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Are you using RO or DI water? Most significant
algae problems are caused
IME by not using RO or DI water. Most hobbyist
test kits wont read a
tremendously accurate silicate or phosphate test.
Problem algae is
usually traced to water, over feeding, light bulbs
past their life
expectancy, low pH and not using Kalkwasser, insufficient
skimming
Use 1 1/2" bulkheads for sure no smaller if you
need to adapt to a smaller
piping you can always use a reducer bushing. Inexpensive
white bulkheads are
available at pool stores or the higher quality
gray @ a good plumbing supply.
http://nucalf.physics.fsu.edu/pfohl/Fish/Diy/downdrft.txt
http://nucalf.physics.fsu.edu/pfohl/Fish/Diy/downdrft.jpg
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~cap/pictures/myreef/skimmer/index.html
Other more formal faq are at
http://nucalf.physics.fsu.edu/pfohl/Fish/Faq/reefkeepersFAQ.all/
this is
probably THE faq you are looking for
OR
http://www.jmas.co.jp/FAQs/aquaria/reefkeeper-faq/
I am planning on using a 60 hex tank for a reef
is this OK?
Tall tanks are not really recommended (at least
by me) because there wont be enough room
for positioning the live rock and having the lighting
evenly dispersed. Using a tall tank one usually has to stack rock upon
rock which in turn doesn't allow life forms to grow beneath the stack.
ALso lighting will be an issue
I'm not sure of the watt, it does have a FL 15 on it, if that means anything.
Probably a 15 watt. Ideally you would want between
3 and 5 watts per gallon or 180 to 350 watts. If you were going to use
the 60 hex you would probably be best off with a 175 watt metal halide.
I'm sure you get the picture,
highly lit on top nothing below it.
You also talk about a skimmer on you reef page. What does that do that my Power Head doesn't? And what is an est. cost of a skimmer?
All a power head does is circulate water. A skimmer
or foam fractioner removes organic waste by bombarding the water column
with tiny bubbles. Waste in the water sticks to the tiny bubbles rise to
the top and burst.
This becomes a buildup of greenish brown organic
material that overflows to be removed from the system.Skimmers range from
around $100 to $800. Most hobbyists use a CPR backpack for a tank your size
they are around $100 My suggestion to you would be forget the hex tank.
If you really want to do
a reef tank buy a 55 gall. Its an affordable tank
and will give you a much more functional system and better display. Also
it is a standard size so components are much easier to find less
expensive and will simply give you
a better system. I strongly recommend to all....
to think well before they begin. This hobby is very expensive and starting
off wrong will end up costing more money in the long run.
I recently purchased a 135 gallon tank and top
of the line wet/dry filter. I want to set it up as a reef tank.
Usually a reef does not use a wet dry although
you can use it for the sump. Nitrification takes place on the liverock
and bio media in a WD competes for the bacteria, not to mention produces
nitrates. So use it with out the media as a receptacle for directing your water.
To the skimmer_ tank etc.
I am going to use some of your suggestions
that you offered in regards to fish etc.
Good. Usually fish are in the smallest population
in a reef as they are the biggest consumers of food and therefore produce
the most waste.
I did not know that Tangs could be in with anemones!
Can they?
Sure although depending on the type of anemone
and how curious the fish is it *is possible* to loose a fish though this
is rare. Carpet anemones are the most powerful as far as killing curious
fish usually its not a problem
How do it build my own protein skimmer. Is it
possible?
Sure its not really a big deal especially if your
good with your hands have the time and place to do it. I only have plans
in my book but if you search around the net I'm sure you can find something
for free.
I've purchased a new tank I'm wondering what
size it is? The dimensions are 36X24x24, I remember you have
to multiply these three numbers together and divide by another number but
can't remember what.
The number is 231 There are 231 cubic inches in
one gallon of water. In other words a square box measuring 6.14 X 6.14
X 6.14 would calculate to 231 cubic inches and hold one gallon . So it
sounds like this 36X24X24 = 20736 cubic inches divided by 231 = 89.76 or
a 90 gallon.
Last night I was cleaning out my tank and found
3 centipede cooling things I believe called bristle worms. What are
these things?
Yes it sounds like a bristle worm. Some consider
them to damage corals and eat polyps etc. Mainly they are detrivores and
opportunistic scavengers. For the most part you would like to get rid of
them as they *can* be a risk to desirable creatures.
Does this mean I doing something wrong
No, they are living in the rock and a natural
occurrence
I also wanted to ask you if they sell your book
in stores or do I have to order it through the internet. If I do
that's fine, I just want to make sure I can't get it through any stores.
You can get it at any Barnes and Noble but it
will take about 2 weeks. You aren't actually *buying* it "through the internet"
but calling a service that will take your CC info and process the order.
The # is 1-800-377-4479. Or if you want you can send a money order to Shoreline
Resources Box 227 Branford Ct 06405 CC or MO get shipped immediately you
will have the book in about 3 days.If you send a regular check to the PO
box it will take a week and 3 days I am working on a revised edition that
will be done in a few months and that will be available FREE to any one
who has the book and has returned the questionnaire in the self addressed
stamped envelope. The whole new book is not free just the new images
and text about 30 + pages.
Let me know how to obtain the updates you offered.
I'll probably also just buy the updated version of the book when it is
published as I like to support those who work so hard to help guys
like me succeed in a hobby.
All that I require is you fill out and return
the questionnaire in the SASE.There is a letter that accompanies each book
with the questionnaire.
If I use a Jaubert sand and plenum type of system
in conjunction with protein skimming, what minimum sand layer depths and
plenum depth can I use and expect success?
Usually about 2 to 3 inches does well for
nitrification and denitrification. Although I am not a proponent of plenums
and feel them to be totally un necessary unless of course you want the
look of a sand bottom.
I'm not quite sure what you've told me.
Are you saying that you like a 2-3 inch depth of live sand bottom,
but without a plenum?
No I don't like sand if... you want to use
a plenum typically 2 - 3 in possibly more is used OR without a plenum
2 - 3 in also. This is a highly debated topic. sand or no sand etc. In
the book it describes in detail my views on this. The method I like , use
and recommend is to use all eggcrate and set the rock up on that. A spray
bar lower rear of the tank and a cosmetic covering of less than 1/2 in
of sand. This is a "Glorified Berlin Method" and what some call the Metelsky
Method.Of course its all explained in the book.
He also said that he'd had a Xenia
Crash but that was nothing to do with Lugols.
Xenia can be finicky, far from a bullet proof
animal. I have lost Xenia or it was predated quickly *poof* gone. (was
not adding Lugols at the time)Tank raised Xenia only became popular
about a year ago. Prior to that... wild pulsing Xenia was virtually impossible
to ship let alone keep. Some
hobbyists somehow were able to propagate some
and then a strain of keep able Xenia began and was passed around. One of
the main dealers / propagators was Eric Amadio of tide pool enterprises
he claimed to have hardy Xenia. I haven heard much from him recently
possibly search for his web page. Also a hobbyist Todd Hillson claims great
success with Xenia, his link is on my links page. I would recommend to
talk to those who have ALLOT of experience with the Xenia and see
what they say. That way its not isolated incidents and your getting it
from the "proverbial horses mouth" *someone who knows*
My point of posting this was not to say STOP USING IT but to try and see> what people thought of the article and what they thought of using Lugols rather than Potassium Iodide.
Well you gotta know by now on the net if you ask
an opinion..... thats what
you'll get. And no one seems to be in agreement
with anything
I have a 75 gallon tank with 90 lbs of live rock and 20 lbs of base rock. Lighting consists of two 5500K Metal halides and two 48" Blue moon actinic's. Photo-period is 14 hours per day. Lights are on timers. A 36" venturi protein skimmer is used to remove unwanted proteins and other nasties. Sump is approx. 20 gallons.
Sounds very good
Also have a magnum 350 with a micron filter
in it that I use to keep the water crystal clear.
If you are comfortable with that its ok however
that is not really used in reef aquariums. One alternative is to
use a prefilter floss in the sump area under the drip plate. That's nothing
to do with your algae though.
I use reef calcium, reef plus, reef strontium,
and reef iron.
Sounds all good except for the iron. Use it very
sparingly as it causes micro algae to grow, or test for it.
Kalkwasser is dripped into the sump via
gravity.
Are you adding for *all* your make up water? How
do you mix the kalk? Briefly... it should be mixed with ro or di water
using a powerhead. In a 5 gal bucket place the powerhead on the bottom
of the bucket take a piece of airline or sufficient length to go from the
bucket into the sump, and attach a weight to it to hold it 3/4 " above
the bottom of the bucket. Fill with water, turn the power head on, add
5 heaping teaspoons of kalk, mix for approximately 4 – 5 hours, unplug
the power head, let the mix sit for 4-5 hours, then drip into the sump
near the intake of the skimmer.
The best time to add the mix is in the AM this
is when the pH is lowest although adding late at night is acceptable as
well. A convenient schedule is begin mixing around 7-8 pm end before
bed and add first thing in the am
Temperature is 74 degrees.
You may want to try around 80 degrees
Have approximately 15 different
corals, 3 types of anemones, and four types of mushrooms/button polyps.
Only have three small fish. Sixty hermit crabs and sixty snails were added
three months ago.
sounds good.
Do you test for calcium? It should be around
400 to 450 here are a few guidelines
Use all limewater for make up evaporation
mix as described.
Do regular water changes of either 12% every
2 weeks or 25-30% monthly use a high quality salt such as coralife or instant
ocean . Make sure you have *some seed coralline growth* on the existing
rock if not get a few new pieces. coralline is very easy to grow and by
using the suggestions will have it going in no time. I suspect low calcium
readings probably due to improper mixing of kalk. One other idea to supplement
your system while starting is to try Mark Wiess product Coral Vital. This
product sometimes has a side effect as producing red slime algae but not
in all systems. If it was my tank I would use the suggestions here *and*
the coral vital to give you a boost. One reminder.. don't try to
change conditions overnight do everything.
I forwarded you list to an online supplier guy I use Brian @ reefers he gave a quote on some things. I also added my remarks I notice you use TFP I have always found MOP to be much cheaper.For test kits I would use either Lamotte or salifert Salt either Instant Ocean or Coralife For Ro or Di Spectra pure is best by far although you know my feelings on RO so Personally I would use a single stage Ultralife DI and then add a couple of carbon pre filters purchased at a HIC For supplies either TFP MOP a couple of online dealers. Such as Brian @reefers Mark @ Northcoast. For livestock I would recommend Jack @ Reeflife in Ft Ladurdale I host pages for him on my site complete with prices.
I have an idea for a "power cleaner".
I have an old Fluval 102 canister filter that would hold two layers
of sponge or floss and one layer of charcoal. Of course this power
cleaning method would only be used during cleaning - not on constantly.
Unless you think that this idea is totally crazy, I will give it a try
and let you know the results.
You can try it although I have found that
using a small diameter hose gives adequate pull from the nooks and crannies
without having to *recycle/ handle* the water. Hey! give it a try!
I would appreciate - when you have the time
- to give me your opinion about commercially available protein skimmers.
I am considering the CPR SR-6, but I am a little skeptical as to what CPR
means by a "rejuvenation Skimmer". The others that I have looked
at are DandD
Marine's "The Beast" and the Berlin.
Although I've never used a CPR I've heard
rave reviews about it and think it may very well simplify skimming in a
tank of your size. Brian recommended one that comes with a pump to further
cut costs.I Don't think he will steer you wrong. For the most part, downdrafts
work the best, followed by venturies then counter current. The CPR is compact
and hangs on the back alleviating the problem of having to be above the
sump as with larger skimmers. If you want an exact recommendation well...
for your system probably the CPR followed by a Top Fathom Venturi. If you
have room for it or are willing to put in on the side of the tank (above
the sump)
I can work within my budget and time line if
I use two NO fluorescent during the time the tank is cycling with the
live rock only. Then, BEFORE adding the inverts, corals, anemones,
and fish, I would replace it with a four tube VHO/NO combination equaling
approx. 5 w/gal.
If that will work better for you. However,
the cycle wont/shouldn't take that long probably 2 weeks max.I think
it more practical to have everything in place (the Ice cap ballast and
lamps) so you Don't have to go and change it again. I would have everything
in place, ready to go.
I'm designing mine own home brew lighting hood
that should save me a bundle compared to what I've seen commercially available.
That depends where you buy.. do some online shopping asking for prices
and specs This may seem contradictory to the book, but from what I've seen
online for average size tanks the prices arent bad. Unless of course you
want a custom canopy something to your liking and specs.By the way, I'm
also of the opinion that halides are probably not necessary except for
extreme lighting needs of certain specimens. Besides, I don't want
to have to think about a chiller to offset all of that heat.
My sediments exactly. 5 WPG is plenty IMO and
is the *average* from my survey. Use the VHO ice cap electronic ballasts
they are fantastic! And forget the coralife bulbs and ballasts use URI
ultra violet resources purchased MO and nice cap ballasts. For the NO
you can use regular HIC ballasts and Phillips 03 lamps.
To keep this short, Is there some reason why the skimmer constantly generates huge amounts of foam, but no matter how I adjust the discharge valve, the foam never spills over to the collection cup? How long has it been running? Usually it takes a week or 2 to "kick in" If its been running more than a month I would guess it to be adjusted to your water.(coating the inside of the skimmer with saltwater to cover and remove the plastics coating.)
I used to have a skimpy little skimmer that
would at least generate an ounce or two of "crud" per day for five years.
Water quality analyzes good, but my corals aren't opening up as they
used to! I may also guess that you don't have much to skim?? possibly...
About your skimmer, make absolutely SURE
the drain hose is not blocked. The upper waste drain. A known method of
insuring the are not clogged is to place a new piece of tubing on the connection
and blow through it. It is very important to have the down drafted air escape.
I suspect this may be your problem. Let me know if that does it.
Recently I emailed you about a bristle
worm problem. Well I read your FAQ on bristle worms and tried
putting my live rock in regular water.
I don't think I recommended soaking the rock in
FW.
honestly I couldn't believe how many
little worms came squirming out of there. I let it soak over night in my
bathtub. I put the live rock back into the tank and now the purple
color on my rock ( I don't know the real name for it) looks faded.
coralline algae
The color isn't as brilliant. Did I do
something wrong?? Please tell me I didn't make some huge mistake
with my live rock.
Not a good move. I would venture a guess that
you may have some serious problems. If you are EXTREMELY lucky you might
be ok. Soaking the rock in FW is probably equal to putting a plastic bag
over your head. If the coralline algae on the rock (the nice pink stuff)
doesn't turn white and you don't see other white stuff that looks like
toothpaste on the rock,(usually anything white is dead) and you don't have
a ammonia cycle that stresses the rest of the tank, well... Id be surprised.Anyway
You should check your ammonia levels If they are high and you have sensitive
fish corals or inverts you should take out the rock and place it in a <clean
read...new> garbage
can filled with saltwater either from your tank
or newly mixed water. This will allow ant die off and cycling of the rock
to happen AWAY from your creatures and minimize stress(that could
be fatal) associated with cycling liverock. When you get a zero ammonia
reading AND a zero nitrite reading it should be safe to put the rock back
in the tank.
And what ever you do ***Don't soak the rock in
FW...ESPECIALLY in the
bathtub!!!***AGAIN! So check your tank for ammonia
and nitrite if its zero your probably ok
although its possible to pick up some soap residue
from the tub, that could cause problems too.
I have read your article on the web and
liked it very much. I am currently setting up a 100 gallon reef tank.
This is my first reef. I have had marine community tanks for many
years, but reefs I am new to.I have a question regarding you ETS Skimmer.
One, how big is your tank and what size skimmer and pump is connected to
the ETS?
