Pat's 120
 

Welcome

I have decided to start this blog on my 120 gal SPS dominated tank that I have recently converted to UltraLITH-Fauna Marin treatment. I could find very few blogs and thought that there should be more.

The tank is about 5 years old and began as a FOWLER. Three years ago I converted it into a softy tank and introduced my first SPS, a digitata 18 months ago. Over the past 12 months I have been slowly converting to a primarily SPS and LPS tank.

Tank/Pumps
120 gallon 48x24x24 tank, single drilled corner overflow
40 gallon sump
1000 gph return pump
4x Koralia 3 powerheads
MSX-200 Extreme Skimmer with mesh mod Sicce 2500 pump
100 micron filter bags on return
500 ml carbon in TLF reactor

Lighting
2x400w MH Geisemann 13K
2x54w Geisemann Actinics

Full Tank Mar 4/09
http://i373.photobucket.com/albums/o...h/Fulltank.jpg

Pocilli Mar 4/09
http://i373.photobucket.com/albums/o...loth/Stylo.jpg

Yellow Green Acro Mar 4/09
http://i373.photobucket.com/albums/o...floth/Acro.jpg

Purple Acro Mar 4/09
http://i373.photobucket.com/albums/o...rpleacros2.jpg

UltraLITH Fauna Marin Treatment
I began using the Ultra Amin Special Mixture 2 months ago and have noted a dramatic increase in coloration. This stuff works. If I miss two days the difference is noticable.

One week ago I began the full UltraLITH program. Using the UltraLITH calculator, I began with 250 ml UltraLITH, 3 ml UltraBak, 3 ml UltraMin and 3 drops of UltraBio. I am now up to 5 drops of UltraBio for this week and increased the UltraLITh to 500 ml.

So far I have noticed a decrease in film on the glass, cleaning every two days instead of every day. My skimmer is also producing a thicker, fouler skimate.

I am hoping for increased coloration, a cleaner tank, less cyano on the sand bed and the elimination of some minor hair algae.

I'll try to keep things up to date.

Happy reefing my friends!

Mar 5/09
Everything looking good. Soaking my next 250 ml of UltraLith in preparation for addition to reactor.

Tested nutrient levels today. Phosphate 0.01 ppm (photometer), Nitrate 2 ppm, Calcium 420 ppm, Alkalinity 120 ppm.

Expecting my Aquacontroller Jr to arrive within the next couple of days. Also ordered two used Tunze 6000's and Tinze Multicontroller 7094 with 6091 wavemaker from a fellow reefer on ReefCentral. Gonna be rocking soon!

Mar 9/09
Everything looking good.

Test results:

Phosphate: 0.01 ppm
Nitrate: 1 ppm (lowest ever!)
Calcium: 420 ppm
Magnesium: 1470 ppm
Alkalinity: 135 ppm
pH: 8.38

Up to 750 ml of UltraLith now. No UltraBio as per UltraLith Calculator guide. Still adding 3 ml of UltraBak and UltraMin daily. Adding 2 ml of Ultra Amino SPS every day.

Cyano on sandbed and on live rock reduced. Hair algae still present in a few place. Film on glass reduced but still cleaning glass every two days.

No change in coloration of SPS.

Hi Pat

Great blog :) keep it coming.

I will tomorrow with fresh eyes have a look at your dosing make sure we are on the right path and advise when required.

Shame about the aq junior though and havign to buying Tunze controller, put that little lot together and you could of got a profiLux with Tunze control which would do way more and save you a few $$$

Niggle niggle dig dig :lol::lol::mrgreen::lol::lol:

Wow Pat! Awesome looking tank. You've got some great colors in there :cool:

Thanks Christy! An honor to be praised by you! How's that new tank coming?

Hi Pat,

As promised have looked through your great blog.

Everything seems to be going great so far :biggrin:

The Bio dosing is off as per the manual but as you are seeing great results probably not worth changing this for now but see how it goes. here is what the doseage of Bio should be

Standard dosing:

Shake well before use.
When starting to use UltraBio or after an exchange of the UltraLith filter medium add 1 drop per 100 liter every day for 2 weeks. After this initial phase, add 2 drops per 100 Liter every three days, until the next exchange of the Ultralith filter medium. Please add the UltraBio either directly into the tank or into the intake of the Zeolite Filter.

It is advisable to turn off the skimmer for 2 to 3 hours after the addition of UltraBio.

The dosing for Ultra Bak and Ultra Min-S seems fine.

It sounds like you are already using Ultra Amin? is this correct, if so to what doseage.

In reagrds to colouration, Ultra lith is a slow process but also what makes fauna ULNS so successful as you are changing the system slowly not hitting the gas peddle a racing to the finish line, slow and gentle changes are always best.

