The Great Algae Genocide War of 2010….

Sorry Ted, I got kinda busy last night! :bounce: Ok....here is a picture of the reactor, before setting it up:

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Here is the reactor after setting it up under my tank, next to my sump:

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and here is the reactor a little closer. You are looking at the GFO in that first chamber. The carbon is in the second chamber just behind the GFO. I've adjusted the flow to match the video on BRS.com.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwfuo7OIosQ"]video[/ame]

I'll be monitoring the phosphate levels closely to see if there are any changes.
 
I have a question for you....what does $200 buy you on Craigs List?


Here's what it bought me:

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140 lbs of AWESOME fully cured live rock! :^::^::^: The darker rocks in the second picture are some of my original (algae covered) rocks. The lighter ones are some of the new rock. This is why I got so busy last night....reaquascaping. This time, I was extremely careful NOT to move any of my base rock. I also installed my 2 new Koralia 4s (a $40 CL find) to increase my overall flow and my surface agitation. Here is a full tank shot before adding in the new rock:

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And here are some shots of my new aquascaping:

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Sorry for all the dribbles down the glass, I hadn't cleaned it up before taking the photos! :mrgreen:
 
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WOW looks great. After seeing your thread last night I thought maybe something had gone wrong.
 
Thanks Ted and Smitty, I'm watching my parameters closely for any spikes that may occur. Until the actual blackout, I am on a reduced lighting schedule with only my actinics for a 3 hour window, no MH. In the BRS order, I included 2 new 175 watt XM Metal Halide bulbs. I SOOOOOOO want to hook them up now, but will continue to resist the temptation until the blackout is complete.

I've been working on plumbing together two 32 gallon Rubbermaid trash bins so that I can have about 60 gallons of saltwater mixing and "aging" to have ready for the first water change. I've put a ball valve between them so when I don't need a large volume of saltwater, I can use my RO unit to fill both, then close it off to keep one fresh and the other salt.
 
D'oh!!! There goes the sailfin. :grumble: I figured I have at least one more casualty before all was said and done. I'm not happy about it though.

In the good news department, although my blackout doesn't officially begin until tomorrow, I am starting to notice a slight reduction in the algae growth. I am begining to see my pipe organ corals emerging from the muck. This is what this rock looked like 2 days ago:

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And here is what it looks like today. Just a note, I've not done any manual removal for fear of releasing even more algae spores into the water column:

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I am also starting to notice my little urchin's efforts are no longer going to waste. Here, you can see the empty spot on the right of this rock where he's been munching. The left side of the rock hasn't been touched by him yet. By the way, this same rock, with the two mushrooms on it, can also be seen in the "before" shot above.

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My new PH pen meter is showing very low PH levels, 7.8 as of last night. I dosed some PH buffer last night before bed and now the levels are reading 8.1, which is still too low. I will be starting my Kalkwasser drip tonight to help bring that up. I will also post all my current parameters just prior to the blackout, so I have a starting point to reference later on.
 
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Aww well. appreciate it, Dcan, but as I mentioned, I kinda thought I would lose another. Have lost so many that I've almost gotten used to it. :( Surprisingly, I've not lost my Hippo Tang. They seem so sensitive.
 
:x: Thanks Biff. They seem to be clearing up a little. I don't want to speak too soon though. Still proceeding with the blackout tomorrow. I definately think the extra live rock is helping with the filtration and the reactor is pulling out the phosphates (according to my tests). Have some other things that need to still get done, and really need to get that PH up.

My remaining tank inhabitants (hippo tang, 2 clowns) seem to be loving the new landscape and the doubled flow. Kinda sad though to have such a big tank and only 3 little fishies. Guess I can look forward to restocking with some choice species......if......:x:
 
Just started my Kalkwasser drip today. I am using the [ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000255YWW/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller="]Kent Marine AquaDose 1400 [/ame]system (CL freebie). Using the dosing advice from this
thread I prepared a 1 liter mix and set the drip rate to 69 drops per minute, which should slowly dispense the mix over a 24 hour period. I will have a second mix prepared and waiting to refill the doser when it's empty again.

In the meantime, I've got my two 32 gallon tubs mixing the saltwater. I decided I was tired of sucking saltwater from them, so I've installed two 190 GPH mini pumps connected with 1/2" vinyl tubing to pump the water out and into my buckets.

My tank is currently covered with a heavy blanket to block out the light. Lights will stay off on the tank for the next 4 days. They will be on for 2 hours on day 4 to do the first water change and to feed the fish.
 
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Wow.....only day 2 of the black out and I am experiencing serious tank withdrawl! :shock: This is pathetic! :mrgreen: On the other hand, the kalk drip has got my PH up to 8.4. Ideally, I'd like it at 8.6....as long as it doesn't stress out my remianing tank inhabitants.
 
I know its tough to stare at a blacked out tank.:sad: But stick to it.It'll be worth it in the end.
 
Thanks so much for this post. This is exactly what we are going through right now. I can't wait to tell my husband so he can read this.

Flats Wife
 
Whhoooo Hooooo! I'm finally helping somebody!! J/K! Glad to help, Flats Wife. Figured it would be helpful to have all this info in one place and a record of what I did to take care of it. :D Now the pressure is on to be successful! *L*
 
LOL! Yep, the pressure is on....because if it works for you, then we will try next!! We also started the K drip today but we aren't blacking out...even though I think we may need to. How often are you checking your PH? I was a little concerned about that after I read the container. I sure don't want to lose any fish in this process (even though I know it may happen). It would be a real bummer.

Flats Wife
 
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