Cant wait to see how this tank progresses. The first 6 months of growth look great. im sure the corals are going to take off soon and grow like wild fire
Thanks for the video. Reef keeping is far too often presented as if it were rocket science and this video shows that it can be easy, except for the 300€ Hanna Refractometer. 😂
Just got back into reef keeping after a 7year break previously kept reef tanks since mid 90’s . Yes it was under gravel back in the day 😂. Interesting regarding the salinity/ conductivity meter. I have one of these since I started my nano 6months ago and don’t feel I can trust it! Might just go and get a good old refractometer. Love the videos, I’ve been using them to catch up on 7 years reef tech😊
Salinity was spiking because he wasn't testing. If he had been testing he would have noticed it. Testing is the #1 most ignored, most important part of fishkeeping.
That's part of the reason, but it was also spiking while I was using kalk because my salinity tester was reading low so I was adding higher salinity salt during my water changes. Hence getting rid of the Hanna salinity pen. So if I was using a more reliable method (like the simple optical refractometer), I would have been able to keep it in check.
Beautiful reef. I have always had issues with over lighting my lps. If feels so strange putting corals in the shaded parts of the tank but that seems to be the best placement for many LPS.
Nice video Alex. I like how you’re Nero’s are positioned and the fact that you keep your parameters stable which is key. 👍 I like to keep my magnesium at about 1400ppm as I find that my LPS are happiest.
I will say one thing: swap the hanna salinity checker for a refractometer. or compare the two every single time. If you look online there are plenty of reviews stating that their salinity checker failed. The salinity probe gets worn down by saltwater **Ironic** , and eventually gives inaccurate readings. Mine jumped my salinity from 1.026 to 1.037 in a singular water change, No bueno!! that thing causes tank crashes. I was a big believer in it too! just dip it in for an instant reading, It's convenient and works until it doesn't and when it doesn't you might lose all ur livestock. not worth the risk IMO
I have had the same tank with LPS for going on 3 years and our setup is very similar. Main difference is I dose AFR instead of 2 part. I run Cheato with the same light, a filter roller and a skimmer. The only thing I do that you didn't is I also have it setup on a continuous waterchange of 1 gallon a day. Good point on the testing. I've definitely slacked on that for the past year.
Beautiful corals . So glad your taking on the LPS 😊 . Your killing me though with the manganese . I researched a bit , but would love to hear from you . Maybe a video on its importance ? Do you use the Hanna Manganese tester ? Again I could probably check what optimine level should be , but I'm lazy 😊 . & I really like hearing you . Another expense but these corals ain't cheap . How often do you test . How many test do get with the kit ? Do you like the bobbing salinity tester . I know their fragile . Maybe one of them their foam pool noodles to protect it ? Thank you Alex . Your my favorite 😊
I try not to think too hard about manganese - apparently it gets consumed quite fast and is difficult to overdose, so I just drop 2ml in per day and send off an ICP test 2 or 3 times a year. My last ICP test 4 months ago said it was 0.42 against an ideal value of 0.9-4 so it seems fine (in that I'd rather not overdose it, but actually as I'm typing I'm thinking of adding an extra 1ml per day!) Bobbing hydrometer is good, but it's a bit of a faff so only gets occasional use when I think something needs double/triple checking. And it's calibrated to 25 degrees C so if your tank is warmer/cooler, it won't be 100% accurate unless you do a conversion. An optical refractometer properly calibrated for seawater (Red Sea or D-D) is the best solution for 99% of reefers - cheap enough, reliable, accurate and easy to use/calibrate. You only need the digital refractometer if you have more money than sense 😆
@@ReefDork Thank you so much for reply . Really appreciate your pro tips on the gonapora & the other beautiful LPS you have . Wish you the best on your new build & am excited to be joining you on your journey . The Amazing Journey of Alex & the LPS 😀 Have you heard of the Reef Casa refractor ? They say it's the most accurate sea water refractometer in the whole wide world 😀
Great Video! Could you please create a video discussing long-range transportation of tanks and what to do when going on vacation? I'm eager to dive into the hobby, but I'm hesitant due to uncertainty about these aspects. I appreciate all your advice.
I find the Hanna salinity pen is fine. My only caution is regular calibration and I also regularly compare mine with a quality refractometer that is also regularly calibrated.
@@ReefDorkany chance you could do a little 5 min video on the bracket please? I need one as well, I’m ok with DIY but I don’t really have an engineers brain so I need inspiration from others..!
Hi Alex, watched one of your video the other regarding OR3 led bar you installed on one of your tanks. I dont know if you are still using it, but would you recommend that product? I need few bars purely to make the corals pop to be able to photograph them. Otherwise I am running all T5`s. Which one you think is better for colour pop the BLUE PLUS is the SKY BLUE version of the OR3. How long did you use them for? Did you notice any PAR drop or did you have any other issues with your led bar? Thanks a lot. Ross
Yeah, it's good. Spread isn't great but it works well as fill light. In theory the one with all 450nm LEDs should give the bets fluorescence, but I only used the one I made a review of. Didn't monitor PAR over time but it'll be fine.
What is the name of the coral at 7:43, above the purple Goni??? It’s yellow/orange with red eyes. Has some green mixed in also. I’m guessing some type of Chalice? Very nice!!! 🔥
Nice video... tank is looking sweet! I'm dosing reef Zlements PH plus and have issues with sludge build up in the sump. Even with a small pump in the sump to add more flow, I still get sludge 🥴
Please Reef Dork if you see this, can you change the background music. I’ve watched a lot of your channel over the years and love the content. But somehow I wasn’t able to drown out what I thought was just intro and exit music. Now I can’t hear anything but that music, and it is killing your content for me. Maybe you can change the song during the main portion of the video? Sorry to be a downer but it is really starting to drive me nuts.