In 4-6 weeks you can start the Ultra power trace elements and it is then you will really see tha colour come out.

Before starting UltraLith I added 4 ml/day Ultra Amin and really noticed a great improvement in coloration. After starting UltraLith I stopped for a week but my colors started to fade a bit so I resumed adding Ultra Amin at 2 ml/day.

Not sure where to go from here. Pinks are still not as bright as before. Shall I just wait a while, decrease or increase the Ultra Amin?

Are you recommending that I add 8 drops of UltraBio every 3 days this week (week 3)?

Thanks for your input

Pat

Hi

Well your parameters are good, you are seeing reduced algea so I would not change the dose until you are on the next cycle then increase, but watch closely for coral fade.

As for the Amin if you are not seeing any adverse effects from early dosing then continue.

The trick is not to throw too much in too soon, the reason for this is that not only does the system need time to adjust but also when fine tuning doses if you are putting in too much too soon of different products you can get confused as to what needs adjusting, this is where the 6 week rule comes in as by then you would of fine tuned the basic 4 doses.

I will check with Fauna in regards to your bio dosing also just so we have all the right answers.

But things are going great, this is a fantastic blog, thanks for sharing :)

Great Tank Pat

I will be following your Blog from now on.

Tom R

Welcome...nice to see someone else doing the ultralith and documenting the trial too.....

awesome polyp extentsion on that green yellow acro. :mrgreen:

Thanks! That acro is amazing. It gets bushier every day, even at the base. Will add some more photos in the next few days.

You mentioned that I should watch for color fading. My Pink Pocilli is showing signs of color loss. What does this mean and how should I respond?

Hi

I am going to get claude to answer this personally for you but in the meantime this puts some light on the subject

DOSING Ultralith Filtration :
When starting the Ultralith method use a combination of Ultramin S with the bacterial starter solution UltraBak. Dose 3 ml each per 1000 L per day, and slowly reduce the amount to 2 ml per 1000 L per day. In cases of extreme nutrient depletion, reduce the dose further down to 1 ml per
1000 L per day.

The basic dose for both solutions in normally stocked tanks is 3 ml per 1000 L per day. Depending on the water parameters, this dose can be increased to up to 10 ml per 1000 L per day. By maintaining extremely low nutrient concentrations in the tank, the corals will reduce the amount of symbiotic algae in their tissue. This will on the one hand cause a more colorful coloration of the coral as the pigments are located below the layer that contains the algae, but also reduce the amount of food the corals will receive from their symbiotic algae. In order to provide enough food for the corals to maintain optimal growth and coloration please use Ultramin S. This solution will provide the essential nutrition for the corals, including vitamins and trace
elements. This solution also contains carbon sources, which will also aid the nutrient reduction in the tank. The lower the nutrient concentrations in the tank, the smaller the dose has to be.

Through the separate dosing of coral foods and color-enhancing trace elements it is possible to increase growth rates and coloration without any negative effects on the water parameters.

Wow I just saw this!!

Nice tank Pat and uh the pocci looks familiar :lol:

HI

its depending now if your corals get lighter or the coral really lost colors
it is normal that the coloration swing a little bit

Which products you add at the moment together with the AMIN ?
greets claude

Claude,

I am in week 3 of UltraLith program start-up:

750 ml UltrasLith
3 ml/day UltraBak
3 ml/day UltraMin
2 ml/day Ultra Amin
No drops UltraBio this week (as per UltraLith Calculator)

120 gal display tank with 40 gal sump, total water volume 120 gal.

(My parents are both German and I speak/read German, you can respond in German if you wish)

HI

Ahh week 3

Ok that could be normal cause you make a lot of chances in the water chemistry.

Did you dose Any other elements ?
Greets

Claude,

Last night I added my normal weekly 5 ml of Kent Coral-Vite. My poccillopora colors look better today. I am not as concerned about the colors today as I was yesterday. I guess I just got a little concerned that something was going wrong.

HI

Hmm maybe you can see that but it is mostly not good to add to much
and other products to the LIth System.

You must first reduce the nutrients then we add the colors to your corals
with the Powertrace elements

How are your actual water parameter now

greets

Claude,

Test results today:

Phosphate: 0.01 ppm (digested, via photometer)
Nitrate: <1 ppm
Calcium: 420 ppm
Magnesium: 1470 ppm
Alkalinity: 125 ppm
pH: 8.35
Salinity: 1.025

Gruß von Tsawwassen!

Nitrate and Phosphate Increasing
 

I am now close th the end of week 4 and my nitrates and phosphates, which had been dropping are on the rise.

