Conskis 34 Gal Solana Build

The proper way to use Phosguard is to just toss some in a filter bag, rinse it in the sink good before you use it (it gets hot and crackles like rice crispies), and then put it in a place that will get flow through it for about 3 days and then take it out.. that is the "proper" way to use it, although my friend puts it in a reactor and uses it 24/7 for over a month and it still works great after a months use. The aluminum it releases back into the tank is the problem people have issues with, and I have seen the "studies" written on it, but to me there is a big difference between a perceived problem that a scientest says could happen and actual real life reports from reefers that had a real problem due to using it. Not that it can't happen, but I have not witnessed a single problem from using it so far, but I also don't have a ton of experience with it to make a claim it is 100% safe to anyone to use 24/7 so you have to decide if the risks are worth the benefits.
 
i suppose i should get a hanna meter and see what my phosphates are actually at before switching. i think i rushed the sps thats why some of it is dieing, it still is a pretty new tank, and the black out didnt help out at all
 
The blackout would have had no ill effect on bacteria. All that would do is slow the growth of any algae in the tank, which is usually a good thing to do.

The dinos, cleaning out all your rock, etc, that would have distrupted the biological filtration more than the blackout.. but it had to be done or your tank would be just a nasty snot filled dino tank by now.

Again, the colorful sticks are always the hardest ones to keep alive, so don't feel bad about the losses. I still am holding out hope for the Garf though. Don't do anything with that (like toss it) until you post pictures and/or see lots of flesh peeling off of it. As long as there is still flesh, there is a chance it will survive.

I do think I made 1 major mistake myself in the shipping process. I used newly mixed SW in the bags.. well, mixed for 24 hours and heated, but I should have used water out of my tank, not new water for shipping the corals in. My mistake that probably played a big role in the demise of some of them.
 
I belive the deaths are now over. The mili is hopefully gonna be the last one, the garf is sadly doing poor but im not tossing it, i want that coral to its old self is so amazing. i saw its polyps when i first pulled it out and they were so green. i can usually tell when a coral is dead in my tank cause ironically my shrimp will stand next to it lol

well i shoudlnt speak so soon because the mili was fine all day yesterday then as soon as the light went out it bleached
 
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starting to see brown alage............................................................

post updates when or if it i believe its coming back :(

im seriously not catching any breaks
 
yea its coming back :/ its really minimal right now but i can see snot strings starting to come on my phos pump heater and mp20...

Im gonna call an aquatics company and have them help me with this if it really is dino!
 
Awesome tank man. Good luck with the DINO problem. The Gods of Super Cool Marien Tanks should give you a break.
 
Agreed :(
 
Hey if you have any suggestions for a newbie SW aquarist i can always use them. Thi thread gave me a ton of ideas. 30gal
 
Big suggestion if your gonna do a reef startout with anything not SPS and us RO/DI, really work your way up to it!
if you have any specific questions just ask away on my thread!
 
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