Build and Progress of my RSM Nano Tank

[Reefmack]

Laurent - maybe a post in the macroalgae section on the dictyota would be hepful in ways to get rid of it? If a fish isn't an option, maybe a sea hare or something would eat the stuff? Do you ever run the Chemi-Pure Elite in back. Maybe you have more nitrate being generated than you think you do - it may be that it's consumed as quickly as it generated by these pest algaes you have. Something must be feeding the algae.

[mikellini]

I guarantee- GUARANTEE- that if you turn off the lights for 3 whole days, cover the aquarium with a dark sheet, DO NOT FEED THE TANK, and do two 40% water changes (1 after one day and 1 after 3 days, before the lights go on) then the algae will recede. You will then be able to remove the remnants by hand or syphon before they have a chance to grow back. GUARANTEE. The only way your corals will be 'harmed' is if the algae is allowed to overgrow them, coral seas go for extended periods with little to no PAR-emitting light. The only way I would caution against this approach is if you have a sick fish or a bleached or otherwise weak coral. What have you got to lose?

[LaurentSeattle]

Month 8 - Week 34 - Day 236 - Wednesday February 20th - Around 9pm

- Removed even more of the pest algae.

- Removed a few rocks on the top and cleaned them from dictyota.

- Skimmed the water to remove from greasy film - still there... And consequently replaced one gallon of water.

- I followed Reefmack's advice and posted for help in the algae forum.

- If I get no better advice or feedback, I will try Mikellini's suggestion on Monday. I will need to have 25 gallons of water ready, this indeed will not be easy. Please post your comments/experience on his suggestion if you have ever tried something similar. Thanks!

[LaurentSeattle]

Month 8 - Week 34 - Day 237 - Thursday February 21st - Around 9pm

- Guess what? Yes: I removed more pest algae tonight... And yes, I made yet another little (1 g) water change after skimming the water and removing detritus here and there...

- After all these efforts, there is less... But still too much.

- However, I was happy to find one or two little pieces of the pest algae in the mechanical filters. Bryopsis started to appear there before receding.

- I got two ideas to fight the algae:

* Grow Xenia in the area where the algae has a solid stronghold: the top right of the tank.

* Boost skimming performance, with two "sub-ideas" I still have to "implement":
= Try out a skimmer mod I have found on another forum. More later, with pictures.
= Pump some water out from the display tank into the filtration chambers to see if some increase of the water level in the back chambers will boost skimming performance. I believe it should. Again, more later, with pictures.

[MAXreefer]

Laurent,
you are one of the most dedicated person to your tank I think to know. You do way more maintenance as most do and you check your water parameters constantly.
I just don't get it you get one algae pest after another.
I really feel bad for you and I hope you will succeed very soon.

Regarding the skimmer performance:
I managed to get so much flow in the back that both return pumps are completely under water and therefore the water/bubble level in the skimmer is very high also. When I take the collection cup off the bubbles start floating out of the skimmer. When the cup is back on the bubbles go partly in the neck pushing quite some dirty foam up.
So you definitely need to get that water/bubble level quite high in the skimmer

Michael
MAXreefer

[LaurentSeattle]

Month 8 - Week 35 - Day 238 - Friday February 22nd - Around 8pm

- Just back from work (long day again!), fed the fishes and did nothing more in the tank...

- Then again, remembered all the people on the RSM monster thread happy with their canister filters, not having to dismantle everything to perform some supposed-to-be-quick-and-easy cleaning task and enjoying no micro-bubbles at all...

- So... I went online to MarineAmazonOfficeDepot and shell out a hundred thousands milli-bucks to get my very own Fluval 205 canister filter. And if it is not easier to clean, I will sue all the guys (and gals) on the RSM thread... Dang it!

- I have chosen extra-cheap "stagecoach" shipping (I'm saving pennies for a vacation in Maui) so no update on this until quite a while.

---

Thanks MaxReefer for this encouraging post. Hopefully, the Fluval will solve the skimmer performance and bubbles problems...