Current Treatment Regime:
1 litre of UltraLith
3 drops/day of UltraBio
2 ml/day of UltraMin
2 ml/day of UltraMin
Cost/day: $1.25

Nitrates: 5 ppm
Phosphate: 0.06 ppm (heated)
Salinity: 1.026
Calcium: 420 ppm
Magnesium: 1510 ppm
Alkalinity: 130 ppm

While the cyano on the sand bed has decreased, the hair algae is increasing. Not too happy to see that, nor the rise in nitrates and phosphates.

I stopped the daily addition of 4 ml/day of the Ultra Amin SPS at the beginning of week 4 due to the increasing hair algae. Colors are still good and polyp extension remains very good.

Not sure where to go from here, but I would like to get the low nutrient levels I have been hoping for.

Hi

This is the tale we see a lot, week 4 is only one third the way through getting the system mature, what is happening which so many fall into, is the trap of rushing things. Too much too soon

What you have is a trace element overload before the system is ready, a week ago you were dosing coral Vite and Ultra Amin, too many trace elements will give the exact results you have.

OK where to go from here.

You should by now be on 50% total volume of Lith rock and dosing the Bio again. Do not dose anything other than Ultra Bio, Ultra Min-S and Ultra Bak

Keep to the dosing regime you have been doing of these 3 elements for 1 week and then email me, we will then change your dosing accordingly.

Also make sure you are doing the scheduled 10% water changes a week.

One other note is when i say just dose Bio, Bak and Min-S That is ALL to dose no other products at all ;)

Well, now I am confused. According to the UltraLith Calculator I am supposed to be at 1 liter of UltraLith of an eventual 1100 ml, same as the directions provided by your UltraLith Manual.

How much UltraMin, UltraBak and UltraBio are you recommending?

I also fail to see how trace elements or amino acids will cause algae, which are growth limited by Carbon>Nitrogen>Phosphorus, to grow excessively. Algae are not limited by trace elements.

I am trying to make your program successful. I didn't intend to spend $175 on your additives for nothing.

With respect to feeding corals, am I to just rely on the Ultra additives or feed anything else at this time?

Hi

The trace elements come in on week 6 as a starter of 25% a week building up week by week to 100%, yes an overload will create algae blooms this is quite common and something Fauna try to educate many users on.

Please follow the Ultra Lith manual, not any external calculator, and also follow our advise this is the only way we can guarrantee you results.

You have not wasted money on anything as all you have will be used in time, just have patience in the gradual process UNLF must go through to have the desired results.

I will happily review your whole dosing for you and guide you step by step, but please follow exactly what I suggest to the letter.

In regards to coral foods all your system needs right now is the correct dose of Bak and Min-S and Bio, once we have got the established, after the 6 week period, then and only then we move onto the AMIN and Trace elements but slowly.

Dosing -

If i read your system correctly taking the sump and everything else into account you have after 20% displacment 758L.

if this is correct your dosing should be as follows

week 4

900ML of Lith Rock (call it 1L for argument)
8 drops a DAY of Ultra Bio
3ml a day of ultra Bak
3ml a day of Ultra Min-S

The above will be reviewed one week from now

Also please ONLY follow what is written in this manual, it is good bed time reading, well worth reading a few times.

http://shop.faunamarin.de/media/cont...08_eng_red.pdf

If you have any questions at anytime within the next week, please please email me or call me and I will offer you all the support you require,, we are here to help :)

Please tell me exactly what you want me to do. I have posted my current additive addition rate.

I just have 3 posts up from your reply, but here is exactly what I wrote again

Dosing -

If i read your system correctly taking the sump and everything else into account you have after 20% displacment 758L.

if this is correct your dosing should be as follows

week 4

900ML of Lith Rock (call it 1L for argument)
8 drops a DAY of Ultra Bio
3ml a day of ultra Bak
3ml a day of Ultra Min-S

The above will be reviewed one week from now

You mention Ultra MIN a few times, I am assuming you mean min-S, but if you are referrring to the product Ultra MIN (without the S) stop this dosing also.

So to clarify

Ultra BIO
Ultra BAK
Ultra MIN S

Nothing else

PLEASE do not add anything else other than what I have listed

Just saw that. Posts only come in when I refresh. Will follow your instructions to a "T".

Thanks for the specific dosages.

Hiya

Please make sure I have calculated your litres correctly this figure is based on 20% displacment. The dosing has been provided according to that figure.

If it is different then let me know asap.

The tank is 120 US gal or 454 liters, I think 30% displacement would be more accurate, bringing the total tank volume to 320 liters. The sump has another 80 liters in it, bringing the total volume to 400 liters.

Argh OK that changes everything then ;)

You should be on 500ml of Lith by now

4 drops of bio a day
2ml of bak
2ml of Min-S

Based on 400L total volume.

I am up to 1 liter of Lith already, having increased the Lith by 250 ml once per week for the past 4 weeks since beginning the UltraLith program.

