-
Brooke
Hello everyone. After a severe outbreak of dinoflagellates, the owner decided to restart the tank and instead of a mixed reef, try to create and maintain a hard reef. This time, he decided to start on dry reef rocks (SRC). The aquarium is 45 liters, 45x45x25 cm. The salt used is Pro Reef. Salinity is 1026. Lighting is Jebao AK-60. Filtration: Bubble Magus QQ1 protein skimmer and AquaClear hang-on-back filter. Heating is provided by a 25W SERA heater. Water flow is maintained by a Koralia Nano 900 pump. An automatic top-off system (Smart ATO micro) is used. Future plans include adding another pump and a second Jebao light. The tank was set up on 24-01-2018. Currently, the tank contains 4.5 kg of dry reef rocks (SRC), three chromis, and several surviving corals from the previous dinoflagellate outbreak. No substrate is planned. After the initial setup, a bundle of Caulerpa was added from an established aquarium to introduce various hitchhikers. Biodigest and StopAmo were also added at intervals. The lighting has been running at full intensity since day one. Phosphates are not detectable, but diatoms have already appeared on the rocks and substrate. Nitrates are around 5ppm. Calcium is 455 ppm, and alkalinity is 7dKH.
Some questions:
1. What is the optimal alkalinity range for the color and growth of acropora corals?
2. When can water changes be started after the initial setup?
3. How can biodiversity be created in an SRC-based aquarium?
4. Can live phytoplankton be added to the maturing aquarium to support potential zooplankton and copep