REEFERS GUIDE DOCUMENT - Building, Buying Comparisons, Problems and Solutions, Templates (Link Fixed)

[kiwi]

Would appreciate some people to look at the guide and provide some feedback!!!
REEFERS GUIDE DOCUMENT - Building, Buying Comparisons, Problems and Solutions, Templates.pdf
(SAMPLE)
Table of Contents.
1. Introduction & Guide Overview.
1.1 Why This Guide Exists.
1.2 Core Guiding Principles.
1.3 How to Use This Guide.

3.2 Three-Island Aquascape Philosophy. 1
5. Foundation Coral Order: Complete Analysis. 22
PART III Mushroom Coral Biology & Overview.. 51
Why Mushroom Corals Are Exceptional Foundation Species. 51

PART VII : RECORD KEEPING & TROUBLESHOOTING. 176
PROBLEM DIAGNOSIS FLOWCHARTS. 189
CONCLUSION.. 209
FINAL THOUGHTS. 210


As part of my Aquarium Build I decided to do it based on AI - Claude and DeepSeek.
The Guide attached is extensive- Part 1 is a condensed version of the guide with Parts - II - VII being detailed sections covering all the areas I wanted to know about the 50 Corals I investigated.

I will update based on feedback and is available to anyone who might get some use out of it - if it is seen by those with more knowledge than me to be trash then that is where it will go

The attached file is over 5000K so too big to post directly sorry...Please provide feedback and will update

REEFERS GUIDE DOCUMENT - Building, Buying Comparisons, Problems and Solutions, Templates.pdf

 

[kiwi]

So I updated - click on link in post

 

[NeverlosT]

Ill have a look!

 

[NeverlosT]

oh one bit, I agree with the philosophy of buying good test equipment, and while the other Hanna checkers are pretty solid, the Calcium checker is a nightmare. Often off by more than 100ppm. Extremely finicky to test prep and execution. I'd choose another for that parameter.

Id be a bit cautious pushing a single coral vendor (unless you own it I guess). From what I saw a lot of their prices are on par with several local businesses and club sponsors. For example, for many of the corals on that webpage, Daves Corals has them for less and is a forum sponsor.

Perhaps mention that low iron glass is softer, so it looks better, but scratches more easily.

Also on any significant size tank I like to suggest eurobracing to provide strength, and limit splashing if you run a high-energy reef. (just a thought)

Consider mentioning internal vs external overflows and their cost/benefits. I love them for the space they save in the DT.

agreed somewhat on lighting, but that chinese unit will either burn out LEDs or diminish PAR due to heat since they are typically lower power LEDs driven at capacity. The more $$ units use higher power LEDs driven at half capacity (especially in passively cooled systems) to maintain fixture life and spectrum. That being said, maybe they are fine, I dont have experience with that DsunY brand.

consider mentioning how to build the reef rock structure (sand/glue or pvc sticks or epoxy or whatever) and mention conditioning dry rock (cooking in a tub with a shrimp or bacteria product) and rinsing new sand to limit dust storm.

for phosphate mention that 0.03 mind as well be zero. the test kits are not that accurate. for that reason shoot for closer to 0.1 because with the error of the kits you know that it is present, and isnt too high.

I dont know if you list it somewhere but an aquarium controller in my opinion is key at this point. For the few hundred bucks they cost used, you can track vitals and control pieces of the system live, for a few hundred more you can automate testing. Stability is the name of this game and controllers facilitate that. I highly suggest their use. It isnt an excuse to pay less attention, it facilitates success through simplifying daily tasks.

I didnt get through it all, but its a good guide. good luck with your tank.

 

[NeverlosT]

also, if you are that into it, join the boston reefers!

 

[kiwi]

oh one bit, I agree with the philosophy of buying good test equipment, and while the other Hanna checkers are pretty solid, the Calcium checker is a nightmare. Often off by more than 100ppm. Extremely finicky to test prep and execution. I'd choose another for that parameter.

Id be a bit cautious pushing a single coral vendor (unless you own it I guess). From what I saw a lot of their prices are on par with several local businesses and club sponsors. For example, for many of the corals on that webpage, Daves Corals has them for less and is a forum sponsor.

Perhaps mention that low iron glass is softer, so it looks better, but scratches more easily.