My tank is a 200 gal with a 45 gal sump The Ets
is a homemade model copying the 1000 series. That skimmer stands 5 ft tall
and sits on top of the sump, the sump is 24 in tall so the top of the skimmer
is 7 ft from the floor. I use Little giants 1200 GPH one for the skimmer
and one for the sump to the tank.ETS makes a model that is called a Gemini
and its rated for up to a 150 gallon I believe and only stands 26 inches.
Its a dual downdraft and works very well. Ets are the top of the line and
eliminate any fussing associated with other skimmers.
I am looking for a skimmer size recommendations
from you along with the pump to run it. In order for you to give
me that, let me outline the current specs on the tank. As you
know a 100 gallon tank, I have proposed a 1" layer of crush coral and then
a 2" layer of live sand on top of that. The tank is drilled.
The sump is 30 gallons an contains all the necessary stuff, heater,
chillier and the like. The sump is then pumped with a little
giant rated for 1225 GPH.
All sounds good, although my personal preference
is no substrate but of
course substrate is fine.
I have a total of four power heads moving some
800 GPH. So the tank is circulating the
water at 2,025 GPH. However, if I am
saying that the tank is being turn over several times an hour, it is not
necessary being filtered at that rate. This is where you come in.
Ok as far as turnover or filtering capacity it
is what the skimmer processes in your case 6X per hour X 100 gal would
be a min of 600 GPH .Somehow I think 1225 would be maximum for the skimmer.
Really it depends on whether the drilled tank could handle the flow. Is
it drilled through the upper back or the bottom with a standpipe and a
dam type overflow? The standpipe (usually 1 in) would be maxed out
at that high of a rate
I was wondering if u could help me. i
have a 125 gallon undersea habitat truevu tank. (custom built rock backing.
with this i have 2 very big canisters. one has a pleat, and the other
has bioballs, and carbon.
Canister filters are not used on reef tanks. The
trap detritus and will
produce nitrates, besides being difficult
to clean and maintain.
This is attached to a quiet one pump, (600 gallons
an hour). I have another quiet one pump for water circulation. I
have a protein skimmer up to 100 gallons, with circulation of 260
gallons an hour.
The protein skimmers rating should be cut in half
in other words this 100 gallon would be good for a 55gall tank
No I have not tried them. I am fairly sure that they have merit and would love to set up a couple of tanks to experiment with those principals, however In the past couple of years I haven't had time.
In particular, I was interested in the Lee Chin Eng's (or Natural) system
Yes the Lee Chin seems to be the least technical and may work well for a very lightly stocked tank. As pointed out in TRA oxygen is probably the most essential element in the tank and I would question how much could really be added with just an airpump.
and the Dr.'s Adey's System.
Adeys uses the turf scrubber and surge device. That system is probably the most difficult to run properly, and you have the significant extra cost of lighting not only in operating (electricity) but the replacement costs of bulbs. (this one I'm less in a hurry to experiment with) <grin> Also the algae has to be carefully managed. I am sure the system would work well but I see it as being a bit complex.
I'm curious since I don't have that much room for my 55 gallon tank and the natural system doesn't require extra sumps and things.
Out of all the systems the 2 most popular are the Berlin and Jaubert. Quite a few people who do run a Jaubert also use a skimmer and that is called believe a NNR system. I hear allot about algae problems associated with plenums over a period of time and It has happened to me. My recommended system is the Berlin and using eggcrate and the spraybar makes it a "Glorified Berlin" It works extremely well and of course I highly recommend it. It seems to me as a general observation that because these systems never really caught on that there must be a reason for it. *Most* hobbyists are economical and if a less expensive system would work it would be more widely used. I guess that's the basis or your question, I wish I could be more help and in the future (once the dust starts to settle) I may do some experiments with these systems
I do have a question about my Colt coral- it dislodged from the rocks and wound up in the bottom of the powerhead! I do not recommend powerheads in the tank just for this reason, among others.
Part of the ends were torn.Is there anything that I can do or it is a wait and see game? I would recommend a wait and see. Make sure the base of the coral is either attached with a *light* (not too tight) rubber band or firmly wedged in between the rocks where it can begin to feel secure and attempt to re attach to some base rock. The colt is a very hardy beautiful, species and I would venture a guess that it will be ok.
Also, I have a green star polyp that is about two weeks old. It has not come out since my last water change, about one week ago. Is there a problem here?
when you did the WC
Ok well...IMO a "wide variety of corals" will have a equally wide variety of demands. As you know I am not a proponent of extreme wattage, which has been one of the reasons for doing my survey Id suggest to have a look at that. Anyway, again IMO I would recommend easier to keep corals and usually...the higher the light requirements the more difficult to keep. For example a HL SPS tank will consume a heck of allot of calcium, so a calcium reactor may be in order and depending on your physical location the heat from the lamps and pumps usually transfer to the water so If your in this league.. a chiller may also be called for. Keep in mind a wide variety can really be *a wide variety* but the long term costs of operation is damn costly Believe me!!
1. Why have a prefilter at all? Won't the pump impellers chop everything up so that the skimmer can remove it, if not on the first pass then on subsequent passes?
The prefilter is used as a *mechanical* filter, as to remove small particulate matter. Its definitely not a must but does help.
Why not use that space for an additional skimmer if necessary? I really don't think it takes up that much space.
Since I'm working with a confined space,
Ok.. if anything I don't like the sound of a "confined space" as in the book.. I think that is the biggest mistake made by hobbyists IME one of the fundamentals of a long term successful tank is ease of maintenance. And a confined space is not going to work well (unless you don't mind getting totally frustrated every time you want to do something under there).Believe me after a few months.. the novelty wears off then.... You have some great innovative ideas but I would suggest to rethink the long term setup.
I'm thinking two (or more) smaller skimmers sitting in a wide and long sump with the bottom of the skimmer at the top of what would be a relatively shallow water line.
They have "in the sump" skimmers such as the turbo floater. I haven't use it but they seem Ok from what I've heard.
2. What about that passive wave maker idea?
Usually anything mechanical is prone to failure at some point. What has worked very well is the surge device although it takes up space and can be a bit noisy. Aside from that it works wonderful!
I'm thinking of putting dams across both back corners for the overflow intake. Sounds good
Then I would fill all corner joints with a cant strip (a long triangular shaped piece of wood) to minimize dead spots. What width?? 3/4" 1" - 1.5". That's sounds ok but I don't really think its necessary.
I thought about putting sections of spray bar all around the base perimeter that could be individually operated as either outflows or intakes. I had thoughts of doing an angled bottom (sloped downward to the front where waste could accumulate and even possibly a drain in the bottom at the lowest point. Then every so often you just open the valve and *voosh* out goes the detritus. Really... with just using one spraybar pushing to the front this has most of the detritus ending up in one "dead" area...the from where it can be removed easily with a siphon.
This part of the piping system would have to be a closed to avoid a siphon during a power outage. A powered canister system like Lifeguard might work. The idea being to keep all areas of the tank in constant water flow. I think you want to have all the water going out of the top and coming in the bottom this really gives a nice swirling motion, especially when accompanied by the alternating surge device.
I'm thinking that the grate/rock would extend right up to the front edge. The front edge of the tank?? No. that space is paramount importance with the flow, that's where the actual swirling takes place and the area to remove debris.
No sand at all in this scenario, That's fine
and no vacuuming from the top either unless absolutely necessary to clean the rocks. The rock should be frequently vacuumed of detritus
The spray bars could be used to drain down the tank for water changes. That could be difficult as the spraybar has the anti siphon hole. IMO better to just vacuum the rock with a hose.
But, what do you do when something gets under/behind the grate and dies? Some removable panels of the eggcrate might work to give access to the back/underside.
Naaahhh that doesn't happen. If anything did ever die I would think the scavengers to get it. But it just doesn't happen and I wouldn't think worth the time. Once its set up you just leave it alone and mother nature takes over. Although I have suggested a yearly take down, but that will change in my revised edition that I am presently working on. The upgrade will be FREE to those who have the book and took the 2 min to fill out the questionnaire. It should be done By Nov
I'm sorry that I appear dogmatic to your ideas. Actually I am not but I see some "improvements" that could become problems and much less simplified. The absolute best way is to have a room behind the tank and use that for all the equipment. Then you can do/have what ever you want.
my leather coral didn't extend today during the light cycle. It's the first time its polyps haven't come out... should I be concerned?
This is IMO typical, it/they go through a period of "sloughing" from time to time. I have 2 Sarcophyton each at one end of the tank and it seemed that one is always closed. One day one would close the next the other. I believe this is some kind of regenerative process. That's a nice easy to keep animal.
I can get coralline to grow for awhile then it turns white.
IME I have only seen coralline turn completely white when exposed to air.
I add CaCl when my Ca++ is low
I think the calcium chloride is a bad idea...best not to try and "maintain" such high levels/ readings of Ca The CaCl throws the system out of balance possibly giving you an inaccurate Ca reading
Your reading / additives sound picture perfect, except the calcium chloride and buffering of it. Personally I would try W/O CaCl and cut back on the lugols and see what happens. Its obvious we cant go by "readings" all of the time. I'm sure you mix the kalk to the "supersaturated levels" we hear about all the time. IME adding plenty of kalk only...with regular water changes using a HQ salt, will give unreal coralline growth. Have you tried the pickling lime? Its unbelievably inexpensive like 1.40 a lb
Since the live rock will be up, and there will be uninhabited areas behind/under the live rock, can the 4 watts of lighting per gallon be calculated only using that part of the tank actually exposed to the lights? Could be but I don't understand why up off the bottom?
270 x 4 = 1080 watts, which is 6 - 175 watt metal halides! I'm thinking 4 (still that's 700 watts) is more reasonable.
How about 2 10000K 400watt halides? cheaper to relamp than 6 175
2. What size tank will the protein skimmer design in your book handle? Will making it taller or bigger in diameter with a larger pump make it "better"?
Yes But why don't you build a downdraft? Its pretty easy I could also dig up a URL for a online version here you go http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~cap/pictures/myreef/skimmer/index.html if you need help I can give you some ideas
Is lifting the cup off and wiping out the lift tube all that is needed to clean a skimmer on a regular basis?
Basically, but you want to have it be "pretty easy" to take outside and blast with a hose like monthly..
Several posts to the newsgroups suggest continual cleaning is necessary to keep the skimmer operating efficiently. Well you'll get allot of opinions there . Yes, cleaning it regularly will improve performance, BUT not enough to warrant being a fanatic. You'll see its no big deal, just have it so its not a PITA to take out. The easier it is to come out the better.
What is UV absorbing acrylic?Would it be lexan?
have a look @ http://www.athiel.com/lib4/par1.htm and http://www.athiel.com/html/library.htm that will give you some more ideas
How can I calculate heat temperatures/distance of the lighting cover so I can select the right cover the first time?
IMO you are better off with glass or no cover again its the old "don't try and cram as much as possible in a space"
I am estimating about $5,000 spread out over a little time since I'm building it slowly. After all, it's to be a 250 gallon showcase......
That sounds *very* conservative to me. I would venture a guess probably when all is said and done according to your previous emails 2x that or at Least 8000. My 200 was 5k and ... I DIY everything have a friend who is a wholesaler have a look at the survey results. This is the reason for my suggestion on doing a realistic budget. What usually happens is we figure... well probably 5k and end up with a 10k system <grin> I *slight* difference. If $$ is no object fine, but again writing a realistic plan will end up saving substantial $$
Also, can two skimmers be run off one pump? Yes although one usually ends up shutting the other down or makes the flow of one or the other sporadic and somewhat unpredictable.
I'm wondering which side (if any) of your sump design might be used as a refugium. The "dirty" side makes sense in terms of feeding small critters nutrients from the tank, but then they get sent through the skimmer.
I don't recommend putting anything in your sump as it will take away water volume and with the recommended turnover rates refugium wont last or do well there. To have a decent refugium you need a separate area where flow can be minimized.
(Was it you or Moe who suggested that ETS skimmers kill plankton?)
wasn't me, if the refugia is sufficiently separated via flow this will not be much of an issue.
I have what I think is limestone, do you think its safe to put in my tank?
I cant say much about your native rock there. I would say the only way to be absolutely safe is to have the rock tested or have it used in a previous system.
That's possible but first figure how much you need. Your tank is a 220? so X 1.5 or 330 lbs. of rock If you use the eggcrate *with* the back and sides, this amount will make the tank look *full* without needing too much "base rock" Personally... I would use ALL live rock possibly using some other material *if* you really want to be frugal for the base rock. I think this is all explained in my book.
I have a Fish Only Tank. I was asking about the high pH with the Coralife Salt cause I thought that there was reason for concern. I have been doing my water changes. This fall I am planning to convert > the Fish Only Tank to a Reef Tank.
Ok I see, what kind of salt were you using before CL? I don't think it will make a negative difference in the pH on your fish only tank and can possibly get them acclimated to the new salt and changes to come. Do the fish seem stressed? If not I wouldn't worry about it. Test the tank water(for pH) before and after the WC and see how much of a difference it is.
I'm toying with the idea of setting up a minireef (20L tank) using 4 20w fluorescent bulbs for lighting and the Berlin method for filtration. I read your recommendation to keep no smaller than a 55 gal. tank and, since I lack experience, will likely stay away from the harder-to-maintain 20 gal. tank for now. I'm still thinking through the lighting possibilities. One factor weighing in favor of a 20 gallon tank is that I'd feel more comfortable moving a smaller tank when I move in approximately one year.
Really, a 55 is not much different in terms of initial cost or physically moving the tank. I would definitely recommend the 55 over a 20, because once you have the 20 you will wish you had the 55 <grin>. Really the main cost difference is the live rock cost and with the affordable internet merchants that's not really an issue <Much>
But I'm pretty patient, so I may spend the next year learning, saving sufficient money for a nice reef system, and then set up a larger tank in a more-permanent place.
Maybe write out a realistic plan as to costs and see if its within your budget. IMO if you can setup a 20... you can do a 55
About temp swings
FWIW my tank has been from say 70 to max of 87 or so and as long as it is gradual the tank will be fine. Naturally occurring temp swings (seasonal) are to be expected. The heater is a good idea though to keep it from going below 75. I'm sorry I missed you cooling question <g> but I would recommend a fan(s) to keep it down and help with evaporation. I am not a proponent of keeping the tank at an *exact* temp, heater on in the am the chiller kicks on in the PM I prefer to have my tank with a slight 5+ degree temp fluctuation
I have this brown.layer that's covering some of my coralline algae -- it's no thicker, but is expanding... how can I control it?
diatom s remnants of a new tank cycle.. possibly feeding too much. Control it with the usual methods as manual removal with a bottle brush hermits dislodge it some critters will eat it. Do you have new lamps? sometimes that can be an indication of failing this type of algae is the most common and "should" pretty much go away naturally if all other components are working such as the shimmer the tap water not overfeeding and having herbivorous (sp) livestock
Is it just a different kind of coralline?
no ;-) coralline is calcareous either pink or purple.
Do your astrae snails reproduce in your tank ??
