A Few Newb Questions...

[Mort]

Hi all,
I have my first Reef tank which is going on 6 months old now so I have
started to add a "few" things that I have been waiting for. Although I have
done a lot of reading and made a few mistakes as well as learning a couple
of lessons along the way, I still have a few BASIC Questions that I have not
found answers to...

1) In the FW world, it is considered taboo to add the water from the LFS to
your tank. (like when you bring home a new fish and there is water in the
bag)
Is the same true with a reef? I mean, obviously it is in pretty good health
otherwise you wouldnt be buying it and from all that I have read, the more
seeding you can do the better, right?

2) Acclimating corals... There's really no procedure for acclimating LR
(assuming it is cured) so what about corals? Is it neccessary to go through
the arduous task of acclimating the way you would inverts?

3) I just did my first feeding of DT's phytoplankton. Is this stuff
SUPPOSED to smell like a really bad fart? I mean, this is slightly beyond
rotten eggs. WHEW! (sorry to be vulgar)

That's all I can think of for now... TIA

~Mort

[Teri G]

Hi Mort

A little feedback below....

Mort wrote:
> Hi all,
> I have my first Reef tank which is going on 6 months old now so I have
> started to add a "few" things that I have been waiting for. Although I have
> done a lot of reading and made a few mistakes as well as learning a couple
> of lessons along the way, I still have a few BASIC Questions that I have not
> found answers to...
>
> 1) In the FW world, it is considered taboo to add the water from the LFS to
> your tank. (like when you bring home a new fish and there is water in the
> bag)
> Is the same true with a reef?


Yes

> I mean, obviously it is in pretty good health
> otherwise you wouldnt be buying it and from all that I have read, the more
> seeding you can do the better, right?

Nope. Could have parasites, bacteria, whatever. Never add water from
the LFS to your tank.
>
> 2) Acclimating corals... There's really no procedure for acclimating LR
> (assuming it is cured) so what about corals? Is it neccessary to go through
> the arduous task of acclimating the way you would inverts?

I've always acclimated corals. Not as painstakingly as mobile inverts,
but usually over the course of about an hour. A lot depends on how
similar your tank parameters are (salinity/pH/temp) to the bagged water.

> 3) I just did my first feeding of DT's phytoplankton. Is this stuff
> SUPPOSED to smell like a really bad fart? I mean, this is slightly beyond
> rotten eggs. WHEW! (sorry to be vulgar)

Nope - our DT's live phyto. doesn't smell like anything. I don't
believe it's supposed to.
>
> That's all I can think of for now... TIA
>
> ~Mort

Best of luck!

Teri
http://www.reefsanctuary.com

[Marc Levenson]

Mort wrote:

> 1) In the FW world, it is considered taboo to add the water from the LFS to
> your tank. (like when you bring home a new fish and there is water in the
> bag)
> Is the same true with a reef? I mean, obviously it is in pretty good health
> otherwise you wouldnt be buying it and from all that I have read, the more
> seeding you can do the better, right?

If you are BUYING the water from the LFS, then this is safe to use. It is new
filtered water. If you mean from their tanks, I'd avoid it. You might
introduce the irritans (Ich) into your system and infect your fish. Better to
acclimate the fish, then pour out all the water and put the fish in the tank via
the empty bag or a net.

You have to be quick. ;)

> 2) Acclimating corals... There's really no procedure for acclimating LR
> (assuming it is cured) so what about corals? Is it neccessary to go through
> the arduous task of acclimating the way you would inverts?

Some people acclimate them, others put them right into the tank. I do both. :)

> 3) I just did my first feeding of DT's phytoplankton. Is this stuff
> SUPPOSED to smell like a really bad fart? I mean, this is slightly beyond
> rotten eggs. WHEW! (sorry to be vulgar)

No, it should not smell vile. It must be kept refrigerated and shaken *daily*
to keep it from settling/smothering the cells.

Marc


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