Little update not much

Aquaticnano: http://youtu.be/Q70VTlIdOtE

A little update

Here's an update on Aquaticnano

Bubble Magus Dosing Pump and Aquamaxx Dosing Containers

Sorry guys, it's been a long time I haven't blog and I figured it's time to get back into it.  My tank has gone through many changes and updates.  I figured I start with the Bubble Magus Dosing Pump since that was the last equipment I added before my last post.  With the long time period using it I figure I can actually review this product of it's worthiness.

So this is the Bubble Magus Dosing Pump BM-T01.  It's design is pretty sweet, it has a interactive interface and a nicely bright display to show you what you are selecting.  The instructions that come with it are pretty confusing but after some trial and error I was able to figure it out and adjust it to my specifications.

There are four buttons in the front.  They are label as Up, Down, Enter, Esc.  The Bubble Magus comes with 3 dosing pumps and has the capability of connecting the up to 2 BTM-T02 on the back of the unit to combine a total of up to 11 dosing pumps.  

 The Unit came with a 3 meter tubing but I didn't like the feel to it as it wasn't flexible and long enough.  I replaced it with the Tom Aquatics Flexible Airline Tubing.   I also got the SeaSide Aquatics tube bracket to assist on holding the tubes back to the tank.  It has plastics screws to gently tightly fit the flexible tube to keep them in place.

I seen so many dosing containers that have the tubing connection on the top.  So the pressure from the dosing pump pushes the liquid up the tubing. The flaw with this is that liquid settles on the bottom where it's all concentrated and doesn't mix the liquid well.  The Aquamaxx was a great choice since it has the connection on the bottom.  It has a valve in case you need to shut it off and remove the tubing.  The lid easily pops up to refill the container

At the 1st initial set up you have to manually pump the liquid up to the tubing close to the output of the flexible tube.  If you don't do this, it will take several days till the liquid is push out.  The dosing pump can do from 1 ml to 1999 ml and can do up to 24 cycle per day.  The many options allows you to control the setting to your own specification.  I recommend to do low amounts daily than having a large dosing amount at the end of the week.  This will keep your tank establish to the correct trace elements value without fluctuation to much.  I recommend to do the math on which ever brand you are using on the trace elements to start with.  That way you know around the basic amount to dose and test weekly to adjust and achieve the correct amount needed to your tank.  It's better to be safe and not to overdose and end up loosing your livestock.  

I have to say I been very happy with the results of the unit and the combination of the dosing containers.  It has made the reef tank a lot more easier to maintain and not to mention healthier corals, fishes and other invertebrates. 

Red Sea System-

So I decided to go to the next level and try the Red Sea System to help out on my tank.  Currently I'm dosing Aquamaxx A & B, but I wanted to incorporate something else as my corals are looking dull and not to full in color. 

Since I have a medium stock aquarium i get issues with nitrates and phosphates.  So my 1st concerns on the list was to get rid of my nitrates and reduce phosphates.  That way I can get healthy growth and I really don't want to experience any algae at the moment. The Red Sea NO3:PO4-X is a great additive that uses organic elements and "unique complex of carbons" as stated by Red Sea, or in another words this is similar to vodka dosing. This will reduce excess nutrients in your system(nitrates and phosphates) I won't get into details or physics on the breakdown.  I started using this application with a small amount of 3.5 ml per day(the directions indicate to use 3ml per every 25gl. If nitrate level is above 10ppm, anything less than 10ppm will between 1-2ml per every 25gl).  Within the 4th day i saw results that my nitrates and phosphates had reduce to zero or close to zero.   After bringing down my nitrates and phosphates I followed up with my 10% weekly water change. (a healthy tank means happy corals) 

 I love giving my corals a wide variety of foods.  I'm the type of hobbyist that likes to baby my corals, NO one food for the rest of the week...psshhhh I provide my corals with a variety of mix foods from Coral Frenzy, Reef Nutrition, H2O Frozen cubes, Reef-Roids, oyster feast and so on.  Like all animals they require additional supplementation and vitamins, what better choice than to provide my corals the Red Sea Energy A and B supplement.  The Reef Energy A consist of carbohydrates, Amino acids, fatty acids and suspended protein flocks and the Reef Energy B will consist of Vitamins and Amino Acids.  I add 2ml 3 times a week to my tank.(manufacturer states to add 1ml per every 25gl daily for soft corals, 2ml per every 25gl daily for either LPS and SPS corals.  I don't add daily as I mentioned I like to give a variety of food to my corals I don't want to have excessive nutrients in the tank.  Overdosing of the Reef Energy A & B can develop a grey/brown bio-film on the live rocks and outbreaks of algae.  Under signs of under-dosing in a low nutrient system will result in  bleaching of the corals from the base upwards.

Since I do 10% water change on my tank every week, I add the Red Sea Colors A,B,C,D in between the week. I carefully test my Iron, Iodine, Potassium levels to make sure I'm dosing the correct amount.  Please note that this are also very important elements to maintain a nice vibrant color on your corals.  So far the program has worked really great on my system and plan on continuing using it.
Here are a couple of sample pics.

before  

      after

before  

  after

New Life

Tank Update Pics: This will marked close to 6 months from initial set up.. enjoy!!!!

what a little household cleaner can do

We all know that your aquarium gear can build up salt creek, calcium deposits, or any hard to get rid off waste.  With white distilled vinegar, that you can find among you common household cleaning supplies, I would demonstrate how effective it can clean up your equipment..

Here I have a two little fishes media reactor that has been running for a couple of months.  As you can see here there is deposit build up of waste inside the main send tube, the body and on the edges.  With a rinse this won't come off. 



 So I started with 20% white distilled vinegar and dilute it with lukewarm water and left the body soaking for about 15 minutes.  I gather the smaller components and did the same procedure in a Tupperware and let them soak for 15 minutes.  I have to admit... I love my Tunze Brush cleaning kit.  Oh it makes things much easier for me when I'm doing my maintenance and cleaning.  So since it comes with a variety sizes of brushes, I can use any type or size to scrub and scrape the gunk out.  The solution works great, I only have to pass the brush 2 or 3 time and it automatically comes off.  I use the fine brushes to get into the smaller crevices.  After some light brushing and scrubing I rinse the body and the components with lukewarm water and dry them with a micro fiber cloth towel. 

And now the results are in....  all I can say the reactor looks brand spanking new.