Mini Reefs (Favoring "Purple" Coralline Algae and "Mushroom" Corals)

Plan B Mini reef in a ten gallon ½ moon tank, I made these changes based on good and bad things should happen fast in a “mini reef”.  

1. Bare bottom tank life rock is biological filter
2. Mushrooms on live rock 8-10 open nice, purple, green, red, brown coralline algae mostly bottom of tank and on live rock with more pink and purple.  The turbo snail (small) and hermit crab clean the bottom and live rock and yes they eat at least new coralline.
3. Spray bar on ½ PVC rated at 480 GPH with two 402 power heads (270 GPH each)
4. Spray bars on 1 and 3 outlet on Natural wave maker 20-30 seconds on 1 and 2 alternating, then 3 on twice as long, every other time both spray bars run.  I put the Natural Wave maker plug into day light timer so a single Picasso trigger fish can sleep at the bottom of tank.  
5. One at bottom back point down and across
6. One at top down if you stack rock across back of tank, for this mini reef middle back point to top front, surface agitation
7. Prizm skimmer with surface skimmer attachment
8. White actinic 50/50 and Actinic 03.   Coralife bulbs 50/50 (6000K and actinic 03), Actinic 03 Coralife, T8 18 inch 15 watts suspended 8 inches above water, Coralife mini light two 9 inch 6 watt actinic 03.  I turned off 20000K Coralife T8 to much white light, ordered Coralife actinic 03 blue T8 15 watt 18 inch.  I want to favor blue light.  20000K on charts and on tank just doesn’t appear that different than 10000K, too much white light for mushrooms and purple coralline.
9. Phosban and Instant Ocean Nitrate remover in Prizm filter compartment
10. Turned down the air, and increased the flow on skimmer (water is sparkling)
11. 9 watt UV sterilizer “green killing machine”  
12. Coralline Gro from Red Sea, Kent Magnesium, 1 ml per day, measurements meet desired levels from API Reef Master Test kit and Red Sea Coralline Gro PDF.
13. Testing the water and husbandry:  API Reef Master Test Kit

• Temp 77
• Salinity between 1.24 and 1.25
• Phosphates 0 (good)
• Nitrates 0 (good)
• Calcium “480” 400-500 “desired”
• Carbonate Hardness  DKH 12 KH 214.8  (8-12 is desired)
• I cleaned out skimmer until water came back clear, replaced Phosban which I normally also rinse out
• Took out both spray bars with power heads attached, cleaned them in hot water with a tooth brush and a tank rough sponge
• Turned off 20000K, going blue Actinic 03 and 50/50 white actinic
• Evaporation replaced with distilled
• 3-4 gallons one at a time changed each week (reef crystals) with extra calcium and magnesium.

1.  strontium weekly or 4 days, potassium less than 30PPM, 4 days, Trace elements after water changes or weekly
2. One turbo snail, one hermit crab both small by design
3. Evaporated water and changes distilled, using reef crystals (extra Calcium and Magnesium)  
4.  Change a gallon a day maybe 3 or 4 of 7 days, small changes, turn up skimmer until water air rates.

Plan B Mini reef in a ten gallon ½ moon tank, I made these changes based on good and bad things should happen fast in a “mini reef”.  