[LaurentSeattle]

Month 8 - Week 35 - Day 241 - Monday February 25th - Around 10pm

- Again a lot of work, even last Sunday, and I had no time to try out the skimmer mods I wanted to experiment.

- Just did the minimum of Algae removal, cleaning and routine maintenance.

- The pest algae growth is signifcantly slowing down, even receding a bit in one spot.

- My canister filter has not shipped yet from the online store and I will not be able to install it this weekend.

- I posted on the algae forum and got little advice, except to try to cover the pest algae with Chaeto. Which makes sense... I tried that but the chaeto ball went away with the current... I need to find a way to stick it in place.

[coryherby]

I have subscribed to this thread and watch it. It is a great log of the trials and tribulations of a small tank! The algae generally needs to be fed to survive. Are you sure you aren't adding something that is contributing to it? When I had an algae problem in my 180 (although in my case the tangs helped out) I kept lowering what I fed the tank until i was only adding about a quarter a frozen food cube daily. I also did an occasional seaweed strip and some cyclopeeze(maybe weekly) That was for about 10 fish. You would think that wasn't enough but with most the fish also grazing they never got skinny. And my algae problem went away. Food for thought anyway.

[LaurentSeattle]

I had little time this week... So swamped with work...

However, good news in the tank:

- Even with minimal maintenance this week, it seems like the pest algae is receding. Maybe it is the Seachem new salt mix, maybe it is the extra PhosBan...

- I received my Fluval 205 yesterday night and I will install it tomorrow. Finally, the tank will get serious mechanical filtration. Overall, the thingy seems easy to operate. Much progress since the 90's!

More tomorrow...

Thanks all for reading. I will reply to all pending posts/questions during the weekend.

[martinphillip03]

Laurent, You might have to go the way of reefmack and get a very small tang or foxface. Keep it a couple months than trade it in. I know you don't want to do it. But I don't know the alternatives. Is there a snail or crab you can get. Speaking of crabs how is yours doing.

Marty

[LaurentSeattle]

Month 9 - Week 36 - Day 247 - Sunday March 2nd - Around 10am

- Yesterday...

I spent quite a lot of time installing the Fluval 205. Setting the filter itself is very easy. The DVD is nicely done... The difficulty for me was the tubing. My RSM is very close to the wall and it was a lot of work to set the pipes properly.

Priming the system takes a lot of pumping!

I started the thing immediately and saw millions of microbubbles... Looking from the side, through the "Electrical Center" (cover removed), I saw the intake stealing a steady flow of bubbles from the skimmer bottom.

Too many things to do... So I just turned the skimmer off. Bubbles stopped instantly.

Today...

- The water has never been to clear. I am finally having in the RSM the water clarity I always had in the past with my freshwater tanks.

- Circulation has much improved. I wonder now if I really need the Koralia #1 in the back.

- Water levels are much higher in the back chambers and some tests I have made with the skimmer prove that the skimmate foam is now able to climb into the collection cup. With the air valve fully open, the skimmer runs really wet.

Now, I am coming to the conclusion that the built-in filtration system of the RSM is just inadequate and very insufficient. And that seems to be the case to all all-in-ones which share the same overall design.

I will work on the intake pipe length later tonight to solve the bubble problem.

More later...

[Reefmack]

Hi Laurent. Thanks for the tips and conclusions on the Fluval. I'll most likely wait till next week to install mine. I've set up a 6 foot high, 5 shelf unit for all my SW stuff that was crappily piled in a corner, including my SW and RO/DI water containers, and cleaned out the RSM cabinet to make room for the Fluval, but have run out of time & energy for the cannister install. I have a lot of outlets and timers to deal with, that you didn't have to worry about. At least I don't have to worry about the filter pulling bubbles from the skimmer. Did you put the stock Fluval media in or ???

[LaurentSeattle]

Hi Terry,

Here is how I filled the baskets:

- Bottom lower half basket: stock Fluval carbon
- Bottom upper half basket: PhosBan
- Middle basket: ChemiPure Elite
- Top basket: stock Fluval Ceramic tubes

PhosBan and ChemiPure bags were recently changed so I just rinsed the bags and moved them into the Fluval. I also think these "used" bags will seed the new media.