Also on any significant size tank I like to suggest eurobracing to provide strength, and limit splashing if you run a high-energy reef. (just a thought)

Consider mentioning internal vs external overflows and their cost/benefits. I love them for the space they save in the DT.

agreed somewhat on lighting, but that chinese unit will either burn out LEDs or diminish PAR due to heat since they are typically lower power LEDs driven at capacity. The more $$ units use higher power LEDs driven at half capacity (especially in passively cooled systems) to maintain fixture life and spectrum. That being said, maybe they are fine, I dont have experience with that DsunY brand.

consider mentioning how to build the reef rock structure (sand/glue or pvc sticks or epoxy or whatever) and mention conditioning dry rock (cooking in a tub with a shrimp or bacteria product) and rinsing new sand to limit dust storm.

for phosphate mention that 0.03 mind as well be zero. the test kits are not that accurate. for that reason shoot for closer to 0.1 because with the error of the kits you know that it is present, and isnt too high.

I dont know if you list it somewhere but an aquarium controller in my opinion is key at this point. For the few hundred bucks they cost used, you can track vitals and control pieces of the system live, for a few hundred more you can automate testing. Stability is the name of this game and controllers facilitate that. I highly suggest their use. It isnt an excuse to pay less attention, it facilitates success through simplifying daily tasks.

I didnt get through it all, but its a good guide. good luck with your tank.

Thank you so much for real feedback and the consideration to go through it. I did the whole thing using Claude AI and asked it to do research and advisement so when you point out the shop selection I agree and may have been the way "Claude" added it up for beginner and shipping.

Yes the controllers are a key as I found out when my little boy thought he was helping me.
I have done a tank build thread that will show how I have changed things around this time.

Looking forward to really keep this build top line and expanding.

Also would prefer to grow from local growers of course as it just feels right and a way to give it a shared appreciation.

 

[kiwi]

also, if you are that into it, join the boston reefers!

Was a member for about 15 years and turned it off last year with the tank dead. Will join again for sure

 

[afboundguy]

I agree with @NeverlosT in regards to the Hannah Calcium tester. I can attest firsthand how it was always off by nearly 100ppm and I didn't even bother trying to resell it and just threw it out instead of put a fellow reefer through the same misery I was going through with it!

 

[Cpage101]

I agree with @NeverlosT in regards to the Hannah Calcium tester. I can attest firsthand how it was always off by nearly 100ppm and I didn't even bother trying to resell it and just threw it out instead of put a fellow reefer through the same misery I was going through with it!

I use red sea for Ca and Mag super easy and pretty dam accurate. I use the smart stir with the red sea cuvett. 10 min. tops for both tests done. Hanna for alk, No3 and PO4. Veegee Refractometer for Salaity. And other things like ORP and Ph through the neptune apex. I have a Ca hanna checker just rotting in the box lol!

 

[kiwi]

I agree with @NeverlosT in regards to the Hannah Calcium tester. I can attest firsthand how it was always off by nearly 100ppm and I didn't even bother trying to resell it and just threw it out instead of put a fellow reefer through the same misery I was going through with it!

wont be getting one of those then

 

[afboundguy]

wont be getting one of those then

Definitely save your money and get another kit for calcium. Hannah testers are great for most but the calcium and magnesium kits were nothing but trouble for me. I still have ULR nitrate, ULR phosphate and silicate kits. I only have silicate kit as I dose diatom/silicate phyto and need to track it to be safe...

 

[Duds]

I use all salifert test kits and swear by them. I bought a Red Sea ca and mg as others said they were comparable. When looking they are cheaper per test so that was my attention grabber. Unfortunately the procedure to perform the mg test was a significantly longer process which for me I have multiple tanks so quick and accurate is important to me. The ca used a dropper bottle which didn’t give uniform drops every time so I felt that was a poor design so I’m back to salifert for everything.

I use a Hanna salinity tester for salinity but calibrate before every use. They sell a big calibration pack but even that adds up over time so I started saving the solution in an air tight container and calibrate it every use and have compared against a new packet and is right on the money. I can imagine this isn’t popular practice among many but it works for me and saves some money.

 

[Cooper2]

The best part of my Hanna CA tester is the 2 extra cuvetts I use with the other units that work....lol

I like trying 2 different kits and see if they match. Blindly trusting ANY test from a single sample isn't really doing yourself any favors. Truth be told, I'm surprised how accurate API kits are. For some reason I always had a dim view of them and they ended up getting pushed back on the shelf. I was surprised to see how well their results aligned with respected brands when I gave them a second try. Maybe it's just me, but seeing the same result from 2 different methods or brands makes me more confident my numbers are right.

With regard to the post above and calibrating a Hanna salinity tester, I only use the Hanna cal fluid if the tester is off when compared to a refractometer. Calibration drops are so cheap for refractometers, I calibrate the refractor to test my Hanna is still correct. I've come to trust my Hanna salinity checker after several years of reliable service.