1. Bare bottom tank life rock is biological filter
2. Mushrooms on live rock 8-10 open nice, purple, green, red, brown coralline algae mostly bottom of tank and on live rock with more pink and purple.  The turbo snail (small) and hermit crab clean the bottom and live rock and yes they eat at least new coralline.
3. Spray bar on ½ PVC rated at 480 GPH with two 402 power heads (270 GPH each)
4. Spray bars on 1 and 3 outlet on Natural wave maker 20-30 seconds on 1 and 2 alternating, then 3 on twice as long, every other time both spray bars run.  I put the Natural Wave maker plug into day light timer so a single Picasso trigger fish can sleep at the bottom of tank.  
5. One at bottom back point down and across
6. One at top down if you stack rock across back of tank, for this mini reef middle back point to top front, surface agitation
7. Prizm skimmer with surface skimmer attachment
8. White actinic 50/50 and Actinic 03.   Coralife bulbs 50/50 (6000K and actinic 03), Actinic 03 Coralife, T8 18 inch 15 watts suspended 8 inches above water, Coralife mini light two 9 inch 6 watt actinic 03.  I turned off 20000K Coralife T8 to much white light, ordered Coralife actinic 03 blue T8 15 watt 18 inch.  I want to favor blue light.  20000K on charts and on tank just doesn’t appear that different than 10000K, too much white light for mushrooms and purple coralline.
9. Phosban and Instant Ocean Nitrate remover in Prizm filter compartment
10. Turned down the air, and increased the flow on skimmer (water is sparkling)
11. 9 watt UV sterilizer “green killing machine”  
12. Coralline Gro from Red Sea, Kent Magnesium, 1 ml per day, measurements meet desired levels from API Reef Master Test kit and Red Sea Coralline Gro PDF.
13. Testing the water and husbandry:  API Reef Master Test Kit

• Temp 77
• Salinity between 1.24 and 1.25
• Phosphates 0 (good)
• Nitrates 0 (good)
• Calcium “480” 400-500 “desired”
• Carbonate Hardness  DKH 12 KH 214.8  (8-12 is desired)
• I cleaned out skimmer until water came back clear, replaced Phosban which I normally also rinse out
• Took out both spray bars with power heads attached, cleaned them in hot water with a tooth brush and a tank rough sponge
• Turned off 20000K, going blue Actinic 03 and 50/50 white actinic
• Evaporation replaced with distilled
• 3-4 gallons one at a time changed each week (reef crystals) with extra calcium and magnesium.

1.  strontium weekly or 4 days, potassium less than 30PPM, 4 days, Trace elements after water changes or weekly
2. One turbo snail, one hermit crab both small by design
3. Evaporated water and changes distilled, using reef crystals (extra Calcium and Magnesium)  
4.  Change a gallon a day maybe 3 or 4 of 7 days, small changes, turn up skimmer until water air rates. (my formatting got trashed)

Plan B Mini reef in a ten gallon ½ moon tank, I made these changes based on good and bad things should happen fast in a “mini reef”.  

1. Bare bottom tank life rock is biological filter
2. Mushrooms on live rock 8-10 open nice, purple, green, red, brown coralline algae mostly bottom of tank and on live rock with more pink and purple.  The turbo snail (small) and hermit crab clean the bottom and live rock and yes they eat at least new coralline.
3. Spray bar on ½ PVC rated at 480 GPH with two 402 power heads (270 GPH each)
4. Spray bars on 1 and 3 outlet on Natural wave maker 20-30 seconds on 1 and 2 alternating, then 3 on twice as long, every other time both spray bars run.  I put the Natural Wave maker plug into day light timer so a single Picasso trigger fish can sleep at the bottom of tank.  
5. Spray bars, Natural wave maker, and timer with lights “result in surges and turbulence” 480GPH, 960GPH, still, 480GPH, 960PGH, still  for 20 seconds to three minutes cycles.  Calm at night.
6. One at bottom back point down and across
7. One at top down if you stack rock across back of tank, for this mini reef middle back point to top front, surface agitation
8. Prizm skimmer with surface skimmer attachment
9. White actinic 50/50 and Actinic 03.   Coralife bulbs 50/50 (6000K and actinic 03), Actinic 03 Coralife, T8 18 inch 15 watts suspended 8 inches above water, Coralife mini light two 9 inch 6 watt actinic 03.  I turned off 20000K Coralife T8 to much white light, ordered Coralife actinic 03 blue T8 15 watt 18 inch.  I want to favor blue light.  20000K on charts and on tank just doesn’t appear that different than 10000K, too much white light for mushrooms and purple coralline.
10. Phosban and Instant Ocean Nitrate remover in Prizm filter compartment
11. Turned down the air, and increased the flow on skimmer (water is sparkling)
12. 9 watt UV sterilizer “green killing machine”  
13. Coralline Gro from Red Sea, Kent Magnesium, 1 ml per day, measurements meet desired levels from API Reef Master Test kit and Red Sea Coralline Gro PDF.
14. Testing the water and husbandry:  API Reef Master Test Kit