[racksteris]

''Now, I am coming to the conclusion that the built-in filtration system of the RSM is just inadequate and very insufficient. And that seems to be the case to all all-in-ones which share the same overall design. ''

All "ALL IN ONE'S" are over rated. RSM is number one for that.

[Reefmack]

Thanks for the Fluval "stocking" advice Laurent. I also have fairly fresh Chemipure, etc, that I'll use - it would be a waste to throw it away, and as you said, it will seed the new media.

[LaurentSeattle]

I worked again on the Fluval pipes this afternoon and cut the intake pipe to the minimum. Now the intake pipe of the Fluval is almost at the waterline.

Then, I tried to run again the skimmer. The increased flow in the back chamber is still causing a huge lot of bubbles, escaping from the bottom of the skimmer.

I tried all possible combos of tweaking the air valve, adjusting the postion of the intake and even tried some pieces of black sponge to reduce the flow.

But... No way... A massive amount of bubbles rushes into the display as soon as I turn the skimmer on.

Now, it is off and the tank looks clear and beautiful...

I do not know what to try next to have a skimmer back in this tank.

[elsefailed]

i have the same issue!
once the skimmer is off MB's are gone!
i havent been able to find a solution yet =\
good luck and let us know if you come up with anything!

[Iostream]

Intake from the first chamber, and output past the skimmer. This will get rid of microbubbles going into the fluval. This is where your mechanical filtration used to be anyway. Your skimmer is still processing the same amount of water, it just doesnt happen to be the only water entering the back.

[LaurentSeattle]

In other news:

- I also removed some more pest algae today. The good news is that Dyctiota is now receding almost everywhere. There is some, but growth has almost stopped and I am removing less and less each time.

- My Rainford's goby is now showing signs of starvation. This guy is not accepting anything. I even tried some Nori today. This little guy has been the perfect fish for more than seven months. I do not know what's going on... Maybe just getting old?

- My fans are making an ugly noise almost constantly. Time to change them.

---

elsefailed: Of course, I will keep you posted if can figure out the bubbles problem. This is particularly annoying and fustrating one because with the upped water level, the skimmer is finally working quite well indeed.

Marty: I totally suck at capturing fishes. I know I would not be able to remove a tang or a foxface without having to remove everything. Furthermore, all local FS in my area have this policy for marine livestock: No guarantee, no return, no nothing. The Emerald crab is doing well: He leaves the corals alone and I've seen him munching some scroll algae.

coryherby: Thanks for tagging along! I try to feed very little but sometimes it is very hard to tell when there is not enough or too much.

[LaurentSeattle]

Iostream: Thanks for the suggestion.

However, when I turn the canister filter off and the skimmer on, I am getting millions of bubbles. This makes me think that the bubbles are caused by the much stronger flow in the back chamber and moving the intake pipe will not change anything to the current situation.

I will try it anyway: nothing to loose and I might be wrong.

[MAXreefer]

This is so strange you have issues with the Fluval.
I guess you guys have been reading the other thread on the forum also?
But if not I repeat it briefly here again:
I added the Fluval a couple weeks ago in an attempt to get rid of the microbubbles caused by my skimmer and secondly to make maintenance easier.
First the symptons I had:
- Microbubbles caused by the skimmer
- Water level in the last chamber was only covering half of the return pumps which caused the pumps sucking also air from the area where you connect outlet from the pumps to those
return nozzles.
- Water level in the skimmer was not high enough and the bubbles were not able to reach the skimmer neck to push the dirt out.

What I did:
- Connected the Fluval (sitting in the cabinet) with the original tubing that came with it. INTAKE sits half way down right after the skimmer. If you push it all the way down you will suck air out of the skimmer. Not deep enough you might suck air from the surface if for some reason the water level in your RSM is getting to low (water evaporation).
The RETURN sits 3/4 down in the heater compartment.
- I have my chemi-pure and Phosguard in the Canister baskets ( I didn't use any media that came with the filter) and nothing anymore in the last chamber. Optional: I added 2 pieces of tubing to the return pump to be sure they never starve if the water level drops. Now after weeks when I look down into the last chamber there is no debris at all. Completely clean.

