# Marine Aquariums > Reef Aquariums >  time to start again

## lost

thanks to my son its back to the salty side  :lol:  this time the low key approach not sure about a skimmer or not any advice much appreciated I am surprised at how much I have forgot. I am only going to keep softies and two clowns at the mo , not much in at the mo not sure how much more live rock I am going to need . No sump this time , this time an ext with alpha grog

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## Gary R

Nice to see you back Dave  :Smile: 

First thing is get a bottle of vodka ....and no it's not for you m8  :lol: 

You will need Smirnoff vodka, this is for vodka dosing, and will help to keep your nitrates down, and get yourself a good test kit.

I have done this for the last 2 years now and is best thing I have every done for my tank, never done a water change in three years now.

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## lost

Sounds like a plan on a different note my son has a bad cyno outbreak do you think this would help

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## Gary R

> Sounds like a plan on a different note my son has a bad cyno outbreak do you think this would help


25% water changes every 2 days turn the lights off for 24 hours then cut the lights down to 6 hours a day most until it starts to die off, check water moment as dead spots is were it will thrive, add a Clean up crew and most of all, water readings need to be done .... phosphates, PH, calcium, alkalinity, magnesium and Nitrate.

Once all this as been done it will be a good time to start vodka dosing.

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*lost* (24-03-2017)

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## lost

he did a 50% water change, blacked out his tank for a day Nealy lost one of his nems he tells me no luck, he has used a chemical for getting rid of the stuff vacuumed it out as much as he could and with in a fortnight it was back just as bad

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## Gary R

ask him to do a Nitrate test please and let me know how Meany gallons/ litres the tank is.

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## lost

His nitrates were high not know how they are now till Saturday he has a 240l tank

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## lost

At last a growing coral  :lol:  never had much luck with these but fingers crossed, I was a bit worried I would loose it being as the tank will have only just cycled prob not fully yet

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## Gary R

looking good m8 ...lets hope this time things work out better for you and end up with a full tank of corals  :Smile:

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*lost* (29-03-2017)

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## Gary R

> His nitrates were high not know how they are now till Saturday he has a 240l tank


Vodka dosing on a 240l tank I would start off putting 1/2ml per day for the first week, then 1ml per day for week 2 ...week 3 do 2ml ...week 4 do 3ml....week 5 do 4ml then week 6 do 5ml by this time you should see the nitrates start to drop, you will still need to check on your phosphates, PH, calcium, alkalinity and magnesium.

if you can, get yourself a red sea test kit for doing the above tests.

Does he have a sump on this tank ?

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*lost* (29-03-2017)

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## lost

> Vodka dosing on a 240l tank I would start off putting 1/2ml per day for the first week, then 1ml per day for week 2 ...week 3 do 2ml ...week 4 do 3ml....week 5 do 4ml then week 6 do 5ml by this time you should see the nitrates start to drop, you will still need to check on your phosphates, PH, calcium, alkalinity and magnesium.
> 
> if you can, get yourself a red sea test kit for doing the above tests.
> 
> Does he have a sump on this tank ?


No he doesn't he is just running the tank on blue lights at the mo and I think that might be helping



> looking good m8 ...lets hope this time things work out better for you and end up with a full tank of corals


I am going to keep softies lots of zoas and colour  :lol:

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## Gary R

Sorry m8 I don't under stand the reply to ....Does he have a sump on his tank ? ....should of said under this tank  :lol:

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## lost

No gaz he hasn't , what I meant to say was he is only having his blue lights on at the mo and he seems to think that is helping , not spoke to him today being as he has two big exams to do and the last thing he wants is me pestering him  :lol:

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## Gary R

I hope he did well in them Dave

did you setup your skimmer again in your tank ?

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## lost

find out in three weeks mate  , I have never had a skimmer  I was under the impression  softies liked a bit of dirty water  :lol:

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*Gary R* (03-04-2017)

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## lost

IMG-20170402-WA0000.jpgAfter a good clean my sons tank looks like this
As for mine its life jim but not as we know it  :pmsl:  what ever it is , its on the move I thought it was a toadstool coral

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*Gary R* (03-04-2017)

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## Gary R

see your son is into the lionfish side of things.

yours looks like a toadstool on the first picture.

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## lost

He loves it  :lol:  I also found out today he is using tropical white lights not marine thas not going to help things

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## lost

Growing I hope
20170407_114837.jpg
The belly of the beast  :pmsl: 
20170404_130435.jpg

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## Gary R

looks like a nasty mango m8

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## lost

pretty sure its a zoa gaz my son has a few in his tank

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## Gary R

Lets hope so ....my eyes are not as good as there were  :lol:

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## lost

Its you age mate  :pmsl:

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*Gary R* (16-04-2017)

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## lost

Ok a quick update the one zoa is now 4 but my nem is no more :Frown:  other than that not a lot to show

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*Gary R* (05-05-2017)

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## Gary R

You need to put some sponge round that intake Dave any slow moving fish or Invertebrates will get stuck to it and not be able to move away.

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## lost

Thanks mate I am not sure I will be having any more nems maybe a toadstool, having said that my sons malu has doubled in size and had babys loads of them  :pmsl:

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*Gary R* (05-05-2017)

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## lost

20170512_182347_1494686560509.jpg
After my light finally giving up on me I brought one of these
Would have liked it to be wider but it seems to do the job
20170512_182534_1494686560358.jpg
It is a whiter light
20170512_182555_1494686560229.jpg20170512_200131_1494686559957.jpg
The next job is to actually put something in it  :pmsl:  which is in hand
The other thing i thought about is still using the ballast I have to supplement the led , it does make a difference question is should I have two marine white t5 tubes, two marine blue , one of each or ditch them and get some t5/led tubes

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## Gary R

You need some blue in there m8 ...LED would be better.