To be honest I'm not sure exactly what they are. I haven't purchased ANY livestock in about 3 years what I remember is some were astera and some turbo. Turbo being the larger non coned shaped. I have hummm... hundreds of what seem to be baby snails They are oval about 3/8" long 1/4" wide/flat on the bottom/about 1/8" tall/grayish white in color with a few dark bands going the shorter distance the 1/4 " width/some are bright purple. They really only come out when the lights are off and have a somewhat hard shell I have observed some of them growing to a full snail (cone type) algae eater
I was cleaning my skimmer today, and PLOP! -- some gobs of the brown stuff > that accumulates in it dropped back down the tube, and into my "bubble > isolator" that Stephen gave me. Of course, some of the gobs went through > the return pump were distributed as a big cloudy mess. You should clean the skimmer more frequently, before you get accumulations of globs. Wipe out the inner neck with a paper towel ... frequently. A clean skimmer is a productive skimmer. > skyrocket in the next couple of days! *sigh* I doubt it > should I be worried? no you should be more careful ;-)
> How do you guys clean your skimmer without returning the gunk to the system? Carefully and often wipe out the inner neck with a paper towel and you can be less careful in the collection cup. I use the PT in a wiping *up* and *out* motion Also Disconnect the skimmer at *least* 1x pr Mon. and blow it out with a garden hose or the equivalent. Do this outside..in a large sink.. or in a shower.. be careful about soap contamination
I guess I should ask, what are you referring to when you say downdraft? I consider a downdraft skimmer one that is fed at the top, water flows downward and the output (for figurative reasons) is at the bottom. Ok my understanding is 3 kinds of skimmers a counter current uses small pump and airstones a Venturi that uses larger pump and a Venturi valve restrictor and small air intake the downdraft or ETS environmental tower scrubber. This has a TALL like 5 ft x 2" "tower" filled with bioballs, the water gets pumped into the top of this column under relatively high pressure through a fairly small 5/16 or 3/8 piece of plumbing fitting kind of like a tapered fire hose nozzle. At the top of this 2in x 5ft tower there is a hole about 3/8in that allows air to be "down drafted" into this bioball column The turbulated, air induced, foamed water then crashes into a small rectangular box about 8x8x12 inches the foam then drifts over to a LARGE like 8in acrylic reaction foam collection, accumulation riser, much like a regular protein skimmer. Bubbles burst foam rises, and overflows into a collection area like a regular skimmer This works very well as there is virtually no restriction to a very high flow rate. Mine processes 1200gph for the skimmer and another main pump 1200 gph for the main
What is your recommended dosage for Lugols? I have a 55 gallon tank.
I would *start* with 1 drop every other day. Test the water to get the reading you desire, and increase if needed. Usually the recommended dosage is 1 drop per 20 gallon every other day or to achieve a test result of 0.06ppm (the contains of NSW). I would recommend to start slow ... as each tank differs as to demand, skimmer removal and maintenance (water changes). I belive one of the drawbacks of lugols is that it is so economical that its tempting to add too much.I have been using it for about 6 months now and works well as a supplement, however I believe that frequent WC with a good salt will almost eliminate the need for adding iodine, unless of course you have corals that have a high demand.Also I have been using the salifert test kit (very economical)and purchased from Brian @ reefers.
About Coralife salt and high pH
I see from what I have read in your book so far that you use Coral life Salt.
Yes thats all I use although I hear from my survey that allot use instant ocean Some have had a bad experience with CL... I never did!
I have no complaints with it but I notice that when I mix the salt with my deionized water from my tap water purifier (I use 2 of them in series) that all of the salt dissolves almost instantly. Thats what you want.. ideal
When I do a PH test on the water it always tests out at least 8.7 or higher and I do not know why. The CL mix is probably highly buffered, Thats GOOD!!! As soon as you put in fish or anything alive (the waste is acidic) and there is the battle of trying to keep a decent pH. So I Don't misunderstand you, are you setting up a new tank w/o any livestock OR are you mixing for a WC? For a WC 8.7 is GREAT for a new tank you will/should be adding all the liverock first so that will cause the pH to drop to acceptable levels for new more delicate life forms.
I have checked the deionized water before the salt mix and sure enough you cannot get a PH reading So I am assuming that the D. I. Water that I have made is good. Yes it sounds very good Can you help here on what might be amiss?? The type of test kit that I am using is the Tetra Master Kit and the reagent has not expired. Thats not the best test kit but I'm sure it "should' be giving a n accurate reading
Presently, I have a Fish Only Tank. I was asking about the high PH with the Coralife Salt cause I thought that there was reason for concern. I have been doing my water changes. This fall I am planning to convert the Fish Only Tank to a Reef Tank.
Ok I see, what kind of salt were you using before CL? I Don't think it will make a negative difference in the pH on your fish only tank and can possibly get them acclimated to the new salt and changes to come.Do the fish seem stressed? If not I wouldn't worry about it. Test the tank water(for pH) before and after the WC and see how much of a difference it is.
What is supporting the bottom plate of the eggcrate that is raised off the bottom of the tank. Is it PVC piping, if so how big in diameter? either 1 in or 1 1/2 in Or is it small strips of eggcrate? Your description does not provide any detail about this. I like the idea of doing this I would just like to have a little more specific detail.
Yes It works very well.Look At pg 83 the "function and layout of eggcrate" and the 3rd paragraph on pg 84 and pg 86 and 87 "positioning and fastening eggcrate". You use pvc pipe, depending on what size tank you have, will determine the height/diameter of pvc I would say usually one would use a minimum of 1 in to 1 1/2 in. You cut the front of the pvc so as to visually minimize its presence. Have another look/read to get a good feel.
I have a new problem I have some hair algae I assume from the increase in light I have bought 7 hermit crabs and 2 turbo snails.. 1 died in about a week cant seem to keep snails alive very long...
Sometimes they Don't last long and are sensitive to any cycling ammonia/nitrite. Some are believe it or not poisoned by the algae. one out of 2 isn't that bad. 25 out of 50 then you may have a problem.
I am thinking of purchasing the Garf reef janitors 45 for $45 deal is this a good idea
Yea thats a good deal and GARF is a good place. The snails will be good for the tank and will reproduce pretty easily.
or should the algae settle down when it gets adjusted to the new light??? Are you using Ro or DI water? you should You also should dose kalk *very* regularly make SURE you do that do you know about pickle lime? Its the same thing as kalk (its food grade calcium hydroxide) and dirt cheap like $1.40 per lb look for balls pickle lime or see my browser search faq for the address. So 2 things make sure you dose kalk for all evaporation water and use ro or di water and your algae will disappear.
Do I need to get some phosphate remover stuff?? No
Regarding 175 watt bulbs over 400 watt bulbs..... I thought 175s would minimize spot heating. I want an actual hood that blocks out all light from the lights except that entering the tank. I also want it as low as possible, so I'm looking at having to put a protective transparent shield between the water and the bulbs. I called Coralife but they weren't keen on telling me what they use in their MH/FL hood. The blurb in That Fish Place's catalog says it's UV absorbing acrylic, but 400 watts an inch from acrylic sounds like a fire to me. Would it be lexan?
have a look @ http://www.athiel.com/lib4/par1.htm and http://www.athiel.com/html/library.htm that will give you some more ideas
What do you feed a Mandarin fish.? Mandarins primarily eat coepods and macro organisms (basically live food)on the live rock. They are nice looking fish but Don't last long because once the food is gone...so are they.I have had them for about a year then it vanished. Usually they wont accept dry food or even fresh food.They are not a good choice for a tank, although I know they are very beautiful, its definitely not a good choice for you or the fish. Sorry.
My question is should I keep the biological media in the wet/dry filter during the break period for the live rock then gradually remove the bio-balls or when I add the live rock remove the bio-balls from the start?? It just seemed to me that there would be some benefit to using the available bacteria that is well established in the wet/dry filter.
You don't say if this is an active tank i.e.: existing fish, existing water...that you may be thinking about reusing also If you have any fish...they should be removed when you add the liverock and complete the cycling process. From there, I would question the suitability or history of the water. Has it ever been treated with medication? Has it had problems with algae? High Nitrate? My thoughts would be start off right... use ro/di water with a HQ salt mix Ditch the bioballs same with any existing sand, rock, decorations (existing liverock) add *ALL* the liverock go through the complete cycle then add inverts all or most then add fish.. all or most IME it doesn't pay to cut a corner or get a short cut here or there. Its best to start with a *known* and build from there. and finally...I don't see any real benefit from using the bioballs.
I'm sure its probably covered in the book (looking forward to it)... "Proper Lighting?" HVO? Full Spectrum? Which? how much? You will see that I am a proponent of Florescent HO or VHO depending on the wattage you need. I recommend 3 to 5 watts per gallon.Using a combination of actinic white and actinic blue.I catch allot of hell for that...because there are quite a few folks who Don't like absolute # The 3 - 5 WPG is recommend for a beginner or intermediate hobbyist considering an experienced guy probably isn't going to be reading a book called "Simplified Reef Keeping" I have been doing a survey whose averages comes to 5.3 WPG have a look at ../n/survey.htm Also i have given a talk about my opinion on a reef set up basically I favor the lower light creatures because of long term costs ../METELSKY.HTM also My faq sfaq.htm
So I am looking forward to seeing things "Simplified". ::grin::
That it will do. Also I describe a "unique method of aqua scaping" which uses eggcrate and a spraybar This is a *glorified* Berlin method and my favorite
There's a 65 gallon tank and stand in the garage with a trickle-filter (TF) and sump waiting to be used for something I'm sure the TF will be replaced soon...
You can use that as a sump..and a 65 sounds good providing that it is not too "high" or tall which I doubt . The main difference between FW and reef is the cost this hobby is extremely expensive! If you can realize....and get over the sticker shock...its really pretty easy.Expensive! but not that difficult. FWIW there are allot of GOOD companies on the net selling livestock and hardware ie liverock inverts corals....One is my friend Jack at reeflife he is talked about in the book Hobbyist Tanks and on my links page are a listing for others that are very good Brian @ Reefers Marc @ Northcoast Eddie @ Monolith Buying Mail order will save a bundle Ok you should have the book probably by Fri All are sent priority mail and take 3 days to just about anywhere. I will say the book is not the most flashiest text going but easily makes up for it in content.If you are looking for a complete how to book a practical guide hand book IMO SRK is it. I am have been working on the new text and images for a while now and the whole thing should be done sometime in Nov.
have seen several references to the "Berlin Method". By inference I believe this to be simply live sand/live rock with a protein skimmer. Is this true?
Yes That is what I would call it and basically it is known as that. Although...if you look around enough I'm sure you will find information to the contrary <g>
Below is my interpretation of the "Berlin"
My Nitrate levels float between 10-15 and I was wondering how low Nitrates had to be before I attempted to add other inverts .
Ok well, you have borderline acceptable levels now. BUT.. you Don't have the mechanism for denitrification so by adding more fish etc W/O having an export for nitrate...I would expect your levels to rise.. to an unacceptable level.
I will only add another 2 fish which will be approx.. 3" each in length and that won't be for a while . Adding the fish will / should increase the nitrate
I do not have any live rock or sand yet for 2 reasons
1). All my LFS told be not to bother the times here).
2). The LFS that do stock it, only stock very poor quality rock.
Well the live rock is used for the reef so denitrification can take place ...hence the low nitrate readings. Thats the basis of a reef tank proper amount of live rock
I would certainly like to introduce live sand but I am not sure if I can do > this as my tank has live stock in it. I will be reading up on this over the > next weeks or so but in the mean time if you have any advise, please let me know. Yes adding any biological material now either rock or sand will cause problems with high ammonia and nitrite during the cycling dieoff process usually this will stress out existing fish or inverts If you havent already looked at my site, please do so in regards to the FAQ there and my talk to the beginner. You may find that helpful.Also see the survey as to amounts of rock others use.Look for the browser search FAQ.
Do you still favor fluorescent over MH lamps now that MH is available in high K values? That is one of the changes going to be made...yes, MH is OK depending on the use they definitely have their place and can be very useful. On the other hand personally I do prefer FLO lamps and lower light requiring creatures. Its just allot cheaper in the long run Lower light=lower cost
I have a couple of MH 175 watt Coral life pendants that I picked up used.
well sure, if you picked them up used go for it they are nice lights
What are the pro's and con's of using pendants? pro nice clean looking light "shimmering" on the surface. Powerful and direct, you can place high light corals rite under the bulb. corals do very well under mh light Pendants give you an open top for ++ evaporation good opportunity to add kalk.also probably gives a less cluttered look to the top of the tank....more high tech looking.
con possibility for heating the tank or making cooling difficult. More difficult to cool with a fan?? More coral growth = higher calcium demand you have to be on top of that..Calcium and alkalinity. Lamps are fairly expensive (but what isn't) they are from 80 to 100 ea and need replacing in a year max
I was considering replacing the 8 month old bulbs with 10K bulbs I've been hearing the 65K being more desirable... This is always changing I hear the 10 k are a greenish white and may need actinic (blue) supplementation. Using *just* 0r *only* 10 K may not be desirable. The real expert on this is my friend Sanjay Mani you can get his email address off of my survey send him a mail asking about using only 10K and you can tell him I sent you ( he is a very nice, well informed fellow and uses all kinds of MH.)
I was planning on having my rock over a 2-3" layer of sand. This would give the advantages of sand but not have the sand compressed. I really want to have the added biome of sand.
You can have some sand in the front but by using the liverock...sand is un necessary you can use *some* but 2-3 in....?? I wouldn't bother. Unless as in the book you *primarily* use sand to make up the Lbs per gal and less rock Ok but not both Just my opinion Look at my survey, see the substrate *most* people use and FWIW only a few there are readers of mine
I have another tank that I have been cycling with live rock for two weeks. Its a 30 gallon with a plenum. 1" of crushed coral, 1" inch of sand and 1" of live sand. I have 25 lbs of live rock. My question is on one side the crushed coral has this brownish green almost algae like stuff growing.. What is it is it normal??? Yes, I mean its not like its supposed to happen but I wouldn't be surprised at a small algae outbreak sounds like a typical cyano bacteria caused by cycling. Are you using purified tap water? If not that will cause algae..
I have not turned on the lights..Well its been 2 weeks so I would think its probably about time
My other question is I really Don't like the look of the tank I was thinking of starting over with an all live sand substrate what would I need to do change all of the water??? No not at all you can easily reuse the water.
I just really like the look of an all sand bottom.... I would need about 45 lbs of live sand right?? I'm not sure in a 30 but that sounds about rite depending on the actual thickness Does live sand help buffer the water?? That depends ... you say sand if its live sand from a reef or aragonite it will buffer the water slightly but not enough that you can depend on it as a sole means of buffering it helps...but you cant totally rely on it.
My other tank is a 30 gallon and I am having an extremely hard time getting the ph up to 8.2 - 8.3 it is about 7.9 to 8.1 I have tried seachem marine buffer and it wont work... First use a good salt mix like coralife or IO mix and test the batch it should be 8.2 from there you add kalk to elevate it and then the seachem will keep it there.
A friend gave me old Fuji rock that had been dry for a year from sitting in a box when he didn't want salt fish anymore....my question is can I clean and use this rock ? and put it in my wet/dry filter under the bio-balls does this help in anyway with the water dripping over it.
Well.. you can use it as a biological filter media IF you didn't have enough bio balls it would provide an area for bacteria to colonize
are there any benefits to this or drawbacks.... I doubt any real benefits other than if you desperately needed more area for biological filtration and had an excessively large sump. This depends on how many fish you have and how much waste being produced. A drawback may be that because the rock is uneven (unlike uniform bioball media) the aerobic action may be decreased on the flip side your anaerobic (denitrifying bacteria may increase possibly giving you some denitrification. You did not say how much rock or how many gallons of b balls you have or the size of your sump. Off the top of my head I would think to add it in the tank as a decoration, this will give you some denitrifying properties W/O interfering with the desirable aerobic action in the sump. If you want to give me more details I try and provide you with some ideas although I am mainly interested reef tanks.
The tank is going to be used as a grow out tank. I was planning on a center brace, a 3/16" acrylic piece about 10 inches wide, centered as you stated. humm.. I Don't know if that will be strong enough?? I assume you mean drilled down thru the top and into the front and back of the tank..like a spreader??I use solid wood epoxy coated and drilled thru the front and back and into the brace with long say 3" screws. Its VERY strong.