Result:
- As I said before: No debris anymore in the back of the RSM what could become a Nitrate factory.
- The return pumps are almost completely under water as the water level in the back is very high now.
- The water level in the skimmer is higher also and the bubbles are reaching easily the neck to push the dirt out.
- Not a single airbubble returning to the display

I made a little video to illustrate the skimmer functionality: video

I clean the filter once a week at the same time I do a water change. This way I can use the fresh saltwater to refill the filter after maintenance. Just be sure there is no air in the canister when you restart him after cleaning. I always shake him a little after reconnecting to be sure all the air is gone.

I hope this might help to solve your issue

Michael
MAXreefer

[elsefailed]

Strangest thing last night
the skimmer worked?!?
i called pinky to get her to send me new stuff
she told me to record video to show her so i went home and was going to do that
i have had the skimmer on but with the valve completely closed for a week ( to stop the microbubbles )
so once i opened the valve i noticed that the bubbles werent going underneath the skimmer straight to the intake pipe of the fluval!
i didnt get my hope up but its been running fine all night
i am getting a little skimate but the water might not have much to skim (3 weeks old)

i am going to run with it for a while
but i am super stoked

[LaurentSeattle]

Month 9 - Week 36 - Day 251 - Thursday March 6th - Around 8pm

* Monday and Tuesday...

I tried IoStream suggestion but with no success. Still plenty of bubbles.

I verified MaxReefer checklist. All green but still plenty of bubbles...

* Yesterday...

- Then came ElseFailed post...

- First... I was willing to try out the ease of use of the filter. I made a (useless) cleaning routine exercise. Unhooking, thorough cleaning and hooking the filter back into operation took less than 20 minutes. That is exactly what I was looking for. Happy, I am. This kinda expensive box is going to pay back...

- Then, after letting things settle a bit, I turned the skimmer back on. Amazingly, almost no bubbles... I left it on overnight.

* Today...

- The skimmer is producing almost no bubbles, but is not producing any skimmate either. Same experience as ElseFailed...

- Honestly, I do not understand what is going on with the skimmer... I am now considering completely removing it to make room for a chaeto garden. Opinions on this idea, anyone???

- Besides the bubbles issues...

= The water has never been so clear and so clean: No more floating detritus... The difference is truly obvious when watching the tank from the sides.

= Algae growth on the front glass has significantly slowed down.

= Dyctiota is receding. No bryopsis trying a come back.

= All corals look good and very healthy: Xenia growing very fast, GSP growing quickly and all mushrooms expanding happily.

= Both shrimps and the Emerald crab are all very active.

= The feather duster is "dusting" peacefully...

= The Yellow wrasse is gaining weight.

= My only concern tonight is the Rainford's goby which is now extremely slim and not accepting anything...

Overall and so far, the adjunction of the canister filter to the system has been indeed very positive but that is only one week of operation. The important thing for the future is not to slack on cleaning and maintenance but considering how easy that is, I do not think I will.

* Still swamped with work: Sorry for the delayed updates and thanks all for visiting.

[LaurentSeattle]

Month 9 - Week 37 - Day 252 - Friday March 7th - Around 8pm

- I did little these last days in the tank, except cleaning the front glass only once this week. The Fluval is truly helping a lot!

- I made a 2.5 gallons water change tonight.

- All inhabitants happy and healthy, except the goby and he's not improving.

- I need to make a complete water chemistry check tomorrow. I want to see whether or not using SeaChem salt has improved Alk and Ca levels.

[LaurentSeattle]

Month 9 - Week 37 - Day 252 - Sunday March 9th - Around 3pm

Just completed a full water chemistry test:

- NO2, NO3 and PO4: all zero.
- pH: 8.1
- Alk: Low (Red Sea)
- Alk: 6.0 DKh (Salifert)
- Ca: 500

I am still having this bad "combo" of high calcium and low Alk.

I diluted 2ml of Red Sea Buffer into one pint of tank water then poured the mixture back into the tank. The weekly recommended dose is 5ml. I will do it again later this week after testing Alk again.