• Temp 77
• Salinity between 1.24 and 1.25
• Phosphates 0 (good)
• Nitrates 0 (good)
• Calcium “480” 400-500 “desired”
• Carbonate Hardness  DKH 12 KH 214.8  (8-12 is desired)
• I cleaned out skimmer until water came back clear, replaced Phosban which I normally also rinse out
• Took out both spray bars with power heads attached, cleaned them in hot water with a tooth brush and a tank rough sponge
• Turned off 20000K, going blue Actinic 03 and 50/50 white actinic
• Evaporation replaced with distilled
• 3-4 gallons one at a time changed each week (reef crystals) with extra calcium and magnesium.

• Strontium weekly or 4 days, potassium less than 30PPM, 4 days, Trace elements after water changes or weekly
• One turbo snail, one hermit crab both small by design
• Evaporated water replaced with distilled

(Fixed formatting drama)

Two words “baby fish”

“Don’t worry”, Tetra through Marineland started making ½ circle tanks, 10, 20, and 30 gallons on the cheap (less than 200 dollars for a 30 gallon with a stand).  I can scale up as needed.  Oceanic makes a 76 and 144 gallon half circle tank also I’ve run in the past.

So basically you can pump the water from one tank to another, move the live rock, reuse most of the equipment, and not even go through a cycle.   The ten gallon will be a sump for a 20 gallon, the 20 for a 30, a 30 for a 76 or 144. 

The Picasso is one of the coolest fish on the planet, yes they have teeth, and personality, the fish tries to squirt water at you when it’s hungry (funny).

The Picasso is very cool, looks like a pet dolphin from Sea World when he wants to eat. They’re supposed to make grunting noises, its trying, but no sound yet.

The basic idea is a thirty gallon ½ circle with a twenty gallon sump has 50 gallons in circulation; you can make some nice moves:

1. Like put a higher capacity “large” skimmer in the sump.
2. Make a refugium with 24/7 lights growing macro algae to remove nitrates and phosphates.
3. Remove the power heads and spray bars from the tank
4. Add reactors, mechanical filtration “out of sight”.
5. Run 402 power heads in the tank “without” a spray bar; if you run turbulent (random) on a wave maker it will create nice surges and turbulence for a 30 gallon. 
6. Do a water change while tank is running, just turn off sump flow, siphon off sump, mixed water in it, when its air rated, the right temperature, and salinity send it to the tank. 
7. With high flow to the sump the detritus collects there which is better than the tank, you have to siphon it out, and at some point I just decided to empty sump and mix salt water there at least “sometimes”.
8. Avoid mechanical filtration basically.

Many possibilities, as simple or complex as you want.   

Well, no one chimed in, I started up a 9 watt UV sterilizer, have had 12 watts of actinic 03 on back bottom on for three days, it’s glowing lime green and purple, its across from the spray bar.  So, sometimes things work: high flow, blue light, chemistry, and yes my turbo snail (really small) eats the coralline. I ordered a actinic 03 to run with 50/50 see if I can grow purple, pink, and lime green faster than the snail can eat it.  I figured UV sterilizer 9 watt will stop all micro nuisance algae, I don’t like red and green coralline, too hard to tell if its coralline or micro algae, UV I ran for startup, water is clear, kills parasites on new fish, you don’t get any micro algae.  Coralline is calcium based doesn’t apply from what I can gather from research.