My plans are to start a small coral propagation business. I've already got the three local s/w reef stores buying my xenia Great! I belive that is going to be a up and coming field,home propagation as GARF does so well at describing. My hat is off to you and good luck.
How high should the top of the back support of the eggcrate be? How close to the top of the tank should it be? Does it matter?
Well, what matters (i think) is to have it high enough to be useful (displaying the rock) and at enough of an angle so the rock naturally stays supported (not too steep of an angle). Usually this will be about 4 inches below the top of the tank and about 1 1/ 2 to 2 in below the waterline. Try and follow exactly how its explained in the book. It will also be helpful to get a general idea by "laying it out" on a floor either some tape or lite pencil marks can give you a picture of the angle and lengths of pcs.Most vinyl tile floors have 12" squares so its pretty easy to get straight lines and increments in ft.
As far as creatures "walking out" That seems very logical but I've not experienced it.
The other questionable area is where you fasten the back- to the bottom. Here you want to have the back sloped enough so the rock will stay in place probably about a 70 to 75 degree angle. This usually leaves you with a VERY small looking bottom piece, but Don't worry...thats normal and the rock "overhangs"the front of the material so It will be bigger than it looks. Also pay close attention to allowing enough room for future cleaning access in this front area of the tank, you want A MINIMUM!! of 2inches from where the rock overhangs. There will be a strong temptation to stretch this, Don't. At your first and subsequent waterchanges you will be very glad you left this space. Not leaving enough...will force you to fight with it and you will regret not doing it. Try and make sure you remove all plastic clippings, another annoyance. I am very pleased to see you going with the eggcrate and I think once its done you will be too! Its a great system.Anything else let me know. Good Luck
What do you class as low nitrates? I am thinking of adding a few inverts to my aquarium but I have heard you need a zero reading of Nitrates to be successful. Mine are 15.
Low IMO is 10. 15 I doubt would be harmful but I would have a look at your liverock situation. Using around 1.5 lb per gal usually will give you close to complete denitrification. I am getting the impression that your tank is somehow out of balance, either too many fish or not enough live rock, too much feeding, improper spectrum of light for photosynthetic livestock who use nitrate in the photosynthesis process. In a established tank that is balanced...(ratio of waste producers to waste processors) zero nitrates are common and IMO indicate a *balanced* system. Although while getting to the state of balance, low nitrate reading are also common and not harmful.
NITRATE LEVELS / Cycling
it along its been a week and the level should start to drop shouldn't it? Will/is something causing it to slow its cycle? No, nothing is slowing it done (other than the lack of nitrobacter) which will occur naturally.Your first cycle is ammonia...then nitrite...and nitrate last Usually ammonia takes the longest, nitrite in less time in about 1/3 less time than the ammonia. This is common just let it happen! However, Don't add any more livestock untill you get a zero reading.
I have a Wet / Dry filter with bio balls I have heard they produce Nitrate how do I remove them?
Providing you have enough rock 1.5 lb per gal or the equivalent in sand and all parameters are OK ammonia and nitrite and the tank is fairly stable...remove approx 15% every week until they are all removed. This will give the nitrifying bacteria a good chance to relocate to the live rock or sand in relation to the tanks current bio load
We are cycling for the first time, do we need to get a zero ammonia, nitrite and nitrate reading before adding creatures?
You want to add ALL the live rock and then get a zero Ammonia and zero Nitrite reading. Depending on how much die-of is on the rock will determine how long the cycle takes.
I plan to do some painting I know I should cover the tank I was going to turn the pumps to the skimmer off to avoid inject more fumes than necessary and covering the entire tank with a plastic drop cloth, any other suggestions? That sounds OK, You know common sense...
Covering the tank.
Do you use a cover? I have used glass, plexi, and no cover. I prefer no cover I was of the opinion that cover glass cuts light output in the usable spectrum by at least 10%. I'm sure it does probably more so with the inevitable salt film that gets on the glass. wouldn’t this help lower my evaporation rate?. evaporation is GOOD! Opportunity to add kalkwasser to build calcium and raise pH not to mention substantial cooling in the summer months would thin acrylic be better? Acrylic always ends up sagging.. flip it over and it sags again, brace it and it will sag less but inevitably sag again. Acrylic also clouds over time The main benefit is, a cover will protect your bulbs. But they should be cleaned and wiped periodically anyway every 2 weeks or so. Again I find that no cover works best.
"Fish Only" Tank ?
The reason why I write to you is that I'm curious if your book would help fish-only tank. I understand that if I maintain the fish tank like a reef tank fish is going to be very happy. However, fish creates a lot more waste than coral and invertebrate do, so there should be slightly different approaches to run fish tank.. I'm using 240 pounds of live rock to cycle my tank right now and basically I don't see my tank as a pure fish-only tank.
As far as your tank goes I think trying to have both worlds a [fish only] and [240 LB of live rock] can possibly lead to problems i.e.: Fish produce waste ammonia and phosphate ammonia will get broken down to nitrate and eventually nitrogen gas, but the phosphate will still have to be dealt with very strong skimming and if not dramatically reduced you may have substantial algae that will cover the rock. So if you have acquired the live rock I would suggest FAVORING reef principals (minimum fish) and lean in that direction. Really with all that rock in the tank I don't see allot of happy fish unless they are very small. IMO trying to have allot of fish may end up ruining allot of live rock.
Basic modern reef principals are
Live Rock
What is meant by curing live rock?
Live rock contains millions of life forms on it when it gets shipped or moved from one environment to another a certain amount of "die off" of these life forms occur. So uncured rock is usually ammonia laden and "curing" it really means to cycle it. Ammonia to nitrite to nitrate, when you have zero ammonia and nitrite you will get faint nitrate readings indicating it cycled or cured. Depending on how much dieoff is on the rock determines how long the cycle takes.It can be anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks or even longer!
Is it really necessary to place live rock in a curing tank for long durations of time?
If you don't have any other life forms in your tank you can by all means use your tank. If you have only a few creatures or fish you may want to temporarily relocate them . Definitely do not try and cycle with other livestock as the ammonia readings will skyrocket and the best thing to do is just let it happen, and it will happen.
It would be a pain to supply a separate tank with filtering equipment to cure my rock.
You don't really need filtering equipment... to cycle the rock, it can be done in a clean read new garbage can or a clean garbage can with several liners and a few decent air stones. Personally I prefer to use the tank W/O livestock.
I have added my live rock that was supposed to be cured... there seems to be more stuff dying should I add hermit crabs or snails?
Don't worry about the dieoff,just Don't add any livestock AT ALL. Absolutely nothing untill you have a full cycle with zero ammonia and nitrite with a faint nitrate reading then you are ready for hermits or snails.
LIVE ROCK PLACEMENT
I have a 200g built in to a wall that is visible from both sides. How wide front to back? Left to right?
I intend on piling live rock down the middle to make a mound and cave structure that is visible from both sides. I feel like I can only put about 100lbs of rock in here before I lose the view through effect. The question I have is should I fluff the system out with plastic media since I can't put enough rock in? or should I still lose my plastic and just use the sand and rock as bio filters?
There are a few approaches
here are some sources
If you call tell them I sent you, especially Jack he will accommodate youModern Plastics 800-243-9696 ask for Raul Flores
../stanks.htm the # and prices are there ask for Jack
Spaghetti Worms
I'm currently in tank curing my Live Rock. 2 days ago, I noticed a 2 inch tentacle sticking out of a piece of rock and pushing a thinner piece of tentacle into the live sand. It sounds like spaghetti worms very common in live rock and are beneficial in the tank. Have a look in the tank with a flashlight after the lights have been off for a while, you will probably see more of these worms fully expanded and other strange creatures.
On one piece of live rock from Fiji, there is a white substance forming that cannot be removed by vacuum. Do you have any idea what this is?
Usually anything white is dead although your are saying "its forming" leads me to believe that is some sort of encrusting octocoral or gorgonian. If its gorgonian... eventually you will see little polyps popping out that will become a mat or shag (lite pink in color) like covering on the patch that's growing. Or, it can be some kind of octocoral that will develop, have to wait and see.I take it this growth is hard, relatively thin and smooth?
What should I do about it?
just observe... that's what happens with live rock some things die off and new life forms take over. A very interesting part of keeping a reef tank. It sounds like your tank is doing very well, so what ever your doing... keep doing it!
I have about 15-20 lbs. of sand left over. I would like to place it in my sump. It would be like a denitrater/refugia. What do you think?
If you have enough live rock you shouldn't need a denitrator. As far as refugia yea...but only if you have enough room not in there with other pumps and in bags etc. A *sperate* sump for actual refugia w/o being cramped some minimal lighting where stuff can be left undisturbed to actually grow ok Personally I don't like stuff in sump for reasons as ... being unnecessary...taking away water volume from the sump, building up unseen detritus and who knows what. Unless you have a very large sump area...I wouldn't do it. You just don't need it.
Removing Crabs, Bristleworms, Mantis shrimp from live rock
Place the rock in a tub and cover with wet newspapers (water from the tank) go away for about an hour+ or so... then quickly remove the newspaper and be ready to deal with the crabs/bristleworms etc. Using this method usually works, they come out of hiding looking for water. I'm a little tired but wanted to answer your ? You may have to repeat this a couple of times.
How to remove undesirable creatures
Those can be removed if necessary but that’s smarter not to do for now. Is it the same rock the worm is in?
Would the anemone live for an hour out of the water in the plastic box.
No, I wouldn't want to be limited by worrying about if the anemone would make it of not.
This is what I would do
If the anemone does not come off... and you REALLY
want to get the crab the only other way I can think of is to simply split
the rock with a hammer and chisel (while carefully leaving the anemone
in tact.
These crabs have 2 claws, six legs=color dark gray. body kind of oval. They barricade themselves in the rock holes during the day time. If it looks something like This I would do everything possible(within reason) to get rid of it. Rock crabs can be a nasty predators.
I just read in Fama magazine today that bristleworms clean up the reef sand and are beneficial. Yes they are useful to the sand but they can eat zoanthids polyps etc. Also they can get very large!! I have had 12in+ fall out of rock when it was taken out and moved So one that size is eating something!!!!
Unless they multiply in excess it recommended to leave them alone. What do you think?
You can wait and see Its funny some creatures of the same species have different levels of aggressiveness. I would try the nylon on fishing line and see what you come up with
I was wondering what your opinion on the Arrow-crab was. I've heard they may eat bristle worms but I've also heard that they might like feather-dusters. Is there any truth in that ? Not in my experience, but EVERYONE ELSE seems to say that! I am always hearing stories about the same creatures with different habits. These Arrow crabs, chocolate chip stars, pencil urchins etc. The Arrow crab is very interesting and will probably eat bristle worms and he "might" eat your duster worms also So I would not get him, because you seem to have so many it would be a shame to have them disappear!
Were there bristle worms in the bottom of the shipping box? One way to have a look to see any is again, after the lights are out for about an hour or so carefully examine the tank with a flashlight (you know I like that) <g> and if you see any either use the nylon stocking or trap and this will usually eradicate them. If not a more drastic method is to remove the rock for a few hours till they fall out. see faq1.htm I understand it would be easier to have a natural predator, But there always seems to be other possible hazards that go along with that.
How much of a problem can bristleworms be ? How much devastation can they cause ?
IMO their destruction is subtle for the most part, they Aren’t that bad but its odd..not all creatures of the same species have the exact same habits. Generally bristle worms are considered to be destructive especially when they get large I have removed up to 12 in + now that fellow isn’t eating just sand! I'm sure they eat some polyps, sea mat, gorgonia but that what you will find in the long run...some stuff disappears and other life forms take its place. The best advice I can give is to remove what is obvious as in shipping and washing the rock. watch the tank as to what you have and what seems to be missing, if you begin to see life mysteriously disappear then take corrective measures. For bristle worms look with a light to see them and remove what you can VIA various methods traps nylon stocking with bait, more drastic remove the rock cover and wait until they fall out.
I saw one larval looking critter cruising the rock. Didn't really look like the Isopods in your book. Difficult to describe really. Could it be something else ?
Does it look like a small shrimp? Hard to say of course, have to see what develops The only really BAD creatures are the bristle worms, mantis shrimp and an occasional isopod although they are fairly rare. To me that’s the really fascinating aspect of the hobby... we don’t know what allot of these creatures in /from the live rock are!! Most are harmless Just keep an eye on everything Observation, habits, make notes etc.
What about cleaner shrimp? Definitely get several 3 or 4 + they are really nice and extremely hardy also that’s one foolproof critter in relation to providing a benefit...If your fish ever get ich they take care of it pronto (with no side effects) <g>
Decorator Crabs ? Those are neat. You see this thing that looks dressed up walking around very interesting and they change decorations...this week some sponge and coralline, next wk some gorgonian and a sprig of algae. They are never out of style!
Plenums
I would appreciate your opinion on using the plenum method in a reef system.
You have to ask yourself why a plenum/live sand filter is useful? Most claim it to be a complete nitrification and denitrification system and for the most part it is. However, so is an all liverock or Berlin system. The fact is, virtually complete biological filtration (nitrification and denitrification to nitrogen gas)will take place in both methods. IMO problems occur when one adds more than 2 LB per gallon of sand or rock.My best expression of this is the system becomes biologically dense i.e.: too much area for bacteria to colonize and detritus to accumulate without enough water volume ratio and turnover.
My suggestion is to have 1.5 to 1.75 LB of sand or rock. This seems to be a good rule of thumb ratio - material to water. As an example a 55 gallon plenum system takes 80 lb. of sand for the required minimum thickness of 2 1/2 inches and comes out to 1.45 lb. per gallon.So, using the rule of thumb of LB per gal doesn't leave much for live rock. It then becomes a different looking tank. Even if you decide to overshoot the suggested LB per gal and place rock on the sand and corals on the rock then IMO you begin to have dead spots under and behind the rock where detritus cant not be removed W/O moving animals around. This is just my opinion and what I personally experienced. I have an aversion to detritus and believe in constant removing of waste important.This is best achieved using my eggcrate method which basically is a framework of eggcrate material cleverly designed and incorporating a spray bar as the main return to the bottom rear of the tank pushing all detritus to the front for easy removal.
On the other hand...some people are absolutely unconcerned about detritus.
I would like your opinion on using a NNR system with it. Was this system preferred before the new high efficiency skimmers were available?
I believe it was found to harbor denitrifying bacteria and very low nitrates and then deemed a breakthrough for denitrification. Years ago, It was thought to stuff as much live rock as could fit in the tank to achieve nitrification and denitrification (a little is good more must be better) the result was having hobbyists tanks that were setup for 1 yr. to 18 months to have unexplainable unmanageable algae outbreaks. This was then attributed to having too much rock where nutrients build up unseen.It also turned otherwise good quality rock to base rock as lighting wasn't able to get to the stacked rock. This meant a complete takedown and 75% water change and removal of un necessary rock. At that point a rule of thumb was established.
I was told that the ETS could starve some soft corals. Was this bad info?
That all depends who you talk with and what group you want to subscribe to and what type of maintenance schedule is involved.One of the most significant agreed upon points is, that there are as many methods of keeping a reef as there are people doing it. Personally I have a large ETS and almost all soft corals with no ill effects at all. A monthly WC of say 15% with a high quality salt along with regular kalk, strontium and iodine additions and high turnover rates of water in the tank and proper lighting does the trick for me.