For the past week, except for the past 2 days I have been dosing (nothing else):

3 drops Bio
2 ml UltraBak
2 ml UltraMin S

The past 2 days I dosed:

8 drops Bio
3 ml UltraBak
3 ml UltraMin S

as you instructed the other day.

Even though this may have been too much, it has dropped nitrates to barely detectable levels (almost no color at all in the test) and my phosphate is now back down to to 0.02 ppm. I am doing total phosphate, not ortho, using a HACH DR890 photometer. I have been testing daily, so the results are indicative of trends, not one offs.

The hair algae is much heavier than it was 4 weeks ago but cyano is much reduced.

Prior to beginning the UltraLith program, I was vodka dosing 2 ml/day, 4 ml Ultra Amin SPS/day and 5 ml of Coral Vite once/week. I was also feeding UltraClam twice per week. A Phosban reactor with RowaPhos was also being used. My nitrates at the beginning of the UltraLith treatment were 5 ppm and phosphates were 0.06 ppm.

Obviously every system is unique and I have made a lot of changes over the past 4 weeks. The RowaPhos was been replaced with carbon and I ceased feeding UltraClam on Day 1. I reduced and then eliminated the Ultra Amin SPS and the Coral Vite last week.

Given the readings today, do you still suggest reducing the additive and Bio levels? I am keenly interested in making this program a success and having a tank which you can use as a reference (because it will be so good!). The Ultra Amin SPS is a great product that gave me terrific colors and it was based on my success with it that I decided to embrace your full program. Your recommendations are appreciated.

Hi

Yes please reduce, you dont want sudden massive changes like that you want to see real slow changes over 6 weeks, I based my original dosing on incorrect figures thats why i asked please confirm, now I have your correct volume, please use the NEW dosing, after one week please re test and advise, if they have gone back up hen we re adjust, as you say all systems are different and the manual is a guide.

I will work with you to get it right.

Hair algea is a bi product of change and once you have stability just like Mike did you will see this go also.

Stick with my latest dosing for the next week and then let me know, in the meantime if you have any concerns, I am here as always ;)

Will follow your dosing guidelines and continue to test daily. Will report results in 1 week.

Mar 27 Update
 

Test Results
Phosphate: 0.00 ppm
Nitrate: ~2 ppm
Calcium: 410 ppm
Magnesium: 1520 ppm
Salinity: 1.025
pH: 8.3

Additives
UltraLith: 1 liter
UltraBio: 4 drops/day
UltraBak: 2ml/day
UlraMin: 2 ml/day
Cost/day: $0.98

The nitrate and phosphate levels have both dropped in the past week to near ULN levels. Both are now lower than ever acheived using vodka dosing in combination with RowaPhos. :)

Observations
Cyano has completely disappeared from the sand bed and live rock. Cyano was always present in the past. :)

Hair algae is significantly reduced, but then I also added a hungry sea hare. Areas between coral inaccessable to the sea hare also show a gradual reduction in hair algae. :)

Colors have become more muted since discontinuing Ultra Amin SPS. Pinks and purples do not have the same neon glow. :neutral:

Polyp extension has also reduced over the past week. :neutral:

Overall, pleased with the program but would like to get the colors back to where they were. Let's face it, I am fussy. :p

Tank Update
Aquacontroller Jr was added three weeks ago. It controls lights, heater and cooling fan. Was pleased that the DC8 was capable of starting my 2x400w MH without any problems. Temperature control is now within 0.5F of setpoint at all times.

Replaced 2 lunar light modules with a 4' string of 120 blue LED's. For $25 (plus 12v transformer) these are a steal, completely sealed and waterproof. Really like the effect they give to the tank and the green and orange colors really pop.

Ten days ago added two Tunze 6100's and a 7094 Multicontroller, replacing two Koralia 3's. Huge difference in flow! Tunzes are mounted on opposite ends of the tank and alternate flow from side to side.

Tank shot today (Tunzes off to get reflection)
http://i373.photobucket.com/albums/o...loth/Mar27.jpg

Arh you should of purchased a GHL profiLux controller your life would be so much easier with dosing :mrgreen:

I will evaluate everything tomorrow and let you know what next to do, but glad the regime i gave you is working as it should.

Yes you will have loss of colour for now but this is temporary and all part of the slow steps required to achieve a natural sparkling tank.

Old saying "Rome was not built in a day" and much to contrary belelief it was not built in a week either ;)

IF money was no object, I would love to have a Profilux, however, I bought all this stuff used at rock bottom prices. Maybe someday.... (unless of course you make me an offer I can't refuse! :biggrin:

Darn'd Romans. I need these corals to quickly fill this tank so that I will be forced to upgrade! LOL