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"Our" method

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Ours, and the one of many others.

In our opinion, one of the most interesting things about this hobby is sharing knowledge and experiences. In this section we would like to share our experience in order to inform potential clients under what conditions and products our corals grow. It must be emphasized that "ours" is just one way of keeping a reef aquarium, one of many, but one that works well for us. And you know what they say: if it works, don't touch it!

CHEMISTRY.In our systems we measure the kH twice a day (using Alkatronic) and we measure the rest of the parameters weekly. We used Salifert tests for kH, Ca and Mg, Hanna checkers for NO3 (HI782) and PO4 (HI774), and a GHL Profilux Mini Wifi to monitor temperature and pH. We also use a Deltec 80W UV sterilizer and perform ICP-OES analysis every 2 months to check for any contaminants and trace levels. Regarding the numbers that we pay attention to the most, we try to maintain the following levels:

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  • sg: 1.025

  • T: 24.5 - 24.8 ºC

  • pH: 8.2 - 8.4

  • KH: 8 - 8.5º KH (does not usually vary more than 0.1º KH per day)

  • ​NO3: 5 - 10ppm

  • PO4: 0.04 - 0.08 ppm

  • Ca: 420 - 450ppm

  • Mg: 1300 - 1400 ppm

  • YO: 40 - 80 ppb

LIGHT & FLOW.At Reef Nook Corals we basically keep LPS and soft corals, which are not demanding at all in terms of flow and lighting. Still, we use an Apogee instrument (SQ-520) to measure PAR and adjust the power of our LED displays (Ecotech G5/G6 blue) according to its readings. Our lights are hung 30cm from the water at 65% intensity. This produces regions ranging from 50 to 200 PAR. In the requirements that appear to the right of any of the corals that are for sale on the web, we understand by

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  • Dim light: 50 - 100 PAR

  • Medium light: 100 - 200 PAR

  • Intense light:  > 200 PAIR

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We do not havea standard measure to measure flow in a reef aquarium. In our case, we simply make sure that none of our movement bombs are aimed directly at a coral. In general, as long as the LPS filaments/tentacles are actively moving and food debris does not accumulate substantially, they are fine.

For the soft ones we check that the coral does not close due to the flow. We use Ecotech MP40 motion pumps in our systems due to their reliability and especially their easy maintenance.

SUPPLEMENTS & FOOD. To add trace elements (both macro and micro) we use a hybrid method. To restore the alkalinity and calcium values we use a kalkwasser in a Deltec KM-500S reactor. We add about 8L of saturated solution per day, helping to maintain an optimal pH level. However, this is not enough to keep the alkalinity stable so we add a few ml's of Red Sea Foundation B. For Mg and minor traces we also use Red Sea brand products (Foundation C and Trace-colors ABCD). Apart from this, we carry out a water change of 10-15% of the total volume of our systems weekly or biweekly using Fauna Marin Professional Salt. Regarding food, we try to feed our fish 2 times a day using Easyreefs products (DKI and masstick) and, from time to time, frozen food (mysis, brine shrimp, lobster eggs and krill). We also add phytoplankton daily (Easyreefs Easybooster), coral food (Reef-Roids) once or twice a week, and live zooplankton once a month. If this routine is not enough to keep our nutrient levels in our desired range, we dose Nitrate+ and/or Phosphate+, from Nyos.


 

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