Potential problems with plenums
Yes, I too have had an persistent algae problem while running a NNR plenum system. This occurred at approx one year to 14 months. I “unscientifically” attributed the problem to detritus buildup and high nutrient levels. I then took the system down, re-setup with a bare bottom, raised rock system and the algae disappeared. I find this discussion very interesting regarding the “success” of this type of system. Can all this be a coincidence? I don't think so. This NNR as I understood it was to eliminate/drastically reduce waterchanges. A “too good to be true” system. NNR or natural nitrate reduction is, I would think, just what it says. We all know that nitrate will get reduced with the correct amount of “live” rock or sand in relation to the bio-load of the tank. It is my opinion using the *correct* amount will have a large role in the long term “success” of the aquarium. I use and recommend 1.5 to 1.75 lb. per gal. Using too much live sand or rock can trap debris/detritus going unseen and building up a food source for micro-algae as well as being unfavorably biologically dense for the enclosed system. In my system ( a55 gall) , the 1.75 “ approx sand thickness came out to be 80lbs or 1.45 lbs per gallon. I also added approx 50 lb of live rock bringing it to over 2.36 lbs per gallon. This leads me to believe that excessive biological medium ie:live sand or rock becomes “un-manageable” regarding nutrient build-up over extended periods of time. This is Jauberts patent site
Overflow Problem
I have a Dutch aquarium with a protein skimmer.
I'm not too familiar with a "Dutch" aquarium as far as I know that is a heavily planted fresh water tank???
What size is the protein skimmer and make / manufacturer? How much live rock do you have?
I have about 65lbs of live rock in the aquarium now and was planning on adding more later. Ideally you want 1.5 lb of liverock per gallon My tank has only been running for about 4 wks. thats not very long....Its probably still cycling have you tested for ammonia? nitrite? nitrate?
The algae is green and grows so ridiculously fast that I'm afraid that it will suffocate the tank. It floats on the surface and pretty much stops surface water flow. It's kind of brought my operation to a halt. yes thats not good. at all I strongly suggest adding a surface skimmer box you should be able to find one at your local fish store or If you need some suggestions of suppliers on the net see my links page one of them will be happy to get something for you Eddie at monolith or Marc at Northcoast or Brian at Reefers mail them or call Untill then You "should" manually remove the algae you Don't have to be fanatical just get rid (dispose of) most of it.
(you need a surface skimmer box)
Is there an animal that eats surface algae.
No, You shouldn't have ANY surface algae
You should be "surface skimming" meaning ALL the water to feed your protein skimmer or filter should be taken from the surface of the tank. This is usually done with an overflow box or the tank drilled with a fitting thru the top back wall so as the water is getting pumped into the tank...it then overflows into this fitting or overflow box. So the water to feed the skimmer is taken from the surface and will eliminate your problem. This is the method used in 99% of reef systems
Drip plate Construction and Flow Rate
Where should the output of the skimmer go? Right now there's only one water "area" in the sump. do I need to separate the areas of the sump into clean and dirty sections? I don't know where to put the prefilter, or really how to construct it (materials, etc.).
what material should I use for the drip plate?
well depending on exactly what you are using for a sump i.e.: a trickle filter already has a driplate and basically you would want to fashion one like that. If you use a fish tank for a sump you will have to make a driplate out of Plexiglas. Basically its a square or rectangular box with hole in the bottom and sides and ideally with a small strip as a anti splash guard.
Do I need to line it with some sort of filter material?
No looking at the diagram, the vertical pcs under the driplate are pcs of PVC used as legs to support a piece of eggcrate material (lighting diffuser in suspended ceilings)The prefilter material is supported by the eggcrate and the driplate sits on top of the PFM One of my adamant recommendations is to frequently change and or clean the PFM (weekly) The material I find to work well and affordable is the Marineland cut to fit its like 1/2 in thick and blue in color cost approx $4 for a piece 24x24 this can be cut to the exact size of your sump dimensions so all water has to go through This would also be known as a mechanical filter
How difficult is plexiglass to work with?
Plexi is VERY easy to work with once you can get comfortable with it. One of the MAIN things is to get the rite adhesive. This is found at good suppliers ie yellow pages plastic/sheets/rods/tubing. Once you get a good supplier you are all set. The glues range from instant set ---- to -----s l o w --- set. Instant is good to line up pcs and the slow is good for building up and a permanent bond. I will try and dig up something about adhesives and plexi for you with your order. The glue is VERY inexpensive $3 will but a lifetime supply of one kind. If you plan to use instant set make sure you get the applicator .59 this is a small bottle with a needle tip that applies the water consistency product. If you have trouble finding the product Modern Plastics in CT will ship to you there 800# is on my site.
What exactly is the "eggcrate" material?
Eggcrate is a plastic grid like material sold in 2x4 ft sheets white is very common black is more difficult to locate. This material is a.k.a. lighting diffuser used in light covers in suspended ceilings.
Where do I get it?
White can be found at any home improvement center black is found only at specialized plastic supplier. Modern in CT has it and will ship. White = $5 ea. Black = $8 ea.
Is it bad to prefilter before going into the skimmer?
Not "bad" but possibly less desirable not detrimental though.
Also -- instead of holding the prefilter up with PVC, I am going to glue it to the corner of the sump a couple of inches above water level.
Uh hmmmm I don’t know if that’s a good idea? You want to have everything removable so when you perform maintenance it all comes apart easily. I don’t want to appear dogmatic ;-) but I would try to implement the PVC stands, with eggcrate/ prefilter/driplate, its very inexpensive you can even use the common white in the sump.
I really just want to force the water to flow through the prefilter material.
Not forcing, solely by gravity. the water gets collected in this DP and then *drips* through evenly depending on your holes.As the drip holes are fairly even this disperses the water evenly through the PF Material. What will REALLY make a difference is your flow rate obviously the higher the FR more burden will be on the DP Give me an idea of your pump GPH I should then be able to give you a ballpark estimated size or the DP
Also, what are the advantages of placing the prefilter AFTER the skimmer?
IMO a good skimmer will be able to handle the bulk of waste. Then the PF filters out any remaining particles. It sound contradictory PF after should be FF (final filter) but having the PF before tends to get crudded up and could seriously restrict flow
Why do you sandwich the pre-filter material in-between egg-crate and the drip-plate? Why not just put it in the actual drip-plate box? I couldn't find it in your book.
The purpose of the DP is to evenly disperse the flowing water over and thru the PF material
I'm using a Rio2500 connected to an ETS Reef Devil, and another Rio 2500 pumping water back up to the tank via 5/8" tubing.
Is that the recommended pump? That is a submersible rite? I'm not a big fan of submersibles ;-) you see in the book, but I'm sure it will work. Even with the Rio which supposed to put out 700GPH I think you will need a fairly sizable DP Say like min. 10x10 or better yet 1/3 of the top of sump. When you use a good size DP, the water/air/gas/ exchange is better in relation to its size. IMO bigger=better, of course up to a point. I really don’t think it matters on your end how big this DP has to be,not like your constricted by a small size sump that "has to work". One of the most common mistakes I observe by hobbyists is skimping, going small, and "making everything fit" I hate that! Also being excessively cheap gets up my dander too... ;-) I'm the first one who likes to be frugal, BUT when coming to size and setup I like a lot of free flow of water that keeps everything highly oxygenated (a seriously overlooked concept) To give you an idea of my system, of course I'm not suggesting this is the only way, just to give you an idea. on my 200 24x24x84 uses a 24x24x24 sump=45gallons I have
So I would try and shoot for 1/3 of the top
of sump with 1/4 holes spaced approx 1 to 1 1/4" apart.
My overflow is noisy what can I do?
My sump is filled with millions of bubbles, and they are being returned to my main tank! How can I make it stop?
If you have the return from the skimmer.. going onto the dripplate.. then thru the prefilter material, that will eliminate any bubbles.
Usually this is a problem when the return from the skimmer is in the same area <intake> for the return to the tank.This is one of the main reasons for setting up the /skimmer/sump/clean/dirty side as I do.
On the other hand I am aware that nothing is in stone and individual circumstances can dictate straying from a particular method. Doing that you will need other modifications such as a block of foam, some floss material to trap the bubbles, or plexi walls <mini dams> to act as settling chambers for the bubbles. The foam or floss can lead to problems with the trap becoming biologically active and trapping waste as well, unless you give it the same attention as I recommend to the prefilter.
Have you solved your problem with the air intake of the skimmer? What is usually suggested is to make a muffler ;-) out of some small tupperware or rubbermaid products with small 1/4 in holes in it and filled with floss material connected with flexible vinyl tubing. Use a threaded X insert fitting the size of your tubing. Or Just run a long enough hose to an area where the sound wont be noticed. (as much)<g>
Water flow
I am trying to get good circulation in 6' long 2' deep tanks.
hmm... personally I never cared for power heads in the tank as they tend to suck in curious creatures and can stop working from time to time ( having to get your hand in there to tweak it again) I like to use a spraybar on the bottom rear of the tank with a good size pump and have the rock on eggcrate. You'll see in the book.
Also I have a 10 gallon what I've come to find the actual name is "Carlson surge device" Works great but its a bit noisy...although your garage sounds like it could easily handle it. The surge device works great! 10 gallons siphons out in 1min. and takes approx 10 min to fill. I have been thinking of doing one with an 1 1/2" PVC that would SERIOUSLY discharge some water!! In my 200 I also have a few mag 500 GPH kicking around that I was contemplating setting up from the sump to a small spraybar on one side of the tank. I just don't know if I am willing to pay for the extra electricity for another water movement source.
As far as water flow I have 2 large 1200GPH 1 for the skimmer 1 for the main and 10 gall surge device. For some the SD is too big and loud... I don't mind it and in fact mine isn't really THAT loud I have covers and a brace inside that keeps the noise down...it works great! although it takes a bit of patience to get it to work just rite. I think that feeding the pump from the sump is a better idea than from in the tank and if not the SD then a small magdrive possibly on a random timer
Kalkwasser
Mixing Kalkwasser Add approx 3/4 to 1 teaspoon per gall mix it for a few hours Let it sit for 4 to 6 hours Without disturbing the sediment in your mixing vessel add the upper portion of water rinse the vessel and discard the sediment Also, how much should I start off with, considering I will be adding it daily? Use it for ALL your make up water (evaporation)
What is the most commonly used additive?
The additive I use most regularly is Kalkwasser aka:calcium hydroxide this is mixed and added for evaporation (makeup water) usually weekly. The only other two products are iodine and strontium, added bi-weekly in between waterchanges. IMO, using a high quality salt mix i.e.: coralife mixed with purified tap water will replace the complex needed trace elements. Water changes done on a regular basis either 2 3 or 4 week intervals are important. The more frequent WC and maintenance schedule (vacuuming the live rock)will usually result in optimum conditions for the rock and live stock. Some reefkeepers will try and by-pass the water changes by simply adding a wide range of trace elements. I doubt if this can be done with any certainty.
Calcium Hydroxide
What does pickling lime do for the reef tank? Pickling lime is food grade calcium hydroxide. What it does is elevate pH and maintain calcium.
After checking all the stores in my area... Super Kmart, Super SandS, Big Y, etc..etc..etc I've have not been able to locate this lime. I called Altrista Corp. makers of Ball products and they were happy to send it to me. Costs 16oz $1.30 or a 12 pk(master canner) for $14.20 + $6 for shipping.$20.28 for 12 lb. I told the woman she could be expecting a flood of calls ;-) 1-800-240-3340 she says "that’s what I'm here for". They are in Muncie Indiana (apparently the canning capital of the nation)
CALCIUM Submitted By Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr. Reef And Invert Aquarium Resources
(Gary is the inventor of the denitrifying product AZ-NO3)
Calcium, a metallic element, symbol Ca, was so named by Sir Humphry Davy because of its occurrence in chalk (q.v.) Calcium does not occur in the free state, but compounds of the element are widely distributed. In the earth's crust calcium is the fifth most abundant element; it constitutes 3.63% of the igneous rocks and 3.22% of the entire crust of the earth.
In 1808 Davy showed that lime was an oxide of the metal which he named calcium. Robert Bunsen electrolyzed calcium chloride, and A. Matthiessen obtained the metal by the electrolysis of a mixture of fused calcium and sodium chlorides. While calcium was formerly produced by electrolysis of anhydrous calcium chloride, practically all commercial production is by the reduction of lime by aluminum in heated retorts under low pressures. Calcium distills out of the reaction mass and is collected in a cool section of the retort or in a condenser.
Calcium is one of the alkaline-earth metals of Group II of the periodic table. It is a silvery-white metal when freshly prepared, but it reacts readily with oxygen and nitrogen and tarnishes when exposed to the air to produce a gray and slightly yellow surface.
There are six stable isotopes of the element, however, I will only discuss those of relevance to the aquarium hobby.
In general, the compounds of calcium resemble those of strontium and barium but are, with a few exceptions, somewhat more soluble in water. (The exceptions are; carbonates, hydroxides, oxides and phosphates.) Calcium hydride, CaH2, sometimes called hydrolith, is obtained by heating the metal in a current of hydrogen. This compound is easily transported and on treatment with water yields hydrogen. The remaining calcium forms the monoxide CaO, the peroxide, CaO2, and possibly a tetroxide, CaO4. The monoxide is commonly called lime (q.v.) or quicklime and the corresponding hydroxide, Ca(OH)2, which is sometimes called slaked lime, or in our hobby, kalkwasser (the German name for hydrated lime).
Calcium hydroxide is an inexpensive alkaline substance. It is not very soluble in water. In industry, it is generally used in the form of a suspension of the solid in water called milk of lime, for eg. in mortar or plaster, where as the material dries, the hydroxide is slowly converted into calcium carbonate by the action of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Calcium hydroxide (kalkwasser) is one of the primary sources of calcium in the reef aquarium. The solubility of Calcium hydroxide in 2 megohm triple distilled lab grade water is Ksp 8.70 x 10-9 (-9 superscript), considerably less in water that is not as pure. In plain language, that equates to approximately 35% by volume of Ca(OH)2 is soluble, the remaining unsoluble calcium reacts with carbon dioxide CO2 in the water to form the carbonate, CaCO3, which as a suspension will fall out of solution to the bottom of the container or aquarium.
Calcium hydroxide for reef aquarium use should be prepared in a glass or lead-free ceramic glazed container. The amount of the hydroxide placed in the container is not critical, the solution cannot be saturated more than 100%, as a rule of thumb, most aquarists start with 1 tablespoon of calcium hydroxide in 1 gallon of water. After they decant only the clear liquid, the hydroxide is replenished in 1 teaspoon increments at each usage. The solution is replaced periodically as the carbonate takes on a tan or beige appearance.
As the clear decant of CA(OH)2 is 100% saturated, the aquarist should add to the dosing device approximately 1% pure water before filling the device with the solution. This partially eliminates the film and deposition of CaCO3 on the walls of the container, from evaporation. The use of the suspension of solids (milk of lime) is not recommended, as it does not aid in increasing the Ca levels of the aquarium, and over time, can lead to CaCO3 buildup within the substrate. Many aquarists have already noticed that more than half of the clear decant appears as solid calcium carbonate formations within the dosing area of the aquarium or sump. The reason for this is aquarium water already contains minerals in suspension, thus it cannot hold the super-saturated decant of calcium hydroxide as dosed and the overage is precipitated out of solution almost immediately upon being introduced to the aquarium as calcium carbonate.
Anhydrous calcium chloride can be used on occasion, to help boost Ca levels back up to the range you desire. Then the clear decant of calcium hydroxide should be utilized to help maintain these levels. In most situations, the Ca levels will fall slowly over time and require another boost of the anhydrous calcium chloride to return to the range desired. Always use anhydrous calcium chloride with care and sparingly, its overuse can be disastrous to your aquariums inhabitants.
There are numerous other sources of concentrated Ca to raise Calcium levels to the desired range just as effectively, most of these are proprietary and sold under the various manufacturers trade names. The dosing instructions are normally stated clearly on the label. These products should be utilized first, if at all possible, before using the different grades of anhydrous calcium chloride available.