How long as the tank being up and running ?

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## lost

> You need some blue in there m8 ...LED would be better.
> 
> How long as the tank being up and running ?


Right one white and one blue I did spoke to the local fish shop were I brought the light from and they think if I had two t5/led it would be to much and I will have probs with algae 
It has been up and running now for about two/two and a half months

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## Gary R

looking at that led light again Dave....it does blue as well as just seen the remote that is with it ?

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## lost

20170515_130748_1494850229511.jpg20170515_130808_1494850229116.jpg20170515_130756_1494850229255.jpg20170515_130751_1494850229397.jpgyes mate it has , it does cloud,moon light and thunderstorms all the stuff I don't use  :lol:  it is rated at 3000-25000k , 16w and is for 21-32 inch tanks 
told you I had something to put in it didn't I  :lol:  I am not sure if the 1st and last are the same thing
You can also buy a timer for it that will allow you to set sun rise and sun set also set the % of moon light but it does not let you set a time so that means the moon light is on all night not sure if that is a good idea shame because that is what I like about leds to have sun rise and sun set

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## Gary R

Just had a read up on this m8 and it looks like you need to buy the Fluval timer to get all the necessary sun rise and sun set functions to work on any given time you want them to.....but can't see any think that would bring the main lights on at any given time  :Frown:  only the remote which means you need to be in to switch these lights on and off.

Looks like the 2nd generation of these fluval light have it all built in m8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOkcDpdgEYY

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*lost* (16-05-2017)

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## lost

I don't think that is a mk2 mate that is a slightly different one and not a good one at that according to u tube I can buy a timer for mine for £25 but that does not switch the blue leds on at night . It just dims the whites a little I might have to see about a blue led for night time

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*Gary R* (17-05-2017)

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## lost

20170520_192708.jpgHad a bit of a move around, I don't like the led light I am thinking of taking it back if I can and thinking of going to t5s two blue and two whites . Tbh I have never used t5s before

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## Gary R

T5s are good but the bad side to these is heat ...and you need to change them every 6 months .....so you need to work out cost of this over the next couple of years to what LED would cost, plus the heat factor how you are going to get rid of it.

There is now some good places for fags in there now Dave.

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## lost

> T5s are good but the bad side to these is heat ...and you need to change them every 6 months .....so you need to work out cost of this over the next couple of years to what LED would cost, plus the heat factor how you are going to get rid of it.
> 
> There is now some good places for fags in there now Dave.


Any suggestions as to what ? and tbh I like led but I have no idea what I should get

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## Gary R

This is worth £70 all day long http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LT-A001-60...MAAOSwAPVZEYYj

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*lost* (23-05-2017)

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## lost

Thanks gaz going to keep my eye on that just brought 4 t5s today  :lol:

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## Gary R

> This is worth £70 all day long http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LT-A001-60...MAAOSwAPVZEYYj


Well it went for £72 in the end ....think that was a good buy for who ever got it.

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## lost

have to agree that was a good price like I said on the phone been stung with lcd lights but never used t5s so fingers crossed

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*Gary R* (28-05-2017)

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## lost

The t5s have made a big difference ,I don't have much room for a skimmer so I brought a hydra 3 at the mo it seems that the water is very clear , time will tell how good/bad it is . I need a wave maker I do not have enough flow at the mo

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*Gary R* (06-06-2017)

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## lost

just got my jeboa ws-4 bit of movement in there now  :lol:  not very quiet tho

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## Gary R

That should make a bit of a difference in there Dave.....how is the tank looking now with the new lights as well ?

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## lost

I will get some  photos posted when the lights are back on but have to admit the t5s do make it look a lot better I think I need a small blue led for night time

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## lost

20170626_112845.jpg
My yellow goby is seems to have found a home with the shrimp  :lol: 
20170626_144337.jpg
Feeding time

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## lost

just wondering would a watchman goby pair with a humpback shrimp or does it have to be a pistol shrimp ? mine are getting very friendly  :lol:

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## Gary R

Should be a pistol shrimp unless its half blind  :lol: 

but as it is the only shrimp in there it will do in his books.

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## lost

I wonder if it would be ok to put a cleaner shrimp in there ?

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## Gary R

I would not like to say Dave as never had a humpback shrimp myself.

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## lost

I am happy with what I have tbh I love the way the goby has took up with the shrimp  :Big Grin:  didn't think that would happen . Time to start looking at some more corals , there are a few frags were my son works  :lol:  and I have to fit my in line heater tomorrow

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## Gary R

were is the in line heater going ?

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## lost

it fits on to the outlet pipe of my ext filter

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*Gary R* (03-07-2017)

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## lost

> were is the in line heater going ?


Its going on gumtree  :Frown:  got no room underneath the tank and I can not get at it or even see it when it is behind the tank because the tank is to close to the wall

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*Gary R* (08-09-2017)

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## lost

some more pics

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## Gary R

Some nice corals there Dave .........i see you have some hair algae growing on the back of the tank, could be to much light or nitrates starting to build up a bit.

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*lost* (17-09-2017)

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## lost

I think my ph is out lots of water changes and see how I go, the coral in the second picture has brown jelly fungus  :Frown:

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