwasser user and they don't have additives built for that so I make most of my own ).


    These shots are just from a phone camera of one of the club members. Thank you Carl.








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