The use of calcium/carbon dioxide, CO2 reactors, wherein the calcium carbonate, CaCO3 is utilized to raise calcium levels in the aquarium, although efficient, is recommended only for experienced aquarists, or those that have the necessary controllers or test equipment to continually monitor CO2 levels in their aquariums. CO2 is a gas that readily mixes with your aquarium water to form carbonic acid. The carbonic acid can be in the bound or in the free form, free CO2 will drive pH down, unless adequate buffers are present to maintain a high dKH level.
Submitted By Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr. Reef And Invert Aquarium Resources
More information on Kalkwasser
Metal in the tank
Yes, IMO metal of any kind in saltwater is a definite no - no. I would recommend finding a large high quality plumbing supply store. Check the yellow pages and make a few calls. Basically, there are plastic fittings made for more applications than metal. You just have to find the rite local supplier. Once you find the rite store, you will be amazed at what is available. Good Luck
Cycling
My ammonia is 0 and I am not showing any nitrate either but I don't think the tank is >cycled yet. Most likely you will be having a MAJOR cycle happen LOTS of ammonia then nitrite don't worry about it!Just let it happen! Usually it will take 2 to 8 weeks. Don't add ANY livestock! Until you get nitrate and the tank is completely cycled
Bacteria additives
I have used several products, years ago and at best they were false hope. I would recommend adding ALL the live rock first and let it cycle. Just the live rock, no fish or inverts. This natural cycling can take from 2 weeks - 2 months depending on the live rock. You have to be VERY patient during this cycling process!! Just let it happen, naturally. And it will happen! IMO this is the most important starting points. After the rock has cycled ammonia to nitrite and you get zero nitrite when ALL the live rock in the tank, then add inverts a few at a time when all in then add corals a few at a time till they are all in. Finally add the fish in the same manner. So, ALL live rock first.. BIG Cycle. Then inverts, smaller cycle. Then corals, even smaller cycle. Then fish, minimum cycle. Doing this has the live rock doing the initial and most important cycle.
Cooling
How about a small fan blowing over the sump...that will help cool it some is your sump enclosed under the tank? Skimmer in sump? That makes for less cooling IMO the more out of water everything is the better it will be cooled with AC
My tank temperature is at 85.4 degrees! That's not THAT bad.. above say 88 I would definitely take some action. You can now, freeze some Tupperware or gallon plastic milk jug filled with water and place it in the sump. IMO temp fluctuations are Ok as long as they are gradual over time. Temperatures between say 76 and 85 are acceptable as long as they are gradual. I believe the ideal temp is around 76 to 80.
Algae
there's small amounts of bubble algae growing,
IME that's a sign of poor water. I assume by bubble you mean fairly large air bubbles forming on the rock and getting covered with a thin coat of algae...streaming upward to the top??? bad TW
Anyway, should I take the rocks with bubble algae on it out and remove the bulbs with tweezers?
IME there are 2 kings of bubble algae the above kind, the other REAL bubble algae is Valonia, this is small spherical shaped medium green in color looks and feels like an artificial grape.They tend to grow in clusters and this type can be individually picked off. These IME have been fairly easy to manage by hand and I doubt the type you are talking about as they take a while to form...unless the rock was loaded when you got it... I doubt that.
I scrubbed a few rocks yesterday, and it helped a lot, but it wasn't fun...
Again, IME and opinion it is unnecessary to remove the rock and scrub in a different bucket. When you put the rock back in (to the ????water you are back to square 1). You know how strongly feel about TWP for just this type of problem.Algae!
if I get a RO or DI unit and make all of my make-up water with it (or change some percentage of the water with filtered water), will the algae go away slowly, or will it keep growing once it starts? IMO It will go away FASTER with more water changed. I would do a 35 to 45% WC and then ONLY RO/DI for all water weather it be WC or Make up
I used carbon-filtered water to fill the tank previously. Maybe I should test for phosphates/silicates..? You are already IN. Most test kits unless very high quality wont/cant get reading low enough that will cause algae
Algae Blooms
causes I think I mentioned I changed my bulbs late and the algae bloomed.
Hummm...do you think its the lights? I know you do, but I think it may be from other sources. Your water...what type of TWP do you use and when was the last time the resin was changed? How much skimmate is the skimmer producing? A real lot? allot? some? not much? I know the lights are suspect BUT that situation doesn’t happen the way I’m hearing/observing it here I suspect water quality...from adding the new liverock and possible lesser than desired TWP along with the lights but I don’t think its the lights alone. I don’t want to be preachy after all you are there, I’m just trying to pass along my observation FWIW I have had B A D lights with No algae, then some changes to the tank rearranging adding stuff... TWP with bad resin THEN a severe out break of algae ALGAE! IME TWP will be the most significant contributor to hair algae
Manually removing algae
Well, its hard to get all of the algae...purchase a bottle brush, plastic approx 1 1/2inch diameter by 6 in length can be found in most domestic stores. Using that, you can catch the algae by twirling the brush exc. and removing it. Also strong algae magnets will work well on diatoms.
Algae
Depends on water quality you can have allot of wattage IF.... you have EXCELLENT WQ and are prepared for the expense of running it.(and or over lighting the tank) If the WQ slacks = algae poor WQ IMO is caused by inadequate initial TWP inadequate skimming (undersized) infrequent WC too many or too few fish too much or too little live rock live sand plenums silicate phosphate nitrate also IMO detritus buildup I think MH lighting is OK but I still favor FLO I think people think they are impressive with MH lighting if you NEED it for allot sps clams anemones fine but it can be overkill for the long run.
I have lots of green-hair algae just getting started
Are you using a Tap water purification system? RO or DI? Not using that will usually cause more hair algae than any tang(s) could/would eat.
Which tang (brown and green Algae eater would be nice)? but I'm open to any suggestion and may not be able to find one.
I would start with a yellow tang and or Sailfin tang very good algae eaters STAY AWAY from powder blue or powder brown tangs as the get ich if you look at them Another good tang is the hippo tang AKA surgeon fish
What Food for the tang, if I get one ? He'll have plenty of Algae for a while. I would start with marine Hikari flake or tetra marine flake supplemented here and there with a few shrimp pelletts. If you start out using basic food your fish should get accustomed to it and will keep you from un necessarily shopping for "gourmet" food.
Although down the road you can get fancy with quality frozen for a treat and some unseasoned nori but for starters I would go basic Good quality like Hikari. Pre-wet the food in your fingers so it will somewhat sink(the flake)
Hermit Crabs
I wanted to interject a comment about large/growing hermit crabs.
Large hermits IMO can be a problem in the reef aquarium. I have personally seen them open large clams and rip apart anything else they feel like. It is my understanding that "red legs" grow and need to change shells whereas "blue leg" do not. I have kept both and found that to be true. The reds are fine until they get large. Large=1 3/4" + shell size.Large hermits have a voracious appetite well above and beyond "normal" feeding of the tank. FWIW
Growing Hermit Crabs
Providing new slightly larger shells is fine. However, the description of aggressive behavior of the hermits in previous posts (ripping snails and other crabs from their shells) reminded me of my experiences with growing hermits. Yes, I have seen red leg hermits with a shell size of 2 +" open a 4" common clam along with mussels and smaller clams . IME as the crab get larger so does their appetite and they end up being very destructive. Blue leg whether they are strictly herbivorous or not do not grow as fast as the reds and are not nearly as aggressive.I prefer small blue leg 1/2" to 3/4" shell size for algae management and sand churning. Also, I have not experienced aggressive behavior with blues but have with reds. If one plans to provide larger shells just keep an eye on their feeding habits and behavior in the tank.
Hermit Crabs Blue leg grow much slower than the reds and IMO are more desirable. I wouldn't keep them past the size of a turbo shell.If they are reds and begin getting large its better to return them to the LFS as they can be destructive and have an incredible appetite.
Grey Plastic-Nylon Insert Fittings
Those are nylon insert fittings and very useful,inexpensive and safe.The insert fitting ideally relys on a hose clamp so using them @ 100lb pressure as in a home water supply might be risky but for a tank they are great. Or you may be talking about gray plastic electrical conduit which I have also used in my tank for different purposes.
UV Sterilizers
Do you have a UV filter in your tank filter system? I put one in 3 years ago and have never had any problems since then.
IMO UV "sterilizers" have no practical benefit in the reef, they can and will kill off micro and macro organisms that are desirable in the tank. A hobbyist can rely of the assumed safety net of a UVS and overlook/underestimate the importance of desirable practices i.e. purchasing fish and livestock from a reputable, known dealer. Minimizing stress (low stocking rates) quarantine, cleaner shrimp etc.
OVERFOW / SURFACE SKIMMING
I prefer a drilled tank IMO it is more trouble free and will not interfere with the light canopy. A local dealer says he can install an overflow (or as many as I want) in any size tank (glass or acrylic) for about $50 extra. $50 per hole or 50 for as many as you want? Most good glass shops will drill a tank for $10 per hole (although they will tell you that they cant guarantee not breaking the tank) I have had about 8 or more holes drilled by a glass shop and they never broke a tank on me, but the risk is there. Also the bulkhead fittings are approx 8 to $10 Ea. and a hole in the bottom of my tank!
Although many tanks have a hole thru the bottom I've never felt totally comfortable with that approach. I prefer to have the holes near the top with a 90 degree elbow in the tank to control the flow.Also most stock tanks have a tempered bottom and that cannot be drilled. You will have to check your tank before you try that.
Do most folks send the return back out of the overflow and through a spray bar or powerhead (i.e. one pipe in and another out) or do they return the water elsewhere? usually the overflow water (from the tank)goes to feed the skimmer and the out flow from the skimmer returns to the tank. This set-up uses 2 pumps, one to feed the skimmer one to return to the tank.
Also, electricity... where to plug in all of this electrical equipment? I only have 2 standard outlets in proximity to the aquarium's desired home. I would replace the standard outlets with G.F.I (ground fault interrupter) installed where you plan to plug in the powerstrips. That will give you a big + on electrical safety around the tank.
ICH
I wouldn't try to catch the fish as that will more stressful to it and the other fish. I would definitely purchase a few cleaner shrimp.They are a must in the reef as far as a solution to ICH. Also they are extremely hardy and very beautiful a "Must Have" in the tank. I guarantee you wont be disappointed getting a few of these. On the other hand it may not be ich. In that case, still get the cleaners and then just let nature take its course in the tank. Too many times people try and get in there and "manage the situation" this IMO is not recommended. Make sure you always buy your fish from a reputable dealer that you KNOW that he KNOWS what he is doing. Many if not all problems health related will be eliminated by buying from a reputable dealer.
Live stock
Invertebrates, Crabs such as decorator, hermit, arrowhead, small horseshoe are all hardy additions to the tank . Shrimp ... coral banded, scarlet cleaners, red fire are all beautiful easy to keep creatures. Urchins, pencil, pincushion are very interesting and hardy. Starfish, brittle chocolate chip, serpent stars are easy to keep also. Algae eating snails such as Astra/ Turbo in sufficient # are a must for algae management. Note these above creatures are not high light requiring.
Anemones are photosynthetic and there is a concern for them moving around in the tank possibly stinging corals. If you would like to keep some of these, select the relatively stationary variety. Tube anemones move very little and are beautiful as are the common rock anemones (not aiptasia) . The common rock anemone( the scientific name eludes me rite now...) are fairly large 3 to 4 in dia greenish in color and relatively flat they are inexpensive, stationary, very hardy and beautiful. I have found the light requirements for these above creatures to be within the 3 to 5 watts per gallon range.
Corals Your selection of corals will have the largest impact on light requirements. Here is a list of low to medium light corals that are hardy and relatively easy to keep. Note low to medium light=3 to 5 watts per gall. All the mushrooms, open brain, branch soft coral, elegance, false brain, leather, finger coral, star polyp, red/green polyp. If you need to know the scientific names of the above I would recommend a good coral identification book such as.. A Practical Guide to Corals by Ed Puterbaugh and Eric Borneman. All of the above corals I would recommend to the beginner. These corals will demand a modest amount of lighting some where in the 3 to 5 watts per gallon range.
Fish Finally, fish should be added, in the smallest numbers. They are the largest consumers of food, and therefore produce the most waste. Having only a few fish will mean that you will be putting in less commercial food. This reduces the risk of food going uneaten and accumulating in the prefilter, possibly becoming food for algae and/or leading to diminished water quality. Your fish should be reef-compatible only; that is, they should eat algae but not coral.
Here are a few very common reef fish I would recommend Yellow tang, sailfin Desjardini, hippo tang a.k.a.: surgeon fish. Angels, flame, resplendent, coral beauty. Blennies/Gobies such as bar goby, lizard sand goby, algae blennies,flame goby, flashing tile goby, forktail blenny, barber post gobies. Clowns, maroon, tomato, percula are hardy although if they don't have a host anemone they can sometimes try and substitute one of your corals. Chromis/Damsels are the easiest to keep...yellow tail damsel, electric blue, Fiji, Starks, Domino are all suitable although in a small tank they can be territorial. Other fish such as hawkfish, flame hawk, long nose hawk, marine bettas, pearly jawfish, gold neon gobies are all good.
My problem is I can't get the clownfish to go to the anemone, it hasn't had a chance to get near it. You Don't say what kind of anemone it is?? maybe is not a symbiotic kind...the kind that clown fish have a host relationship with. Sometimes it takes awhile for everything to settle in My advise is to let nature take its course. You cant force the clown to like the anemone ;-) And if he likes it, you probably couldn't keep him away from it.
As far as getting the damsel out your best bet is to take out the rock as you say. saltwater fish are pretty smart so I doubt you will catch him. If you have a small tank its pretty easy like up to a 55. My tank is a 200 with 375 lbs of rock and taking that out would be a nitemare SO...Its important to remember putting something IN can be difficult to take OUT.
If I get the damsel out will the clownfish find the anemone? I have no idea <g> if he want to! ;-) My best advise is to let the tank and inhabitants do their thing and get settled in.
I'm ready for my first order of inverts. So for my first order, I was thinking of:
the temperature has gone down, now that it's cooler. I also installed a small fan in the sump, which evaporates 1-2 gallons of water/day.
Add kalk
I'm getting some nasty brown algae growth on all bare areas of the live rock. It's really ugly... is it removable?
Are you using a RO or DI??? you should... This could be a temporary algae cycle situation... BUT if it persists you may have to consider TWP tap water purification. Untill then you can / should remove the algae with a plastic bottle brush as I describe in SRK
also, where do I put the snails? on the side of the tank? the rock? since I'm using the eggcrate support method, and no rock is actually touching the floor of the tank, I may have to put some pieces down there as "ladders" from the tank bottom to the reef structure. :)
You will be surprised how the critters can get around! They don't/wont need any ladders they can access most anywhere they like you'll see <g> only tip is to put the snails flesh down so its not vulnerable.
TWP (Tap Water Purification)
Tap water purification IMO is a very important , necessary and a significant additional cost to the set-up. I would strongly advise a DI or RO along with carbon pre filters before the actual purification. Using DI or RO will greatly reduce any problems with micro algae (the bane of reef tanks) it also allows IMO the high quality saltmix to better dissolve and release its beneficial trace elements along with yielding a known pH on a regular basis. Personally I prefer the DI, it does produce a lower quality of water than a RO however I find it to be more than acceptable.
I have used both RO and DI and the problem of having waste water (need a drain nearby) the slowness of its production and having to leave the unit on for substantially extended periods of time, not to mention having to store/move the treated water led me to use the DI. Another useful suggestion is to have the unit set-up rite near the tank, either temporarily with a removable garden hose or more permanently connected to the water supply from the house. By having the water supply at the tank will make topping off for evaporation and water changes easy. The DI has less connections to fail, less expensive to maintain and overall easier to use.
TWP
I cant say much for your dead fish. For the algae do you have a water purifier? RO or DI? Is it of sufficient size? Do you change the resin? Membrane? Do you have carbon pre-filters before the RO / DI ? I have found that using a quality water purification system takes care of most algae problems in a preventative natural way. You cant underestimate the importance of purified water! (sorry about your fish)
I have a counter-top R/O filtration that does appr.2gals in about2 1/2 hours which goes into reservoir tank.If I attach a hose to inside tube where water comes out I can use this to fill(I know 125 gals /along time)A retail pet shop recommended the tap water filtration that changes color as the filters need changing,are these acceptable?
Yes that’s the indicating type.
My tank will be located in kitchen /breakfast area actually near the water source and a drain(sink).I purchased the counter-top be fore I was interested in reef and was rather expensive so I would like to use it til I can re-coupe some money after initial start-up if you don't see major drawbacks.How much evaporation fill-up will be required (estimation of course). In the summer about 5+ gallons a week, winter 1/3 less
How long can I store water that has been filtered?
You could store it for quite some time but IMO better not to have it hang around too long
I want to make up water in advance for evaporation and water changes.Do the systems in mags for R/O fit under sink ,on tank stand or what is the difference?
The difference is... as in my book about RO or DI. IMO I prefer DI No waste water IMO it can be a big deal as to where you can put it (need a drain) I don’t want to be redundant but reread the section on makeup water and comparisons of RO to DI
I think when you get your own TWP tap water purification you should notice a difference with the algae. Also Because you don’t dose kalkwasser (you should) that may have an effect on encouraging algae kalk keeps the pH high like 8.2 to 8.4 and is overall good for the tank I know you use other calcium additives but I would recommend kalk.Dosed as I described in the book just my opinion.
On another front, the aquarium store where I was buying my filtered water is closing. So, now I must buy a filter. I have seen some in another aquarium store in San Francisco, but they seem a little pricey. I wonder if their price is fair.
That will be allot more convenient and better for your tank
They have what looks like a 4 stage filter. 2 RO stages, a Carbon stage and a DI stage. It has a pressure gauge on it as well. Looks pretty nice, well made. However, they want about $350 for the darn thing. Is that a high price?
Ill bet it does look nice but... long term application 4 stage membrane,waste water no I would find a one stage commercial deionizer they hold one gallon of resin.Using a one stage is a long term no-brainier all you buy is the resin that also can be recharged. They cost about 250 and are worth it just one nice solid piece of hardware Then buy your own carbon pre filters and hook up for a superior system better less expensive and easier to use. Maybe reread the section on water purifiers that will give you some fresh ideas since you are now in the market for one
Omni filtered tap( a carbon filter) I use activated charcoal and it's been about a month since its been changed.
well I’m sure you know most use r/o d/i That will significantly improve your source water IMO very important. As in the book I prefer just a single stage DI with several carbon pre filters no waste water etc. I guess time will tell. I know I could’t run my tank w/o it
Why 3 carbon pre-filters ??
I belive using fairly inexpensive carbon pre filters extends the DI resin As in the book, I have 1 single cartridge that gets replaced 6x per year a double that gets replaced 3xper yr and the DI resin 2xper yr The first acts as *THE* prefilter the second dual acts as a semi prefilter
Lighting
This is the largest area of controversy. Personally I prefer to use fluorescent tubes with a combination of 1/3 actinic white and 2/3 actinic blue. I use approx 3.3 watts per gallon and on my 200 this comes to 660 watts. My lights are 2 sets of HO and one set of VHO .One HO is actinic white the other is actinic blue, the VHO is also actinic blue. Each set of lamps are on a separate timer so as to come on and off gradually , also the lights are on for approx 9 hours per day. They come on at 2pm and off at 11 p.m.
I feel that the FLO light is more evenly dispersed across the tank than a halide. Halides IMO are to really boost the wattage say above 6+WPG where if you were to use FLO it would not be physically possible. I would think this high power lighting to be used by those who are planning to keep allot of hard corals and are aware of the initial and more importantly long term cost of operation.
Above 5 WPG is VERY costly to run day in and day out. Do some simple calculations of wattage for your tank and estimate the amount of electricity used. In my case, the example is... lights on 9 hours a day X 365 days = 3285 hours per year X 660 watts = 2,168,100 watt/hours per year or the equivalent of turning on 21,681 100 watt bulbs for one hour!!! My electricity costs approx $50 per Mon. to run a 200 gallon, including pumps which are 2 little giant 1200GPH presspumps. I am sure it would be considerably more if the wattage were doubled. This is a fact that should be seriously considered before beginning your desired set-up and purchasing the livestock.
I've noticed on the big tanks, 55g and up, that the lighting is much more intense per surface area of the tank. Is it? figure your surface area most factory tanks excluding odd sizes have a surface/bottom ratio of 9 LXW divide by gallons
Also, halides usually they have to be supplemented with the long wave blue spectrum (usually actinic blue FLO) I also feel the actual light from halides to be more confined to the area directly under the lamp. This can be a benefit if you use them and place the highest liverock specimens under the lamp. What I would really like to see from reefkeepers is a long term cost Vs wattage as to what really is the most effective. These are my personal preferences and reasons.
To conclude here I use a combination of HO and VHO conventional tar ballasts to get the desired wattage. I have been hearing allot about the electronic ballast these days but they seem to have their problems. I understand my ballasts are not the most efficient but have worked without fail for over 5 years in this particular example. Also I replace the bulbs approx every 6 to 8 months. Replacing the lamps at this interval has the largest positive effect on my photosynthetic livestock.
Lighting Adjustment
I am using a 150w metal halide lamp(6500k, dupla) for my 3feet overflow system tank. Is the light too strong for my corals? I have red,brown mushroom,star,yellow propts,leather,tube worms, buttons.
You don't say what size the aquarium is? length? width? depth? gallons? although the livestock you describe is relatively lower light in a 3 to 4 watt per gallon range, possibly less.
I have just installed the lamps for 2 days, 15 inches above water level, but the corals seems to shrink. This is most likely temporary the animals should adjust It seems they are in the process of doing that. I am using actinic tubes 4(40w) previously, it's OK!
What is the K? And are some of them Blue? This may be missing from the halide From a wattage standpoint you have 4 x 40 = 160 watts and the new bulb is 150 so It doesn't seem to be an impact from increased wattage.
Can I keep the corals with the new lamp?
I think so, give them a week or so and see how they adjust. If they don't seem to do well after 2 weeks you may want to go back to your old system.
I am fairly new to reefkeeping and I want to set up a 60 gallon tank. I figure 2 175 watt MH 4 40 watt Compacts Total wattage 510/60 = 8.5. Is this right?
Lets see...
2x175=350+4x40=160=510 divide by 60gal=8.5per gal
Well, IMO thats allot! especially for someone who is starting and will cost allot to run and replace bulbs for the long term. Most people who use that amount of light keep SPS or small polyp stony coral and high light Tridachna clams. The SPS are THE most difficult to keep and IMO are only done by experienced hobbyists. I would recommend, going with lower light creatures for a year or so then if you decide you want to go further...you can. Low light creatures are very beautiful and most are extremely hardy moreso than high light see my talk
That pretty much sums up my approach, and what I would recommend. Doing a reef,well...put it this way, is much more than powerful lighting. Things such as animal selection, skimmer choice and placement,aquascaping, amount of liverock and water turnover are very important as well. To try and sum up about lighting...consider the long term cost of bulb replacement and running high wattage day in and day out. Also notice the average watts in the survey is 5.2 I recommend a min of 3 to max of 5 for beginners (do I ever catch hell from that, BUT the survey SHOWS an average of 5)
BULBS / WATTAGE This is how I understand it VHO=very high output 48in=115watts HO=high output 48in=60watts NO=normal output I refer to this as "standard" output48in=40watts 3 Different bulbs from a wattage standpoint as would the ballast’s be to drive them wattage examples are next to the description.
I'm matching two of these with 1 VHO NO super actinic white bulb and 1 VHO NO blue bulb. These are both URI bulbs. I buy from URI actinic white looks "white" but has blue you cant see in it actinic blue is BLUE never used the actinic "sun"
I don’t know about VHO NO... sounds like an oxymoron, I'm sure when you ordered them you told the guy what kind of ballast you have, so...?
I HAVE BEEN WONDERING IF ITS POSSIBLE TO POWER THESE H.O. FLOURESCENTS WITH STANDARD BALLAST’S. SPECIFICALLY, CAN 2 40WATT 24" H.O. BULBS BE RUN ON A 12$ BALLAST DESIGNED TO POWER 2 40 WATT 48" BULBS?
I doubt it Ballast’s are designed to power/run a specific wattage so even if the lamp lights I don’t think you will be putting out the correct wattage. I would check with your supplier
I have a 60 gallon tank and my lighting system is a Hamilton 4' system with 2 5500K 175 Watt MH bulbs and 4 - 4' VHO actinic blue bulbs. 2x175=350 4x115=460 for a total of 810 watts divide by 60 gal is... Oh... lets see .... 13.5 watts per gallon.
It seems like way too much, Yes it does either ONE of the systems would be fine ;-)
I'm a little confused about the lighting suggestions anyway. Most manuals like your book recommend 3-5 watts/gallon. I seem to have about 9 or so, but if I had a 120 gallon tank that for some reason was 48' x 30' (same width) then the recommended wattage would be 360-600 watts, but the depth of the tank would be the same...?
This hypothetical 120 gallon... 48 x 30 x ? the ? would come to 18 in deep and the 3 to 5 WPG would hold in effect IMO You can have all kinds of hypothetical examples of tank sizes and WPG comparisons that very obviously become ineffective with the WPG "rule of thumb"
The best one I have heard is... "If I had a 45 gallon tank that was 12"X12"X 72" tall using your recommended 3 to 5 watts per gallon would not effectively reach the creatures on the bottom of the tank and the top of the tank would be drastically OVERLIT" When I talk about WPG, that range is for commonly available tanks, tank sizes most people use, particularly in the range of 55 gallons and 120 gallon.
My simple survey shows an "average" of 5 WPG There are very few people using above 8.
Keep in mind... Long term costs! replacing 4 VHO and 2 MH is allot of $$ and running high wattage day in and day out is allot of $$ If you choose high light creatures from the beginning...then basically you are committed for long term BIG $$$ replacement costs and electricity consumption.
To sum up about lighting, what is most important is.. what kind of creatures you plan to keep? The book Simplified Reef Keeping is directed at beginners. So, I would assume the novice would want to start with relatively easy to keep creatures (low larger light) or in the 3 to 5 watt range. Then, once a decent level of personal experience is acquired, one could "move up" to the more demanding creatures.
I have given a talk specifically about this called high tech low tech tanks. I plan to try and clear this up in the revised edition due in mid fall of 97.
How high should I suspend the lights of the tank? They're probably about 6" from the water right now (the actual bulbs, I mean). The VHO should be around 4 to 5 in ( bulb to waterline) depending on your hood and how it sits on the tank Closer is better, but not so close that splashes could be a problem or electricity "jumping" from the bulb holders. 4 to 5 in is about right. IMO
The halides depending on the fixture enclosed with the VHO? then your dictated. Using a hanging pendant you can start with 6 to 8 in. A good setup for pendants would be to have it hung from the ceiling and adjustable.
Skimmers
Most modern reef aquariums rely solely on protein skimming for waste and nutrient removal in the water so it is a very important component. As with your tap water purification system you should not skimp here. Older PS were air driven, then venturi, now the rage is the ETS or downdraft. I would recommend a good, large...venturi or better yet the ETS. IMO air driven are outdated due to their high maintenance cost i.e.: yearly air pump replacement, having to use both a water pump and a substantial air pump not to mention the costly limewood air blocks that don't last (effectively) for more than 2 or 3 weeks the CC works well when initially set-up but fades over time due to clogged blocks and diminished air pressure.
Skimmer/adjusting
There is a lot of scum when I clean the collection cup but the water that drains from there is about a quart a week or less. Usually less
OK ideally... you don’t want much if any water, that indicates the skimmer is set *slightly* too high. Most efficient skimmers once settled in will really just cake up severely on the top inner neck.(wipe out with paper towel) My ETS is now draining into a collection bucket and whatever liquid gets in there evaporates and I’m left with thick sludge The inner neck gets heavily caked.
My ETS Skimmer is foaming, but I'm not sure how to adjust it. So far the foam has reached the collection cup but has never overflowed. That will take some time, probably a week or so before it starts to "kick in" and produce nice dry foam. A common mistake is to set the skimmer too high and that produces a wet foam. You probably wont get much actual skimmate (real thick gunk for about a month) It takes allot of dry foam and a kicked in skimmer to get that. Patience...
Venturis work well with minor adjustments to the air intake and keeping the valve clean they do (or at least mine did) have a tendency to overflow if adjusted too high. I have an ETS in operation for about 3 years now and its a champ. The way its designed allows for substantial free water flow virtually unrestricted. The only restrictions are the main drain and the air intake. Other than that the water just gets pummeled through it and the waste is remarkable.
One of the main differences I've come across with other hobbyists is I am adamant about the skimmer being above the sump and I am a strong believer of high turnover rates of the water I like to have the main waterpump to turn over the entire tank 6X per hour and the skimmer close to that, or the same amount. This can be a problem with “in the sump models” or “hang on the backs”.
I am of the opinion that by having such a strong turnover the water becomes supersaturated with oxygen(a much overlooked need) By having a extremely high oxygen content everything in the tank seems to thrive including micro and macro organisms and IMO leads to a healthier reef. Think about the movement of the ocean for a moment... the powerful currents, rise and fall of the tide, pounding waves and 6X per hour doesn’t even come close.
Of course this is my opinion, I understand that quite a few hobbyists like to “get the whole thing to fit” under the tank stand and “have it quiet”. I feel one of the most important factors of the modern reef is to have excellent turnover of the water and somehow I could never accomplish that under the tank or it being totally quiet. It is not as noisy as you would think as I've taken steps to get it as quiet as possible. Although by no means is this absolutely necessary, Its just what I prefer. My system has 1 1200 GPH large for the skimmer and 1 for the main return so that’s 2400GPH or 57600 GPD gets moved around in there. This IMO best imitates nature “in an enclosed environment”.
By having the skimmer above the sump allows for very positive draining and flow rate of the skimmer. It also allows the water from the skimmer to flow through a prefilter floss and into the sump box for collection and return to the tank. This usually means having the skimmer in the un-popular “side of the tank” position. This can be remedied by innovative removable coverings. Also in this position the skimmer is accessible for very easy removal and cleaning. I can tell you firsthand I've battled for years having a skimmer jammed in under the tank which made servicing the most important component very difficult.
Sump
If you are currently using a trickle filter, you may be able to use it as a sump. It would have to be large enough to accommodate all the water needed for this type of method. This is the amount for water used to “work the system”, pumping water into the tank so it will drain out to feed the skimmer pump. Also, the sump is used to hold extra water in the event of a power outage. This is best used in conjunction with a drilled tank and it is able to hold the water above the overflow bulkheads.
Inside the sump box a driplate should be installed and prefilter material (to be changed often). By having the sump and skimmer located in this manner there will be a considerable amount of turbulence and air gas exchange of the water (very desirable). Also, the make-up water system (kalkwasser mixing vessel) should be located above and nearby the sump so as to make additions of limewater easy.
Moving
I moved last year in sept here are some tips and questions.
When you remove the rock take it out and place it in the box good side up coralline etc That was the most difficult part to get the tank to look as it did befor the move Also label the boxes - base rock -good stuff- top decorative- very helpful
have a tape gun handy to seal up the boxes
have your new place prepared for the tank... placement, power supplys, drop cloths, towels hoses for siphons a small pump to pump in the NSW
I have a 200 with 375 lbs of rock set up with a custom eggcrate frame and spraybar 45 gallon sump 6 fish 6 or 8 corals and a bunch of inverts. It took 2 men working all day 10+ hours to take down move and re setup I only moved about 1/2 hour away My biggest mistake was when I mixed up my NSW My resin in my DI was expended and I didn't know it. I did about a 50% WC with bad water, hair algae followed and so did more WC with fresh DI water. Double check the resin before making up a large batch of SW.
Fish Eating
I would suspect your supplier of the fish. Not all fish are handled the same. IMO yellow tangs are very hardy and very easy to take care of especially in the parameters you keep. As far as keeping them fed...IMO healthy fish eat and will acclimate to what you feed them. Also, for a 30 gall I would go with smaller size fish to give them room for growth. (you didn’t say how large your fish were) I have a large yellow tang for years and its not a fussy eater. Another nice tang is the Hippo tang a.k.a.: Surgeon fish. Also, Sailfin Tang Desjardi.All of these are very hardy. I would check on other suppliers of livestock in your area, finding a quality retailer is worth a trip!
ROCK DISPLACEMENT
How many gallons of water does your 200 gallon sized tank contain after the displacement of your 375 pounds of rock and your base substrate is taken into account?
That is an excellent question... I'm not sure ;-) What you do is fill the tank and when you get the rock, drain off 5 gallons of water swish the rock vigorously (this removes ammonia and debris) once the water begins to look very cloudy by then you have placed approx 15 + lbs of rock discard the water and depending on how much rock you add... repeat the process. I recommend to add ALL the rock or if your budget is low get at least 1/2 and place it. The water displacement is IMO a see as you go process.
As far as substrate I don’t use any, I have a unique method of aquascaping that utilizes eggcrate material along with a spraybar that works wonderful I highly recommend it! This is known as the "Berlin" method or no substrate and good skimming. Although you can use substrate and or live sand I prefer bare bottom with eggcrate. Its in the book.
IMO if you utilize the recommendations you will find...it doesn’t have to be complicated, one warning though...It is very expensive! Not difficult... expensive! ;-) The main problem is when people try and cut corners without knowing.
One thing of special interest to us is the Tridacna Clams ---
They are very nice and extremely hardy... But they need relatively high light in the range of 5+ watts per gallon which is expensive to run over extended periods of time.
I also like Sea Horses... are they hard to keep and do they equal fish inches too?
Yes very... I would forget about the sea horses, as far as fish go in a reef you don’t really have that many fish just a few for highlight and algae management
SURFACE SKIMMING
ON the surface of the water there is growing a green type of algae. I've skimmed it off before, which cleans it up quite good, but it returns in a matter of 2 days! It gets quite stagnant and really restricts water surface movement. Any solutions?
You should be "surface skimming" meaning ALL the water to feed your protein skimmer or filter should be taken from the surface of the tank. This is usually done with an overflow box or the tank drilled with a fitting through the top back wall so as the water is getting pumped into the tank...it then overflows into this fitting or overflow box. So the water to feed the skimmer is taken from the surface and will eliminate your problem. This is the method used in 99% of reef systems
2)ON the algae on the back glass there is multiplying some sort of parasite. It is smaller than the head of a pin and there are hundreds of them. They are white and move in a jerky fashion, plus I can see that they are producing larvae. Are they any cause for alarm and if so
I doubt if they are "parasites" there are millions of life forms on liverock and these are just some of them. Keep an eye on them to see what they turn out to be. Don’t do anything now, just observe.
Tell me
do you have a protein skimmer? how much live rock? how old is the tank? Fish? Corals? Type of filtration? How did you find me?
With these answers I may be able to offer more ideas about your system
PUMPS The little giants come in 2 models flow or pressure.I used your formula (125galx6=750+20% =900gph)right? rite for the skimmer you would want the pressure and tank spray bar use a flow, although they could be interchangeable(not to confuse you but they will work in both applications)if you used a flow for the skimmer it then should be of a slightly higher rate
The way I have been reading about the pumps is that they are rated at 6ft.Would I still need to add 20% to be safe for enough flow?
I would ..most likely the pump will be on the floor and your EST and tank will be anywhere from 4 to 6 ft above the floor so Is a good idea
Their is not much difference in price between models MD3QX-SC-(freeflow)875gph and model 4 at 1080gph.Next in your book you say to use the same pressure or little less.The pressure models are MD4Q-SC at 765gph or MD5-SC 920gph.
Ideally I would use the freeflow 875 for the tank and the pressure 920 for the skimmer What size are you planning the ETS to be? height wise? a regular 5ft? that would be good I think that’s the model 1000
Iwaki's come in 2 versions American a little more than little giant and Japanese a lot more ,what is the difference? From what I understand the Japanese is the highest quality American slightly less An important consideration here is pump noise... Are you sensitive to pump noise??? Some are and the Japanese iwaki is almost silent the American is very quiet the large pumps IMO aren’t loud but to some they are Some folks like to have everything SILENT. Keep in mind the ETS is fairly loud not un reasonable BUT you definitely know its there.So that’s pretty mush the differences
Yes I know what you mean... ;-) In this case I would probably take him up on it!!! 2 Heads are much better than one and I'm assuming its FREE? hehehe... I would try to get an agreement that the project will be finished in a reasonable amount of time but I think that’s an excellent idea
FLOW RATE BULKHEAD SIZES
I am going with a 120gal(48Lx24Wx24H).I plan on getting 2 over-flow holes cut in each corner at 1 inch diameter(Is this correct?)
Well no... I would definitely go with 1 1/2" without question 2 one inch will barely run 500gph Id suggest reading the chapter on plumbing again to familiarize yourself with flow rates. )I hope its there ;-)
First determine how much water you plan to pump? In my case FWIW I drain from the tank 1200 GPH and I have 4 1 1/2in although 3 would do it I was on the safe side So 3 1 1/2in will do 1200GPH or that's 400 GPH per fitting
My only question (seriously)is what placement of holes would you recommend? How far from corners,from top of tank,etc.
from right to l ft it really doesn't matter like 3 to 4 in from the corner But from the top down 3 in to the center of an 1 1/2in bulkhead works well for me . Also I would strongly recommend to have the ACTUAL bulkhead fitting you will use before having the tank drilled Its real hard to enlarge a hole.
My return to spray bar will be over the top not drilled(right).
That depends, if you will have a completely closed canopy you will need to have the return drilled but with a semi open light box no need to drill. I would recommend 3 1 1/2 in bulkheads one right one left one centered This way you will always be able to pump as much water as needed and if you need a return for a upgrade lite box its there. Better to do it now and have it than regret not doing it It can easily be plugged or controlled
Tank System Hardware
Tanks Now we look at the hardware of the “average modern reef system”. The main components are The tank, tap water purification, lighting, skimmer, and the sump. My own personal recommendation for a tank is a 55 gallon. I observe allot of people under the impression that a “mini-reef” is a way to cut costs. Actually a mini-reef will cost more when you break down the cost per gallon and IMO a MR is much more difficult to maintain. This is because a tank of this size will be substantially more affected by bio-load, the surrounding temp, and additives such as kalkwasser, strontium and iodine. So I would suggest to think well and plan out the costs when considering a MR unless you are absolutely convinced that you really want a tank of that size.
I also try and stay away from tall tanks for reasons such as placement of liverock, using a tall tank usually means having to “stack” the rock which will turn nice rock into base rock if lighting doesn’t get to the surface of the rock. I recommend looking for a tank with a large bottom ratio compared to gallons. The more bottom you have the better and easier it will be to place the rock. Again a 55 is a nice, inexpensive, good size tank to start with and will give you an impressive display of a reef. Starting off with a decent size such as a 55 will give you enough room to be flexible and you will find such components such as lighting to be standard sizes and not that much more expensive than for a smaller tank i.e.: bulbs, ballasts etc.
Tank Building / Sizes / Considerations
I was replying about my tank size (48Lx24Wx22H)I'm limited to a 4ft wide area
I calculate that to be 109 gal completely filled 48x24x22=25344 divide by 231=109gal
length and found this style,is it alright?I used your bottom sq ft formula and came up with almost 10.
sounds close to a "factory" 90 Ok, you bring up a very good point... my intention was for the common range of tank size A hypothetical 8ft x 8ft x 1ft would give you allot of bottom area but lighting it would be very difficult! Ill have to reword that in the revised edition. So what I'm saying is that its not really an "ideal" size although it will work if thats what you have and plan to be there for a while It may not be a good investment if you have to move to another area where you could have a longer tank
What do you recommend? I also sent off for some manuals about making acrylic tanks Is there any drawbacks to acrylic versus glass I have read that it scratches but you can buff out (same article said glass would scratch)just an idea
Yes despite what anyone says acrylic scratches MUCH more easily than glass! Another problem is when coralline algae grows on it, it is very difficult to remove and takes ALLOT more work to clean than glass
(from the acrylic prices around here I could build one (120)for about $140-150 versus 275 for same glass from local dealer.
So your talking about building an all glass aquarium? That could be difficult! or a glass vs plexi front with a wood tank? In that case I would definitely go with glass.
Last question where and how low would I drill my overflow for a 120gal of this dimension?
that depends on the size of overflow If you used 1 1/2in 3 inches to the center is good its helpful to calculate the gallons per in so when the power goes off you know how much water drains out
depending how fussy you are about how it looks will determine how detailed the construction is. On my EST I didn’t cut the joining plates in a circle they are square and work fine also I cut the holes for the risers with a regular jig saw. The columns sit ON TOP of the plexi so it doesn’t have to be an EXACT circle cut. Of course unless you want a "factory" look
TANK SIZE I Want to construct my own tank. External measurements are 48"X36"X36".
This works out to be 269 gallons or 48x36x36=62208 divide by 231=269gall IMO this is not a good size to build for the following reasons
I have built tanks up to 30" tall with 1/2" plate glass fronts and epoxy coated plywood 300 gallon and a few 200 gall.
IME you would need at least 5/8"glass and its quite expensive get some quotes first on the glass and you will see what I mean. If you were to use plexi I would think 3/4" also very pricey
What is the requirements for the base that will be three feet tall to hold up over two tons? (4"X4" or what)
I think 4x6 would be better If you plan to invest your time and money on this type of project,I would recommend to re-think the idea to a more practical size (long term,maintenance,display and possible resale value)I would be interested in the cost of materials glass or plexi if you do the project as you plan. My 200 is 24x24x84 I used 1/2"plate glass front 3/4" marine plywood coated with 5 layers of premium epoxy for the stand it uses 4x6 and spans the full 7 ft
What size of plate glass would you recommend with tank height of 24". 24 by what?? tall wide??length... > It will have a 3" plywood frame to brace it against. I use oak 3/4 x 3 with doweled corners I think the plywood may not be as strong or look good, after all its going to cost a considerable amount to make why not do it 1/2 way decent? So, only an unsupported span of 18". I would need the actual sizes My tank is 24x24x84 I use 1/2" plate glass I have went as high as 30 " with1/2" I understand there is a BIG difference in cost between 1/4 and 1/2" for example my 24x84x1/2" was $180 And thats about as cheap as I could find
The tank is 48" long X 30"wide X 24" tall. It's made of 3/4 plywood. I modeled it after the one on GARF's home page. Yes I have made 3 plywood/epoxy tanks they work well.
I checked some production made tanks today and the 100 gallon tank (similar length and height) was made with 3/8" glass. The 3/8" should be ok one thing though.. a center brace is a good idea at the 24" or 1/2 way across the 48" front as in factory tanks. I have a brace on mine and would recommend it. I'm not sure how garf does it I did see their site and pretty much How I do it.
I think that's what I'll use. I'm going to compare the price's of glass versus acrylic (same thickness) though. I will probably go with the acrylic if the price is close. I'm pretty sure the acrylic is allot cheaper. I wouldn't use it though, unless its just for a grow out tank and not for good looks as it tends to scratch and coralline is a REAL pain to remove from it
Eggcrate Method
How high should the top of the back support be? How close to the top of the tank should it be? Does it matter?
Well, what matters (i think) is to have it high enough to be useful (displaying the rock) and at enough of an angle so the rock naturally stays supported (not too steep of an angle). Usually this will be about 4 inches below the top of the tank and about 1 1/ 2 to 2 in below the waterline. Try and follow exactly how its explained in the book. It will also be helpful to get a general idea by "laying it out" on a floor either some tape or lite pencil marks can give you a picture of the angle and lengths of pcs.Most vinyl tile floors have 12" squares so its pretty easy to get straight lines and increments in ft.
As far as creatures "walking out" That seems very logical but I've not experienced it.
The other questionable area is where you fasten the back- to the bottom. Here you want to have the back sloped enough so the rock will stay in place probably about a 70 to 75 degree angle. This usually leaves you with a VERY small looking bottom piece, but Don't worry...thats normal and the rock "overhangs"the front of the material so It will be bigger than it looks. Also pay close attention to allowing enough room for future cleaning access in this front area of the tank, you want A MINIMUM!! of 2inches from where the rock overhangs. There will be a strong temptation to stretch this, Don't. At your first and subsequent waterchanges you will be very glad you left this space. Not leaving enough...will force you to fight with it and you will regret not doing it. Try and make sure you remove all plastic clippings, another annoyance. I am very pleased to see you going with the eggcrate and I think once its done you will be too! Its a great system.Anything else let me know.
1. How can you mate up coral banded shrimp?
As far as I know they are purchased as a "mated" pair
2. Are Sally Lightfoot crabs reef compatible? How many can you keep?
I don’t have any experience with the sally lightfoots, I cant say.
3. I have a Orange Finger Gargonian that has the tips shrinking down to just a thin red. There are still polyps showing on these ends.
4. I have some green star polyps that seem to be thinning out and parts are coming loose from the rock that they were attached. What is going on, and what needs to be done?
3 and 4 sound like a lighting problem or poor specimens to begin with.Tell me the type of lights you have Bulb type and how old are the specimens.
Black Eggcrate
However, I've been unable to find the black eggcrate after much looking around. The black is hard to find, BUT..it can be found! Look for a good plastics dealer there is usually one major dealer in every large city. Check the ypages under "plastic sheets tubes and rods" Its about $8 for a 2X4 piece
How important do you really think using black is?
IMO its important. The black blends in well and you don’t really notice it. I think its a BIG difference from using white. In a store fine, But in a home I would say no way!
Won't the white eggcrate get covered in coralline algae fairly rapidly, thus hiding it's bright color?
Yes it will get covered...but not all of it...in all areas, that’s where the black/blending comes in.
I don't wish to purchase the eggcrate via mail order, as that would be a pain.
I really don’t think it that much a pain. I hear eddy at m3 has it, everyone with this ? always ends up finding it.Personally I think you could locate it from the ypages.
I think its a very good idea especially if you go with the whole setup spraybar anchors etc. .Here is the place I use Modern Plastics 1800-243-9696 they are out of CT Mass and RI
The rock is Fiji. No invertebrates or other life has been added yet You didn’t say if you are using Purified tap water That sounds to me like the problem Is the tank cycled? ammonia nitrite nitrate are you getting a nitrate reading? This sounds like brown diatom algae typically common but not with bubble algae or green undesirable algae green and bubble is usually caused by silicates and or phosphate in the water which a reverse osmosis or deionizer will remove everything else in your system sounds great also you should be dosing with kalkwasser for your make up water ie:evaporation
I just set up a new tank 80 gallons with rock 50 pounds so far, glass bottom, sea clone venturi style skimmer a whisper 3, whisper 4, and a magnum 350. OK you will be getting rid of the whisper sand magnums In fact you can take them out rite now Do you have a sump? What kind of pumps for the skimmer 1 or 2 you should have 2 one to feed the skimmer 1 for a return to the tank IMO you ideally want a turnover of 6X per hour with the pumps ea.
For lights I have 6, 36" bulbs.
